Local progressive group urges community to take action
Spokane, Wash. — The President’s action has been met with a great deal of push-back from politicians and protesters, but a recent Reuters poll suggests the gap between supporters and protestors isn’t as wide as it seems.
The poll says 49% of Americans support the temporary ban compared to 41% who do not. Fewer than a third of Americans say the policy makes them feel safer.
Protesters in Spokane are still actively looking for ways to express their dissent.
Tuesday night, a meeting was held to provide proactive ways for community members who want to get involved to do so.
The meeting was started by the statewide progressive advocacy organization Fuse. Their main objective: to get people to stand up for what they believe in.
“As a psychotherapist, I don’t like his narcissism. I don’t care for his lack of political moxie and I don’t like his bully attitude, the way he controls things,” said Steven Erickson.
“The man is not trustworthy and he is not a leader that I can look up to,” said Tamara Degitz of Coeur d’Alene.
But instead of simply complaining, Fuse Program Director Jim Dawson taught attendees ways to take action against policies they don’t agree with.
“People are opposed to Trump’s un-American agenda. He doesn’t represent the majority of values in this country. People are scared and people want to know what to do to stop him,” he said.
For example: The Affordable Care Act. Everyone at the meeting wrote down personal stories of how the proposed termination of the program will affect their lives. It’s what they are calling the “Have a Heart Healthcare action.”
They plan to deliver the letters to Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ office the day before Valentine’s Day.
“Maybe make a change, instead of just complaining about what Trump is doing. Here is an opportunity for me to make a change in a progressive and positive way,” Erickson said.
If it means finding the best solution for everyone, compromise is still an option.
“I’m most interested in finding ways to reach my hand across the aisle, if you may, that are supporters of Trump and find out why they believe what they do and see if we can meet on common territory,” Degitz said.
If they feel strongly in favor or in opposition of a policy, like education funding or the temporary travel ban, Dawson urges all community members to call our local lawmakers.
COPYRIGHT 2023 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
