Dear Friend, This week, I urged voters with absentee/mail-in ballots to forgo putting them in the mail and hand-deliver them to the Bartlett Post Office (see details below) instead. I also reminded constituents that we are far from "turning the corner" on the coronavirus pandemic – with Tennessee a serious hot zone – and to follow public health protocols. I expressed disappointment that a misguided Trump executive order prompted the University of Memphis to suspend employee diversity training; explained why the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increase for the third quarter that Trump has touted just days before Election Day is a misleading anomaly in the midst of the worst economic downturn since 1946; urged leaders negotiating the next pandemic economic relief package to provide relief to cinemas; and offered a pandemic-related health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see what I'm doing as it happens.
Urging Absentee Voters to Deliver Ballots to Bartlett Post Office
Reminding Constituents that Our Region is a Pandemic Hot Zone
Expressing Disappointment at Response to Trump Executive Order
Explaining Misleading Trump Administration Claims about Economic Growth
Focusing on Need to Support Cinemas in Next Relief Package
Weekly Health Tip
Quote of the Week
Urging Absentee Voters to Deliver Ballots to Bartlett Post Office
On Thursday, as it became clear that mailing in absentee ballots from remote locations most likely wouldn't get them to the Shelby County Election Commission, and counted, by Tuesday (Election Day), I began urging constituents to hand-deliver their ballots to the Bartlett Post Office at 2966 Elmore Park Road. The Trump administration's efforts this summer to meddle in postal operations have resulted in a serious decline in on-time delivery, just as it intended. Taking your ballot to Bartlett upends this cynical ploy and guarantees every vote will count. Voters can also still FedEx their ballots to the Shelby County Election Commission. The Election Commission's address is 980 Nixon Drive, Memphis, TN, 38134.
Reminding Constituents that Our Region is a Pandemic Hot Zone
As coronavirus virus cases spike across the country, including in Tennessee, I want to remind my friends, constituents and everyone I can reach that they must follow public health protocols including wearing masks, washing hands frequently and keeping a social distance from others. The President is selling a false message that we have "turned the corner" on this pandemic despite all evidence to the contrary. Be careful and vigilant, and we will eventually get through this.
Expressing Disappointment at Response to Trump Executive Order
The Trump administration's misleading executive order purportedly aimed at ending racial bias and scapegoating has led institutions such as the University of Memphis to suspend their workplace diversity training for fear of jeopardizing federal funding. This is unfortunate since all institutions should do all they can to advance tolerance, inclusivity and fairness, particularly in job training. See my release on the situation here.
Explaining Misleading Trump Administration Claims about Economic Growth
It was obvious the Trump administration would seek to spin the last official report on third quarter economic growth before Tuesday's election, taking credit for an increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) without putting it in context. In an effort to clarify how badly the economy has been handled, I explained that this year's second quarter GDP decline was three times worse than the historic decline of 1958 and that the projected 4 percent decline in real growth for 2020 will be the worst on record since 1946. See my statement on the mishandling of the economy and false manipulation of the statistical evidence here.
Focusing on Need to Support Cinemas in Next Relief Package
As I have been saying for weeks, I have been eager to return to Washington to vote on a pandemic health and economic relief package superseding the updated Heroes Act the House passed October 1. Now that it appears the Senate and Trump officials have officially terminated any prospect of a compromise until after Tuesday's elections, I have urged targeted relief where it appears most needed once those talks resume. This week, I encouraged negotiators to focus on cinemas and the jobs they support, as I have previously urged assistance for restaurants and entertainment venues. See my release here.
Weekly Health Tip
On Thursday, Shelby County reported 2,189 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and the seven-day average of new cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee has been rising since late September. So, again this week, I want to call attention to the high number of coronavirus cases, in Tennessee and across the country, that are likely the result of reopening prematurely without implementing basic precautionary measures such as wearing masks and adhering to social distancing guidelines. Please follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols and those adopted by Memphis and Shelby County for staying safe in this ongoing pandemic: Wash your hands with soap frequently for at least 25 seconds; keep a minimum social distance of six feet from others; wear a face mask when out in public; and avoid being in crowds of more than 10. When you're indoors, six feet might not be far enough, according to recent studies; 14 feet might be better. It is best to wear a mask, particularly when indoors in close quarters. We must work together to get through this.
Quotes of the Week
"When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government" – The Declaration of Independence, adopted July 4, 1776.
"In the end, Pennsylvania, that's what voting's about, making things better, not making things perfect, but putting us on track so that a generation from now we can look back and say, ‘Things got better starting now.' And that's what voting's about. Voting's about using the power we have and pooling it together to get a government that's more concerned and more responsive and more focused on you and your lives and your children and your grandchildren and future generations." – President Barack Obama, speaking October 21 in Philadelphia.
"Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it." – The late Congressman and Civil Rights Leader John Lewis, The New York Times posthumous op-ed (July 30, 2020).
I wish everyone a happy Halloween and plan to cheer a Memphis victory over the Bearcats Saturday. Go Tigers Go! As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,
 Steve Cohen
Member of Congress |
