INDIVISIBLE CEDAR MILL OREGON
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OUR MISSION: Rebuild and maintain a progressive majority in every level of government – federal, state and local.
February 11, 2018
Day 387 of 1461 days
Dear Co-defendants –
WADDA WEEK!
After passing a record deficit-burdened tax bill, the Republicans and Democrats got together and then passed a budget with a scheduled $300 billion deficit to add to the $1,500 billion already assumed this year. Whatever happened to those avid Republican deficit hawks who, under Obama, wanted every cent increase in spending to be offset by two cents in saving? Gone with the wind!
This two year budget also included provisions for, basically, an open-ended debt ceiling for the same time. This budget approval included, in rough terms, an increase of $160B for the military and $140B for domestic social programs such as a 10-year agreement on CHIP, funding the opioid program, increasing child care provisions and securing veterans’ benefits. The formal budget request will be issued on Monday from Trump and associates, but that is a formality only. The legislature, not Trump, Kohn, Mulvaney et al, will spread the money around and all that brave austerity promised by Trump is gone, gone, gone.
The Koch brothers did not like this budget and lobbied strenuously against it. Mulvaney and Cohen did not like the deal. Obviously, the Republicans aren’t afraid of those boys any more than the Democrats are of those of us arguing for a DACA connection. Our pleas also fell on deaf ears.
DACA
The Senate opens formal debate on immigration, including DACA, on Monday. Allowing for February congressional recesses, that will allow 13 days to solve this thorny problem, get the solution through the Senate and the House, and then signed by el Presidente. Both sides have got good reasons to at least get the DACA differences resolved. The Democrats are supposedly the champions of these unfortunate Americans, and will suffer in 2018 if they don’t fight mightily to restore protections. The Republicans can see that their control of the Senate may rest in not alienating these people any further. They are certainly looking to Nevada and Arizona where Heller’s and Flake’s seats are up for grabs in states that have, respectively, 360,00 and 1,000,00 active Latino voters.
The Senate will handily arrive at something to address the issue; the House is much more hostile to dealing fairly with these DACAns. But, exactly why Pelosi made the 8 hour oration and then allowed seventy-three Democrats to vote for the Republican budget is an unanswered question. There may have been a deal that we don’t know about yet. Pelosi is not weak or stupid.
The Republican Party wants this issue solved. The Democratic Party wants this issue solved. Trump will have to go along even as he did when run over rough-shod by the budget deal. Other Trumpian immigration concerns will probably have to wait — until after 2018 elections.
Voter Registration and Getting out the Vote (GOTV)
These two pedestrian and banal activities will decide our success or failure in the upcoming elections. It really is as simple as that. Virginia in 2017 went as well as it did because there were an additional 300,000 voters over the 2015 election turnout. In Virginia, every contesting Republican got more votes in 2017 than in 2015, so there was no sharp falloff in Trumpian support. The extra 300,000 voters turned the trick.
In the presidential election of 2016, an astounding 91 million voters failed to turn out and vote. Trump won with 68 million votes and Clinton lost with 71 million votes. So, the non-voters, the I-can’t-get-off-my-dead-ass part of the population, really won the 2016 election.
It is our job to get these non-participants registered and voting next November. Indivisible Cedar Mill will start a program next Month to do just that. We can do a lot with cards, phones and texts to help this effort, and we will. We will start with a postcard effort at increasing voter registration and continue this effort through November. Bring some cash to the February meeting to buy a packet of postcards, going at 20 pre-stamped postcards for $10.00.
CALLS TO ACTION
Call Senators Merkley and Wyden and Representative Suzanne Bonamici to urge them to hang in there and to support DACA without giving Trump funds for a border wall. In fact, tell them that a border wall is a non-starter. And thank them all for their predominantly unfailing support of our progressive causes. We are fortunate to have these three representing us in Congress.
Senator Ron Wyden – 202-224-5244
Senator Jeff Merkley – 202-224-3753
Representative Suzanne Bonamici – 202-225-0855
MONTHLY MEETING
The meeting is set for Monday, February 12, at 1750 NW 131st, 97229. Doors open at 6:30PM and the meeting starts promptly at 7:30 PM. Refreshments, both adult and juvenile will be provided along with a few tasty snacks. The first speaker will be Kathryn Harrington, candidate for County Commissioner and the other will be Leslie of Soul Boxes, a gun-control effort. Be there.
L’audace, encore l’audace, et toujours l’audace!
Thank you.
John Fox