Today’s Action: Acknowledging our wins!

Waking up every day to the latest bonkers/offensive/destructive presidential tweet and then watching the Congressional majority treat it like a seriously logical policy directive, fighting back can sometimes feel like banging your head against the wall, right?

But the truth is despite a complete and total lack of government power, progressives have had a stunning number of major victories, not even counting taking back the House and flipping hundreds of legislative seats with the largest blue wave in 45 years. But we did that too, so let’s count it.

Many of us will be understandably exhausted heading into 2019 and with good reason. After all, those victories didn’t happen by accident, they happened because of your hard work. YOU showed up, YOU volunteered for candidates, YOU contact your Members of Congress, YOU signed petitions, YOU grabbed them by the wallets and more.

That’s why 2019 can’t be a time to let up, it’s time to double down. Take a look at all we accomplished with no power and think of what we can do with the House of friggin’ Representatives and more power in states. In 2018…

• Blue Wave! Did we mention that Democrats had massive victories in the House and at the state level. It’s a BFD.
• DACA is still in place – and has been upheld twice in federal court. Thanks to your public outcry, despite Trump’s best efforts, recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals remain securely in this country.
• After the Parkland tragedy, 50 new gun safety laws in place. Without Congressional support, led by the heroic survivors, we moved forward at the state level…and turned corporate sponsors away from the NRA.
• Stopped family separation and reunited 13,000 children with their parents. Entirely through public outcry.
• Months after the National Prison Strike, one million voter rights of former felons restored. In Florida. Big swing state, you may recall.
• Twitter and other social media platforms banned dangerous right wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
• Ivanka Trump was forced to shutter her clothing label after we grabbed retailers by the wallet.
• Scott Pruitt, one of the most corrupt officials in the most corrupt administration ever, was forced to resign in disgrace after we spoke out.
• Passed a Senate resolution to withdraw US military action in Yemen…and the House is expected to follow once logic and reason return to the Capitol on January 3rd.
• Statewide response to Trump’s anti-climate agenda. He moved at the federal level, and a baker’s dozen of states countered.
• Blocked anti-Black Thomas Far from a District Court seat. Because he was racist POS, and we made the Senate see that.
• Pennsylvania’s gerrymandered districts deemed unconstitutional. Knocking down GOP voter manipulation one state at a time.
• …and the woman-writer of today’s action truly means this: Elevated sexual assault to a federal level in the Kavanaugh hearings. We didn’t win that battle, but we showed up for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford with all our might, and the majority of voters heard us, even if the Senate went down the wrong side of history. It will not be forgotten.

Even when times feel dark, your efforts – the phone calls, protest attendance, knocking on doors, registering voters, and showing up at the polls – make a HUGE difference. Today we raise a glass to you, the OD Action community, for your bold progressive activism. Keep up the good work. Our country is counting on it.

Happy New Year.