Alan Grayson

-by Dorothy ReikIn 411 BC the comic playwright Aristophanes' heroine Lysistrata led her followers on a sex strike to force an end to the Pelopponesian wars. It was a comedy then but in 2003, Leymah Gbowee led the women of Liberia in a sex strike to end their civil war. It worked and she won the Nobel Prize. Centuries ago, in 1600, Iroquois women stuck to stop tribal wars. They got what they were striking for.

In a 5-4 ruling, a very right-wing Supreme Court reversed a series of lower court decisions to OK Turmpanzee's Muslim travel ban, claiming the ban is "squarely within the scope of Presidential authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act." Justice Sotomayor: "A reasonable observer would conclude that the proclamation was motivated by anti-Muslim animus...

Congressional Republicans plan to reduce the biggest budget deficit in history-- that they created by giving multimillionaires and billionaires massive tax cuts-- by further eviscerating the social safety net, particularly Medicare and Medicaid. But not 'tl after the midterms.

Working class candidates often point to their roots when they talk about why they can be trusted to represent the interests of working families. The best examples this cycle have been Randy Bryce (D-WI), Kaniela Ing (D-HI), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Jared Golden (D-ME), Tom Guild (D-OK) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Class has been integral to all of their campaigns-- both as  motivationally and in terms of goals.

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal reported that Marc Short, Trump's liaison to Congress is quitting, complaining that trying to push Trump's agenda through the GOP-controlled Congress has reached a point of "diminishing returns." Far right extremists are delighted because they view him as a champion for the GOP establishment’s.

"The Republicans," explained Kyle Kulinski last week, "have shifted further right to some weird brew of theocracy and authoritarianism and fascism and outright oligarchy." He forgot kakistocracy and kleptocracy but no need to quibble.

It was easy to back candidates Ted Lieu, Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan, Keith Ellison, Judy Chu, Jamie Raskin, Karen Bass... They had all been in state legislatures where they had created records that showed how awesome they would be in Congress. None of them have disappointed.

Chances are, if you're a DWT reader, you're a Trump hater through and through. Unless you're a Republican. Rank-and file Republicans love Trump-- they really do.

GOP candidates rallying behind Trump read an ABC News headline yesterday. Some are, of course... and some aren't. The line that interested me most, though, was "Republicans appear far more comfortable touting Trump’s leadership than Democrats do arguing against it." Again, some are and some aren't-- on both ends of that statement.

Ted's right-- both on this tragic and shameful, heart-breaking specific and in a more general way. Everything in Trumpworld is sheer bullshit.