MLK at 95.

January 15, 2024

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born 95 years ago on January 15, 1929. As a Baptist minister, he advocated non-violence while promoting civil rights. He spoke for the poor, the oppressed, and the disenfranchised. While he was imprisoned in a Birmingham jail for protesting segregation, he responded to eight white ministers who had criticized him for participating in protests that they described as “unwise and untimely.”

Dr. King’s famous reply to the white ministers explained why he traveled to Birmingham from Atlanta to protest:

I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider.

While Dr. King was keenly aware of the racism that served as the understructure of the Christian church in the old South, he would be shocked by the virulent, mean-spirited, anti-Christian message that animates many (not all) evangelical congregations in America today. They form the backbone of Donald Trump's support in Iowa and beyond. They have adopted Trump's message that treats the poor, oppressed, and disenfranchised as “outsiders” and “others” who do not belong in America.

Over the last several days, we have learned that members of the Texas National Guard physically blocked federal Border Patrol agents from responding to reports of immigrants in distress in the Rio Grande. The bodies of a mother and two children were later recovered from the river in the area where immigrants were reported to be in distress.

Texas, of course, denies that its cruel actions caused the drownings—a denial that should be viewed skeptically from a state whose governor—Greg Abbott—recently commented Texas troopers could not shoot immigrants crossing the border because the troopers would be charged with murder by the Biden administration. Texas governor criticized after comment about shooting migrants | The Texas Tribune.

Similar animus underlies the recent comments of Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, who withdrew Mississippi from a federal program to provide food to school children during summer breaks. Governor Reeves said Mississippi withdrew from the program to fight “attempts to expand the welfare state.”

Blocking efforts to rescue a drowning mother and her children? Regretting the inability to shoot immigrants because it would be murder? Denying food to poor children out of spite? Who are these people? How do they look at themselves in the mirror?

Ninety-five years after Dr. King’s birth and fifty-five years after his death, it is difficult to believe that people who identify as upstanding members of the Christian church can support such actions.

Another section from Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail is relevant to this moment in our nation’s history:

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If the church of today does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. I meet young people every day whose disappointment with the church has risen to outright disgust.

Dr. King’s words were prophetic. See Pew Research (10/17/19) In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace.

And, of course, as Dr. King recognized, “there are some notable exceptions” among church leaders who supported his work—just as there are exceptions today. Several readers have recommended Faithful America as an antidote to Christian nationalism. The organization’s helpful FAQ page explains why “Christian nationalism” is not Christian. See Resisting Christian Nationalism: FAQ + Resources | Faithful America.

On this day commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth, we can see how far we have come—and how much further we must go. He didn’t despair. Neither should we.

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Making it through the Iowa GOP caucuses.

The next several days will be challenging for Democrats because Iowa’s Republican Party is holding primary caucuses while its Democratic party is not. So, we will put up with non-stop discussion of Republican politics but little discussion of President Biden. Don’t confuse the amount of media exposure with political support.

On the eve of the Iowa GOP caucuses, I offer a few brief observations to help make it through the media onslaught of “all things Republican” in the next few days.

There is no truth to the rumor that Joe Biden is controlling the weather in Iowa.

The weather during the Iowa caucuses will be bitterly cold—with below zero temperatures (Fahrenheit) forecast across the state. The weather might depress turnout, which could in turn lead to surprise outcomes. To guard against a Trump loss, Trump allies are preparing the ground for a claim that the election was rigged by Joe Biden in favor of Nikki Haley because Biden supposedly created the blizzard conditions and record low temperatures. See Mother Jones, Far-Right Trump Activist Thinks the Deep State Created the Blizzard in Iowa.

In the interest of fairness, the whackos who believe that Biden is controlling the weather believe he controls the weather all the time—not just during the Iowa caucuses.

Thinking critically about the Iowa results.

One way to think about the Iowa results is to recognize that in a party dominated by cultish loyalty to Trump, any vote against him is a potential vote for Biden—or at least a Republican voter who will stay home in November 2024 if Trump is the nominee.

A poll taken on the last weekend before the Iowa caucuses shows that approximately 29% of likely voters will vote against Trump, and 43% of Haley voters will vote for Biden (if Trump is the nominee). See The Hill, Almost half of Haley supporters say they would vote for Biden over Trump: Iowa poll.

So, strong showings by Haley and DeSantis may be a proxy for votes against Trump in November 2024. In a closely divided electorate, losses at the margin by Trump or gains at the margin by Biden may be significant in swing states. Let’s see what happens—and be sure to recognize that even a commanding win by Trump could suggest trouble lurking beneath the surface for Trump.

Iowa’s farmers: Biden v. Trump.

Because Biden is not campaigning in Iowa, Trump is telling lies that go unanswered. One such lie is Trump's boast that he “delivered” for Iowa farmers by instituting trade sanctions against China. While it is true that Trump imposed trade sanctions against China, those sanctions resulted in losses to Iowa farmers that were compensated by the US government. But, in general, America’s farmers have fared significantly better under Joe Biden’s trade policies than Trump's.

Garret Downs addresses the question of the economic performance of America’s farmers under Biden vs. Trump. See Garrett Downs, Politico, Did Trump or Biden deliver more for farmers? The answer may surprise you.

As with all matters economic, the answer is never simple, and Downs explains the nuances. If you are interested in the details, see his full explanation. But Downs prepared a helpful chart from USDA data that compares “net farm income” under Biden vs. Trump for American farmers. Here is the chart (Biden is blue; Trump is red):

Put this chart in your back pocket (or in a computer file) for future use whenever you hear someone claim that Trump's trade policies were better for farmers than Biden’s. The reverse is true—and the proof is in the numbers.

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Kicking the can down the road.

As of Sunday evening, it looks like congressional Republicans will again kick the can down the road on a budget. It appears that Congress will again pass two “continuing resolutions” to keep the government open for a couple of months. See The Hill, Congressional leaders unveil two-step plan to fend off shutdown.

Whether congressional Republicans can deliver on a weak-sauce pair of continuing resolutions remain to be seen. The MAGA extremists in the so-called “Freedom” Caucus tweeted, “This is what surrender looks like.”

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Marco Rubio endorses Trump.

Rubio waited until the last minute to become the second US Senator from Florida to endorse Trump over Ron DeSantis. That is not a sign of confidence for DeSantis, for whom the major question is whether he will remain in the race until the Florida primary to be humiliated by a 50-point loss to Trump in his home state.

But I digress. I was surprised to see Rubio claim in his tweet endorsing Trump that he and Trump enacted an “expanded Child Tax Credit” in 2017. I didn’t recall that Trump was a fan of the Child Tax Credit, so I did a little research to refresh my recollection. Of course, Rubio’s tweet was misleading.

It is true that Trump's 2017 tax cut for millionaires expanded the Child Tax Credit for some taxpayers—but mainly those with high incomes. As explained by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

The largest [child tax credit] increases go to high-income families, since the credit now begins to phase out for married couples making $400,000 a year, compared to $110,000 under prior law. (Under prior law, families with two children and income of more than $150,000 weren’t eligible; now that amount is $480,000).

The CTC changes in the 2017 tax law leave many working families largely behind . . . because working families with children under 17 with incomes too low to owe much or any income tax could get only part of the [child tax credit] as a tax refund.

In other words, under Trump's 2017 tax cuts, the rich were able to use the child tax credit, but poor and middle-income families received smaller credits (or no credit) because of their lower income.

So, next time you hear a Republican claim that Trump “expanded the child tax credit,” remember that he did so for wealthy taxpayers while reducing and eliminating the tax credit for middle-class and poor wage earners. In fact, this example should remind us that when a Republican makes a claim that seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t—and a little bit of research can disprove the claim.

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Promote Joe Biden by becoming a “billboard for Democrats.”

Indivisible Marin has organized a fundraiser for the Movement Voter Project by offering custom-printed shirts that have pro-Democratic logos, like “Dems make life better” on the front and a long list of Democratic accomplishments on the back. Readers have noted in the Comment section that they wear their shirts to the market and consistently get positive comments!

The link to buy is here: Become a Walking, Talking Billboard for Democrats Custom Ink Fundraising

All funds raised will be paid directly to the Movement Voter Project for donations to local grassroots groups organizing to build lasting progressive power.

As a bonus, purchasers will be emailed a Dem Messenger Toolkit with guidance on how to engage in conversations prompted by the shirt.

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A short note on my Managing Editor’s blog this week.

My wife tested positive for Covid over the weekend and is feeling quite ill (she used a stronger phrase, but this is a family-friendly newsletter). She is under a doctor’s care and is on Paxlovid. She won’t be publishing her blog (Every Day with Jill) for several days.

I am doing my best to provide care to her, but a lot of time is spent with me asking her where things are until she becomes frustrated and gets up to find the items herself. Ah, well! Some things never change.

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Concluding Thoughts.

I re-read Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” before writing this newsletter. It is a worthwhile investment of your time on the day honoring his birth. It is a reminder of the indignities suffered by Black citizens throughout the South, of their frustration and anger over gerrymandering and Jim Crow laws, and over bad faith arguments telling them to “be patient” for change. But it is also a philosophical reflection on the tension between justice, morality, and the law, drawing upon the writings of Socrates, Augustine, Aquinas, Buber, and Tillich.

It is good that we have a national day to observe Dr. King’s birth. It reminds us that we are walking in the footsteps of men and women who sacrificed their lives so we would have the freedom to continue their struggle. We should not take that legacy for granted.

Talk to you tomorrow!