Millions of Americans, longing for a return to the rule of law and compassionate government, selected Joe Biden to lead us away from the lethal corruption of the Trump era. As celebrated in last night’s State of the Union (SOTU) address, in a historically productive first two years, President Biden has delivered a more compassionate government and robust economy, with benefits rolling out in all fifty states. Infrastructure projects are underway, semiconductor manufacturing is returning to the USA, more people have jobs and they’re earning more money, the diversity of our judicial branch is increasing, and so much more. We have a lot to celebrate.
However, President Biden has a dangerous nostalgia for a Congress in which bipartisanship, comity, decency, and respect for the institutions of government ruled both sides of the aisle. But that ship has sailed; he has chosen not to focus on how much things have changed since he left the Senate in 2009. During the SOTU, he credited bipartisanship for passing the Infrastructure and Jobs Act as well as the CHIPS & Science Act, even though during midterm season, while Republicans were slamming Democrats for inflation, his Inflation Reduction Act received zero Republican votes.
We need our two Senators, both on the Judiciary Committee, to act with the urgent understanding that today’s Republican party does not believe in democracy. Under the influence of Trump and his MAGA base it has become a criminal, seditious, white supremacist, autocratic political organization that attempted a coup to prevent President Biden from taking office. We learned a lot in January about how tainted Attorney General Barr’s Durham investigation was and how FBI officer Charles McGonigal may have corrupted their 2016 counterintelligence investigation of Trump. We also see Republican Senators trying to stall judicial nominations with the blue-slip process, as they did during the Obama administration. Tell our Senators to investigate and take action on these very real abuses of power.
Contact our Senators and urge them to investigate abuses of power in the Trump administration, and prevent the use of blue slips to stop judicial nominations.
The State of Our Union is Strong
Thanks to President Biden, the State of our Union is stronger than it has been in decades. Outgoing Chief of Staff Ron Klain cited some examples in his departure speech at the White House on Thursday, February 2: “The most significant economic plan since FDR, while managing the largest land war in Europe since Truman. We passed the biggest infrastructure bill since Ike, passed more judges than any first-year president since JFK, and the second largest health care bill since LBJ, the most significant gun control bill since Bill Clinton was president, and the largest climate bill passed by any country at any time anywhere on planet Earth. All while managing the worst public health crisis any president has faced since Woodrow Wilson, with the narrowest Democratic majority in Congress for a new Democratic president in 100 years.”
That’s not to say our Union doesn’t face challenges, from hate-mongering Republicans to the still ongoing pandemic. But we are better positioned now to face them than we were two years ago. As the president is fond of saying, “It is never a good bet to bet against the American people.” And so, the work continues.
Because frenzied, jealous MAGA Republicans will do their best to distract the national media from the successes of the Biden-Harris Administration, we’ve prepared a resource list you can refer to for the latest information on the ongoing infrastructure, environmental, justice, and other projects of the Biden-Harris administration.
Read more on our blog post here.
If you’re interested in participating in activities like drafting letters to our Members of Congress and developing our strategy for influencing them, the Indivisible SF Federal Working Group is where it happens.
SFPUC Community Power Update Meeting: Thursday, Feb. 9, 10–11 AM. At this first community roundtable meeting of 2023, SFPUC staff will share updates on customer programs, new electrification incentives, as well as ways customers can save on their energy bills during the winter months. RSVP for the Zoom meeting here.
Indivisible SF Federal Working Group: Thursday, Feb. 9, 7:30–9 PM. Planning meeting where we discuss strategy to influence our Members of Congress and the Biden administration to enact a progressive agenda. Meeting starts promptly at 7:30 PM. All are welcome. Register here!
Friend to Friend Postcards for Wisconsin Supreme Court: Thursday, Feb. 9, 11 AM–12 noon PST. Join Working Families Power to build your list of Wisconsin contacts — friends, family, neighbors, anyone you know, and let them know about the upcoming WI Supreme Court primary election. RSVP on Mobilize.
If you’ve seen our newsletter posts on Twitter and Facebook, you might have noticed that we include a photo or graphic with each issue.
Today’s image is a photo of President Joe Biden delivering the State of the Union speech for 2022 by Saul Loeb for Getty Images. It was used in an NPR article about the key issues of this year’s SOT
Keep Fighting,
