Three Wins Today: Dec 5, 2025

Yes it's Saturday, but I had some technical difficulties getting this up yesterday, so it's happening now.

I am seeing way too many posts saying “I will not vote for any Democrat ever again unless they promise to X.”

I’m seeing this from people I know, people I follow, not just random accounts that are probably bots.

But it’s getting louder with every passing day, so it seems like a good time for a reminder.

Please be very specific that you mean “in the primary” not “in the general,” and be very conscious of what primaries you have and what your options are.

For instance. If you live in a state with a jungle/non-partisan primary, if a Democrats isn’t in the top two, then two Republicans will be facing off in the general, so a primary is more like a general election. It’s important to make sure a Dem gets to the general, which means a unified agreement of who that Dem should be.

Or if you’re in a pretty purple area and all Dems really like the progressive Dem, that’s great. Except for the fact that, in your area, that might mean choosing this great progressive Dem who will lose to the Republican, whereas a more moderate Dem could beat them.

It’s all about strategy.

Our end goal is making a more progressive and just world, but we have to be in power to do that. If your favorite candidate is great but can’t win, then that’s not going to create that more progressive world.

You might feel better about yourself, but it won’t change anything for the better.

We have the ability to have a Blue Earthquake next year, but to do that we all have to be on the same page.

Every single time, the worst Democrat is still worth electing over the best Republican. It’s about numbers. The majority in committees, subpoena power, hearings, deciding what comes to the floor and more.

Even Senator John Fetterman or Rep Jared Golden would help make those things possible.

When you’re thinking about not voting for the Democrat, in the primary, who has the best chance of winning the general in your district or the Democrat, period, in the general, you are basically saying that feeling good about your vote is more important than the ability to create change, to move closer to those progressive goals.

The option, in these situations, is never okay or perfect, the option is okay or fascism. And okay gives us the tools to get to that progressive end goal, fascism just undoes the decades of progress we’ve already made.

Please choose wisely. Even if your personal life doesn’t depend on it, the lives of so many other people do.

Stop with the ultimatums and let’s redo the progress we’ve lost and start working towards something better!

National

Sat, Nov 22 - In a 2-1 decision, an Obama appointee, Judge Patricia Millett and a Biden appointee, Judge Michelle Childs refused to stay the lower court ruling saying that ICE cannot violate a person’s due process to speed up deportations.

I hate that that’s even a sentence I have to write, but that’s just the world we live in in 2025.

Anyway, they began the 100 page joint statement with:

As a general matter, federal law affords individuals present in the United States whom the government charges as being removable the right to a hearing before an immigration judge, whose decision is then subject to review by the Board of Immigration Appeals and then by a federal court of appeals.

And the rest of the statement pretty much just expounded on this sentence. The Trump administration can keep trying whatever they want, but more often than not, the law still matters and they get stopped.

That’s really important to remember. Usually we hear about the things they’ve tried, we rarely hear about what happened after the ruling. They want us to be scared. We have to seek out the things that made a difference.

West Virginia

Tue, Dec 2 - The State Supreme Court has stayed a lower court ruling that allowed for religious vaccine requirement exemptions. Yes, you read that right. In West Virginia, the state Board of Education will resume not accepting religious exemption requests for vaccinations. West Virginia. And not just the bigger cities, the entire state.

The WV Board of Education said in a statement:

In light of the West Virginia Supreme Court’s stay of the class certification order and the permanent injunction order entered in Raleigh County Circuit Court, the West Virginia Board of Education is reinstating its directive to county boards of education not to accept religious exemptions to compulsory vaccination laws. This directive will be in effect until the Supreme Court issues further guidance. Our priority is to ensure compliance with W. Va. Code §16-3-4 and safeguard the health and well-being of all students across West Virginia.

It’s a really important reminder that many Red states aren’t as red as they seem and no state is actually a lost cause.

Hopefully this ruling is able to stay.

National

Wed, Dec 3 - Libraries and Museums around the country have received word that the Institute of Museum and Library Services is restoring ALL previously frozen grants. This is really huge.

The president of the American Library Association, Sam Helmick, said:

Restoration of these grants is a massive win for libraries of all kinds in all states. Every public, school and academic library and their patrons benefit from the research findings and program outcomes from individual library and organization grantees.

He continued, on a bit more sober note:

We are breathing a sigh of relief, but the fight is not finished. The administration can appeal court decisions. Congress can choose to not fund IMLS in future years. ALA calls on everyone who values libraries to remind their Congressmembers and elected officials at every level why America’s libraries deserve more, not fewer resources.

First, another reminder that the justice system is working, and, for the most part, the administration is following judicial orders.

Also it’s a reminder that there’s still more work to be done and we need to fight to keep this win permanent. But it’s still a massive win worth celebrating!

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And those are some wins from today. I hope they remind you that we have to keep fighting no matter what and nothing is a lost cause.

Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!