“A Few Hundred Words Written by the Right People”

Arvin Alaigh

After Senator Joe Manchin abruptly killed talks on President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better proposal last December, advocacy groups slammed him for having strung along fellow legislative Democrats and the White House for over a year. His announcement followed a year of grassroots (and grasstops) advocacy: thousands of calls to his office, dozens of mobilizations across his home state of West Virginia, numerous constituent meetings with his Senate staff, and...

On the State of Climate Activism

Arvin Alaigh

In August, the U.S. Senate passed climate provisions that were immediately hailed as historic, marking President Biden’s most significant legislative achievement to date. Coming after a summer of record heat waves, floods, fires, and other catastrophes around the world, the bill sparked debate over whether its contents will meet the moment with sufficient urgency, and how much we should celebrate it as a significant, if limited, victory. Meanwhile, the viability...