This evening at 8:30pm Eastern time, there will be an online Town hall to discuss #ForceTheVote.

Hosting this Townhall will be:
Brie Joy Gray – former Bernie Sanders campaign staff
Dr. Cornel West – Needs no introduction around here
Kyrstal Ball - of the Hill's Rising
Nick Brana - of the People Party
Kyle Kulinski - of Secular Talk
and of course Jimmy Dore, jag-off, pot smoking comedian.

[video:https://youtu.be/pWnCEMPKxbQ]

What is #ForceTheVote?

From ForceTheVote.Org:

We demand that every progressive in Congress refuse to vote for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House until she publicly pledges to bring Medicare for all to the floor of the House for a vote in January. Force the Vote!

Rep. Nancy Pelosi is running for her fourth term as Speaker of the House. The election is in the first week of January and this time, because Democrats lost seats in the House and were left with a slim majority, she needs votes from congressional progressives to get re-elected.

Before the Nov. 3rd election, the Democrats had 230 members in the house. Afterward, only 219. It takes 218 votes for someone to become Speaker of the House.

Krystal Ball discusses with Brie Joy Gray the push back talking points.

[video:https://youtu.be/04ExIqh8JyU]

Since the Democrats have a razor thin majority, in which they will need every progressive member to vote accordingly, there is a a window of opportunity for “progressives” in the house to make demands, on whom ever will be speaker of the house.

The “key” to understanding this whole thing is really quite simple. In order for a Republican to take over as Speaker of the House, it would require Democrats voting for a Republican to elect them Speaker of the House.

If Nancy runs for Speaker of the House and loses, the position will not automatically go to a Republican. The house would continue to vote for party candidates, until someone achieved at least 218 votes.

Personally, I would not be outright opposed to a Republican as Speaker of the house, if they would agree to bring “progressive” legislation to the floor, on a regular basis. Not just for a single issue like Healthcare For All, but, on a regular basis, bring up progressive legislation.

“Progressives” do make up a sizable portion of the population and we deserve to have representation in our congress, that actually introduces legislation that represents our share of the population, and our “interests” in this so called “Representative Republic” we find ourselves living in.

I mean to me, this is hugely fundamental. Are we “progressives” not entitled to actual representation of, by and from, the people we elected to, you know, represent us in congress?

Good heavens, “progressive” policies, those like Bernie Sanders has advocated for during his two runs for president, have broad public support, but it rarely, if ever, actually gets to the house floor for a vote.

In other words, progressive legislation does not get fair representation, and that alone should bother any American, if they have any semblance of “fair play”. I mean, my goodness we live on a steady diet of Radical right wing and Neoliberal legislation.

Is it really too much to ask that some progressive legislation, that has overwhelmingly, broad public support allowed to be debate in our so called representative republic?

Is it too much to ask that legislation that represents the views, wishes and the will, of we the people, a large part of our population, has actual representation?

#ForceTheVote, is simply, we the people demand our representatives, who we knocked on doors, phone bank, donated what little money we have, put in countless hours of time, effort and energy, to help get them elected, actually represent us.

And this moment in time, with Democrats having just a razor thin majority in the House of Representatives, creates a rare opportunity because the Democrats will need every single “progressive” house member's vote, in order to win the Speaker of the House position.

Join us online at 8:30 eastern time on the Jimmy Dore Youtube Channel.