Southern Progressives

Moving to the left one post at a time

December 16, 2024

National News:

Trump Transition and Cabinet Picks News: Latest Updates

www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12/16/us/trump-news?unlocked_article_code=1.h04.Z-qY.__3-5oeVjX6I&smid=url-share

Maybe Democrats Didn’t Do So Badly After All

The party’s debate about reinventing itself after the election has gotten more complicated.

www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/12/democrats-2024-election-results/680995/?gift=kv3__FYls2fxmm4Mh6G3fTcfSjircoOEarN7vRSZATU&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

State News:

Hurricane Helene destroyed a Tennessee hospital. Officials knew it was at risk. • Tennessee Lookout

Hurricane Helene destroyed Unicoi County Hospital: one of 20 hospitals in Tennessee built in a flood plain, officials knew it was at risk.

tennesseelookout.com/2024/12/16/hurricane-helene-destroyed-a-tennessee-hospital-officials-knew-it-was-at-risk

Local News & Arts:

Despite being defeated by the collective action of Tennesseans in 2024, Governor Bill Lee seems determined to cement his legacy as the governor who decimated public education through vouchers. He is poised to introduce a voucher bill once again in early 2025, and one way to fight this (once again) is to push our local governmental bodies to pass resolutions against vouchers. In 2024, both the McMinn County School Board and the Athens City School Board did just this. In 2025, in addition to school boards, the goal is to get city councils and county commissions involved.

To this end, our first post-election Call to Action is simply to attend the McMinn County Commission meeting tonight at 6 pm, and if possible talk to a commissioner about passing a resolution after the meeting. Wear your Public School Strong shirt or red in support of public education. The commission meets in commission chambers (the Blue Room) in the basement of the courthouse.

We are in this together, and together we can make a difference.

In Solidarity,

McMinn County Democratic Party

Indivisible:

We lost an election that many, including us, thought was the most important election of our lives. Like so many across the country, we were overjoyed to elect the first Black woman President and move forward on her agenda. Now, we face not only the profound disappointment and sorrow of having that hope snatched away -- we also face a resurgent American fascist movement on the verge of claiming power.

Trump will now take office with a slim but real congressional majority. He has a packed, rightwing Supreme Court that has already ruled that a president can act with impunity as long as his actions are done under the guise of official business. In addition to a truly abhorrent social and economic policy agenda, Trump has promised an administration of retribution and to be a dictator “on day one.”