12-16-24 Newsletter

 

INCO's Speak Truth Summit March, January 19, 2019   2025 LEADERSHIP TEAM  Beeb Ashcroft  Laurie Caplan  Mary Beth Cottle   Eric Halperin   Carmen Hammersmith  Julia Hesse*   Lee Jette*   Lynn McConnell*   Teresa Patterson*   Ken Potter We're delighted to welcome new members to INCO's leadership team. Look for the * by their names. *  Our admiration and thanks to Bebe Michel, who's stepping back from leadership after providing us with wisdom, programs, good cheer, clever buttons, postcarding inspiration, and even drumming for years.  *  As always, send your comments and suggestions to incoregon@gmail.com. *  Look for Indivisible North Coast Oregon on Facebook and for indivisible_north_coast_oregon on Instagram. ONWARD INTO 2025 Local Indivisibles met Saturday to set goals and plans for 2025, based on the ideas from those at INCO's three November and December meetings, COIN, and the new Indivisible Guide's ideas for trifecta states. These are states like Oregon with Democratic majorities in Oregon House and Senate and a Democratic governor. The consensus was that our focus will be local. Small groups discussed working with allies, recruiting and supporting candidates for the dozens of positions to be elected in May, attending city and county council and commissioner meetings, volunteering on the COIN teams, communications and outreach, and much more. Look for details in future newsletters.  Members' goals from INCO November and December meetings:  Protecting communities at risk from discrimination and other policies – (women, elderly, immigrants, people of color, non-English speakers, non-Christians, LGBTQ, special needs people, veterans Local public health, including women's reproductive health, vaccinations, veterans care, Medicare, Social Security Climate & environment, forestry, fossil fuels on Columbia River, herbicides, housing, wildfire costs Finding candidates, providing support for May 2025 elections; link w/ Clatsop Dems and other political allies Attending city and county government meetings Linking with other like-minded groups. Individuals are already connected with various groups: Lynn with League of Women Voters; Mary Beth, Ken, Cheryl, and others with Clatsop Dems; Cheryl with Consejo Hispano and Q Center; Rural Organizing Project (ROP); Clatsop Community Action; others to be identified The new Indivisible Guide: "We’ve identified three big plays that we -- regular people organizing locally around the country — collectively need to make to get to 2026 (midterm elections): We all throw in to say NO to Project 2025 when it’s pushed by the White House and Congress. We’ll stop what we can, and we’ll pick strategic fights to drive national backlash to win in 2026. We play hardball wherever we’ve got Democrats in local, city, or state office — supporting and/or pushing them to block, delay, and challenge MAGA’s attacks. We work to protect and win elections — defending against election deniers in swing states and turning all that national backlash into an electoral majority coalition that delivers big wins in 2026. "What can we achieve if we do this? Block, delay, or distract the Trump administration. Trump’s people have the same number of hours in the day as the rest of us. Widespread efforts to throw sand in the gears of their attacks — from lawsuits to legislation to strategic acts of defiance — will make it harder for them to roll out their full agenda. Protect people, policies, and progress. From inter-state compacts to maintain policy standards to actions by governors to protect immigrant families from deportation, energized, visionary governance can do a massive amount of real good. Mitigate harm for red staters. Whether they voted with us or not, people who live in red states deserve better than what they’re getting. Policies that help them — and highlight the gap between red and blue states — are good substantively and politically. Present an alternate story of life under Democratic governance. Making people’s lives in blue states better — more affordable, safer, and fairer — is good on the merits and part of how we strengthen the Democratic brand for the future." Read the new Indivisible Guide here. COIN (Consolidated Oregon Indivisible Network): If you're interested in state issues and how Trump policies will affect Oregonians, INCO encourages you to join a COIN team. COIN is a network of about 40 Indivisible groups in Oregon. You can be a valuable link with COIN, so please let us know if you sign up for a COIN team at incoregon@gmail.com.  Sign up here to get COIN newsletters and alerts. Sign up for a COIN team here. * State Legislative Team  This team tracks legislation during the state legislative sessions, researching bills and making recommendations for whether or not it deserves our support.   * Social and Economic Justice Team This team focuses on diversity, equity and inclusive issues and making sure that vulnerable populations in Oregon are protected from the Trump agenda.     * Climate/Energy Environment (CEE) Team This team works to support policies and programs at the state, federal and local levels that promote environmental sustainability.  * State Accountability Team (new) This team will determine if Oregon is ready for the threats Trump is voicing, holding our state officials accountable, and will advocate for new, more protective laws and policies if needed.  * Communications Team (new) This team will use social media, newsletters, website work, and other technology to create communications for COIN and support campaigns and promotions needed by other teams Sign up here to get COIN newsletters and alerts. Sign up for a COIN team here. OUR OPPORTUNITY Your members of Congress won't know what you want if you don't tell them. Calls are fast and easy, and you can leave a message or sometimes talk with a staff member. It's most effective if your call is about one topic. Staffers appreciate your thanks for the work they do, especially in the challenging atmosphere in Congress. Senator Ron Wyden     202-224-5244 Senator Jeff Merkley    202-224-3753 Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici    202-225-0855  LESSONS 6 - 10 From ON TYRANNY: TWENTY LESSONS FROM THE TWENTIETH CENTURY   6. Be wary of paramilitaries. (Think Proud Boys and similar self-styled militias.) 7. Be reflective if you must be armed. 8. Stand out.  "The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken." 9. Be kind to our language.  10. Believe in truth. Authoritarian leaders follow a similar playbook trying to convince people that their rule is inevitable and infinite. Fortunately, opponents have a playbook, too!  Historian Timothy Snyder wrote ON TYRANNY following Trump's election in 2016. INCO encourages you to read this brief important book.   The GOP's Project 2025 is the game plan for Trump tyranny.  • Project 2025 Explained -- An in-depth analysis of the MAGA playbook by Indivisible • A long list of major features of Project 2025 from Robert Hubbell in his Today's Edition newsletter • The 920-page Project 2025 document is here. Find a topic that interests you in the Project 2025 table of contents.   INCO INSIGHTS "Sleep faster, we need the pillows." -- Yiddish proverb Indivisible defends democracy by opposing authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption. 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 here. Look for the INCO column in Hipfish Monthly. We're on Facebook, too. INCO Weekly Newsletter  •  December 16, 2024 Website Email Facebook Copyright © 2024 INDIVISIBLE North Coast Oregon, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website or signed up at a community group meeting. Our mailing address is: *|766 Lexington Avenue, Astoria, OR 97103:HTML|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.