Monday, November 28, 2022

11-28-22 Newsletter

 

PLEASE CALL TODAY
Indivisible has announced three critical priorities for the Senate during these final weeks and needs your help. Please call Senator Merkley's office (202-224-3753) and Senator Wyden's office (202-223-5244) and ask them to stay in session until the following priorities are passed in these final weeks of a Democratic trifecta: 
  • PASS S4573, The Electoral Count Act, to strengthen the presidential certification procedures and prevent future presidents from trying to overturn an election, as we witnessed Donald Trump try to do.
  • PASS S4556, The Respect for Marriage Act, to guarantee protections for millions of marriages so that Americans are free to marry the person they love, regardless of sexual orientation or race, without fear of discrimination or fear that their marriages will be invalidated. 
  • Lift the debt ceiling through reconciliation, to prevent the GOP from holding our government hostage in order to get their legislative agenda passed. Key Republicans in Congress are threatening to block raising the debt ceiling. If they succeed, the American and global economies would implode.
A Republican takeover of the House in January means Democrats must use every bit of their Congressional control they have now  to deliver as much of the Democratic agenda as possible, before the end of this Congress! That means they have from now until January 3rd, 2023 (Swearing-In Day) to deliver on a long list of priorities. 

Click here for more details from Indivisible on these top priorities for the 2022 Final Legislative Session. And if you missed it, click here for the recording of the post-election strategy call with Ezra and Leah to hear about why these three priorities are so important.  
Activists enjoyed atmosphere and good company at INCO's Under 40's Thanksgiving postcarding party for Senator Warnock, hosted by Beeb Ashcroft via Zoom. 
* * * * * * * * * * 
LAST CHANCE TO POSTCARD FOR SENATOR WARNOCK
You and over 15,287 other volunteers have written and mailed 749,516 fun, friendly election reminders to Georgia Dems in just 16 days! 
Electing Senator Warnock means 51 Democratic Senators will make the difference for passing legislation you care about.
 
Ways you can help:
1.  Postcards To Voters (PTV) at postcardstovoters.org
The PTV postcard campaign for Warnock 
 will keep assigning addresses through Tuesday, November 29. Check out the website and it will lead you through the steps to get started. You’ll need to provide your own postcards and postage.  (Tony The Democrat, who started PTV, is based in Georgia, so understandably they are all in for the Warnock race.)  If you need stamps or index cards/postcards, contact Laurie at incoregon@gmail.com.  

2. 
 Vote Forward (VF) at VoteFwd.org
Sign up for the Warnock runoff letter campaign hereIf you're writing for the runoff, mail your letters by Tuesday, November 29. For this letter writing, you print out the letters, personalize them and then mail them. If you need stamps or envelopes, contact Laurie at incoregon@gmail.com.  

3. Indivisible 

Sign up here for volunteering through Indivisible national.

4Today's Edition
Robert Hubbell's newsletter offers numerous links to volunteer and donate to the runoff.


Please do everything you can to turn out voters for Warnock at the December 6 election. Invite your friends to join you. 
GOOD NEWS ABOUT DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA
California just awarded 96 million in climate grants for 10 communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Climate mitigation is an important part of addressing climate change, and some communities are disproportionately impacted.

Michigan passed Proposal 2 last week, a measure that amends the state constitution to make voting easier while also protecting against efforts to curtail voting rights. 

Early voting also notched a win in Connecticut, where voters adopted a constitutional amendment that authorizes the legislature to set up early voting.

Oakland, California passed a measure to revamp campaign finance and implement a democracy vouchers program. The program will provide each eligible voter with four $25 vouchers to donate to the candidate of their choice for upcoming city and school board elections.
--Chop Wood, Carry Water 
Substack newsletter, November 21, 2022

Check out this overview of "a sea change moment in American history" regarding representation, women in politics, new and younger Democratic leadership in Congress.
-- Heather Cox Richardson, Substack newsletter, November 25, 2022


"Prior generations sustained the promise of America through periods of darkness and turmoil, asking only that we safeguard that promise for future generations. We can do that; indeed, we are doing it with every small act of democracy and kindness that we allow to course through our lives."
-- Robert Hubbell, Substack newsletter, November 23, 2022

POLITICS AND PROSE: THE SUPREME COURT
The behind-the-scenes deal-making and dark money shaping today's Supreme Court are featured in a recent conversation with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, author of THE SCHEME, and New Yorker writer Jane Mayer. Both have a passion for democracy and truth. The event was at the legendary Washington DC bookstore, Politics and Prose. The store features author readings and interviews that are posted on YouTube.
HAPPENINGS
Thursday, December 8 - INCO South County Community Group, 6:30-7:30 pm, via Zoom. Contact Bebe at littlebylittle4change@gmail.com to get the Zoom link. 
INSIGHTS
 "The unfortunate, yet truly exciting thing about your life, is that there is no core curriculum. The entire place is an elective.”
— Jon Stewart, comedian, political commentator
Comments, news, and photos to INCO at incoregon@gmail.com
Resources and other information at www.incoregon.org and www.indivisible.org.
Encourage others to sign up for the INCO newsletter at our website 
or here.
Look for the INCO column in 
Hipfish Monthly. We're on Facebook, too.
INCO Weekly Newsletter       November 28, 2022

Monday, November 21, 2022

11-21-2022 Newsletter

 

THANKSGIVING
Like you, we're thankful that millions of voters and activists are defending our democracy. Thank you for contributing passion, wisdom, talent, money, and time to make our country better - even more than you thought you could give. Thank you for sustaining INCO with your work, good cheer, and hope. 
 
Our best wishes for your Thanksgiving holiday.
INCO leadership team
Laurie Caplan, Cheryl Conway, Mary Beth Cottle, Eric Halperin, Carmen Hammersmith, Kathleen Macdonald, Bebe Michel, and Ken Potter 
WHY ELECTING WARNOCK MATTERS
 
A Warnock victory matters because "... with a slim 50-50 margin of control for Democrats, Republicans can slow progress in the Senate to a crawl. One additional vote substantially lessens the ability of Republicans to act as legislative terrorists." Robert Hubbell identifies other good reasons, then says, "But the most important factor of a 51-vote majority is that Democrats can confirm judicial nominations with a simple majority vote." 

"Here’s the point: Re-electing Senator Raphael Warnock will significantly improve the ability of Biden and Senate Democrats to deliver on their promises to the American people. "

 
•  Thankful For Democracy Postcard Party  •
Thursday, November 24, 2022 
8:00 PM - 8:40 PM, via Zoom
Hosted by INCO "Under 40s"
Passcode: THANKFUL
Meeting ID: 859 3215 9024

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85932159024?pwd=UlZUcDUxUXBPYU9RYjFVd1BEU3piQT09

INCO family and friends old and new are invited to join us Thanksgiving evening for a quick postcarding session for the Georgia Senate runoff. After the pies have been eaten and the plates have been cleared, let's give thanks for our democracy! Never written postcards to voters before? No problem, we can give you a tutorial over Zoom!

Ways you can help:
1.  Postcards To Voters (PTV) at postcardstovoters.org
The PTV postcard campaign for Warnock is active now. If you haven’t written for PTV, it’s easy. Just check out the website and it will lead you through the steps to get started.  You’ll need to provide your own postcards and postage.  (Tony The Democrat, who started PTV, is based in Georgia, so understandably they are all in for the Warnock race.)  If you need stamps or index cards/postcards, contact Laurie at incoregon@gmail.com.  

2. 
 Vote Forward (VF) at VoteFwd.org
VF will be writing to young voters of color who are registered but may be unlikely to vote. You can write letters to Georgia voters encouraging them to vote in this critical runoff election. For this letter writing you print out the letters, personalize them and then mail them. If you need stamps or envelopes, contact Laurie at incoregon@gmail.com.  

3. Indivisible 

Sign up here for volunteering through Indivisible national.

4Today's Edition
Robert Hubbell's newsletter offers numerous links to volunteer and donate to the runoff.


Please do everything you can to turn out voters for Warnock at the December 6 election. Invite your friends to join you. 
YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL PRIORITIES SURVEY
Oregon Indivisibles in COIN's  Climate, Energy, Environment (CEE) Team continue to work on key issues. Please help them by completing this short and interesting questionnaire at  https://forms.gle/sovvvvrZZQdQDP1q9 about environmental priorities for Indivisibles. Thank you!  
TILLAMOOK DELIVERS
Kudos to the Indivisibles from the Tillamook Democracy Project for writing 13,582 letters to midterm election voters. They were excited to deliver them to the post office.
WHY OUR WORK CONTINUES
•  "What happened last week was an important electoral victory that allows all of us to fight another day—specifically, two years from now. Without the defeat of the deniers in 2022, the 2024 elections would likely have fallen into chaos and perhaps even violence. Both are still possibilities. But voters rallied and turned back the worst and most immediate threats to the American system of government.

"....These 2022 losers and other, similar candidates are still out there, and they will all continue their best efforts (as Lake is demonstrating) to corrode the foundations of our constitutional order.

".... If we are going to turn them back once and for all, we must not underestimate their resentment and will to power. We know who they are; we must decide who we are."
--Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, November 18, 2022

•  Democratic political strategist Dan Pfeiffer suggests a number of columnists and a podcast for perspective about the election, Democrats, the GOP, and democracy. 

•  Al Franken and Norm Ornstein discuss how the House Republicans are ready to impeach and investigate their way through the next two years, with Franken humor, of course. It's podcast worth listening to. Ornstein is a noted political scientist and author.
WHAT TO SAY
Progressives are finding effective ways to talk about political turmoil and the authoritarian trends in the US. Messaging experts suggest emphasizing the Trumpist Republican criminal conspiracy and remind voters of our values and our victory.  Here's one suggestion:

Most of us believe our leaders should act in our interests, respect our freedoms, and govern in our name. But Trumpist Republicans undertook a criminal conspiracy to overthrow the will of the people, and the GOP has thus far enabled Trump to run in the very elections he wants to eliminate. Across races, religions, places, and parties, Americans saw this election as a choice between freedom and fascism and voted to protect our families and our futures. We demand accountability for these traitors, stronger protections to keep our elections free and fair, and a renewed commitment to our democracy.
"UNITY IS EVERYTHING"
"While being against authoritarianism is obviously key to preserving democracy, articulating and standing for progressive values and policies and communicating a vision of societal justice that will lead disaffected voters to re-invest in the political process is just as important right now.

"....Unity is everything when combatting the right, which does its best to polarize society and set people and parties against each other.

"Moving to the center to beat the right can be a counter-productive strategy. Instead, inspire people with an authentic alternative to right-wing politics.

"Warn against abuses of power and all that can be lost, but stand for something --articulate a clear and compelling vision of society that draws people in and lets them see a path forward."
--Ruth Ben-Ghiat, American historian and scholar on fascism and authoritarian leaders. Substack newsletter, November 15, 2022

SHOCKING SPENDING BY MEGADONORS
"It looks like the 2022 midterms will be the most expensive ever. Small-dollar donors contributed at record levels, but megadonors still overwhelmingly outspent them. A stunning stat from our new midterms fundraising analysis: just 21 of the biggest donor families gave more than 3.7 million small donors combined — $783 million. But voters' support for new campaign finance reforms in several states shows it doesn’t have to be this way."
--Brennan Center for Justice,  November 17, 2022
HAPPENINGS
Thursday, December 8 - INCO South County Community Group, 6:30-7:30 pm, via Zoom. Contact Bebe at littlebylittle4change@gmail.com to get the Zoom link. 
INSIGHTS
"Kindness can’t sit down simply because anger has stood up.” 
— Bill Penzey
Comments, news, and photos to INCO at incoregon@gmail.com
Resources and other information at www.incoregon.org and www.indivisible.org.
Encourage others to sign up for the INCO newsletter at our website 
or here.
Look for the INCO column in 
Hipfish Monthly. We're on Facebook, too.
INCO Weekly Newsletter       November 21, 2022

Monday, November 14, 2022

11-14-2022 Newsletter

 

DEMOCRACY ROCKS!
Kudos to everyone who worked to defend democracy this election. We're delighted that so many of you took part in this year's campaigns. With the help of thousands of activists like you, many pro-democracy candidates won, and election deniers lost races for key state offices in every 2020 battleground. Scroll down for results and perspectives.

Doing democracy works.
HELP WARNOCK WIN THE RUNOFF
Big news Sunday is that Democrats hold the Senate!
If Senator Warnock is re-elected, then Manchin and Sinema won’t be able to sabotage the Biden agenda.  

The December 6 runoff - mandated by Georgia law -  could keep Raphael Warnock in the Senate; he's an informed, serious, and qualified senator. Your postcards and letters to voters could prevent the hugely unqualified MAGA Herschel Walker from becoming a US Senator. Here's how you can help:

1.  Postcards To Voters (PTV) at 
postcardstovoters.org
The PTV postcard campaign for Warnock is active now. If you haven’t written for PTV, it’s easy. Just check out the website and it will lead you through the steps to get started.  You’ll need to provide your own postcards and postage.  (Tony The Democrat, who started PTV, is based in Georgia, so understandably they are all in for the Warnock race.)  If you need stamps or index cards/postcards, contact Laurie at incoregon@gmail.com.  

2. 
 Vote Forward (VF) at VoteFwd.org
VF will be writing to young voters of color who are registered but may be unlikely to vote. You can write letters to Georgia voters encouraging them to vote in this critical runoff election. For this letter writing you print out the letters, personalize them and then mail them. If you need stamps or envelopes, contact Laurie at incoregon@gmail.com.  

3. Indivisible 

Sign up here for volunteering through Indivisible national.

4Today's Edition
Robert Hubbell's newsletter offers numerous links to volunteer and donate to the runoff.


There’s no time to waste to do everything we can to turn out voters for Warnock at the December 6 election. Invite your friends to join you. 

"CAPTAINS OF OUR FATE"

"And we know this: Predictions that democracy might end in the 2022 midterms were wrong. Instead, voters made their voices heard, even if some of those voices seem irrational and anti-democratic. That is a problem we can address in future elections.

"And, finally, we know this: Every postcard, text, phone call, door knock, tweet, poster, flyer, yard sign, house party, and donation made a difference. For that, you should be immensely proud because you proved that we are not prisoners of history, but captains of our fate and that of our democracy. That is all we need to win over the long term."
--Robert Hubbell, 
Today's Edition, November 9, 2022


For now, however, we can say that there is reason for hope and optimism about the future of this country. Maybe a fever is starting to break. There were Republicans who won last night who are trying to forge a different path forward for their party. We want to have elections between people who differ on policy, not on whether they believe in a constitutional republic based on the principles of freedom and democracy. 

So we return to the notion of steady. We can breathe deep, take a moment to reflect on all that is good about our country, and continue the hard work of forging a more perfect union.
-- Dan Rather, 
Steady, November 9, 2022

"Although we won’t know all of the results for a while, yesterday’s midterms had a resounding takeaway for our democracy: Americans reject election denial. Many election deniers in competitive races were defeated. And these races were happening in states with a diverse array of political leanings. What does all of this tell us? American voters want our elections to be fair, safe, and independent: an extraordinary repudiation of election deniers."
-- Brennan Center for Justice, November 9, 2022

OREGON ELECTION RESULTS
*  THANK YOU FOR VOTING  *
INCO endorsed these candidates because they defend democracy and oppose authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption. Ballots are still being counted in Oregon.
 
Our next Governor:  Tina Kotek

State Senate: Melissa Busch. Melissa conceded in a gracious statement. Opposed by a vicious campaign, she remained energized, informed, and gracious! Kudos to Melissa and her campaign team.
State Representative: Logan Laity. As of Sunday evening, Logan is behind his opponent. Logan is a stellar example of younger candidates around the country committed to public service and democracy.  
US Senate: Ron Wyden - re-elected
US Representative: Suzanne Bonamici - re-elected


COIN endorsed all four state ballot measures, and all four passed, including the one about gun control. 

Oregon election results can be found via the Oregon 
Secretary of State website. Clatsop County results are here.
RECLAIMING OUR DEMOCRACY
"Far more Americans today are concerned about our democracy, and determined to reclaim it, than were even paying attention to it in 2016. There are new organizations, new connections, new voters, new efforts to remake the country better than it has ever been, and the frantic efforts of the Republicans to suppress voting, gerrymander the country, and now to take away our right to choose our leaders indicates we are far more powerful than we believe we are."
-- Heather Cox Richardson, historian, 
Letter from an American, November 7, 2022
HAPPENINGS
Thursday, December 8 - INCO South County Community Group, 6:30-7:30 pm, via Zoom. Contact Bebe at littlebylittle4change@gmail.com to get the Zoom link. 
INSIGHTS
"If life is a staircase, then reality is a Slinky."
-- Louis Menand
Comments, news, and photos to INCO at incoregon@gmail.com
Resources and other information at www.incoregon.org and www.indivisible.org.
Encourage others to sign up for the INCO newsletter at our website 
or here.
Look for the INCO column in 
Hipfish Monthly. We're on Facebook, too.
INCO Weekly Newsletter       November 14, 2022