Evening Roundup, September 19
Featuring Governor JB Pritzker, Sen. Andy Kim, Carron J. Phillips, Mary McCord, Meredith Blake, Randi Weingarten, "Undaunted," "Deplorable," Ruben Bolling, Jamie Schler, Pet of the Week, and Pod!
Be Loud — For America
By Governor JB Pritzker
I have spent the last few weeks addressing and preparing for a military invasion by the President of the United States. No, I’m not a soldier or a foreign adversary. I’m the Governor of Illinois, one of our nation’s largest and most prosperous states.
An anti-corruption bill, protecting healthcare, and the power of service: Senator Andy Kim in conversation
Jen Rubin talks with Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) about his anti-corruption bill banning stock trading, protecting health care by avoiding a Republican shutdown, and the importance of service.
The sports world isn’t ‘sticking to sports’ anymore—and we all know why
By Carron J. Phillips
Double standards become apparent when you realize where the people who run the teams stand.
The First Amendment and judicial proceedings: Mary McCord in conversation
Mary McCord, executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law School, joined Jen to talk about the First Amendment and the government’s duty to be truthful in judicial proceedings.
Culture Recs: Robert Redford's Cinematic Legacy
Hollywood legend Robert Redford died this week at home in Utah. He was somehow 89, though his generous swoosh of rusty blond hair gave him a perpetually boyish look.
Public education in the face of fascism: Randi Weingarten in conversation
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, joined Jen to talk about her new book, “Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy,” the importance of education, and especially civics education, when facing an authoritarian regime. “It’s the fascistic behavior that we’re looking at, and it’s what teacher…
Undaunted
Dictators always fear comedians. (It’s no coincidence Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was a comic before he was a political leader.) Autocrats, notoriously thin-skinned, cannot stand to be mocked. They demand obedience. When Donald Trump, a ridiculously thin-skinned despot, and his FCC lackey Brendan Carr pressured ABC to take Jimmy Kimmel off th…
Contrarian Pet of the Week
We told you we wanted to have fun, and we take fun seriously at The Contrarian. Each week we will share The Contrarian pet(s) of the week. (The pet need not be contrarian.) Subscribers are invited to submit their furry friend!
The GOP can't keep government open & 'Why Fascists Fear Teachers'
A potential government shutdown is looming over Washington, and while Republicans control the White House, the Senate, and the House, they’re still blaming (who else?) the Democrats for their inability to get anything done.
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This could be the Mother of All Spending Strikes. The looming government shutdown is an opportunity to hold the Rat accountable and stop his atrocities, and the fascist takeover of the country. We, the People cannot easily withhold our tax dollars from the Rat, but the Dems in the Senate have that opportunity.
A U.S. president cannot spend money without an appropriation from Congress, which holds the "power of the purse".
Direct spending is prohibited.
Constitutional power: The Constitution's Appropriations Clause states, "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law".
The Dems in the Senate must have a list of demands under which they would vote to keep the government running. Such as, the Congress sets tariffs, ICE only goes after violent convicted felons, no one is deported to a third party country, and so forth. And that willingness to fund the government would be on a week to week basis, to prevent the Rat from going back on his commitment.
If congress refuses to authorize appropriations, the Rat will not have money to operate his corrupt, inept, sadistic government. A chance for the Dems to prove they’re not the feckless cowards they’ve been up until now.
Millions of Americans are especially concerned about rising healthcare premiums, cuts to Medicare, and cuts to Medicaid and added burdens for Medicaid recipients - all key features of MAGA budgeting to serve the greed of billionaire donors and supplicants.
This is one powerful reason not to fund the regime unless changes are made to address the growing crisis in healthcare access and costs.