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.
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or here.
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INCO Weekly Newsletter       November 14, 2022