It’s impossible to understand the destruction and death that Vladimir Putin is unleashing in Ukraine without understanding his most basic conviction: that the breakup of the Soviet empire was a catastrophe from which Russia has yet to recover. Some experts, including John Mearsheimer, have blamed NATO expansion for the invasion of Ukraine, arguing that it has provoked Vladimir Putin to defend his sphere of influence. Stephen Kotkin, a professor of history and international affairs at Princeton University, and a research scholar at the Hoover Institution, respectfully disagrees. Putin’s aggression is “not some kind of deviation from the historical pattern,” he tells David Remnick. Russia in the nineteenth century looked much as it does today, he says. “It had an autocrat. It had repression. It had militarism. It had suspicion of foreigners and the West.” Kotkin describes how and why the Putin regime has evolved toward despotism, and he speculates that the strategic blunders in invading Ukraine likely resulted from the biases of authoritarian rulers like Putin, and the lack of good information available to them. Kotkin is the author of an authoritative biography of Joseph Stalin, two volumes of which have been published; a third is in the making.
And this one too:
Putin’s Road to War: Julia Ioffe (interview) | PBS FRONTLINE
Mar 9, 2022
“Brilliant analysis of Putin’s current mindset and it’s implications. About 40 minutes well spent.”
Shared below are excerpts from the Climate Action Now weekly enewsletter. I have been spending a few minutes each day taking “planet-saving actions” on the amazing, easy-to-use, free app Climate Action Now. Impact to date: “274,418 planet-saving actions taken by our community — up 10,527 from last week!” And you earn tree plantings too!
PUTIN’S FOSSIL-FUELED WAR
How to Stop a Petro-Criminal
While the fossil fool industry and its shills have seized on the Ukrainian crisis to call for ramping up oil, gas and coal production, the rest of the world is beginning to draw a very different conclusion.
As usual, Bill McKibben was one of the first to see that our global addiction to fossil fuels is directly financing Putin’s horrifying war on Ukraine. He entreats President Biden to immediately invoke the Defense Production Act, which he could do without the approval of Congress, to produce millions of heat pumps and send them to Europe in time to dramatically weaken Putin’s oil-based chokehold on the continent.
Last week, Ukrainian leaders sent an open letter to governments around the world calling on them to “reject and ban the importation of Russian oil and gas, and rapidly phase out all fossil fuels in the name of peace.” (Climate Action Now also signed the letter.) “Reliance on coal, oil and gas is the intentional embrace of death, misery, and collapse at a global scale. It is our duty to finally get real about that if we want to have a livable future.”
And next week, according to the New York Times, the leaders of the European Union are expected to announce a proposal to “accelerate the clean energy transition and reduce permanently our dependence on imports of natural gas.”
What all of these people see that the fossil fools can’t see by dint of their self-interest is that getting off fossil fuels is now an urgent matter of national security.
Get. Off. Fossil. Fuels. Now.
CLIMATE ACTION NOW SUCCESS STORIES
A new program in Burlington, Vermont is incentivizing apartment owners to build EV charging stations. If successful, it could provide a national roadmap for providing the 36% of Americans who rent their homes with access to reliable EV charging.
One country really got the message about ditching oil for peace and freedom. This week, in response to the crisis in Ukraine, Germany committed to 100% renewable energy by 2035—a full 15 years ahead of its previous target.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “A different tomorrow is feasible.A tomorrow free from Putin and other petro-dictators.A tomorrow free from climate-hostile and war-feeding fossil fuels…Our joint, brighter future demands nothing less.” – Excerpt from Ukrainian activists’ letter to global leaders
The Climate Action Nowcommunity is made up of like-minded people committed to fighting climate change. Our Climate Action Now app is the hub of the community and the tool that lets us take, collectively, thousands (someday, millions) of planet-saving actions each and every day.
Our hearts continue to break for the devastations faced by Ukrainians, even while we’re inspired by the confidence and courage they are showing the world each day in refusing to give in to occupation by a dictator with imperial ambitions.
Vladimir Putin’s destructive choice to launch an unprovoked invasion is backfiring as the global community unites around Ukraine. And every action that we take to live into that solidarity is important. Wherever we are, we can help keep the light of peace and hope alive for the people of Ukraine by showing our solidarity with them in our homes and our communities—and by reaching into our pockets to put food into their hands.
Putin might have thought that violently forcing himself upon the people of Ukraine would splinter them along ethnic, linguistic, and religious lines, expand his legacy at home, and result in Ukraine allying with Putin. The exact opposite is happening: He has united Ukrainians against him, inspired a wave of protests in Russia, and unified the global embrace of an independent, democratic, and free Ukraine.1 Rather than conceding to Putin’s demands, the European Parliament has voted to advance Ukraine’s application to join the European Union.2
We’re part of that global outcry. Over 150,000 of us have signed the MoveOn statement in support for the people of Ukraine, just as a crowd of 100,000 reportedly marched in Berlin on Sunday against Putin’s war.3
Solidarity takes many shapes. Our governments have a critical role to play, as the Biden administration has joined with countries from Switzerland to Japan in taking strong economic action against Putin’s government—freezing offshore assets of government cronies, blocking financial transfers, and holding Putin and Russia’s foreign minister accountable. Those steps are crucial, but they aren’t the only avenue for action. Cultural acts of solidarity have come from all sorts of places: From sports leagues, who have moved their games out of Russia in protest of the invasion of Ukraine, to New York’s Metropolitan Opera and the Munich Philharmonic, who cut ties with a conductor and close ally of Putin’s who refused to denounce the invasion, there are many important ways to act against war.4
MoveOn members have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars directly to Ukrainian relief efforts, while also using our collective voice to advocate for a diplomacy-first, peaceful end to this conflict. One more simple way is to display your support for Ukraine’s democracy to your friends and family, or by donating to food relief efforts.
Experts estimated that 7 million people in Ukraine could be displaced by Putin’s war.5 Already, hundreds of thousands of people have flooded across borders to neighboring Poland, Hungary, Romania, and beyond in the dead of winter. World Central Kitchen is responding to the acute need, using their experience in bringing food relief to areas hit by disasters and war to help give people food and hope. We might not be able to go join them, but we can help their work by making a generous donation, small or large, right now.
Though tanks might have crossed into Ukraine last week, we know that this invasion is not an isolated act of violence. The cluster bombs seen in Ukraine’s second-largest city, widely banned because they are designed to kill civilians indiscriminately, were used on the Syrian people by Russian and Russian-backed forces propping up dictator Bashar al-Assad.6,7 Meanwhile, thousands of conscripted Russian soldiers, many of them young and poor, have lost their lives due to Putin’s senseless aggression.8
Unless we stop Putin from seeing war as a positive choice, we’ll continue to see more death and destruction. So let’s come together now and show solidarity with Ukraine.
Thanks for all you do.
–David, Mana, Amy, Isbah, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. “Attack on Ukraine brings rare sight in Russia: Protests in cities against Putin and invasion,” The Washington Post, February 24, 2022
3. “As over 100,000 rally for Ukraine, Germany announces vast defense spending increase that may upend European security policy,” The Washington Post, February 27, 2022
From Norbert Goldfield, M.D., Ask Nurses and Doctors (AND)
We are continuing to build up health professional networks in preparation for the 2022 elections. As part of this effort, Jeff Lerner (AND lead in Pennsylvania) and I appeared on the Robert Hubbell podcast last week. Hope to see you all next week on March 9 at 730 pm when AND will host a webinar on Engaging Social Media and Policymakers as we build and prepare for the elections. Appearing will be
Jeff Lerner PhD, President Emeritus, ECRI and adjunct senior fellow, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics of the University of Pennsylvania; AND consultant; director of AND PA
Dan Stone MD: Medical Director Cedars Sinai Hospital Los Angeles, CA AND Consultant
Gail Wilensky PhD Project Hope and CMS Administrator under President GHW Bush, AND Board of Advisors
It never happened to me before during this pandemic – out of the 23 patients, I saw last Tuesday I had four who I convinced to get the vaccine. I failed at two others including one patient of mine. But I felt an incredible high; what a strange idea – again unique during my lifetime that I feel a sense of exhilaration at the end of the day having convinced four previously unvaccinated individuals to change their minds.
A remarkable COVID statistic: in the six months between April and October 2021, the number of children experiencing the death of a parent or primary caregiver as a result of COVID-19 nearly doubled to more than 5·2 million globally – surpassing the total number of reported COVID deaths worldwide. The mental health and substance abuse impact is staggering. Just as I am writing this, I am working with a young mother using ten bags of heroin a day laced with fentanyl (she has Narcan) who is now in withdrawal and we are trying to convince her to switch to suboxone.
Many of you have heard of the new CDC Covid guidelines. Bottom line, I will continue to wear masks when I go to the grocery store. As the Post reported, instead of focusing on eliminating transmission of the virus, the framework is aimed at preventing hospitals and healthcare systems from being overwhelmed and protecting people at high risk for severe illness, officials said.
Public health in the U.S. is deteriorating with public health officers continuing to leave their positions. Not surprisingly, private companies have stepped into this increasing void. After bankruptcy, the Detroit Public Health Department was privatized with disastrous consequences. Trust is the key. National public health systems simply will not occur at this point in the US. But they could happen, I am convinced, at a state level. I continue to have meetings in Massachusetts. Poor public health services exacerbate the social disparities impact of COVID. Here are some specifics: In Virginia, 41% of Medicaid enrollees 5 and older are vaccinated, compared with 76% of state residents in that age group. Sadly the new surgeon general in Florida is not clear that vaccines work and that ivermectin doesn’t.
Vaccines for all, throughout the globe, should be a basic public health tenet. We are still falling short on this goal – both in terms of the financial commitment of all countries including the US and the willingness of countries such as the U.S. and Germany to waive intellectual property rights on the vaccines and allow countries to produce this life-saving treatment at a lower cost.
Bob Herman from Axios gave a very nice summary of the overall challenges the U.S. health care system faces. An overarching issue is the price. Take the example of hip replacement: Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield paid $98,000; Cigna paid almost $71,000; UnitedHealthcare paid $66,000. Medicare paid around $20,000. Most agree that Medicare payment is “reasonable.” But while Obamacare was a significant step forward, there is no agreement on next steps. Health professionals and voters will have a significant role. As we look to the 2022 election midterm elections AND continues to work on vaccines, public health and healthcare reform.
Reminder: join us if you can on March 9 at 7:30 pm eastern. We are beginning to build our health professional networks now, in preparation for the 2022 elections. Hopefully, you can either play a part for just 1 hour/month. Perhaps you know health professionals who are interested. Effective use of social media is key.
Whales are facing ‘alarming threats’ from fishing gear and ghost nets, a new WWF report warns.
The world’s whales are facing increasing threats in their key habitats and the ‘blue corridors’ they use to migrate, warns World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
A new report from the wildlife conservation organization details that whales are encountering many growing threats in their critical ocean habitats – locations where they feed, mate, give birth, and nurse their young – and along their migration superhighways or ‘blue corridors’.
To identify the mounting threats that whales face along the superhighways, WWF and marine scientists used satellite tracking data from 845 whales worldwide collected over the past 30 years to create the first-of-its-kind whale migration map.
This map highlights the growing dangers they face from human activity, both in their critical habitats and during migration along coasts and across oceans such as the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic.
By far the deadliest threat facing these marine giants is the fishing industry, with the entanglement in fishing gear and “ghost nets” – fishing equipment which is lost or abandoned in the sea – responsible for the death of around 300,000 whales each year, according to the report.
Ship strikes, chemical plastic, noise pollution, habitat loss, and climate change are also factors in creating a hazardous and sometimes fatal obstacle course for whales, said Chris Johnson, Global Lead for whale and dolphin conservation at WWF.
Six of the 13 great whale species have been categorized as endangered or vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a result of these threats, despite decades of protection following commercial whaling. The highly critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, which migrates between Canada and the United States, is one of the most vulnerable populations. It is at its lowest point in 20 years – numbering only 336 individuals.
A disturbing 86 percent of known right whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once, and between 2017 – 2021, 34 North Atlantic right whales died off the Canadian and United States coasts due to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear.
In light of the report, WWF is calling for urgent action to safeguard whales amid mounting threats along their migratory routes.
“This report presents some of the most comprehensive data to date on large scale movements of whales through the world’s oceans,” said Dr. Margaret Kinnard, WWF Global Wildlife Practice Lead. “The emerging picture underscores the need for swift, concerted action and investment of resources from national governments, international bodies, local communities, industry and conservation groups like WWF to stop this underwater assault on whales and protect these critical blue corridors.”
Comment: as a frequent recreational sailor in the waters of Gardiners Bay (between the South and North Forks) I have gotten my rudder or keel entangled by fishing gear (lobster pot lines presumably) at least once every year. Why should this not also happen to whales? DP
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I apologize for running late this morning— I gave an Activism 101 workshop to a lovely group of folks on the East Coast at 9AM and it’s pushed everything else back a bit. (The lovely group of folks, thats us, R&R!Note by D. Posnett)
Speaking of Activism 101, ‘tis the season for it again! 🎉
For those who haven’t taken it, Activism 101 is a one-hour workshop I put together before the 2020 elections. It’s designed to give newer-to-activism folks easy ways to help us win races. It’s part survey course, part training, part pep talk, (and part therapy session 😂); at the end I give participants a link to a google doc—one I’ll be updating all year—with places to postcard, write letters, phonebank, canvass, register voters, and give money strategically.
I did over 50 of these free workshops in 2020, and I expect to do even more this year. I’ll present one for any group of 6 or more, pretty much at any agreed-upon time. I just want the information out there!
Why? Because WE CAN WIN IN NOVEMBER! We have the voters, we have the policies, we have the demographics, we have the good candidates, we have the field game. And more!
We just need to do the work to turn those voters out. That’s what Activism 101 is all about.
So write me back if you want to set one up—I’ll do it for your friends, your book club, your fishing pals…you name it.
OK, all. Let’s get to work making our calls, sending our letters, and generally showing our patriotism through our democracy-loving actions.
Have a great weekend!
P.S. A brand new online publication, Bolts, launched this week. I’m VERY excited. Covering the “nuts and bolts of power and political change, from the local up,” it’s well worth subscribing to. REMEMBER STEVE BANNON!! Also? It has a fantastic resource doc called “Who Runs Our Elections?” that everyone should check out. (Bannon already has. 🤨)
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I want the Senator to vote yes on S. 1720, the Postal Service Reform Act, when it comes to the Senate floor for a vote. And also please ask the Senator to demand that Louis DeJoy stop the purchase of 160,000 gas-powered trucks for the USPS and go with electric vehicles instead. We’re in a climate emergency.
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I want the Congressmember to do everything in his/her power to pass legislation that bans members of Congress from buying or selling individual stocks while they’re in office. This is a bipartisan issue that the majority of Americans support—and s/he should too. Thanks. [H/T]
Extra Credit ✅
Post this on social please.
Want to stop #LouisDeJoy from sabotaging our climate progress by buying 165K new gas-powered trucks for the #USPS? Here’s a toolkit with a few *really* easy actions. We need to #electrifyeverything—not buy a new fleet of gas guzzlers!
Join Indivisible South Peninsula this Sunday, February 13th, 1:00 PM PST, for a one-hour webinar, “Understanding the Threats to the 2022 and 2024 Elections and What We Can Do,” featuring Alexandra Chandlerfrom Protect Democracy.
Chandler will outline the core threats to U.S. election integrity and how they will change the playing field compared to 2020, and she will speak to how ordinary citizens and civil society groups can form alliances, take action to reduce the risk of an election crisis, and join the fight to preserve democracy itself. This talk will be moderated by Bruce Hahne, and co-sponsored by Indivisible San Jose, Silicon Valley Courageous Resistance, Orchard City Indivisible and Indivisible Sonoma County.
Are you wondering how you can help Democrats win in 2022? Where you should focus for the biggest impact? Whether what you’re doing is enough? You have another chance to hear David Pepper—this time at one of his new zoom “pep rallies!”
Pepper, former Ohio Democratic Party Chair and author of Laboratories of Autocracy, will hold pep talk/strategy sessions on Tuesday, February 15 and Thursday, February 17). These are really supposed to be great. I for sure will be attending.
Sign up here and he will email registration information to you.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)
On everything from combating the opioid epidemic to strengthening our schools to improving veterans’ health care, it’s critical that Congress pass an omnibus appropriations bill by February 18th with updated funding to ensure our families and communities are receiving the support they need from the federal government.
Since 2010, 68% of programs of importance to people with low and moderate incomes have seen their funding cut, taking inflation into account.
I urge you to take immediate action to increase investments in education, housing, child welfare services, job training, nutrition, home heating and cooling for people with low incomes, and more.
A failure to do so is directly hurting our communities. Thank you.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk Monday.
Jess
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I was curious whether anyone had ever been awarded a Nobel prize in the sciences or medicine, first initiated in 1901, and then later been canonized (sainthood). There are some interesting stories throughout the history of canonized scientists, but most of them antedate 1901. However, Dr. Jérôme Lejeune piqued my interest. He discovered trisomy 21 as the cause of Down syndrome in 1959. Read Ref (2).
The science led to prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders and termination of pregnancy as an option, widely practiced nowadays. Lejeune strongly opposed this practice:
“It was a bitter irony for Lejeune, when the young discipline [of cytogenetics] spawned by his research, permitted the diagnosis of Down syndrome in utero, facilitating the termination of affected pregnancies. A devout Catholic who staunchly opposed abortion, Lejeune hoped that research into the causes of Down syndrome and other genetic disabilities could lead to improved treatment and even cures. He was active in treating Down syndrome patients, counseling their families, and advocating against abortion. In 1994, Pope John Paul II appointed him founding president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
Lejeune’s views were well known in the scientific world. At the William Allan Memorial Award ceremony, instead of presenting the customary lecture on research, Lejeune gave a talk called “On the Nature of Men,” during which he noted that “geneticists have not broken the secret of the human condition, and … scientific arguments are of little help in ethical issues.” He ended with an impassioned rejection of genetics as a basis for terminating pregnancies. Afterward, he reportedly told his wife, “Today, I lost my Nobel Prize in medicine.” Lejeune, who died in 1994, never got the call from Stockholm.”
However Lejeune’s chances of becoming a Saint are still alive, see (1). On 21 January 2021, Pope Francis declared Lejeune’s heroic virtues, and Lejeune was named “Venerable”.
But there is a twist to the story. Second author on the original 1959 paper, Marthe Gautier, published an article in Human Genetics at the 50thanniversary of the discovery, stating that she, not Lejeune, made the first observations.She writes that she did not have the equipment capable of reliably documenting the discovery, so she “entrusted the slides to Lejuene…I was too young to know the rules of the game. … I suspected political maneuvering, and I was not wrong…I felt cheated in every respect,”
This reminds us of the fate of Rosalind Franklin, who was the British researcher who took the famous “Photograph 51” that gave James Watson and Francis Crick crucial information on which they based their model of the double-helix structure of DNA. Franklin died before the pair, plus Maurice Wilkins, won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1962. Watson disparaged Franklin in his best-selling book,The Double Helix, but now admits that had she lived, she should have shared the prize.
Is Lejeune an example of a case of “selective morality”? Lejeune seems to have picked and chosen when to have a moral stance. To him, abortion was morally inadmissible. But taking advantage of a young inexperienced female colleague and possibly presenting her scientific data as his own, seems to have been morally permissible.
Last Friday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases involving vaccine mandates issued by federal agencies—OSHA and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Rulings in both cases will be issued soon because they involve the question of whether lower courts can issue “preliminary injunctions.” Such injunctions are temporary, remaining in place while the trial courts consider the merits of the challenges to the mandates. As a practical matter, by the time the lower courts hold trials on the merits of the mandates, the pandemics will be over. Thus, the preliminary injunctions, if granted, will effectively strip the Biden administration of power to issue vaccine mandates. Americans will die as a result.
While the question before the Court seemed narrow—the authority of federal agencies to issue vaccine mandates—the implications are sweeping. The Court seemed to signal that the “individual liberty” to refuse the vaccine outweighs the societal interest in preventing harm to others. The Court also seemed to be signaling its desire to strip federal agencies of vast swaths of regulatory authority—a long-term goal of the most conservative wing of the Republican Party. Finally, the Court is poised to claim for itself the right to decide which federal regulations can be issued under a congressional grant of authority to an agency. We may be witnessing a massive shift of rulemaking authority from the executive to the judicial branch—a radical seizure of federal power entirely at odds with the traditional conservative view of the federal judiciary’s role.
Before discussing details, let’s skip to the end: The reactionary majority of the Court is about to undo five decades of judicial deference to rulemaking by federal agencies. That revolution will occur because Mitch McConnell denied Barack Obama the right to appoint justices as provided in the Constitution and because Donald Trump appointed a justice a week before a presidential election. Two justices of the reactionary majority thus occupy seats that were obtained in violation of the Constitution or centuries-long norms relating to appointments of justices. The Court must be enlarged to prevent the illegitimate majority from taking a wrecking ball to decades of settled precedent.
On the issue of vaccines, Justice Gorsuch made a jaw-dropping statement, comparing Covid-19 to the flu. In the official transcript of the proceeding, Gorsuch allegedly said that the flu kills “hundreds of thousands of people a year”—a patent falsehood. (Official Sup. Ct. transcript here.) The audio of the hearing is ambiguous, suggesting that Gorsuch said that the flu kills “hundreds, thousands of people a year.” It does not matter which of the contested statements that Gorsuch made. It is an outrage either way. Comparing Covid-19 to the flu tracks the talking points of conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers, and Fox News. Justice Alito joined in the anti-vaccine hysteria by saying that some vaccinated people “will suffer adverse consequences”—suggesting that vaccines are unsafe. (Before he made that point, Alito said three times, “I am not making that point.”) In short, anti-vaccination propaganda has made its way onto the reactionary majority, which appears ready to substitute their political views about the vaccine in place of the federal agencies charged with protecting the health and safety of workers.
An equally disturbing implication of the hearing is that the Court will abolish traditional judicial deference to federal rulemaking by agencies. The legal issues are complicated and beyond the scope of this newsletter. Interested readers should consult the excellent analyses by Ian Millhiser in Vox, “The Supreme Court appears more afraid of Joe Biden than it is of Covid-19,” and Kimberly Wehle in The Atlantic, “What the Supreme Court’s Vaccine-Mandate Case Is Really About, (“This could be the start of a major dismantling of the federal government.”) If the reactionary majority uses the vaccine mandate cases to strike down large swaths of federal workplace regulation, it will hurt workers, businesses, and the American economy. But the ideals of the Federalist Society will be protected from harm.
Democrats can stop this judicial carnage by enlarging the Court. Congress could do so tomorrow—if it abolished the filibuster. Dozens of other worthy suggestions for reforming the Court require a constitutional amendment and ratification by 38 states—which will neverhappen. We have a mechanism to rehabilitate the Court, and we should use that mechanism now.
Neal Katyal on Merrick Garland.
I have taken Merrick Garland at his word that the DOJ investigations of the January 6th insurrection will hold accountable those responsible “at every level” and “whether present or otherwise.” Former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal is dubious. Katyal also notes that even if Garland will eventually get around to investigating Trump, the delay in doing so is prejudicial to the integrity of any such investigation. See Neal Katyal in The Atlantic, “The Justice Department Needs to Investigate Trump and His Enablers.”
Please read this article in the NYTimes by Ezra Klein.
Early Sunday morning, readers started sending me links to Ezra Klein’s op-ed in the NYTimes, “Steve Bannon Is Onto Something.” I was put off by the title but read the op-ed anyway. Wow, am I glad I did! Klein makes essential points that every Democrat worried about 2022 should read. Klein starts with some tough love. He says that being involved in politics is notdoom-scrolling on Twitter and then complaining to family and friends about all the things you just read. Real political work isthe intentional, strategic accumulation of power in service of a defined end. It is action in service of change, not information in service of outrage.
That phrase worth remembering: Political work is “action in service of change.”
Klein devotes much of his essay extolling the necessity and virtue of political action at the local level. He quotes Amanda Litman of Run for Something, who says,
We do not have one federal election. We have 50 state elections and then thousands of county elections. And each of those ladder up to give us results. While Congress can write, in some ways, rules or boundaries for how elections are administered, state legislatures are making decisions about who can and can’t vote. Counties and towns are making decisions about how much money they’re spending, what technology they’re using, the rules around which candidates can participate.
Whether Democrats “win” or “lose” in 2022 will be defined by tens of thousands of races up and down the ballot—not merely by who controls the House and Senate. As Amanda Litman notes, Congress controls some things, but state legislatures and city councils control other important aspects of political and civic life. So, as you practice the art of “action in the service of change,” don’t limit your field of vision to federal races only. Yes, they matter, but driving people to the ballot box for races at the bottom of the ticket can boost candidates in close races at the top of the ticket!Field Team 6 interview on Today’s Edition Podcast
On Saturday, I interviewed Jason Berlin, the founder and driving force behind Field Team 6. If you want a reason to feel hopeful about our prospects for 2022, listen to the Today’s Edition Podcast, “Interview with Jason Berlin of Field Team 6.” Volunteers with Field Team 6 do one of the hardest things possible in politics: They approach strangers and ask them if they want to register to vote! Field Team 6 trains volunteers to be fearless, organized, and effective. You can start your own voter registration drive by using the “Voter Drive in a Box” available on the Field Team 6 website. And if you run a local organization interested in partnering with Field Team 6, they will welcome you with open arms and great resources! And, of course, Field Team 6 welcomes donations to help fund its voter registration drives. (About 90% of Field Team 6’s budget goes directly to registration drives.)
It is easy to see why Jason has built such an effective organization. If you don’t have time to listen to the entire podcast, listen to this two-minute snippet from Jason’s conclding comments for your daily inspiration: Jason Berlin’s concluding comments.Contact information for corporations donating to Sedition Caucus members.
Last week, I mentioned articles in Popular Information and the New York Times highlighting corporations that pledged to suspend donations to Sedition Caucus members and subsequently violated that pledge. A couple of dozen readers asked for contact information for those companies. Reader Cathy Murphree put together this document that contains mailing addresses and electronic addresses for companies that appear to be supporting members of the Sedition Caucus. Thank you, Cathy!
Concluding Thoughts.
In my interview with Jason Berlin, he said two things that gave me hope for 2022. In describing his journey from writer in the entertainment industry to leading political activist, he said that “You come for the cause, and stay for the people.” In that statement lies the essence of political activism: joining with like-minded people who lift you up and give you strength. You become part of a community that helps everyone in the community to endure tough times and push on to victory.
Second, Jason noted that we now have millions of Democrats who have five years of experience in political organizing and activism. Groups like Field Team Six, Swing Left, Indivisible, Sister District, PostCardsToVoters, Voter Riders, Voter Movement Project, Fair Fight, and many others have existing staff, dedicated volunteers, and databases. 2021 was adrift in the political doldrums, but people are re-engaging for 2022. I have heard that sentiment from many readers. If you took a hiatus in 2021, you deserved a break! But now is the moment to re-engage. Your friends and colleagues are waiting with open arms to welcome you back!
Talk to you tomorrow!LikeCommentShareYou’re on the free list for Today’s Edition Newsletter. This post is public, so feel free to share it. Share Today’s Edition NewsletterIf you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Today’s Edition Newsletter daily (Monday – Friday), click the “Subscribe” button below:Subscribe nowPlease consider becoming a paying subscriber to help support the work of Today’s Edition Newsletter. Paying subscribers can post in the Comments section for each newsletter.
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As They Highlight the January 2022 Drawdown Festival
“Join the Regeneration” says acclaimed Australian filmmaker of 2040, keynote speaker and festival partner for the 2022 Drawdown Festival – Tools For Regeneration: Forums! Fun! Films! coming to the Southampton Arts Center, Friday–Sunday, January 21-23, 2022, with talks, workshops and films scheduled all weekend (virtual). Registration is free, hosted by Southampton Arts Center, who is also accepting donations to cover costs.
Damon Gameau will be joined by Paul Hawken, author of the New York Times bestseller Drawdown, which has grown into an international climate research organization, and the newly-released Regeneration: Solving the Climate Crisis in One Generation. Gameau’s award-winning film 2040 and accompanying book 2040 is based on the top Drawdown climate solutions. They will be co-hosting the opening event Friday January 21 from 6:44 – 830pm.
Join a Carbon CREW
In addition to Damon Gameau, SAC is co-partnering with the newly-formed Carbon CREW Project, cofounded by Dorothy Reilly of Southampton. The founders of CREW, which stands for Carbon Reduction for Earth Well-being, highlight a recent international study: Did you know the U.N. has found that 2/3 of all greenhouse gas emissions originate from decisions made at the household level? “The choices made by each of us make all the difference! Together our choices are powerful” said Ms. Reilly. Over the weekend there will be an option to enroll in a Carbon CREW program to guide you to a 50% carbon reduction lifestyle by 2030.
Climate Action = Climate Safety
“This is all about climate action, climate safety, climate hope. Learn about how you can begin now to cut emissions, address equity issues, protect and restore ecosystems and create a regenerating, thriving world,” said Mary Morgan, cofounder of Drawdown East End, also a festival partner, a group inspired by the science of Project Drawdown to guide local climate solutions to reverse global warming.
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Join Friday’s Climate Youth Festival
The Festival promises an array of talks, workshops, and films — on soil and sea sequestration, climate cuisine, electrify-everything, the debut of Stories of Regeneration on ways that we can all participate in regenerating our earth and reversing climate devastation — and, on Friday evening, the opportunity to join the Climate Youth Festival from LIU.
Session curators include: League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island and the North Fork, Sean Barrett, founder, Montauk Seaweed Supply Co., journalist Alexandra Talty, Mark Haubner, VP, North Fork Environmental Council, Sheila Pfeiffer, co-founder of Carbon CREW Project, Scott Carlin, professor, Long Island University, author “Gratitude and Climate Change,” and more.
Schedule of Events*
All times are EST. We suggest that all registrants watch the uplifting climate solutions film 2040 before the Festival.
Friday, January 21, 2022
Evening – 6:45 PM to 8:30 PM – We welcome you with an opening Shinnecock Blessing and Co-Host filmmaker Damon Gameau (2040) with Drawdown’s Paul Hawken.
8:30 – 10:00 Climate Youth Festival from LIU.
Saturday, January 22, 2022
Morning – 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM – Welcome back ceremony, hear talks on Indigenous Wisdom, Electrify Everything and Soil Sequestration, with Drawdown and Carbon CREW explained.
Afternoon – 1:00 PM to 5:45 PM – panels on Sea Sequestration, Climate Cuisine, Women and Girls with talks on Climate Games, Instant Actions and the Environmental Voter Project, ending the afternoon with One Million Women singing.
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Morning – 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM – Panels on Model Towns and Regenerator Web Resources.
Afternoon – 1:00 PM to 5:30 PM – Panels on Communicating for Changing Times, Protect Nature Now, Consumption, Financial Impact for Regeneration, ending with our closing ceremony at 5:15 PM.
