Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/28

LBJ. DJT. Oh my!

Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!

Hope you had a great long weekend.

I know I did, because I got a ton of reading in! And folks, I want to put in another plug for Robert Caro’s biographical series about Lyndon B. Johnson. I already tore through book one, “The Path to Power,” and am now flying through the second book in record time. Why? Because this series is amazing.

First, the books are just so well-written. Total page-turners! I’ve read a lot of presidential biographies, and I’ve never encountered storytelling this good coupled with research this extensive.

Second, Johnson is a fascinating figure. I didn’t know much about him, and it’s been eye-opening to learn more. Oddly, he resembles Donald Trump quite a lot. There are differences, too, of course—Trump is a more poisonous person by far, and I’m pretty sure he’d never sign civil rights legislation—but the fundamentals of their personalities are amazingly similar. Both were/are pathological liars and narcissists. Both are or were awful to their wives. Both are/were power-mad, lacking in all principal, and deeply manipulative. Both are/were willing to commit election fraud to win their races. It goes on and on.

But it’s not all bad. Johnson is a marvel of political acumen and energy. His commitment to his constituents, at least at first, was pretty breathtaking. His work ethic was staggering. He was charming! And he got Civil Rights legislation done! In short he’s a complex, multifaceted, complicated person, and this history captures all of it. It’s also a gorgeous, detailed, and fascinating portrait of the important eras during which LBJ lived and exercised power.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s so much easier to understand our current moment when we see it in a wider political and historical context. This series contributes to that effort massively. It also reminds me that corruption, populism, election interference, and the influence of money in our politics, among other things, are not unique to our times. It’s oddly comforting.

In short: read it! You’ll thank me!

One last thing: an update on the DC trip to attend the Senate Health Committee hearing on reproductive healthcare: I have decided to go. I’m VERY excited! Thank you to the many of you who’ve encouraged me to do it, and who have offered to help in various ways. With some embarrassment I have allowed a kind subscriber to set up a Go Fund Me to help defray my travel expenses. NO PRESSURE to give to it! Seriously. But since some have asked, here’s the link if you want to help. THANK YOU! I promise to report back!

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

I understand that Senators Paul and Peters are crafting a bipartisan bill that would limit presidential emergency power and tighten up the authorities that a president holds under the Insurrection Act. I strongly support this. Common sense reforms to strengthen Congress’ role in exercising oversight over a president’s emergency powers are long overdue. We don’t want a president of either party to be able to become a “dictator on day one,” yet presidential emergency powers as they currently stand would easily enable a bad actor to do just that. Congress needs to fix it quickly. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

I understand that Senators Paul and Peters are crafting a bipartisan bill that would limit presidential emergency power and tighten up the authorities that a president holds under the Insurrection Act. I strongly support this. Common sense reforms to strengthen Congress’ role in exercising oversight over a president’s emergency powers are long overdue. We don’t want a president of either party to be able to become a “dictator on day one,” yet presidential emergency powers as they currently stand would easily enable a bad actor to do just that. Please ask the Congressmember to introduce a House version of the Senate legislation. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

One of my readers has brought to my attention the plight of Marilyn Mosby, a former Baltimore City State’s Attorney who was targeted by Trump’s justice department and is now facing severe charges for essentially withdrawing her own money from a retirement account during Covid.

You can learn more here—the Joy Reid interview will give you a good sense of what happened—and then please sign the petition calling for POTUS to pardon her. There’s also a Native Land podcast video about her here.

Get Smart! 📚

On Wednesday, May 29th at 7:00 PM ET, BigTentUSA is hosting a virtual event featuring two renowned experts in “Trumpian Law:” Norm Eisen, CNN legal analyst and author of the new book “Trying Trump,” and George Conway III, President of the Society for the Rule of Law. Norm and George have spent A LOT of time at 100 Centre Street and have insider perspectives on the Trump trials.

This event is a must-attend for anyone interested in the intersections of law, politics, and the governance of our country.

Please use this link to register!  

Win Races! 🗳

From a voting activist in Florida:

I’m helping with the 140 Blue Florida project – an effort to recruit and fund opponents for every State and Congressional legislative office in Florida. We have candidates now for all or nearly all districts, so what remains is helping them pay the required filing fee of $1,781.82, plus another small amount to have a basic campaign.  I have written several stories on Daily Kos about this effort, including Miracle in Florida, 45 uncontested seats are down to five and The Unknown Reason why Al Gore "lost" Florida in 2000 and how to stop it this year.

The amount needed is not a large amount by today’s standards and we’ve raised over $20,000 toward that goal. The deadline is June 10. Here is the Act Blue link to 140 Blue Florida. Here is a link to a video by David Pepper, which is based on my argument in The Unknown Reason why Al Gore "lost" Florida in 2000 and how to stop it this year.

Such a great cause! If you have any spare cash maybe send it their way?

Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥

Friendly reminder: Tax credits that save families up to 30% off home energy technologies like heat pumps, rooftop solar, and energy efficiency improvements like insulation are currently available—and Americans were able to claim those enhanced tax credits for the first time on Tax Day in April:

• Families who install an efficient electric heat pump for heating and cooling can receive a tax credit of up to $2,000 and save an average of $500 per year on energy bills.

• Families who make other energy efficiency improvements can receive tax credits worth up to $500 for doors, $600 for windows, $150 for a home energy audit, and up to 30 percent off the cost of new insulation—a total of up to $1,200 per year in tax credits.

• Families who install rooftop solar, geothermal or battery storage at home can save up to 30 percent of the cost of the installation via a tax credit. For rooftop solar, that can save Americans an average of $7,500 off the cost of installation and nearly $400 per year on their energy bills.

In addition, several states are expected to launch their home energy rebate programs, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, this summer. 

To read the full White House fact sheet, click here.

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[To: your Senators] [H/T] [Text SIGN PDAEAV to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

The bankruptcy of Red Lobster is the latest example of private equity greed killing a once prosperous business. This is what private equity does. It sells assets and cashes out while leaving companies in the lurch.

That’s why we need federal legislation such as Senator Elizabeth Warren’s “Stop Wall Street Looting Act” to hold private equity firms accountable for the outcomes of the businesses they take over, in order to protect workers and investors alike.

I urge the Senate to pass this critical legislation to stop the wrecking ball of greed from destroying businesses and our economy.

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OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess