Cori Bush: The Face of Perseverance 
Tenacity, Perseverance and Determination, all in one woman, Cori Bush
On Friday 7/30/2021 First term Congresswoman Cori Bush sat down on the steps of the U.S. House of Representatives with a camping chair, a sleeping bag, and a commitment to stop the potential eviction of millions of Americans from their homes.
By William Jones and D. S. Mitchell
Those At Risk
When it became clear that neither Congress nor the White House was going to act to stop a pandemic-era federal eviction moratorium from expiring, leaving hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of low-income Americans at risk for eviction from their homes Cori Bush stepped up. Ms. Bush — now 45 and a first-term Democratic congresswoman from St. Louis — felt a familiar flood of anxiety and a flash of purpose in the face of the pending crisis.
Activist Tactics
As her colleagues boarded planes taking them home for a seven-week summer recess, she took a page from her years as an activist and did the only thing she could think of: she got an orange sleeping bag, grabbed a lawn chair and began what turned into an round-the-clock sit-in/sleep-in on the steps of the United States Capitol that galvanized a full-on progressive revolt.
A Little Support From Her Friends
It was Ms. Bush, using the tactics of a street organizer — alongside fellow progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, who joined her encampment — that thrust the eviction issue into the national consciousness. “The Squad” as the House group of liberals are often called, refused to let it go. They marshaled their huge social media followings and grabbed the attention of a news media eager to cover intra-party conflict especially among the Democrats. Such open and public breaks with the White House were intended to force leadership into finding a solution.
Nancy Pushes Reality To White House
Furious that the White House had tried to punt the political mess to Congress, Nancy Pelosi had been forcefully waging a battle of her own. Pelosi quietly worked the levers of power available to influential political operators in Washington. She spoke to President Biden directly. Her office issued uncompromising statements supporting executive order to extend the moratorium unilaterally. The White House pushed back declaring any such presidential action would likely be overturned by the courts. Despite the risk of an adverse court ruling Pelosi and the progressives pressured Biden to sign the order. Congress, she said, simply did not have the votes to solve the problem.
Court Test
Cori Bush stayed put — in rain, and brutal summer heat — until Tuesday 8/03/2021, when President Biden, under growing pressure from Ms. Bush’s group, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the public, abruptly relented. Pressured Biden announced a new, 60-day federal eviction moratorium. The order covers areas overrun with the Delta variant of the coronavirus. It was a striking reversal for Biden’s team. The president decided to sign the executive order with the intent to give state and local government’s time to distribute billions of dollars in federal rental assistance that although in the pipeline, has not yet been distributed.
A Difficult Place
The activist success has sent a bolt of energy through the progressive movement. The ignited energy a hopeful sign for a new, more assertive phase in Washington. It comes as liberals are reeling from the latest in a string of electoral defeats, most notably the special-election primary in Cleveland earlier this month. In the Ohio race establishment-backed candidate, Shontel Brown beat well-known progressive activist and firebrand, Nina Turner.
Narrow Majorities
The Democrats’ narrow majorities in the House and Senate give the progressive bloc the power to make or break legislation, but they have so far mostly hesitated to use it, feeling a united front against the Republicans is more important. There is significant frustration among the group, however. Mr. Biden’s drive to strike a bipartisan infrastructure deal with moderate Republicans has pushed progressive priorities — from voting rights to climate change — to the back burner.
Progressivism In Danger
Ms. Bush’s newfound prominence as a symbol of progressivism carries risks for Democrats. Republicans immediately began circulating a video clip of Ms. Bush in which she defended her own use of private security. The Congresswoman said she hired security because of death threats. Despite reiterating calls to defund the police. House Republicans’ campaign arm immediately spliced Ms. Bush’s words into advertisements targeting vulnerable Democrats up for re-election next fall, using them to tie the party to a rise in violent crime and “defund” the police movement.
Early life and Family
U.S. Representative Cori Bush was born on July 21, 1976, in St. Louis; she is the daughter of Errol Bush, an alderman and former mayor of Northwoods, Missouri, and Barbara, a computer analyst. She graduated from Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School and studied at Harris-Stowe State University before earning a nursing degree from the Lutheran School of Nursing in 2008.
Street Activist
Cori Bush became the first Black woman and first nurse to represent the state of Missouri, as well as the first woman to represent her district. The single mother of two is a Black Lives Matter activist, who played an active role in the Ferguson uprising following the 2014 killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. by a white police officer. In her congressional campaign Bush candidly discussed experiencing homelessness, as well as surviving sexual assault, and various forms of violence, over the course of her life.
Conclusion
It is exciting to see a person of conscience and life experience hold elected office. Cori Bush is a person who has experienced misfortune and adversity. Cori Bush is willing to take on the establishment. We need more Cori Bush clones elected to office in the United States instead of people like Ted Cruz who like to go on vacation when things get rough in their district.
References
https://www.biography.com/political-figure/cori-bush
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/04/us/politics/cori-bush-eviction-moratorium.html
