I've worked in my group (31st Street Swing Left) on Georgia for the past 2 years. What's striking about GA is how dense and coordinated the network of grassroots groups is. There are groups for Black, AAPI, Hispanic, Black male, counties (159 of them), Indivisible groups, NAACP groups, college groups, groups with just a few people, C3 and C4 "tables" that coordinate the groups, and on and on. There are so many intensely committed people! Also, the Democratic Party of GA really has its act together, running a voter protection hotline, phone banks, ballot curing, events, etc. Plus, there was tremendous out-of-state support, such as donating, writing letters and postcards, phone banking, ballot curing, and traveling to GA to volunteer. As Senator Reverend Warnock said, his magnificent victory was a prayer for a better future, and it was a prayer by millions of people across Georgia and across the USA.
Through one of the many Zoom events, (Robert's? I can't remember!) I met the folks from the GA Alliance, empowering people who are organizing in their communities. I was so impressed that I made a (small) donation to their funding pool. I was so happy to learn of all the grassroots organizations based on neighbors reaching out to neighbors to work on community needs.
Thanks for your comment. As it happens, my group, 31st Street Swing Left https://www.31ststreet.org/ (metro DC), held a fundraiser for GA Alliance for Progress on Nov. 17. We are very impressed with their work. Earlier this year, we also held fundraisers for the Democratic Party of GA and three grassroots groups (Bulloch County NAACP, Asian American Advocacy Fund, DeKalb County Democratic Committee), and of course our members did phonebanks and letters, cured ballots, and a few went to GA to canvass. And we are just one of many. So an effort in so many ways by so many people across the country paid off!
I tried to post my response yesterday, somehow it didn’t go through. In January 2017, like so many people across the country, Lisa Herrick, our leader and founder, felt she had to do something in the wake of Trump’s win. She signed up to host a meeting on the Swing Left website. The meeting had maybe a dozen people (I was not among them) in her living room. Our group has since grown to some 1,500 people. As to the name, Lisa’s house is on 31st Street in NW DC!
I should have mentioned that one of the activities our Georgia group did this year and last was to host Zoom meetings with leaders of several Georgia grassroots groups. These meetings were for information and discussion only, not fundraisers. We heard from the leaders of Bulloch County NAACP, Asian American Advocacy Fund, Indivisible Georgia, DeKalb County Democratic Committee, Represent Georgia, Poder Latinx, and others. These meetings gave us a window into the year-round work that these groups do. 31st Street has not set plans for next year, but if we have such meetings next year and you’d like to attend, send me an email at mvpepper@verizon.net and I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks, Jon, and please call me Terry! I love reading the story. I'd also like to know the plans for next year, though I am cautious about over-committing for myself. But I love sharing this kind of grass roots info, so I'm emailing you with this message. Thank you!
As you have noted, Tuesday was a great day for the state of Georgia. I want to add it was even historic.
I worked again as a poll worker for my county (Cobb). Compared to the General Election we had 10 voting machines vs 16; and eight workers vs 16, respectively.
And yet!
Progressively over 12 hours we watch the count keep up with the General Election hourly vote counts.
But it made no sense.
Georgia run-off elections bring in 25-55% of the voters of the General. Never-the-less around 3 pm the pricinct supervisor (another oldster) and I looked at each other and whispered, “Is it possible?”
The possibility was that we might come historically close to the voting level of the General Election?
Around 4 pm the Supervisor and I began to show signs of giddiness.
Our one sanctioned poll watcher was a fellow who had made known his allegiance to MAGA. I noticed his body language change. From 4 pm to closing he never once left his chair and notably his legs and arms seemed permanent crossed as he leaned further and further back in his chair.....like he was standing on car brakes. His expression was entirely dour.
I have to admit it was childishly exhilarating to watch him.
Alas, by time the polls closed we did not approach the vote count of the General Election .... rather we EXCEEDED IT by 10% with a total 1206 votes cast.
Voting records had been broken in my pricinct.
I get home at 9:30 full of anticipation but learn the race is back and forth close. Was my pricinct an unexplained outlier?
Cobb is an adjacent northern neighboring county to the City of Atlanta. It has a long history of strong white Republican conservatism. Times they do change.
The rest of my story is already told.
Rev Warnock will remain our Senator and Democrats have a 51% Senate majority.
As a life-long Georgian I could not be more proud of my fellow Georgians who voted despite legislative intimidation and terrible weather.
I am today more hopeful than ever our democracy will survive the MAGA assault.
Henry, thanks for being a poll worker in Cobb County and for sharing the wonderful details of your work. As I wrote in today's newsletter, we owe all Georgians a vote of thanks for showing up in strong numbers for the run-off.
Even though I never would have voted for Walker, it is amazing GEORGIA had TWO BLACK MEN competing for a US Senate seat!
Maceo Snipes may be resting a little easier, watching us from the great beyond.
Martin Luther King, Jr - who as a teen, wrote a letter to the editor about Maceo Snipes death for registering to vote (as a Black man) in a Georgia primary election - may be resting a touch easier for his native state.
John Robert Lewis - who wrote a note to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and was gifted a round trip bus ticket to meet him in person as a teen - may be happy to see his calls for Good Trouble and his tireless work for rights are holding on and hopefully moving forward.
Raphael Warnock is going back to the US Senate and will keep putting his shoes on every day to get to work for all the people.
The youth in Georgia and across the nation are ready to take the baton and keep running the race for liberty and justice for all.
Congratulations to all of you in Georgia that worked tirelessly to make this happen. I know it wasn't easy and we are all indebted to you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!
What a wonderful story from inside the run-off election, Henry. I am so happy for your county and for Georgia, who will now have a good pair of Senators representing you. And happy for our country and democracy, because determined Georgians made it possible for us to keep democracy viable. Thank you so much.
Today I read the Brennan Center's discussion of ISL and will now read Luttig's; thanks, once more, for your anxiety-reducing guidance, Robert!
To reinforce the legal news part of today's essay, here's how Joyce Vance put it: "The legal system is in high gear."
If there were a nutrition label for my daily information diet, three of the most important ingredients would be
Joyce Vance
Heather Cox Richardson
Robert Hubbell
What a trio! For proper nourishment I make sure to get my RDA (Recommended Democracy Allowance?!) of these thoughtful and thorough servants of truth and the rule of law.
GA: I phonebanked and wrote letters to GOTV for Warnock. Phew!! (And up until 6:35 PM Eastern I was calling voters whose absentee ballots had not been counted. Made tons of calls and left tons of messages, and talked to a number of people who didn't know there was a problem. Yes, every bit of volunteering helps.)
As Vance always closes with: "We're in this together."
So you're welcome, Robert, and the thanks are mutual. The support I get from your writing and analysis is important to keep sane and healthy enough to put in time volunteering. (And yes, I have housing and food security, and flextime in my work, so what excuse do I have for NOT doing what I can?) A few notes from the trenches...
From home in Colorado, after making calls to cure ballots in Nevada for Cortez Masto (yay), I phone banked a number of shifts with Our Revolution (only 12/6 with Indivisible), and hand wrote 100 letters with VoteFwd.org to GOTV for Warnock (YAY!!).
One of the voters I reached phone banking said she is a lifelong Georgian and has never seen voting so difficult. It never used to be like this. In other words, the Republicans tried every kind of voter suppression they could get away with, and spent hundreds of millions of dollars. And they still lost.
This is a testament to how each little bit of volunteer time made a difference, and to what another voter also said: "The more they try to suppress us, the more determined we get!"
It also is a testament to demographics changing in favor of liberty and justice for all.
(1) As Michael Moore reminds us to say: "There are more of us than there are of them." (Those ten words are a calming mantra for me.)
(2) More women and younger people voted this time than last, I heard -- more news about Gen Z that is really encouraging. Our own children are 23 and 25, and they are part of younger generations being highly informed, values-driven, and absolutely dedicated to fairness and equality and a livable climate.
There's nothing like survival and basic human rights to provide motivation for greater civic engagement.
Thank you, too, for sharing your view of the inside of GA politics and of the people you came into contact with. They are remarkable. I learned something I hadn't thought of: contacting people whose ballots still hadn't been processed so they could check them out. I'm spoiled, having only voted in states that didn't place such obstacles in my way. Next election, I'll know that there is one more step to watch out for and help out with in states with histories of voter suppression. Thank you.
Thanks for your stellar efforts; today’s newsletter is as informative and comprehensive as possibly imaginable. I appreciate your steady hand, acknowledging our victories While being honest in saying that Jack Smith is doing what should’ve been done almost 2 years ago.
Thank you for the wonderment of you! I read this on Wednesday morning in Spain - where the immaculate conception (which always makes me think of Zeus) is a holiday. Your fact based news is always such a relief. We are so lucky to have your calm, measured language. Here in Spain many wrote letters for Vote Forward. Those of us in Basque country gave our letters to one of us who was flying home to the states. She and a postal worker stamped them all and mailed them so she could watch them be sent out personally.
A grand relief that Mr.Walker was defeated, although by a margin much too close in my opinion. A win by Walker would have been humiliating to every African American in Georgia who was represented by that buffoon. I applaud the voters in Georgia and value every call and postcard I wrote to, hopefully, in some small way influence the election of Reverend Warnock.
I am proud of you and your wife and your efforts to inform your readers about the issues and continuing to encourage everyone to stay positive and remain enthusiastic about our democratic principles of government. Thank you. I’m happy to be one of your subscribers.
Robert, Despite a great night, the mere fact that the once fringe ISL legal theory has advanced to the Supreme Court, in my view, is troublesome. Hence, I write seeking clarification. As I understand, the ISL legal theory aims to establish, that because the Constitution says that state legislatures redistrict and set the time, place, and manner of elections, that it means only the legislature has the power to determine how Congressional elections are conducted (thus also impacting how Presidential electors are chosen) without any checks and balances from state constitutions or state courts, or perhaps even from a governor’s veto.
Whereas you rightly note that legislatures are not above the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and due process, I worry about a High Court that would ignore 50 years of settled precedent in Roe, and would overturn a fundamental right relied upon by tens of millions every year. Clearly, a court willing to do that with a protection, over and over again reaffirmed, would do it to another fundamental protection.
As for legislatures being subject to regulations of Congress, while admittedly state legislatures are not exempt from federal regulations, as we saw last January with the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, enforcing federal regulations requires either reaching the Senate’s 60-vote threshold or modifying the Senate’s filibuster rule to allow for debate and an up or down majority vote.
I raise these points because I do fret about the stakes were the Court to grant state legislatures a superior status, wherein, absent any federal guardrails barring the nearly gutted 65 Voting Rights Act, it’s unclear who could check what they do.
Hi, Barbara. You are right on all counts. I was trying to address headlines that mislead readers about what is at stake and whether there are any remedies. What is at stake is the co-equal authority of states to regulate federal elections, not an effort to "overturn the will of the people (under the Electoral Appointment Clause) as many headlines suggest. Many legal authors are conflating "time place and manner" clause with the "electors clause." You understand the difference and have a clear view of the real dangers. Yes, there are dangers, but we have tools to counteract them. But it will take Congress abolishing the filibuster or creating a carve-out. It's that simple--and that hard.
But your other point is also well taken. The fact that the Court has granted review in a travesty. But some observers believe that Kavanaugh will join Roberts and three liberal justices to put a stake through the heart of this theory. Let's see what oral argument brings.
Robert, Thank you for your thorough and affirming response to my comment. As for the commentary I heard this evening, the bit that struck me as particularly alarming was that, the ISL, if taken to its logical conclusion (admittedly, not the issue in this case), would not be constrained or limited to Article 1, Section 4. Rather, it also could be incorporated into Article 2’s election’s clause that deals with the electors in the Electoral College. As you know, under this theory, a state legislature, if dissatisfied with the vote, would be authorized to pick its own slate of electors.
As a final point, on more than one occasion, I did hear that at least three justices seemed “enamored” with this fringe ISL legal notion as presented this morning.
Moore v. Harper has also had me deeply concerned since the summer, and I am grateful for tonight’s in-depth clarification. It really helps to alleviate some anxiety. To your good points here:
If I understand correctly, a theoretical constitutional case — such as mentioned by Robert Hubbell — would first be heard by a federal district court. Considering that the current challenge is one of state legislatures’ ability to determine time, place, etc., I gather a lower federal court would first rule on such a case. A recent, heartening example of where that process upheld a sound interpretation of law was the 11th district ruling on the MAL documents, where conservative appointees unanimously rejected a tortuous misreading.
If such a constitutional ISL case brought by a state were then appealed and brought all the way to the Supreme Court, it would face the additional hurdles of overruling a lower federal court decision, as well as potentially setting a precedent that allows state legislatures to violate constitutional principles. This not foolproof — it would depend on which courts hears a respective case, for example — and my understanding may be incorrect. Still, there is a judicial “buffer” that seems to protect such a radical rewriting of doctrine which contrasts with the decades-long (and brutal) legal architecture to repeal Roe.
This federal court dynamic may also have gotten a boost tonight from Senator Warnock’s triumph: I believe I read that a majority of 51 senators allows the President to confirm eligible federal judges without GOP obstruction. This is the type of victory that pays dividends.
Hi, Dan. Your explanation is correct. A federal challenge under the US constitution could be brought in state or federal court but would wind up in federal court eventually.
The problem with federal review is that the Supreme Court has said that PARTISAN gerrymandering is beyond judicial review, while race-based gerrymandering remains subject to federal review. So, too, with any rules that arbitrarily disadvantage one group with respect to another. My extreme example was intended to show that federal judicial review is alive and well in time, place, and manner cases because that power is subject to the rest of the Constitituion.
Thank you for your wise clarification on multiple fronts, Robert. That’s one slippery gerrymandering divide. I’m no constitutional scholar, but to designate gerrymandering as non-partisan does seem to strain logic.
Yes, very good. It’s still an alarming development, and I’ve yet to read the linked articles. To me, the key relief was reading that five justices aren’t convinced that the second ISL argument has sufficient merit.
Barbara, I share your concerns if for no other reason than to see and read that now with a majority the right wing 6 appear to be full speed ahead. My “feeling” is that they see this moment as an opportunity to do as much upending of the law as they can with decisions written that bear no semblance of constitutional law as we have known it.” Personal and religious perspectives seem to drive their agenda. They are a scary bunch. Let’s hope Robert is right that Roberts and Kavanaugh will save the day. But wait! Robert’s, if I remember correctly, wrote in 2013 that corporations are people. We’ll have to hold our breath and have faith.
John, I understand from last night’s commentary that at least three Justices—Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch—seemed “enamored” with the fringe ISL legal theory. The question is whether they get two others within the conservative block to join them for a five-person majority.
Since you mentioned John Roberts, I would note, while he authored the majority opinion for Shelby, which gutted Section #5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, still, because Roberts is concerned with the legitimacy of the Court, I’m banking, at least on him, not to sign on to this fringe legal notion.
Barbara, I hope you are right. The justices to the right are no longer focused on being guided legal arguments as I see it. We’ll have to wait until June.
I expected Senator Warnock to win because Walker appeared to be intellectually unqualified by a country mile. I expected many more Georgia voters to reject Walker’s candidacy. I am relieved that Warnock prevailed. At the same time I am shaken by the narrow margin of his victory which represents how irrational so many of Georgia’s voters are.
The margin of victory appears to be about 2.5% (or 100,000 votes). In today's evenly divided electorate, that is a landslide.
I don't mean to make light of your concern. What bothered me the most was hearing that college educated whites supported Walker by 70% to 30%. There is only one explanation for supporting an obviously unqualified candidate under the control of white MAGA senators--animus against Black citizens of Georgia. That is disappointing, indeed.
I live in NC and I happily wrote post cards for Warnock but I also wrote them for Stacey Abrams, who was the initial organizer of Georgia. I was a little sad last night when this outstanding Black woman was given no credit in his victory.
I was mindful of Stacey Abrams this morning, as I often am. Still a bit heartsick about her loss, and to Kemp only increases the ache.
I was wondering if she might be offered a home in the Biden administration where her talent and expertise can be raised on behalf of the American people. One missing link, of course, is whether or not she's willing to move her attention, or expand it, beyond Georgia. I imagine the likelihood Is not great given her commitment to the people of Georgia. Who, as we know, are the recipients of her wisdom, brilliance and passionately selfless service.
And have wondered too if she might be a candidate to be nominated to one of the many judicial vacancies, a less encumbered process now that the Democrats have the 51st Senate seat. Though I'm hardly clear on the process by which judgeships in Georgia are made. With only a brief search, it appears to involve a commission appointed by the governor. A clear obstacle in this case.
And the thought of an Atlanta DA Fani Willis ~ Stacey Abrams team intrigues me. Here too, I haven't an understanding of the process by which that may occur.
All nice of me, I know. When it's all for her to choose and to love where she can best serve. Notwithstanding Fair Fight which I imagine still enjoys her founding of it, and her leadership. (I did phone banking with Fair Fight last Saturday, thanks be to Jessica Craven, and it was my most easeful and supportive experience of phone banking.)
And Stacey may well need to take a breath and rest a while. (How dare I say, I'm exhausted!) Though for now, yes, how to express appreciation for her contribution to last night's victory, and to so many of us being "in a Georgia state of mind." And for so long!
I have been thinking the same thing about Stacy Abrams. She needs to be off the sidelines! Maybe she can have a role in the Biden administration related to protecting democracy
What an exquisite role that would be for her! I don't know if one office in the administration exists currently dedicated to this sole purpose. Though your idea of the particular role to be filled by one who has exemplary qualities to meet the moment, and the dire need ... sounds pretty awesome to me!
I too was disappointed that Stacey did not win the governorship. Kemp's machinations to distort the vote worked. But that might be wearing thin. I suspect that most people are aware of her role. I think it possible she stayed in the background to highlight Warnock.
But by no means have we seen the last of Stacey Abrams: she is busy organizing Georgia and supporting more black and brown candidates through her organization. That will begin to change the face of Georgia politics. I believe we may see a Governor Abrams in Georgia yet. I hope so.
However, what really got me thinking was this comment in response to it:
"Your opinion piece takes the exact wrong slant. It shouldn't have been about Walker's extreme weaknesses and foibles but about how he almost won the election despite them, especially his hypocrisy. 51.5% to 48.5% is not good news. 90% to 10% is good news. 51.5% to 48.5% is an embarrassment.
What your piece should have been about, what every piece should have been about, was what this says about human beings. How did Hitler rise to power? How did Trump rise to power? Why does Trump hold such sway over the Republican party? Where are the people of integrity and principle? They are all the same question.
The answer has been staring us in the face for millennia. We fall short of our creator's hopes by far more than we ever admit. Anyone who doesn't think so should, for just one example, remember all the times they know they should have spoken up about something but didn't. When Uncle Joe railed on about sending blacks back to Africa at the Thanksgiving dinner table did you speak up or did you just let him run out of steam?
If a family member introduces racism to the dinner table, isn't "no heated arguments during holidays" the wrong goal? Or maybe you could have picked up your plate and walked to another room leaving Uncle Joe alone with his hate. Or were you afraid of being accused of spoiling Thanksgiving? Which is more important, a "peaceful Thanksgiving" or standing up against hate?
It isn't our actions when things are easy that counts, but when things are not easy. We drop a dollar or five in the Salvation Army pot and we donate food to the local soup kitchen, and those are good things but easy. But I was in LA for Thanksgiving and found the city littered with homeless. These people are out there because they are the hardest of the hard to help, but that they're out there in such numbers means we have fallen short as human beings, and that's just one example. We are far less noble creatures than we believe. That is the lesson of Hershel Walker."
I found this excellent food for thought. We did squeak by in GA (whew!) but there is still much to do. To say Hershel Walker was a flawed candidate is an understatement... but we came MUCH too close for comfort to having him in the Senate. I don't believe that many folks who voted for him in GA wanted him, they just were voting against "Biden" or the Democrats... and in the process were showing their contempt for Black people.
We have so very far to go as a country. I am grateful for where we are, but this election should not have been so close! We can't congratulate ourselves on this "victory" without considering the big picture.
Excellent response that you took a copy of, Kristina! I was a Southern girl for 18 years of my life until I left home. Love the beauty of nature there , colleges, and architecture. Yesterday, I ran into an old friend who told me she and her husband had travelled to GA for her work. They rented a lovely cabin via AirBnB, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. What they found out is that all around them were Confederate flags. She and her husband looked at each other and said “Are we safe here?”. They toughed it out but realized just how it can be in the other part of our nation. My friend said absolutely no one looked like them...they are Mexican. My own hometown had always been just black & white until the furniture industry needed more help. They picked Guatemalans to pitch in. Now, there are mixed races and those who are brown, who speak with a Southern accent.
The questions the writer asks of WaPo are very very good. Basically saying, cut the crap out, stop regurgitating talking heads points and explore what the real problems are. I can tell you that family prejudices run deep until honest education reaches them. That is the one thing we have to work very very hard on.
As Dan Pfeiffer states today, the credit really goes to Stacy Abrams, Latosha Brown and mostly black women here in GA (I am a resident of GA) for the election of Warnock. Yes, people from all over the country pitched in and for that I am very grateful but it was Stacey’s years of grass root work all over GA that set up the win. I just want to raise up that belief in the people and her work to show all of us that the people have a voice. There were no lines on Election Day but many early voters did stand in line for an hour+ to vote. We must not stop or rest on the this win, every fair election in GA will be hard won but thanks to Stacey and all Georgian’s now understanding how it works, we will prevail and have good for the people government. Lastly, why is the media so fixated on MAGA? I don’t even pay attention to it any longer.
While we can celebrate Raphael Warnock’s success in the Georgia runoff, it is extremely disappointing to realize that 48.8% of the voters chose Walker, representing over 1.6 million people either hypocrites and/or amoral people who ignored Walker’s failings or sought to increase the number of Senators in a corrupt, cowardly Republican Party. Disappointing, indeed.
Or Republicans who, rather than truly looking at the candidates up for election, simply check off every box with an “R” next to it, as I was instructed to do all my life by my Republican father. He said to me, for years, “Don’t worry your pretty little head about the election. Simply check off the “R” box by each name. And if you aren’t sure about something, just ask your husband how to vote. And vote in every election, no matter what”. Fortunately life intervened and I found out about the Democratic Party and progressives.
Sadly, I think many Republicans go through life simply voting this way and having no clear understanding of the relationship between their vote and the problems in their community or state. Republican leaders are outstanding at blaming the problems on whomever their current “other” is at that moment, and thus deflecting the voters from understanding the true importance of their vote
An additional note about Jessica Cravens phone banking and other amazing work, she is doing all of that barely having recovered from Covid! Brava Jessica, bravo Robert!
The Democratic Party of Georgia is running a ballot cure phone bank through Dec. 9. The link is here:
https://www.mobilize.us/gavotes/event/537437/
I've worked in my group (31st Street Swing Left) on Georgia for the past 2 years. What's striking about GA is how dense and coordinated the network of grassroots groups is. There are groups for Black, AAPI, Hispanic, Black male, counties (159 of them), Indivisible groups, NAACP groups, college groups, groups with just a few people, C3 and C4 "tables" that coordinate the groups, and on and on. There are so many intensely committed people! Also, the Democratic Party of GA really has its act together, running a voter protection hotline, phone banks, ballot curing, events, etc. Plus, there was tremendous out-of-state support, such as donating, writing letters and postcards, phone banking, ballot curing, and traveling to GA to volunteer. As Senator Reverend Warnock said, his magnificent victory was a prayer for a better future, and it was a prayer by millions of people across Georgia and across the USA.
Thanks, Jon. Pinning this to the top for everyone to see!
Through one of the many Zoom events, (Robert's? I can't remember!) I met the folks from the GA Alliance, empowering people who are organizing in their communities. I was so impressed that I made a (small) donation to their funding pool. I was so happy to learn of all the grassroots organizations based on neighbors reaching out to neighbors to work on community needs.
Hello Chaplain Nicholetti,
Thanks for your comment. As it happens, my group, 31st Street Swing Left https://www.31ststreet.org/ (metro DC), held a fundraiser for GA Alliance for Progress on Nov. 17. We are very impressed with their work. Earlier this year, we also held fundraisers for the Democratic Party of GA and three grassroots groups (Bulloch County NAACP, Asian American Advocacy Fund, DeKalb County Democratic Committee), and of course our members did phonebanks and letters, cured ballots, and a few went to GA to canvass. And we are just one of many. So an effort in so many ways by so many people across the country paid off!
It certainly did!!! Yay all of us!! BTW I love your group's name. I'd love to know how you come up with it.
Back again, Chaplain Nicholetti,
I tried to post my response yesterday, somehow it didn’t go through. In January 2017, like so many people across the country, Lisa Herrick, our leader and founder, felt she had to do something in the wake of Trump’s win. She signed up to host a meeting on the Swing Left website. The meeting had maybe a dozen people (I was not among them) in her living room. Our group has since grown to some 1,500 people. As to the name, Lisa’s house is on 31st Street in NW DC!
I should have mentioned that one of the activities our Georgia group did this year and last was to host Zoom meetings with leaders of several Georgia grassroots groups. These meetings were for information and discussion only, not fundraisers. We heard from the leaders of Bulloch County NAACP, Asian American Advocacy Fund, Indivisible Georgia, DeKalb County Democratic Committee, Represent Georgia, Poder Latinx, and others. These meetings gave us a window into the year-round work that these groups do. 31st Street has not set plans for next year, but if we have such meetings next year and you’d like to attend, send me an email at mvpepper@verizon.net and I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks, Jon, and please call me Terry! I love reading the story. I'd also like to know the plans for next year, though I am cautious about over-committing for myself. But I love sharing this kind of grass roots info, so I'm emailing you with this message. Thank you!
Robert -
As you have noted, Tuesday was a great day for the state of Georgia. I want to add it was even historic.
I worked again as a poll worker for my county (Cobb). Compared to the General Election we had 10 voting machines vs 16; and eight workers vs 16, respectively.
And yet!
Progressively over 12 hours we watch the count keep up with the General Election hourly vote counts.
But it made no sense.
Georgia run-off elections bring in 25-55% of the voters of the General. Never-the-less around 3 pm the pricinct supervisor (another oldster) and I looked at each other and whispered, “Is it possible?”
The possibility was that we might come historically close to the voting level of the General Election?
Around 4 pm the Supervisor and I began to show signs of giddiness.
Our one sanctioned poll watcher was a fellow who had made known his allegiance to MAGA. I noticed his body language change. From 4 pm to closing he never once left his chair and notably his legs and arms seemed permanent crossed as he leaned further and further back in his chair.....like he was standing on car brakes. His expression was entirely dour.
I have to admit it was childishly exhilarating to watch him.
Alas, by time the polls closed we did not approach the vote count of the General Election .... rather we EXCEEDED IT by 10% with a total 1206 votes cast.
Voting records had been broken in my pricinct.
I get home at 9:30 full of anticipation but learn the race is back and forth close. Was my pricinct an unexplained outlier?
Cobb is an adjacent northern neighboring county to the City of Atlanta. It has a long history of strong white Republican conservatism. Times they do change.
The rest of my story is already told.
Rev Warnock will remain our Senator and Democrats have a 51% Senate majority.
As a life-long Georgian I could not be more proud of my fellow Georgians who voted despite legislative intimidation and terrible weather.
I am today more hopeful than ever our democracy will survive the MAGA assault.
Henry Munford
Henry, thanks for being a poll worker in Cobb County and for sharing the wonderful details of your work. As I wrote in today's newsletter, we owe all Georgians a vote of thanks for showing up in strong numbers for the run-off.
best thing I've read today
thanks
and thanks to you, and to the people of Georgia
Even though I never would have voted for Walker, it is amazing GEORGIA had TWO BLACK MEN competing for a US Senate seat!
Maceo Snipes may be resting a little easier, watching us from the great beyond.
Martin Luther King, Jr - who as a teen, wrote a letter to the editor about Maceo Snipes death for registering to vote (as a Black man) in a Georgia primary election - may be resting a touch easier for his native state.
John Robert Lewis - who wrote a note to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and was gifted a round trip bus ticket to meet him in person as a teen - may be happy to see his calls for Good Trouble and his tireless work for rights are holding on and hopefully moving forward.
Raphael Warnock is going back to the US Senate and will keep putting his shoes on every day to get to work for all the people.
The youth in Georgia and across the nation are ready to take the baton and keep running the race for liberty and justice for all.
Congratulations to all of you in Georgia that worked tirelessly to make this happen. I know it wasn't easy and we are all indebted to you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!
Reading this is inspiring. Thank you Henry. Thank you and all who stood strong with bad weather but hearts committed to a better tomorrow. Wow!!
What a wonderful story from inside the run-off election, Henry. I am so happy for your county and for Georgia, who will now have a good pair of Senators representing you. And happy for our country and democracy, because determined Georgians made it possible for us to keep democracy viable. Thank you so much.
Thanks Henry for your inspiring story and your service to "we the people."
Today I read the Brennan Center's discussion of ISL and will now read Luttig's; thanks, once more, for your anxiety-reducing guidance, Robert!
To reinforce the legal news part of today's essay, here's how Joyce Vance put it: "The legal system is in high gear."
If there were a nutrition label for my daily information diet, three of the most important ingredients would be
Joyce Vance
Heather Cox Richardson
Robert Hubbell
What a trio! For proper nourishment I make sure to get my RDA (Recommended Democracy Allowance?!) of these thoughtful and thorough servants of truth and the rule of law.
GA: I phonebanked and wrote letters to GOTV for Warnock. Phew!! (And up until 6:35 PM Eastern I was calling voters whose absentee ballots had not been counted. Made tons of calls and left tons of messages, and talked to a number of people who didn't know there was a problem. Yes, every bit of volunteering helps.)
thanks for your stellar efforts!!
As Vance always closes with: "We're in this together."
So you're welcome, Robert, and the thanks are mutual. The support I get from your writing and analysis is important to keep sane and healthy enough to put in time volunteering. (And yes, I have housing and food security, and flextime in my work, so what excuse do I have for NOT doing what I can?) A few notes from the trenches...
From home in Colorado, after making calls to cure ballots in Nevada for Cortez Masto (yay), I phone banked a number of shifts with Our Revolution (only 12/6 with Indivisible), and hand wrote 100 letters with VoteFwd.org to GOTV for Warnock (YAY!!).
One of the voters I reached phone banking said she is a lifelong Georgian and has never seen voting so difficult. It never used to be like this. In other words, the Republicans tried every kind of voter suppression they could get away with, and spent hundreds of millions of dollars. And they still lost.
This is a testament to how each little bit of volunteer time made a difference, and to what another voter also said: "The more they try to suppress us, the more determined we get!"
It also is a testament to demographics changing in favor of liberty and justice for all.
(1) As Michael Moore reminds us to say: "There are more of us than there are of them." (Those ten words are a calming mantra for me.)
(2) More women and younger people voted this time than last, I heard -- more news about Gen Z that is really encouraging. Our own children are 23 and 25, and they are part of younger generations being highly informed, values-driven, and absolutely dedicated to fairness and equality and a livable climate.
There's nothing like survival and basic human rights to provide motivation for greater civic engagement.
Wow! Your post, like Henry’s, also inspires. Thank you very much.
Beautifully stated!
Thank you, too, for sharing your view of the inside of GA politics and of the people you came into contact with. They are remarkable. I learned something I hadn't thought of: contacting people whose ballots still hadn't been processed so they could check them out. I'm spoiled, having only voted in states that didn't place such obstacles in my way. Next election, I'll know that there is one more step to watch out for and help out with in states with histories of voter suppression. Thank you.
Thanks for your stellar efforts; today’s newsletter is as informative and comprehensive as possibly imaginable. I appreciate your steady hand, acknowledging our victories While being honest in saying that Jack Smith is doing what should’ve been done almost 2 years ago.
Jennifer Rubin is a fourth read that saved my sanity.
Eric! We are siblings on substack. Those are my 3 subscriptions, exactly. And Robert's "anxiety reducing guidance" is much appreciated by me, too.
Thank you for the wonderment of you! I read this on Wednesday morning in Spain - where the immaculate conception (which always makes me think of Zeus) is a holiday. Your fact based news is always such a relief. We are so lucky to have your calm, measured language. Here in Spain many wrote letters for Vote Forward. Those of us in Basque country gave our letters to one of us who was flying home to the states. She and a postal worker stamped them all and mailed them so she could watch them be sent out personally.
What a wonderful story! Thanks for going the extra mile!
Great VoteFwd story. Wow!
A grand relief that Mr.Walker was defeated, although by a margin much too close in my opinion. A win by Walker would have been humiliating to every African American in Georgia who was represented by that buffoon. I applaud the voters in Georgia and value every call and postcard I wrote to, hopefully, in some small way influence the election of Reverend Warnock.
Mr. Hubbell,
I am proud of you and your wife and your efforts to inform your readers about the issues and continuing to encourage everyone to stay positive and remain enthusiastic about our democratic principles of government. Thank you. I’m happy to be one of your subscribers.
Thanks!!
As a resident of Georgia, I am greatly relieved this morning that our only national political embarrassment is Marjorie Taylor Greene!
Texas has a trio plus legions
Don’t count lil’ Bo Peep out!
Robert, Despite a great night, the mere fact that the once fringe ISL legal theory has advanced to the Supreme Court, in my view, is troublesome. Hence, I write seeking clarification. As I understand, the ISL legal theory aims to establish, that because the Constitution says that state legislatures redistrict and set the time, place, and manner of elections, that it means only the legislature has the power to determine how Congressional elections are conducted (thus also impacting how Presidential electors are chosen) without any checks and balances from state constitutions or state courts, or perhaps even from a governor’s veto.
Whereas you rightly note that legislatures are not above the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and due process, I worry about a High Court that would ignore 50 years of settled precedent in Roe, and would overturn a fundamental right relied upon by tens of millions every year. Clearly, a court willing to do that with a protection, over and over again reaffirmed, would do it to another fundamental protection.
As for legislatures being subject to regulations of Congress, while admittedly state legislatures are not exempt from federal regulations, as we saw last January with the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, enforcing federal regulations requires either reaching the Senate’s 60-vote threshold or modifying the Senate’s filibuster rule to allow for debate and an up or down majority vote.
I raise these points because I do fret about the stakes were the Court to grant state legislatures a superior status, wherein, absent any federal guardrails barring the nearly gutted 65 Voting Rights Act, it’s unclear who could check what they do.
Hi, Barbara. You are right on all counts. I was trying to address headlines that mislead readers about what is at stake and whether there are any remedies. What is at stake is the co-equal authority of states to regulate federal elections, not an effort to "overturn the will of the people (under the Electoral Appointment Clause) as many headlines suggest. Many legal authors are conflating "time place and manner" clause with the "electors clause." You understand the difference and have a clear view of the real dangers. Yes, there are dangers, but we have tools to counteract them. But it will take Congress abolishing the filibuster or creating a carve-out. It's that simple--and that hard.
But your other point is also well taken. The fact that the Court has granted review in a travesty. But some observers believe that Kavanaugh will join Roberts and three liberal justices to put a stake through the heart of this theory. Let's see what oral argument brings.
Robert, Thank you for your thorough and affirming response to my comment. As for the commentary I heard this evening, the bit that struck me as particularly alarming was that, the ISL, if taken to its logical conclusion (admittedly, not the issue in this case), would not be constrained or limited to Article 1, Section 4. Rather, it also could be incorporated into Article 2’s election’s clause that deals with the electors in the Electoral College. As you know, under this theory, a state legislature, if dissatisfied with the vote, would be authorized to pick its own slate of electors.
As a final point, on more than one occasion, I did hear that at least three justices seemed “enamored” with this fringe ISL legal notion as presented this morning.
Moore v. Harper has also had me deeply concerned since the summer, and I am grateful for tonight’s in-depth clarification. It really helps to alleviate some anxiety. To your good points here:
If I understand correctly, a theoretical constitutional case — such as mentioned by Robert Hubbell — would first be heard by a federal district court. Considering that the current challenge is one of state legislatures’ ability to determine time, place, etc., I gather a lower federal court would first rule on such a case. A recent, heartening example of where that process upheld a sound interpretation of law was the 11th district ruling on the MAL documents, where conservative appointees unanimously rejected a tortuous misreading.
If such a constitutional ISL case brought by a state were then appealed and brought all the way to the Supreme Court, it would face the additional hurdles of overruling a lower federal court decision, as well as potentially setting a precedent that allows state legislatures to violate constitutional principles. This not foolproof — it would depend on which courts hears a respective case, for example — and my understanding may be incorrect. Still, there is a judicial “buffer” that seems to protect such a radical rewriting of doctrine which contrasts with the decades-long (and brutal) legal architecture to repeal Roe.
This federal court dynamic may also have gotten a boost tonight from Senator Warnock’s triumph: I believe I read that a majority of 51 senators allows the President to confirm eligible federal judges without GOP obstruction. This is the type of victory that pays dividends.
Hi, Dan. Your explanation is correct. A federal challenge under the US constitution could be brought in state or federal court but would wind up in federal court eventually.
The problem with federal review is that the Supreme Court has said that PARTISAN gerrymandering is beyond judicial review, while race-based gerrymandering remains subject to federal review. So, too, with any rules that arbitrarily disadvantage one group with respect to another. My extreme example was intended to show that federal judicial review is alive and well in time, place, and manner cases because that power is subject to the rest of the Constitituion.
Thank you for your wise clarification on multiple fronts, Robert. That’s one slippery gerrymandering divide. I’m no constitutional scholar, but to designate gerrymandering as non-partisan does seem to strain logic.
Dan, I just reframed my opening sentences as a request for clarification. With any luck, Robert will respond to one of us.
Yes, very good. It’s still an alarming development, and I’ve yet to read the linked articles. To me, the key relief was reading that five justices aren’t convinced that the second ISL argument has sufficient merit.
Agreed. Additionally, I expect we’ll know a lot more as scholars deliver their analyses of today’s oral argument.
Barbara, I share your concerns if for no other reason than to see and read that now with a majority the right wing 6 appear to be full speed ahead. My “feeling” is that they see this moment as an opportunity to do as much upending of the law as they can with decisions written that bear no semblance of constitutional law as we have known it.” Personal and religious perspectives seem to drive their agenda. They are a scary bunch. Let’s hope Robert is right that Roberts and Kavanaugh will save the day. But wait! Robert’s, if I remember correctly, wrote in 2013 that corporations are people. We’ll have to hold our breath and have faith.
John, I understand from last night’s commentary that at least three Justices—Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch—seemed “enamored” with the fringe ISL legal theory. The question is whether they get two others within the conservative block to join them for a five-person majority.
Since you mentioned John Roberts, I would note, while he authored the majority opinion for Shelby, which gutted Section #5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, still, because Roberts is concerned with the legitimacy of the Court, I’m banking, at least on him, not to sign on to this fringe legal notion.
Barbara, I hope you are right. The justices to the right are no longer focused on being guided legal arguments as I see it. We’ll have to wait until June.
I expected Senator Warnock to win because Walker appeared to be intellectually unqualified by a country mile. I expected many more Georgia voters to reject Walker’s candidacy. I am relieved that Warnock prevailed. At the same time I am shaken by the narrow margin of his victory which represents how irrational so many of Georgia’s voters are.
The margin of victory appears to be about 2.5% (or 100,000 votes). In today's evenly divided electorate, that is a landslide.
I don't mean to make light of your concern. What bothered me the most was hearing that college educated whites supported Walker by 70% to 30%. There is only one explanation for supporting an obviously unqualified candidate under the control of white MAGA senators--animus against Black citizens of Georgia. That is disappointing, indeed.
You are right, Robert. There is no rationale explanation for me to understand 70%. Yikes!!
Amen. I can't grasp the reality that that many people
were willing to throw caution to the wind.
I agree with you about the narrow margin. It was a scary evening.
There are still many MAGAts around the land. Texas is rife
I live in NC and I happily wrote post cards for Warnock but I also wrote them for Stacey Abrams, who was the initial organizer of Georgia. I was a little sad last night when this outstanding Black woman was given no credit in his victory.
Hi, Lela. You and other readers have made this excellent point. I will include in tonight's newsletter.
I was mindful of Stacey Abrams this morning, as I often am. Still a bit heartsick about her loss, and to Kemp only increases the ache.
I was wondering if she might be offered a home in the Biden administration where her talent and expertise can be raised on behalf of the American people. One missing link, of course, is whether or not she's willing to move her attention, or expand it, beyond Georgia. I imagine the likelihood Is not great given her commitment to the people of Georgia. Who, as we know, are the recipients of her wisdom, brilliance and passionately selfless service.
And have wondered too if she might be a candidate to be nominated to one of the many judicial vacancies, a less encumbered process now that the Democrats have the 51st Senate seat. Though I'm hardly clear on the process by which judgeships in Georgia are made. With only a brief search, it appears to involve a commission appointed by the governor. A clear obstacle in this case.
And the thought of an Atlanta DA Fani Willis ~ Stacey Abrams team intrigues me. Here too, I haven't an understanding of the process by which that may occur.
All nice of me, I know. When it's all for her to choose and to love where she can best serve. Notwithstanding Fair Fight which I imagine still enjoys her founding of it, and her leadership. (I did phone banking with Fair Fight last Saturday, thanks be to Jessica Craven, and it was my most easeful and supportive experience of phone banking.)
And Stacey may well need to take a breath and rest a while. (How dare I say, I'm exhausted!) Though for now, yes, how to express appreciation for her contribution to last night's victory, and to so many of us being "in a Georgia state of mind." And for so long!
If you haven't already seen Dan Rather's Steady article of last night, "Georgia on My Mind," it's lovely, with link as follows: https://open.substack.com/pub/steady/p/georgia-on-my-mind?r=f0pvk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I have been thinking the same thing about Stacy Abrams. She needs to be off the sidelines! Maybe she can have a role in the Biden administration related to protecting democracy
What an exquisite role that would be for her! I don't know if one office in the administration exists currently dedicated to this sole purpose. Though your idea of the particular role to be filled by one who has exemplary qualities to meet the moment, and the dire need ... sounds pretty awesome to me!
I too was disappointed that Stacey did not win the governorship. Kemp's machinations to distort the vote worked. But that might be wearing thin. I suspect that most people are aware of her role. I think it possible she stayed in the background to highlight Warnock.
But by no means have we seen the last of Stacey Abrams: she is busy organizing Georgia and supporting more black and brown candidates through her organization. That will begin to change the face of Georgia politics. I believe we may see a Governor Abrams in Georgia yet. I hope so.
Thank you, as always, for perspectives on the onslaught of daily news.
Having followed GA (and the run off election) closely, I read this opinion in the Washington Post this morning... an excellent reflection (IMO)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/06/herschel-walker-reputation-georgia-football-politics-senate-trump/
However, what really got me thinking was this comment in response to it:
"Your opinion piece takes the exact wrong slant. It shouldn't have been about Walker's extreme weaknesses and foibles but about how he almost won the election despite them, especially his hypocrisy. 51.5% to 48.5% is not good news. 90% to 10% is good news. 51.5% to 48.5% is an embarrassment.
What your piece should have been about, what every piece should have been about, was what this says about human beings. How did Hitler rise to power? How did Trump rise to power? Why does Trump hold such sway over the Republican party? Where are the people of integrity and principle? They are all the same question.
The answer has been staring us in the face for millennia. We fall short of our creator's hopes by far more than we ever admit. Anyone who doesn't think so should, for just one example, remember all the times they know they should have spoken up about something but didn't. When Uncle Joe railed on about sending blacks back to Africa at the Thanksgiving dinner table did you speak up or did you just let him run out of steam?
If a family member introduces racism to the dinner table, isn't "no heated arguments during holidays" the wrong goal? Or maybe you could have picked up your plate and walked to another room leaving Uncle Joe alone with his hate. Or were you afraid of being accused of spoiling Thanksgiving? Which is more important, a "peaceful Thanksgiving" or standing up against hate?
It isn't our actions when things are easy that counts, but when things are not easy. We drop a dollar or five in the Salvation Army pot and we donate food to the local soup kitchen, and those are good things but easy. But I was in LA for Thanksgiving and found the city littered with homeless. These people are out there because they are the hardest of the hard to help, but that they're out there in such numbers means we have fallen short as human beings, and that's just one example. We are far less noble creatures than we believe. That is the lesson of Hershel Walker."
I found this excellent food for thought. We did squeak by in GA (whew!) but there is still much to do. To say Hershel Walker was a flawed candidate is an understatement... but we came MUCH too close for comfort to having him in the Senate. I don't believe that many folks who voted for him in GA wanted him, they just were voting against "Biden" or the Democrats... and in the process were showing their contempt for Black people.
We have so very far to go as a country. I am grateful for where we are, but this election should not have been so close! We can't congratulate ourselves on this "victory" without considering the big picture.
Excellent response that you took a copy of, Kristina! I was a Southern girl for 18 years of my life until I left home. Love the beauty of nature there , colleges, and architecture. Yesterday, I ran into an old friend who told me she and her husband had travelled to GA for her work. They rented a lovely cabin via AirBnB, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. What they found out is that all around them were Confederate flags. She and her husband looked at each other and said “Are we safe here?”. They toughed it out but realized just how it can be in the other part of our nation. My friend said absolutely no one looked like them...they are Mexican. My own hometown had always been just black & white until the furniture industry needed more help. They picked Guatemalans to pitch in. Now, there are mixed races and those who are brown, who speak with a Southern accent.
The questions the writer asks of WaPo are very very good. Basically saying, cut the crap out, stop regurgitating talking heads points and explore what the real problems are. I can tell you that family prejudices run deep until honest education reaches them. That is the one thing we have to work very very hard on.
As Dan Pfeiffer states today, the credit really goes to Stacy Abrams, Latosha Brown and mostly black women here in GA (I am a resident of GA) for the election of Warnock. Yes, people from all over the country pitched in and for that I am very grateful but it was Stacey’s years of grass root work all over GA that set up the win. I just want to raise up that belief in the people and her work to show all of us that the people have a voice. There were no lines on Election Day but many early voters did stand in line for an hour+ to vote. We must not stop or rest on the this win, every fair election in GA will be hard won but thanks to Stacey and all Georgian’s now understanding how it works, we will prevail and have good for the people government. Lastly, why is the media so fixated on MAGA? I don’t even pay attention to it any longer.
two reasons, I believe. one, much of our media is owned by conservatives. and, two, what bleeds, leads. And MAGA certainly leads.
Stacey said she wasn’t going away and she meant it, bless her!
"....another divot in his quickly eroding veneer of invincibility." Priceless comment! And a long time coming for Trump.
While we can celebrate Raphael Warnock’s success in the Georgia runoff, it is extremely disappointing to realize that 48.8% of the voters chose Walker, representing over 1.6 million people either hypocrites and/or amoral people who ignored Walker’s failings or sought to increase the number of Senators in a corrupt, cowardly Republican Party. Disappointing, indeed.
Dr. Z.
Or Republicans who, rather than truly looking at the candidates up for election, simply check off every box with an “R” next to it, as I was instructed to do all my life by my Republican father. He said to me, for years, “Don’t worry your pretty little head about the election. Simply check off the “R” box by each name. And if you aren’t sure about something, just ask your husband how to vote. And vote in every election, no matter what”. Fortunately life intervened and I found out about the Democratic Party and progressives.
Sadly, I think many Republicans go through life simply voting this way and having no clear understanding of the relationship between their vote and the problems in their community or state. Republican leaders are outstanding at blaming the problems on whomever their current “other” is at that moment, and thus deflecting the voters from understanding the true importance of their vote
An additional note about Jessica Cravens phone banking and other amazing work, she is doing all of that barely having recovered from Covid! Brava Jessica, bravo Robert!
Yes, I thought of adding that detail; should have!
Robert, how much of an effect does this win in Georgia impact Joe Manchin’s control of the Senate?
Wish it were more, but likely depends on Sinema, the pretend Dem