This is the next of a new series of missives on our unfinished work to restore the promise of our country and its government. Each will focus on a single element of the many opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Each will provide three steps we can all take to build upon our huge victories winning back the House in 2018 and the Presidency in 2020.
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It has gone better than planned. After he was elected President of the United States, Joe Biden expected he was going to have to settle for 48 Senators on his side. Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff and Stacie Abrams and all of the rest of us got him to 50 on January 5. Of course, we had a little help from Donald Trump, but by then he owed us a lot more than two Senate seats.
At 48 Democrats, Biden would have needed two votes from Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney to pass the American Rescue Plan. Those votes would not have been secured without a huge reduction in necessary spending. The difference between needing to get those votes and instead getting an aye from Joe Manchin is a trillion dollars of expenditures for economic recovery, repairing the tattered Affordable Care Act, and sharply reducing child poverty.
At 50 votes, the narrative that Manchin is blocking all of the best that is within us is false. He is providing cover for 6 to 8 Senators in each party who want to preserve the filibuster to make the parties work together at least on the basics. He was there to get us to fifty on the American Rescue Plan, and he will be there to support much of Biden’s infrastructure wish list. He has provided the key fiftieth vote to confirm countless Biden nominees. Passing the monumental climate change law we deeply desire (and need) would take sixty votes, since it is not subject to the budget reconciliation process. Manchin would be a problem there if he could be, but we are not close to sixty. On this front the President is moving us along nicely, using executive orders, other administrative actions and diplomacy. It is not close to enough climate change action, but it reflects Biden’s commitment and tenacity. This movement is accelerating rapidly.
We are getting what we worked so hard for. On vaccinations, Biden has instituted the delivery systems, the reliable supply and the clear messaging that were nowhere to be seen in December. Biden is using three budget reconciliation bills, countless executive actions and able elected officials to turn the country in a new direction. This will serve the United States and the world well for the next two years.
In November 2022, we face the off-year elections that will stop us or enable us to move forward with even greater energy. Perish the thought that we would end up with fewer than 50 votes, giving Mitch McConnell back a gavel, used before almost entirely to comfort the comfortable. Even the fact that Donald Trump now hates Mitch McConnell is not redemptive.
Why would we return to this ugly world? Instead, we will get Joe Biden at least six more Democratic seats that will strengthen his hand, expand his agenda, and help us prepare for the 2024 presidential election.
The greatest grassroots political effort of our time has been lulled by the absence of tweets from the big liar about the big lie. We need to start paying more attention to these matters right now, as hugely consequential Senate campaigns get organized. We are buoyed by the movement of voters away from the “Republican Party,” a party that stands for what, actually? Republicans are warring internally, but as one pundit has said, most are circling Trump’s Death Star.
The Trump battle with Mitch McConnell over which Republican Senatorial candidates should emerge is encouraging news. It will result in some wacky, easier to beat candidates, like Missouri’s felonious and previously disgraced former governor, Eric Greitens. Moreover, there are already several announced retirements, creating open seats where Republican Senators would otherwise be running for re-election. We will need to defend Mark Kelley in Arizona and Raphael Warnock in Georgia, both of whom are now running for full six years terms. There are these very promising opportunities:
- In Pennsylvania, the totally disgusted but insufficiently courageous Pat Toomey is retiring. Democratic Secretary of State John Fetterman, an important force in fighting against Republican election fraud lies, has entered the race and there will be a strong Democratic field.
- Republican Senator Richard Burr is retiring in North Carolina after voting for impeachment and shepherding a fair report on Trump’s dalliances with Russia. Democrats hold the governorship. Former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Cheri Beasley, an African American, just entered the Senate race. She is an extremely attractive candidate who has won twice statewide.
- In Iowa, 87-year old Republican Senator Charles Grassley has yet to announce he is retiring, but he will do so.
- In Missouri, Roy Blunt is retiring. Republicans are seriously considering nominating the previously fallen Eric Greitens, who resigned as governor after being accused of blackmailing an ex-lover.
- Marco Rubio in Florida has a polling problem. Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murray is already running, and Rep. Val Demings may run as well. Demings is the former Orlando police chief that Joe Biden considered for the vice presidency.
- Ohio provides an excellent opportunity with the retirement of the moderate but Trump-genuflecting Rob Portman. There is a big squabble among Republican candidates. On the Democratic side, Representative Tim Ryan is a very strong candidate, and he is all in.
Given these excellent opportunities, let’s hasten to do these three things:
| 1) Give Tim Ryan a Fast Start | |
 | Tim Ryan is a ten term Member of Congress whose ties to blue collar workers mirror those of Joe Biden. He is a good bet to reach the voters that elected John Glenn and Sherrod Brown. He has already started his campaign and has $1.25 million while the Republican field is still being buffeted by Trump, who organized a bizarre “Hunger Games” tryout. It is a good thing to get back in the habit or writing checks to candidates, and there is no better place to start than Tim Ryan. |
2) Convince Our Side to Get to Work | |
 | It is now a long time ago, but we should not forget that Indivisible and Swing Left (and others) stepped up to organize against Trump after the 2016 election while the Democratic Party itself was in the highest level of disarray. That is why we were able to take back the House in 2018. With regard to strategies to take back some more Senate seats in 2022, Indivisible is invisible and Swing Left is becalmed. You can use Act Blue to donate to Senate races through the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. It would be even better to use your existing connections to either or both Indivisible and Swing Left and tell them that you are eager for them to get going with developing and sharing their targeting strategies. |
3) Set the Record Straight | |
| By now we have heard everything from Trump supporters. But there still can be a time when you can be appalled by what a member of Congress just said. Jim Jordan excoriated Dr. Anthony Fauci for depriving Americans of their liberties through mask requirements and limitations on large assembly. Fauci has responded that the real deprivation of liberty has been the death of 560,000 Americans due to the pandemic. It is time to call Jim Jordan’s district office in Lima at 419-999-6455 to give his staff your thoughts on these matters. Ask them what kind of man would rail at a simple request to protect others from an agonizing death? | |
Our efforts continue, and we have accomplished so much. As of today, we don’t have daily tweets to recall Donald Trump’s contempt for democracy. We need to recognize that we don’t need that reminder. Let’s get to work on these Senate seats as if today is October 1, 2022.
David Harrison
Bainbridge Island, Washington
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