Got an email in the old email box early this week with the announcement of the new head of the DNC, Ken Martin.
Ken, I hope you realize your job is simply to save democracy and you don’t have a lot of time:
27 minute interview with Marc Elias on. Democracy Docket
The email:
It’s Ken Martin — and I’m honored to be stepping into a new role as chair of the DNC.
I firmly believe that if we’re going to be a national party, we need to compete everywhere, in every place, every election, and at every level of government. And I’m looking forward to building a Party that will do just that.
I ran for DNC chair on a promise to implement a new framework: Build to Win, Build to Expand, Build to Last. Here’s what that looks like to me:
We will build to win by expanding our vision and infrastructure. That means funding parties in all 57 states and territories, meaningfully investing in youth empowerment and mobilization, ensuring there is Democratic infrastructure in every ZIP code, and organizing year-round.
We will build to expand by going on offense everywhere, contesting every race, and embracing our responsibility to support Democrats running at every level.
We will build to last by planning, organizing, and implementing a 10-year strategy that aligns the infrastructure, partnerships, and the people we need to win. We must listen to voters and be willing to dig deep and recenter the Democratic agenda to reestablish who we are in the eyes of American voters.
This is the model we followed during my time as chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party — and it’s worked. Our party won every single statewide election (25-0), secured two trifectas, and was the only state in Democrats’ “Blue Wall” to vote against Trump in 2024.
What’s worked here in Minnesota can work nationally, and together, we’re going to prove it.
To put it simply and plainly, Musk is an improperly hired “employee” and should be fired immediately. He should also be immediately arrested and held for the crimes he has already committed. If you don’t think he has committed any crimes what would you call the billions of dollars worth of computer systems he has compromised in departments such as Treasury and USAID?
He is also acting as a terrorist as he and his high school henchmen threaten the livelihoods of civil servants. If the Republican or MAGA party had any backbone or any fealty to our constitution Musk would be in jail and Trump impeached. But they (especially Grassley and Ernst) are gutless sycophants who will go down in history as mere nameless faces who helped end the republic.
For the average US citizen, do you have any trust in Musk’s high school henchmen? Are you at all concerned that your data that they stole could easily end up on the dark net? Sit down and consider what that could mean.
The firehose of lies and disinformation is running at full force. Hard to even pick a target to go after:
A) 2 billion gallons of what wasted where for political theater by old Stinky Pants?
B) At least one more company joined Costco with commitment to their DEI program. Can you name this company? Hint: airline
C) Our new Secretary of State falsely claimed that US vehicles will no longer have to pay fees when using what international passage?
D) Hey, it is Super Bowl Sunday. The most important question is who is the star of the halftime show this year?
E) Kimmy Reynolds appeared before the US House governmental oversight committee where she admitted to signing a bill that limited what state officer’s ability to do their job?
F) Meanwhile back in Iowa the legislature is hard at work trying to exempt what chemical or chemical company for accountability in cancer lawsuits?
G)Also in tonight’s Super Bowl the NFL decided to remove what uplifting message that was supposed to appear in both end zones for the game?
H) A crime of its time. What commodity worth $40,000 was stolen from a trailer in Pennsylvania?
I) Thanks to Democrats the vote on what controversial Stinky Pants’ nominee was pushed back a week?
J) Well, you probably won’t see this again. For President Biden’s presidency the country gained how many new jobs?
K) Whoopsie! While Stinky Pants really got nothing from Mexico in their tariff negotiations, Mexico did extract a major pledge from the US. What was it?
L) Stumbling in – what former Senate leader suffered 2 falls Wednesday?
M) In a test of the state’s regulations a blind Indiana man was allowed to purchase what last week?
N) Good old Uncle Donold told what visitor that he (Uncle Donold) would take care of fixing up that run-down Gaza Strip?
O) The DOJ has chosen what state for an early legal test of their new immigration policies?
P) Protests were held around the country Wednesday to protest what?
Q) January, 2025 was the warmest January ever. Of the last 19 months how many have been “the warmest {month} on record.”?
R) Talk about waste – How much did DOGE get for expenses last week?
S) How many days did it take Hitler to end democracy in Germany in 1933?
T) US Senators average about 40 calls an hour. Last week what was the average number of calls US Senators were getting?
I’ll say this much for Trump. He’s setting Elon Musk up perfectly to be the fall boy when things start to fall apart, which they will. – Rex Huppke
In case you were not familiar with Jasmine Crockett (3.5 minutes)
Answers:
A) 2 billion gallons of water were released in California on Stinky Pants’ orders. The water was being held for summer irrigation is now gone.
B) Delta Airlines
C) Rubio claimed that US government ships would no longer have to pay fees to cross the Panama Canal – it’s a lie
D) Kendrick Lamar (I have no idea who they are)
E) The State Auditor (Rob Sand)
F) Round up made by Bayer
G) The NFL has removed :End Racism” from both end zones. Must obey in advance.
H) Eggs were stolen from a Pete and Gerry’s distribution trailer in Antrim Township
I) Kash Patel at the FBI. Expect MAGA to bend their knee to Stinky Pants on this next week led by old Chuckles
J) Numbers are not all in but around 15 million.
K) To stop sending guns into Mexico
L) Mitch McConnell. Remember he had polio as a child. Will he vote for Kennedy and his anti-vax program?
M) a gun. No one ever asked or checked if he could see. No state legislators have responded to his questions
N) fellow felon Benjamin Netanyahu
O) Illinois
P) the current president so far
Q) 18
R) seven million dollars for the week
S) 53
T) 1600 – I believe that that does not include those that could not get through. Keep it up
Two weeks ago, what Musk is doing now would be called espionage.
Congress is finalizing its budget plans, and leaders want to slash Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for the powerful and wealthy. They’ve been trying to move fast before we can stand up opposition to their unpopular ideas. But our pressure is catching up to them.
Cutting federal Medicaid dollars means Iowa children won’t be able to get the preventive care they need to thrive, pregnant women won’t have access to maternal care, and seniors will be unable to afford nursing homes and long-term care at home.
We will all pay the price for Medicaid cuts
The sheer size of the proposed Medicaid cuts will ripple across our health care system, placing serious strain on hospitals and nursing homes and driving up uncompensated care. Facilities in rural Iowa, where larger shares of people rely on Medicaid for health insurance, would take the brunt of the damage.
Medicaid is not a piggy bank to raid to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy
The vast majority of voters across political parties view Medicaid favorably. Even President Trump has signaled he wants to protect Medicaid from massive funding cuts.
We’ve created an easy way for you to tell your U.S. House member to stand up against the most extreme members of their caucus. Click below send a message.
Iowa Delegation with Washington DC Phone OR you can call the Capital switchboard at 202-224-3121
Randy Feenstra – (202) 225-4426
Zach Nunn – (202) 225-5476
Mariannette Miller-Meeks(202) 225-6576
Ashley Hinson (202) 225-2911
Chuck Grassley(202) 224-3744
Joni Ernst(202) 224-3254
BTW – pressuring lawmakers does work! Grassley held back the nomination vote on Kash Patel no doubt because of the huge amount of calls to Senatorial offices and the amazing marches on February 5th! Keep it up!
Many have seen the internet abbreviation FAFO. Fuck Around and Find Out. In an older parlance the phrase was “be careful what you ask for, you may get it.” When you get what you want you also get the unadvertised features that can also be a major hit for those pushing for a program.
We have come to expect that people in politics (Democrats anyway) have learned to do due diligence before espousing an action. Donold Trump (or as I like to call him Stinky Pants) never has. Didn’t in his first term, ain’t doing so now and refuses to listen to anyone who in any way disagrees with him. He doesn’t care who gets burned.
So only three weeks into his regime and we are seeing those who are getting hurt the worst are those who voted for him. Farmers in Kansas are about as Trumpy as you get. Here Rachel Maddow tells the story of the farmers in Kansas and how they are getting burned by an almost impromptu policy of shutting down USAID. Who knew screwing farmers would be part of the policy? Maybe if they had done some due diligence?
1. USAID buys 2 billion dollars in food commodities from American farmers. Therefore Kansas leadership is complaining about that loss of business in that red state.
2. USAID opens markets and creates security for US Medicaid, Medicare, construction projects that are now shut down with the federal freeze funding.
3. 52,000 jobs are lost with USAID closure. These are private sector jobs not government jobs
4. Food shipments are sitting in ports getting ready to rot because they can’t send it anywhere.
5. Health clinics and soup kitchens are closed in 120 countries.
6. Ebola in Uganda is surging without our doctors to help stop it from spreading worldwide, including to the USA, drug resistant TB treatment has stopped and if this version of TB spreads we are all in trouble.
7. Authoritarian governments are rejoicing because USAID promotes democracy and good relationships with the USA. Plus friendly locals give us good intelligence.
Interesting that Tuberculosis is a quick exploiter of the loss of medical care in the closing of USAID offices. Shows how vulnerable the US will be to diseases if anti-vaxxer RFK jr. is put in at HHS and Medicare and especially Medicaid are cut back on.
Friday 21 February is John Lewis’ birthday (1940-2020). In honor of his unparalleled work on voting rights and civil rights, PACG Progressive Action for the Common Good folks and our Liberty and Justice Movement and as many others as we can organize, are holding a rally at noon the next day, Saturday 22 February. Moline, IL corner of John Deere Road & 16th St. Parking in Slumberland lot.
Reminders of historical events, birthdays and deaths to take note of during the first part of February, Black History Month.
Saturday February 1st
1865: John S. Rock became the first Black attorney admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court
1902: Poet Langston Hughes is born in Joplin, MO
Sunday February 2nd
1818: Abolitionist Frederick Douglass is born in Talbot County, MD
Monday February 3rd
1947: Percival Prattis becomes first Black news correspondent admitted to the US House and Senate press galleries in Washington DC
1948: Portraitist and illustrator Laura Wheeler Waring passes in Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday February 4th
1913: Rosa Parks, who bravely refused to move to the back of the bus, thus becoming the initiator of the Montgomery, AL bus boycott, is born in Tuskegee, AL
Wednesday February 5th
1934: Hank Arron, major league league baseball home run king is born in Mobile, AL
1994: White supremacist Byron De La Beck is convicted of the murder of Medgar Evers, more than 30 years after Evers was ambushed and shot in the back
Friday February 21st
John Lewis birthday
In Solidarity, Molly Regan Central Committee Member Scott County Iowa Democrats Retired CWA Union member/steward Resistance Organizer
At an early Covid presser before she stopped doing them. Can’t be bothered to answer questions from reporters.
Kim Reynolds testified Wednesday about DOGE (Dept. of Government Efficiency) at a House Oversight Committee. She was supposed to brag about her “money saving” tactics in state government such as tax cuts and cutting programs. It didn’t go well. Questioners asked about de-fanging the state auditor, spending ungodly amounts of tax payer money on private school vouchers with no accountability, and more.
Reynolds tried to give them the same song and dance that she successfully uses with the Iowa press but you could tell she wasn’t used to follow up questions and they appeared to be wearing on her.
There are quite a few clips being passed around. Jasmine Crockett is another one. Reynolds tried to talk over, filibuster, not answer questions and defend – even when she didn’t seem sure about what she was defending.
In case you missed it yesterday. Large crowd, great signs, chants of “lock him up,” and fighting words from democratic senators and reps. @alvarezreports.bsky.social has lots of crowd footage. Follow him on Xitter also.
From the On Tyranny series by Timothy Snyder, Lesson #11 of twenty. Check here for a lesson every Monday or you can find them on YouTube. They are all short videos, no ads.
“Figure things out for yourself.”
“Spend more time with long articles.”
“Subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print media.”
“Realize that some of what is on the internet is there to harm you.”
“Learn about sites that investigate propaganda campaigns some of which come from abroad.”
“In order to be a citizen in a democracy that is threatened you have to be able to defend yourself. And truth is the last line of defense. If there isn’t truth then oligarchy always wins. “
Not sure I can add a lot to Mr. Walz. I hope he and many more continue to speak out loudly and forcefully on those trying to take away our democracy.
What I can add is former presidential candidate, professor and someone who understands what real people are going through in this country, Elizabeth Warren questioning buffoon Robert F. Kennedy, jr. who wants to be in a presidential cabinet.
8 minutes
Keep it up, Democrats! We have nothing to lose but our country.
Governor Kim Keynolds: (515) 281-5211 U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Iowa Members of Congress - Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) - Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) - Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) - Rep. Zach Nunn (R) Iowa US Senators - Senator Joni Ernst (R) - Senator Charles Grassley (R)
From the On Tyranny series by 
Blog For Iowa 