1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

Listen. Things are way past out of hand, and we need all hands on deck to resist this nightmare!   I appreciate what you have been doing to help and I’m writing to encourage (urge) you to do as much as humanly possible to fight back right now.   I don’t mean to be all identity-politics, but that stuff has me scared right now. I’m the other they hate. I’m a disabled gay atheist with a green-card holding, Central American fiancé (who is officially a refugee due to NACARA) and loved ones of pretty much every immigrant status imaginable.   I’m scared to death for my rights and for my family right now, and we need all the help we can get.   In particular right now, this “disappearing” of folks to Salvadoran work-prisons has me terrified. How long before someone in my family winds up swept away and disappeared to where-the-heck-ever, never to be seen again?   But additionally, the “anti-woke”, Christian Nationalist BS they’re pulling all around the country (some locally, and some nationally) has me wondering which of my rights will be next on the chopping block.   I know you have to pick your battles. I get it. But, as you know, the party is at all-time-low approval and that is because we need so many more battles to be those that are picked.   We need leaders who will fight, and make a giant, smart show of it. We need folks doing press conferences and uploading videos to social media that demonstrate the fight is being taken seriously. We need fighters for real to take the reins of this horrible carriage and lead us out of Hell.   Please be one of those leaders.   Folks like Schumer and Connolly need to step away and let the fighters take over. Seniority be damned. We need the smart ones in charge.   Bernie, AOC, and Murphy have the right idea. They are not examples of “the crazy left” of the party. They are examples of where the party SHOULD be.   We need you on the side of the working-class, paycheck-to-paycheck crowd to do the things that will help us all, but also folks to fight for those of us who are marginalized as well. Make the focus inclusive of the working class in general and of minority groups who need protection.   Make it clear to everyone that you are fighting to help us all survive, both financially and against personal attacks from the Right. .   I believe that many of the MAGA are beyond reach, but there are plenty of folks who voted for the Orange Caligula just because they are struggling and he (sarcastically and opportunistically) promised to help. Those latter people can be reached, but you all need to DEMONSTRATE that you are trying to help the common people and reject the big money crowd.   It’s the only way to break through. Ignore Carville and that gang. They don’t know what’s going on out here in the streets. They’ve been in the bubble too long. Please show us all that you haven’t been in there with them.   I know this has been a bit meandering, but I hope my intent is clear.  Thank you for taking the time to read it.