Barbara Lee Speaks For Me – On Impeachment!

By Rosemary Jordan

The Indivisible Guide reminds us that even deep in the bluest areas of the country with sympathetic Members of Congress, there’s work to do. Today we’re excited to announce that we’ve achieved a major milestone after a year of work by Indivisible groups in the East Bay. On February 2, 2018, Representative Barbara Lee (CA-13) became a cosponsor of House Resolution 621, Articles of Impeachment. John Ota, of Alameda4Impeachment, a grassroots group based in Alameda, welcomed Lee’s action as a “significant and concrete step in the long but necessary process of removing a President who is constantly attacking the very foundations of our democracy and endangering our national security.”

H.Res. 621, sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), calls for the impeachment of President Trump on grounds of obstruction of justice, violation of the Constitutional prohibitions on a U.S. official receiving money or gifts from foreign governments and/or from state governments, abuse of power by actions undermining the rule of law, and actions undermining the freedom of the press.

Rep. Lee became the tenth cosponsor of H.Res. 621 and the first from California. Lee voted twice before in favor of impeachment resolutions by Rep. Al Green (D-TX); both times, Republicans, joined by many Democrats including several Bay Area members of Congress, succeeded in stopping the resolutions through procedural motions.

Members of Alameda4Impeachment, along with Indivisible East Bay allies, attended Rep. Lee’s town halls and other events, met with Rep. Lee and her staff twice a month, and gathered over 500 letters at the 2018 Oakland Women’s March, all urging her to cosponsor H.Res. 621. Ota said that this grassroots lobbying success shows that “people power works if people are persistent, organized and determined” in their efforts. Alameda4Impeachment intends to keep working with Indivisible East Bay to persuade other members of Congress, especially those in the Bay Area, to support H.Res. 621 and impeachment.

What you can do:

Send Rep. Lee some Valentine’s love for speaking for us! Emails, tweets, or postcards are all great. Or call in your love! Use your own words or the script below.

My name is ___________ and my zip code is ___________. I want to thank Representative Lee for co-sponsoring House Resolution 621. Rep. Lee stands on the right side of history and I want her to know I stand with her.

Rep. Barbara Lee (email); (510) 763-0370 DC: (202) 225-2661; 1301 Clay Street #1000N, Oakland CA 94612; @RepBarbaraLee

Are you a constituent of Eric Swalwell (CA-15) or Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11)? Please let them know you want them to speak for you too! Ask them to join Rep. Lee in supporting H.Res. 621.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (email); (510) 370-3322 DC: (202) 225-5065; 3615 Castro Valley Blvd., Castro Valley CA 94546; @EricSwalwell

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (email); (510) 620-1000 DC: (202) 225-2095; 3100 Oak Rd., Walnut Creek CA 94597; @RepDeSaulnier

Rosemary Jordan is Co-Founder of Alameda4Impeachment, a registered Indivisible group and a partner in the Citizens Impeachment Coalition, which includes representatives of cities, towns and counties nationwide (including four in the East Bay) that have passed local Impeachment resolutions. Rosemary also serves on the Steering Committee of All Rise Alameda and is co-leader of the End The Tampon Tax In California campaign. She has over 20 years of professional experience in healthcare and aging.