Tag Archives: Senate

Pushed to protest, how many Republicans will be pulled to join?

After a sharp rejection from the Supreme Court, and after similar–if more detailed–dismissals from dozens of lower courts, Trump’s promise to fight on to hold the presidency must move beyond the legal system. Protesting in the streets is a step … Continue reading

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Loyalty

Donald Trump is trying to destroy Mitt Romney. It starts with snarky side comments in front of reporters and on Twitter, continues through allies–and other Trumps–disparaging disloyalty and demanding that Romney be ousted from the Republican caucus, and will escalate … Continue reading

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Sunrise Movement (almost) confronts McConnell

As they promised, supporters of the Green New Deal massed outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office, waiting to talk to him about the urgent need to respond aggressively to climate change. Unlike Senator Dianne Feinstein, McConnell didn’t offer sympathy … Continue reading

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Picking targets, making enemies, and the Green New Deal

The viral video of Senator Dianne Feinstein discussing a Green New Deal resolution highlights important questions about the friends and enemies that social movements make. Brief clips of children from the Sunrise Movement imploring Feinstein to support their ambitious resolution … Continue reading

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When testifying works: confronting Judge Kavanaugh

Maria Gallagher and Ana Maria Archila celebrated when Senator Jeff Flake (Arizona) forced his Republican colleagues to delay final consideration of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, pending completion of a very brief FBI investigation. Their elation is understandable and … Continue reading

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Notes on how protest works, the travel ban

Protest matters, but not by itself, and usually not quickly. The massive Women’s March and the miraculous airport protests haven’t yet triumphed: the president remains committed to restricting Muslim access to the United States and rolling back reproductive rights…among other … Continue reading

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The protest(s) sessions and what comes next

Unlike most of his would-be Cabinet mates, Attorney General-designate Jeff Sessions has filed his ethics and financial disclosure forms. When Senate committee hearings began this morning, his opponents were ready. Lisa Desjardins, from PBS Newshour, posted the welcome Senator Sessions … Continue reading

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Apocalypse not yet

Demonstrations against president-elect Donald Trump continue in cities and on college campuses. (The image at right is from an anti-Trump walkout at Rutgers University.) Small groups continue to torment people who look like they belong to groups (blacks, Latinos, gays, … Continue reading

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Prospecting political tactics for gun control

Democratic members of the US House of Representatives sat in on the floor of the House, demanding recorded votes on gun control measures. Rep. John Lewis (Georgia) made the speech that launched the effort, and was framed at the center of … Continue reading

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Activism in office

Kshama Sawant joins the Seattle City Council this week, and her support for socialism seemed newsworthy to the editors of the New York Times. The headline notes that the election makes Sawant “a rare elected voice for socialism.”  Sawant campaigned … Continue reading

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