Making politics – as covered by traditional media sources or by friends or casual observers on social media – entirely about Donald Trump is an easy thing to do. But I think it’s something of a trap. Yes, he deserves to be monitored. He deserves to be protested. He deserves your anger and ridicule. But it’s just as important that we direct our newfound engagement toward Congress.
In many ways, I’m more guilty than most. My knowledge and attention to the legislative process has atrophied greatly over the last several decades, as my focus moved more toward electoral politics and the dreaded “optics.” But it’s vitally important that I, and progressives like me, reacquaint ourselves with what’s happening in the House and Senate. Not only is it where Trump’s agenda will either sink or swim, but legislative races will also be our first electoral challenge.
Progressive activism is on the rise, there’s no denying the potential energy that’s out there. But in order for that energy to turn kinetic, we all need to brush up on our civics and pay attention to the men (and women) behind the curtain.
To that end, I’m using this space to track the actions of the Republican Congress charged with giving Trump’s campaign promises, stream-of-consciousness speeches, and 6AM tweetstorms the force of law. The flurry of executive actions that dominated the first two weeks of his presidency are alarming, but there is still very little he can actually do without Congress.
I’ll be tracking individual bills HERE, with updated tracking of House Democrats and Senate Democrats so that we can see who our allies are – who is listening to us and who is not. As usual, if I feel like chiming in, I’ll be posting occasionally on the site’s blog, but I will do my best to try to keep a focus on Congress.
As usual, anyone who wants to contribute is more than welcome to. I can be contacted at yeggo@att.net.
Tragedy of the Commons 