We are headed to an election celebration party tonight. Overnight, I heard from friends on three continents. Much of the world is celebrating today.
But you don’t come here for celebrations and platitudes, though again WE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY CELEBRATE TODAY.
Don’t make that mistake this time, Americans.
The men from last week’s newsletter are already meeting to discuss how to make their vision a reality. They do not rest; they do not concede; they do not accept one battle’s loss as defeat in the whole war.
I guarantee you they’re already meeting to decide how to triangulate, spin, motivate, lie, pivot, and bribe their way to ultimate power. A big part of it will be blaming Democrats for everything; a smaller part may be seizing power wherever they believe they can.
These Democratic majorities must come to power and pass sweeping legislation to respond to this message on Day 1. I have lots of ideas for how they could do it.
But today I want to address the utter failure of the Democratic leadership we have endured for almost two years. My first demand: ELECT ENTIRELY NEW LEADERSHIP IN BOTH CHAMBERS OF CONGRESS.
The two men who are being mooted as givens have been absent in their minority roles. The kings of “strongly worded letters” and “working together in a bipartisan manner” do not deserve leadership positions.
Because the American people didn’t just reject Republicans last night; they rejected MEN. Especially in the US House.
From The Guardian:
Allowing Schumer and Jeffries - again, two men who have been AWOL as the regime shredded our institutions, stole our data, raided our treasury, and wrecked our international standing for at least a generation - to take these roles without challenge is a repudiation of what We the People chose.
And if you’re sitting there saying Well, what did you expect them to do they weren’t the majority their hands were tied blahblahblah, then you are part of the problem. Democrats must assume power with the creativity and ruthlessness of Russell Vought, only for building a multi-cultural, multi-plural democracy instead of a fiefdom for White Christian Nationalist men and their billionaire overlords. For the latter, Vought and his many, many helpers belong in jail. Congress truly does have the ability to make that happen with the right leadership and the proper will.
In the Senate, we should push our representatives to elect Elizabeth Warren as Majority Leader. Because the woman who has a plan for everything will know how to lead that body into the 21st century.
In the House, we should elect one of the most popular people in Congress: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Because she will not play-act bipartisanship or tolerate strategic vote defections to please Democratic donors.
Tomorrow, I’ll be back with a list of Day 1/Week 1 legislation this Congress should aim to pass AND I DO NOT CARE IF UNDEAR LEADER VETOES IT.
Democrats must show the American people what they believe in and let this lame duck continue to demonstrate exactly who Republicans are.
