McConnell’s “Personal Favor” (5/31/21)

There has been an avalanche of articles again this week again about how we are nearing the end of democracy. With the passing of numerous voter suppression laws, the attempt to nullify the Arizona 2020 election results, and the anticipation of newly gerrymandered voting maps there is fuel to reignite those fears. It is frustrating and depressing to feel that even when Trump is out of office and Mitch McConnell has been demoted, they somehow seem to still be controlling things. To top it off, the Republicans managed to even block the seemingly uncontroversial bill to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. The House Democrats agreed to every request the House Republicans asked to have included in the bill. It was astonishing to watch what happened in the Senate. The Republicans filibustered the vote to debate forming a bipartisan commission, not a vote on whether to form the commission itself. To form the commission, the Senate would only need to garner 51 votes which clearly they would have had. The Republicans did not block voting on the forming the commission, they blocked even talking about it and they did it as "a personal favor" to Mitch McConnell who thinks it would be bad for their midterm elections. It does not get any more frustrating than that.

Instead of letting the news drag us into inaction, let us borrow these thoughts from a fellow grassroots organization (31st Street) to inspire us to keep doing what we are doing. h/t Molly H.
“For 15 minutes of pure joy and inspiration, please watch the film Rural Runner about Maine State Senator Chloe Maxmin (FNF 2020 endorsee), who accomplished the almost unbelievable feat of winning, when in her mid-20's, a rural Maine legislative House district in 2018 and then two years later, defeating the Republican State Senate Leader, in a district won by Susan Collins (and Trump). Her campaign manager was Canyon Woodward, also in his 20's, and a trail runner as well as a campaign runner. Canyon's brother Forest Woodward produced this amazing film -- a film that will make you want to DO something right NOW for our country.”

Let's be inspired to pick up our pens and phones to continue exercising our activist muscles -- whether writing postcards, texting, phonebanking, or amplifying on social media. "Both politics and trail running require running through the seasons and not just going out when the sun is shining and you're feeling great. It takes getting out there day in and day out when it's really difficult."

Happy Memorial Day everyone.