Issue 1: First Contact; Staying Informed and Steve Bannon
Dear Runners (is that what we should call ourselves? We’ll figure it out),
There is a LOT going on right now. I hope you heard about or signed up for this newsletter because you’d like to hear a little bit about it all from yours truly’s perspective. I’m going to try my best to cull through ALLLL the information that is out there and give you only what I think is best and most relevant to all of us. I’m going to fail sometimes. I’m not going to be diverse enough. I’m going to miss things that are BIG and things that are small. I’m counting on you guys to let me know if this isn’t working and how I can fix it. I’d like to start by thanking my friend Felecia for inadvertently giving me this idea. Also my lovely Michael for being the best male feminist I know and always supporting me. And finally all of you for signing up to hear wacky shit from someone that, in some cases, you barely know, and in others, you know wayyyy too well to trust that I will tell you anything sane. Let’s fix this together ❤. Now on to the main event!
Topic 1: Staying Informed
One of the main goals of this newsletter is to keep people informed. I will do my best to be accurate and relevant, and we have to expect our other news sources to do the same. This isn’t going to be as easy as you think in the coming years. A recent Buzzfeed post showed that during the last three months of the campaign, top fake election stories on Facebook outperformed all top stories from the major, legitimate news networks. On top of that, reliable media has the real potential to become more difficult to access under Donald’s administration than it is now. Donald has banned or threatened to ban news organizations like the New York Times, Politico, the Washington Post, and Univision from his press events and has hinted he will continue to do so in the White House, possibly removing their press credentials. He has threatened to sue the Times in particular for libel. Even worse: Donald, as we know, is a liar. There is going to be misinformation galore. He and his advisers are going to say he didn’t say things that he, in fact, said.
How do we fight it? Pick your news sources carefully. There has been a document going around created by Melissa Zimdars, assistant professor of media studies at Merrimack University, that has a list of fake and misleading news sources, as well as how to identify others. Give it a look. Save it to your drives. Become an expert. There is also a Chrome extension based on Professor Zimdar’s list. It will give you a harmless pop-up if you are visiting a news source that is likely fake or misleading.
NPR is one news source that has been doing some excellent factchecking all election. The factchecking doesn’t end because the debates are over; it has to be even stronger now. Their factcheck of Donald’s 100 Day Plan in particular is superb. If you only read one link from this letter, make it that.
In addition, support your left leaning and independent media outlets. This article from Feministing has some examples of who to support and how to do it. One idea I particularly liked was getting a Washington Post or New York Times subscription for people as Christmas gifts. My dad seemed genuinely excited by the idea of having another paper to read, so I’m not ruining Christmas, and these places will need it.
Finally:
Don’t look away, even from unpleasant news. I plan to tell you ALL the bad things I can that Donald and his team are concocting. This is not to depress you, but to remind you. This isn’t normal. Keep reading. Keep knowing.
Topic 2: Steve Bannon
Steve Bannon, Donald’s choice for chief strategist, is a bad. guy. Really bad. There is still time to stop Donald’s appointment of this man. It is unlikely but we have to try. The biggest strategies on offer right now are through the Southern Poverty Law Center (you can sign their petition here), and by direct calling of your representatives in Congress. It has been widely circulated in the last week that attending town halls is the most effective way to reach your representatives, closely followed by calling the local offices. This call sheet has basic scripts for talking to your Representative on the phone, as well as phone numbers (though those are the National office phone numbers). Particularly pay attention to the “tips and strategies” tab. Use that in conjunction with this list of Republicans who have denounced Donald in some form. If your Rep is Republican but he or she is anti-Donald, press that advantage if you can.
There are also a number of local efforts on this. If you’re in New York, I’ve seen that Senator Gillibrand specifically is collecting names to use as a tally on the floor against appointing Bannon. I have not confirmed this from a source I deem reliable but there is no harm in calling one of the local offices. There was a protest this morning in DC that you can RSVP for here (despite the fact that the protest is over, registering will likely put you on the group’s listserv for future events). There are similar events all across the country.
What is the likelihood that these efforts will stop Bannon’s appointment? As far as I can tell: low.
Why do them anyway? This piece from Slate on Senate confirmation of White House appointments is super useful, and shows there is some hope just because Donald has to cooperate with the Senate to some degree on at least some appointments. At the very least, Donald’s administration won’t want a knock down drag out fight on every Senate-confirmed appointment since there are almost 1,000 of them. If we show we’re serious about the fight we can hopefully push future appointments in a more moderate direction. Bloomberg points out that:
“[O]utside opposition [to appointments] can raise the cost, perhaps even higher than Trump is willing to pay. Organized groups and individual constituents can demand that every member of Congress, in both parties and both chambers, go on record as supporting or opposing the selection of Bannon. It’s true that presidents are entitled to the staff they want, but members of Congress routinely offer their opinions on such selections — and so those opposed should push hard to get a response.”
AND: Because we have no choice. We cannot, will not, let a misogynist, anti-Semite, sexual predator, white supremacist be given a high profile post without a fight. This will be the tune of the next several years so get used to it. We will not win every battle. We may not win even most battles. Donald has the Executive and Legislative branches on his side (and possibly soon the Judicial as well). We’re the Rebel Alliance here. It’s going to be hard.
Despite my best efforts, this has gotten pretty long. I hope this was informative for a first issue. I thought these two topics were the most pressing today. If this was a good read for you, consider subscribing to the newsletter version at http://tinyletter.com/theforerunner. I have also created a Pinterest board for this newsletter, where I literally just pin ALL articles and links I’m considering sharing. That board is unorganized and less vetted, but at least it will have everything collected somewhere if you want to look.
As I close, I can make you one promise I will keep no matter what. I will always….ALWAYS…………………………..
end these letters with a picture of my dog, Maple.
In solidarity,
JM
This weeks’ event link round-up (local to DC unless otherwise noted)*:
November 18: Fundraising and volunteer awareness event hosted by DC United Against Hate
November 19 and 20: Protests hosted by Dumbledore’s Army at Trump Hotel (facebook link)
November 20: (Silver Spring) Stand Up to join local Montgomery County, MD officials to reaffirm MoCo’s inclusion and respect for all
November 20: Active Bystander Training and Rapid Response Team Brainstorm hosted by Stand Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) DC (NOTE: This event is FULL but I recommend filling out the form if you’re interested because they will email you about future events)
November 20: Stand up for Standing Rock protest at the White House (facebook link)
*These events are vetted in a sense by me. I will try to tell you if they’re full, and I only posted them if I think they’re legitimate or worth going to in some way.
