House Democrats are mostly led by Progressives wanting change.
I know, you see Hakeem Jeffries and think I’m full of it, but remember, Jeffries has to moderate his positions to represent the whole caucus, which is incredibly diverse whether you like it or not.
But if you wanna see his true positions, look at who he’s put in leadership positions.
He, along with the Steering Committee, choose who gets to be in on what Committees and who leads them. And that’s not even mentioning the task forces.
Everything that House Dems do as a collective, Jeffries signs off on. (notice how I said, “as a collective.”)
But he doesn’t do it alone, he sets the strategy and trajectory and the Committee leaders implement it (to the best of their ability in the minority.)
These include:
Jim McGovern - Rules Committee Ranking Member
Rules is where EVERYTHING happens.
It’s where the rules for the floor are determined. Will there be debate, how long will that debate be? What amendments can be added to the final bill?
But they also create the rules for the House. When (we’re manifesting here) Dems take control of the House in January, they can vote to create rules around sexual harassment, or ban stock trading within the House.
Suffice it to say this is THE most powerful committee in the House.
Currently there are 4 Dems and 9 Republicans. When we get the majority, that will flip.
And Rep McGovern is a fantastic chair. During Trump’s first term he was able to bring more diversity, equity and ethics to Congress. I have no doubt this time around he will do that again.
Congressman Robert Garcia - Oversight Committee Ranking Member
Oversight is in charge of holding the government accountable. Actually, they’re in charge of holding EVERYONE accountable.
When you talk about investigations, that’s all Garcia. DHS, Department of Education, Treasury, DOJ, and of course, President — it will be up to Garcia to determine how we hold them all accountable and who will get impeachment hearings.
And non government we’re looking at things like the Paramount/Warner Bros merger. They also got involved in Big Oil’s greenwashing campaigns in 2022 and book bans in 2023.
Most things you want Jeffries to say, Garcia is saying them, and he’s the one who should be.
Rep. Jamie Raskin - Judiciary Committee Ranking Member
Judiciary is basically the law group of Congress. They are in charge of all bills, hearings etc related to our current Judiciary branch from Circuit Court to SCOTUS.
But they are also in charge of all legal concepts too, like civil liberties. Any legislation that has anything to do with a legal proceeding goes through them.
So all the illegal things Republicans are letting Trump and his cronies get away with? This committee is gonna be more important than ever.
Not to mention, they also are involved with impeachment.
Rosa DeLauro - Appropriations Committee Ranking Member
All committees create their needed budget for the coming year, but it’s not put together and fully ironed out till it goes through Appropriations.
They are in charge of the budget. They determine how our tax payer dollars are spent. Do we invest in this wasteful Iran war or healthcare?
When we get the majority, they will be the check on all the ridiculous things Trump wants funding for.
And given that, yeah DeLauro could be better on social media. And if she were to step down in January, since she is the oldest of this list, there are some pretty phenomenal people on that committee who could potentially take up the reigns.
Reps like Mark Pocan or Lauren Underwood. Two of my FAVORITE members would both make outstanding chairs.
And last but CERTAINLY not least:
Joe Morelle - House Administration Committee Ranking Member
House Administration is in charge of election reform and oversight of the entire Capitol Campus, this includes: Capitol Police, Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, Clerk of the House, Sergeant at Arms, and more.
I will be interviewing Rep Morelle about election reform and protection in the near future, but in the meantime you can check out my interview with him about Supreme Court reform, which gives more of a glimpse into how this committee operates.
And that’s the House. Jeffries gets all the attention, but he’s only the tip of the iceberg. So much of the detail work is done by Jim McGovern, Robert Garcia, Jamie Raskin. Rosa DeLauro and Joe Morelle.
These are the most important Dems in the House of Representatives.
You want a confirmation of impeachment being a priority? That’s Garcia.
You want to know that Dems are going to defend the trans community? That’s Raskin.
You want to see how we’re protecting elections? That’s Morelle
Jeffries is the conductor, but he can’t do anything if each instrument isn’t doing their part.
So, listen to these leaders, not just Jeffries.
And you might surprise yourself and find that you actually do agree with what he’s prioritizing.
And hopefully it motivates you to vote in November so these amazing Reps can become chairs and show what they’re really capable of.
Let’s get the majority!
Arizona
Tue, July 28 - The Arizona Republican legislature tried to weaponize antisemitism and failed.
Essentially they wanted to take away the ability for teachers to defend themselves if they were accused of antisemitism. No other type of bigotry, just antisemitism. But the real goal, and result would have been shutting down the Arizona Education Association entirely.
This was retaliation for the AEA attempting to get voters to reform and limit school vouchers. Which didn’t get on the ballot either, by the way. There were duplicate signatures and it was unclear if they passed the required threshold, so while they could hypothetically get it on the ballot, there’s just not enough time to do so before the Midterm.
But while AEA’s measure didn’t make it on the ballot because of the signature discrepancy, Superior Court Judge, Gregory Como determined that the Republican measure was just unconstitutional.
A ballot measure that got rid of one union would be fine, but Arizona has the “Separate Amendment Rule,” which means each ballot measure can only affect one thing, The AEA filed a lawsuit saying that the Republican ballot measure would shut down all unions, not just AEA, and Judge Gregory Como agreed:
The Court finds no ambiguity in the phrase “this state or any political subdivision of this state may not negotiate with a labor organization.” The term “labor organization” does not require interpretation because it is defined in HCR 2040 as “any employee representation organization that exists for the purpose of dealing with employers.” Far from limiting the term to teachers’ unions or school employee associations, the definition does not even mention such organizations.
This is a huge win not just for the AEA, but all unions in the state.
I’m sure, if given the opportunity, the Republican legislature will take this ruling under advisement and craft a new bill that doesn’t violate the “Separate Amendment Rule.”
So if you live in Arizona and are wondering why you should vote, here’s a great reason: increasing the number of Dems in the state legislature so Republicans can’t do this.
You can register to vote till Oct 5, and early voting begins on Oct 7, so make a plan and let’s make it so Republicans can never put a measure like this on the ballot again.
Ord, Nebraska
Mon Aug 3 - With a unanimous vote on their city council, Ord Nebraska, with a population of 2100, became the first city in Nebraska to deactivate their Flock cameras.
They are one of 23 communities in the entire country to deactivate already existing cameras. With an additional 77 having either rejected or canceled contracts.
As is often true, this was only possible because the community made noise. Mayor Jeramy Sedlacek told 10 11 Now after the vote:
The people of Ord spoke out. They’re our constituents. That’s who elects us, and that’s who we gotta represent, And they turned out in a good mass of people last night at our agenda or at our meeting. And, very calm, very civil conversations, but we just did what they wanted.
It’s easy to forget, but this what all elected officials should be doing. Our voices make a difference, especially when we elect people who run for office for all the right reasons.
This is a huge win for the activists who fought for this outcome, but also the voters who elected someone who cares what they think.
This is why local elections are so important. If your politicians listen to their constituents, vote to keep them, if they don’t, vote to get rid of them, and get your neighbors to do the same, it really is that simple.
Utah
Mon, Aug 3 - Planned Parenthood Utah announced that they will now provide menopause and perimenopause services.
A lot of people think of Planned Parenthood as the abortion service, and they do do that, but they’re so much more.
There’s some attention and resources for menopause but very little for perimenopause as you can easily see in the comments of the Threads post PPUT made announcing these new services.
As Shireen Ghorbani, President & CEO, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah said:
Perimenopause and menopause have long been misunderstood and under-researched, leaving many people without the care or information they need. As trusted providers of reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood is working to meet patients’ needs and expand access to care during this stage of life.
Each State Planned Parenthood organization runs interdependently and they all provide different services, so it’s very cool to see these services come to Utah at all of their facilities.
Watching healthcare for people who can get pregnant be taken more seriously is ALWAYS a win!
And this is just another reason we need Dems in Congress. Republicans don’t want to keep Planned Parenthood funded, but Dems do.
So those are today’s stories. I specifically choose stories that showcase why voting matters, but I really could have chosen any story to show that cause every decision made in this country comes back to elections.
If you want to see more, follow and subscribe for all the nuanced anti-doomerism content. And share with your friends and family as well!
Get a paid subscription so all my posts come straight to your inbox!
And join my voting group to make your next election as seamless as possible!
Your votes is your voice and that voice is your superpower, but only when you use it!
If you made it to the end of this post, comment 🍎 (apple) cause we need to support our teachers unions!
🍎