My Top Ten Resistance Wins for 2018!

As we move into the new year, it's important to reflect on our successes to help renew our spirit for the fight to come.

Gun Safety

1. NRA membership is down and they are in the red by over 30 million dollars. (Source)

2. 27 states passed 67 new gun safety laws and enthusiasm for more gun safety regulation is still high. (Source)

We still need to elect a Senate willing to implement comprehensive gun regulation. No longer will we accept being slaughtered in mass numbers by our home grown terrorists. Never again will we be complacent about our children hiding under desks to prepare for an eventual predator to attack them. I expect future Supreme Court battles on this issue. Bring it!

#MeToo Movement

3. 201 Powerful men were brought down by the #MeToo movement and over half their replacements were women. (Source)

4. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward and testified against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Many consider this a loss because Kavanaugh was still confirmed, but I consider this a win on three points. 

• Dr. Blasey Ford had the strength to come forward and people rallied around her, supporting her with donations for a security detail, and with notes of social support. (Source)

• More Americans believe Dr. Blasey Ford than Kavanaugh, by, like, a lot (12%)! (Source)

• In an act of moral integrity, Senator Heidi Heitkamp, who had won her Democratic seat in North Dakota by less than 2000 votes, voted against confirming Kavanaugh. This move may have ensured her re-election loss in the recent midterms. (Source)

The #MeToo movement isn't a quick storm. It is a rising sea. When Dr. Christine Blasey Ford stood there, with her voice shaking as she told her story, her voice reverberated with the sound of truth that resonated in the memories of millions of victims who have faced their own harrowing moments. She shook our country with her power, because she spoke a truth we all know. She spoke with the voice of millions.

Diversity in Congress

5. We have just elected the most diverse Congress in history, making it more reflective of America.

• 116 women were elected to Congress in the midterms, so that 126 women will be seated in Congress this year. (Source)
• 23 House freshmen are people of color. (Source)
• There are 10 LGBTQ members of Congress. (Source) 
• 28 women are mothers of young children. (Source)
• 1 Senator is breastfeeding her baby on the Senate floor. (Source)
• 2 Muslim women have been elected to Congress. Ilhan Omar will be the first to wear a hijab.(Source)
• The first openly bisexual woman, Kyrsten Sinema, has been elected to Congress. (Source)
• 2 Native American women have been elected to Congress. (Source)
• Nancy Pelosi holds her position as the speaker.(Source)

The midterms were about many things: fighting for health care, putting a check on Trump, protecting Mueller, and stopping the abuses at the border, among others. But all of those things could have been accomplished by white males. The fact that a diverse Congress was deliberately chosen by the people is proof that we want our Congress to truly be reflective of who we are. We have not achieved perfect parity yet, but we made a great leap this time. Further, I believe we will never go back.

Immigration Wins

6. Despite the Trump administration's legal efforts to end DACA status, for the time being, DACA recipients can continue to renew their applications. (Source)

7. The Trump administration was forced to end the family separation policy. It is still happening, but at a much lower rate. (Source)

It is hard to think of us as having won anything in the immigration fight when we now have child internment camps in Tornillo, Texas, we have witnessed gassing of refugees, and we have recently seen two migrant children die for lack of medical care at the border. Please remember that we are resisting in a situation where we have no Congressional power. Had we not resisted, the cruelty would have gone unchecked and perhaps unnoticed, and I hate to even guess at what atrocities would have occurred in that case. Our resistance is especially necessary when it comes to the most vulnerable populations, such as refugees.

Health Care Debate

8. 70% of Americans support Medicare for all. (Source)

We have discussed health care publicly, ad nauseam, for ten years since ObamaCare was in initial planning phases. Now 70% of the country wants Medicare for All. If our democracy were working correctly, this would be enough for a Constitutional Amendment. Sadly, our democracy isn't working correctly. But protecting pre-existing conditions became so important politically that Republicans attempted to lie that they supported those protections. The results of the midterms should have taught them that lying about that support wasn't enough. Next time they will need to actually support it, assuming they are the sort who learns from experience.

Rule of Law Trumps Trump

9. The Trump Foundation is forced to close over illegalities. (Source)

10. The Mueller investigation is still chugging along, despite Trump's most fervent wishes.

There are at least 17 investigations going on right now surrounding Trump and his assets. If he is as corrupt as many think he is, we will find a lot more evidence of criminality as 2019 unfolds.

Looking Forward

We are rightfully exhausted. Remember the old days when we mostly ignored politics and just showed up for Presidential elections? Well, that is how we got into this disaster to begin with, so let's not think too fondly of those times. It would be nice if our efforts and attentions made more progress though, but that is the nature of being in the position of RESISTING.

Beginning January 3rd, we will have power in the House, so we can do more than just resist. Our new diverse Congress can negotiate for positive policies we need and help us defend against changes that offend our values.

If we play our cards correctly, in two years we can be in a position of complete power and start IMPLEMENTING instead of RESISTING.

My, but doesn't that sound nice?!!!

We should take a moment to pat ourselves on the back for all our efforts to fight for what we believe in and for all we've learned this last year.

Here's a toast to us. May 2019 be filled with reunited refugee families, health care wins, a plan to combat climate change, further progress toward equality, many indictments, and a return to the rule of law.

Happy New Year!

Lisanne Lombardo
Citizen
***************
If you want more pro-democracy and #Resistance content, look for ways to follow me on the left-hand side-bar. Don't forget to share!