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VOTE for Interior - and more

Tomorrow's the day

Jacob Malcom

• 2 min read
The U.S. flag flying in a strong breeze, with a few small, pink clouds in the sky behind.
Vote if you haven't already, and heed the call to do more, so this ☝️ isn't an empty gesture. "So tell me who's the real patriot, the Archie Bunker slobs waving flags / Or the people with the guts to work for some real change?" - Dead Kennedys, Stars and Stripes of Corruption. Photo by iStrfry , Marcus / Unsplash

Greetings all—It's been a long while. As I noted over on LinkedIn a couple weeks ago, these months of radio silence have not been without work for Interior. Instead, I have been working quietly behind the scenes this year, on the Hill, with the press, and with other groups and coalitions who are working for reconstruction. And as I noted in that post, things with Next Interior will be evolving in the coming weeks and months.

But that's not the point of today's newsletter. Instead, it is a call that I suspect most if not all subscribers to Next Interior Memos have already heeded: get out and vote if you haven't already. Help ensure others get out and vote for candidates who support democracy and a civil society, including a strong Department of the Interior—public lands and wildlife, science and Tribes—and so much more.

There are so many reasons to be voting in every election, but as you know, this one in particular. We can't list them all in one sitting, so consider a few top-lines:

  • We must give a clear repudiation of the worldview underpinning the destruction wrought on people, communities, institutions, and places, especially since January 20th of last year.
  • We must ensure electoral accountability for those who have failed to exercise their authorities—here's looking at you, Republicans in Congress—to stop the blatantly unconstitutional and illegal actions that are core to the present administration.
  • We must set the table for accountability for not just the members of this administration—a huge task in and of itself—but also the parts of the Judicial Branch that have taken to making up legal arguments that defy logic and the plain meaning of words.
  • We must go beyond congressional races to reset our collective direction in states, counties, and towns everywhere to get off our current, bad trajectory.

This has to be a watershed in broader social fixes that underpin any governance and democracy changes for the long term. Voting isn't the only step, but it is a critical one. Thank you for being part of a healthy democracy, doing your part and helping others do theirs to vote.

More soon.