9/14/20
NATIONAL ISSUES
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POLITICAL APPOINTEES
CHANGING COVID NARRATIVE: Despite what Trump says, the COVID cases/deaths
continue to rise. Late Friday evening, “reporter
Dan Diamond posted another blockbuster story in Politico. Political
appointees at the Department of Health and Human Services have been altering the
weekly scientific reports issued by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) following the course of the coronavirus pandemic. They believe
the reports are undermining Trump’s cheery pronouncements about the disease, and
claim there is a “deep state” at the CDC determined to hurt the president.” https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-12-2020
and https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/11/exclusive-trump-officials-interfered-with-cdc-reports-on-covid-19-412809 Let’s reach out to our MoCs and demand an
investigation. Our interest is in public
health and we know it is being compromised by these people who are loyal to Trump,
but not the country.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATON
SIPHONING MONEY FROM 9/11 FIREFIGHTERS FUND: The day before the 9/11
anniversary, we learned that “The Trump administration has secretly siphoned
nearly $4 million away from a program that tracks and treats FDNY firefighters
and medics suffering from 9/11 related illnesses . . . Congress created a
temporary health program in 2010, with the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and
Compensation Act. The program was extended by 75 years in Dec. 2015, after sick
and dying 9/11 workers made hundreds of trips to the Capitol pleading their
cause.” https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-fdny-911-health-program-treasury-20200910-s7yam67j6vhmhbdzg6ordanfdm-story.html
When Congress passed this, they had
clear intentions where the monies should go.
Let’s tell our MoCs to put pressure on the Treasury Dept. to give
that money back where it rightfully belongs.
MORE COVID RELIEF
NEEDED: With The Heroes Act (H.R. 6800)
passed months ago, the Senate is still sitting on its hands for then needed
COVID relief. Instead of taking up the Heroes
Act, they have unsuccessfully tried to come up with their own bill. Their bill, however, did not provide the kind
of help needed. American families, as
well as individual states, are hurting during this global pandemic which has gone
on since the beginning of the year. Most
Americans used the funds from the earlier CARES Act on rent, utilities, and food,
that need still exists. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/04/americans-spent-their-stimulus-checks-on-food-and-utilities.html and https://thehill.com/homenews/house/516185-demings-slams-gop-coronavirus-relief-bill-americans-deserve-more-than-the
Let’s tell our Senators that we are done waiting and want them to vote on
the Heroes Act.
OSHA FAILS MEATPACKERS: Thanks to the media, we have known since
March or April about the appalling conditions in US meatpacking plants; the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has now, six months later,
fined two plants for a total of $29,000 for 3 violations —one a Smithfield
plant, the other a JBS plant. Smithfield’s revenue last year approached
$14 billion; JBS, the largest meatpacker in the world, had revenue of $51.7
billion. 42,534 meatpacking workers have tested positive for the
coronavirus in 494 meat plants, and at least 203 meatpacking workers have died
since March: https://thefern.org/2020/04/mapping-covid-19-in-meat-and-food-processing-plants/
These two are the only plants to receive either citation or fine, despite
nearly 10,000 COVID 19-related requests for investigation by OSHA from
workplaces in all industries since March: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/osha-covid-meat-plant-fines/2020/09/13/1dca3e14-f395-11ea-bc45-e5d48ab44b9f_story.html and https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/10/osha-smithfield-coronavirus-fine-411925
Some think politics at play in OSHA’s sudden action, such as it is. Let’s
tell the Labor department, which houses OSHA, what we think of this paltry
penalty for putting the lives of thousands of workers at risk: 202-693-1999 or
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),
200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.,Washington, D.C. 20210
PROTECT THE U.S.
POSTAL SERVICE: The Post Office is still suffering and 56% of
believe that the current Postmaster, DeJoy should be removed from office. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2020/09/03/return-to-sender-56-want-usps-postmaster-dejoy-to-resign/#193a87e185ec Let’s 1) contact our US
senators to support the Delivering for America Act (S. 4527),
which would prohibit DeJoy, from changing the level of Postal Service delivery
standards that existed on 1/1/2020 during the COVID public health emergency
through at least 1/1/2021 or longer if the public health emergency is
extended. The bill also includes $25 billion in funding to the USPS and a
requirement that USPS give first-class status to election mailings.
2) Please encourage your members of Congress to consider impeachment.
TRACK THE REGULATIONS
TRACKERS: Track
the Trackers is a list of different websites tracking deregulation
in the era of the Trump administration. Of Federal sites, their regulatory
agenda which lists "regulatory reform" and what stage the revision is
at - notice, proposed rule, rule, or not published yet. Individual federal
agencies also often, though not always, post proposed regulations and/or
actions on their website. Let’s check this out and see where we
can help: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z-0C4ntd4uMrJMubCa3JyKVwotiNV_Vj/view?usp=sharing
POSTCARDING
OPPORTUNITIES: From one of our own: Let’s share: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZF7N-7hZRqoItLAXwvmppcwoFaWe7Kugg2lw2bkjQ8E/edit
ELECTION/VOTING
ELECTION - GET OUT THE VOTE (GOTV)
“THE LAST WEEKENDS”: “The Last Weekends” is a program of Swing Left to
mobilize volunteers to get out the vote in the final weekends leading up to the
November 3rd election. Here’s a video about it: https://youtu.be/tyiM7y877QY Let’s
do more than vote. Let’s volunteer, too! https://thelastweekends.org
JOIN GOTV PHONE-BANK TO VOTERS OF COLOR IN VOTER SURPRESSION STATES: Reclaim Our Vote is phone banking to
voters of color in voter suppression states, urging them to vote. Their data
shows that 60-80% of those contacted, in person or by voicemails, will go on to
vote. The calls are non-partisan, and our timing can be flexible, making as few
or as many calls as we like between 9AM and 9PM in the states we call. We
can click here to sign up for a one-hour training, offered every Monday at
7:30PM ET, then get ready to turn out the vote:
POSTCARDS TO THE NAVAJO HOPI NATION IN AZ FOR VOTING: “The Navajo Hopi
Organizing Campaign needs help getting out the vote on sovereign lands in
Arizona. Our team is working at capacity to phonebank, register voters, text
voters, and drop literature. We are asking you to help us build capacity by
writing postcards to voters for whom we don't have a current phone number in
their voter files. Voters on the Navajo, Hopi, San Carlos Apache and White
Mountain Apache Nations could be the margin of victory for Democrats this
election in Arizona”. Let’s check
this out and sign up: https://www.mobilize.us/navajohopiorganizingcampaign/event/320491/
HOW TO HELP GET COLLEGE STUDENTS TO VOTE: College student voting can be tricky, but now
there is help: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/new-algorithm-aims-make-college-students-individual-votes-count-n1239107
Let’s get the college students we
know to sign up for voting information, reminders and ways to get involved: https://voteology.org/
WRITE GOTV POSTCARDS TO
FLORIDA LATINX VOTERS: Trump is far too successful in courting the Latinx vote
in Florida. A recent NBC News/Marist poll, released on Sept. 8 shows
Trump with 50% of Latinx support over Biden’s 46%: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-struggling-gain-support-latinos-key-battleground-state/story?id=72903064 We
need every vote we can get, especially in Florida. Fortunately, Broward For Progress has
a way for us to fight back. We can email Ana@BrowardForProgress.org to get started writing
postcards, reaching out to Latinx voters in Broward county, Florida to get
the vote out for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
ELECTION - SUPPORT CANDIDATES
POSTCARDS TO VOTERS. Two (2) campaigns are currently available for us to
volunteer: 1) Campaign 207: Amy McGrath for Senate - Kentucky
(#DitchMitch); 2) Campaign 208: Diane Mitsch Bush for Congress
-Colorado's 3rd district. Let's request 5 addresses today to help
complete these important campaigns.
POSTCARDING FOR JAIME HARRISON: Send Lindsay
Graham packing! Let’s write postcards to voters in South Carolina with Grandmothers
for a Brighter
Future/Grandmothers in Action. We can order addresses and templates
here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezlhWCP5X8QOJjDWAuF73by9m1guLGNCVLpjtU_pzcXyPxiw/viewform
PHONE BANKING FOR BIDEN/HARRIS: Grassroot Democrats HQ has coordinated
phone banking for Biden/Harris. We can register here:
ELECTION - REGISTERING VOTERS
ELECTION - OTHER
DONATE STRATEGICALLY: "Partnering with a sophisticated donor advisor, Flip the Vote's data analysis
identifies opportunities where Democratic donations will have the greatest
impact on the November election and beyond. Our recommendations focus on
organizations doing rigorous, targeted voter registration and engagement as
well as vote-by-mail assistance." Let's help them get out the word and donate
to the specific initiatives they highlight here, if we can: https://www.flipthevote2020.org/donate
STATE-BY-STATE HOW TO VOTE GUIDE: Questions about voting by mail, voter ID,
voter registration deadlines, and more? FiveThirtyEight has prepared a guide
for every state. Let’s consult it and share: https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/how-to-vote-2020/
ADVANCE VOTING GUIDE. Associated Press (AP) has put together a useful tool
for us to find the facts about voting early, by mail or absentee in our states. Let's
make sure we know the rules for our own states: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/
STATE/LOCAL
ISSUES
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP
ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS
VOTING IS POWER
UNLEASHED! A MORAL MONDAY MASS ASSEMBLY: “Let’s
join The Poor People’s Campaign
on Monday, September. 14 at 7pm ET/ 4pm PT for an evening that will
bring together thousands of poor and low-income people and their allies as we
share tools and teach-in on voter engagement, registration and protection, and
announce our upcoming activities this election season.” We can sign up here: https://vote.poorpeoplescampaign.org/
FREE VIRTUAL
RELATIONAL ORGANIZING VOTER OUTREACH TRAINING ON TUESDAY: The most important part of campaigning is connecting with voters, but
how we can do that when the pandemic stops us from meeting in person? The National Democratic Training Committee
(NDTC) is here to help with a free virtual training this Tuesday, September
15 from 8-9pm ET. “How Relational Organizing Can Help Your Campaign.”
Whether we’re running for office, working on a campaign, or building our
local party’s or organization’s infrastructure, we can learn to
understand the impact of relational organizing, recognize key
components to build a program, and evaluate a value based conversation flow.
We can click here
to learn more and sign up for a free virtual Relational Organizing training: https://traindemocrats.org/event/how-relational-organizing-can-help-your-campaign-09-15-2020/
PERSEVERENCE WEBINAR: “When you are engaged in creating change…
- Is it depleting or exhausting?
- Does it increase cynical feelings or
hopelessness?
- Do your stress levels rise more than a
few hours?
If any of your
answers are yes, this is a sign that you’re approaching a breaking point. The solution isn’t to abandon the project of
justice and equality.” We can sustain
action without burnout. Let’s join Jen
Hofmann, of Americans of Conscience
Checklist, in a series of four 45-minute calls starting on Wednesday, September
16 to “explore tools and strategies
that help you find inspiration and get back on the path when things are
overwhelming.” Let’s learn more and
sign up: https://jenniferhofmann.com/the-art-of-perseverance/
READING/WATCHING/LISTENING
Canada reports no new deaths from coronavirus for the first time since March - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/canada-zero-coronavirus-covid-deaths-first-time/
The USPS is
accused of 'confusing' voters by mailing all Americans 'postcards with
misinformation' about voting
- https://www.businessinsider.com/usps-voting-postcards-with-misinformation-2020-9
How Conspiracy
Theories Are Shaping the 2020 Election—and Shaking the Foundation of American
Democracy - https://time.com/5887437/conspiracy-theories-2020-election
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We can stay up to date
on Congress by checking out their schedules. a) The House publishes a weekly
schedule at The Weekly Leader (published and dated Friday)
as well as daily schedules at The Daily Leader. b) The Senate updates
their schedule daily at the Senate Floor Schedule
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