FIDALGO DEMOCRATS NEWS BULLETIN for NOVEMBER, 2016 FEDERAL ACTION/EVENTS

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1 FIDALGO DEMOCRATS NEWS BULLETIN for NOVEMBER, 2016 FEDERAL ACTION/EVENTS Goodman charges dismissed: A September rioting charge against Democracy Now! journalist Amy Goodman was dismissed by a district judge as lacking in probable cause. Earlier, the North Dakota state attorney s charge of criminal trespass was dropped after her arrest for reporting pepper spraying and dog attacks on Native Americans at a Dakota Access Pipeline protest. The charges drew more attention to the conflict over the pipeline. This is a complete vindication of my right as a journalist to cover the attack on the protestors, and of the public s right to know what is happening with the Dakota Access pipeline, said Goodman. ( Nation of Change 10-17) Urging Obama: Sen. Bernie Sanders and 4 Democratic senators sent Pres. Obama a letter urging a stop to the Dakota Access Pipeline pending a review involving tribal leaders, due to threats to the water supply of millions and sacred Indian lands. ( Nation of Change, ) Low turnout: Going into the 2016 elections, Democrats had lost over 900 state legislative seats, 12 governors seats, 69 house seats, and 13 senate seats since Because of low Democratic turnout, Republicans had the biggest Congressional majority since the Depression, going into the elections. (The Progressive Turnout Project, admin@turnoutpac.org, ) Automatic registration: Four states now have automatic voter registration, including Oregon, where 200,000 new voters were registered in (ColorOfChangePAC.org, ) Democratic suits: Democrats sued Donald Trump for voter intimidation in 4 states PA, NV, OH, and AZ for sending vigilantes with guns to polls where minorities vote and videotaping them in order to decrease minority turnout. (The Progressive Turnout Project, ) Another technique used was taking liquor and marijuana into the Philadelphia ghetto to induce minorities to stay away from the polls. (Daily Kos, ) Trump won all those states but NV. Minimum wage initiatives passed: Four states passed minimum wage initiatives: Washington will go to $12.50 by 2020 and Colorado, Arizona, and Maine to $12 by 2020, which the MIT living wage calculator deems a living wage for those states. ( Progressive Breakfast, )

2 New Democratic senators: Democrats did not win a majority in the Senate, but did gain 2 seats, and elected these new senators: Kamala Harris (CA), Tammy Duckworth (MN), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), Maggie Hassan (NH), and Chris Van Hollen (MD). (Tom Lopach, Dir., DSCC) ACLU pledge: The ACLU pledged to fight Pres.-elect Trump s unlawful, unconstitutional, dangerous proposals like deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants, banning Muslims from entering the U.S. and instituting aggressive surveillance against them, restricting women s right to abortion, and changing our libel laws and restricting freedom of expression. They have litigators and activists in every state, thousands of volunteers, and millions of supporters ready to fight back. (Anthony Romero, Executive Director, ACLU, ) Reforming the Electoral College: In U.S. history the president has been chosen by an electoral vote that conflicted with the popular vote 5 times: in 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016, nearly 10% of the time. Since every state has at least 3 electoral votes, there is a bias toward small states and rural whites over urban minorities. Dr. John Koza began the National Popular Vote Campaign to reform the Electoral College after the 2000 election to make every vote count equally and every state matter. (Zachary Roth, NBC News, ) It would not require a constitutional amendment, and could be done in time for the 2020 presidential election through the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement among several states and DC to award their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and DC. As of 2016, it has been joined by 10 states and the DC. Their 165 combined electoral votes amount to 61.1% of the 270 votes needed to take effect. More states are needed to pass the bill joining the compact to total 270 votes. If Democrats do well in the state 2018 elections, they can then pass the bill in 2019 joining the compact to elect the president by popular vote in WA State has already enacted the National Popular Vote law, also CA, HI, NY, NJ, IL, MA, MD, RI, and VT. (Chris Bowers, Executive Campaign Director, Daily Kos, ) New Democratic leadership: Senator Chuck Schumer (NY) was elected Senate Minority Leader, with Senator Patty Murray as Assistant Leader. Senator Bernie Sanders was named to a new Chair of Outreach position, and is also the ranking Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee. Senator Elizabeth Warren was elevated to a Vice Chair. (Huffington Post, )

3 Alternative energy: 600,000 people are employed in clean energy jobs in the U.S. and 1.9 million in energy efficiency jobs. ( FiveThirtyEight, ) Russell Amendment: The House and Senate versions of the defense bill, the NDAA, are being reconciled. The House version includes Rep. Steve Russell s (R-OK) amendment allowing religious discrimination for federal contractors in employment. It would apply across the federal government, gutting Pres. Obama s order against gay discrimination and opening the door to other forms. (PFAW, ) The amendment passed the House without a hearing. 42 Democratic senators signed Sen. R. Blumenthal s (D-CT) letter that it should be removed, saying a filibuster should be considered. (Leslie Marshall, progressive radio KBAI, ) 2016 Turnout: Votes are still coming in on the West coast, and already the 2016 vote is not lower than in 2012, but rather, well above average and expected to tie with 2012 and 1992 at 58% of the voting eligible population, according to the U.S. Election Project. Therefore, Hillary Clinton s defeat was not due to low overall turnout. Possibly turnout was low among key demographics that lean toward Democrats. The pending Census Bureau s Current Population Survey will clarify this. (Chris Bowers, Executive Campaign Director, Daily Kos, ) TPP dead: After years of struggle, the Trans-Pacific Partnership appears to be dead. Pres. Obama and proponents in Congress had hoped to pass the TPP during the lame duck session, but a majority of Congress is now opposed, and the proponents have given up on lame duck passage. Pres.-elect Trump is also opposed. (Rbt. Weissman, President, Public Citizen ) Progressive organizations will keep an eye on the new Congress for attempts to revive it or any similar trade deals. (Shane Larson, Legislative Dir., Communications Workers of America, 11-16) Denouncing Bannon: 169 out of 188 House Democrats, including all 6 WA members, sent Pres.-elect Trump a letter asking that he rescind his appointment of Steve Bannon, CEO of Breitbart News, as Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-02) said, White nationalism, anti- Semitism, misogyny views being promoted by Steve Bannon (whose appt is being cheered by KKK and neo-nazis) have no place in the White House. (Huffington Post, ) Sen. Jeff Merkely (D-OR) has 10 signers, so far, to a similar letter to senators. Second ACLU statement: After the threat of the Trump election, the ACLU received 120,000 donations totaling over $7.2 million. Incoming Legal

4 Director David Cole stated, As the fate of the Bush administration s counterterror measures illustrates, even when the executive seems most invincible, he can be checked. Doing so will take an engaged citizenry, a persistent civil society, a vigilant media, brave insiders, and judges and other government officials who take seriously their responsibility to uphold the Constitution.We live in a constitutional democracy, one that is expressly designed to check the impulses of dangerous men. It will do so if and only if we insist upon it. (Daily Kos, ) Trump settles: After 5 years Pres.-elect Donald Trump has settled two California class-action suits and a New York civil suit for defrauding customers through Trump University for $25 million, in order to avoid a jury trial slated to begin Nov. 28 th. (The Huffington Post, ) Standing Rock: Over 100 Native Americans and allies are being attacked and injured by police with rubber bullets, mace, tear gas, and water cannons in freezing temperatures. Call the White Hs and ND Gov. Dalrymple to stop this. (RootsAction 11-22) Protecting minorities: Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-01) has prime-sponsored a bill to prohibit the U. S. Attorney General from establishing a Muslim registry. (Progressive radio, AM 930, ) If Donald Trump takes people s anger and turns it against Muslims, Hispanics, African Americans and women, we will be his worst nightmare. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Nov. 11, 2016 The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy. Donald J. Trump, Nov. 6, 2012 LOCAL ACTION/EVENTS Suing BNSF: RESources for Sustainable Communities and other groups went to trial Nov. 7 th against the Burlington Northern & Sante Fe Railroad for Clean Water Act violations in polluting the state s waterways with coal dust and other contaminants from open rail cars. Re Sources is seeking $5,000 to offset costs of the trial. (Crina Hoyer, Executive Director, RE Sources, ) A later agreement was reached to put the trial on hold, require a 2-year study by BNSF of ways to cover the coal trains, pay $1 million for conservation or restoration projects in WA, and clean up and remove coal and/or petcoke in certain areas near water. (Mary Ruth Holder, )

5 State election results: WA voters re-elected Gov. Jay Inslee, the nation s greenest governor; Cyrus Habib, climate and clean energy advocate, as new Lt Governor; environmental champion Hilary Franz as new Lands Commissioner; and several new environmental leaders. (Joan Crooks, CEO, Washington Conservation Voters, ) Progressive Lisa Wellman of E. King County defeated Sen. Steve Litzow (R), but we are still 1 vote short of ending the Republican Senate majority. Democrats held a 2-seat majority in the House. Seattle s Sen. Pramila Jayapal won retiring Rep. Jim McDermott s 7 th District Congressional seat with help from Bernie Sanders supporters to become the first Indian-American woman in Congress. ( Seattle Times, ) Initiatives passed were I-1433 to raise the minimum wage, I-1491 to temporarily suspend gun access from dangerous persons, I-735 for a resolution in favor of a constitutional amendment reversing Citizens United, and I-1501 to further reduce fraud of vulnerable persons. Homelessness up: The number of homeless rose 7.3% in WA in 2016 over (HUD, 11-17) Sun., Dec. 4 th, 2 to 4 pm: Next meeting of Our Revolution Skagit, formerly Skagit County for Bernie Sanders after his national campaign, Our Revolution. Focused generally on helping to implement Sanders agenda and going forward after the Trump election. Location is the Skagit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 500 W. Section Street in Mount Vernon. Sun., Dec. 4 th, 3 to 5 pm: Know Your Rights and Prepare for the Future, a presentation for Hispanics in Spanish and Mixteco, location TBD. Sponsored by Skagit Immigrant Rights Council. Sat., Dec, 10 th, 10 am: Skagit County Democrats Re-organization meeting at Skagit County Democrats headquarters, 300 S. First Street, Mount Vernon. Sat., Dec. 10 th, 11 am: Last 40 th Legislative District meeting of the year, San Juan Grange, 152 First Street, Friday Harbor. Walk on 9:30 am ferry for $13.50 round trip. Tues., Dec. 13 th : No Fidalgo Democrats meeting; our next one will be Tuesday, January 10 th. by Corinne Salcedo, Chair

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