12-27-2021 Newsletter

"WE ARE THE MIGHTY RIVER" "In 2018, halfway through the Trump presidency, Michelle Alexander wrote a powerful essay arguing that we are not the resistance. We, she declared, are the mighty river they are trying to dam. I see it flowing, and I see the tributaries that pour into it and swell its power, and I see that once firmly grounded statues and assumptions have become flotsam in its current. "While the right has become far more extreme and has its tens of millions of true believers, it is morphing into a minority sect. This has prompted their desperate scramble to overturn free and fair elections and other democratic processes. "The right is trying to push the water back behind the dam. . . . They can win the battles, but I do not believe they will, in the end, win the war." -- Rebecca Solnit, The Guardian, from Robert Hubbell, Today's Edition, December 22, 2021

LEGISLATORS SCORECARD State Representative David Gomberg provided the links to a few recently released reports where you can review bills considered and individual legislator ratings. The content and scores in the bulleted paragraphs are Rep. Gomberg's. OSPIRG is the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group. Its 2021 state legislative scorecard reviewed 13 bills that were voted on in at least one chamber. The bills focused on reining in the cost of health care, moving Oregon towards zero waste, standing up for consumers, and more. I was pleased to receive a 100% rating. Score for our State Representative, Suzanne Weber: 66% Score for our State Senator, Betsy Johnson: 66% I have long been a vocal champion of animal welfare and twice been named Oregon legislator of the year by the Humane Society. Individual votes are tracked by Humane Voters | Oregon. I was one of six out of 90 members to receive a 100% rating. Score for our State Representative, Suzanne Weber: 25% Score for our State Senator, Betsy Johnson: 50% The Oregon League of Conservation Voters, OLCV, tracked 15 measures related to climate, conservation, and the environment. At 90%, I had the highest rating of any legislator on the Coast. Score for our State Representative, Suzanne Weber: 32% Score for our State Senator, Betsy Johnson: 41%

WHO'S RUNNING "Over 40 candidates who have publicly stated some support of QAnon are running for national office in 2022, and the falsehoods embraced by its supporters are likely to influence the midterm elections." -- New York Times, December 20, 2021   If you don't run for office, who will?

SENATE APPLICATIONS DUE JANUARY 2  Applicants to fill the state senate seat being vacated by Betsy Johnson should contact their county's Democratic Party chair and its PCPs to apply. Applications are due January 2 online. The process to fill the vacancy is set by Oregon state law. Because she was registered as a Democrat while in office, her replacement must be a Democrat. INCO can provide more information about applying; contact incoregon@gmail.com.

BIDEN CAN BRAG . . .  I.  “I would rather not make comparisons to Trump's presidency, which was largely destructive. Biden has accomplished the following: (1) He has restored integrity to the United States government; (2) he is succeeding against the pandemic—except for those who, under a malign influence, have refused vaccination; (3) he has removed our troops from Afghanistan; (4) he has passed a bill to fix roads, bridges, power, the internet; and (5) he has introduced a plan to slow climate change and to improve the lives of children and families—a plan on which he and the rest of the Democrats can campaign on for the 2022 election.”  --Len Lubinsky, quoted in Robert Hubbell, Today's Edition, December 22, 2021 2. America's economy is stronger than in decades. "According to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal—which are certainly not giddy media outlets—U.S. economic output has jumped more than 7% in the last three months of 2021. Overall growth for 2021 should be about 6%, and economists predict growth of around 4% in 2022—the highest numbers the U.S. has seen in decades. China’s growth in the same period will be 4%, and the eurozone (which is made up of the member countries of the European Union that use the euro) will grow at 2%." Heather Cox Richardson provides more details here. Robert Hubbell adds to the good news here. 3. Build Back Better is a moral imperative. Watch this West Virginia mom testify to Congress about child and family poverty in the US.  Does Senator Joe Manchin care? Evidently not. He wants to kill the Child Tax Credit.     AND SO CAN WE! Share the good news of Biden's accomplishments by writing a Letter to the Editor (LTE). A few sentences up to 250 words can encourage and inform readers. Email to editor@dailyastorian.com, along with your full name, address, and contact info.

HAPPENINGS  Tuesday, January 11 - INCO South County Community Group Zoom meeting, 6:30 pm - 8 pm. Please RSVP to Kathleenannmacdonald@yahoo.com thru Monday, January 10 for your Zoom link. Saturday, January 15 - INCO Warrenton Community Group, in person meeting, 11 a.m. Location TBA. Contact incoregon@gmail.com by January 13 for more information. Saturday, January 22 - INCO Astoria - North County Community Group Zoom meeting, 11am - noon. If you are new to this group, contact incoregon@gmail.com by December 10 to get the Zoom link.  INCO Write to Voters (WTV) Virtual Group. No WTV group on December 24 or 31. WTV returns January 7, 2022. If you are new to this group, contact incoregon@gmail.com to get the Zoom link.  Write To Voters - Research shows that your letters to voters increased voter turnout significantly. Elections and issue campaigns need you year-round. INCO encourages you to sign up to write to voters at www.postcardstovoters.org. For general Get Out the Vote letter campaigns, sign up at Vote Forward. For supplies, stamps, or information, contact incoregon@gmail.com.

INSIGHTS "The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on." --Barack Obama

Comments, news, and photos to INCO at incoregon@gmail.com.  Resources and other information at www.incoregon.org and www.indivisible.org. Encourage others to sign up for the INCO newsletter at our website or here. Look for the INCO column in Hipfish Monthly. We're on Facebook, too. INCO Weekly Newsletter   December 27, 2021