Buffy Wicks

Jun 29, 2019 • 14 tweets • 12 min read

Here’s our sorry excuse of a president—the President of the United States of America—on Russian state TV calling Vladimir Putin “a great guy.” He’s a dictator who rules w/impunity, oversees terror campaigns against LGBTQ+ ppl, & attacked our democracy.

It comes just a day after the son of our president — accidentally gave away the game, when he posted this vile tweet about Senator @KamalaHarris during the Democratic Debate. He then deleted it, but not before observant watchdogs figured out it was an aggressive bot campaign—

.@RVAwonk did yeomans work uncovering just how quickly the message @DonaldJTrumpJr shared ab @KamalaHarris had spread. It spread through a network of fake @Twitter accounts. The same vile, hateful msg.

https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/1144461081189875712

In response to stories unmasking the bots, new bots started pushing a new narrative: bots w/African American profile photos, claiming they were⁠ being suppressed by the DNC. And also, apparently, folks w/amazing telekinetic powers to share the same exact message, verbatim.

.@realDonaldTrump & Putin's fear of @KamalaHarris apparently knows no bound, bc the willingness of their bots to go low, has no limit.

I hesitate to share these, bc they're truly vile statements ab 2 ppl I know & respect. But what's being done by bots on this site, must be seen.

These bots aren't just attacking @KamalaHarris, they're attacking the entire progressive movement. They're set up to respond to subjects hated by the far right.

Post ab conditions @ the detention camps on border? Were you told to stop crying & get off your ass? That was a bot.

Now, w/that last set you might say the msg was good: "Donate $, resources or vol time to make conditions better. Don’t just bitch ab it & cont to act hypocritical."

But look more closely—do those handles & profile pics strike you as ppl who would TRULY care? No? Bc they're fake.

Last wk, I tweeted my most popular tweet ever. Someone responded w/a similar "get off your ass & do something" msg. The response made it clear they didn't know I was an elected member of the CA State Assembly, so I informed them.

It went viral, receiving almost 2.5M impressions—

After the tweet went viral, something curious happened: several ppl messaged me to say they had similar msgs⁠—w/the same exact phrasing⁠—sent in response to 1 of their tweets. What did they share w/mine? They also used the resist hashtag, seems to be a favorite for Trump bots:

These bots spew hate all over @Twitter. They revel in spreading racist, misogynist, xenophobic, homophobic lies.

1 of the most vile lies was spewed by @realDonaldTrump himself: that @SpeakerPelosi & Dems support infanticide. Truly foul. But a REAL favorite of Trump & Putin bots.

I wish I could say this series of tweets was the product of intense research. It wasn't.

As a female elected official in CA, these Trump bots set their sights on my account. You start to see patterns: sports helmet pic. #MAGA handle. No followers. But VERY strong⁠—hateful—views

What do we do to #BeatTheBots? The truth is, I don't know—yet.

Here's what I do know: we must do something. And fast. These bots are corrosive⁠—feeding off of our worst frailties, insecurities & fears. Is it any wonder @realDonaldTrump is driving them?

huffpost.com/entry/twitter-…

Here's what we can't rely on: we can't rely on @Jack or @Twitter to #BeatTheBots. Bc it wouldn't be that difficult. They could do it. They simply refuse to⁠—and in refusing, this racism, misogyny, homophobia, & xenophobia continues to spread, unchecked. buzzfeednews.com/article/craigs…

I sit on the Privacy & Consumer Protection Committee in the CA State Assembly. Now, I've only been in ofc for just under 7 months⁠—but I'm committed to addressing the unchecked power of #BigTech.

The health of our democracy requires we #BeatTheBots.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

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Buffy Wicks

@BuffyWicks

Dec 3, 2021

How do I begin to unpack how deeply disturbed I was by yesterday’s Supreme Court arguments?

Justice Sotomayor spoke for so many of us with this question. She spoke for me.

In September, I had a miscarriage requiring an emergency abortion procedure —

(tw // miscarriage)

https://twitter.com/ProfMMurray/status/1466066984869765127

I was making lunch at my kitchen counter when I began to feel severe cramping, accompanied by heavy bleeding. I knew something wasn’t right. I took Advil, and hoped it would resolve itself — it didn’t.

So I called my doctor, who presented to me a number of possible causes —

I’m 44 years old. I had just finished weaning my youngest daughter from breastfeeding, & my body was experiencing hormonal changes. She said it could just be a hormonal imbalance, or it could be fibroids, endometriosis, or perimenopause.

Read 22 tweets

Buffy Wicks

@BuffyWicks

Sep 14, 2021

Last wk was the 2021 #CALeg bill deadline. I'm proud to say 4 of my bills are headed to the Gov's desk for consideration!

#AB1405 adds essential guardrails to the debt settlement industry—protecting consumers from bad actors & harmful business paractices.calmatters.org/california-div…

#AB1455 provides the survivors of those sexually assaulted by law enforcement officers, more time to seek a civil claim w/out fear of intimidation or retribution. It allows victims up to ten years after such a law enforcement officer is no longer employed, to file a civil claim.

https://twitter.com/BuffyWicks/status/1365080936853901312

#AB518 will move CA toward a more progressive criminal justice system, by restoring judges' discretion to choose sentences that best fits when multiple offenses are committed during a single act. This allows for fairer sentences—rather than just always forcing the strictest one.

Read 5 tweets

Buffy Wicks

@BuffyWicks

Jul 20, 2021

This is alarming: CA's new COVID surge would have put many counties back into the most restrictive tier under our reopening blueprint.

It's time we do something uncomfortable: make vaccination mandatory—at schools, gyms, hospitals, workplaces, etc. Thread—mercurynews.com/2021/07/19/cal…

Universities across the US are making the responsible choice by requiring that students & staff get vaccinated. A federal appeals court just upheld their right to require vaccination. Many more schools, hospitals, businesses & workplaces should do the same.cnn.com/2021/07/19/us/…

In upholding Indiana University’s vaccination requirement, the court wrote: "Progress has been made b/c of the vaccine, not despite it—IU acted reasonably here in pursuing public health & safety for its campus communities.”

Of course this is 100% correct.news.yahoo.com/federal-judge-…

Read 12 tweets

Buffy Wicks

@BuffyWicks

May 28, 2021

Proud to share that #AB1041, the Chosen Family Act, passed the Assembly!

AB 1041 would expand the definition of family to allow workers to take time off to care for their "designated person"—more accurately reflecting today's diverse families, esp. in the LGBTQI community. (1/4)

As my colleague, & proud co-author of #AB1041, @BauerKahan pointed out: CA is home to so many diverse, multi-generational families—it isn't always biological family who is there to care for children in a time of need.

She shared her beautiful, personal story of "My Diane." (2/4)

And as my other colleague @AsmChrisWard so eloquently put it, #AB1041 reflects California’s values: accepting & appreciating people for who they are, as well as who they love as family — and ensuring that our workplace policies take our beautiful diversity into account. (3/4)

Read 4 tweets

Buffy Wicks

@BuffyWicks

Jan 9, 2021

Today, Governor @GavinNewsom released his proposed 2021-22 budget. As California begins its recovery in the wake of the #COVID19 pandemic, I’m encouraged by the Governor’s priorities & proposed investments to support Californians hardest hit by its impacts.a15.asmdc.org/press-releases…

This year’s budget, necessarily, looks very different from last year’s — and helping working families recover from the pandemic must be the lens through which all decisions are made.gov.ca.gov/2021/01/08/gov…

Above all, I’m heartened by the proposed $4.4B aimed directly at Californians’ needs in this moment — funding to get all Californians vaccinated, direct stimulus payments, and grants and fee waivers for small businesses across the state.

Read 8 tweets

Buffy Wicks

@BuffyWicks

Jan 6, 2021

.@angela_rye speaking truth on CNN:

“Here is the real unfortunate reality, to quote fmr Sen Majority Leader Harry Reid on Donald Trump: He is the Frankenstein of the Republican Party. I’m not going to take the onus off the Republican Party for the monster *they* built & created—

“Let’s not put all the responsibility at the feet of Trump. Let’s instead put some responsibility on those who worked *diligently* to suppress votes—then wanted to call John Lewis the conscience of the Congress when he died—but *still* won’t pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act—

“Let’s not take the responsibility away from the people who still have the power — and the *votes* — to do the right thing in the United States Senate. Whether it’s on voting rights, election security, or COVID relief—

Read 4 tweets

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