Chop Wood, Carry Water 12/1
Bye George.
Hi, all, and happy Friday!
Welp. It’s curtains—Hermés, of course—for George Santos. He’s now just the sixth member of Congress ever to be expelled from the House of Representatives. Two-thirds of Congress had to vote for removal; the final tally was 311 to 114, so they easily surpassed that threshold. Miraculously, 105 Republicans—nearly half the caucus— voted to expel (you can see how each member voted here). It’s almost as if they found…a conscience?
Probably not. The more likely explanation—because isn’t it always?—is political expediency. Santos was a sinking ship; his ongoing legal problems would have been a continued embarrassment and distraction, and Republicans are desperate to save their majority in November. Perhaps they think they’ll fare better in a winter Special Election than in November 2024? I’m grasping at straws, here, but it seems impossible that this was simply about “doing what’s right.” Most elected Republicans lost that ability a long time ago.
There’s one more reason, of course, the GOP likely threw Santos under the bus: his race and sexual orientation. In the end, he’s a queer person of color—he’s even been seen in drag, which, unless it’s Halloween, is an unpardonable sin to the MAGA right. The members’ internalized biases, then—their feeling that underneath the sweater vests and right-wing bluster Santos wasn’t really “one of us” — may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Either way, let us not fall prey to the delusion that this is a new GOP. It’s not—it’s the same self-serving, prejudiced, venal, traitorous, mendacious party it’s been…but now with a smaller majority. Good.
One more thing: I’d like to give a special shout out to Jody Kass, a subscriber to this newsletter and the founder of Concerned Citizens of NY-03. She and her members have been banging the drum on Santos’s removal for a year now. They’ve done press releases, petition drives, Resistbot campaigns, lobby days, and more. Their relentless pursuit of justice and new representation absolutely helped move the needle on this issue significantly. They deserve all of our thanks and congratulations!
They—and any of you who made calls in support of expulsion—have ensured that an 🪓 will be placed next to this item in Sunday’s newsletter. Bravo!
Now let’s grab our axes and go back to work.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I know that a bipartisan group of Senators are negotiating a deal to pass funding for Ukraine in exchange for extreme, permanent changes to U.S. immigration and asylum law. I agree that we need immigration reform, but I urge the Senator to reject any proposal that would take away the right to seek asylum or make it harder to seek protection. It is unacceptable to agree to anti-immigrant proposals that counter our values as a country and our legal commitments to refugees and asylum seekers. Please protect the right to seek asylum. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, did the Congressmember vote to expel George Santos?
[If yes:] Please thank them for standing up for the integrity of the House. [If GOP add:] And for putting country above party.
[If no add:] I’m very disappointed with that. I won’t forget that they put party over country.
Second, I am alarmed by the current efforts in the Senate to gut asylum protections in exchange for funding for Ukraine. I agree that we need immigration reform, but I urge the Congressmember to reject any proposal that would take away the right to seek asylum or make it harder to seek protection. It is unacceptable to agree to anti-immigrant proposals that counter our values as a country and our legal commitments to refugees and asylum seekers. Please protect the right to seek asylum. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Consider using this social media toolkit or this one to help get the word out about the current attacks on asylum. It’s bad.
There are sample posts, graphics, etc.
Get Smart! 📚
Interested in the fight for voting rights? On Dec 7, at 4:00 PM PT / 7PM ET join a panel of voting rights experts for an informative and inspiring discussion. Panelists include:
Evan Milligan, lead plaintiff in Allen v. Milligan and Executive Director of the Alabama Forward
Richard Walker, Founder and Executive Director of Bridging the Gap Virginia and Returning Citizen
Lulu Friesdat, Election Security Journalist & Executive Director of SMART Elections
Andrea Miller, Founding Board Member and Executive Director of the Center for Common Ground
You’ll get a broad overview of the state of voter suppression, including the different forms of voter suppression, from gerrymandering and preventing the restoration of rights for returning citizens to digital voting machines that create long lines and more.
You’ll also learn about how states are making voting more difficult for voters of color, young people, and poor people. Importantly, panelists will also discuss how we can all take action to protect our democracy ahead of the 2024 election. I hope you will join!
Spread the Word! 📣
Wish you had more information about Biden’s accomplishments? Check out the Facebook group “A Biden A Day!” An intrepid patriot named Jodi Carter started it in order to spread the good news far and wide about Biden's accomplishments.
From her page: 'This group is created for the express purpose of encouraging the spread of the Biden administration’s good news! Once a day, a graphic, video, or article will be posted. Admin will tag everyone in the comments, to notify group members to share the post with your own Facebook friends or with another group.'
So smart! Check it out here.
Give 💰!
[H/T
]By now, most of us have seen news coverage about the 3 Palestinian/Palestinian-American college students who were shot in Burlington, Vermont while visiting family for Thanksgiving. If we are able, let’s donate to the fund set up in conjunction with their families to help defray medical and travel expenses.
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
Interested in polling on the climate and the environment?
On December 13 at 1 pm ET join the Environmental Polling Consortium for their last community poll briefing of 2023. Their poll briefings are a space for researchers and public opinion practitioners to present recent findings to advocates within the environmental and climate movement. This is a great space to hear new research, connect with practitioners, and have your questions answered. This quarter features presentations on youth engagement on climate change, focus group research about the clean energy transition, and messaging guidance for climate communicators. You will hear from Hart Research, the Potential Energy Coalition, the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, and Climate Power.
I find these briefings fascinating. Maybe you will too! Register here
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To your House rep] [H/T] [Text SIGN PJBIHJ to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I know that a bipartisan group of House members is calling on U.N. Women to “publicly condemn the use of Hamas’ brutal tactics” — including “murder, torture, abduction, rape, and sexual violence” — following the deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Has the Congressmember signed on to this letter? If not will they?
I’m sickened by the use of rape as a tool of terror and don’t think its use by Hamas has received nearly enough attention or denunciation. U.N. Women, especially, should speak out forcefully against it. Please urge them to do so. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Thank you for the beautiful piece on HOPE by Vaclav Havel. I have already used it extensively to inspire and uplift people, on Dan Rather's Steady blog. He wrote about Hope in the Middle East. Thank you very much for sharing it and please enjoy the ripple effect of your wonderful blog! I copy it here in case anyone missed it!
Vaclav Havel, a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright and dissident.
HOPE
Either we have hope within us or we do not.
It is a dimension of the soul and is not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world.
HOPE is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart. It transcends the world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons.
HOPE in this deep and powerful sense is not the same as joy that things are going well or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not because it stands a chance to succeed.
HOPE is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.
It is HOPE, above all which gives the strength to live and continually try new things.
Whatever the reasons Republicans needed to get to 2/3 majority to expell the ex-congressman, I will not complain. He is and was an embarrassment, full stop.