There are many reasons for this, one being that the baby boomer gen changed a lot of the norms & structures of Congress (schedule, staff, cola, etc) so the actual job became very unsustainable for newer people who are younger, working class, or parents.

Drives away young talent

https://twitter.com/pkcapitol/status/1684947450967048193

Much of this can be traced to the 90s and Contract with America, but much of it is also the influence of lobbyists and rigid ways of thinking that are difficult to challenge meaningfully in a fundraising + seniority system. Class divides in Congress are an unspoken challenge, too

I have yet to hear a real explanation from any official hesitating to condemn the killing of Jordan Neely about what makes condemning this violence so “complicated.”

Killing is wrong. Killing the poor is wrong. Killing the mentally ill is wrong. Why is that so hard to say? Neely’s last words were literally about how going to jail was easier than accessing the social safety net support to get back on his feet and lead a life.

Yet leaders want to raise his record as if that warrants a public execution on the subway?

What have we come to?

Breakdown of FTX timeline:

1. Nov 9th: SBF emails the Bahamian AG with an offer to unfreeze FTX withdrawals in the Bahamas

2. On Nov 10, Bahamian gov puts FTX in foreign provisional liquidation. This was the day before FTX was supposed to file bankruptcy in the US.

Then…

https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1602736985172430849

3. SBF then makes good on his offer and unfreezes FTX withdrawals just for Bahamas for a 25.5 hour window.

4. Same day, $100 million is withdrawn from FTX by 1500 unknown people in the Bahamas.

5. Nov 16th: Bahamian-appointed liquidator goes to US bankruptcy court and argues…

Let’s make something crystal clear:
- SPM courted me for donations to swing races & it was the 1st thing I did this term. Over a quarter million for Dems this cycle, DCCC facilitated some & now he denies it.
- If he isn’t aware of my visit to CA & efforts we put in, that’s on him

https://twitter.com/isaacdovere/status/1590867381097623552

- Because of Dem party abandonment in key areas, statewide victories depended HEAVILY on driving up numbers in progressive areas like mine & @nywfp

- To our knowledge, I was the only NYC House Dem in a safe seat to run a full-throated heavy field operation for GOTV

8 items my office passed + supported today in the House NDAA:

1. Authorizing MDMA & psilocybin as substances for study in therapeutic applications 🍄(FINALLY! Took 3 yrs!)

2. New limits on arms sales to Saudi Arabia + requiring actions related to the death of Jamal Khashoggi 🇸🇦 3. Securing a report on US decontamination + cleanup efforts in Vieques & Culebra post-bombing 🇵🇷

4. Directing the State Dept to report knowledge of Colombian military involvement in assassinations and human rights violations from 1980-2010 🇨🇴

80%+ of rapes go unreported to police. Should those be treated as false too?

How do your opinions impact this coverage of assault? What impact have your actions had on that little girl and her family? As “fact checker,” how do your positions impact @washingtonpost’s coverage?

https://twitter.com/glennkesslerwp/status/1547277419517825027

This column is horrifying. Kessler contacted the reporter demanding sensitive info about their sourcing, which they have a responsibility to protect esp in a case like this. He wanted the child’s location (!!) & contacted CHILD SERVICES to find it.

How was any of this approved??

Here’s how Dems can + must do more than wait for an election.

Let’s start w/ why:

- 7 of the 9 justices were appointed by a party that hasn’t won a popular vote more than once in 30 years

- 1 of those seats was stolen

- Several lied to Congress to secure their appointment… - 1 justice’s family (Thomas) was paid by right wing groups for years and he never disclosed it, violating Federal law

- Same justice’s spouse participated in 1/6 and he used his SCOTUS seat to vote to keep potential info related to his wife from investigators in Congress…

On the day of a mass shooting and weeks after news of Roe, Democratic Party leadership rallied for a pro-NRA, anti-choice incumbent under investigation in a close primary. Robocalls, fundraisers, all of it.

Accountability isn’t partisan. This was an utter failure of leadership. Congress should not be an incumbent protection racket and sadly it is treated as such by far too many.

The fact is those who fail their communities deserve to lose. They don’t need rescuing from powerful leaders who state they fight for gun safety, the right to choose, and more.

Happy Thursday evening!

I found an original 1972 copy of Life Magazine featuring original NY Congresswoman Bella Abzug at a thrift store.

There are some gems in here I couldn’t help but share: First up: article on Nixon & the Kremlin. Yes that is First Lady Pat Nixon hitting a TV broadcasting Nixon’s address until it worked, with Henry Kissinger watching along 😬

@davidaxelrod When I waitressed, I had to pay $100s/month for the privilege of paying thousands in deductibles each year for ACA insurance that didn’t really cover RXs. It was cheaper/the best $ option to just go uninsured and prayed nothing happened. One reason why I support Medicare for All @davidaxelrod I remember vividly one day I decided to walk around and ask everyone I worked with - waiters, bussers, cooks - what insurance they had. Everyone had the same answer: none. It was better for us to save up the money we’d otherwise pay on premiums & spend it on actual medicine/care

Consider this: When we pushed for the 1st impeachment of Trump for illegally withholding aid to Ukraine, initially many Dems internally resisted it.

We were chastised for being “unrealistic,” that the public wouldn’t be able to follow the plot, and that it would lead nowhere. /1 Our argument was regardless of outcome, someone would be left holding the ball on accountability.

Would we, the House, rather have to answer questions later of why we didn’t act, or have the Senate answer questions of why they acquitted?

The debate was fierce & opposition real.

Many folks run around claiming to be “free-market” capitalists, but what they actually are is captured market capitalists, using subsidies + restrictive policy to hold us hostage to fossil fuels, for-profit healthcare/housing, etc that many wouldn’t choose if they had the choice If you think gas is expensive now, imagine if we actually had to pay the true price w/o the insane gov subsidies and favoring granted to them.

If fossil fuel companies didn’t have such tipped scales for them it’s very likely we’d be much further along w/ cheaper alternatives

The housing crisis is exploding.

One perk for many politicians & media working to make people’s knee-jerk reaction to homelessness be policing is it keeps ppl from seeing + organizing against the larger powers driving the housing crisis, like private equity + real estate lobbies

https://twitter.com/dodaistewart/status/1500850230891327490

Fact is causes for crime and homelessness can have many complex and contributing factors.

By the time they surge, a web of policies and decisions have already driven that result - housing costs, community disinvestment, lobbying, etc. It’s an easy sell to think one department /2

Of course they’re frustrated. It’s not policing’s job or purpose to address housing, provide healthcare or counseling, or solve the reasons people sleep on the subway.

Maybe if we shifted some of that $11B/year spent on robo dogs to housing services we could get somewhere.

https://twitter.com/CommissBratton/status/1473666832460513280

Also, “why should working people be subjected to this?” —

1. Homeless people often ARE working people, veterans, and/or disabled

2. Why should THESE folks be subjected to unnecessary homelessness in one of the richest cities in the world where 1000s of apartments are vacant?

Many folks bring this up,& it’s not a bad idea. The problem is that due to the filibuster, we can’t vote on items individually.

For the most part, the only major leg Senate can pass w/ 51 votes are reconciliation bills. We only get 2 per year. 1st was Rescue Plan, only 1 left

https://twitter.com/ncweaver/status/1472637173119664129

What makes the choice to push even more harmful (potentially) is that if BBB gets pushed to next year, it raises the question if that decision effectively erases 1 of Biden’s 4 chances to pass major legislation before the midterms barring action on filibuster -

When a handful of us in the House warned this would happen if Dem leaders gave Manchin everything he wanted 1st by moving BIF before BBB instead of passing together, many ridiculed our position.

Maybe they’ll believe us next time. Or maybe people will just keep calling us naïve.

https://twitter.com/burgessev/status/1472569077222846472

Either way, we cannot accept no for an answer. Dem leadership - incl but not limited to the President himself and House Dem leadership - wrote a massive check on their credibility the night of the BIF vote in order to secure the votes they needed, *promising* passage of BBB…

So while I was en route to Glasgow, a creepy member I work with who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups shared a fantasy video of him killing me

And he’ll face no consequences bc @GOPLeader cheers him on with excuses.

Fun Monday! Well, back to work bc institutions don’t protect woc

https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1457865685464276997

Remember when Yoho accosted me on the the Capitol and called me a f—ing b—

Remember when Greene ran after me a few months ago screaming and reaching

Remember when she stalked my office the 1st time w/ insurrectionists & ppl locked inside

All at my job 🙃 & nothing ever happens

The cost to replace every lead pipe in the United States is $45-60 billion.

BIF only gives $15b. Without BBB, many communities historically denied clean water will continue to be denied.

Build Back Better has lead $ for disadvantaged communities. We must keep pushing for BBB. I want to protect our party from the disappointment and collapse in turnout from communities like mine that occurs when we tell them we did things we didn’t do.

We shouldn’t promise all lead pipes will be fixed if that is not the case. Some will, most won’t. We must push for BBB

Yes. BIF+BBB are not written as 2 distinct bills, but interlocking policy. BIF’s climate benefits only unlock if BBB passes.

If BBB gutted/dies, we may have just locked in US emissions &thrown away our biggest chance to combat climate change. Stakes are now higher on BBB passing

https://twitter.com/leahstokes/status/1457158752965054466

The elevated stakes are not just policy, but political.

1. Policy- Passing BIF without BBB is a huge gamble. People will point to pro-climate investments in BIF, but the oil & gas giveaways wipe out its progress to 0 or risk worse emissions. Passing BBB unlocks BIF climate perks

If you are worried about inflation, it’s important to understand why it’s happening: supply chain, labor, and healthcare complications. We can address these issues by investing in infrastructure, wages, healthcare &benefits.

AKA signing BBB/BIF into law as absolute, bare minimum Conservatives argue against raising wages by claiming it’ll raise prices. But that isn’t reliably supported w historic data.

However, what we’re seeing now is perhaps an ex. of prices rising when wages/benefits are *too low*- not enough workers, hurts supply chain, prices hike.

Details matter.

A lot of people don’t know what the “bipartisan” bill consists of (despite text) and why it’s critical that Build Back Better be paired with it.

Take climate. There is a LOT of oil and gas lobbyist spin about BIF, but deal is it’s climate negative. One example: People will say “oh look at all this money in climate - like hydrogen energy!”

Well, not all hydrogen is the same. The H sources matter. There are 3 kinds: blue, green, and grey.

Green hydrogen is the good stuff: that hydrogen comes from water and helps us draw down emissions.