Summer is here. November
is coming.
Though the solstice is still a few weeks away, it’s summer for all intents and purposes—time to get serious about the November day we set our sights on three and half years ago. We all remember how we felt on November 8, 2016, and how we resolved that it wouldn’t happen again. A lot of you have been working hard since then. But a lot have been cheering from the sidelines. Now’s the time for all of us to step it up and make the society we want to live in. When Thanksgiving Day 2020 comes, let’s have something special to be grateful for.
We call for regime change
Postcards are fun; letters are good; but real-time voter contact is still the best way to win elections, and in Covid times that means phone banking. We started gearing up for this new reality about two months ago, and since then we have developed a program that volunteers seem to like: we offer a thorough training class for beginners; a Zoom orientation and background notes for each session; experienced leaders online to solve problems and answer questions; and an opportunity to chat with and learn from seasoned vets and fellow phone bankers. Right now we’re doing it two times a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. This weekend, in response to volunteers’ requests, we’ll try a Saturday session, and in weeks to come we will be adding more. See the whole schedule and sign up here:
Don’t forget to send money
A lot of us are hurting financially lately—a lot more than would be the case had we a functioning national government. But if you’re among the lucky ones who still have a job, health insurance, a reliable paycheck, and money in the bank, remember that one of the easiest and most effective ways to make change is to give money. We are up against fatcats and 0.1-percenters who are willing to pay plenty to maintain the status quo. We might not like it, but it takes money to beat money. And your money goes further when you give early: it attracts attention, creates momentum, and allows campaigns to staff up and buy media at better rates. So if you can, give now.
Who needs your money? The list is endless, but here are a few places to start:
- Joe Biden, of course. He’s almost $190 million behind Trump.
- Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, whom we were proud to help elect in 2018. The Republican money machine has set its sights on this race; Lauren’s opponent, Jim Oberweis, has been trying to buy office for years and has enough money all by himself, unfortunately, to keep trying.
- Congressman Sean Casten, another rep we were proud to help. His Republican opponent is Jeanne Ives, who thought Bruce Rauner was not conservative enough.
- Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, who came within inches of unseating healthcare nightmare Rodney Davis in the 13th congressional district (Champaign-Urbana, Springfield) in 2018. According to Roll Call this is the most flippable seat in the country.
- Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC), a Milwaukee grassroots group that is organizing neighbor-to-neighbor to get out the vote in November. This is the best way to work in an area that was sadly underrepresented at the polls in 2016. If BLOC can turn out the African-American vote, we win Wisconsin; if we win Wisconsin, we win.
- Here are a couple of smaller races that we’ve been working on in Michigan: Jon Hoadley has a good chance to unseat 17-term Republican congressman Fred Upton in Michigan’s 6th congressional district. Abigail Wheeler is a firefighter and EMT running for the state house in the 66th district, whose current rep likes being seen at the capitol with the yahoos protesting the state’s coronavirus policy. We know and like both these candidates. And in down-ballot races like this, a little money goes a long way.