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Issa Says Obamacare is ‘Stalin-type Socialism,’ Advocates for ‘Freedom’ (to Die)

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Repealing Obamacare is a choice between free market and Stalin-type socialism, said San Diego Congressman Darrell Issa on a call-in radio show this week.

The health care bill written by Republicans on beverage napkins over lunch on Thursday affecting one-sixth of the economy is, I gather, all about “freedom,” the GOP’s code word for unfettered greed, lack of empathy, and government-enforced poverty.  

The pieces of “Skinny Repeal” we already know about will raise insurance premiums by 20% while causing 16 million fewer people to have coverage next year. Americans who are low-income, older or living in rural communities would no longer be able to afford insurance — while the savings from the bill would be applied to tax cuts for the wealthy.   [Read more…]

President Trump Plays Trans Bigot Card As Senate Mulls ‘Skinny Repeal’

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UPDATE: Politico reports Trump’s ban on transgender military service was a trade off for border wall funding votes in the House.

So much winning! The President of the United States has had a remarkable week so far, hijacking a Boy Scout Jamboree by leading them to boo his political opponents, held a campaign rally in Ohio saying only Abraham Lincoln was more Presidential than he was, and issued an executive tweet banning transgender people from the military without informing the Pentagon.

Meanwhile, Trump’s minions in the Senate are slogging along, trying to find a way to save face with their big donors on their promises to eliminate health care access to millions of people.   [Read more…]

I’m Not a Patriot

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I’m not a patriot. I’m just a citizen.

A citizen who pays taxes on time, and watches out for people attempting to cross busy streets by way of blinking crosswalks placed as memorials to those once killed by a sports sedan driven by someone in a hurry.

I haven’t been a patriot for a very long time. Not since Vietnam, when a leading general was caught in the crosshairs of a confusion so profound that he actually said:

In order to save the village we had to destroy it.

Who benefited from that transparent oddity?  Certainly not the general, for he unintentionally revealed the damage our patriotic vainglory does to common sense.  Long ago sense was made uncommon so that money could be made instead.   [Read more…]

In Congress This Week: July 24, 2017

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By Indivisible 49

House

Monday: Voting on a series of VA and small business bills

Tuesday: House to vote on sanctions against Russia for election meddling.

Friday: Vote on Secret Act.

Senate

Tuesday: Vote to start debating ACA repeal and/or replace. It is unclear which bill the Senate would be debating.

The GOP: Is affecting one-sixth of our economy with one irresponsible decision after the other.

Inside Issa Watch, plus a quick look at bills coming down the pike ….   [Read more…]

Innocent People Don’t Need Preemptive Pardons – Progressive Activist Calendar for San Diego: July 21- 31, 2017

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The first 44 Presidents of the United States didn’t contemplate pardoning their children. Now we’ve learned number 45 may be breaking this precedent.

The Washington Post is reporting that Trump is discussing the possibility of pardoning himself, his family, and his closest aides in response to news about investigators looking into his finances as well as his campaign’s complicity in Russia’s subversion of the 2016 election.

His legal team, according to reporting at the Post and a NY Times story, is digging up dirt on the special counsel investigators in an attempt to discredit them.

The media is rife with speculation concerning the employment security of the Attorney General and the Special Counsel.

For right now, it’s all just talk. But the President’s disregard for constitutionally derived checks and balances has never been clearer.   [Read more…]

Progressive Candidate Gayle McLaughlin Speaking in San Diego

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From Our Revolution North County

Progressive activist Gayle McLaughlin, running for Lieutenant Governor of California as an independent, will be speaking in San Diego on Thursday, July 20 at the IBEW 569 Hall.

The Richmond, CA story (Population 107,000) should serve as a primer for progressives nationwide on what is possible with coalition building and grassroots organizing. McLaughlin was a founder of the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA), a nonpartisan progressive group in western Contra Costa County, composed of members of the Green Party, Democratic Party, and the Peace and Freedom Party, as well as independent voters.

During McLaughlin’s term, voters defeated initiatives sponsored by Chevron, which has a refinery in the city, to the tune of millions of dollars aimed at undermining her leadership. After a fire at the refinery sent 15,000 residents to the hospital, the city sued the company for damages.      [Read more…]

In Congress This Week: July 17, 2017

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By Indivisible 49

House – Schedule up late. Check here for complete weekly schedule.

Senate –  TrumpCare vote that was supposed to happen this week is delayed. Revised bill in peril, still stinking of hurting millions of Americans. Question for the GOP geniuses “running” our country: Does having an empty shell of a health insurance plan that doesn’t cover anything count as insurance? The GOP is still bent on “winning” and pushing the bill through rather than getting down to the hard work of legislating. We see you.   [Read more…]

Last Call for Repeal, Replace, Or ? Progressive Activist Calendar for San Diego: July 14- 25, 2017

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San Diego Pride Weekend Plus Dozens of Other Events 

Who knew one vote could be so important? That’s all it will take to stop TreasonCare V.3 in the United States Senate. Two key Senators on opposite ends of the GOP political spectrum have already said ‘no way.’

At this point, anything perceived as “win” is all the GOP wants. They’ll promise or say anything to get there. A whopping 61% of the American public opposes the plan.

So, if you know people in states with Senators known to be wavering on this legislation, make a call, send a text, or DM urging them to send a message to Capitol Hill.  

In the meantime, there is lots of activist action in San Diego over the next ten days.   [Read more…]

The Arc of San Diego’s Moral Universe Bends Oh So Slowly

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America’s Finest City isn’t really all that fine, sometimes. Especially if you happen to be a homeless human. Or a whistleblower. Or a woman. Or a protester. The same old, same old, keeps on happening, and like cartoon character Charlie Brown going after that football Lucy’s holding for him, we keep falling for it.

An $80 million commitment in funding for homeless services announced last week is just the latest in a series of moves designed to make people think something is being done by local officials.

The promises keep piling up and so do all the tents on city sidewalks and in parks. Money is being poured into a bucket with several holes in it. There is simply no way these dollars will create enough housing to catch up with demand.   [Read more…]

In Congress This Week – July 10, 2017

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By Indivisible 49

TrumpCare and the Senate – Where are we?

After the recess, TrumpCare is losing steam. So, how might this go? One way that some Repubs, including Ted Cruz, have advocated for is repeal without replacing the ACA. This would be dumb. This article sums up why. Another way it could go, is not repealing the ACA at all and focusing on fixing it. Mitch McConnell has mentioned this a number of times now–including a few days ago. This would require working with the Democrats. Keep up the pressure!   [Read more…]

Progressive Activist Calendar for San Diego: July 7- 18, 2017. Get Ready to Show Some Pride!

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Five days of rioting followed a June 28, 1969, police raid on the Stonewall bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village mark the beginning of contemporary Gay Pride activities around the United States.

Groups with radical-sounding names and agendas like the Gay Liberation Front or the Gay Activist Alliance became part of the landscape of protest in the era of Black Power, anti-war protests, Women’s Liberation, and the Counterculture movement.

The first local Gay-In was held in December 1970 at Presidio Park, organized by the nascent San Diego State Gay Liberation Front.

Much has changed since those early days, where simply being gay exposed people to felony charges in most states. Community organizing enabled economic and political power, leading to increased visibility, and, most importantly, to a greater degree of equality in the eyes of the law.   [Read more…]

SD Sheriffs Stand By as Alt-Reich ‘Proud Boys’ Disrupt Impeachment Rally

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There were rallies calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump in cities around the United States on Sunday. Supporters of the President turned out for counter protests in Austin, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York. Law enforcement officers in those cities worked to keep the groups separated, allowing each to express their First Amendment rights.

The situation in San Diego at the County Administration Building was different, as Sheriff’s Deputies initially stood by idly and watched as members of the ‘Proud Boys’ disrupted, threatened and harassed attendees and speakers.

The Southern Poverty Law Center called this group an “Alt-Right Fight Club” in an article following the April street fighting in Berkeley, California. Many of the disrupters came down from Orange County. Some wore helmets and appeared as though they were ready for combat; others kept their battle gear tethered to their belts or hidden under American flag capes they wore.   [Read more…]

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