Hello everyone! It’s another Monday in the fantastical world of Trumplandia. If I didn’t know better, I’d believe I was on the train to Hogwarts. But it’s more like we are participating in the Manchurian Candidate. There has been some destruction of government perpetrated by the Musk, oops I mean Trump, Administration, but there is an increasing amount of pushback. Some of Musk’s actions have been slowed, stopped or reversed. It is not enough yet, but the resistance is building. In recent town halls, both in person and call in, Republican Congressmen and Senators have been excoriated and booed when attempting to promote the talking point lies of the right. I do not believe Republican Officials will continue to engage the public because nobody will massage their egos, and they cannot tell the truth. The best message to them would be, “if you do not start to work for your constituents, you will be replaced.”
We must not let the quantity of assaults on our rights and democratic process, or the chaos created by them, confuse or distract us. Fraud and waste do not occur on a massive scale. They are not discovered by edict, but rather by forensic audit. The people who perform this service, Inspectors General and their staff, have been eliminated by the Elon Trump autocracy. I wonder why. Who does that benefit?
We had a nice start to our discussion series. Now we are going to continue in March. Lisa Gourley has agreed to present on the topic of Women’s Rights, including around health care. This is going to be an important discussion, in light of what is currently happening around females in leadership positions and employment, particularly in the military. We have scheduled this for March 12 at 7pm in the office. Spread the word and plan to attend. For the April presentation, Bridget Shaffer would like to do a program about what we can do. Date to set. If anyone has a topic they are interested in and would like to investigate and educate the group about, please get in touch with us so we can set a date.
Next Sunday, March 2nd, at 1pm is the Petition signing with the Judicial candidates. Here is the mobilize link to sign up for the event.
You do not need to sign up to attend, but it helps us with planning. There will be petition candidates there as well as candidates or representatives of candidates for retention. I should not need to tell you how important it is to retain our Democratic Judges on the Pa. Supreme Court. In the last ten years they have rid the court of corruption and dissent, and they have upheld the values in our state constitution, voting rights and more. There will be a giant campaign by Republicans to vote “no” on retention. We must counter that. We start by being proactive right now, and not waiting till the fall.
Participate, Donate, Vote.
John Huot, JeffDems Chair
Donations Needed and Accepted
The Jefferson County Democratic Committee (JeffDems) is funded primarily through local donations. We rely on the generosity of local Democrats to enable all our initiatives, including our year-round Office/HQ which functions as “JeffDems Central.” Please start a monthly recurring donation to JeffDems, large or small, using the ActBlue link below, or of course, one-time donation checks are welcome! Contribute so that your County Committee can do more on your behalf. Thank you!
“Jefferson County Democratic Committee”
c/o Steve Larchuk, Treasurer
PO Box 266
Punxsutawney, PA 15767
or use ActBlue I just gave to Jefferson County Democratic Committee.(PA)!
CALENDAR
*2025: Continuing need for volunteer time
– Office hours will continue into the new year. It is important that we remain active and have a presence in the community. Please contact John, John, or Tammy to schedule
*February 26 and March 1: Office Hours Continue
– 4-7pm (Wednesday) and 12-3pm (Saturday)
*February 18 – March 11: Petition Signing Period is Open
*March 2, Sunday, 1pm: PA Judicial Candidates – Meet & Greet and Petitions to Sign
– In the office 1pm – 2:30pm Statewide Court Justices will be present to meet and discuss why it is important to retain them.
There will be petitions to sign.
*March 12, 7PM: Discussion Group – Lisa Gourley, Punxsy School Board Candidate. -Women’s Rights and Health Care in the Trump era. Where are we going and what can we do?
