Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
Ben Wikler Profile picture
@benwikler
Aug 10, 2019 • 7 tweets • 2 min read • Read on X
First, this will hurt the families losing their jobs. Then it will hurt agricultural communities and rural America. Then, it will hurt all of us.

Hundreds of USDA employees to be removed from their jobs in September washingtonpost.com/science/2019/0…
The Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service helps farmers understand market conditions so they can make planting decisions. But sometimes this means flagging inconvenient truths, like the impact of climate change or Trump’s trade war. So Trump is smashing the agency.
One of the very best things our government has done, for more than 150 years, is help farmers plan. The Ag Dpt’s Division of Statistics—now the ERS—started in 1863. Now, in 2019, two thirds of the department are getting termination notices. washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump…
How do you smash a vital, independent federal agency without permission from Congress? You announce in June that it will be moving to the “Kansas City region” and that employees who don’t commit to relocate their families in 30 days will lose their jobs. washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump…
And by the way—you don’t specify whether it’ll be in Kansas City, Kansas or in Kansas City, Missouri. Good luck finding places to live and schools for your kids, employees!
The president’s chief of staff thinks the whole thing is hilarious and wonderful.
The USDA Inspector General says this is probably illegal. The General Counsel says no, it’s fine, smash it to bits.

Congress must act. This is an unfolding tragedy and scandal. Call Congress and make sure that investigating this stays on the front burner. 202-224-3121.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Ben Wikler

Ben Wikler Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @benwikler

Ben Wikler Profile picture
Nov 20
The first critical election of the new Trump era is just 132 days from now: Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court race. 🧵
This week, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin endorsed Judge Susan Crawford, the one pro-freedom, pro-democracy candidate. We’re in the fight. Join us. Image
With Wisconsin still at the white-hot center of American politics, our state Supreme Court remains one of the most crucial judicial bodies in America. Decisions by this court shape national outcomes. Image
Read 26 tweets
Ben Wikler Profile picture
Nov 15
As we enter a harrowing new chapter in American life, remember this: we are stronger than we think. 🧵
Before I dig in here, let me flag: donating to WisDems funds our year-round organizing and communication work—critical for elections here, including the state Supreme Court, in less than six months. Can you chip in?
secure.actblue.com/donate/octeom_…
Trump is doing exactly what he promised to do: making the worst possible choices about who should run the federal government.

Or perhaps that’s not their job—their job is to dismantle it, to break it, to ensure that it can’t carry out the will of the American people.
Read 23 tweets
Ben Wikler Profile picture
Nov 9
Here’s what happened in Wisconsin. And a note of gratitude. 🧵
On Election Day, I thought we were winning the presidential race.

We came up short. Losing was a gut punch. Enormous peril lies ahead.

As we prepare for what’s next, we also have to find space for curiosity about what just happened.
We’re beginning to see the outlines: a red wave. A nationwide shift toward Trump of 6%.

But in Wisconsin, we nearly defeated that wave.

The shift here was just one quarter the size: 1.5%. Not because Trump was weaker here than elsewhere, but because we were stronger.
Read 107 tweets
Ben Wikler Profile picture
Nov 8
Just crunched some numbers.

Turnout generally dropped nationwide. But battleground states had slightly *higher* turnout among eligible voters than 2020—and a smaller-than-avg swing towards Trump.

Wisconsin had the highest turnout rise in the nation: +1.3% of eligible voters.🧵
The data here come from @ElectProject: election.lab.ufl.edu/2024-general-e…

Crunched in this spreadsheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

Some big states are still counting ballots, so left CA, WA, DC, MD, and OR out of this calculation.

Included AZ and NV even though they're still counting.
@ElectProject Here's the table: the change in turnout (relative to the voting-eligible population) from 2020 to 2024 in the seven battlegrounds vs the rest of the country.

A pretty clear case that the campaign + party + allies turned out Dems in states they focused on. Image
Read 6 tweets
Ben Wikler Profile picture
Nov 7
The red wave hit this year: a ~6% national swing to Trump, from 2020 margins.

In Wisconsin, thousands of heroes pulled the swing down to 1.5%. More D votes statewide & in 46 counties. Tammy Baldwin won. Huge wins in the state legislature.

Deeply grateful to all—it mattered.
🧵
This is a perilous moment, and a frightening one. Especially for the people in communities whose freedoms, livelihoods, and safety are now threatened by an emboldened, unfettered Trump and the extremists around him.

We fought to prevent this. We came up short.
We will need to focus soon on somehow containing the damage of the second Trump term, standing in solidarity with one another, and fighting back.

But now, let's thank Harris and Walz for their 107-day sprint—and the countless people who poured themselves into the work.
Read 27 tweets
Ben Wikler Profile picture
Nov 5
Before Walz took the stage in Milwaukee tonight, I got a call from a number unlike any I'd ever seen. It ended with four zeroes. I picked it up.

It was Joe Biden. 🧵 Image
The President was calling to say thanks—to all of us in Wisconsin who've been working our hearts out to make this moment possible.

If you're reading this, that might very well include you.
I told him how honored I felt to receive his call, on behalf of thousands of people here who worked to elect him—and then never stopped organizing.

"God bless ya," he said, 100% himself.

What an extraordinary human being he is. Let's do him proud. Let's win tomorrow.
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

Send Email!

:(