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We have so much to be grateful for this year
The war between authoritarianism and democracy in the US is not over. But, this year, equality in government prevailed in Michigan and much of the country. Here are a few reasons to be grateful:
- “LANSING — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday appointed state Rep. Kyra Harris Bolden to the Michigan Supreme Court, making her the first Black woman to serve on the court.”
- According to the Brennan Center, “Voters in six states had the opportunity to weigh in on voting access proposals on the ballot this November. The results show that when voter access is on the ballot, Americans choose to protect it more often than not.”
- “Voters in multiple US states passed measures to enshrine the right to abortion during Tuesday’s midterm elections, or knocked down attempts to further curtail such rights, in a stinging rebuke to the crackdown on reproductive freedoms taking place across the US.”
- “Nearly every single candidate in battleground state races who denied or questioned the results of the 2020 election was defeated for positions that oversee, defend and certify elections — a resounding loss for a movement that would have had the power to overturn future contests.”
- “The next Congress will bring a historic change to four of the most powerful seats in Washington: the chairs and ranking members who run the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. For the first time in U.S. history, all positions will be held by women.” Read more in screenshot
- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel helped the state secure $12 Million in settlement money from Google for violating consumer protection laws.
Many Americans worked tirelessly to make the above happen. However, there is still much work to be done. One immediate issue is Georgia’s senate runoff. Be grateful for the abundance of opportunities in this week’s newsletter to help re-elect Senator Warnock!
Things to do!
Sunday, November 27. The winning and losing messages and strategies in Michigan’s Midterm Election
On Conversations, Chuck Newman will interview Joe Spaulding, the highly regarded Michigan elections strategist and political messaging expert strategist. They will explore why Michigan candidates won and lost, identify trends in the electorate and predict if we can expect similar results in the future. This is a rare opportunity to learn from someone who makes his living by understanding how to win elections. Click here to register. 7:30 pm ET
December 6 is the Georgia Senate Runoff
Ways to help Get Out the Vote for the Runoff
The time to help is now so please choose something below that suits you! While Democrats won the thinnest of majorities in the Senate, conservative Dems like Joe Manchin will still be voting against climate bills and confirming judges like Brett Kavanaugh. Which is why putting Senator Raphael Warnock back in the 51st Senate seat matters for passing progressive legislation and blocking anti-democratic laws. This election will largely determine the ability of Democrats to fight for key issues like economic justice, climate solutions, and reproductive rights.
From NextGen America
Help with Calls
Call young Georgia voters to help them cast their ballot for this crucial runoff election. Multiple times and days available. Virtual action, join from anywhere. Learn more and sign up HERE. (A similar event for texting only will happen on Sunday, December 4 and Monday, December 5. Sign up HERE for texting.)
[The whole “Help Us Win in GA” doc is here.]
Help with Research
VoPro Pros needs help gathering the information voters need for Early Voting and Ballot drop-off. If you are interested in gathering essential data fill out THIS FORM and the Georgia team will get back to you. Virtual action, join from anywhere.
Help with Texting
SURJ is holding a Georgia voter contact phone bank on Wednesday, 11/23 from 6-9 pm ET. Virtual action, join from anywhere. Training will be provided first. Sign up HERE.
Help with Calls
Joan’s Democracy Cafe, a guided phone bank group, is meeting various days/times to call voters in GA. There’s a full training first for those who need it. Virtual action, join from anywhere. 6-8:30 pm ET. Sign up for a shift HERE.
Help with Donations
… to the Georgia Alliance For Progress. They fund grassroots orgs in Georgia, specifically their canvassing programs. Link is HERE.
From SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice)
Help with Calls and Texts
SURJ phonebanks and textbanks are effective and community-building actions. You will be supported and trained on Zoom to be able to contact voters and help them choose. Virtual action, join from anywhere. Learn more and sign up HERE. Donate to the Georgia SURJ PAC HERE.
Good news! Saturday Voting Permitted in Georgia Senate Runoff
On Monday, a Georgia appeals court left a ruling by a Fulton County Superior Court judge in place thus allowing counties to offer early voting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. State election officials had argued that a 2016 law prohibited voting on the Saturday following a Thursday or Friday holiday. The lawsuit brought by Senator Warnock’s campaign, along with the Georgia Democratic Party and Democrats’ Senate campaign arm, argued that the law applied only to general and primary elections, not runoff elections. Fulton County Court Judge Thomas Cox had written that the absence of the Saturday vote would “irreparably harm the Plaintiffs, their members, and constituents, and their preferred runoff candidate.” The Appeals Court agreed with the decision. –CNN
The Right to Not Get Shot Shall Not Be Infringed
by Dr. Sonya Lewis, Exec. Committee of Physicians for the Prevention of Gun Violence and PEG Special Contributor (shown left)
I send love to the victims and survivors of last weekend’s massacre at Club Q in Colorado Springs, and I offer my particular support to members of the LGBTQ+ community who are wrestling with unfathomable pain. I also send my love to the victims and survivors of yesterday’s mass shooting at the Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia.
I’m writing this on a Wednesday. I believe this newsletter will be distributed on Thursday. So, I will take this opportunity to proactively offer my love and support to all who will become victims and survivors between now and the time you eventually read this. It’s come to that.
I want to be thoughtful, respectful, and action-oriented as I reflect on recent events. But all I can summon right now – aside from heartbreak – is deep disgust. I am disgusted by American gun worship, and I am increasingly convinced that it will take more than good laws or evidence-based public policy to reverse entrenched, entitled attitudes toward ubiquitous gun ownership. If we ever wish to eliminate senseless killings, we must change the hearts and minds of millions of Americans who have internalized the myth that more firearms make us safer. They do not. We are dying on the order of 110 per day, sacrificing ourselves to a blood thirsty industry that profits from our gruesome demise.
Those of us who try to champion rationality through reasonable solutions (think safe storage, background checks, red flag laws, raising the age, etc.) are constantly met with organized resistance in the form of Second Amendment “absolutists,” an absurd interpretation of 27 obtuse words that were drafted at a time when no one could have conceived of the types of weaponry civilians now access routinely.
To be sure, we will not solve this crisis in the absence of good gun laws. However, good gun laws in the absence of a collective will to end the carnage cannot be effective. Guns kill. More guns kill more people. More people with more guns will increase the likelihood of more mass murders, more hate fueled violence, more blood, more brutality, more unleashed rage. Read More on the PEG Website.
Take Action!
In July of this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022, H.B. 1808. An Assault Weapons Ban bill, S. 736 is currently before the U.S. Senate. Please contact Senator Gary Peters to implore him to co-sponsor this bill and contact Senator Debbie Stabenow to thank her for her co-sponsorship.
Watch Pulse Survivor Brandon Wolf Speak after “Club Q” Massacre: ‘We Want to Live. Is That So Much to Ask?’
A special thanks to our newsletter contributors: Ellen Halter, Leslie McGraw, Leslie Kamil, Lisa Kamil, Richard Gaeth, Bette Cotzin, Bernie Banet, Linda Bennett, Kayla Conrad, Fred Clark, Sonya Lewis, and Chuck Newman for their contributions and help preparing our newsletters. PEG is a (somewhat) non-partisan volunteer organization whose mission is to assure that our government will treat all Americans with equality and acceptance. PEG’s work is primarily done by recruiting, educating and nurturing supporters for worthy organizations, actions and events that reflect our beliefs. To subscribe to this free weekly newsletter, go to our sign up form by clicking here.
