Well, it’s mercifully and finally over. We have awakened from our four-year nightmare that was the Trump presidency.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn in and a sense of calm settled over the nation — and the world.
Who better to send off Trump than our old friend, Charles Pierce of Esquire?
Fly away, little asterisk. You have done good service, and now you must rest. Soon, we will call on you again, this time to designate a former president*, or an ex-president*, as he prepares for his new career as a professional defendant. But, for now, you may sleep the sleep of the just and the justified. You have run the race. You have stayed the course. You have kept the faith.
… So the last image of this plague-ridden farce of a presidency* is of cheap general-business music left behind in the wake of an ascending 747. And the eyes of an exhausted nation following it into the sky, a country full of marks who are only now realizing that they bought gilt and not gold, and that all their castles were made of sand.
Well said.
***
NDP Chair Jane Kleeb on Wednesday congratulated Biden and Harris on their inauguration.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris will now take their rightful place and help put the last four years behind us and build back an America for everyone,” Kleeb said.
“I am filled with hope for our state and our nation because of the policies they will enact on climate change, immigration, COVID, education and health care. Their steady hands are exactly what is needed in these tumultuous times.”
***
Thanks to those who gave as we joined the Biden-Harris team’s Day of Service by coordinating a food drive across the state as a way to give back for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, many families are struggling with food insecurity and food banks are struggling to keep up with demand. Our goal was to help ease that burden.
See our photo album of the event here.
***
Also thanks to those who joined the NDP and the Biden-Harris team on our national day of remembrance for those who have died because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
See our photo album of the event here.
***
The American Prospect did an article this week on how the Biden-Harris team needed to rely on the progressive ground game to win the White House.
The same lessons apply to states dismissed as hopelessly red, where a lot of voters in fact can be moved to vote blue. “State parties are treated as afterthoughts,” says Jane Kleeb, the Nebraska party chair. “They’re seen as bank accounts for national races. We haven’t been taken seriously since Dean was chair.” Even so, Kleeb says, “the Biden team was leaps and bounds ahead of the Clinton team in the way they treated our state party. They ran staff through us, as opposed to around us.”
***
Welcome to the Party calls have resumed! We are excited to cover topics like city elections, voter registration and the Legislature. We also will be giving our caucuses and councils the floor to talk about their goals and how you can get involved.
The next call is Jan. 26.
If you have suggestions for topics to cover, please email gina@nebraskademocrats.org.
***
Check out our slate of great Democratic Candidates for the 2021 city elections in Lincoln and Omaha!
And see important voting information and dates at the NDP Voting Center.
***
Join the nearly 14,000 Nebraskans urging Gov. Pete Ricketts to institute a mask mandate to save lives!
***
Get your Biden and NDP swag at the NDP/Shirts 101 store!
The store now features some terrific Jomaha swag!
***
We leave you this week with a rendering by Drew Sheneman.
–By Kevin O’Hanlon/NDP Communications Director
NOTE: If you’d like to receive #NebDems News via email, just let us know by sending a note to: info@nebraskademocrats.org
###
IMPORTANT DATES
Jan. 26: Welcome to the Party call
Jan. 26: Lancaster County Democrats: Who’s Running for Office? How Can I Help?
Jan. 31: Block Captain training
Feb. 9: Welcome to the Party call