9/22/20
NATIONAL ISSUES
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REMIND SENATORS WE NEED COVID RELIEF, NOT A RUSHED SUPREME COURT JUSTICE NOMINATION: With the rush of news about Justice Ginsburg’s death, let’s not forget about the many families and businesses who are still suffering huge economic losses due to the COVID pandemic. https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/a-new-stimulus-bill-before-the-election-heres-the-last-day-it-would-have-to-pass/. Let’s tell our Senators that if they’re really concerned about what the American people want them to do, they should be putting their energies into passing a relief bill that includes the provisions in the Heroes Act, not pushing through a Supreme Court Justice 45 days before a presidential election.
SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE NEEDS TO HEAR FROM US: Kamala Harris tweeted yesterday afternoon, "There cannot be one set of rules for Republican presidents and another for Democratic presidents. I joined Senate Judiciary Democrats in demanding Chairman Graham not consider a nominee to fill Justice Ginsburg’s seat until after inauguration." Let’s join her in letting these committee members know that we agree with her Let’s hand write a message and send it to them individually using Fax Zero: https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/members
PUBLICLY REMIND GOP SENATORS ON TWITTER OF WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE NOMINATION IN 2016: Yesterday we published a Google doc featuring what key Republican Senators said in 2016 about why a Supreme Court Justice shouldn’t be confirmed so close to the election. Here’s an updated document with more Senators’ comments and their Twitter handles. Let’s remind them on Twitter of exactly what they said, call them out for their hypocrisy, and demand that they delay the nomination until 2021 in order to let the American people decide through their vote who gets to nominate the next Supreme Court Justice, just as they claimed was the only fair course of action in 2016. Let’s also share this document widely with our networks and post it in public places so the entire country is aware of their hypocrisy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nnuQNpD4vPB4hjcpGDf_h-dYd0iVgR41DzJUs1frEQQ/edit?usp=sharing
TELL MITCH “NO”! MARCH FOR OUR FUTURE: “This is a grassroots movement. We're here to organize together and fight for our future! Let's protest the move by Mitch McConnell to try and replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a Trump appointee before the next inauguration!” We can use this ink to find ways to get involved with this effort: https://tellmitchno.com/
TELL OUR REPS, JUDICIARY COMM. AND SPEAKER PELOSI TO IMPEACH BARR: William Barr has gone way too far in his latest step towards Authoritarian rule, helping Trump shut off federal funding to New York City, Portland and Seattle by declaring them “Anarchist Jurisdictions”. Barr has shown contempt for his office with his subversion of the Mueller investigation, interference in the Roger Stone and Michael Flynn cases, firing of US Attorney Geoffrey Berman, and obstruction of House investigations. https://www.citizensforethics.org/the-case-for-impeachment-of-attorney-general-bill-barr/ This latest act is the final blow. Partisan punishment and political theater have no place in the Justice Department, and it is long past time for Barr to be removed. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/justice-dept-deems-new-york-city-portland-seattle-anarchist-jurisdictions-n1240600 Full text of DOJ announcement here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-identifies-new-york-city-portland-and-seattle-jurisdictions-permitting We can call our Representatives 202-224-3121 , the House Judiciary Committee 202 225-3951, and Speaker Pelosi 202-225-4965 to demand that Barr be impeached.
2020 CENSUS: The census may be boring, but it is so important, and happens only once a decade. As Celeste Pewter put it recently, "Census data/redrawn districts will impact our ability to: 1. Win the next 3 presidential elections, 2. Win the next 5 House elections, 3. Impact state legislatures for the next 10 years." Will the numbers be good enough? https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/will-2020-census-numbers-be-good-enough-and-how-soon-will-we-know Let's encourage everyone we know to fill it out online if they haven't already, here: https://my2020census.gov
POWER GRAB AT HHS: On Sept. 15, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar signed a new order that prohibits the nation's top health agencies, like the FDA and the CDC, from signing any new rules, including those affecting medical products and vaccines; "Any prior delegation of rulemaking authority, including the authority to sign or issue a rule or a proposed rule, is rescinded," the memo says, and all such power "is reserved to the Secretary" going forward: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/scott-gottlieb-hhs-centralize-control-agencies-fda-makes-no-sense-face-the-nation/ OR https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/19/health/azar-hhs-fda.html It is difficult to see this move as other than a power grab by the Trump administration, dispelling any illusion of political independence for these agencies and, once again, challenging scientific expertise. Let’s tell Azar what we think of this authoritarian takeover of HHS: Secretary@HHS.gov or 202-690-7000 or Hubert H. Humphrey Bldg., 200 Independence Ave, SW, Washington DC 20201
BARR GOES AFTER "DEMOCRATIC CITIES”: Early in September, Trump issued a memo instructing AG William Barr to identify “anarchist jurisdictions” that should lose federal funding over their responses to protests against police brutality and systemic racism this summer, and he gave the Office of Management & Budget 30 days to issue guidance to federal agencies on restricting these jurisdiction’s eligibility for federal grants; Barr has identified NYC, Portland, and Seattle as “Democratic cities” that should lose federal funds: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/09/21/us/trump-vs-biden OR https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/justice-dept-deems-new-york-city-portland-seattle-anarchist-jurisdictions-n1240600 OR https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/doj-designates-new-york-city-as-an-anarchist-jurisdiction/2423900/ It is, of course, unclear whether Trump has the authority to do this, but we should make it clear to all of our MoCs that we expect any effort by the DoJ to punish these, or any other cities, based on the party affiliation of their leaders or their handling of Black Lives Matter protests will be met with serious Congressional sanction.
ELECTION/VOTING
ELECTION - GET OUT THE VOTE (GOTV)
HELP FLIP VOTES: Spend 2 hours helping Flip the West flip the Senate. Currently calling Iowa and Kansas voters at https://www.mobilize.us/flipthewest/event/274954/. Currently calling Colorado voters at https://www.mobilize.us/flipthewest/event/311121/. Currently calling Kansas voters at https://www.mobilize.us/flipthewest/event/312030/.
PHONEBANK TO VOTERS OF COLOR IN VOTER SUPPRESSION STATES: As election battles heat up, so do voter suppression efforts and it is time to fight back. We can start by joining Reclaim Our Vote’s national phone bank, TODAY, Tuesday, 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM Eastern, / 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM PST. We’ll be calling voters of color in North Carolina, Texas, Arizona, Alabama and Georgia--with Florida and other states being added soon. We will be helping voters of color in voter-suppression states avoid long lines on November 3rd by giving them crucial information related to absentee voting and early voting. If we can’t make today’s session, we can still help out any Tuesday through Nov3. We can learn more and sign up to call help voters of color claim their votes in voter suppression states: https://demvolctr.org/event/phone-bank-with-rov-2/2020-09-22/
ELECTION - SUPPORT CANDIDATES
SAVE SUPREME COURT SEAT BY SUPPORTING AZ SENATE NOMINEE MARK KELLY: (From Wall of Us): Democrat Mark Kelly is leading in the AZ Senate race against Republican Martha McSally, who has already said she would support a Trump Supreme Court Nominee. But because this is a special election, since McSally was appointed by the Governor to fill Senator John McCain’s seat, if he wins, Kelly can take office on November 30th, adding one more Democratic vote to a lame duck session. Let’s support Mark Kelly’s campaign directly, or through one of the progressive groups organizing voters in Arizona that have been vetted through the Movement Voter Project.
TEXT FOR BIDEN/HARRIS: Spend 1 hour learning how to text for Biden/Harris and remind people to vote. We can sign up for training here: https://www.mobilize.us/2020victory/event/293967/
HELP UNSEAT SEN. SUSAN COLLINS: Spend 1 hour making calls or texting voters for Sara Gideon, running to unseat GOP Sen. Susan Collins in Maine. Let’s sign up here: https://gideon.bsd.net/page/s/volunteer
SEND POSTCARDS TO UNSEAT GOP ALASKA SENATOR: Write 25 postcards to help elect Dr. Al Gross to the Senate in Alaska. Let’s check this out to see how we can help: https://www.mobilize.us/flipthewest/event/270046
MAKE ALLS TO HELP RETAIN SEN. GARY PETERS IN MICHIGAN: Spend 1 hour making calls for Sen. Gary
Peters, who is fighting to retain his seat in Michigan. We can sign up
here: https://petersformichigan.com/volunteer/
ELECTION - REGISTERING VOTERS
TEXTING TO RE-REGISTER VOTERS IN FLORIDA: Let’s join Women's March Action to “re-register purged voters in Florida! To do this, we’ll be texting voters who have been purged from their state's voting rolls, and we will be re-registering them to GOTV!” The event is scheduled for Thursday, 9/24, 5 – 7pm. Click her for more information and to sign up to help: https://www.mobilize.us/ft6/event/320618/
ELECTION - OTHER
OR: VOTERS DISPLACED BY WILDFIRES CAN STILL VOTE USING HOME ADDRESS: If we have had to leave our homes because of the wildfires, and are temporarily staying at a different address, we can still vote a ballot customized for our home address, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/09/in-oregon-you-can-vote-a-ballot-for-your-home-address-even-if-your-home-burned-and-youre-staying-elsewhere.html If we fit this situation, we can contact our county clerk to discuss the options that suit our specific circumstances. We can then share this information with our friends on social media.
POLL WORKERS NEEDED: Poll workers are desperately needed all over the country. Poll Hero is actively “recruiting thousands of college and high school students to be paid poll workers to make the 2020 Election a success.” Let’s see how we can help: https://www.pollhero.org/
SIGN UP FOR BALLOT TRACKING: 39 states and Washington, DC have the capability to track mail-in ballots. https://www.newsweek.com/these-are-states-where-you-can-track-your-mail-vote-1525920. Let’s check ours here (scroll to bottom of page): https://www.nass.org/
STATE/LOCAL
ISSUES
VOTER INTIMIDATION: We don’t yet know all the forms voter intimidation may take in the 2020 election, but if the situation that emerged during early voting in Fairfax, VA is any indication, we need to be prepared for anything; according to the NY Times, “ A group of Trump supporters waving campaign flags disrupted the second day of early voting in Fairfax, Va., on Saturday, chanting “four more years” as voters entered a polling location and, at one point, forming a line that voters had to walk around outside the site.” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/19/us/politics/trump-supporters-early-voting-virginia.html or https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/trump-supporters-disrupt-early-voting-in-virginia/ There is debate about whether these Trump demonstrators violated VA’s laws against voter intimidation, but what is clear—and voiced by a Common Cause representative—is that states and localities need to be prepared: “Contingency plans aren’t only if there is a hurricane or a pandemic. It’s also if something is making my polling location inaccessible to voters. That could be power going down, that could be people protesting and blocking the door.” Let’s urge our local representatives to have such a contingency plan in place by November.
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS
LEARN TIMELY VOTER PROTECTION INFO AND STRATEGIES: Although the Voting Right Act was passed 45 years ago, the right to vote is under some of its worst attacks ever, and the fight to protect it must grow even stronger in response. To find out the latest information and strategies to protect the right to vote and to have that vote counted, we can check out this livestream from Rise Up for Justice in collaboration with the Black Voters Matter Fund When we sign in, we will hear from “frontline strategists, organizers and lawyers on the frontline of the battle to ensure that everyone's vote counts and every vote is counted”. We can sign up here to attend Rise Up for Justice’s Voter Protection Livestream this Wed, September 23, 2020, from 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PDT https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rise-up-for-justice-voter-suppression-and-the-fight-to-vote-registration-121432033481?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg To Lie In Repose At Supreme Court This Week For Public Viewing - https://www.npr.org/sections/death-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg/2020/09/21/915269363/ginsburg-to-lie-in-repose-at-supreme-court-on-wednesday-thursday
We Can’t Just Stick to Football - https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/matthew-stafford-detroit-lions-nfl-racial-injustice
50 reasons the Trump administration is bad for workers - https://www.epi.org/publication/50-reasons/
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