When I was a kid in that long ago time, this time of year would find me gathering with my sibs (good Jews though we were) and all the kids in our neighborhood to decorate their Christmas trees and prepare to go carolling. This year, I'm tentatively planning a different kind of gathering. As we head into the dregs of this anno horribilis, my husband and I are gearing up for a massive protest in case IQ45 (aka current White House Occupant aka *resident) manages to fire Mueller. You can do the same by visiting MoveOn.org and signing up to show up for NOBODY IS ABOVE THE LAW—MUELLER FIRING RAPID RESPONSE. We're spending the holidays with family near DC, so that's where we'll be headed but there is a planned rally at the Federal Building in Milwaukee should it be needed. Here's how this plan is supposed to work:

Rallies will begin hours after news breaks of a Mueller firing:

• If Mueller is fired BEFORE 2 P.M. local time —> events will begin @ 5 P.M. local time
• If Mueller is fired AFTER 2 P.M. local time —> events will begin @ noon local time the following day

This is the general plan—please confirm details on your event page, as individual hosts may tailor their events to their local plan.

The Trump propaganda machine's increasingly hysterical response to the Mueller investigation should be seen a symptom of a much larger, and more disastrous, illness. In a stomach-churning assessment of where we are now, Matthew Yglesias at Vox has posted a must-read article: We’re witnessing the wholesale looting of America. And he's not just talking about the travesty of a tax bill the House votes on today. The heart of the matter, Yglesias points out, is what he calls "the new political dishonesty."

Politicians have never been renowned for their honesty and have always liked to spin their policies in the most positive light possible. But not only does Trump lie a lot more than his predecessors — a New York Times analysis found six times as many lies in Trump’s first 10 months in office as across Obama’s eight years — but the Trump-era GOP has grown terrifyingly comfortable with a kind of large-scale misrepresentation of what their legislation says that’s totally unprecedented. 

Speaker Paul Ryan’s official list of five policy highlights in the tax bill, for example, includes one point that is merely preserving the status quo on mortgage interest, and totally neglects to mention the corporate tax cut that is its centerpiece. 

Republicans’ Obamacare repeal bills ultimately didn’t pass, but they also had this characteristic. 

Reasonable people can disagree, for example, on whether it’s a good idea to cut Medicaid spending. But the GOP wrote a series of bills that entailed large cuts in Medicaid spending and then sent the secretary of health and human services out on television to say they weren’t proposing to cut Medicaid spending. 

Not every member of the party was as brazen as that. But Trump and Ryan have completely dissolved the norm against dishonesty to the point where there are no longer any whistleblowers in the Republican caucus or the world of conservative media. You just say whatever you want, and dole out favors to your friends — moving at such a rapid pace that the country’s ability to process what’s happening gets overwhelmed.

Republicans, Yglesias argues, are following the "looter-in-chief" as they erode the norms the rule of law actually depends on. Here's his conclusion:

It takes a lot more than Donald Trump to orchestrate the kind of feeding frenzy that’s currently playing out in Washington. Nothing about this would work if not for the fact that hundreds of Republican Party members of Congress wake up each morning and decide anew that they are indifferent to the myriad financial conflicts of interest in which Trump and his family are enmeshed. Moral and political responsibility for the looting ultimately rests on the shoulders of the GOP members of Congress who decided that the appropriate reaction to Trump’s inauguration was to start smashing and grabbing as much as possible for themselves and their donors rather than uphold their constitutional obligations.... 

It would be trivially easy for congressional Republicans to force Trump to disclose his tax returns, but instead of holding his feet to the fire, they are taking their cues from him — even though many of them spent the 2016 campaign openly recognizing that he was unfit for office. 

Trump’s victory, rather than inspiring a bipartisan movement to check the new president’s worst impulses, caused the party to snap, with as many factions as possible reaching to toss a rock and grab what they can as long as the party lasts. 

The country is left only to hope that it doesn’t last too long.

We're not entirely powerless in the face of this breakdown, but our power is limited right now. Protesting with our feet and our signs can make a certain amount of sense in the case of dire events, such as a new Saturday Night Massacre. But the more hopeful view down the road is taking shape if you can renew a tiny bit of faith in the political prognosticators.

Fivethirtyeight.com has IQ45's approval rating 19.5 points under water. And in even better news, Dems are winning the race to control Congress by a whopping 11.4%. That aggregate of recent polls shows a yuuuuuge wave building.

I know I don't need to remind you, but I will anyway. That wave doesn't build itself. It takes people power at every level. And that means we are all relying on each other to pitch in and do everything we can to foster the growth of a tidal wave. So here's what I want for Hanukkah/Christmas: your name on our list of people willing to volunteer as the year of elections begins. There's a meaningful job to be done regardless of your skills and abilities. Make volunteering to ensure electoral victories up and down the entire ballot your New Year's resolution. It's easier to keep than dieting, believe me.

And on that note, two special announcements:

1. On January 16, there will be a special election for the 58th Assembly District (just to the north and west of the GRNS territory). It's a longshot, of course, but Dennis Degenhardt could use a little of your time. Shirley Horowitz has organized phone banking on January 15 to get out the vote for him. If you're able to help out, contact Shirley. Phoners will meet at 5:00 at Stowells in Shorewood (4485 N. Oakland Avenue) and finish by 7:20; you do not need to bring a phone.
   
   
2. Grassroots North Shore's annual meeting and dinner is scheduled for Sunday, January 28, at 5pm. Robert Kraig and congressional candidates for the 1st, 2nd and 6th Congressional Districts will be on hand to pump us up and show us how we're going to win the House in November. Mark you calendars. Or better yet, sign up on our website or our Facebook page.

Tue Dec 19, 2017

Marcelia Nicholson Fundraiser, 5:30pm - 7:30pm 
Ambassador Hotel, 2308 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee 
Join Milwaukee County Supervisor Marcelia Nicholson and Host Gary Goyke to kickoff her Re-Election Campaign for the Milwaukee Board of Supervisors. Marcelia has been a strong, progressive voice for Milwaukee residents and needs your support to continue the work. Host: $500, Supporter: $100, Advocate: $50. Suggested minimum: $29. RSVP and more information. Contribute online. Contribute by mail: Marcelia for Milwaukee, PO BOX 1879, Milwaukee, WI, 53201.

Beer, Bingo, and Ballots, 6pm - 8pm 
AFSCME Milwaukee District Council, 3427 W. St. Paul Ave., Milwaukee 
Come out for Beer, Bingo, and Ballots! with candidates for governor: Tony Evers,Matt Flynn, Andy Gronik, Mike McCabe, State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, Michele Dooley, Mahlon Mitchell, and Ramona Whiteaker (all Democratic candidates have been invited and a complete list will be shared before the event). Each candidate will rotate among small groups of participants so you can ask all of them about your favorite issues. RSVP. Sponsored by Working Families Party and Our Wisconsin Revolution.

Close MSDF Meeting, 6pm - 7pm 
2821 N. 4th St., Suite 108, Milwaukee 
Monthly meeting of the CLOSE msdf Campaign Coalition, working to close the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility. Not only have conditions at the prison been deplorable for years, but the very notion of locking up people struggling with parole and mental health issues is at odds with common sense approaches to justice. In the last 16 years, thousands of individuals, convicted of no new crime, have been re-incarcerated at MSDF—over sixty percent of them black men. More info.

Wed Dec 20, 2017

Refuel the Resistance, 5pm - 8pm 
Bounce Milwaukee, 2801 S. 5th Ct., Milwaukee 
Weekly gathering at Bounce Milwaukee's mezzanine bar for networking,inspiration or just to vent. Bring along any evidence of your civic resistance from the last week to get a beverage (up to $7) on the house, and compare notes with other individuals and groups working to make things better. More information.

Drinking Liberally Wauwatosa, 6pm - 8pm 
Cranky Al's, 6901 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa 
Come join fellow Wauwatosa progressives for good conversation and good beer atone of Tosa's most gemütlich establishments, Cranky Al's. DLW meets monthly on the 3rd Wednesday at 6 pm.

John Nichols: The Cap Times, 6pm 
East Branch Library, 2320 N. Cramer St., Milwaukee 
John Nichols will speak about his new book, The Capital Times: A Proudly Radical Newspaper’s Century-Long Fight for Justice and for Peace. As Madison's Capital Times marks its 100th anniversary in 2017, editors Dave Zweifel and John Nichols recall the remarkable history of the paper that served as the tribune of Robert M. La Follette and the progressive movement and stood with Russ Feingold when he cast the only US Senate vote against the Patriot Act.

Southwest Region Dems Meeting, 7pm - 7pm 
Studz Pub Sports Bar & Grill, 6833 W. National Ave., West Allis 
NOTE NEW DATE AND PERMANENT LOCATION. Southwest Dems will hold their monthly meeting. Region 5 covers Franklin, Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Milwaukee (Southwest), West Allis, West Milwaukee. For more information contact.

Thu Dec 21, 2017

Radio Monitoring Training, 10am - 12pm 
Citizen Action, 221 S. 2nd St., Ste 300, Milwaukee 
Get together with a group of people to listen to right-wing radio and learn how toeffectively combat lies and hate. RSVP. Email or call 414-218-5384

Green Drinks Milwaukee, 5:30pm - 7:30pm 
TBA 
Good drinks, good conversation and a chance to network with other environmentally minded people. More information.

Fri Dec 22, 2017

Feed Milwaukee Gala, 7pm - 12am 
Turner Hall Ballroom, 1040 N. 4th St., Milwaukee 
Come to the gala to raise money for the Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee: 100% ofmoney raised is donated to the Hunger Task Force to purchase items in bulk that are not normally donated, such as baby food. Bring friends and family (adults) who are in town for the holiday and enjoy a wonderful evening for a great cause. This year's event will feature a live performance from King Solomon and DJ Seoul K. There will be complimentary beverages and a raffle, so please bring a generous spirit. Hope to see you there! Suggested minimum donation of $20. More info.

Sat Dec 23, 2017

Community Brainstorming, 8am - 11am 
St. Matthew CME Church, 2944 N. 9th St., Milwaukee 
Community Brainstorming Conference Breakfast Forum Breakfast: 8 am, Program: 9 am. All Are Invited, Come and Participate. Details.

Stand for Peace, 12pm - 1pm 
St. Paul Avenue & Water Street, Milwaukee 
Stand for peace in the streets of Milwaukee, every Saturday at noon. Organized by the United Nations Association of Milwaukee, Peace/Conflict Committee.

Sun Dec 24, 2017

Sunday Demonstration, 12pm - 1pm 
Cutler Park, Wisconsin Avenue, Waukesha 
What are you most concerned about? Social justice, democracy, the environment?Join us for a silent demonstration. We meet at Cutler Park in Waukesha on the sidewalk along Wisconsin Avenue near the Public Library. Bring a sign or use one of ours. Sponsored by Grassroots Waukesha.

Wed Dec 27, 2017

Refuel the Resistance, 5pm - 8pm 
Bounce Milwaukee, 2801 S. 5th Ct., Milwaukee 
Weekly gathering at Bounce Milwaukee's mezzanine bar for networking,inspiration or just to vent. Bring along any evidence of your civic resistance from the last week to get a beverage (up to $7) on the house, and compare notes with other individuals and groups working to make things better. More information.

Drinking Liberally Glendale, 7pm 
Bar Louie, 5750 N. Bayshore Dr., Glendale 
Drinking Liberally Glendale meets on the last Wednesday of the month. Comedrink a beverage or two of your choice and talk about Liberal stuff. More information.

Sat Dec 30, 2017

Stand for Peace, 12pm - 1pm 
Oakland Avenue & Capitol Drive, Shorewood 
Stand for peace in the streets of Milwaukee, every Saturday at noon. Organized by the United Nations Association of Milwaukee, Peace/Conflict Committee.

Wed Jan 3, 2018

Refuel the Resistance, 5pm - 8pm 
Bounce Milwaukee, 2801 S. 5th Ct., Milwaukee 
Weekly gathering at Bounce Milwaukee's mezzanine bar for networking,inspiration or just to vent. Bring along any evidence of your civic resistance from the last week to get a beverage (up to $7) on the house, and compare notes with other individuals and groups working to make things better. More information.

Grass Roots South Shore Meeting, 6pm 
Cudahy Library, 3500 Library Dr., Cudahy 
Grass Roots South Shore will hold its monthly meeting. Grass Roots South Shoremeets on the first Wednesday of each month. For more information call Jim Balk, 414-218-5944.

Thu Jan 4, 2018

DPMC Issues Committee Meeting, 6:30pm - 8pm 
Amalgamated Transit Union, 734 N. 26th St., Milwaukee 
The Democratic Party's Issues Committee will hold its monthly meeting. All Democrats are welcome to participate. Enter from the parking lot.

Sat Jan 6, 2018

Stand for Peace, 12pm – 1pm 
Location TBA 
Stand for peace in the streets of Milwaukee, every Saturday at noon. Organized by the United Nations Association of Milwaukee, Peace/Conflict Committee.

Mon Jan 8, 2018

TIM BURNS WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT, 5:30pm - 7pm 
The Iron Horse Hotel, 500 W Florida St, Milwaukee

Grass Roots South Shore Meeting, 6pm - 8pm 
Cudahy Library, 3500 Library Dr., Cudahy 
Grass Roots South Shore holds its monthly meeting on the second Monday of each month. For more information call Jim Balk, 414-218-5944.

Drinking Liberally Waukesha, 6:30pm - 9pm 
Clarke Irish Pub, 314 W. Main St., Waukesha 
More information.