UPDATED 19 DECEMBER: There has been a lot of movement concerning the #COVID19 relief bill, but it is massively confusing. There is a possibility for getting stimulus checks to everyone, for example. There is the possibility of getting some financial relief for state and local governments through FEMA. It’s enough to cause me to revise the script to include some of these demands.
If you’re like me, and I know you’re not much like me because as I’ve been reminded throughout my life starting with my mum while in utero, no one is like me, but if you are like me, you’re more than just a little confused about what is going on with the Congressional #COVID19 relief bill. Don’t feel bad about being like me or about being confused.
The confusion is by design. The Repubes and Mitch McConnell want you to be confused. Luckily, for you, you have a part-time blogger and full-time citizen to help untangle the Gordian knot of a conundrum of a mess that McConnell and the WH have made of this just so they can slip their #COVID19 liability protections in for big corporations who knowingly, wantonly, and callously murdered their employees and surrounding communities with #COVID19 for fun and profit.
First, we’ll go through what is going on in Congress, and then we’ll get to what you can do about it.
As you may have known, there is a thing known as the $908 billion bipartisan #COVID19 relief bill that has broad bipartisan support from both Democratic and Repube members of both the House and Senate. You’d think that would be enough to get it passed by Congress and signed into law. But, this is Mitch McConnell’s Senate where if it ain’t a radically unqualified judicial nominee, it ain’t moving. So, there’s that.
Now, there is another bill written by someone at the WH and presented by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin which is not too coincidentally referred to as the $916 billion offer from the WH. It has garnered support from Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy. And, other Repubes if they absolutely hafta.
Let’s compare the bills. We begin with the handy-dandy bulleted side-by-side comparison. Then, we’ll discuss specifics afterward.
The Bipartisan Bill
- STATE AND LOCAL FUNDING
- $160 billion in funds for state and local governments
- UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
- $180 billion for unemployment insurance benefits
- Extends the expiring programs
- Provides $300.00 per week in extra benefits
- STIMULUS CHECKS
- NONE
- SMALL BUSINESS AND PPP SUPPORT
- $288 billion to support small businesses
- VACCINE DISTRIBUTION
- Funding for vaccine distribution
- LIABILITY PROTECTION
- Temporary protection from #COVID19 lawsuits
- OTHER PROVISIONS
- $25 billion in renters assistance
the wh offer
- STATE AND LOCAL FUNDING
- Provided for
- UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
- $40 billion to extend expiring programs that have increased access to UI
- Does not provide for an increase in weekly benefits
- STIMULUS CHECKS
- a second round of $600 stimulus checks for individuals and $1200 for couples
- SMALL BUSINESS AND PPP SUPPORT
- Support for small businesses and funding for PPP
- VACCINE DISTRIBUTION
- Funding for vaccine distribution
- LIABILITY PROTECTION
- Robust protections for business, schools, and hospitals
- OTHER PROVISIONS
- No known other provisions
Analysis
Why introduce a new bill when there is already substantial progress being made in the bipartisan negotiation of a bill already? It certainly isn’t going to help get a bipartisan bill passed because that’s already underway, right?
CONFUSION AND CHAOS: By introducing yet another bill at this stage just adds more confusion and chaos. In the previous Call Your MoC post on the #COVID19 relief bill there were like four. Now, we have a bill that by all accounts is truly bipartisan and has broad support. Introducing a sixth bill will only further muddy the waters. It fits everything we know about the Ol’ Pussy Grabber:
- He’s a narcissist: He’s said for months that we’ve turned the corner on the pandemic and the vaccines will be the magic bullet that returns us to normal, so why would we need a relief bill? Passing another bill is a narcissistic wound because it suggests that he’s been less than perfect. He won’t stand for it.
- He’s malignant: We know he’s a sadist. He enjoys inflicting pain and discomfort on people, especially those he thinks deserve it. Who doesn’t deserve all the pain he can mete out more than the American people who so severely disappointed him by not voting for him? If the pandemic is mitigated and economic relief provided, then people will not suffer sufficiently.
- He’s chaotic: Trump thrives on chaos. It distracts and helps him get what he wants. He only wants to delay and obfuscate until he’s out of office. He’ll argue that if we had re-elected him, then we wouldn’t’ve needed a relief package. #BidenHarris have completely screwed up is the only reason we need one.
SPLITTING: One of the biggest reasons to introduce the WH bill is split the support for the bipartisan compromise bill. Sanders, Warren, and the progressive caucus have said that they want $1200 stimulus checks in the bill. What do they offer? $600 stimulus checks but fewer other financial aide benefits. They’re hoping to weaken support for the bipartisan bill by holding out hope that we might could negotiate up to the $1200 stimulus checks.
POISON PILL: The new bill is a poison pill designed for the Democrats to reject. Once the Dems reject it, the Repubes will throw their hands in the air and lament the unreasonableness of the Dems. Lord knows, they tried to compromise. They included funding for local governments, but then Dems moved the goal post. There just is no working with them.
THEIR TRUE COLORS: This bill shows Mitch McConnell’s true colors. If Mitch had wanted a stimulus bill, he coulda had one. He doesn’t want to pass a relief bill, so he’s looking for an excuse not to. It is as simple as that. If you want to know why, you’ll have to look inside his flinty petrified heart or await another blog post to find out.
ANYTHING ELSE: That’s what I got. If you can think of any other reason for the WH offer to exist, please put it in the comments.
Call to Action
Call Your Moc
The first thing you should do is call your members of Congress, your representative and your senators, and tell them to support the $908 billion bipartisan #COVID19 relief package. See the script below. Of course, when we say call, we mean contact using the telephone, email, snail mail, or social media.
Call only your members of Congress, though. Don’t go calling Mitch McConnell or Kevin McCarthy or any other Congress person you love to hate. It doesn’t do any good. They don’t listen to non-constituents and you fill-up inboxes and other spaces so that their real constituents can’t use them.
Tweet Mitch McConnell
It don’t do no good to call, email, or mail Mitch McConnell, but you can social media at him. You can’t fill up his twitter feed. The worst that can happen is he can block you. For some #Resisters that seems to be a badge of honor being blocked by someone or another.
But, seriously, we need a sustained tweet campaign at Mitch McConnell. He needs to be buried in a tweet avalanche, swim in a twitter deluge, idle in a twitter traffic jam. So, here’s a free tweet just to get you started:
The American people need stimulus checks, UI bonuses and extensions, eviction moratoriums. renters assist. Local gov’ts need help. Small business need help. Corps don’t need liability protection. Pass the bipartisan relief bill
Tweet
The Script
Adapt this script for phone calls and emails.
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [STATE and LOCALITY].
I’m calling today to urge you to support the bipartisan #COVID19 relief bill. There is a lot of debate on what types of relief should be included. Please support extensions of unemployment insurance, $1200.00 stimulus checks, rent and eviction protection, support for state and local governments, paycheck protection for small and moderate sized businesses
We have run up our deficit by over a trillion dollars because of tax cuts to the wealthy that have not paid off in benefits for our citizens. Don’t balance the budgets on the dinner tables and homes of average Americas but by raising the taxes on the rich. The American people need the help and support of our federal government.
Thank you for your time and attention.
IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.
Tips for Calling
When you call your representative’s office, please remember the following:
- Only contact YOUR MoC! They only listen to their constituents and dismiss requests from non-constituents.Ask for the aide working on the policy-related issues.
- Be polite! No matter whose office you’re calling. No matter what their positions are. No matter how inflamed you are about the issue — and you should be very passionate — be polite.
- Remember that the people you are talking to are people! So, be nice.
- Call during business hours of the area code their office is in. Typically, that is 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
- Have a script or notes to follow so you don’t forget anything.
- Maybe call with friends. You know like a party.
In Addition to Calling
I’ve heard back from readers that some MoC’s voice mail boxes are always full! It’s as if they don’t want to hear from their constituents. Kinda like those MoC’s who don’t hold town halls or other open forum meetings. Here are some other ways to contact your MoC:
- Send a postcard to their office. Nothing says I care like kicking it old school and using snail mail.
- Email their office. Lay out your concerns in a brief email and send it in. We all know how easy it is to email. Make sure you include the issue you are addressing in the subject line.
- Use the contact page on their website. This is the surest way of getting a message to them. Each MoC has an official government website and each has a contact page that comes with it automatically.
- Contact them using social media. It’s hard to break through all the noise on social media, but it can’t hurt to try given all the time we all spend using it. Be sure to tag your MoC’s when social mediaing about about a specific issue. Be clear and respectful, though, when addressing an issue that you want your MoC to act upon. Make sure you let them know you are a constituent.
Contacting Your MoC
Find out how to contact your MoC using these links!
- Common Cause will give you the names, party affiliation, direct phone number, website link, and social media platforms of all of your federal, state, and local elected officials.
- GovTrack gives you the names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and Twitter handles of your senators and representative. It is pretty straightforward and easy to use. Just plug-in your address. You can also track legislation.
- USA.gov is the official guide to information and services of the US government. This page explains clearly how to contact everyone from the Ol’ Pussy Grabber to your representative to specific government agencies. Through it you can find the following information about your MoC’s:
- Their phone numbers: DC and state offices
- Their mailing addresses both in DC and their state offices
- Official website with their contact page including email, request a meeting, town hall schedules, and social media
- And, the committees they sit on
- 5 Calls: Sign-up for 5 Calls because they help you contact your member of Congress and keep you abreast of on going issues that are important to you! Now, that is a good deal.
- The Capital Hill Switch Board: (202) 224-3121.
- MassacreMitch and #MoscowMitch: His DC office, (202) 224-2541.
- Nancy Pelosi: Her DC office, (202) 225-4965; her California office, (415) 556-4862
- The Ol’ Pussy Grabber: The WH switchboard, (202) 456-1414 or the comments line at (202) 456-1111 during business hours
Join Indivisible
Follow the link to Indivisible to find a group near you, their campaigns, events in your neighborhood, and download their handy-dandy booklet!
Image Attribution
“One tweet *can* change the world” by opensourceway is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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Categories: Politics
The Psy of Life 
ahh yessss!! those wonderful ” alternative Facts” !!!! you know,…… the handy way to blow smoke and still manage to keep a straight face……. sigh!!
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How Mitch can deny a vote on the bill with a straight face, I don’t know. What is clear is that he represents the interests of his donors and corporations and not his constituents.
Jack
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can you tell me more about where you and your’s are now? tell me more about where you are etc!! and how things are there ,,,,
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Howdy Fran!
My wife and I both teach in international schools. These schools teach the kids of diplomats, NGO officers, and corporate executives. Increasingly, they are appealing to local populations who can afford it. We’ve been doing it for thirteen years. We taught English in South Korea for ten years before that. It’s where we met, got married, and had our daughter.
We’ve lived in South Korea, Viet Nam, Kenya, China, and Cambodia, in that order. Currently, we’re in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We’ve been here for six months. It is a lot like Viet Nam and a lot like Thailand, so we love it. It is also home to Angkor Wat the ancient Hindu-Buddhist temple complex built around 800 years ago.
Cambodia has a language I can learn to speak. I’m tone deaf. I can’t learn tonal languages because I cannot distinguish or imitate the tones. But, Khmer is not tonal. It has inflections, but not tonal, so I have a chance to learn it. Now, I just have to make the time to learn it.
Cambodians are super friendly people. Easy going and hard working. It is not as developed as Viet Nam or Thailand, so there are hardships. I can rarely find Pace picante sauce, for example, and when I do, it is hella expensive.
The good thing about #COVID19 is that (a) there aren’t any tourists here, so the tourist spots are empty — bad for businesses, though. (b) You can’t really leave the country, so you gotta go to the tourist spots here. We’ll see much more of the country than we would otherwise. And (c) there is very little #COVID19 here. I think we’ve had around 300 infections total, with 50 active. We’ve recently had a spat of community infection, three known in the past four weeks. We’re on distance learning and the school started their “winter” break a week early.
That’s us in a nutshell. It is a good life. I’ve been fortunate to have it.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Loving this stuff!! soooo glad to be back ! trying to catch up and am so glad to see you two gentle men are still at making things interesting!!
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Howdy Fran!
I have produced a series of call your MoC type posts. The ones that addressed the GSA administrator, Emily Murphy, who was delaying the transition, the Michigan legislative leaders and their electoral college, and for sending postcards to Georgia voters urging them to vote have been really popular getting hundreds of views. Try as I might to get people interested in (a) calling their MoC and urging them to pass the #COVID19 bipartisan relief bill and (b) tweet Mitch to get him to deobstacle himself, I just can’t seem to generate that much interest. I’ve had a few hundred views, but few clicks on the links unlike the ones listed above.
Huzzah!
Jack
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thanks for catching things up , for me!
I envy you both being able to be in these wonderful places! I am always very interested in different languages etc and I am a sucker for learning from others ….different languages etc. ….are my “drugs” lol
Fran
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We’ve been fortunate. I am grateful for our lifestyle every single day.
Jack
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Reblogged this on cabbagesandkings524 and commented:
Calico Jack – Tweeting at Mitch
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When Republicans speak of AUSTERITY one must ask, “For whom?” So far as I can tell, they do it most when Democrats control either the White House, The House of Representatives, or both. The consensus among relatively sane economists seems to be that the worse times to go to austerity are in case of high unemployment (now), natural disaster (COVID), or major war (not yet), and the best time to borrow for stimulus and/or disaster relief is when interest rates are very low (now, and for the past 10 years). Do Mitch and his fellows really believe that Blue States would get the most help, or need the most help? Maybe so, since they seem to be much like the White Queen:
“Alice laughed. ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said. ‘One can’t believe impossible things.’
I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. There goes the shawl again!” ― Lewis Carroll
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Howdy Bob!
Picturing Biden and McConnell as Alice and the White Queen was the medicine that I needed this morning. There’s a meme in there for someone with better Photoshop skills than I.
I’ve always said that no one really thought that trickle down economics actually worked, but now that we’ve had two generations raised with the propaganda of trickle down. The idea that you drive up the debt and deficit by making huge tax cuts to the wealthy and then try to force austerity for social safety net programs has been deeply embedded into the GOP psyche. Couple that with the practice of obstruction of any and all Democratic legislation and presidential policy and you’ve got the recipe for some ugly politics and hard economic times in the US.
Election 2022 will be interesting since the party in the WH usually loses seats. The Dems don’t have many seats to give in the House and zero in the Senate no matter the outcome of Georgia’s special election. If the Republicans spend two years just defying Biden, then the Democrats may be able to defy the history of by-elections and their own electoral ineptitude and hold on or gain seats.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Dark thought of the day: How many GOP voters, MAGA Hats, and evangelicals have to lose multiple family members, neighbors, and friends to COVID, or be foreclosed or evicted or see that of neighbors, or stand in food lines to get it that the Republican Party is the real enemy and considers all of them expendable in the name of profit and greed? I fear that is a frightening number.
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Howdy Bob!
That’s just it, isn’t it? With each prediction or belief that is disproved by reality, many stop believing. But, those remaining become more difficult to dissuade because they double down on the belief. With the social support available on social media and the periodic gatherings, they maintain their beliefs in the face of reality.
The good news: the number will dwindle. The bad news: a hardcore set will remain for a very long time. More bad news: those who are prone to these beliefs are very easily “reactivated” in the future.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Hmmm – True (alas) – In the realm of “Alternative Facts”, Occam’s Razor is thrown away and durable disproof becomes impossible. I’m reminded of an experiment that modeled conspiratorial thinking. The subject was presented with an array of buttons and told that if the buttons were pushed in the right sequence a light would go on. Each time the light went on, the subject was asked to explain the successful sequence and told to repeat it. When they tried, it didn’t work. They would keep trying and eventually the light would light again. The explanations became ever more complex. Actually, the buttons were not connected to the light. That was controlled by someone in another room who turned on the light in accordance with a chart in which the schedule of turning on the light at varying number of button pushes was based on a standard learning curve. The subjects could not be convinced when told this. Some, but only some, were convinced when they became the person in the other room controlling the light.
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Howdy Bob!
I need to find that study. It is brilliant. The cleverness of psychological experiments never ceases to amaze me.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Gregory Bateson mentioned it in a talk in the 70s. He may have also written of it in Steps To An Ecology Of Mind. I’ll check there. If so, he was good about referencing sources.
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Howdy Bob!
How lucky! Usually those kinds of anecdotal remembrances are lost in the sands of memory.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Thanks to a friend who was rather a Bateson evangelist in the 80s, I have bootleg tapes. That helps a lot.
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