Who is Mad Mother?
50 Years of Political Activism, Feminism, and Fierce Convictions
Thank you for reading and sharing my posts!
My post today is more personal than usual. I want you to know why I write and fight.
I am a retired English teacher. I have family I cherish close by, but I live alone. I don’t write in a journal, and my friends would tell you that I am a bit of a political junkie. I start my day sipping a cup of coffee, while reading my favorite SubStacks and catching up on the latest news in legacy media. A compact copy of the Constitution sits within reach on the coffee table in front of me. Sometime during the hours of reading and watching, a notion strikes, and the trail of evidence entices. Mad Mother is a way to share the research, analysis and conclusions that develop from that. My former students could tell you that opinions are worthless without evidence. That is my approach to Mad Mother as well. I like to say I do it so you don’t have to. But, truth is, I need to do it for myself, too.
Without going into great detail, in my youth I marched and participated in sit-ins for civil rights. In 1978, while living in Spokane, Washington, I worked as a campaign assistant to House Speaker Tom Foley, while I was very pregnant with my first daughter. Throughout my adult life, I have continued to work for worker’s rights - joining union picket lines and attending rallies. There were a few years when I was overloaded with personal issues and less politically involved, but when Trump took the election (Hillary was right all along), I was angry and frightened for our country. I was determined that a president so threatening to our democracy must be resisted and never allowed to rise up again.
During the first Trump administration, I worked hard for to make sure he was a one- term president. Like many of you, I am sure, I wrote letters and postcards to get out the vote, an effort which accelerated during the COVID shutdown when canvassing wasn’t possible.
In 2018, I criss-crossed the country to canvass for democrats in Pennsylvania and Nevada, and even knocked on doors for two weeks in Houston for Beto O’Rourke. That summer of 2018 also found me in Washington D.C. with a group of 15 other ladies - all victims of sexual assault.The Colorado 16, as we called ourselves, were at the Capitol to ask legislators to reject Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court. Our efforts were in vain, but it gave me great satisfaction to confront Colorado Senator Cory Gardner and call him a liar to his face. Yes, I know that was snarky.
The relief I shared with most of the country when Biden took office was tainted by continuing MAGA election lies and the unsuccessful coup. Then, felon and sexual assaulter Donald Trump was allowed to run for office, and far right media blew up with support for him and his campaign of lies. When Project 2025 was published online in 2023, I posted warnings on Face Book and Twitter, but people weren’t taking it seriously. (Yes, I am a political nerd who read 900+ pages)) Trump denied knowing anything about it, but when his lips are moving, he is lying. It was true then and now and always!
Maybe I am living in a bubble in Colorado, but I have never witnessed such a massive volunteer effort for an election. The number of organizations training volunteers to write postcards and letters to prospective voters was unprecedented. My friends and I wrote thousands of each, and I even hosted a postcard writing party at a local library. This was happening all around the country. I learned later that Colorado was the only state that actually voted bluer than before. I guess we really were living in a bubble!
It was nearly midnight, and a snowstorm was in full force when I left the Denver Elections Offices, where I had worked processing ballots. As a co-worker was scraping the snow from the windshield, I turned on the radio just as the race was called for Trump. I was broken. We were all broken. For a few weeks, I avoided the news or use my newspaper subscriptions for anything but Wordle and other games. During that time, I couldn’t bring myself to call or socialize with friends, and I stopped posting or reading social media. I knew many people who were affected in the same manner.
But, I bounced back! I joined BlueSky and deleted X. Said goodbye to Amazon and rarely use Facebook. Reconnected with friends and returned to water aerobics. I am rallying, protesting, and marching. Because, I saw that DOGE was working the Project 2025 plan to get rid of government programs that improve the lives of all Americans. They are dismantling our democracy in a coup they couldn’t get done in 2020. We may see the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of our country, if the Republican budget succeeds. (I am working on a post about the budget proposal that I will post in the next day or two. It really is awful, and it isn’t just Medicaid at risk. Stay tuned.)
Mad Mother will keep watching, marching, and writing about the battle against the fascist, authoritarian Plutocracy. There is really no alternative. Silence and inaction will not save what is left of our democracy.
Thank you for reading, sharing, and subscribing to Mad Mother. sAlso, I appreciate your comments, questions, and suggestions for future topics are welcome!
