Ezra Levin Profile picture
Zeke's dad. Co-Founder, Co-ED, Co-Parent with @leahgreenb. Read our @indivisibleteam book: https://t.co/MiWLiUrkXV
Fellakommando Südost 🇩🇪🇪🇺🇺🇦 Profile picture SocialMediaWarriorForABlueAmerica Profile picture Twitter author Profile picture Brian Branagan Profile picture Mary Waggener Profile picture 5 subscribed
Nov 12, 2022 16 tweets 9 min read
Here's what happened. Early this year, @IndivisibleTeam began arguing that our only shot at winning the midterms was to force public attention on GOP extremism. This wasn't a popular opinion, but we weren't alone. Some appreciation for the folks who fought for this strategy... .@anatosaurus, @jenancona, & @WayToWinAF: message makers for the movement. They offered invaluable messaging guidance for us and movement leaders on how to land the blow against MAGA extremism and for protecting our freedoms.
Dec 18, 2021 11 tweets 4 min read
Some folks think Indivisible started in response to Trump - but that’s only half true. We really decide to start Indivisible in response to feckless Dem leadership at the outset of an authoritarian surge. Here's why that’s still needed...
thehill.com/homenews/senat… After shelving BBB this week, Biden and Senate Dems said they were going to pursue voting rights “aggressively” for the rest of the year. And then just about 24 hours later, we learned they were going to go on vacation.
Dec 3, 2021 10 tweets 5 min read
Two must-read articles this #FilibusterFriday with the good/bad of where we stand on democracy reform.
1) The Good: @Grace_Segers on how congressional leadership is actively working to get to the finish line on filibuster reform and democracy. newrepublic.com/article/164582… 2) The Bad: @srl with an inside look at just how little Biden and Harris are doing to help. theguardian.com/us-news/2021/d…
Dec 1, 2021 6 tweets 3 min read
Trump packed the court with anti-choice zealots explicitly for this purpose. Short thread on what Dems *could* do in response... nymag.com/intelligencer/… Trump wasn't coy about it - he told the public (and GOP senators like Susan Collins) exactly what he was doing.
Sep 29, 2021 7 tweets 3 min read
Everybody who is not Sinema/Manchin should be FURIOUS now. We can have fights on policy - that’s normal. That’s NOT what’s happening here. Sinema/Manchin AGREED to the reconciliation top-line. THAT AGREEMENT is what got the BIF 69 votes in the Senate. Short angry thread... Without that agreement on reconciliation, the BIF would never have gotten through the senate. We know this because 11 Senate Democrats signed a letter saying passing BIF without the reconciliation bill would be QUOTE “in violation of that agreement.” thehill.com/policy/finance…
Aug 11, 2021 5 tweets 2 min read
In July, we set a deadline for democracy for the senate to pass the For the People Act before August recess. They just blew past it. Here's my read on what that means and what our options are. Three points to pull out: [short thread]
indivisibleteam.medium.com/we-blew-past-t… 1) Missing this deadline means that the anti-gerrymandering provision in the bill is more likely to fail an inevitable court challenge. So the GOP is more likely to succeed in rigging maps next year. That is an unavoidable consequence of missing the deadline. This simply sucks.
Jul 6, 2021 10 tweets 3 min read
The President has not given one single speech or held one single event focused on passing the For the People Act. Where the hell is he on saving our democracy?

My hope is that he changes course, but so far that hasn't happened. Some thoughts on the state of things: Pelosi has prioritized the For the People Act. It passed the House months ago. Schumer says "Failure is not an option" and wrangled 50 votes to move to debate.

There will be a fight on the bill and filibuster reform this month.

Meanwhile, the president is just totally MIA.
Jun 22, 2021 6 tweets 2 min read
We hoped for 50 Dem votes & we got 'em. Here's what's next:
1) Congess leaves town Thursday for recess & is out til July 12.
2) When they return, they have 3 weeks to pass a bill before August recess.
3) What they hear now will determine what they do then.
deadlinefordemocracy.org This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. Focus on what you personally can do.

Got a good Dem senator? Your goal is to make sure they are champions on this every damn day.

Got a wobbly Dem? Your goal is to stiffen their spine.

GOP senator? Make them famous for voter suppression.
Jun 21, 2021 6 tweets 2 min read
Ok I have reached my WTF moment with Biden on this. Tomorrow the Senate will try to vote on the For the People Act. McConnell will filibuster it. What happens next will depend on what we all do. Biden, for his part, is...where? Some thoughts: Is saving democracy a priority for this Administration or not? Rightwing zealots are systematically dismantling our democratic institutions. I don't want to see some tepid public statement. We need to see the President and VP using the full force of their bully pulpit to lead.
Jun 17, 2021 7 tweets 2 min read
What does Manchin propose to cut from For the People? A lot of stuff that was designed to make elections work better and that is WILDLY popular. Quick thread with some polling: Same day voter registration. Not in his proposal. Wildly popular among all parties:
Jun 8, 2021 6 tweets 2 min read
Hi 👋 Nate, author here. The question isn't how Trump performed in WV, but how popular democracy reform is. This is a legislative fight after all. And the For the People Act is wildly popular in WV among Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. If you're wondering why this bill is so darn popular, you could read what the democracy experts are saying...which is that our republic is at risk of crumbling if we don't pass it. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
May 13, 2021 5 tweets 2 min read
The For the People Act is wildly popular...in West Virginia:
-Require disclosure of political funders: 87% favor
-Strengthen lobbying rules: 85% favor
-End gerrymandering: 84% favor
-National voting standards: 79% favor
-Ban electeds from serving on for-profit boards: 76% favor That's why, if you're in West Virginia, you're probably seeing ads like this (identified by an Indivisible volunteer in the state): Image
Apr 30, 2021 9 tweets 3 min read
Manchin does *not* oppose DC statehood, but rather he thinks a constitutional amendment is needed. That's a common misconception - statehood can indeed be granted through legislation, and we look forward updating his staff after their deep dive into this. washingtonpost.com/local/dc-polit… To be clear, it would have been easy for Manchin to say "nope, I'm opposed to DC statehood." He didn't. He raised a process concern based on a false assumption. Up to us to correct the assumption.
Mar 30, 2021 4 tweets 2 min read
WOW WOW WOW. Leaked recording from 2 days after the Jan 6th Capitol mob. Koch-funded operation & McConnell's staff worry about how popular HR 1 is. So popular - even among conservatives! - that they advise simply killing it with the filibuster instead of debating it publicly. This is also 3 days after Dems won the Georgia senate seats, giving them the trifecta that could allow the to pass the For the People Act.

At the same time at the state level, Georgia GOP started scheming to introduce the major voter suppression bill just enacted last week.
Mar 24, 2021 6 tweets 2 min read
Paul Weyrich, founder of the Heritage Foundation 41 years ago:

"I don't want everybody to vote...As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down."

@Heritage is against representative democracy- that’s in its DNA. But read the whole article! It’s terrifying! They are systematically undermining democracy in the states explicitly as a GOP strategy to win in 2022 and 2024.
Mar 22, 2021 5 tweets 2 min read
If you care about climate legislation, this is a must read piece on the lessons from 2009 - the last time Dems had a trifecta and tried (but failed) to pass a big climate bill. rollingstone.com/politics/polit… In 9 easy steps, you too can replicate the 2009 failure:
1) Start by crafting a climate bill with an eye toward GOP support

2) Introduce the House bill & allow conservatives to water it down further

3) Ignore progressive climate activists and amend the bill to get conservatives
Feb 15, 2021 5 tweets 2 min read
I used to handle earmarks for a Member of Congress. They get a bad rap, but I think they're good if done right. Members of Congress get to direct some (less than 1%) of the federal budget to priority projects in their district. Local reps have legitimacy here. They know their districts, represent constituents, and so *should* get to direct some fed funds.

The alternative isn't less spending - it's local reps relinquishing this power to the executive branch, or writing one-size-fits-all legislation.
Jan 27, 2021 5 tweets 1 min read
Absolute must read. The GOP is on track to gerrymander themselves into a House majority next year. Trump is on track to be reelected with a trifecta after that. If you want to avery that catastrophe, Dems have pass democracy reforms NOW. And it'd be helpful for Twitter to pass reforms so I can edit the "to" into the above tweet.
Jan 22, 2021 10 tweets 2 min read
Short version of this argument: "But won't the GOP do a lot of damage after they win in 2022 or beyond??"

This is the anti-reform argument I hear most often, including sometimes from progressives. So I take it seriously, but don't find it persuasive for 2 reasons: 1st counter argument) McConnell + GOP have packed the courts, gutted the voting rights act, & blocked all democracy reforms. Of COURSE they're on a path to winning power again.

To fix this, we need to pass HR 1, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, DC Statehood, and court reform.
Jan 19, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
LOLOLOLOLOLOL! Too bad Mitch, if you wanted that you shouldn't have lost the senate. Elections have consequences. Unfriendly reminder that Mitch used his GOP votes to gut the filibuster twice when Trump was president - once to expedite nominees and once to install reactionary conservatives on the Supreme Court.
Jan 19, 2021 10 tweets 2 min read
Get ready to shift how you think about congress. (quick thread bc Zeke’s asleep)... For 10 years, it was a safe bet that congress would accomplish nothing. Congress was defined by dysfunction, gridlock, or outright white plutocracy under Trump.

But there’s a Dem trifecta for the first time in a decade now, so it's time to make new bets- and make them fast.