Something Heather Cox Richardson wrote this week really caught my eye:
McConnell and McCarthy seem to have lost control of their caucus, while the Republicans’ posturing is increasingly out of step with the national mood
And it isn’t just that the R leaders are failing, it is that our leaders are doing well:
Pelosi called McCarthy’s bluff, Schumer warned his Republican colleagues that he will not let them sabotage Democratic priorities by running out the clock, and Democratic lawmakers are taking advantage of the erratic behavior of Republican lawmakers to suggest that they, the Democrats, are currently the only adults in the room.
This is the feel good story that has been consistent and strong since Biden took office.
People predicted (again and again) that wars between the centrist and leftist democrats would keep us from getting things done. So far at least, they are wrong.
People predicted (again and again) that Biden and Schumer and Pelosi would get outplayed by Republicans. So far at least, they are wrong.
Pelosi is a political pro who is handling things just right (as always).
Like this:
Pelosi considering adding former GOP congressman as adviser to Jan. 6 committee
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats are considering inviting Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois to join the select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack, and asking a former GOP congressman to serve on committee staff amid a standoff with House GOP leaders over their picks for the panel, according to sources familiar with the deliberations.
"People said to me, 'Put them on [the select committee] and take them off when they act up you can take them off.' I said, 'Why should we waste time on something so predictable?'" Pelosi said Thursday.
and this shade:
and look at how Democrats are handling infrastructure:
Finally, it is infrastructure week
As he and President Biden promised, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) intends to move forward this week on two tracks to achieve the most extensive investment in infrastructure in living memory. On one track, he has a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package for “human infrastructure”; on the other, there is the bipartisan $1.2 trillion deal for hard infrastructure.
Contrary to Republican spin (and the credulous punditry that regurgitates it), Democrats hold the cards here. Should Republicans balk at the $1.2 trillion deal — thereby reneging on their public announcement standing shoulder to shoulder with the president — Schumer will simply dump the contents of that bill into the reconciliation package.
If Republicans were gambling that Democrats could never agree on the reconciliation deal, they misread Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has not operated like the hard-line socialist they painted him to be as chair of the Senate Budget Committee. Sanders, who initially supported a $6 trillion reconciliation package, confirmed last week that Senate Democrats and the administration had reached an agreement, which he called a “pivotal moment in American history.”
and Democrats have a plan to FINALLY get immigration reform done as well:
Democrats are going it alone on immigration reform
After years of failed bipartisan talks on immigration reform, Democrats in Congress are pushing to go it alone and legalize millions of undocumented immigrants.
They’re hoping to provide a path to citizenship to several key groups: undocumented “DREAMers” who came to the US as children; people with Temporary Protected Status, a form of humanitarian protection typically conferred on citizens of countries suffering from natural disasters, armed conflict, or other extraordinary circumstances; farm workers; and other essential workers.
Though the specific legislative language has yet to be announced, Democrats are planning to include the proposal in their 2022 budget reconciliation package, which they could pass with a simple majority in Congress and without a single Republican vote.
Democrats are getting things done and people are noticing. VOTERS are noticing
The child tax credit is blowing up on TikTok. That should tell lawmakers something.
I’ve been covering tax policy in the US for over a decade now, and I can confidently say that provisions in the tax code do not often go viral.
Enter the child tax credit, which was greatly expanded temporarily in President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, with monthly payments hitting households starting on July 15. The sudden deposits — of up to $250 per child ages 6-17, and $300 per child under 6 — were such a delight to many parents that the hashtags #childtaxcredit and #childtaxcredit2021 blew up on TikTok, with tens of millions of views under each as of this writing.
s someone who supported those stimulus payments, and strongly supports making the new child tax credit payments permanent and easy to access, this is tremendously encouraging stuff. It implies that check-based programs can avoid some of the worst pathologies of American government, and unlock one of the most powerful, and positive forces in politics: policy feedback.
and the fearmongering about Democratic policies leading to runaway inflation is likely just that: fear mongering
Don’t worry about inflation
some economists are voicing concern that 2021 could see a rerun of another economic calamity: the Great Inflation of the 1970s.
Understanding the warning that figures like Summers and Blanchard are issuing is important. But equally important is understanding the key differences between what happened in the 1970s and what’s happening today.
I tried to consolidate all of those differences between the 70s and now into bullet points but they are too complex. It is worth reading the article, if you are worried.
Another sign that the Republicans are in disarray? They are just now realizing that their stupid destructive fearmongering about vaccines and disregard of common safety measures is killing off their own voters.
Conservative Pundit S.E. Cupp Calls Out Republicans For Killing Their Own Voters
“Republicans have increasingly allowed the creep of conspiracy theories and anti-vax arguments to infect the party, and party politics to affect health,” she said on CNN on Wednesday.
She said right-wing figures are now being forced to double and triple down on lies to keep the voters they’ve conditioned with misinformation happy.
“Eventually, telling the truth about science and health becomes an apostasy, treasonous, proof you are a sellout,” she said, adding:
“It shouldn’t be political. But ultimately Republicans are doing more to shrink their base than to grow it, in more ways than one. It’s bad politics, but it’s also just plain bad.”
GOP Governor Says It’s Time To ‘Blame The Unvaccinated’ For Pandemic Surge
“It’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks,” said Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, per CBS 42 in Birmingham. “It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down.”
“Media, I want you to start reporting the facts,” she said. “The new cases of COVID are because of unvaccinated folks. Almost 100 percent of the new hospitalizations are with unvaccinated folks. And the deaths are certainly occurring with the unvaccinated folks.”
so their lies are killing their own supporters. Seems like a tragic and awful and stupid way to lead. It is also galvanizing our voters:
As GOP supporters die of Covid, the party remains split in its vaccination message
As the delta variant of the coronavirus courses through the American bloodstream, the Republican Party can't make up its mind about vaccines.
Democratic voters, the strategists say, are extremely concerned about Republican leaders' selling lies that incite voters to take dangerous action — or, in the case of the vaccines — no action.
"It's definitely a turnout issue on our side," said Julia Kennedy, a Democratic strategist who worked on President Joe Biden's campaign. "It is definitely still at the top of people's minds, because they are connecting Republican candidates with the Capitol insurrection, conspiracy theories over the vaccine and the big lie."
Good News in Red (and purple) States
Tennessee to remove bust of Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest from state Capitol
Tennessee officials voted Thursday to remove the bust of a Ku Klux Klan and Confederate leader Nathan Bedford Forrest from the State Capitol and into the Tennessee State Museum.
"After more than a year in the making, this process has finally come to a close," said Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who voted in favor of the removal.
Forrest was a Confederate general, slave trader and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
Missouri Supreme Court rules in favor of Medicaid expansion
Missouri must expand Medicaid to low-income residents, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday, finding that a state ballot initiative that voters approved last year was constitutional.
The decision overturned a
lower court ruling that said the ballot measure approving expansion had violated state law.
"The court has said the law is very clear, and that sends a very clear message to both the governor and the legislature that they need to get on with implementation," said Chuck Hatfield, a partner at Stinson law firm and one of the attorneys who brought the current suit, stressing that the decision was 7-0.
Cleveland’s Baseball Team Will Become the Guardians
After months of deliberation, Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team has declared its new name will be the Guardians. The change will take effect after the current season.
The team decided last year that it would shift away from Indians, the name it had used since 1915, because it is considered offensive to many Native Americans and others who are opposed to the use of Native nicknames and mascots for sports teams. They followed the Washington Football Team, which dropped the name “Redskins” last year.
on the lighter side
What can you do to save democracy?
- There are still 169 events remaining for the Deadline for Democracy total nationwide over the next two and a half weeks (and a few more being added each day). They are adding more events every day, so be sure to check their events map throughout recess -- or join them virtually for one their upcoming national phone bank on Wednesday, July 7.
- On August 28, the anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, voting rights groups are hosting five simultaneous marches across the country to demand action to protect voting rights. Learn more and sign up for updates here.
- Run for something! Seriously? Why not you?
- Get involved with the Democratic party. We aren’t perfect, but they are fucking evil.
- Get involved with Swing Left. They are working on races right now!
- Get involved with Postcards to voters! Influence voters in key areas from the comfort of your own home!
- Donate to the AMAZING Florida Rights Restoration! They are taking buses around Florida to empower returning citizens, remove financial barriers to voting, and increase public safety. They are really amazing
- Make phone calls FROM YOUR OWN HOME to protect voter rights. There are phone banks on Wednesdays and on Saturdays.
- The ACLU plays a key role in filing lawsuits that often stop voter suppression. Get involved with them at this link.
- The League of Women Voters work year-round to combat voter suppression through advocacy, grassroots organizing, legal action and public education. You can get involved with them at this link
- Volunteer with Black Votes Matter at this link. They have on the ground work in 10 states and people from other states can write postcards, phone bank, fundraise, and text.
- Spread The Vote works to get voters IDs before voting begins. You can volunteer with them at this link.
- Sign up at Democracy Docket to stay informed about the fight against voter suppression and the fight for voter rights.
Most important: DON'T LOSE HOPE. This is a giant and important fight for us but, win or lose, we keep fighting and voting and organizing and spreading truth and light. We never give up.
That is it for today.
I am so lucky and so proud to be in this with you ✊🏾✊🏻♥💙💚💛💜🧡✊🏽✊🏻