News from the Coconino County Democratic Party
August 22, 2021
Pelosi Takes the Lead
This week the U.S. House of Representatives breaks its recess to return to Washington for important first steps on infrastructure legislation. Up until now, all the action has been on the Senate side but now Speaker Pelosi and her team take the reins. Pelosi has made it clear to her caucus that they need to follow President Biden’s plan to advance the Senate’s bipartisan infrastructure deal on the same timetable as the American Families Plan (aka the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package).
To understand the voting you’ll see this week, read
Time to Deliver on “Build Back Better”
Our Legislative Committee is recommending calls to both Senators and to Representative O’Halleran on these infrastructure votes as well as on the critical voting rights bills. Get these suggestions here:
Federal Action Alert – August 20, 2021
The Arizona Daily Sun today reprinted an Associated Press article from earlier in the month which explains how the bipartisan Senate deal eviscerated Biden’s original plan for broadband expansion, making it a sweet deal for corporations in the internet business and just a start for what’s needed to truly give broadband access to all Americans. Here’s the original AP story. Nonetheless, the $65 billion investment in broadband is not chump change.
The White House said the bipartisan bill would create about 2 million “good-paying” jobs a year for the next decade. It provides $110 billion for roads and bridges, $39 billion for public transit, $66 billion for passenger rail, $73 billion to upgrade the electrical grid; $7.5 billion for electrical vehicle chargers on highway corridors, $17 billion for rebuilding our ports, $50 billion for addressing climate change and cybersecurity, and $55 billion for clean drinking water. Cheers to Senator Sinema for her role in hammering out this deal and bringing Republicans and spend-thrift Democrats along. This is one important chess move in a long game that we hope will be completed by year-end with real money rolling out in January 2022.
Here’s our Youth Committee Chair, Austin Kerr, registering voters and gathering petition signatures during a “Welcome Back Students” event on Saturday. (Yes, that’s Mayor Deasy signing the referenda petitions.)
Update on the Petition Drive
With little over a month to go to gather 170,000 signatures statewide, our precinct committee members and other volunteers are fully engaged in the campaign to overturn bad legislation passed by the GOP-controlled legislature this year. Our campaign supports the referenda sponsored by two organizations — Arizona Deserves Better and Invest in AZ. The Arizona Constitution gives voters a powerful tool to stop bad legislation — but the work must be done quickly. There is no time to lose.
See opportunities to sign petitions on our website calendar.Check back often as we are adding new events frequently. Share these events with your friends and neighbors!
Learn about the issues, our work, and how you can help: Our Petition Drive: Voting Rights and Tax Referenda
To become a petition circulator, contact your Regional Captain or our office. Thank you to all the notaries who have volunteered to receive petitions from our circulators!
Stand With Biden
Republicans take every opportunity to trash President Biden. We stand with him. Two of our recent blog posts:
Afghan Withdrawal
Biden’s Border Policy
Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick went full-on racist this week by claiming that African Americans were to blame for the ever-increasing wave of coronavirus cases. Anything to deflect from the Republican actions which persist in endangering everyone during a pandemic. President Biden continues to take every opportunity to urge Americans to get vaccinated. This week he immediately sent help to southern states which are struggling with overrun hospitals.
Meanwhile, here in Arizona Governor Ducey faces a recall of federal funds intended to assist schools in safely re-opening because he’s using the funds to penalize schools with mask mandates and promote private school vouchers. On Wednesday, President Biden went to the podium and then tweeted, “We will not sit by as Governors try to block or intimidate educators protecting kids against COVID-19. This isn’t about politics. This is about keeping our kids safe and taking on this virus together.” This presidential declaration was quickly followed by letters from the U.S. Treasury and Department of Education telling Ducey that he’s out of line.
Watch for News on the Fraudit this Week, Maybe
Last week, Maricopa County started the legal process to collect damages for the $2.8 million loss incurred when the Senate “auditors” ruined the county’s voting machines. That was pretty bad press for the Frauditors, so they started to leak that their final report might be coming soon. That is, the Cyber Ninja report to the Senate. Then President Fann and her team will take time to review it before any public release. The beat goes on.
Labor Day at the County Fair
Stop by our booth at the County Fair for fun and to meet candidates who’ve signed up to join us. We’ll have everyone from candidates for County Superintendent to candidates for Governor. And, here’s another opportunity for you or your friends to sign those referenda petitions!
Next Coconino Democratic Action Meeting
Save the Date! Our next monthly meeting is, as always, on the second Saturday of the month. This month it happens to fall of the 20th Anniversary of 9/11. Be with us from 10-noon when we’ll have more candidate introductions and an update from DNC.
Gear
Looking for a perfect gift for your favorite Coconino Dem? Check out our new tee shirts and other gear.
