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You are here: Home / Archives for Organizing & Resistance / Don't Agonize - Organize

Don't Agonize - Organize

Whatever You Do Now, Don’t Turn Around

by Four Seasons Total Landscaping mistermix|  February 25, 20204:30 pm| 104 Comments

This post is in: Don't Agonize - Organize

I think we know that no matter whether COVID-19 is a massive epidemic, or a nothingburger (in terms of US mortality), the Republicans will politicize it. The trade disruption will, somehow, be Democrats’ fault for opposing TPP, or whatever other stupid reason they cook up. The deaths will be due to Obamacare impinging upon the robust function of the invisible hand.

The reality is that a COVID-19 pandemic will highlight one issue where Democrats can win: our fucked-up healthcare system. Sick people will avoid going to the doctor because they don’t have insurance (or good insurance), and they’ll infect others. Our overcrowded emergency departments, still the first point of contact for the sick working poor who don’t have a family physician, will grind to a standstill under the weight of infection precautions. The for-profit urgent care centers that dot the landscape around here will be relatively useless monuments to the greed of the hospital systems that overbuilt them to capture insurance money.

Every single Democratic candidate has a good healthcare plan that would be better than this. M4A is miles ahead of our common disaster.

And then there’s the incompetence, just the sheer stupidity that would lead the State Department to overrule the CDC. Expect more of this in the days and weeks to come.

We need to stick it to Trump on this one – it’s all on his watch and we need to make him own it before his media machine makes it Obama’s Katrina. We have the plans, and we have the competence. For once, that ought to be appreciated.

Whatever You Do Now, Don’t Turn AroundPost + Comments (104)

Election Year Open Thread: The Iowa Caucuses

by Anne Laurie|  January 30, 202010:54 pm| 107 Comments

This post is in: Don't Agonize - Organize, Election 2020, Open Threads

Caucus Refreshments - Jeff Danziger

(Jeff Danziger via GoComics.com)

This is to say nothing of Bloomberg. He might get some Yang voters, though, all 3.

Anyway people will actively avoid learning how the caucus works and Monday night will be a very confusing time

— Canadian Bread Price Fixing (@MenshevikM) January 30, 2020

This is no way to run a democratic election!

It's actually just completely shameful that we went through a whole big push about reforming the system to make primaries 'more democratic' & there was almost nothing about eliminating caucuses, which are inherently undemocratic.. https://t.co/kZWNKKeio1

— Centrism Fan Acct ?? (@Wilson__Valdez) January 27, 2020

I am going to be caucusing with a 7 year old, so the stupidity of a crucial political January in-person event starting at 7 pm has been in the front of my brain lately as I think about the stories of doorknockers being turned away by husbands as they ask to speak to the wives too https://t.co/YmaKTwXWhn

— Louise Seamster (@louise_seamster) January 29, 2020

They were certainly bad for my late mother who has been a Democrat longer than most people have been alive but couldn't attend the caucuses anymore when she was in her 90s cuz she couldn't hang around in cold rooms for hours.

— Equanimity (@shunyata2000) January 29, 2020

And the glimpses I’m seeing on twitter of ‘mock caucus’ training to bring in The Youngs are… not inspirational:

In a mock caucus right now. First round, Biden, Tulsi, and Amy were not viable. Yang was viable, and we just grew in size by 26% after a number of them moved to us. Bernie, Warren, and Pete are the only ones left besides us and each remaining group is similar in size. #YangGang pic.twitter.com/TdFyv60Hk4

— Scott Santens?? (@scottsantens) January 28, 2020

Warren supporters attempt to convince Sanders supporters. Almost none have budged. As an unviable group – if they don’t realign, they’re effectively going home. pic.twitter.com/A2Wwd25qwt

— Ben Pu (@BenPu_nbc) January 28, 2020

Election Year Open Thread: The Iowa CaucusesPost + Comments (107)

Monday Morning Open Thread: Really Absolutely Mundanely 2020, Now

by Anne Laurie|  January 6, 20204:54 am| 60 Comments

This post is in: Don't Agonize - Organize, Election 2020, Foreign Affairs, NANCY SMASH!, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat

Carol Burnett Award winner Ellen DeGeneres is joined by Carol Burnett herself to talk about why the #GoldenGlobes is the best party of the year. pic.twitter.com/vI9koEJ56Q

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 6, 2020

Parties are over, back to the real-as-we-know-it world…

I really wish the first four Dem primaries/caucuses (Iowa, NH, Nevada and SC) were on the same day. It would cover every region of the country and include a heavily Hispanic state and a heavily black one. There is no reason that Iowa alone should have so much power in the process

— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) January 4, 2020

NEW: Pelosi sends letter to colleagues: “This week, the House will introduce and vote on a War Powers Resolution to limit the President’s military actions regarding Iran.”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 6, 2020

Elissa Slotkin, a freshman Dem in a swing MI district who also is a former CIA and DOD analyst, will lead the effort. Pelosi again reiterated that killing of Soleimani “endangered our servicemembers, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran.”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 6, 2020

I’m convinced that the desire not to seem wacky prevents journalists from describing what is happening accurately. It is legitimately difficult to not sound a bit crazed in describing what Donald Trump is doing to the country.

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) January 5, 2020

STOP. JUST STOP!

There is NEVER a grand strategy! He’s an impulsive narcissistic ignoramus in cognitive decline. The option was put in front of him by gobsmackingly stupid DoD people, like handing a Glock to a toddler. And he was afraid the embassy attack made him look weak https://t.co/HRAwSKYRun

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) January 6, 2020

I boiled down everything you need to know about the president's foreign policy process in one handy flowchart. pic.twitter.com/Qo9bF1QBEU

— Starfish Considering Taking Up Day Drinking (@IRHotTakes) January 6, 2020

If you want to live in a fantasy world governed by a complicated set of rules which can be understood and mastered, play D&D.

— Starfish Considering Taking Up Day Drinking (@IRHotTakes) January 6, 2020

Monday Morning Open Thread: Really Absolutely Mundanely 2020, NowPost + Comments (60)

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: DUMP TRUMP

by Anne Laurie|  December 18, 20196:08 am| 137 Comments

This post is in: Don't Agonize - Organize, Impeachment Inquiry, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Readership Capture

Quite an image of Times Square tonight https://t.co/HUfVXGIWJO

— Margaret Sullivan (@Sulliview) December 18, 2019

It’s the theme of the day! From the Washington Post:

… Protesters in the dark of a snowy New England evening chanted “Dump Trump,” while those marching in the warmth of southern Florida brandished signs reading “Impeach Putin’s Puppet.” In Republican-dominated Kansas, they repeated a mantra: “Country over party.” In Texas, they fretted that despite the House’s vote, Trump will get away with it all.

Organizers said that there were more than 600 protests nationwide — from Hawaii to Maine — with the goal of demonstrating “to our lawmakers that their constituents are behind them to defend the Constitution.”

In many places, the rallies functioned less as a chance to vent about Trump’s Ukraine dealings — the matter for which he faces impeachment — than as an opportunity for collective catharsis over the entire track record of a president disapproved of by slightly more than half the country…

The House hearings are due to start around 9am EST; actual voting is expected “around” 6:30-7:30pm, depending on the Repubs’ performative stamina, or any ‘surprises’ from the Oval Office squatters.

WATCH: @Maddow profiles the nationwide protests tonight.

She shows powerful footage from all around the country.#ImpeachmentEve pic.twitter.com/uQIyXfoO7k

— Stand Up America (@StandUpAmerica) December 18, 2019

Massive #impeachment rally in #Atlanta. Impossible to capture the entire crowd of more than 1000.#ImpeachmentEve #ImpeachAndRemove #Indivisible@IndivisibleTeam pic.twitter.com/OPbuuxB8FF

— Indivisible Georgia Sixth District (@INDI6_GA) December 17, 2019

Just rolled down the window to clap and cheer the massive one block long pro #ImpeachmentEve demonstration here in our small Utah town. All ages. Elders. Awesome. Bae was driving

— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) December 17, 2019

Even in single digit temps St Paul shows up on #ImpeachmentEve pic.twitter.com/ielQXSQH4U

— Justin Lerbakken (@Lerbaker) December 17, 2019

Spirited #impeachment rally on Boston Common tonight despite the weather. #ImpeachmentEve #mapoli pic.twitter.com/EMGdj6tXyH

— Amanda Smith (@abs628) December 17, 2019

All I can say is if millions of Americans braving all sorts of weather to demand the impeachment and removal of this thug of a president doesn’t make the front page of @nytimes they should stop calling themselves a newspaper. pic.twitter.com/GpLkrnYrKB

— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) December 18, 2019

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: DUMP TRUMPPost + Comments (137)

Friday Night Impeachment Watch: Nancy Pelosi Talks to Steven Colbert

by Anne Laurie|  November 1, 201910:26 pm| 30 Comments

This post is in: Don't Agonize - Organize, Excellent Links, Impeachment Inquiry, NANCY SMASH!, Proud to Be A Democrat, Fuck Yeah!

Good for Madam Speaker, now and forever…

Translation: we intend to squeeze every drop of blood from this that we can https://t.co/7CgxgDYuaJ

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) November 1, 2019

Friday Night Impeachment Watch: Nancy Pelosi Talks to Steven ColbertPost + Comments (30)

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: New Story (Old Narrative)

by Anne Laurie|  October 30, 20194:55 am| 218 Comments

This post is in: Don't Agonize - Organize, Impeachment Inquiry, Open Threads, Repubs in Disarray!, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome, Get Mad You Sons Of Bitches, Let A Thousand Watergates Bloom

“Most social change starts with a story.” —@BarackObama on how tapping into a story can be the most powerful way to change the world. #ObamaSummit pic.twitter.com/Oz10g2PT7j

— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) October 29, 2019

New poll from Suffolk University & USA Today shows most Americans want Trump to stop stonewalling. Asked if the White House has an obligation to comply with the subpoenas from Congress, 66% say yes. Only 26% say no. Even 35% of R's say WH ought to comply. https://t.co/10V12G4xFC

— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) October 29, 2019

NEW — At an impeachment messaging meeting Tuesday, Pelosi and other Dems prepped for what they believe will be an onslaught of GOP ‘stunts’ designed to disrupt public impeachment hearings. https://t.co/ceiogje64L

W/ @woodruffbets @ErinBanco @sambrodey

— Sam Stein (@samstein) October 29, 2019

NEWS: @RepCunningham, one of the last Democratic holdouts on the impeachment inquiry, tells me he will vote FOR the House resolution this week that lays out ground rules for the processhttps://t.co/Nfbyrmfmj2

— Jamie Lovegrove (@jslovegrove) October 29, 2019


 
Meanwhile, across the aisle: ‘… Because our lips get tired!’

Jason Chaffetz tells Sean Hannity that congressional Republicans may not be able to read the eight page impeachment resolution in just two days https://t.co/MivkQMMDCU

— Media Matters (@mmfa) October 29, 2019


SRSLY:

Kevin McCarthy is truly a stupid, stupid man. He is a legitimately dumb human being.

Many of Trump’s defenders back him because they are truly no brighter than he is.

This is an idiocracy. https://t.co/e3wHSa9T25

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) October 29, 2019

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: New Story (Old Narrative)Post + Comments (218)

Accidental Open Thread (Texas)

by Anne Laurie|  October 10, 201912:34 pm| 38 Comments

This post is in: Don't Agonize - Organize, Election 2020, local races 2019/2020, Open Threads, Repubs in Disarray!

This outdated partial draft got front-paged while I wasn’t around. I’d take it down now, if not for the conversations in the comments. Won’t happen again, I *hope*!

***********

Top Trump Donors THIS YEAR
Robert Mercer $13 Mil
Sheldon Adelson $10 Mil
Linda McMahon $6 Mil
Bernard Marcus $7 Mil
Geoffrey Palmer $2 Mil
Ronald M Cameron $2 Mil
Peter Thiel $1.25 Mil
Walter Buckley Jr $1 Mil
Cherna Moskowitz $1 Mil
Peter Zieve $1Mil#VoteBlue2020

— Lori Go (@lori_go) August 7, 2019

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/take-texas-seriously-gop-anxiety-spikes-after-retirements-democratic-gains/2019/08/02/d9e9942c-b4b8-11e9-8949-5f36ff92706e_story.html

Yep. The key shift here isn’t that Texas is becoming more Hispanic, but that it is becoming more suburban—and Trump is particularly toxic w/ these types of voters. https://t.co/rUdOosiRup

— Matt Lewis (@mattklewis) August 7, 2019

What’s interesting is that Texas’ blue trend in the Trump era has been driven by white people leaving the GOP, not the much-speculated-about hypothetical future increase in Latino turnout. https://t.co/8GBkzOSeNH

— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) August 7, 2019

The fact that Republican House members are retiring rather than facing their constituents in TEXAS is probably going to be more relevant to the 2020 election than the quality of zinger delivery at a 2019 presidential debate. https://t.co/EW60YGWj0O

— Seth Masket (@smotus) August 5, 2019

He leaves open #TX24, which was O’Rourke +3.5% last year. Marchant only held on by 3% in 2018 after coasting most of his career. https://t.co/4Qx8qUpRMZ

— J. Miles Coleman (@JMilesColeman) August 5, 2019

In 2018, six GOP House incumbents from TX won their races by less than 5%. Three of them (Olson, Hurd and Marchant) are retiring so far and I’d be really surprised if they’re the last.

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) August 5, 2019

2018 there were 6 Texas Republicans who won with 51% or less. Few of those districts were even contested. There were also several others where the Republican got 52%-55%. https://t.co/3YNNYrn4xM

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) August 5, 2019

A lot of those guys wore dresses to escape before the slaughter so this is the equivalent of that

— death cab for covfefe (@joesmith54321a) August 5, 2019

If the Trump presidency pushes Texas toward the Democrats, it will be a legacy the Republicans regret for a generation. https://t.co/20hDNcgLb6

— Anthony Zurcher (@awzurcher) August 5, 2019

I keep coming back to the 2018-based measures of Trump’s approval rating among Texas voters–right around 50%, including in the exits
To me, it implies Trump was well underwater in TX24–say, minus-4 or worse–where Kenny Marchant (R) is poised to retire https://t.co/vITO72uG9a pic.twitter.com/MFCzLfNomB

— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) August 5, 2019

Republican Rep. Kenny Marchant will not seek reelection in 2020, two sources confirmed to The Texas Tribune.

He is the fourth member of the Texas delegation to announce his retirement in recent days. https://t.co/ZoLhuT3pOw

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 5, 2019

NEW: The much-anticipated future of Texas politics may not have fully arrived – but it has in the booming metros reshaping the state

From SUGAR LAND, our riff on the House #Texodus, new hope post-El Paso that Beto will run for Sen + more

w @mattfleg >https://t.co/dznI4pWNDV

— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) August 7, 2019

Accidental Open Thread (Texas)Post + Comments (38)

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