We cannot organize or litigate our way out of this

A few days ago I read a post urging a boycott of watching the Olympic Games. The virus is increasing in Tokyo. Holding the games endangers the athletes, organizers, and the host city. The games should be canceled or postponed again. The only reason why they’re not is money. NBC would lose maybe billions. Tokyo and Japan would also lose a lot. Because of that we should not allow them to make advertising money off us. So I debated a few days. I’m not much interested in the actual games (well, there’s ice skating at the Winter Games). But I am very much interested in the opening and closing ceremonies where a huge number of countries (over 200 this year) get together and celebrate getting together. That alone is worth something to me (though getting together to see who has the best athletes seems to undermine the goal). About the only other time nations get together is at the United Nations and that isn’t so interesting (though I’m glad they do it). I watched. I’m glad I did. I’m also quick with the mute during commercials. Some of the touching moments: There was a cultural presentation before the athletes entered. I enjoyed it. I was pleased one of the participants out on the field was in a wheelchair. I enjoyed the parade of nations. This time most of the athletes in the parade wore masks. This was not all the athletes because many don’t compete and were told not to come until five days before their event. Instead of one person carrying his country’s flag there are now two – one male and one female. There were a few countries that were all male or all female so only one carrying the flag. Right behind Greece, which is always first as the originator of the games, was a team made up of refugees. They’re not a part of where they live now, but can’t go back to their original country. So they are welcomed a team of refugees. Five years ago there were 10. This time there were 29. When the flame entered the stadium it was passed to three people. One of those was a Japanese baseball legend now old and who could barely walk. So the second held the torch and the third helped with the walking. They took it slow. They handed the flame off to a Paralympic athlete in a wheelchair. An assistant secured the flame in a holder then the athlete wheeled to the next person in the relay. Also in the relay were a doctor and nurse, heroes of the year. Several people from different continents sang verses of John Lennon’s Imagine, where the chorus includes the words, “the world will live as one.” And one thing that didn’t sit well: One of the speakers talked about the “unifying power of sport.” I disagree. When three people walk away with medals and the rest of the field walks away with only the title of “Olympian” and there are frequent chants of “USA! USA!” it doesn’t seem all that unifying. A few days ago Biden did a town hall meeting. He accepted questions from the audience and from moderator Don Lemon. Joan McCarter of Daily Kos reported many people were not happy of some aspects of what he said. Biden answered questions well and without the lies and bluster of the nasty guy. All that is good. However... Biden condemned the voter suppression laws being proposed and passed by Republicans. Then Lemon made it personal. His grandmother was told to count the number of jellybeans in a jar when she tried to vote. So why does Biden protect the filibuster over voting rights? McCarter wrote:

Which makes Biden's answer the second biggest fail in this discussion: "What I also want to do—I want to make sure we bring along not just all the Democrats; we bring along Republicans, who I know know better. They know better than this." They might know better, but they're going to be like his "good man" Rob Portman who is defending insurrectionist, Trumpist Rep. Jim Jordan over finding out the truth about what happened on Jan. 6. Then came Biden's greatest failure of the night. He put the burden of overcoming "Jim Crow on steroids" on the people who got him elected, the people who put him in the White House to end the Republican tyranny in the state. "Look, the American public, you can't stop them from voting," Biden said. "You tried last time. More people voted last time than any time in American history, in the middle of the worst pandemic in American history. […] They're going to show up again. They're going to do it again." Black Voters Matter cofounder Cliff Albright puts it better than I can: "He expects community activists—particularly Black activists—to simply recreate the Herculean effort that it took to mobilize voters in 2020 (and the 2021 GA runoff). And to do so in spite of historic new voter suppression. He lied when he said he’d have our backs."

I add: Biden said, “you can't stop them from voting.” But that’s exactly what Republicans are working to do. Biden doesn’t want to get rid of the filibuster because, “you're going to throw the entire Congress into chaos and nothing will get done.” Really? On what do you make that claim? Biden said the current Senate is getting things done. See the child tax credit payments that are now coming to bank accounts. McCarter reminded us it passed with zero Republican support. McCarter concluded:

What he could do with that bully pulpit is honor the blood, sweat, and tears of the activists who got him to the White House. He could use his power to convince those handful of filibuster reform holdouts that securing voting rights is more important that Senate comity. But first we have to convince him.

Michael Harriot summed it up nicely in a tweet.

Biden’s speech: I’ve just been briefed on a new problem called voter suppression. It sounds TERRIBLE! Democracy is threatened when we don’t let Black people vote. As the most powerful man in America, I say unequivocally: Someone should really do something. Anyway, I’m out.

A day later McCarter wrote about activist responses. In response to Biden saying Americans will respond through voting, Sherrilyn Ifill, the head of NAACP Legal Defense said, “we cannot litigate our way out of this and we cannot organize our way out of this.” Wade Henderson, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said:

The notion that some new coalition can be formed that would allow for greater efforts at organizing and voter turnout is perhaps a bit unrealistic. We have already formed one of the most diverse and strongest coalitions in support of voting rights that ever existed. At the end of the day, that is inadequate to the challenge of the moment. We need federal legislation.

Rev. William Barber, head of the Poor People’s Coalition, took on Biden’s claim that eliminating the filibuster would create chaos:

Biden, I have no doubt you care and desire to do right, but, as a clergy person, let me say pastorally, when you say ending the filibuster will create chaos, that obscures the fact that the filibuster is facilitating chaos.

Rep. Joyce Beatty of the Congressional Black Caucus was part of a protest for voter rights and was arrested. Bill Kristol, a strong conservative and editor of the Weekly Standard, tweeted a reply to the idea that if the filibuster is eliminated Moscow Mitch would use scorched earth tactics:

Dunno. We got rid of the filibuster for judicial and executive branch nominations, and those seem to be one of the few things that do get done. Also there’s no filibuster for reconciliation—and much of the legislation that gets passed does so as part of reconciliation.

McCarter wrote:

There's another point. There are forces at work in the states that no amount of organizing and activism can overcome: Republican redistricting and gerrymandering.

Only federal legislation can lessen or remove that threat. And only Biden’s leadership, which carries great weight, can get these voting rights bills passed. Hunter of Kos reported another reason why Pelosi rejected Rep. Jim Jordan from serving on the committee to investigate the Capitol attack. It’s also the reason why Jordan wanted to disrupt the investigation. He is at least a witness and likely also an accomplice. He should be called to testify. Anthony Michael Kreis tweeted a link to a New York Times article with the title “Why Is the Country Panicking About Critical Race Theory?” Michael Harriot tweeted, “This might answer your question:” and included a headline and photo of an article saying “White Students are Now the Minority in U.S. Public Schools” by Grace Chen. The tweet does not say whether the white birth rate has fallen or whether a lot of white students are in private schools. In another tweet Harriott wrote:

One man’s welfare is another man’s tax credit. “Another man” is white.

I looked at Michigan COVID data today. After the latest revisions the peak in new cases per day for the week of June 27 was 199, for July 4 was 272, for July 11 was 321 with much of the week above 260, for July 18 was 405. That’s a steady rise, though much slower than in October or March that led to huge spikes. Though we’re now in the third week of that rise in cases, the deaths per day has stayed at six and below. I’ve heard a big reason for that is the people most likely to die – the old people – are also the most likely to be vaccinated. The young people aren’t dying in great numbers, but many are still affected by long-term maladies. A long term illness is much worse than any side effects from the vaccine. Bill Kristol again (as quoted by Leah McElrath):

Mandating would be more easily accepted, and less resented, than nagging. People will grudgingly accept, and many will secretly be pleased not to have the responsibility of deciding, and not to have the burden of then defending their decision to relatives, Facebook friends, etc.

It’s time to hear again from good buddy Sen. Joe Manchin. From a post McCarter wrote a week ago ... Manchin met with Democrats from the Texas Legislature staying in Washington DC to deny a quorum to prevent passing voter suppression bills. He talked about voting rights legislation, essentially saying I’m your man. The next day he was the guest of honor at a $5,800 a head fundraiser with major Republican donors saying I’m your man. Texas Republicans are donating to Manchin because he is chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. One more for fun: A minute long video of a guy who builds kinetic sculptures out of LEGO.