In the week since we last spoke, a lot of bad stuff has happened-- I’m sure I don’t need to run it all down for you. And I’m not going to lie, it really got to me early this week. The terrible SC decision on Ohio and especially the continuing horrible news about ICE’s Gestapo actions were especially hard to read. I felt myself sliding back into the state of apathy I felt last year as the Trump regime took power.
Then I remembered something written 242 years ago, when the US was in a lot worse shape than it is now. In fact, it wasn’t at all clear that there was going to be a United States. These words were read to to a small group of freedom fighters who had become demoralized as they sat hungry and freezing at a place called Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. --Thomas Paine, The American Crisis #1
It is very easy to stand with a cause when things are going well and victory seems certain. as it did for many of us on November 7, 2016. And it is easy to retire from the battle when things go against us, as they most certainly did on November 8, 2016. But we here have chosen to stay in the fight, even when the going gets rough and we suffer some defeats.
And it is inevitable that even those of us who are more than “sunshine patriots” will sometimes find ourselves discouraged and depressed. As Thomas Paine also wrote,
[People] who are sincere in defending their freedom, will always feel concern at every circumstance which seems to make against them; it is the natural and honest consequence of all affectionate attachments, and the want of it is a vice. But the dejection lasts only for a moment; they soon rise out of it with additional vigor; the glow of hope, courage and fortitude, will, in a little time, supply the place of every inferior passion, and kindle the whole heart into heroism.--American Crisis #4
What Paine didn’t say, but implied by his use of the plural, is that this is possible because we are part of a cause with many others who, like us, believe in the necessity of what they are doing and who, like us, sometimes hear the tempting siren call of despair. And knowing that we are in this fight with other like-minded people, we carry on as best we can—“best” meaning always doing our very best and working as hard as we can—knowing that when we falter others will carry us along, and carrying others along when they falter.
And, for me at least, one motivation is all of those younger than me (and most people are younger than me), especially my children and grandchildren. Some, especially younger people, seem to feel that if they don’t get to experience immediate victory that it’s not worth the struggle. They are like the tavern owner Thomas Paine once saw
...standing at his door, with as pretty a child in his hand, about eight or nine years old, as I ever saw, and after speaking his mind as freely as he thought was prudent, finished with this unfatherly expression, "Well! give me peace in my day."...a generous parent should have said, "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace;" and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every [person] to duty.--American Crisis #4
All of this helped me realize why I should stay in the fight, and why in fact I should be glad the current crisis is happening now rather than later. But it took more to realize that I could continue the struggle. For that, I am deeply indebted to the whole Good News Roundup team, and especially to the most recent diaries by the eponymous Good News Roundup and pr0gressivist, which almost seemed to have been written with me in mind. And all of the wonderful commenters are also an essential part of this support network we have set up for each other.
I am appalled that this struggle is necessary, but I am happy and proud to be in it with all of you.
And of course it also helps that, as you will see in a moment, there has been a flood of encouraging news lately, as there always is.
And now, as Rob Reiner said in This Is Spinal Tap, ”Enough of my yakkin’, let’s rock!”
More Primaries, More Good News
Tuesday’s primaries brought still more good results for Team Blue and more self-destructive buffoonery for Team Red-Faced. While we may not have seen all our favorites win their Democratic primaries, we can be encouraged by a mostly great slate of candidates going into November.
It is also encouraging that Tuesday saw the continuation of what is, for Republicans, a horror movie called “Attack Of The Liberal Women.”
Given the high levels of Dem turnout so far and the preference for woman candidates, the GOP has to (or should) be nervous about all those races in which their candidate is a male Trumpanzee.
And speaking of nervous Republicans, party leaders are justifiably upset about what Trump’s cult members did to them in Virginia Tuesday night when they nominated white supremacist Confederate fanboy Corey Stewart to oppose Sen. Tim Kaine. Probably the best indicator of the feelings of Virginia Republicans who were hoping for their first statewide victory since 2009 can be found at the wingnut blog The Bull Elephant
And freaking out they are, as can be seen in their posts about the primary results.
VPAP.org has called the races. The Senate results are here with a map by county. The House primary results are here. To quote cousin Willie, the Party’s over.
Of course the Democrats want Corey to win. They know he will bring down the Republican Party with him. We will be very lucky to hang onto 3 Congressional seats, more likely it will be two.
The most Redneck counties along with Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William went for Corey. Arlington and Alexandria went big for Freitas. Not sure what that says. But it’s not good for the Republican party.
That’s right, Republicans are calling their own voters “rednecks,” and not in a good way. This is the party they have spent 40 years building, and it won’t help to to insult the people they’ve built it with.
If revenge is a dish best served cold, how does one serve schadenfreude? Perhaps with a side of fava beans and a nice Chianti.
44
Despite Scott Walker’s best efforts, Wisconsin was forced to hold special elections Tuesday night for two state legislative races, and one of those races resulted in a 21-point leftward swing and the Dems 44th flipped state leg seat in this election cycle (some estimates say 47th). It’s the first time a Democrat has held this seat in 40 years.
As this trend continues, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that rather than the horse race the media so desperately wants, this is shaping up to be what we in Texas call an ol’-fashioned ass-whuppin’.
Polls Continue To Look Good For Democrats
We seem to be hearing a lot less from the GOP wishful-thinkers and Democratic Gloomy Guses about the “narrowing polls.” There’s a good reason for that. Yesterday’s 538 composite shows a continuation of increasing Dem support and decreasing GOP support, with an especially large widening over the last ten days. Apparently the Democrats’ alleged lack of a message and the fact that a couple of entertainers said a couple of naughty words hasn’t had the catastrophic effect some have predicted.
Meanwhile, Trump's numbers continue to look pretty dismal, despite his Nobel Prize worthy performances at the G-7 and in Singapore.
Beto O’Rourke Fulfills Pledge To Visit All 254 Texas Counties
He said he’d do it, and he has.
After tens of thousands of miles on the road, hundreds of town hall meetings and innumerable cups of coffee, U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke made the final stop on his much-ballyhooed tour of all 254 Texas counties on Saturday, visiting Gainesville in his continuing bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz this fall.
Over the last 15 months, O’Rourke’s county-by-county driving tour has taken him all over the state, from his hometown of El Paso on the Mexican border to Cooke County in the north, where he held a town hall on Saturday afternoon.
“Here we are in Gainesville, which, as the crow flies, might be the farthest point you can get from El Paso,” he said to laughter from a packed house in the historic Santa Fe train depot.
Thus achievement is more than a campaign stunt. It reflects a style of campaigning that has not been seen in Texas in decades.
“Since 1998, what we’ve seen is the triangle — they go to Houston, Dallas, and Austin and San Antonio. They’ll do one swing through the Valley and one trip through El Paso,” said Colin Strother, a longtime Democratic strategist in Texas. “That’s not how we’re going to energize our own voters, educate new voters, and it’s not how we’re going to win. What’s exciting and refreshing about Beto’s approach is that he’s going to go campaign everywhere.”
This makes sense to me. It doesn’t matter if we lose the red counties if we increase our vote totals there. If Beto can get 30% of the vote in the reddest counties instead of the traditional 20-25%, the blue areas of Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, and the lower Rio Grande Valley could be enough to win this thing.
A couple of days ago Ted Cruz said he agreed with the separation of children from their families entering the US legally to seek asylum. It’s about the only thing he could have done to make me despise him more than I already did.
If you live in Texas, think about how hard you’ve been working to get Beto elected, and decide today to work even harder. And if you are not fortunate enough to live here, there’s nothing stopping you from spending a few bucks to give Ted Cruz his walking papers.
GOP Candidate For Maine State Senate Defends An Old Video That Must Be Seen To Be Believed
I won’t make much of a comment on this old commercial featuring GOP candidate Eric Brakey. You have to see it for yourself.
“The idea is … people drink it, they want to dance and be Brazilian so you’ve got people dancing in Brazilian Speedos," said Brakey, who is running in Maine's 15th district. "It was a real fun time and I stand behind the work."
The Kennebec Journal adds that the video of Brakey, who turns 25 on Thursday, was posted on YouTube by Vita Coco. Church pastor Mike Hein, a former Christian Civic League employee who circulated the videos, emailed that Brakey looked "demon possessed" in the clip.
Here it is in all its glory.
I’m sorry/not sorry.
CBS News Says Sarah Sanders and Raj Shah Are Jumping Ship
Late yesterday afternoon CBS ran a story claiming that two high-profile rats are fleeing the sinking ship.
Press secretary Sarah Sanders and principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah are both heading for the exits, according to sources inside the White House and close to the administration. Sanders, who has become a confidante of President Trump since the departure of former communications director Hope Hicks, has told friends that she plans to leave the administration at the end of the year.
Shah is also considering his exit, but he has not yet settled on an exact date. Neither Sanders nor Shah responded to repeated requests for comment before this story was published.
Ms Sanders later tweeted a statement denigrating the CBS report, but when has she ever said anything truthful?
As for why they are leaving, perhaps they’re all lied out, or perhaps there’s something more.
No word yet, of course, on who Sanders’ replacement would be. Baron Munchausen, perhaps?
Mike Pence Gets Cool Reception From Southern Baptists
Have evangelicals finally had enough of the Trump Crime Ring’s unchristian ways? Perhaps, if Mike Pence's speech to the Southern Baptists Convention yesterday is any indication.
Vice President Mike Pence spoke to thousands of Southern Baptists on Wednesday morning at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. His appearance had been announced just a few days earlier and was met with unusual resistance by the overwhelmingly conservative audience of pastors and other church leaders.
Five pastors made formal attempts to pass motions to prevent the vice president from speaking or to bar politicians from speaking at future meetings. A Florida pastor offered a proposal to replace Pence’s appearance with a session of prayer, because the appearance would hurt “our minority brothers and sisters” and confuse the denomination’s Christian message. The measure did not go up for an official vote, but observers in the hall estimated that at least 30 percent of attendees supported it. Another pastor proposed that Pence’s speaking slot be taken by H.B. Charles Jr., a black pastor in Florida.
More interesting than the speech, however, was the response in the convention hall. True, there were many moments of sustained applause and several standing ovations at red meat like “defund Planned Parenthood.” Early on, someone in the crowd of pastors yelled out “FOUR MORE YEARS!” But panning shots of the thousands of people in the room also captured many people sitting with their arms crossed through many applause lines. North Carolina pastor J.D. Greear, the denomination’s newly elected president, tweeted that the speech sent a “terribly mixed signal.”
This could be an indication that the luster of Trumpism is starting to wear off for the usually gullible evangelical community. And that could have serious implications for Pence’s plan to be the conservative Christian successor to Trump.
The SBC’s priorities are a good indication of evangelicalism more broadly. Republicans who count on white evangelical votes ought to pay attention to the vice president’s cool reception this week in Dallas.
That’s not the only good news from the Southern Baptists this week, and I can’t believe I just typed that.
Georgia Baptist Church Expelled From Southern Baptist Convention Due To Racism
Before giving Mike Pence the cold shoulder, the SBC also took more substantive action, kicking out a racist church in Albany, Georgia.
The convention's executive committee voted to withdraw fellowship from Raleigh White Baptist Church during its morning meeting in Dallas, said Roger S. Oldham, the committee's spokesman.
The 80-plus member body, which acts on behalf of the Southern Baptist Convention when it is not in session, followed the recommendation of its officers and severed the evangelical denomination's relationship with the church for "clear evidence of the church's intentional discriminatory acts."
The small white congregation in Albany, Ga., has been accused of discriminating against a growing black congregation that shared its church building.
It took over six months for action to be taken against the racist church, and Mike Pence was allowed to finish his speech without having rotten vegetables thrown at him, so I’m not quite ready to welcome the SBC to the Resistance just yet. But they deserve recognition for doing the right thing.
Republican Cory Gardner Joins Elizabeth Warren In Introducing Bill To Protect States’ Medical And Recreational Pot Laws
Warren and Gardner have authored bipartisan legislation to protect states that have legalized marijuana from the predations of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III and his ilk.
“I am proud to be in this fight,” [Warren] said in a press conference Thursday to announce “bipartisan legislation that would let states, territories, and tribes decide for themselves how to regulate marijuana without federal interference.”
“Our federal marijuana laws are outdated and they’re broken. The law on the books makes it harder for veterans to get treatment for chronic pain, they keep children with rare diseases in agony, and they make life miserable for individuals struggling with terminal diseases,” Warren said, adding, “The way I see it we have two choices: We can either sit on the sidelines and we can bemoan the old fashioned policies or we can roll up our sleeves, get to work, and propose a solution.”
Beyond simply keeping Sessions’ elfin nose out of states’ affairs, the proposed law would also take steps against a practice that has hampered the marijuana business in some states.
It would also allow pot businesses to access federally insured banks. Many in the marijuana industry have been locked out of the system, forcing them to deal in large and potentially unsafe amounts of cash.
It’s not known how well the bill will do in the Senate, but considering its bipartisan support and the fact that conservatives like John Boehner have decided to be on the right side of history on this issue, I’d say it has a chance. Sen. Gardner says that Trump told him he would sign such a law (for what that’s worth).
Arizona Court Cites SCOTUS Gay Wedding Cake Decision In Ruling Against LGBTQ Discrimination
Despite statements from the ACLU legal director, the Human Rights Campaign, and others, there were those who thought the Supreme Court’s recent Masterpiece decision in favor of a bigoted baker who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding was a huge setback for LGBTQ rights. Now we have our first indication that it may have been the exact opposite, at least in part.
While SCOTUS mostly punted in the Masterpiece case, their decision did re-affirm the value of anti-discrimination laws. This is probably not the first time we will see that decision cited in this way. As the ACLU said at the time, “We have lost the battle but won the war.”
UN General Assembly Picks A Woman As Its President
For only the fourth time in its 73-year history, the UN General Assembly has chosen a woman, Ecuador’s María Fernanda Espinosa, as its president.
The United Nations General Assembly has a new President: Ecuador’s Foreign Minister, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces. Every year, the U.N. votes to choose a new ramrod for its General Assembly. Potential candidates for the position are chosen, partially, based on a regional rotation. This time around, the U.N. was looking for someone from Latin America or the Caribbean. As such, Espinosa Garces stepped up to the plate and whacked it right out of the park: of the 192 nations voting on the matter, 128 gave the thumbs up to her taking the position.
As Yahoo News points out, the position of President in the General Assembly is largely ceremonial, especially given that a large percentage of what the General Assembly does is create non-binding resolutions. But still, a win is a win, and the newly-minted President Espinosa Garces is definitely a winner.
Federal Judge Rules That ACLU Lawsuit Challenging The Separation Of Families Seeking Asylum Can Go Forward, With Indications That It Will Probably Succeed
The gestapo tactics of Trump’s immigration enforcers comprise one of the most brutal policies of the current regime’s racist policies, and the stealing of children from their parents is the most brutal tactic they are using. The ACLU is suing to stop this barbaric practice, and last week a US District Judge in San Diego ruled against a Trump administration motion to dismiss the suit. Better than that, the judge gave clear indications that there is no reasonable defense against the suit.
U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw in San Diego said in his ruling that the Trump administration's "wrenching separation" of families might violate the Constitution's guarantees of due process.
“Such conduct, if true, as it is assumed to be on the present motion, is brutal, offensive, and fails to comport with traditional notions of fair play and decency,” Sabraw wrote. "The facts alleged are sufficient to show the government conduct at issue ‘shocks the conscience’ and violates Plaintiffs’ constitutional right to family integrity.”
Sabraw rejected the federal government's argument that the practice of separating families cannot be challenged on constitutional grounds.
Emphasis added.
This is a very encouraging ruling. Forget the article’s contention that this “might” violate Constitutional protections. The judge’s statements pretty clearly say that the only way the federal government can defend against the lawsuit is to prove that its actions aren’t happening.
The ACLU continues to fight the good fight against Trump’s assault on our civil liberties. See below for a creative way you can help them in the struggle for justice.
FBI Agent Whose Dance Moves Included Accidentally Shooting Someone Has Been Arrested
You all remember the story of the FBI agent who, while partying in a Denver bar, decided to bust a move on the dance floor, subsequently dropping his gun and accidentally firing off a round while picking it up. Despite his casual attitude about the incident, which caused potentially life-threatening injuries to another bar patron, the dancing G-man has been arrested pending possible assault charges.
The agent, identified as 29-year-old Chase Bishop, is being held at a Denver detention center for investigation of second degree assault, pending formal charges from the District Attorney's Office, according to Denver Police Department spokesman Jay Casillas.
The arrest comes a week after video of the incident went viral and raised questions as to why Bishop was not initially taken into custody.
That’s a damn good question. As so often happens with misconduct by cops, it seems likely that Bishop would have gotten away with it were it not for the existence of video.
Last week, the Mile High Spirits team released a statement on Facebook saying they looked forward to speaking with the FBI to learn more about why the agent was armed in the bar.
Another damn good question, especially since the bar supposedly bans firearms and the agent’s weapon was reportedly plainly visible under his shirt.
The good news, though, is that this yahoo is going to face justice because someone was quick-thinking enough to post the video they recorded of the whole thing.
The FBI is not commenting, but a retired agency supervisor did.
...knowing he was armed, he may have elected to avoid the dance-off."
Founder Of The Cook Report Gives GOP The News—Tax Cuts Won’t Save You
The GOP is operating under the apprehension that their tax cut package will so impress voters that they may be able to preserve their House majority. But, as election forecaster Charlie Cook told party leaders earlier this month, not all voters are as gullible as the GOP base.
According to sources in the room, Cook gave the Republican staffers a bleak view of the midterms. He said he was deeply skeptical that simply touting the economic wonders of tax reform would be enough to save the House.
- Cook confirmed this to me via email: "I told the group that the tax cut did help among Republican voters, but helped only a little and temporarily among independents and did nothing with Democratic voters.”
- "The essence of what I said was that if they were going to rely primarily on the tax cuts to hang onto their majority, they were unlikely to succeed.”
The bottom line: Republicans have a heck of a hard job saving the House this year, as the president's party almost always loses seats in his first midterm. Trump's approval rating remains under water. Democrats are more energized than ever, and there are serious questions about whether Republicans will be motivated enough to show up and vote in the numbers required to save the House.
Since it doesn’t look like they will succeed with the only big thing they’ve actually done, it looks increasingly like the only option Republicans will have in November will be to get ready to take their whuppin’.
Is Michael Cohen About To Flip Because Of Trump’s Habit Of Breaking Financial Promises?
I haven’t mentioned the story of Michael Cohen losing his legal representation or the possibility that he’s about to flip. I’m sure you’ve all heard the news, and it’s still not clear just what is going to happen. But I do want to speculate for a moment about why Cohen may be about to turn on his former boss.
It was previously reported that the Trump campaign was paying some of Cohen’s legal expenses, which may have violated campaign finance laws. Yesterday, we learned that Cohen's lawyers had quit on him, but there hasn’t been much attention given to this little detail of the story as reported by ABC news.
A source familiar with the matter tells ABC News that among the reasons for Cohen’s change in counsel is a fee dispute.
One has to wonder if the Trump campaign spigot has gone dry, and Cohen either won’t or can’t pay his lawyers as much as the campaign was. Wouldn’t it be awesome if Cohen flips, creating huge legal trouble for Trump, because the orange dotard decided to abandon a pledge to finance Cohen’s defense? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time the “stable genius” has shot himself in the foot.
That’s just my theory. What do you think?
That’s my good news for today. As always, there’s lots more, like the Detroit Zoo sending 11,000 endangerd toads to Puerto Rico in an effort to preserve the species, or the co-founder of Guess clothing being forced out after revelations of sexual harassment and assault, or many others. But I know you have other things to do today than read this diary, and I want to close by mentioning a couple of things you can do to help with the struggle if you can spare a few dollars.
Taking Action—Things You Can Do To Help
Others have listed a great many things we can do to make things better, so I thought I should throw out a couple.
Cameron Esposito is a lesbian comic who has appeared on several late-night shows as well as many other places. If you go to her web page, you will find her routine about sexual assault from a survivor’s perspective available for streaming at no cost. The routine is absolutely brilliant, and if you like it you can by it for $10.00 or more, all of which will go to support RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. Ms Esposito’s show is both very funny and very powerful, but if you feel uncomfortable with the subject matter of sexual assault you can simply give a donation at RAINN's website. The site also has prominently displayed resources for assault survivors.
A fun action item can be found at Make Tweets Great Again. The idea is that you pledge a certain amount of money—it can be just a nickel or a dime—for every tweet Trump sends out. Those pledges are donated to the ACLU. So every time Little Donny Tinyhands spews out one of his ridiculous and/or hate-filled “thoughts,” the ACLU gets some spare change. Last time I checked, Trump had inadvertently raised almost $50,000 for one of his most powerful adversaries.
One of the very best resources for action items and resistance tools is Yosef 52's excellent continuing series of diaries. Anyone who’s serious about defeating the Trump Crime Ring should check it out.
Or, if nothing else, you could always write your congresscritter about this proposal.
I guess that’ll wrap it up for another Thursday. Remember to check the Good News Roundup the other six days of the week for the really good stuff. And if this isn’t enough good news, go out and make some of your own.
For our closing music today I’ve picked a Chilean call to action to get y’all as fired up as I am. It’s en español, but has English subtitles you can turn on.
Play us out, muchachos.
Juntos, aquí estamos. Venceremos.