US Politics, June 2018: This is a total goat rodeo.

This SC ruling on the CA abortion law is bullshit. How can you be a licensed or unlicensed clinic and be allowed to lie to your patients and not give full medical care?

Feel like I need to just start ignoring as much of what's going on at the national level as I can and refocus all of the energy I burn on anxiety towards local initiatives. Mad props to anyone who has the wherewithal to tackle federal-level bullshit, but it all just feels way too overwhelming to me. Hunkering down and taking care of local vulnerable communities feels much more doable, and I think it's going to become increasingly important as this shitshow continues.

anyway, apologies if I've upset anyone, I just genuinely do believe that A) things are going to get worse, and there is a chance they are going to get much worse; they've already gotten much worse than people were expecting, the mainstreaming of actual Nazis being an excellent example, and B) both the system and my personality are such that I am useless at best, and more likely actively making things worse.

silby is otm, there are always orgs and initiatives happening where individual donations are actually are impactful

Would you be surprised at all if those advances and rights were suddenly reversed with a court decision or sweep of the pen? I wouldn't. That's where we are now.

― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, June 26, 2018 4:49 PM (eleven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

no, i wouldn't be surprised--the battle never really ends. all we get to do is choose our side, fight, and advance.

Legal mobilization is a thing movements do, too.

I mean, as far as legal mobilization, assuming you're talking about the courts (apologies if you're not) the end game for that is to go to the Gorsuch Supreme Court

I fully believe it's going to get a lot worse too. But I am not going to change. As a woman, I am taking great joy in really feeling my natural assholishness protrude by calling Trumpster ideologies out in public when I see it occur. I don't feel like that will ever flag no matter how hopeless it seems. I have been thinking a little of moving residences from NYC to GA for voting reasons.

the battle never really ends. all we get to do is choose our side, fight, and advance.

^^^ wisdom.

never expect a permanent victory. There is no such thing, really.

Besides movements on the left, what greater evidence do we need of the power of organized protest than what the right has done since the late '70 in reversing decades of New Deal/Great Society advancements?

for instance, with the travel ban, I remember people celebrating lower court victories, which have all essentially been nullified as I understand it. (and I don't know how indexed this thread is, but I will say that this is something that may have direct repercussions for my family. probably already has)

The thing anyone can do no matter what their circumstances or abilities is to stick to their ideological guns no matter how grave things get or how much despair may threaten to overwhelm, particularly as the normalization sets in and people slowly capitulate in response.

europe is much better than the US fyi just clarifyin not bragging

I remember people celebrating lower court victories, which have all essentially been nullified as I understand it

they delayed implementation of the ban for over a year. people got safely into the country because of that.

donating to this guy fyi
https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/swing-CA-10-left?refcode=20180525_em&link_id=1&can_id=53c9aca1103164752a73897299ff1df1&source=email-ca-10-meet-your-new-nominee&email_referrer=email_365197&email_subject=ca-10-meet-your-new-nominee

true, but going forward? I'm sure people affected will be very heartened knowing that it's OK, a few people were okay because they happened to want to enter/exit the US a year ago. (and this is even without taking into account that protesting is exactly what the administration/bannon wing specifically wanted and planned for)

specifically, his comments were that he timed the implementation of the ban "so the snowflakes would show up at the airports and riot"

I didn't say it was okay, I was pointing out the direct positive effect that legal challenges had.

But I get that you're on this "the cup isn't just half empty, THERE IS NO CUP" steez, it's just tiresome and not helpful. you are not telling anybody here anything we don't already know.

I mean, as far as legal mobilization, assuming you're talking about the courts (apologies if you're not) the end game for that is to go to the Gorsuch Supreme Court

― aloha darkness my old friend (katherine), Tuesday, June 26, 2018 5:05 PM (fifteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

for now. maybe it's naive of me to even have a long game in mind in days like these, but yknow, pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.

I mean, sorry? I honestly don't know what people want me to do, other than pretend things are good when they are bad

donate time and money and stop the handwringing

shakey you're being a dick

probably

Not to be all eyes-on-the-prize, but we're in at the culmination of a giant backlash that has been brewing for decades. It could be prolonged and fundamentally alter the course of the next century in the United States -- or it could be a four-year wildfire that does a lot of damage but burns itself out before it consumes anything irreparable (like, the Constitution). The latter is every bit as likely as the former, and the difference will be how hard people fight for it.

https://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKBN1JM1FO

“A Harley-Davidson should never be built in another country-never! Their employees and customers are already very angry at them,” Trump said on Twitter early on Tuesday. “If they move, watch, it will be the beginning of the end - they surrendered, they quit! The Aura will be gone and they will be taxed like never before!” Trump said.

It was unclear what taxes Trump was referring to, and why the company might have to pay them, since it intends to maintain production in the United States for U.S. customers.

This fuckin' guy...

Not to be all eyes-on-the-prize, but we're in at the culmination of a giant backlash that has been brewing for decades. It could be prolonged and fundamentally alter the course of the next century in the United States -- or it could be a four-year wildfire that does a lot of damage but burns itself out before it consumes anything irreparable (like, the Constitution). The latter is every bit as likely as the former, and the difference will be how hard people fight for it.

― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, June 26, 2018 1:31 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is exactly what I'm worried about -- arguably, we're still in the prolonged fundamental alteration of the backlash to Reconstruction

Ooh we need a Second Reconstruction let’s call it that.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/06/26/chasing-white-house-officials-out-of-restaurants-is-the-right-thing-to-do/

Tom Scocca made it into the WaPo

lol @ that profile pic

he's otm of course

this is exactly what I'm worried about -- arguably, we're still in the prolonged fundamental alteration of the backlash to Reconstruction

Absolutely. Hence all the battles over Confederate monuments. We're still fighting about which country we're going to be. Demographics and the rule of law are more on the side of the angels than not, current conditions notwithstanding. The culture matters, too. (Up to and including "This Is America" as a #1 jam.) I live in a blue city in a red state, and women's marches and gay rights parades draw enormous crowds, much bigger than any Trump rally.

one thing i stupidly didn't do in 2016 but really do plan to do this year is phone bank. I honestly don't know how statistically effective it's been proven to be but it's something at least. and it's not a matter of trying to convince someone who disagrees with you but rather either encouraging people to register or encouraging already-registered Dems to actually vote. that's the only chance we have. many of our more idiotic representatives and pundits may think there's a persuadable bloc of Trump voters but it's probably a pipe dream and even if they do exist they're negligible next to the bloc that already agrees with us but just didn't get off their asses two years ago.

I have been thinking a little of moving residences from NYC to GA for voting reasons.

This isn’t the worst idea. I remember snickering at libertarians 15 years ago and their “Free State” scheme in New Hampshire.

People—particularly younger ones—are likely more mobile now than ever. If only freelancing leftists could be convinced to stop moving to NYC and maybe try a purple state. Or perhaps even something even more ambitious like forming a critical mass in a sparsely populated state like Wyoming.

Which is admittedly a tall fucking order. I have no dependents and work for myself but the thought of moving to WY is a little grim.

it's pretty there

Oh I have no doubt. Guess i’m just addicted to city life even if it’s not NY/LA/CHI

for what it's worth I phone banked during the 2016 election and a few of the interim ones and it was a lot of voicemail and "sorry, we have no more numbers for you to call today"

see I’m the problem!

xp -- I've heard that argument, I have also heard the argument that no, actually what we should do is encourage leftists to move *to* the blue states, since it's a census year and the electoral votes would become more consolidated; plus, people's other reasons for moving probably swamp anything like that

I phonebanked for District 10 (linked upthread) a few months ago and actually reached people and told them about a townhall where they could go and yell at Denham it was cool. Now that Dems have an actual candidate there, next time it'll be about the really important thing - turning out the vote.

WY has big mountains, lots of wind, rather barren terrain, and nasty winters. Not exactly paradise, except for about 6 weeks a year.

Has anyone ever met someone who moved to a different state for the purposes of increasing its blue vote by 0.00001%?

moving to just up the numbers obv does very little, but moving to "get involved" can have impact i bet

tho be ready to stand accused of carpetbagging

to be fair in a lot of local elections one vote does indeed count

“I don’t like short people or tall people, I like middle people – people from Wyoming,”

heh

I see what you did there

I have for sure thought about finishing my teaching degree, embedding somewhere conservative, and infecting as many little minds as possible with my libruhl agenda. I just don't know if I'm built to withstand existence in the midst of hardcore Trump country.

People—particularly younger ones—are likely more mobile now than ever.

currently the opposite is true

https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardgano/2018/02/05/unlike-previous-generations-millennials-arent-moving-but-neither-are-other-age-groups/#3800421b7093

nobody has money to move/homes are too expensive

I might consider buying a house when my household has less than $180K in student loan debt