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Black farmers, Black USDA staff, Black civil society, and the Congressional Black Caucus AND farm, rural, and environmental groups have made it clear that Vilsack is the wrong choice for USDA.
Why is @Transition46 ignoring this OVERWHELMING message?
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/09/black-farmers-tom-vilsack-agriculture-usda-biden-cabinet-444077
Why is @Transition46 ignoring this OVERWHELMING message?
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/09/black-farmers-tom-vilsack-agriculture-usda-biden-cabinet-444077
The Politico article above is one damning quote after another telling @Transition46 that Vilsack would hurt Black farmers, the runoff in Georgia, and be a betrayal of Black voters. I pulled out some quotes in the thread below, but read the whole thing. https://twitter.com/shawnsebastian/status/1336848054595547139
At @PplsAction we have spent MONTHS telling anyone we could get access to with the Biden campaign and @Transition46 to specifically NOT APPOINT VILSACK.
We opposed Vilsack, then Heitkamp because we saw her as a Vilsack surrogate, and now Vilsack. Again. https://twitter.com/shawnsebastian/status/1296588629465333760
We opposed Vilsack, then Heitkamp because we saw her as a Vilsack surrogate, and now Vilsack. Again. https://twitter.com/shawnsebastian/status/1296588629465333760
Back in July, @PplsAction, along with farmers groups and environmental orgs met with Ag policy advisers from the Biden team.
We told them, you can read our policy recommendations. We just want to use this call to tell you NOT TO APPOINT VILSACK. http://PeoplesAction.org/RuralAgenda
We told them, you can read our policy recommendations. We just want to use this call to tell you NOT TO APPOINT VILSACK. http://PeoplesAction.org/RuralAgenda
The substantive case against Vilsack is clear: during his previous tenure at USDA, he covered up discrimination against Black farmers failed to stand up to corporate ag like he promised, and then went to work for them as a $1 million / year lobbyist. https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/tom-vilsack-the-wrong-choice-for-usda-secretary/
At @PplsAction we also made a political case. We made hundreds of thousands of deep canvass calls into rural areas of swing states (WI, MI, PA) to mostly white conflicted voters.
The clear message: corporate lobbyists like Vilsack are political poison. https://peoplesaction.org/deep-canvass-experiment/
The clear message: corporate lobbyists like Vilsack are political poison. https://peoplesaction.org/deep-canvass-experiment/
I think @PplsAction ran a bigger and more effective rural program on a shoe string than the Biden campaign did. Our ED, @GeorgeGoehl sent a clear message:
DEMOCRATS WILL CONTINUE TO LOSE RURAL VOTERS WITH VILSACK APPOINTMENT
https://peoplesaction.org/2020/12/peoples-action-democrats-will-continue-to-lose-rural-voters-with-vilsack-appointment/ https://twitter.com/shawnsebastian/status/1336502857101684737
DEMOCRATS WILL CONTINUE TO LOSE RURAL VOTERS WITH VILSACK APPOINTMENT
https://peoplesaction.org/2020/12/peoples-action-democrats-will-continue-to-lose-rural-voters-with-vilsack-appointment/ https://twitter.com/shawnsebastian/status/1336502857101684737
Polling from @RuralOrganizing shows that the message "Corporate lobbyists [like Vilsack] have too much influence over the government" has an 83% approval rating among rural voters.
But only 34% associate the message with Biden.
41% say both, neither, or don't know.
![Polling from @RuralOrganizing shows that the message "Corporate lobbyists [like Vilsack] have too much influence over the government" has an 83% approval rating among rural voters.But only 34% associate the message with Biden.41% say both, neither, or don't know.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eo4Z6KvXcAMg2Mq.jpg "Polling from @RuralOrganizing shows that the message \"Corporate lobbyists [like Vilsack] have too much influence over the government\" has an 83% approval rating among rural voters.But only 34% associate the message with Biden.41% say both, neither, or don't know.")
But only 34% associate the message with Biden.
41% say both, neither, or don't know.
