WEDNESDAY 6/14/17 CALLS TO ACTION: Happy birthday, Mr. “President”

Today is Donald Trump’s birthday. For anyone else I would say we should be nicer. But he is not ‘anyone else’. So, let’s give him a little present. It just so happens that it’s National Senate Call-In Day also!  Weird how that happened.  Let’s overload the phone lines in Washington.

We need to call our Senators once again. They are saying that phone calls have dropped off and we just can’t have that.

Richard Burr

Thom Tillis

STOP TRUMPCARE IN THE SENATE SAMPLE CALL SCRIPT – From Indivisible

OR

SCRIPT: My name is _________ from __________ in NC. I am calling to let Sen. _______ know that I am absolutely appalled by the way Senate Republicans have gone about crafting their version of the AHCA. Putting this thing together behind closed doors, without input from anyone other than old, white men is unforgivable. If it is anything like the House version, it will be a mean-spirited handout to the wealthiest people in the US while cutting services for the poorest. I am someone who has benefited greatly from coverage under the Affordable Care Act.  I will not vote for someone who has such contempt for his constituents.  Please let the Senator know that I will be working diligently to make sure that he and his Republican colleagues will not be reelected. Thank you for your time.

 

Jeff Sessions

Jeff Sessions’ testimony on Trump and Russia

Jeff Sessions’s testimony raises more questions than it answers

Boy, yesterday’s testimony was a wild ride. “Sessions’s testimony, then, is not likely to lay to rest doubts swirling around his possibly conflicted role, and will probably only heighten them.” I don’t know about you folks, but Sessions’ testimony, compared to James Comey’s last week, seemed less than credible. His refusal to answer questions without invoking executive privilege and without testifying in closed session leads me to think he should be held in contempt of Congress.

Once again, Senator Burr reprimanded Senator Kamala Harris. This time because she cut off the witness, who blathered on after answering a question, in order to eat up more of the senator’s allotted time. This was AG Sessions’ modus operandi each time he was questioned by a Democrat or Independent; run the clock down and get to a friendly questioner. Senator Burr should be ashamed for allowing this kind of behavior in a witness while undermining the authority of a member of his own committee.

Call Senators Burr and Tillis:

SCRIPT: Hello, I am calling from __________ in NC. I am highly disappointed in Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ testimony on Tuesday. His refusal to answer questions is impeding the investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia and their meddling with our elections. I am asking the Senator to use his influence as a member of the Senate to urge AG Sessions to complete his testimony. AG Sessions should answer all the questions posed to him by the Senators or he should be held in contempt of Congress. His refusal to answer outside the confines of executive privilege just smacks of guilt. Thank you for your time.

And one of the standout moments from yesterday’s testimony: Senator Martin Heinrich from New Mexico. He ate Jeff Sessions’ lunch yesterday.  I’ve seen people calling it the Heinrich Maneuver. Nice.

Harris/Heinrich 2020? 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

 

Joint Program Committee & Executive Committee Meetings – Tuesday June 20, 2017 Program Committee 6-7 PM, Executive Committee 7-8 PM at RCDP Headquarters 803 W. Salisbury St. Asheboro, NC

Documentary, FROM THE ASHES – Parkway United Church of Christ on Thursday, June 15 at 6:30PM in Winston-Salem, NC.  The film focuses on how changes in the coal industry impact local communities, from coal miners in Appalachia to families impacted by air pollution caused by coal power plants in Dallas and families around the Buck Steam Station in Dukeville, NC, who received letters from the state of North Carolina in April 2015 warning them not to drink their water.

Let’s Pack the Courtroom for the League of Women Voters –   US District Court 324 W Market St, Greensboro, North Carolina 27401  The trial begins on June 26th at 9:30 a.m. in Courtroom 3.  The League of Women Voters of NC is going to trial over NC’s ridiculously partisan gerrymandering. If athletes play better when the stands are packed with supporters, let’s assume attorneys do, too!

NCDP Unity Dinner (Formerly Jefferson-Jackson Dinner) July 15, 2017 – Details TBA