THE DRUMBEAT OF DEMOCRACY - This is what Democracy looks like!

Complacency......  Normally, this is the typical behavior of voters all across America.  From the 50% of eligible voters who are registered and eligible to vote in Presidential elections that never show up at the polls, to mid-term Congressional elections when even fewer voters participate, to local elections - especially School Board elections - where voter turn-out is but a fraction of the 50% Presidential turn-out.  Complacency.....  Never mind  expending the effort to get on a bus or into a car, travel a great distance, make a sign, and march round in the cold for hours.  One impact that the election of Donald Trump has evidently had, is to inject a shot of progressive adrenaline in the veins of concerned Americans all across the nation.  One of those places was a small rural community in up-state New York, Kinderhook.  Kinderhook lies in the NY 19th Congressional District and had been represented by Chris Gibson, a moderate Republican.  In the election that followed, John Faso, the Republican and a former NY State Senator who lost a re-election campaign and became a lobbyist.  He defeated Zephyr Teachout, a liberal Democrat in November and was sworn in last month.

But, before his first month in office, John Faso faced a demonstration and march in front of his office and in front of his nearby home, for the most part, in defense of the Affordable Heath Care Act.  According to press reports - as well as personal observation by myself as a part of the protest, more than 1000 people appeared on 48 hours notice to express support for health Care for all, against the recent Executive Order to ban immigration or visitation from 7 Muslim-majority countries and to prevent refugees from those countries - all of which had nothing to do with terrorist attacks on the United States - from entering the US. The ban, announced the Friday before the Saturday Faso demonstration took place, produced protests all across the nation.  In addition to these burning issues, those who gathered at the Faso office and home, asked the question, "who's side are you on, John Faso, who's side are you on?"  The group submitted a list of concerns and asked the newly-minted Member of Congress to represent THEM and not the Republican establishment like Speaker Paul Ryan (why would Faso represent Wisconsin?), or, even worse, Trumpism.  The list is shown below.

women’s march –NY STATE

 

   

                                                           ISSUES:                                                                                                              January 28, 2017

1.       Protect our health care!  No repeal without improved replacement plan.

2.       Announced cuts to the following entities and agencies:

DOJ:  Violence Against Women Division

             Civil Rights Division Division

             Environmental and Natural Resources Division

3.       Re-instatement of the Global gag Order on abortion and birth control information.

4.      Cuts to the Legal Services Corporation.

5.       Cut Planned Parenthood services funding.  Not that no federal money is used for

abortion services.

6.      HR 7:  A bill to prohibit federal money from being transferred to abortion service providers and insurers, including Medicaid, from support of abortion services.

7.       ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES:

     Cuts to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

     EPA Gag Order issued and announced freeze on EPA grants and contracts.

     Re-instate the Keystone Pipeline in spite of US Army Corps announced study.    

8.      Respect the American tradition of welcoming immigrants to our nation.

9.      Oppose religious test for immigration by name or deed.

In addition, oppose “ALTERNATIVE FACTS.”  As former NY US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, “you are entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts.”  What are “alternative facts?” 

*The White House falsely insists that the Trump Inaugural was larger in attendance than the first Obama inaugural.  Plainly, that was not the case.

*The “Alt. Right” world insists that George Soros bought all 1 million DC Marchers gift bags and paid for their transport to DC, essentially making the BIG LIE that the Women’s March was populated by paid agents of Soros.

* President Trump’s insistence that 3-5,000,000 “illegal votes” were cast in the election and that’s why Clinton had more popular votes than Trump.  Illegal immigrants, “dead” voters, and those registered to vote in 2 or more states (like Ivanka, Steve Bannon, and Jared Kushner?) who ALL voted for Clinton.

Here are some scenes from the Faso demonstration.

Representative Faso later announced that he would not vote to abolish the ACA without a viable and inclusive replacement; that he supports Planned Parenthood funding, that he opposes the announced Executive Order creating a Muslim Ban and a restriction on humanitarian acceptance of refugees, that he believes that "facts are facts" and not "Alternative facts", and that he agreed with several other issues that were raised.  

This is what Democracy looks like.........