(Ordinary) People vs Donald Trump
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In the flood of speculation, disputation, and sanctimonious bloviation that’s followed the Trump verdict, one sentence stands out to us. It’s from the always-insightful NY Times columnist Jamelle Bouie:
“[T]he guilty verdict is yet another instance of a fundamental truth of the Trump era: It has not been the institutions or the guardrails that have restrained the former president; it’s been ordinary American citizens who, when given the opportunity, have not hesitated to hold him accountable.”
He’s talking about the polling place volunteers who bravely did their jobs in the face of MAGA intimidation; the local election officials who followed the law instead of the mob; and of course the 12 jurors who already face harassment and threats from the Trump cult.
And he’s talking about you: the activists and volunteers who are writing postcards, making calls, and knocking doors to keep our country from sliding into selfishness, paranoia, and authoritarianism.
Here’s another statement that caught our eye over the weekend, from House speaker Mike Johnson: “I do believe the Supreme Court should step in, obviously.” Add that to a festering and ever-mounting pile of SCOTUS corruption and you know: only we can save us.
So Trump is a convicted felon. We’ve won a round and enjoyed a moment. But as we heard a thousand times over the weekend, the only verdict that counts will come in November, and it will be delivered in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Two of those states are our next-door neighbors. Let’s get back to work.
Wisconsin
We have a special relationship with the WisDems organizers in Kenosha, a mere 66 miles from downtown, so we’re headed up there to knock doors twice this month: this Saturday June 8 and again on Saturday June 29.
We’re also active with the Milwaukee Voter Project, an imaginative voter registration effort that’s very popular among Indivisible Chicagoans. We work indoors in comfortable DMV offices, registering people who are waiting in lines and have their IDs in hand. The first step is a one-hour Zoom training; sessions are scheduled for Thursday June 6 at 7 PM and Wednesday June 12, 1:30 PM. To get started, send an email to laurakushnerx2@gmail.com.
And we’re recruiting for the Wisconsin Democrats’ crack Voter Protection Team, which provides the all-important Voter Protection Hotline. Ask any canvasser or phone banker: you don’t need to know the details of Wisconsin’s baroque election laws and procedures, you just need to know the VoPro hotline number. This month the team is offering training for their voter assistance hotline Tuesday June 11 and Thursday June 13; half-hour info sessions on Thursday June 6 and Saturday June 15 for people who want to know more about being a poll observer; and a text bank to recruit volunteers on June 15.
➔ Join us canvassing in Kenosha Saturday June 8 and Saturday June 29.
➔ Join the Milwaukee Voter Project and register new voters in underserved areas
➔ Sign up for Wisdems poll observer info sessions Thursday June 6 or Saturday June 15, text bank Saturday June 15, and/or hotline training on Thursday June 20, Monday June 24, or Thursday June 27.
Michigan
Michigan, with 15 electoral votes, is too close in the presidential preference polls, and so close that we can swing the race, and a key state house district besides, by driving to southwest Michigan communities just 90 minutes away.
This area is the district of our friend State Rep. Joey Andrews, whom we helped elect in 2022 (thereby flipping the Michigan House). Our next Michigan canvass is coming on Sunday June 23. Join us and help win this crucial state.
➔ Sign up to canvass with us in Michigan June 23
All these actions and more can be found in the Indivisible Chicago Action Calendar. Check it out!
Make yourself comfortable
Knocking doors comes naturally to some of us—but not all of us. So we’ve developed Yes You Canvass, a training course designed to get you over your inhibitions and onto the street as a confident, comfortable canvasser. Our next session is June 5 in Lincoln Park. Learn more and sign up here.
