Tweet

Walker Bragman

29 Jul, 7 tweets, 2 min read

Republicans are literally about to end majoritarian democracy in the U.S. and Democrats are going to let them do it.

Doesn’t matter what issue you care about most — climate change, health care, whatever. If the majority cannot elect a congressional majority, we’re fucked.

This doesn't just mean entrenched GOP control of the House. It means the same state legislatures across the country.

You can march in the streets, shouting until your face turns blue. If your elected officials don't have to worry about losing their power, you don't matter.

These congressional and state legislative maps will last a decade. That means we won't be able to prevent the worst climate change has to throw at us.

Democrats must pass redistricting reform before August 16 (or very shortly thereafter).

Everything depends on it.

@davedaley3

Everyone should read this article by @davedaley3. This is an existential threat to American democracy.

And don't give me this shit about how "oh it's already so bad already." It can and will get worse.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

I was told by a source in the House that redistricting reform most likely won't happen in time to matter because of Biden's commitment to the filibuster.

In any case, the chamber is about to take its August recess.

This is political malpractice to the extreme.

Joe Biden has had majorities in the House and Senate since taking office back in January. This should have been his priority especially as Dems lost ground at the state level in 2020.

He also lived through the consequences of the post-2010 gerrymandering.

No excuses.

"Democrats need a reality check. You can’t out-organize partisan gerrymandering. You can’t inspire voters to turn out in 2022 with promises you made in 2020. And you can’t expect organizers to put everything on the line when you won’t do the same." thehill.com/opinion/campai…

• • •

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

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

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

More from @WalkerBragman

Walker Bragman

@WalkerBragman

16 Apr

There are 2 reasons the U.S. hasn't done a paid lockdown to combat COVID-19:

1) Opposition from the business community.

2) Decades of neoliberal thinking make such a huge federal undertaking unthinkable.

So we left it to states to respond and banked on vaccines.

565,000k died

There are people out there who think it's about "freedom" or whatever. It's not. It's about cowardice and lack of vision in DC.

Americans deserved better.

I've spent an hour talking to anti-lockdown people who insist that we can't control the virus, nor should we try, and that reopening is fairer to the vulnerable because everyone will be exposed and bear the cost.

I cannot stress enough how monstrous and wrong this thinking is.

Read 6 tweets

Walker Bragman

@WalkerBragman

23 Jan

Uncontrolled viral spread is creating mutated variants of COVID.

These variants may drive reinfections; may become vaccine-resistant; may be more deadly; may be more infectious...

Safety precautions while staying open can only go so far. We've seen it in NY.

We must lock down

In order to lock down, our federal government and state governments must step in and provide aid.

People will need at least $2k-a-month. Rent, mortgages, debt will have to be frozen and forgiven. The unhoused will have to be housed.

These are doable. But they require will.

This crisis is what government exists for. The private sector is incapable of leading the way out of it. Efforts to keep government limited have hamstrung our efforts so far and may have already ensured this virus becomes seasonal.

But we must try--must throw everything at it.

Read 4 tweets

Walker Bragman

@WalkerBragman

31 Dec 20

Neoliberalism is the disease and the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic is the symptom.

Over four decades, we defunded our public sector based on an ideology that dictates government is best when small, only acting through private intermediaries.

When COVID hit, we lacked the public health infrastructure and ideological footing to do what we needed to contain it.

The answers to COVID are obvious: national health care, lockdown, rent/mortgage payment/debt forgiveness, universal monthly relief, supply deliveries, housing vouchers for the homeless.

But this kind of government intervention is utterly unthinkable under neoliberalism.

Read 4 tweets

Walker Bragman

@WalkerBragman

31 Dec 20

The Washington Post’s Editorial Board

Part II

Part III:

Read 10 tweets

Walker Bragman

@WalkerBragman

31 Dec 20

Bernie Sanders, Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Chris Van Hollen, and Jeff Merkley were the only Senate Dems who stood their ground against Mitch McConnell today to try to get a vote on $2000 checks. They were joined by 5 Republicans.

Every other Dem surrendered.

Leverage is such a funny thing--here one moment, gone the next because Democrats are too chickenshit to hold up billions of dollars for war to ensure the American people get $2,000 checks in the middle of a pandemic-depression.