Oh my. Many here might know Topher Spiro. One of the most visible heroes in the fight to save Obamacare. A fierce advocate of better and more health care for all.
During an interview, retiring Pennsylvania congressman Ryan Costello mentioned Mr. Spiro as one of the people that made his life as a public servant unbearable.
Costello described the health care fight as the most “intense” experience of his brief political career, “period.” He remembered being one of the 15 or so members who would decide the fate of the House GOP health care bill and “getting it from all angles.” (He voted against it.) When you’re serving in a swing district in this environment, he said, “you have to know every single issue, and why you’re voting the way that you are, and to be able to explain it. Because you will get asked about it by everyone.”
“The way that these bots work”—“B-O-T-S,” he spelled it out to me, presumably referring to those deluging him with talking points—“and these Indivisible people, it’s not like they think for themself, they’re just told what to say,” he said. “They’ll take what some other expert told them to say, like Topher Spiro, or whatever that guy’s name is.” That is indeed the name of the excitable Center for American Progress policy fellow who built up quite the Twitter presence during the health care fight by imploring his followers to flood congressional phone lines.
“It’s not as though the criticisms or questions are illegitimate, but you are on the spot for answering them,” Costello said. “And so you have to be very well-prepared, and you just have to accept that no matter what you say, it’s not going to be good enough, the next criticism’s going to come at you. Which is fine.”
Imagine that, unbearable because Costello couldn’t handle the facts of the health care or the tax cut debates. Costello didn’t really want to vote with his constituents on health care or tax cuts. Costello really wanted to vote with Donald Trump, since he has voted with him 99% of the time.
In the end Costello grudgingly voted no on health care, but yes on tax cuts.
Activism works, folks. Look no further than Ryan Costello’s retirement. These are the Congress people, who’ve sworn fealty to Trump, that have to and need to be gone.
My message to you all.
Whenever you’re feeling down and you feel we’re not making progress or making change, which is perfectly natural, remember to keep pushing ahead even harder.
Our message is getting through. YOU are educating the masses, just like Topher Spiro and his many followers on Twitter.