When I first met James we were both in our twenties. Now we're both in our sixties. When I met him he was getting a doctorate in urban planning. Now he's married to one of my oldest friends from high school and is considered one of the most distinguished architects in New York. He was always imbued with progressive values but I never saw him as an activist let alone a radical. Tomorrow he's going to the big Trump protest at Columbus Circle. No one talked him into it. He's doing it for America. We all must. Did you watch this yet? It's not an ordinary movie trailer:When we started encouraging Members of Congress to follow Luis Gutiérrez's lead in an act of symbolic resistance to Trumpism, there were only 6 House members on board. Many I spoke with were ambivalent. Blue America put up an ActBlue page so our members could express solidarity with the congressmembers willing to reject Trump and boycott his heinous inauguration. As of yesterday, they contributed nearly $6,000, in mostly small donations, and the number of congressional resisters had risen to a full quarter of the Democrats in the House. Today it will likely reach a third. Many members who I spoke with 2 weeks ago, have since changed their minds-- largely thanks to the way Trump has lashed out at John Lewis-- and now even moderates and conservative Democrats-- even Kurt Schrader, the head of the loathsome Blue Dogs!-- have joined the progressives leading the way.The video of Rep. Gutiérrez's speech explaining why he is refusing to enable Trumpism with his presence has been watched by over 6 million people on Facebook. And the reaction has been overwhelmingly supportive. His press person, Doug Rivlin: "We usually get a lot of haters calling and trolling the Congressman on Facebook and Twitter because he is Latino and has been outspoken on immigration, guns, Planned Parenthood and other issues, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive to his family’s decision to skip the inauguration. Congressman Gutiérrez apparently articulated what a lot of people are feeling with his comments-- that Trump’s rhetoric on women, people of color and people of different religions made it such that he did not want to attend the inauguration. So many people have called with their messages of support, especially women. Our phones are ringing off the hook."And, since first announcing he wasn't going (December 2), there have been over half a million responses on Facebook alone! Now the L.A. Times is singling out the positions of the California congressmembers who aren't going-- and those who are. Most of the state's corporate whores and conservatives are sticking with Trump... as expected, the garbage members like Pete Aguilar (New Dem), Ami Bera (New Dem), Julia Brownley (close New Dem), Lou Correa (Blue Dog), Jim Costa (Blue Dog), Susan Davis (New Dem), Scott Peters (New Dem) and, of course, Senator Kamala Harris, the one who refused to prosecute foreclosure criminal Steven Mnuchin, Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary.And yesterday, Schumer told Senate Democrats to make up their own minds about tending or not. "I think each person has to make the choice on their own," he told CNN, "but I don't begrudge those who have said they're boycotting. Each person can make his or her own decision." Dodgy senators who are corporate shills but like to try to portray themselves as "liberals," like Kirsten Gillibrand, are refusing to say whether they'll go or not. But what about real progressive senators? Has anyone been in touch with Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley? Dick Durbin, Al Franken, Mazie Hirono, Tammy Baldwin, Jack Reed, Sheldon Whitehouse? Unlike fakers like Gillibrand, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, this are the real deal. How come no leadership on the boycott? Don't wait 'til its too late to oppose Trumpism. History will be unforgiving. And speaking of giving... please do click on the thermometer and do what you can:
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