Dear Martin,
In the wake of Tuesday’s electoral defeat, what happens now is going to depend a lot on what President Obama is willing to stand up and fight for.
That’s not a comforting thought. But it’s also up to us and how far we’re willing to go to pressure the president to do the right and necessary thing.
In his press conference on Wednesday, president Obama towed the line between a willingness to push forward with progressive priorities if congress was unwilling to take action, and offers to look for so-called middle ground with the extremist Republicans who will control the Senate.
We don’t know how far he’s willing to push - or what he’s willing to give up. But we know that the landscape in Washington DC just got worse. Much worse. It’s up to us to quickly pivot to the key fights we know are coming as a result of Republican control of the Senate. And to push President Obama to do everything in his power to break through the coming Republican blockade.
Here are 10 things President Obama needs to do immediately -- and 10 things that aren’t likely to happen if we don’t make him do it.
- No deals on cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
- Strengthen the power plant carbon rule to make it your boldest action yet on climate.
- Immediately suspend deportations of millions of aspiring Americans until comprehensive immigration reform can be passed.
- Don’t commit ground troops to Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria.
- Reject Keystone XL, and apply the climate test to all federal decision making.
- Save the Internet by making Net Neutrality the law of the land.
- Empower your Federal Election Commission to enforce election laws and limit money in politics.
- Fill all federal judicial vacancies before the end of this Congress.
- Fight back against the Republican war on women with NO compromises.
- Use federal powers to end abusive, militarized and biased policing targeting African Americans and Latinos.
It's worth noting that progressive base turnout was down in this election in part because President Obama has been far too reluctant to use his executive power to deliver victories on key progressive issues from climate to immigration to economic justice.
To make matters worse, the Republicans now in control of the Senate and House will do everything in their power to advance their Tea Party agenda – including what Democrats refused to do, like getting rid of the filibuster for legislation, using reconciliation to pass bills with only 51 votes, and continuing to refuse to compromise in the face of Democrats all too willing to cave preemptively.
President Obama can no longer credibly suggest that there is a bipartisan path to progress – though his advisors may urge him to do just that. He needs to take executive action. He must refuse to cave to Republicans. He cannot waste time negotiating with bad faith partners who have no intention of compromising ever.
Thank you for everything you do to work for progressive change.
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