Choose one: [ ✓ ] Democracy [ ] Republicans.

July 21, 2021

          The title for today’s newsletter is copied shamelessly from the daily blog “Chop Wood, Carry Water” by Jessica Craven. Thank you, Jessica.

          Before addressing the news of the day, I want to share my impressions from two Zoom meetings held today with a couple dozen readers of the newsletter. After everyone had the opportunity to share their hopes, fears, and stories of personal engagement, here is my takeaway:

          We are going to be okay.

          Like you, the readers with whom I met today are experiencing mixed emotions composed of equal parts exhaustion, anxiety, impatience, hope, and urgency. But the overriding message I heard was that readers are committed to and engaged in grassroot actions despite the negativity in the blogosphere.  Are they worried? Sure. Has that deterred them from their work of defending democracy? No. As one reader reported, the level of grassroots engagement going into 2022 is higher than that following President Obama’s first two years in office. I was in awe of the level of sophistication, organization, and dedication of readers on the call. And I am not referring only to those who are able to create effective organizations (God bless them all!), but also to readers who said they have been writing postcards for three years—the first political engagement of their lives. I left the meetings thinking, “There is a lot more happening in the background at the grassroots level than I understood.”

          It was also good to be surrounded by positive, committed people. If you have not joined a group of like-minded activists, I strongly urge you to do so. During the course of the call, the readers referred me to helpful resources, events, and news articles. In community, there is strength. I left the meetings with a renewed sense of mission.

          If you are in need of respite, I have two recommendations. First, skip the remainder of this newsletter after this article. Today’s newsletter addresses the usual outrageous behavior and partisan fights that constitute the new normal. In other words, it contains nothing that can’t wait. Second, I recommend listening to / reading the following as alternatives to this edition of the newsletter.

          Teri Kanefield, “Are we too far gone?” A blog post that addresses the question of whether American democracy can be saved. I recommended this post yesterday and received a dozen “Thank you” emails from readers who described the essay as a “balm.” Check it out.

          Pod Save America interview with Senator Brian Schatz, “Is Facebook killing people?” (with Sen. Brian Schatz).” A reader recommended this interview with Senator Brian Schatz, who is the Democratic Chief Deputy Whip in the Senate. The reader described the interview as “extraordinary: smart, deep, and thoroughly uplifting” and as an antidote to despair. The interview with Senator Schatz begins at the 34:30 mark, with a discussion of prospects for filibuster reform at 54:30. Senator Schatz will give you hope that there is a path forward for voting reform and passage of the reconciliation bill.

          Another reader suggested an interview with Rep. Cori Bush by Chris Hayes on his podcast, “Why is this happening?” The reader says the interview covers “her experience as a single mom trying to figure out how to pay her bills, to her time as a nurse working tirelessly for her patients, to her dedication as an activist marching for accountability in the streets of Ferguson to member of Congress.” If you want to be inspired and renew your confidence in the next generation of Democratic leaders, listen to Cori Bush’s story.

          Finally, after our Zoom session today, a reader sent the following note (edited for length) about our discussion:

          Regarding your comments about how the current political environment is frustrating some Democrats: We lived through a period of exceptional upheaval and urgency.  Defeating Trump pushed most of us to greater levels of involvement and forced us to stay on top of the daily outrageous events that were transpiring.  But it is neither natural nor healthy to live our political lives at that speed.  I think we all need to adjust and stop craving the daily urgency. Could Biden be doing more, faster?  Perhaps. Are there signs of progress, albeit slow?  Sure. But a little patience is needed. . . and counting our blessings more and focusing on our disappointments less.

          Sound advice, that we all should strive to follow. If you depart the newsletter at this point, talk to you tomorrow! Otherwise, onward to the “daily outrageous events” that are the new norm.

Why the January 6th Select Committee is important despite GOP efforts to turn it into a political circus.

          Republicans are attempting to convert the January 6th Committee hearings into a mockery by appointing members who objected to the count of Electoral votes, thereby encouraging the insurrection they now seek to investigate. Those same members continue to promote the Big Lie that Trump won the election. Indeed, Kevin McCarthy nominated those members the day after he consulted with Trump. See WaPo, “Jim Jordan said the congressional panel examining Jan. 6 is an attack on Trump. Now he may join the committee.” Jim Jordan will be remembered by future historians in the same way that Benedict Arnold is remembered—as a faithless servant of democracy who switched sides in America’s hour of need.

          The hearings will be difficult to watch as Republicans attempt to sow chaos and lies. In the end, the Committee will gather evidence, take testimony, and issue conclusions that fairly reflect what happened on January 6th. The final report may not persuade any Republicans, but it will be viewed as a primary source document by future historians. That is sufficient justification for the Committee’s investigations, and we should evaluate its work through the long lens of history.

AT&T donates to Governor Greg Abbott—who just called a special session of Texas legislature that seeks to prevent teachers from teaching that Ku Klux Klan is “morally wrong.”

In July, Texas Governor Greg Abbott called a special session of the Texas legislature to pass a voter suppression bill. He also introduced dozens of other “culture war” bills designed to promote a white supremacist view of history. In June (before the special session), Abbott signed a bill that prohibited teaching “critical race theory,” but that allowed teaching that the Ku Klux Klan was “morally wrong.” The Texas Senate used the special session in July to pass legislation that strips the language from the prior law about the immorality of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist organizations. See HuffPo, “Texas Senate Bill Drops Teaching Requirement That Ku Klux Klan Is 'Morally Wrong'.”

          So, what is AT&T’s position on Governor Abbott? Per the Lincoln Project, AT&T donated $100,000 to Abbott’s PAC on the day he called the legislature into special session to pass voter suppression legislation—which then gave the Texas Senate the opportunity to pass legislation to remove teaching about the immorality of the Ku Klux Klan. The Lincoln Project has started a petition demanding that AT&T withdraw its support from Governor Abbott. “Tell AT&T: Stop supporting seditionists.”

The dispute between Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci over “gain of function” research at the Wuhan laboratory.

          Senator Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony engaged in a fiery debate on Tuesday over whether the U.S. funded “gain of function” research at the Wuhan Lab that some believe is the source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. See The Hill, “Fauci: Paul doesn't know what he's talking about 'and I want to say that officially'.” Senator Paul is attempting to create a conspiracy theory in which Dr. Fauci is indirectly responsible for creating the coronavirus pandemic by funding “gain of function” research at the Wuhan Lab. Senator Paul claims the U.S. funded such research, while Fauci, the NIH, and the contracting agency unequivocally deny that the U.S. funded gain of function research at the Wuhan Lab.

          So, who is telling the truth? Dr. Fauci is. The question of what constitutes “gain of function research” is highly technical and there is some room for interpretation around the edges of the question—but Senator Paul is not focused on those nuances. For an exhaustive discussion of the meaning of “gain of function” research, see FactCheck.org, “The Wuhan Lab and the Gain-of-Function Disagreement.” Senator Paul’s argument relies on semantics that deliberately twists the facts, something he admitted on Fox & Friends. During an interview on Fox, Senator Paul made the argument that because “money is fungible,” grants from the U.S. to the Wuhan lab for non-gain-of-function research effectively allowed the Wuhan lab to use other research grant money to pay for gain of function research. (“Paul made the money-is-fungible argument, saying the NIH gave money to the lab, regardless of what that particular grant funded.”) That’s like saying because you pay your monthly cell phone bill to AT&T, you donated to Governor Greg Abbott’s PAC. It is a silly argument that shows the desperation of Senator Paul’s efforts to blame Dr. Fauci for the pandemic.

Biden’s comments about vaccine disinformation on social media “killing people.”

President Biden has been pummeled by Facebook and the press for describing the proliferation of anti-vaccination misinformation on social media as follows: “They’re killing people. The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. And they’re killing people.” Although Facebook is a breeding ground of vaccination misinformation, Biden walked back the comment clarify that it was the people on Facebook who promote the misinformation who are “killing people.” Frankly, it is a distinction without a difference. Facebook could eradicate deadly misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine, but that would be too costly (in Facebook’s view). Instead, Facebook chooses to maximize profits by allowing disinformation to flourish. When Congress finally breaks Facebook into a dozen small companies, it will have no one to blame but itself because it failed to act responsibly when it had the chance.

          Likewise, the Republican Party and Fox News are contributing to the deaths of thousands of Americans by promoting vaccine disinformation. For a dramatic depiction of the correlation between vaccine rates and support for Trump in the 2020 election, see NPR, “States Biden Won Are Leading On Vaccines. Trump States Lag.” Sadly, this disinformation campaign may become a self-correcting problem—but only after it is too late to save thousands of people who believed lies promoted by the Republican Party.

Concluding Thoughts.

          The indictment of Trump fundraiser Thomas Barrack is a big deal. Professor Heather Cox Richardson does a great job explaining the significance of the indictment. See “July 20, 2021 - by Heather Cox Richardson - Letters from an American.” The indictment leaves many questions unanswered—like, “Where’s Jared?” and “What happened to the surplus from Trump’s $107 million inauguration fund.”  I will discuss in future editions.

          Many readers sent notes of appreciation for the reflection on John Lewis in yesterday’s newsletter. I was amazed to learn that at least one reader was in Selma in March of 1965 when the Selma to Montgomery marches took place. The reader said, “I was in Selma, standing in the mud down the street from Brown Chapel facing a line of police backed by a jeering, rock throwing crowd” when President Johnson gave his “We shall overcome” speech to Congress after Bloody Sunday. Today, that reader is as passionate as ever, still fighting for the same rights 56 years later. As always, the battle to defend and expand democracy is ongoing. Two generations have passed since Bloody Sunday, and the original Freedom Riders have not faltered. Nor should we. It’s about the long term. It always is.

          Talk to you tomorrow!