Take Action
Impeach—and organize.
Trump’s latest impeachable offense—pressuring the president of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in exchange for military support—has captured the nation’s attention in a new way. The national Indivisible team, along with MoveOn and other partners, has a new website to help organize and make sense of impeachment:
In Central Texas, it comes as no surprise that—with the exception of Rep. Lloyd Doggett—not one representative has shown class or spine. Their fealty to a corrupt president is absolute.
“Impeachment is what Vladimir Putin wants,” says Rep. Michael McCaul in a WSJ Op-ed.
Retiring Rep. Bill Flores appears to be gunning for a cabinet position, retweeting conspiracy theories from rightwing nutjobs and telling the press that it’s Pelosi, not Trump, who is violating the rule of law. It’s clear he’s not leaving office because he grew a conscience.
Speaking of rule of law, Sen. John Cornyn says the quiet part out loud: The Senate will never convict, no matter where the evidence leads. What a check! What a balance!
On a conference call, John Cornyn says flatly that, as the Democrats know, "The senate will never convict President Trump." No caveats about judging on the facts or whatever. Nice to hear it plainly.
— the norms misser (@cd_hooks) September 25, 2019
So what can we do?
You can and should continue writing your reps demanding a Yes vote on impeachment. But just as importantly, it’s time to organize against venal politicians like Reps. McCaul, Flores, Roy, Williams and Carter—and especially against Sen. John Cornyn. These guys are hopeless. They are dangerous. They are dragging down our country. Let’s donate, knock doors, and vote them the hell out of office.
Find and support candidates running against venal Trump bootlickers
Use this excellent script by Celeste Pewter when you call your GOP reps
Read: The Texas Politicians Who Have Rallied to Trump’s Defense, From the Gutsy to the Gutless (Texas Monthly)
Let’s talk about the climate crisis
The Trump-Ukraine scandal and the march toward impeachment feels like the biggest story in the world. It’s not. Nixon fell in two weeks, and Trump might too, but the crisis of our overheated planet will outlast every news cycle. And, finally, the world is paying attention. Climate activists organized a global strike. Rallies were held worldwide. Major news outlets dedicated hours of substantive climate coverage. We may finally be at the tipping point needed to save our species. The key is to stay angry, and to channel that anger into action.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m following the impeachment story at every turn. But then I read this and the Ukraine stuff just seems like work gossip from a CVS.” https://t.co/4yAYuCBvDT
— David Wallace-Wells (@dwallacewells) September 26, 2019
Emily Atkin writes in the excellent heated.world newsletter:
All I can say is that, when I understand all these things, I do not primarily feel despair. I feel anger. Because we have the science. We have the solutions. It’s all here, right in front of us, wrapped up in a red satin bow. It’s all been sitting here for literally decades. And no one is fucking doing anything about it.
I strongly believe that anger—at least when it’s directed on behalf of others, particularly those less powerful than you—is essential to effective journalism and effective action. Unlike despair, which is paralyzing, I find it to be a catalyzing emotion.
When I am angry, I am driven to act. When I act, I feel better.
This was in response to two reports issued on the same day: The extremely concerning UN/IPCC report on the health of the world’s oceans, and a report in the journal Science on how oceans could actually be the solution to the climate crisis.
Let’s not despair. Let’s stay angry. And turn that anger into action:
- Scenes from the Austin climate rally
- Subscribe to heated.world
- Tell John Cornyn that his failure to act on the climate crisis is a dereliction of duty
- Read (and share) the text of the Green New Deal. (You can also use this handy web address: indivisibleaustin.com/gnd)
Action of the Week
Indivisible Rosedale Huddle birddogs Rep. McCaul at TribFest
At the end of the session, Rosedale Huddle members rose up and called out McCaul for his fecklessness and avoidance.
Rep. Michael McCaul was at TribFest over the weekend, speaking on a panel with former Obama-era DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson. The topic was “The Threat Assessment” and included questions on the Ukraine whistleblower scandal, Russian election interference, domestic terrorism, and gun violence. For many of the tireless TX10 constituents in the Indivisible Rosedale Huddle, this was the closest to their rep they’d after gotten—after two years of trying.
Here’s Rep. McCaul citing Indivisible members as a driving force for impeachment in the House:
Watch all six McCaul TribFest videos
Events
Thursday, October 3
Naomi Klein, author of “On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal”
7 p.m. at BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar
Event is free. Tickets are required for book signings.
Upcoming:
Tuesday, November 5
Election Day
See what proposed constitutional amendments are on ballot
Saturday, November 9
Join the Austin #SickOfItTX Block Walk
Health care was the top issue for Texas voters in 2018… but state leaders once again failed to expand health coverage in 2019. Indivisible Austin is sick of it. That’s why we’re co-hosting the #SickOfItTX Block Walk for Health Care in Austin on Nov. 9 as part of a statewide weekend of action for health care.
We’ll be asking neighbors three key questions:
- Do you have health insurance?
- Do your children have health insurance?
- What do you do when you get sick?
These conversation starters will help us better understand the needs of our fellow Texans and recruit others to get involved. Then we’ll give our fellow Texans a megaphone so lawmakers will hear them loud and clear.
Go to www.sickofittx.com/events and sign up for the Austin Block Walk.
Also on Facebook >>
Your Moment of Zen
THE GRETA THUNBERG HELPLINE:
For adults angry at a child. pic.twitter.com/JAtIKyG4Va— Mark Humphries (@markhumphries) September 26, 2019