I went to my local indie bookstore today to buy Jill Lepore's book We the People. Later discovered it was Constitution Day! Nice timing :) The book looks formidable, but I'm sure it can be read in pieces if it gets too overwhelming.
Btw while I was at the bookstore, I noticed a display of books you could buy for a prisoners' literacy/literature project, so I bought them Tommy Orange's There There, a terrific book. If you are fortunate to have the means to do so, look for such a display in your local bookstore!
Great discussion. Thanks for making the connection. There is at least SOME comfort knowing the polling. Understanding how our government works is half of the problem; the other half is doing our part to help make it work. Having said that, the reforms suggested are good ones. I would add that addressing gerrymandering, the electoral college, and the filibuster are needed reforms as well.
I take comfort from the polling that shows "79% of independents said that President Trump is going too far in trying to get his agenda passed without congressional approval. 21% of Republicans said the same thing, 95% of Democrats. But listen, that's 80% of independents, one out of five Republicans, and basically 100% of Democrats. That's a positive sign that people get it. They get it. The second number I'll give you is that 79% of voters said the primary job of members of Congress is to represent their constituents rather than rubber stamping whatever the president wants." My takeaway from this is that voters will be the ones who can make impact at the polls, especially since Congress is MIA.
I AM very concerned about our democracy (which, as of this writing, may no longer exist).
I DO feel I would like to do more, but feel intimidated by the oligarch money behind tDrump.
I WANT to find an organization that does more than talk about how bad tDrump is.
I went to my local indie bookstore today to buy Jill Lepore's book We the People. Later discovered it was Constitution Day! Nice timing :) The book looks formidable, but I'm sure it can be read in pieces if it gets too overwhelming.
Btw while I was at the bookstore, I noticed a display of books you could buy for a prisoners' literacy/literature project, so I bought them Tommy Orange's There There, a terrific book. If you are fortunate to have the means to do so, look for such a display in your local bookstore!
Great discussion. Thanks for making the connection. There is at least SOME comfort knowing the polling. Understanding how our government works is half of the problem; the other half is doing our part to help make it work. Having said that, the reforms suggested are good ones. I would add that addressing gerrymandering, the electoral college, and the filibuster are needed reforms as well.
I take comfort from the polling that shows "79% of independents said that President Trump is going too far in trying to get his agenda passed without congressional approval. 21% of Republicans said the same thing, 95% of Democrats. But listen, that's 80% of independents, one out of five Republicans, and basically 100% of Democrats. That's a positive sign that people get it. They get it. The second number I'll give you is that 79% of voters said the primary job of members of Congress is to represent their constituents rather than rubber stamping whatever the president wants." My takeaway from this is that voters will be the ones who can make impact at the polls, especially since Congress is MIA.