Eric Michael Garcia Profile picture
Señor DC scribe @independent. @msnbc columnist. Author: We're Not Broken. @dailytarheel forever. Occasional six-stringer. He/Him. Eric.Garcia@independent.co.uk.
Aug 29 4 tweets 1 min read
I am devastated. I am gutted by the loss of @stevesilberman. He changed my life. Without his work, I never would have come around to accepting myself. We met in person only once on a train to New York City but he became such an incredible presence. He was my friend. I loved him. Steve Silberman, an older white man with glasses, smiling with Eric, a younger Latino man. My work doesn’t exist without @stevesilberman. I will forever be grateful to @ron_fournier for linking us up. I used to joke with my mom that he was like my big gay uncle. He was never afraid to keep me in check when I needed it or lift me up when I was in some bad spots.
Jul 23 14 tweets 4 min read
With Kamala Harris all but crowned the next Democratic nominee for president, I wrote a bit about Harris in my book and where she stands on disability rights and how it explains her approach to policy. Here's a thread 1/
harpercollins.com/products/were-… Harris's approach to disability is astronomically different to Biden's approach to disability. Biden, a creature of the senate, came to understand it through his stutter, but more importantly, through the passage of the ADA when disability was still a bipartisan venture. 2/
Jun 4 19 tweets 4 min read
Biden’s decision today signifies a huge break from previous Democratic administrations: in the past, Democrats pushed for border security provisions in exchange for relief for migrants already here and creating legal pathways. Now, he’s just on enforcement independent.co.uk/news/world/ame… Biden’s announcement also signifies a failure for migrant rights advocates: they hoped agreeing to border security provisions would get Republicans to move on relief. Obama deported scores of migrants in an effort to win goodwill from Republicans.
independent.co.uk/news/world/ame…
May 23 5 tweets 1 min read
Everyone rightly says Trump shows how easily Republicans roll over. But he shows they are also fairly cheap dates. Bernie and Warren got significant concessions from Biden on policy. What does Nikki Haley get for saying she'll vote for Trump? Nikki Haley said "Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they're just going to be with him." But she gave the Trump-curious Haley voter without any concessions.
Apr 26 41 tweets 5 min read
Biden tells Howard Stern "no man deserves one great love, let alone two" after he said "I lost my family." Howard talks about the loss of Biden's family "I get the chills" when he's talking about it. "I can't even imagine that kind of loss."
Dec 8, 2023 11 tweets 4 min read
One story that fell under the radar this week but is super important: The Supreme Court preserved the Americans with Disabilities Act while also outlining how it will get the ADA in the future. Here's a Thread: 1/ A few months ago, disability rights advocates feared that the Court would gut the Americans with Disabilities Act. Deborah Laufer has filed hundreds lawsuits as a "tester" to determine if a hotel discloses how accessible it is on its website. 2/ nbcnews.com/politics/supre…
Oct 13, 2023 4 tweets 1 min read
Let’s be clear! George Santos didn’t need to yell and make a scene. I was asking him about Jim Jordan’s speaker bid and whether he could get to 217. He CHOSE to yell at the guy who kept a pretty even tone and approach. He did this to get attention and deflect. Santos did this to bait everyone. And you know what? It worked! He baited me! Immediately, reporters moved on him instead of covering the speaker race. He played everyone, including me, for a fool by creating a sideshow. We shouldn’t give him what he wants.
May 6, 2023 4 tweets 3 min read
In light of North Carolina’s impending abortion ban, I tried to explain why #NCPol hasn’t tended leftward the way Virginia and Georgia have and arguably, policies like the abortion ban may make North Carolina more firmly Republican. #NCGA #NCPol independent.co.uk/voices/north-c… Long short of it: North Carolina lacks an urban hub like Atlanta, suburbs full of college-educated whites like Virginia or enough of a Black population to make a difference.
#NCPol
independent.co.uk/voices/north-c…
May 6, 2023 5 tweets 3 min read
Oh, my sweet young girl. How my heart breaks for you. How I wish we had a better world for you. How I wish you knew your #ActuallyAutistic tribe wanted to care for you. How I have been close to where you went. I'm so sorry Caitlyn Scott-Lee.
bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/23501141.… And my heartbreak can coincide with my rage, so fuck it, I'll say it. Suicide is the biggest killer of #ActuallyAutistic people without intellectual disabilities behind heart disease. We haven't done enough to save these youth. Her blood is on our hands.
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…
Mar 25, 2023 9 tweets 3 min read
Ok. So I gathered my thoughts because I didn’t want to mouth off. On one end, this is good because it means #ActuallyAutistic Black and Latino kids are getting diagnosed. On the other end, I worry this will lead to autism being stigmatized and therefore kids won’t get services Autism has historically been seen as a condition that affects upper-class white folks. Leo Kanner in his first study of autism featured nine WASP families and two Jewish families. All of them had elite parents. Well, guess who could afford to send their kids to be observed?
Mar 24, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
Conservative opposition to disability has shifted. In the 1980s to the 2000s, conservatives mostly hated accommodating people with disabilities because of regulations big business. Now it's more about "owning the libs" and not wanting them in public space. Under the old style of former iteration of conservatism, adaptable clothing would be welcomed: Government doesn't need to mandate accessibility. The Market will innovate! Now, it's about not wanting to see them at all.
Mar 22, 2023 4 tweets 1 min read
Interesting discussion I had with Mama Garcia (who turned 60 earlier this month) when she visited. When I mentioned how Democrats appeal to college-educated voters, she was confused because growing up, they voted for Republicans because college-educated voters made money. My grandmother Hernandez, the first in her family to be born in the US, ADORED Franklin Roosevelt. Many of my Tios and Tias on my mom's side are Democrats (though some of the Protestannts are more Republican). But few in that generation have degrees. A handful voted fo Trump
Mar 22, 2023 7 tweets 3 min read
My analysis ahead of Trump's potential indictment: Republicans, Democrats and many others had a chance to put Trump down for good long ago. But nobody took it for fear it would hurt their careers personally.
independent.co.uk/voices/trump-i… Every Republican candidate in 2016 had a chance to put him away for good. But Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and everyone else refused to make a kill. Hillary Clinton wanted Trump to be the nominee in 2016 to give herself an easier time 1/
independent.co.uk/voices/trump-i…
Mar 4, 2023 4 tweets 1 min read
Lake says "every man woman and child knows that." Face check: Most REPUBLICANS don't think the election was stolen. ktar.com/story/5468042/… Lake says "How many of you lost a client or to a friend or two, maybe a family members may become estranged because of this?" #CPAC
Jan 1, 2023 15 tweets 2 min read
One like, one prediction for 2023 Two: Ron DeSantis will announce Come June and will initially lead Trump in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Dec 30, 2022 4 tweets 1 min read
Combing through the tax returns right now. This is a huge file spanning his business and personal tax returns from 2015 to 2020. Follow along here. Needless to say, if any of y'all notice anything peculiar, let me know and I'll include it here.
Nov 9, 2022 4 tweets 2 min read
In which I finally say "uncle" ahead of the midterms. I am completely clueless what will happen. Even my best guesses have often been wrong. Allow me to explain: At the beginning of this year, it seemed pretty cut and dry. Joe Biden's approval ratings were down, inflation was high. Then Dobbs happened. I started out skeptical of the Dobbs effect.
independent.co.uk/voices/midterm…
Nov 8, 2022 5 tweets 3 min read
What is the best song about each swing state for tomorrow? Putting together a playlist For #NCSen: Raise up! Take Your Shirt off, Twist it 'round your head! Spin it like a helicopter by @DaRealPetey
Nov 7, 2022 4 tweets 2 min read
Rest in Peace Lois Curtis, the namesake behind LC v Olmstead, the landmark case that opened the floodgates for independent living. I wrote about her and Elaine Wilson in my book. Thank you.
harpercollins.com/products/were-… Second, in 1999, Lois Curti...“First, institutional place...Louis Curtis, a Black woman... Plenty of people who advocted for more self-determination have died in recent years. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who wrote Olmstead, died in 2020. Julie Beckett, who pushed for home care, died earlier this year. Ruth Christ Sullivan died last year. They sparked a magnificent movement
Oct 28, 2022 4 tweets 1 min read
I am legitimately so sorry. I was not trying to mislead. I am legitimately embarrassed and humiliated. I never wanted to do anything malicious. I am so apologetic. I should have double-checked the dates. We are taking the article down. I cannot apologize enough. I should have double-checked triple-checked dates.
Oct 9, 2022 24 tweets 6 min read
A lot of people are tweeting about Jack Black supporting Autism Speaks. Rather than digging at Jack Black for supporting it, I think it's important to explain WHY Autism Speaks has become so prominent and why so many autistic people find it dispiriting. Given, I've written a book about this and went a bit into Autism Speaks's history, so I kind of know what I'm talking about. It's important to remember that Bob Wright, the former head of NBC Universal, after the his grandson was diagnosed as autistic. 2/
harpercollins.com/products/were-…