A Meaningful Start
The hopeful work of policy and elections
We often hear from people who feel hopeless and burned out on politics. At Pantsuit Politics, we take a different approach to the news, but we GET IT. Progress takes time, patience, and compromise and is often imperfect. We want change yesterday, but taking a policy from idea to implementation takes years. Still, that work matters, so we’re hearing today from people doing that work. First from a former Senate Staffer, Chelsea Henderson, and then Michelle Badger a member of the Pantsuit Politics community running for State Legislature in Massachusetts.
This week, our Extra Credit Book Club finished reading The Displacements a novel that imagines a climate disaster and it’s repercussions. For further conversation on climate politics, we wanted to share a new book by Chelsea Henderson.
Chelsea Henderson has been a longtime listener and friend of the show. We've followed her work with republicEn, an organization dedicated to encouraging, emboldening, and applauding conservative climate leadership. We were so excited to learn about Chelsea's new book and especially delighted she agreed to share this blurb with you all. The book comes out next week, and you can preorder it here.
Glacial: The Inside Story of Climate Politics by recovering Senate staffer Chelsea Henderson is the first Inside-the-Beltway account to lay bare the machinations of what was happening in Washington as mounting scientific evidence of a rapidly warming planet underscored an urgency to act. President Lyndon Johnson was the first U.S. president to be briefed about the dire impacts climate change would have in the 21st century if the world didn’t act to reduce its collective carbon emissions, but sadly, he would not be the last. From the bipartisan (at first) efforts to learn more about the phenomenon to the era of partisan disputation and, ultimately, the first-of-its-kind climate change legislation ushered into law by President Joe Biden, Glacial gives a behind-the-scenes look at nearly 60 years of attempts to act on this existential crisis.
Why I wrote Glacial
My kids are in their early 20s, and for their entire lives, I have worked in some capacity on climate change, either in the U.S. Senate or advocating for non-profit groups. When one of them asked why we hadn’t yet solved this crisis, with all the advancements and innovations that humankind is capable of, not to mention the irrefutable evidence that we should curb our fossil fuel addiction, I got to thinking, why has it taken so long? Thus, the inquiry that started off as a six-page memo and ultimately became a book.
I truly believe that to understand where we are and where we are going, we have to know where we have been. While the issue of climate change is deeply polarizing today, it was not always this way and in fact, the 1970s and 80s were times of great bipartisan collaboration on a suite of environmental issues. Can we learn from this? I hope so. After all, climate change doesn’t care what your political affiliation is; it’s impacting us all in some fundamental way.
As Winston Churchill said, “You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing—after they have tried everything else.” Glacial lays out the everything else, ultimately ending with passage of the monumental Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. It’s just a down payment, but it’s a meaningful start.
Link buy Glacial from an indie bookstore
Governor Josh Shapiro discussed the importance of State Legislature elections in his conversation with Sarah and Beth.
We love hearing when listeners are running for office, and Michelle reached out to share about her race for State Representative in Massachusetts. Michelle shared a little about her race, campaign, and goals. We’d love to highlight local candidates and races here as we approach election day!
My name is Michelle Badger, and I'm running for State Representative in the 1st Plymouth District of Massachusetts. I grew up in Plymouth, attended its public schools, and graduated from Sweet Briar College in Virginia before returning for graduate school. When I moved back to Plymouth, I began to get involved, and, since 2011, I've been elected to the Plymouth School Committee, currently in my second year as Chair.
Plymouth is more than my home; it's where I've benefited from high-quality schools, community support, and wonderful people. I am committed to ensuring everyone can thrive in Plymouth through each stage of life.
My priorities are to enhance affordability and accessibility in our community. I plan to advocate for legislation that creates more housing opportunities, supports our aging population (over 40% are over the age of 50), encourages sustainable economic development, and bolsters resources for all community members. Addressing public safety, mental health, climate change, and increasing educational resources are critically important.
I believe in collaborative problem-solving and listening closely to community concerns, values I've demonstrated during 13 years of service on the School Committee. Communicating with fellow Plymouth residents is important to me, which is why I share my cell phone on campaign materials.
I am in a competitive Democratic primary in a historically red-leaning district. Additionally, I am the only woman and youngest candidate at age 40. I am fortunate to have a dynamic and dedicated team supporting our grassroots campaign. We've knocked on approximately 2,500 doors, made countless phone calls, held events, sent regular emails to our mailing list, marched and attended a handful of parades and festivals, and so much more. Getting to talk to residents at their doors, events, or when they are walking their dogs is my favorite part of grassroots organizing -- hearing their concerns and what they love about Plymouth reminds me every day why I decided to run. It gives me an opportunity to connect and gives me fresh insights into our community. I am beyond grateful for each person who has donated, volunteered, and supported me in this adventure.
Election Day is September 3, and early voting begins on August 24. If you're interested in joining our campaign or learning more, please email us at badgerforplymouth@gmail.com or visit Badgerforplymouth.com. As Sarah and Beth have mentioned, the Presidential campaign is important, of course, but I urge you to research your local candidate and offer to help them. Together, through door-knocking, volunteering, and engagement, we can make a lasting impact on our communities and ensure a vibrant future for all its residents.
-Michelle Badger
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Michelle is the VP of Institutional Advancement at Massasoit Community College. She Works for the Commonwealth and is unable to fundraise, but as a grassroots campaign, we need the support to cover the cost for our campaign. As a Committee, we have raised more money than the other Democratic candidates from individual donors. Consider making a gift of $10 to help Team Badger! -Sarah S., Plymouth, MA
The one thing we want you to know this week…
Sarah and Beth are on Cameo! You can use Cameo to send personal, one-of-a-kind video messages to your favorite people for encouragement, celebration, and commemoration. In honor of back-to-school season, we’ve reduced our prices for Sarah and Beth’s Cameos. We’d love to encourage the students and teachers in our audience as we start a new school year.
The one thing we made this week we can’t stop thinking about…
We were delighted to share our conversation with Bruce Holsinger about his writing process, motivation, and research for The Displacements, and we’re looking forward to our next Summer Book club pick: The Sentence.
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