Author Topic: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance - VICTORY!  (Read 290809 times)

Poundwise

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #550 on: March 16, 2017, 08:24:08 AM »
Malaysia41 and plainjane, the other day somebody sent me this link to a TED talk that might have what you need.
http://www.ted.com/talks/robb_willer_how_to_have_better_political_conversations

It may help to lead your family to recall the words on the Statue of Liberty, which we all learned as children: "Give me your tired, your poor / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." This welcoming stance was one of the greatnesses of America, that made us a beloved beacon across the world.  To deny it, is actually un-American. 

Also, any decent member of the GOP should be alarmed and outraged by the infiltration of their party by big money, chickenhawks, bigots, and foreign interests. I have Republican friends who don't consider themselves racist and get offended by implications that their Trump vote makes them so.  I am trying to persuade them that they need to fight to kick the white supremacists off their coattails.   

LifeHappens

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #551 on: March 16, 2017, 09:53:09 AM »
In a similar vein to the Ted Talks, I recently watched The Brainwashing of My Dad. It's a documentary about the political conversion of the filmmaker's father through heavy consumption of talk radio and Fox News. There are a lot of comparisons to drug addiction and the changes drugs make in the brain. The ending carries a lot of hope. It's currently on Amazon Prime.

jrhampt

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #552 on: March 16, 2017, 11:02:51 AM »
Today I donated to the Connecticut Democratic Party and called my 3 legislators about trump's proposed budget.  I bought tickets to a NARAL fundraiser brunch in April and I am attending my town's democratic committee meeting this evening.

golden1

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #553 on: March 16, 2017, 11:19:13 AM »
I second that Ted Talk about political conversations.  I find the more emotional I am, the less effective I am at making a point someone could agree with.  I also like the idea of making your point by asking questions rather than lecturing because it puts the person you are addressing in the position of having to think through a  position themselves. 

Cressida

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #554 on: March 17, 2017, 01:10:04 AM »
Malaysia41 and plainjane, the other day somebody sent me this link to a TED talk that might have what you need.
http://www.ted.com/talks/robb_willer_how_to_have_better_political_conversations

Thanks Poundwise. This statement of this particular argument resonated more with me than other examples I've heard.

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #555 on: March 17, 2017, 06:30:14 AM »
When I have actually contributed to changing someone's decision and vote, it was because I approached them with an open mind and a desire to truly understand their beliefs. I can get riled up when talking to people who already agree with me, but if not, I try to keep things emotionally neutral and free from accusation and insults.

Although, I always avoid insults, regardless of who I'm talking to. They're counter-productive and put the other person on defense, which makes people dig in harder.

Today I donated to the Connecticut Democratic Party and called my 3 legislators about trump's proposed budget.  I bought tickets to a NARAL fundraiser brunch in April and I am attending my town's democratic committee meeting this evening.

Awesome!

Malaysia41

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #556 on: March 17, 2017, 07:06:38 AM »
I still despise our privately funded 2 party system. Still, I'll go with the dems over those GOP ass hats.

You can subscribe to this subreddit for ideas on helping to make the 2018 elections go to democrats.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BlueMidterm2018/

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #557 on: March 19, 2017, 08:36:28 AM »
AHCA/Trumpcare vote is happening in less than a week. These 27 Reps have been identified as potential No votes. If you or anyone you know lives in their districts, please encourage them to reach out.

Find the reps and sample scripts here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AsDez86TCuKD4WYuO_0QOB7dbhMwFa7HZ90gzRPahdk/edit#gid=0

The link also includes photos to tweet/share on FB.

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #558 on: March 19, 2017, 09:29:03 PM »
Small Daily Action for March 20: Facebooky things!

Spread the word about the special election in Georgia for Tom Price's seat. Jon Ossoff is the Democrat with the best chance of flipping this red seat.

1) Voter registration ends tomorrow (Monday) March 20th.  First thing you can do is click the below link to find out if you have a FB buddy who lives in Georgia.  If you do, then find out if they live in the 6th District.  https://www.facebook.com/search/people/?q=friends%20in%20georgia

2a) If they do live in the 6th District, then point them to this site to register to vote: https://registertovote.sos.ga.gov/GAOLVR/welcome.do#no-back-button

2b) If they don't live in the 6th District, send them the voter reg link anyway and ask them if they have friends in District 6.

3) Remind them that the runoff election is April 18th. Contacts in Georgia report high voter registration in the district, but people don't know when the actual election is. Remind them that it's April 18th.

4) Post on FB publicly about the runoff, with a link to flippable: https://www.flippable.org/upcoming-elections/

Zoot

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #559 on: March 20, 2017, 05:41:01 AM »
Small Daily Action for March 20: Facebooky things!

Spread the word about the special election in Georgia for Tom Price's seat. Jon Ossoff is the Democrat with the best chance of flipping this red seat.

Thanks for this.  I will speak in person to friends who still live in the area.
« Last Edit: August 16, 2017, 02:27:06 PM by Zoot »

Poundwise

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #560 on: March 20, 2017, 08:29:31 AM »
Hung out with my oldest friend, who is a moderate Republican, and had a good, respectful conversation with her.  Remembered that dad of my son's good friend is originally from Georgia, and asked him to remind family about voter registration (though they aren't in the right district, can help word to get around.)

letired

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #561 on: March 20, 2017, 10:51:37 AM »
Adding to the resources on how to have better conversations about politics, I've been enjoying a book called Don't Think of an Elephant. It talks about framing arguments in a way that supports a more 'liberal' world framework.

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #562 on: March 21, 2017, 06:48:52 PM »
For anyone who can get to Manhattan, there is an event near Astor Place on March 30th with, get this, FREE DINNER.

"Are you interested in protecting and advancing healthcare equity? How about in social justice movements, like racial justice, immigrant rights, women's rights, rights of people with chronic illnesses and disabilities, and income inequality?

Caring for Us Indivisible and the Human Rights Association of NYU's College of Global Public Health are proud to present a panel on how all of these intersect, and what YOU can do to help protect the Affordable Care Act from Republican ravaging! "

FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/422931614717862/

Google form to RSVP: https://goo.gl/forms/pQI2U2LeGDvIrMdo1

meerkat

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #563 on: March 23, 2017, 07:08:53 AM »
As you've probably heard, the ACHA is going for a vote today in the House. Here's a good article by the NY Times showing how the different Reps are voting. I was able to do a CTRL+F to find mine and it had a link to an interview with him explaining why he's voting the way he is. I called and thanked him for voting against it and was able to include specifics, which was nice because we have very different view points and I actually had a couple items we agreed on.

When I first called this morning it went to voicemails, which were all full, but I called again a little later and was able to get through to a human and left my message with her.

jrhampt

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #564 on: March 23, 2017, 12:37:47 PM »
I am really loving the resist-bot tool that allows you to fax your legislators by just sending a text (to get started just text "resist" to 50409).  I saw it recommended several places before I finally started using it yesterday.  It really is incredibly easy to use.  I have been using it to fax my people about Trumpcare.

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #565 on: March 23, 2017, 12:42:23 PM »
I am really loving the resist-bot tool that allows you to fax your legislators by just sending a text (to get started just text "resist" to 50409).  I saw it recommended several places before I finally started using it yesterday.  It really is incredibly easy to use.  I have been using it to fax my people about Trumpcare.

Thanks, I've been testing this out too. Ease of use is great. I don't like that the same message goes to both senators and reps. I also had weird formatting on some messages from them, with question marks before each letter, did you experience that?

I emailed them about the latter issue, but want to get in touch to discuss more customization options. My rep doesn't need to be told to vote against Gorsuch for example.

jrhampt

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #566 on: March 23, 2017, 12:50:00 PM »
I haven't had formatting problems, but I agree that it would be nice to be able to tailor the message depending on whether it's directed toward senators or my representative.  I'm still planning to augment with phone calls.  Maybe the "feedback" feature can help suggest some changes to the tool?

jrhampt

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #567 on: March 23, 2017, 12:53:07 PM »
Check this out - I sent feedback to the resist-bot and got the following back:

Did you know?

You can target your message to just the House or Senate, or even just an individual Senator. When you are asked if you want to "send" the message, you can say:

house - only contact Elizabeth H. Esty
senate - only contact both senators
senior - only contact Senator Richard Blumenthal
junior - only contact Senator Christopher Murphy
all - send to both House and Senate

Poundwise

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #568 on: March 23, 2017, 01:00:48 PM »
A good point from a recent Rogan's List:
"    From Reba (one of our own) who spent a year as a policy fellow in a US Senate office and now is a federal science policy professional: This is the rule of thumb: the harder it is for a constituent to do, the more weight it is given. Which makes sense - people are driven to undertake a "heavy lift" (in any situation) when they are most passionate and involved and care the most. Members and their staff know this - it is basic human psychology. So they pay attention when constituents do things that are hard/ time-consuming/ personal/ require commitment. That is, in rough order: show up in person (at an office, or a town hall, or a local protest); call them on the phone; send a *personal* email that includes a personal story and is written in your own words, from your personal email account. That's it. Faxes, petitions, social media, postcards create buzz and PR but are not much of an influence on a member. And there is no way around that."

Fax is great, but slower to be counted and gets less attention than calls. Call AND fax!

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #569 on: March 23, 2017, 01:12:55 PM »
Check this out - I sent feedback to the resist-bot and got the following back:

Did you know?

You can target your message to just the House or Senate, or even just an individual Senator. When you are asked if you want to "send" the message, you can say:

house - only contact Elizabeth H. Esty
senate - only contact both senators
senior - only contact Senator Richard Blumenthal
junior - only contact Senator Christopher Murphy
all - send to both House and Senate

Thank you for this!

Poundwise, definitely agree with the order of priority. Faxing by text can bring in a lot of people who otherwise wouldn't take the time to call, but hopefully callers won't switch to faxes. Ideally the texters will progress to calling at some point.

jrhampt

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #570 on: March 23, 2017, 01:19:32 PM »
Agreed. But my faxes are personal, too!  I feel like I can get more detailed in emails/faxes than on the phone, because I don't want to take up too much of their time.

meerkat

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #571 on: March 24, 2017, 06:11:02 AM »
ACHA IS GOING TO VOTE TWO HOURS FROM NOW!

Please call! Fax! Something! Make your voice heard!

jrhampt

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #572 on: March 24, 2017, 06:40:05 AM »
Sent three faxes.  Will follow up with a call.  It sounds like concessions to the "Freedom" Caucus have made Trumpcare even worse.

susanna

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #573 on: March 24, 2017, 07:38:52 AM »
Thank you, jrhampt, for the text-bot info! I tried the "house only" option. When you're ready to send and are prompted, just type back the single word "house". Don't add your Rep's name.

Makes me also feel like typing "Do you want to play a game?" (Kids, ask your parents.)

golden1

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #574 on: March 24, 2017, 08:23:45 AM »
Quote
I am really loving the resist-bot tool that allows you to fax your legislators by just sending a text (to get started just text "resist" to 50409).  I saw it recommended several places before I finally started using it yesterday.  It really is incredibly easy to use.  I have been using it to fax my people about Trumpcare.

That bot rules!  I just sent $6 to paypal to support it, well worth it.  I have sent a link to almost everyone I know. 

Physicsteacher

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #575 on: March 24, 2017, 10:34:08 AM »
Thank you for sharing the resist bot! For those of us with wicked phone anxiety, calling is definitely still worthwhile, but lowering the bar to interacting with those who represent us can make it much easier to continue voicing our opinions week after week.

Bicycle_B

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #576 on: March 24, 2017, 11:49:50 AM »
Called House rep, a Republican perceived as swing vote, on ACHA yesterday.  All offices.

plainjane

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #577 on: March 24, 2017, 02:05:27 PM »
My R congress critter's phone lines were down all day and now are up, but not taking messages.

I will call on Monday to thank them for their courageous stand on ACHA (they went on record). 

jrhampt

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #578 on: March 24, 2017, 02:21:58 PM »
Awesome!  I faxed mine to thank her.

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #579 on: March 24, 2017, 03:15:04 PM »
ACA repeal pulled! It won't go for a vote. This is because of all the public pressure we put on our elected officials.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/house-republicans-pull-health-care-bill-house-floor-n738281?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

BOOM.

Schumer is saying Democrats will filibuster Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, but he's leaving the door open for individual Dems to vote for him. Next up: call your senators to vote against cloture for Gorsuch.

jrhampt

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #580 on: March 24, 2017, 08:57:14 PM »
Can someone explain to me what the point of filibustering Gorsuch is?  It just seems like a losing battle that will end up making the democrats look bad.  I'd prefer to focus on something else, like Russia.  Or whatever stupid thing trump does next thT we actually have some hope of defeating.

Cressida

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #581 on: March 24, 2017, 09:39:54 PM »
Can someone explain to me what the point of filibustering Gorsuch is?  It just seems like a losing battle that will end up making the democrats look bad.  I'd prefer to focus on something else, like Russia.  Or whatever stupid thing trump does next thT we actually have some hope of defeating.

Before today, I'd have answered it this way: The Republicans are not entitled to this seat. It should have been Garland's, and Trump honestly shouldn't be allowed to appoint justices when his administration is freaking under investigation. Republicans fought dirty, so Democrats should fight dirty. Playing nice doesn't win anything: it doesn't win points, it doesn't win results. Make them nuke the filibuster. I mean, what's the benefit of *not* filibustering? Do we actually think that if Democrats don't filibuster, Trump will think, what nice Democrats, I'll pick a more centrist nominee next time? Ha ha ha ha. Fight back - don't let the Republicans win everything just because they're more ruthless. Maybe they'll stop being such assholes after they've experienced being on the receiving end.

After today, I'm less sure the Republican leadership can get its caucus to do whatever it wants. I still stand by the above, but I'm less sure about it.

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #582 on: March 24, 2017, 09:45:52 PM »
Can someone explain to me what the point of filibustering Gorsuch is?  It just seems like a losing battle that will end up making the democrats look bad.  I'd prefer to focus on something else, like Russia.  Or whatever stupid thing trump does next thT we actually have some hope of defeating.

Well, there's a chance that the filibuster works... I know, small chance, but it's there. It's also the principle of the thing, due to R's treatment of Merrick Garland.

The main point, though, is that it's what their base wants them to do. Frankly, if the filibuster is going to be killed, it's going to be killed either now or on the next nominee. There's this fear that we need to preserve the filibuster so Democrats can prevent a truly crazy nominee from being nominated next time.*

But Republicans will just kill the filibuster then.

According to this article, Democrats offered to allow a vote on Gorsuch if R's promised to keep the filibuster for the next nominee. That proposal was rejected.

So. If Democrats want to keep their voters happy and show that they can put up a fight, they need to fight. On Gorsuch. On Russia. On the ACA. On Donner. On Blitzen. They need to fight, even if they lose. Because ultimately, they can't do jack shit on anything unless they start winning some elections. Nobody's going to be excited about voting for, volunteering for, and donating to, a party that's rolling over and taking it.

Republicans prevented Merrick Garland from even having a hearing for a full year, let alone a vote. The moment the Republicans had control of the nomination, they started grandstanding about Democratic obstructionism and how the American people won't stand for it. Nobody on their side cares that it's hypocrisy. Democrats aren't going to look bad, except among people who already hate Democrats.

The Supreme Court is extremely important and has uniquely long-term implications, but only Republicans in general seem to realize it when it comes time to vote. Lots of Republicans voted for a man they personally disliked simply because of who he would put on the court. I don't know of any Democrats who overcame their bitterness over Bernie or dislike of HRC simply because the SC was vital. They may have voted for HRC for other reasons, but the court was never a rallying cry. More attention paid to this on the blue side is needed.

Russia is important. The next issue will be important. Dems need to fight on all those important things. It's a good thing our news cycles are 24/7 so we can cover everything. ;)


*I don't like this argument because it dismisses the extremism of Gorsuch himself, but everyone seems to think there will be someone up next who's as extreme but less palatable to the masses.
« Last Edit: March 25, 2017, 08:38:13 AM by MonkeyJenga »

Cressida

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #583 on: March 25, 2017, 02:16:24 AM »
Democrats aren't going to look bad, except among people who already hate Democrats.

yeah, this.

LifeHappens

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #584 on: March 25, 2017, 09:33:00 AM »
Texted the resist bot yesterday and sent messages to my Senators asking them to oppose Gorsuch's nomination. I like this tech. It is a little glitchy yet (I had to type my message one short sentence at a time, otherwise it missed large chunks), but it's something I can definitely use no matter how anxious I'm feeling that day.

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #585 on: March 25, 2017, 11:39:09 AM »
Sent a post card to my Rep to voice my opposition to S.J. res 34 which would allow broadband companies to track your internet activity and sell to third parties, will follow up with a phone call Monday. The Senate already passed the resolution. Also emailed him to thank him for opposing the AHCA

jrhampt

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #586 on: March 25, 2017, 01:42:43 PM »
Thanks for the responses.  I know the base wants the filibuster.  I'm really angry about the way Merrick Garland was treated, too.  I think the Republicans stole the presidency and this Supreme Court seat.  I just think we can't win this battle and we will have plenty of other battles to fight...it just doesn't make strategic sense to me, other than placating the base.  Seems like throwing a tantrum.

boy_bye

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #587 on: March 25, 2017, 02:51:45 PM »
We had our monthly Indivisible meeting this morning and it was AWESOME. So many folks in our group are doing great things on the state level in addition to the federal-level activities and it's heartening. Especially in the afterglow of yesterday's stunning smack down of the Republicans.

I volunteered to start a newsletter for our group, because all the great things people are doing are getting buried in our Facebook page. So I'm going to get info from our committee leads on the actions they are taking and the wins they are getting and publish it out to everyone, probably on a monthly basis to start. I think as the months go on it is going to be more and more important to look back on our efforts and realize what we've accomplished thus far, so I'm excited to get the ball rolling now.

Fudge102

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #588 on: March 25, 2017, 03:09:32 PM »
Can someone explain to me what the point of filibustering Gorsuch is?  It just seems like a losing battle that will end up making the democrats look bad.  I'd prefer to focus on something else, like Russia.  Or whatever stupid thing trump does next thT we actually have some hope of defeating.

Before today, I'd have answered it this way: The Republicans are not entitled to this seat. It should have been Garland's, and Trump honestly shouldn't be allowed to appoint justices when his administration is freaking under investigation. Republicans fought dirty, so Democrats should fight dirty. Playing nice doesn't win anything: it doesn't win points, it doesn't win results. Make them nuke the filibuster. I mean, what's the benefit of *not* filibustering? Do we actually think that if Democrats don't filibuster, Trump will think, what nice Democrats, I'll pick a more centrist nominee next time? Ha ha ha ha. Fight back - don't let the Republicans win everything just because they're more ruthless. Maybe they'll stop being such assholes after they've experienced being on the receiving end.

After today, I'm less sure the Republican leadership can get its caucus to do whatever it wants. I still stand by the above, but I'm less sure about it.

Honestly, Gorsuch never really bothered me until yesterday.  He seemed very much the same that's been around.  And with Republicans in charge, I didn't really see a way to fight or stop it.  But then I heard this story:

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/23/in-a-case-of-a-truckers-life-vs-his-cargo-judge-neil-gorsuch-ruled-for-the-cargo/

Now maybe there are more details, but he basically ruled against a driver who was pretty much ordered to die.  And that's someone I can't get behind.

Proud Foot

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #589 on: March 27, 2017, 10:05:02 AM »
Can someone explain to me what the point of filibustering Gorsuch is?  It just seems like a losing battle that will end up making the democrats look bad.  I'd prefer to focus on something else, like Russia.  Or whatever stupid thing trump does next thT we actually have some hope of defeating.

Before today, I'd have answered it this way: The Republicans are not entitled to this seat. It should have been Garland's, and Trump honestly shouldn't be allowed to appoint justices when his administration is freaking under investigation. Republicans fought dirty, so Democrats should fight dirty. Playing nice doesn't win anything: it doesn't win points, it doesn't win results. Make them nuke the filibuster. I mean, what's the benefit of *not* filibustering? Do we actually think that if Democrats don't filibuster, Trump will think, what nice Democrats, I'll pick a more centrist nominee next time? Ha ha ha ha. Fight back - don't let the Republicans win everything just because they're more ruthless. Maybe they'll stop being such assholes after they've experienced being on the receiving end.

After today, I'm less sure the Republican leadership can get its caucus to do whatever it wants. I still stand by the above, but I'm less sure about it.

Honestly, Gorsuch never really bothered me until yesterday.  He seemed very much the same that's been around.  And with Republicans in charge, I didn't really see a way to fight or stop it.  But then I heard this story:

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/23/in-a-case-of-a-truckers-life-vs-his-cargo-judge-neil-gorsuch-ruled-for-the-cargo/

Now maybe there are more details, but he basically ruled against a driver who was pretty much ordered to die.  And that's someone I can't get behind.

Reading that article brings up a lot of questions for me.  But as presented in the article this seems to be a horrible ruling.  It is always frustrating to me to see both parties flip the script when it benefits them.  Republicans should not be complaining about the talk of a filibuster by the Democrats. 

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #590 on: March 27, 2017, 10:26:08 AM »
Sent a post card to my Rep to voice my opposition to S.J. res 34 which would allow broadband companies to track your internet activity and sell to third parties, will follow up with a phone call Monday. The Senate already passed the resolution. Also emailed him to thank him for opposing the AHCA

I am calling my rep today to oppose this bill. I also spread the word among my district group. Apparently rep is undecided, which is surprising. I assumed solid no vote.

The house version is called H.J. Res. 86.

Script from Indivisible:

I'm a constituent, and I'm asking Rep. X to vote NO on H.J. 86., which would repeal important FCC privacy rules.

Republicans are trying to ram this through the House on Tuesday before anyone discovers the damage it will cause to privacy online.

If signed into law, broadband companies will be able to use and sell data about us without our consent.

I care about the digital rights of consumers over corporations. Will Rep. X commit to vote NO?

pbkmaine

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #591 on: March 27, 2017, 10:28:35 AM »
DH and I called our rep, Daniel Webster, this morning to request he vote "no" on this bill.

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #592 on: March 27, 2017, 12:23:52 PM »
I've already gotten 7 people from my district to call about HJ 86!

I also sent information on how to volunteer for Jon Ossoff to a co-worker who's from Georgia. He will pass on to his friends who live there.

jrhampt

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #593 on: March 27, 2017, 12:36:11 PM »
I faxed my rep about HJ 86.  Thanks for the info.

jrhampt

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #594 on: March 27, 2017, 12:38:59 PM »
Just called her office, too.

LifeHappens

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #595 on: March 28, 2017, 07:56:04 AM »
Need help from the political hive mind. Common Cause has a petition going to stop an Article V convention to rewrite the U.S. Constitution. My high school civics course is failing me. How legit is this issue? It seems like it would be a REALLY BIG DEAL if it's a real threat, but this is the first I'm hearing about it.

Kris

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #596 on: March 28, 2017, 08:20:15 AM »
Need help from the political hive mind. Common Cause has a petition going to stop an Article V convention to rewrite the U.S. Constitution. My high school civics course is failing me. How legit is this issue? It seems like it would be a REALLY BIG DEAL if it's a real threat, but this is the first I'm hearing about it.

It is massively funded by the Koch brothers, which frankly is probably all you need to know.

I think it is quite a big deal. Wisconsin is voting on this today, I think. I'm fairly surprised it's not getting more press, but you know, it's a tiny bit complicated, and people prefer to read about THE ONE WEIGHT LOSS TRICK DOCTORS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW!

LifeHappens

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #597 on: March 28, 2017, 10:21:31 AM »
Need help from the political hive mind. Common Cause has a petition going to stop an Article V convention to rewrite the U.S. Constitution. My high school civics course is failing me. How legit is this issue? It seems like it would be a REALLY BIG DEAL if it's a real threat, but this is the first I'm hearing about it.

It is massively funded by the Koch brothers, which frankly is probably all you need to know.

I think it is quite a big deal. Wisconsin is voting on this today, I think.

Okay, so what can people who don't live in Wisconsin do about this?

Malaysia41

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #598 on: March 28, 2017, 11:01:02 AM »
Need help from the political hive mind. Common Cause has a petition going to stop an Article V convention to rewrite the U.S. Constitution. My high school civics course is failing me. How legit is this issue? It seems like it would be a REALLY BIG DEAL if it's a real threat, but this is the first I'm hearing about it.

That link didn't tell me what the subject matter of the constitutional convention would be. Based on Kris's clue, it appears to be an amendment to require a balanced budget.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/wisconsin/articles/2017-03-20/wisconsin-gop-moving-to-call-for-constitutional-convention

Holy shit they're 5 states away.

You know what's scary? 32 of 50 state legislatures are GOP controlled. It takes just one more ALEC bound legislature and they can pass all the amendments their hearts desire. That happens and these few months of baby Trump will look like a day at the park.

LifeHappens

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Re: Small Daily Acts of Political Resistance
« Reply #599 on: March 28, 2017, 12:29:53 PM »
Need help from the political hive mind. Common Cause has a petition going to stop an Article V convention to rewrite the U.S. Constitution. My high school civics course is failing me. How legit is this issue? It seems like it would be a REALLY BIG DEAL if it's a real threat, but this is the first I'm hearing about it.

That link didn't tell me what the subject matter of the constitutional convention would be. Based on Kris's clue, it appears to be an amendment to require a balanced budget.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/wisconsin/articles/2017-03-20/wisconsin-gop-moving-to-call-for-constitutional-convention

Holy shit they're 5 states away.

You know what's scary? 32 of 50 state legislatures are GOP controlled. It takes just one more ALEC bound legislature and they can pass all the amendments their hearts desire. That happens and these few months of baby Donald will look like a day at the park.

Hmm. It seems the only thing to do right now is wait - and if this nonsense comes to our home states to get active with our legislators.