Rep. Barbara Lee held her first campaign rally for U.S. Senate, AG Rob Bonta and Asm. Mia Bonta have moved past media criticism, and Asm. Chris Holden and Asm. Reggie Jones-Sawyer are seeking seats in local government.
To further resist the threat of authoritarianism, we must lift up young leaders who will be democracy’s champions for this and future generations. People For the American Way’s Young Elected Officials Network is celebrating the election of young leaders as new members of Congress from across the country: Greg Casar from Austin, Texas; Emilia Sykes from Akron, Ohio; Maxwell Frost from Orlando, Fla.; Summer Lee from Braddock, Pa.; Robert Garcia from Long Beach, Calif.; Sydney Kamlager from Los Angeles, Calif; and Jasmine Crockett from Dallas, Texas. Dozens more were elected to local and state offices, building a crucial leadership pipeline.
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla decided that a life of service to those who grew up like he did, unprivileged in a working class family, and that commitment to service has ascended him to one of the highest seats in California and throughout the nation.
“The weaponization of rules once meant to short-circuit obstruction have been hijacked to guarantee obstruction. We must ask ourselves: if the right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, then how can we in good conscience allow for a situation in which the Republican Party can debate and pass voter suppression laws at the State level with only a simple majority vote, but not allow the United States Senate to do the same? We must adapt,” said Sen. Schumer.
Advocates to protect the vote have been pushing Biden and Congress to move ahead affirmatively for months.
Credit reporting, student loan debt and payday loans among chief consumer concerns
In an August 30 statement on the Afghanistan withdrawal, Congresswoman Lee said: “Twenty years ago, it was clear that rushing into war without a clearly defined mission and exit strategy would risk perpetual war. The Special Inspector General of Afghanistan Reconstruction clearly illustrated in recent reports that ‘U.S. officials rarely had even a mediocre understanding of the Afghan environment, much less how it was responding to U.S. interventions,’ and that this ignorance often came from a ‘willful disregard for information that may have been available.’ In a world where the threat of terrorism cannot be ignored, hopefully we will learn the lessons from the past two decades and not repeat our mistakes.”
Last week, Majority Whip Clyburn, Democratic leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, made the observation that the “Filibuster” currently being used in the
U.S. Senate to block the Voting Rights Bill as well as the George Floyd Bill, is a matter of tradition and not a part of the U.S. Constitution.
Now that the Fourth of July is over and we have all been reminded of what Frederick Douglas said and did, the cookouts are behind us, but so is the memory of the White Nationalists marching in the streets of Philadelphia with flags and faces covered. Let us now come off of recess and dig in for the battle ahead. Let us not be like the Summer Patriot and Sunshine Soldier that Thomas Payne wrote about during the Revolutionary War. In his publication, “The Crisis”, he said that such would soon vanish from the battle, but those that endured until
Electing a Black woman to the U.S. Senate this cycle is a top organizational priority, Quentin James and Stefanie Brown James, the co-founders of The Collective PAC, proclaimed on Tuesday, May 18. “We are proud to stand with Val Demings (D-Fla.),” the couple, who represent the PAC, stated.
Heather Hutt was born and raised in Los Angeles and has dedicated her life to Democratic activism, public service, and the community. Heather recently served as the first Black U.S. Senate State Director in California’s history, and in her capacity serving Senator Harris, was the principal representative among constituents and elected leaders throughout California. She used her position to stand up for women by bringing together healthcare professionals to discuss implicit bias in health care, especially for women and women of color as well as advocating for DACA recipients and fighting against the Trump Administration’s assault on Dreamers and immigrants.
“We applaud the confirmation of Rep. Fudge as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),” Marcela Howell, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, responded in a statement. “Her appointment comes at a pivotal time when her leadership is sorely needed. The U.S. faces a severe housing crisis as millions of residents struggle to pay their rent and mortgages due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.”
“Today, the Senate passed the American Rescue Plan bringing us one step closer to delivering much-needed relief,” President Biden said from the White House shortly after the measured passed along party lines. “When I took office, I promised help was on the way. Thanks to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Senate Democrats, we’ve taken one more giant step forward in delivering on that promise. I hope the American Rescue Plan receives quick passage in the House so it can be sent to my desk to be signed,” the president continued.
So, for me, 2021 is about hope and about working for a better life for all and a better nation together as we rise from the terrible test that 2020 has been. It is about recommitting to one another and to good works to help our brothers and sisters in need. And even before we voted for inclusion, we were already making good trouble. White, Black and Brown nationwide took to the streets this past spring and summer to ask our nation — to demand of our nation — that we address the systematic racism that has plagued this country since its founding. That has torn the very fabric of our country and created so much pain and loss. With one voice, all were saying: ‘Please, at long last, fix this.’” — Ray Curry, Secretary-Treasurer, UAW
Fair warning: this isn’t a traditional Christmas-week column. If we think of clarity as a kind of gift, though, we can be grateful that the effort to pass a much-needed COVID-19 relief bill in the waning days of this Congress makes one thing crystal clear: hurting families and small businesses will be abandoned if Republicans keep control of the U.S. Senate by winning Georgia’s January 5 runoff elections.