by Marybeth O’Mara
March 14, 2025
Poster spotted by Council of Crones member Joanne B. at the International Women’s Day protest in Chicago last Saturday, March 8.
So, I know that I am getting a bit overwhelmed by the news because I am two days late for this week’s newsletter. The news I am following most closely is threefold:
The budget vote and the Senate Democrats’ non-united approach to voting on Mike Johnson’s continuing resolution;
The growth of organic protests across the country and the growing voter fury fuelling them;
The persistent losses by the Administration in the federal courts, and the portent of potential sanctions against DOGE, as well as restoration of cutbacks in employment and funding.
Let’s take a look at each one.
The Budget Vote
As I write this on Friday afternoon, the Senate’s Minority (ie, Democratic) leadership, including Senators Schumer and Durbin, have clearly signalled that they are tending toward voting both for invoking cloture (ending debate and moving toward a vote on the issue or bill) and for the Continuing Resolution (CR) that was passed in the House this week. The CR was designed and passed without any consultation with Democrats and includes increases in defense spending, a $1 Billion reduction in federal funds to Washington DC, and zero checks on Trump and Musk’s DOGE continued cuts in virtually every federal department and agency. Schumer’s argument is that he believes that the Republicans and Trump will be weaker after 6 more unchecked months of this cray and will be more willing to negotiate. He also believes that the Dems will be accused of a shutdown by voting against the CR, and the Republicans are already framing potential shutdown as a “Schumer Shutdown.” However, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s (loud and persuasive) position is that the Republicans should be forced to negotiate with Dems in order to develop a “Clean CR” that provides some additional checks and balances against the administration and DOGE and that a government shutdown that happens because of a REPUBLICAN failure to negotiate should be blamed 100% on the Republicans who control the House, Senate, and White House.
What can we do?
I have shifted from being Dick Durbin’s most avid pen pal to the level of ex-girlfriend stalker. (Note: I am not Dick Durbin’s ex-girlfriend, not his current girlfriend. My interests are purely political.) I have written or called or faxed him 3 times this week, becoming more strident with each missive. I have found these tools very helpful for contacting my reps and senators, and if you have not used them, consider it today! Voting on this bill is likely to happen tonight.
5 Calls
Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.
Growing Protests
Reporting says that the Tesla Takedown Protests are more effective than is being acknowledged by the White House or Tesla. One piece of evidence supporting this is the stunt they pulled this week that turned the front lawn of the White House into a car lot for Tesla(!!), with Trump making a Big Show of buying a Tesla in order to “prove” how great they are. There is no attempt to try to reconcile the cognitive dissonance of a president who campaigned on overturning any green energy initiatives purchasing an electric vehicle. The Tesla protests are getting more and more traction and must be making Musk increasingly nervous. He is vulnerable to a margin call by his lenders and a no-confidence vote by his Board of Directors if his stock price keeps moving downward. Let’s keep up the pressure.
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TeslaTakedown - Action Network
The #TeslaTakedown movement is growing! Join us for an event in our community—or find one of more than 100 events every week across the country. And if there's not one near you, it's easy to sign up to host your own. Let's fight for our country!
Organic protests keep popping up around new issues that come to our attention. This week has seen protests against the detention (and threatened deportation) of Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian organizer at Columbia University who holds a Green Card. The Federal building in Chicago saw a protest in support of him, as did NYC’s Trump Tower, which led to many arrests of brave protestors. Other protests in support of the VA, various universities under federal attack, immigrants, Ukraine, and federal employee layoffs pop up each weekend. I have not yet found a reliable website that tracks them all, but this one does a decent job, and I am figuring out issue-specific sites to follow (if you have suggestions, please share):
Indivisible Chicago Alliance
The Response of the Courts
I will take a deeper dive into this topic next week, but so far, the administration has had over 100 cases filed against its actions since the Inauguration, and, while the courts move slowly, early feedback has been much more negative to the administration's goals and tactics than supportive of them.
Get outside and enjoy your weekend–and St. Patrick’s Day!
☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️