heidilifeldman

heidilifeldman , 21 hours ago to random

In 2017, I founded a small nonprofit that trains progressive law students and lawyers to run for office, especially at the state and local level. I have run workshops every year since then, using the first $5000 I raised. Now, I need to do another round of fundraising so the work can continue. I’m a little nervous about doing this on #Mastodon. But I won’t go back to the bird site, so I’m going to see how it goes. 1/ https://www.leadersfromlaw.com/home

heidilifeldman OP , 21 hours ago

I raise money for #LeadersFromLaw through #AmericanConstitutionSociety (#ACS), our fiscal sponsor and itself a great organization. All donations made at this link are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. 2/ https://donorbox.org/2023leadersfromlawproject

heidilifeldman OP , 20 hours ago

Wow, thanks to everybody who has so quickly boosted the effort to fundraise for #LeadersFromLaw (https://www.leadersfromlaw.com/home). I plan to regularly update our fundraising progress, both here on #Mastodon and on the #LeadersFromLaw website. I’m hoping this goes well enough so that I don’t have to use Bluesky. I really don’t want to be active on a privately owned platform. I promise not to overload the feed with donation asks! 3/

heidilifeldman OP , 20 hours ago

Just fyi, I can’t check donations received in real time. But if you want to let me know you’ve kicked in a few bucks - and believe me, every few dollars helps - feel free to say so in the comments or via DM. #LeadersFromLaw 4/

heidilifeldman OP , 19 hours ago

DC Council Member Brooke Pinto is an alum of #LeadersFromLaw. So is Ashwin Ramiswami currently running for Georgia State Senate. Jay McClinton is another alum, who ran for Cook County Commissioner and now is an advance lead for Biden for President. And here’s an essay another alum, Bobby Larsen, wrote about his experience at the Denver workshop. https://law.unl.edu/node/1801/ 5/

RolloTreadway , 7 days ago to random

Not having the best day, but I'm going to take a moment to do the #ThursdayFiveList. I see that @neurothing has given us the topic of #TheFarewell, so here goes:

The Unthanks - Fareweel Regality
https://youtu.be/NhRtHGhpEPE

Scott Walker - Rhymes of Goodbye
https://youtu.be/jI1-_LqC8Ok

The Magnetic Fields - How to Say Goodbye
https://youtu.be/6K1dkm9mXaQ

Kim Sun - The Man Who Must Leave
https://youtu.be/RtRjgeHSa7M

Dominique Fils-Aimé - Just Let Me Go
https://youtu.be/Wb7D3_xAOZI

heidilifeldman , 7 days ago

@RolloTreadway Hope your day improves.

GottaLaff , 10 days ago to random

Another day, another apology from me for staying offline a lot and not replying to you.

I'm still sloooowwwly improving, but weak and still feeling that anxiety thing.

It'll all pass, but in the meantime, hi and bye.

Tons to do to settle in here, and no energy.

Hugs to all.

heidilifeldman , 9 days ago

@GottaLaff Don’t put pressure on yourself. Folks who follow you here know you read and reply like a champ. Moving to a brand new place is jarring and a lot of work, even if you are psyched about the move. You are creating a different life, and that takes serious energy. We understand.

heidilifeldman , 18 days ago to random

There’s a bit of a paradox for those of us committed to combatting authoritarianism in the U.S. The more extreme the Republican crime syndicate party becomes, the more daunting it can feel to resist and to work on GOTV for this fall. The rabid authoritarianism and white Christian nationalism can seem so power mad that it can seem like we must summon a huge amount of energy to defeat it. Simultaneously, it can seem so nuts that it is unbelievable that anybody would vote for it. 1/

heidilifeldman OP , 18 days ago

To sustain our resistance to the Republican crime syndicate party, we must keep it in perspective. It is neither negligible nor unstoppable. We have to put in the mundane work . Educate ourselves and our friends, family and neighbors. Get behind all the local and state candidates running against Republican contenders. Donate to GOTV and ballot access groups — even just a couple of bucks. Make calls, send postcards. 2/

heidilifeldman OP , 18 days ago

Here are some organizations working against authoritarianism in the U.S. I work with them and trust them. See if one of them suits you and get involved now.

Emily’s List https://emilyslist.org/
Sister District https://sisterdistrict.com/
Swing Left https://swingleft.org/
Indivisible https://indivisible.org/

3/

heidilifeldman , 20 days ago to random

“What would be informative: A minute or two of unedited video showing Trump’s rambling, incoherent and deranged rants. Rather than merely “fact check” the nonsense blizzard, reports can explore the unprecedented nature of his rhetoric, illustrate the deterioration in his thinking and speech, and discuss how an obviously irrational and unhinged leader casts a spell over his devoted following.” How to report on the election #JenniferRubin — https://wapo.st/45d5wpk

heidilifeldman OP , 20 days ago

“When supposedly normal Republican officials parrot Trump’s obvious falsehoods and baseless accusations, interviewers must come prepared to debunk them. Republicans cannot be allowed to slide past hard questions about their election denial, false data points, baseless attacks on the courts and hypocrisy (the law and order party?). Treating Republicans as innocent bystanders in the democracy train wreck distorts reality.”

heidilifeldman OP , 20 days ago

“And instead of endless harping on President Biden’s age, some honest comparison between the disjointed, frightful interview responses from Trump and the detailed, policy-laden answers from Biden in Time magazine’s two interviews might illuminate the obvious disparity in acuity. Strained comparisons between the two become farcical as Trump unravels further.”

heidilifeldman OP , 20 days ago

“There is simply no comparison between Biden, who talks in detail about policy, and Trump, who cannot get through a Newsmax(!) interview without sounding nuts.”

heidilifeldman OP , 20 days ago

“Finally, given voters’ misunderstanding of the economy, news outlets should focus on the results of Biden’s policies and the likely effect of his opponent’s shockingly inflationary plan. Focusing on the gap between public opinion and economic reality (to which coverage contributes) unwittingly reveals the media’s own shortcomings in educating voters.”

GottaLaff , 22 days ago to random

Paging 11th Circuit!

“Judge Aileen #Cannon is again ripping up the court schedule in #Trump’s classified #documents case – pushing some of the legal questions that have been before her for months even further down the road.” #legal

https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/04/politics/cannon-trump-special-counsel-hearing?cid=ios_app

heidilifeldman , 22 days ago

@GottaLaff The incoherent scheduling and delay aren’t even the most shocking aspects of Cannon’s latest decisions. Her ruling that people like Ed Meese and Michael Mukasey can participate in oral arguments over Jack Smith’s appointment as special prosecutor is outrageous. This gives people with no standing in the case a platform to air their views. #LawFedi

heidilifeldman , 22 days ago to random

Voted in #SantaFe #NewMexico today, a place where the Democratic primary determines some of the ultimate races. One race really struck me as emblematic of the future, assuming constitutional democracy survives in the U.S. 1/

heidilifeldman OP , 22 days ago

Her reasoning for switching parties made sense. I have no reason to believe she was acting cynically. Basically, though she is to the right of many Democrats, there is simply no place for her in today’s Republican Party. She is pro-choice and a supporter of rule of law. 3/

heidilifeldman OP , 22 days ago

With the Republican Party having degenerated into a cultish, criminal, evangelical Christian organization, it is no longer a meaningful participant in U.S. democratic politics. So, the Democratic Party is going to absorb many people into its right flank. My prediction: if U.S. constitutional democracy survives, the Republican Party will not, and the Democratic Party will eventually split into two parties, one more to the left and one more to the right. 4/4