The pro-choice video we saw at today’s meeting.
The producers are technically a SuperPAC.
Author: Andrew J. Lazarus
Meeting May 8, 4:00
We can make predictions on what Putin’s Victory Day Parade will look like.
We can also discuss two articles Bruce links.
TX–28
I haven’t been able to think through the implications of the upcoming repeal of Roe; maybe it is not even my place to. I want to point out that today, Speaker Pelosi appeared in Texas for incumbent Henry Cuellar (TX–28), who is literally the last anti-abortion Democrat in the House. (He also had his home raided by the FBI, which appears to be looking into his financial relationship with Azerbaijan.) He is in a primary run-off against a progressive young woman, Jessica Cisneros. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders endorsed her.
Pelosi has been the most effective Speaker in memory in terms of holding her caucus together, but this seems tone deaf. The theory is that, with Democrats having done very badly in the Rio Grande districts in 2020, Cuellar has a much better chance of retaining the seat. Is it worth it, for the cost to the image of the party?
You have to admire the Republicans’ commitment to team play and the long game, as enforced primarily by Mitch McConnell and the oligarchs who back him. While Dems cheer the bend of the arc of history, he worked incrementally over decades to orchestrate the takeover of the government to bend it back.
Democrats seem more interested in not losing too badly. Keep the filibuster, so that we can mitigate damage after the Republicans win. (This even supposes a number of Republicans would still support the filibuster when it works to their disadvantage, which is far from certain.) Instead, Democrats celebrate individual performances in a losing cause. You can see this today in the persons enraged at the suggestion cancer-ridden RBG should have retired early in the Obama Administration. Ginsburg’s rhetoric will sound so good in Blue State textbooks, but her last public statement, released post mortem, was a wheedling, feckless request that her successor be nominated by the winner of the impending presidential election. Of course, once they finished laughing, the Republicans did no such thing.
Next meeting is May 8
We did not intend to change the off-week parity when we cancelled last week. However, we have some appropriate May Day activities!
The Focus for Democracy people are doing another fundraiser for their downballot election work.
| To attend our next event for the States Project Sunday, May 1st, at 5pm PT/8pm ET, click here or below to register and a Zoom link will be emailed to you. |
Bruce brings us some reading material for next week. (This may or may not preview on the web page, depending if WordPress notices which price plan we are on. If not, it should have a download option.)
And perhaps with the distance of time, the experience of these Assembly candidates may seem droll.
‘Zoom-bombers’ drop lewd video, racist comments at Sacramento candidate forum.
A great speech from Mallory McMorrow
McMorrow is a member of the Michigan State Assembly whom we helped get into office. Her race was adopted by Bay Area Sister District in 2018. One of the Republicans in the MI Assembly wrote a campaign fundraising letter featuring the new blood libel that Democrats—in particular, McMorrow—are grooming children for sexual molestation.
This was her response.
I can’t help thinking that if Terry McAuliffe had confronted Republican slander with this outrage, he’d be Governor of Virginia today.
[UPDATE] James Carville seems to agree with me. Two months ago he said the Dems needed to abandon “faculty lounge” wokeness. But it turns out he didn’t mean abandoning the marginalized. He meant abandoning mealy-mouthed evasive defense. He’s a huge fan of this clip.
Meeting Sunday April 4, 4:00
Usual place.
Remember, we are learning how to be Sith Lords, using our anger. No more “When they go low, we go high.” Look how badly that worked out for the Jedi.
All enemies of freedom foreign and domestic
We have an event at our house this Sunday, 4:00–5:00 pm. But not Indivisible Elmwood. I will be talking about J Street’s congressional delegation to Israel and Palestine, which included, inter alia, Rep. Jared Huffman of Marin, Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, whom we supported for her first race in 2018, and Yours Truly.
The delegation met with
- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh
- Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid
- Mansour Abbas, leader of the first Arab Party to join an Israeli governing coalition
- Numerous non-government officials.
I will talk for about half the time and will take questions. Rabbi Andrew Strauss, the Regional Director for J Street, will also be attending.
Meeting Sunday, March 13, 4:00 pm
Usual place! That is, the usual in-person place. (I suppose we need to qualify that now.)
I suggest we think about how the invasion of Ukraine can affect our elections, and in particular how to exploit the Republicans’ difficulty, given their pro-Putin wing, in formulating a response.
Setting your money on fire warning
The loathsome Marjorie Taylor Greene has not one but two Democratic opponents, raking in massive donations from small donors.
Trump won this district by 39 points. There is no missing decimal point there. Thirty-nine.
Marcus Flowers seems like a great candidate. Maybe he can trim the margin to 20. Maybe he can bring in some voters to help the up-ballot races. But he won’t need a massive advertising campaign to do that.
Reminder: Don’t give out of spite.
Feinstein fax number
I promised to supply this, then forgot. Her SF office fax is (415) 393-0710.
As an addendum to the CA discussion, I have heard a rumor that Jerry McNerney will retire, and Harder will run for that seat instead, with an incumbent D member of the Assembly trying to move up.
Indivisible Elmwood 