Hours after Trump’s zealots stormed and ransacked the Capitol, Lee Zeldin voted “yes,” objecting to the electoral vote count that certified Joe Biden’s Presidential win.
Preventing that certification was precisely the goal of the violent mob. Knowing that the attempt was doomed to fail in any case, a refusal to join in that goal would have been the morally right thing to do.
To justify his vote, Zeldin claimed that “many of my constituents have been outraged and demanding that I voiced their objections.” While it’s true that the majority of CD1 voters supported Trump, no evidence suggests that more than a minority of these disappointed voters believe the thoroughly discredited assertions that, to quote Zeldin, “rogue election officials, secretaries of state and courts circumvented state election laws.”
My husband and I worked for 17 hours at an East End polling place on Election Day, witnessing first-hand a scrupulous, bi-partisan adherence to procedure.
We are also Mr. Zeldin’s constituents, and we are outraged at his pious calls for unity after having cast his vote to support the entirely partisan effort to undermine American’s faith in the very electoral process that keeps him in office.
Over the past almost eight years, I have written many “Letters To The Editor” (Southampton Press) and even more emails and blogs attacking Lee Zeldin for his connection to the Ultra Right Neo Nazi Teabaggers. I am sure there were those who shrugged their shoulders and said … Oh Yeah, Right Steve ! Today, I received an email from “The Daily Kos” which contained a tweet and two pictures from award winning Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss. These pictures say it ALL !
An additional note: We, on the East End of Long Island are fortunate to have, one of the best local newspapers in the country, The Southampton Press. This week, Phil Keith, a True Republican, in his column “Mostly Right”, has a great article “A Conspiracy of Dunces” – A MUST READ.
Congressman Lee Zeldin, along with his Republican colleagues – Reps. Chris Jacobs, Nicole Malliotakis, and Elise Stefanik – by their actions, endorsed the acts of terror and insurrection we saw on Wednesday. Many Republican Senators and Congresspeople stood up for our democracy while Zeldin and his extremist allies trashed it and demonstrated his complete contempt for the people of the United States. They must resign and they must resign now!
Earlier today, I called on Republican Representatives Chris Jacobs (NY-27), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), and Lee Zeldin (NY-01) to resign for their complicity in yesterday’s deadly insurrection on the US Capitol.
Representatives Lee Zeldin, Nicole Malliotakis, Elise Stefanik and Chris Jacobs have not only violated their oath of office, they have disgraced the districts and state that they represent. These four have spent weeks and months delegitimizing our electoral process thereby undermining our faith in our democratic institutions. Yesterday, we saw the grave consequences of supporting such divisive and false claims.
I am sure, like me, you are disgusted by the attempted coup yesterday in Washington DC. While one usually feels powerless, at these times, I am hoping, with your help, we can achieve something positive.
With your help and possible contacts, I would like to start three petitions against Lee Zeldin.
1. Petition to Nancy Pelosi asking her not to seat Lee Zeldin as he betrayed his oath to defend the United States Constitution. This is within her powers to do so.https://vote.nydems.org/demand-their-resignation
2. Petition to Secretary of Army to have Lee Zeldin Court Marshaled for betraying his oath, participating in an attempted coup, and bringing dishonor to the United States Army.
3. Petition to the New York State Bar to have Lee Zeldin Disbarred for all of the above reasons.
I hope we can do something to save our Country and this experiment of ours, known as democracy.
You are either with our constitutional system of government, or you are not. And then you are for mob rule. Which is it?
Are you a leader? – def. “a leader is someone who rallies people to move toward a better vision.”
Are you continuing to promote sedition? – def. “conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of the state.”
Are you a Conspiracy Theorist? – def. “promoting a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.”
Our American Constitution is a better vision. Why are you inciting rebellion against it? Why are you continuing to lie to us about the circumstances of the 2020 election? Why are you confusing people about the election and spreading lies? Did you not take an oath to uphold the Constitution?
We Americans want our American Democracy to work. Impeach Trump Now and get to work for a better vision for us all, or Resign.
Signed,
A daughter of America, daughter of a family who has served to form and preserve our country from the Revolution through the Civil War, WWI, WWII and Viet Nam.
Facts still matter. That’s why Donald Trump and his minions try so hard to obscure them in a flood of lies and conspiracy theories. But the facts remain — Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election by more than seven million votes, and two months later Donald Trump still can’t face losing. After weeks of relentless, baseless attacks on the legitimacy of the election, Trump called the Georgia secretary of state, demanding that the election official “recalculate” and “find” him votes, and threatened criminal charges when his demand was rebuffed.
There are no two sides to this story; there is no middle ground. You are either on the side of democracy, or you’re on the side of a desperate mob boss president who is willing to do whatever it takes to stay in power. Lee Zeldin has made very clear which side he is on. It is shameful that he represents C.D. 1.
Sincerely,
CAROL DEISTLER
Published in The East Hampton Star, January 7, Letter to the Editor
Looking for some good news on climate? Get ready to set some priorities and make some New Year’s Climate Resolutions.
Recently @GlobalEcoGuy Dr. Jon Foley reminded me (and 60k followers) about the big picture. Our actions, consumer choices, and habits matter.
I find clarity in Jon’s blogs about climate. I’m inspired by his prioritizing solutions including a Personal Action Guide. And I trust his science. It is Drawdown science, and Jon is the executive director.
Jon has clearly stated that to reach drawdown, where greenhouse gas emissions stop climbing and start to draw down, we have to do two things:
stop sending it up
start sinking it down
“It” being human-generated greenhouse gas emissions.
Look, maybe alot of us don’t know where to focus our efforts, he says, because we literally cannot see what we’re talking about. And then he give us a graph, three actually, in his Three Most Important Graphs in Climate Change
That’s my cue. That’s how I’m going to prioritize my actions and efforts — by using his graph, starting at the top, with a big focus on the first two, they are half the problem. So first Electricity Generation, then Food/Land Use. Third, fourth and fifth for me will be Industry, Transportation, Buildings.
And, from the news I’ve been reading this year, it looks like entrepreneurs and governments are jumping into action finally, finally, in ways that will redirect us all from an irreversible, irreparable, climate, wildlife and human life catastrophe.
Electricity Generation – good news
2020 State and Local Ballot Measures Advancing the Energy Transition (and The Biggie: We’re rejoining Paris!)
Here’s a roundup of the Top 11 11 Clean Energy Developments of 2020
My Electricity New Year’s Resolution
switch every bulb to LED – I think I did already, but I’m checking again.
stop sending it up— turn off, unplug, use less (dryer, anything electric)
we installed a solar on my mother’s roof, but ours too shady. We’d really like a roof-based wind power generator, maybe that will be invented soon.
Food/Land Use – good news
Why are we letting our food choices have such a big impact on this planet? Emitting 24% of greenhouse gases? The US is one of the most-polluting countries due to lifestyle and food choices.
The solution-by-solution path to reversing global warming, outlined in the book Drawdown lists food solutions as #3 and #4 out of 80. #3 is reducing food waste with 1/3 wasted from farm to fork and 70% of wasted by households at a cost of $1500 per family a year. If Americans reduced our food waste by 50% we would achieve Drawdown’s goals in the food sector. Hey, it saves money. Then #4 is eating a plant-rich diet and keeping our CAFO red meat to once a week. Hey, it’s much healthier. Much.
Good to see this trend is happening — products and markets want in on reducing food waste.
Two Good Yogurt Addresses Food Waste by Launching New Product Line Utilizing Verified Rescued Produce™ in Partnership with Full Harvest
Streamlined menus, clean-label food, and umami top the food prediction list for 2021.
My Food/Land Use New Year’s Resolution
reduce my food waste better than 50% – I’m going for zero (saving tons by making soups and stocks, and composting what’s left – nothing to the landfill!)
cooking more with nuts, pun intended, fish, shellfish, anything but CAFOs
stop sending it up — lowering food miles, less plastic packaging, using what I buy, no food to landfills,
start sinking it down— with a back-yard compost, keeping an herb garden, planting native trees
Transportation – good news
With electric vehicles we’re starting to make some headway and when EV’s become cheaper than gas the transportation sector is going to make a dramatic shift.
Electric Cars Are Estimated to Be Cheaper Than Regular Cars by 2022
My Transportation New Year’s Resolution
make a 2 year plan that includes trading our VW in for an EV.
lower item miles on everything — from fish to Christmas gifts — make it all local. (OK, maybe NYS or within 500 miles)
Industry – good news
There are good news trends in the fashion industry. They have noticed that we have all noticed — they produce 10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions, are the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply, and pollute the oceans with microplastics. The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second.
There are good news trends in the fashion industry. They have noticed that we have all noticed — they produce 10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions, are the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply, and pollute the oceans with microplastics. The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second.
Paul Hawken, founder of Drawdown, said that magic new purchase number is 6. In other words if we all limit our new purchases to 6 a year, we would reach drawdown in the Industry sector. My resolution – buy thrift, consignment, recycled, reused, no fast fashion that destroys the planet.
stop sending it up — recycle, give and get from thrift shops.
start sinking in down — be on the lookout for regenerative fashion — something that actually helps to regenerate the planet.
Two newborn whales were spotted off the Florida coast, giving a boost to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population, and while you may not be a whale-hugger like me, whales boost the phytoplankton population which uses 40% of the world’s CO2. We need to triple our whale populations!
And 12 years in the effort, we’ve saved our enviornmental treasure Plum Island — historically Algonquin territory with 227 bird species counted, waters including rare seagrass meadows/fish nurseries and host to grey and harbor seals. Another step toward reversing our climate and wildlife catastrophe. East End take a bow.
May this inspire us all to start good climate lifestyle habits. What’s your Climate Pledge?
Democracy has taken a beating during the past four years. From the day Trump was sworn in, the moral yardstick we use to measure presidents by morphed into a moral slide rule, constantly adjusted by obsequious Republicans anxious to cover for the lies Trump spewed nearly every time he opened his mouth. We’ve been inching our way toward this crisis ever since.
And now, when Americans handed Donald Trump a resounding seven-million-vote defeat, Trump is doing what he has done his entire life — threatening friends and enemies alike to do his bidding and flooding the courts with frivolous cases. The lawsuit filed by Texas, a mixed salad of lies, debunked claims, and crackpot conspiracy theories that had already been rejected by state and local courts, was a frightening attempt to have the Supreme Court throw out the legal votes of 20 million people in four states.
Lee Zeldin joined in on the assault on America, signing a brief backing the lawsuit, along with 125 of his fellow House Republicans. That so many in the Republican Party have revealed themselves to be willing to steal a presidential election is a warning to us all: American democracy may still be standing, but it is on very shaky ground.
Sincerely,
CAROL DEISTLER
Printed as Letter to the Editor, The East Hampton Star, December 17
A Brookhaven Fire Department truck in Suffolk County had a Confederate flag draped down its left side.
Even though Trump has lost the election, his followers, the “Trumpers”, are here to stay. What might this mean for the future?
A group calling themselves the “Huntington – Northport Patriots” has plans for yet another MAGA Trump 2020 Truck parade on Dec 12th:
12/12/20 MAGA Trump 2020 Truck/Car Parade 10AM Sunday Huntington – Northport patriots Would like to Announce We are doing a Toy / Clothing and Food Drive for Helping Hands Pantry and St Patrick’s Church of Huntington. … Decorate your cars with Trump Christmas attire, fly your Trump, American and Christmas Flags and show the world we will Not back down, until all Legal votes are counted and all fraud is addressed. Trump Won, and the Marxist democrats are trying to Steal America and destroy our country. We must be involved now, more than ever before. United, we will live to see another day and save the Constitution of The United States of America! Bring your flags, Bring your signs, Support Our President.
Further relevant news tid bits:
The Patch.com reports: “… Angry… Trump supporters here today cursing and screaming at their fellow citizens … It’s a sad day.”
Fire Department (FD) elections are coming up. It is good to remember that FD volunteers enjoy certain perks, such as a significant rebate on real estate taxes!
Here is the inside scoop for FD elections in Brookhaven. JoAnne Young ten Doesschate from Brookhaven writes:
Fire departments in Suffolk have traditionally been Republican and all politicians court them because they get their members to vote. But just as traditionally, they have rarely gotten overtly involved in political races. Perry campaigned at every fire department event with no problems. Trump has changed all that.
In Setauket, a local group headed by Trumpers (members of the Setauket Patriots who led the local Trump Caravans) did GOTV against Steve Englebright. Now they are running someone for Commissioner who has been in the FD for less than 1 year against a woman who has been involved for the past 20 years. And they’re putting big money into this – there are lawn signs everywhere and even 4×4’s at major intersections.
In Stony Brook, the Trumper they are running has never been involved in the FD, though his sons are, against someone who has been heavily involved for many years. In 2016 the Trumper had a huge banner on his roof, in 2020 flags in his front yard, and he was also part of the Setauket Patriots caravans in his Jeep flying Trump flags.
Although I don’t know the details, the same thing is happening in Bellport. The head of the Bellport Ambulance Corps was used in a Zeldin ad, in the fire house, in uniform. As you can see by their Facebook cover photo, they don’t hide it and Zeldin gets away with it because he is in office and used procuring PPE as his claim to fame during the first wave of the pandemic. https://www.facebook.com/SouthCountryAmbulanceCo/
Supposedly this is happening in a number of fire districts throughout Suffolk. Jane Corrarino said it well – “In the current political climate, they will most likely also be used for launching a ‘back bench’ in the broader political arena.”
We talk about how important local politics is and this is a perfect example. While we are lucky in NY state, we have watched across the country how Republicans have gerrymandered and suppressed votes and now control the majority of state governments. Fire departments have well paid patronage jobs and the positions can be used as stepping stones for higher office. While Trump barely won in Suffolk, he did win, and he won big in NY1.
And they will use their control to the exclusion of Dems who want to be involved. In one Brookhaven village, I was told of a young man who is afraid to let them know he is a Dem because he fears losing his job. (One more reason why people register as independents!) Young people for whom volunteering as EMT’s is one of the best things they can have on their applications for nursing or med school may not even know that they won’t be chosen because of their political affiliation….
By state election law, ALL fire departments have their elections this coming Tuesday, Dec. 8. When the polls open varies from village to village and only one station in each village is used for voting. Voters must also be registered to vote in Suffolk County; they use BOE election lists to prove residency. Some require you to show your license.
From Jon Kornreich (running to replace Valerie Cartright on the Brookhaven town council):
The sudden partisan intrusion of the Patriot group has turned what should be a non-partisan civic election into something much more dangerous. Institutions such as the fire district, the school district, and the library, as well as other organizations such as the Civic Association, the Trust and numerous others have carried on their work for many years in a spirit of community service, not as political battlegrounds. Historically, people like Sue Meyers who support and join these organizations have done so because of their real interest in the organization’s mission.
SETAUKET Vote for Sue Meyers for Fire Commissioner
The Trumper is Griffin.
STONY BROOK Vote for Thad Holsberg for Fire Commissioner
This is a report from a meeting of the Georgia leadership of “Fair Fight”, the political action PAC that Stacey Abrams set up “to advocate for free and fair elections ….and to ensure access to democracy for all.”
The meeting started with two reports, one on their activities in the field, the second on their sophisticated polling results, followed by a strong pitch and strategy briefing from Stacey Abrams. Abrams said we have to “use this moment to reach every voter in Georgia and get them to act because every voice counts and every vote matters…. We have to bring people together…”
These were very well organized, jam-packed, data driven reports with lots of graphics.
The First report, by Exec Director Lauren Groh-Wargo, summarized the current state of the two Senatorial races (both are in a “dead heat”) and what they are doing to mobilize the democratic vote – and combat voter suppression.
Their first effort is to get out the vote and encourage mail-in ballots. So far one million ballots have been requested, mostly by Democrats. (Polling shows that Republicans do not have confidence in voting my mail.)
As of today, more ballots have been requested then were requested 33 days before the general election in November.
To get out the vote they have completed 347,000 “field knocks” (knocking on doors to talk to people in “Covid-safe” canvassing) and are now ramping up these efforts after Thanksgiving. (They were featured in an article in Politico.)
They are also using radio ads to target Black, Hispanic, and rural voters as well as digital ads that target the youth vote.
They urged everyone on the call to “help win Georgia” by clicking on and “blasting out” this link: HELPWINGEORGIA.COM
The second report focused on their sophisticated polling, done between Nov.16 and Nov 22, by their polling director, Esosa Osa. She highlighted their efforts to understand general trends—but to also learn what issues were most important for 8 specific populations such as “the youth vote, swing voters, suburban women, African Americans, Asian-Americans, etc.”
In general they have found high voter enthusiasm. Voters know this is a really important election and have a clear set of issues they consider important. They have completed 65,000 in-person conversations in which 59% of the people have pledged to vote by mail.
Among the highlights of the report were
1. 93% of the white liberals plan to vote, as do 87% of the white conservatives (but 22% of the later do not believe their vote will count: they believe there is voter fraud)
2. One-third of the voters are worried about voter intimidation at the polling place
3. They presented some complex data on how different populations (e.g. white liberals vs. African Americans) have slightly different priorities with regard to the issues. BUT, they all want their candidate to
a. deal with racial inequality
b. manage the Covid pandemic
c. invest in health care – and the serious problem of the closing of many rural hospitals
d. invest in jobs and employment
e. and, for some, protect the environment
For example, 90% of white liberals support all of these issues but the youth vote supports them to a lesser degree.They are more future oriented. They ask what “CAN WE DO NOW?” about Covid, about protecting the environment, about climate change, etc.
In contrast, the issues that seem to be motivating white conservatives are
a. fear of AOC and Pelosi – 89%
b. voter fraud -84%
c. supporting Trump and his policies
d. fear that Democrat control of the Senate will lead to a radical agenda and Socialism
Abrams urged not wasting time answering Republicans, but to use this moment to put forth a positive agenda and positive images…
Most important right now is the Dec 7 DEADLINE for registering the 23,000 young people who have just become eligible to register to vote in the January election.
3. respond to the email plea from Jon Ossoff for help with the voter registration drive – see NEXT PAGE – page 4– below this list
Finally, if you would like to be on the Georgia leadership call next Friday at 4pm, you can write to
“Dom Kelly” <Dominic@FairFightAction.com> and ask him to put you on the list for the “Winning Georgia Weekly Leadership Council Call” on Friday at 4pm.
This is from Jon Ossoff re support for registering the 23,000 newly eligible voters:
The last day for Georgia residents to register to vote in the January runoff is THIS MONDAY, December 7!!
If you are a friend of clean water, biodiversity, climate-friendly regenerative businesses, coastline protection, Earth and her oceans read on…..
Join us in support of our shellfish farmers, and support the inclusion of commercial seaweed (kelp) cultivation. A deadline is upon us for public comments on the Suffolk County Shellfish Aquaculture Lease Program — December 15, 2020.
Here’s information on the December 15th public meeting, and ways to comment via email or in writing.
Current Status
There is currently a 10-year review panel of the Suffolk County Aquaculture Lease Program (SCALP) being overseen by the SC Legislature’s Environment, Parks and Agriculture (EPA) committee, chaired by Legislator Kara Hahn with Legislator Al Krupski, Vice Chair.
The 10-year review process has been going on for many months, with several meetings involving different stakeholder groups including the lease-holders, commercial fisherman, yacht clubs etc., and that process has come to an end.
December 2020 Meetings Scheduled
The legislation incorporating the changes to the SCALP law that were the result of the 10-year review are expected, not guaranteed, to be introduced at the next General Meeting of the Legislature on 12/1/20. If it is introduced on that date, it will not be discussed or considered at the meeting, just introduced or what we refer to as “laid on the table” or LOT.
It will then be assigned to a committee, presumably EPA, where at their meeting on 12/7, it will be tabled for a public hearing at the next General Meeting on 12/15 – this is where you can offer public comments via ZOOM, via email or in writing.
General letter in support of the Aquaculture Lease Program – send either to Legislator Kara Hahn, Chair: Kara.Hahn@suffolkcountyny.gov and Legislator Al Krupski, Vice Chair: al.Krupski@suffolkcountyny.gov Suffolk County Environment, Parks and Agriculture (EPA) committee or the Legislative Clerk at Clerk.Legislature@suffolkcountyny.gov with the request that it be distributed to all the legislators.
You can also sign and comment on this petition from the Long Island Oyster Growers Association, which highlights key facts:
In sum, we support Suffolk County continuing the lease program for shellfish farming operations and we emphatically support the inclusion of commercial seaweed (kelp) cultivation.
Why include kelp?
-it’s a carbon sink, storing 20x more CO2 per acre than land forests.
–a super-faster grower, reducing excess nitrogen, and providing habit for hundreds marine species.
–a coastline safeguard, protecting coastlines from storm surges.
-a super-food, with fast-growing new market, being used for food. medicine, cosmetics, animal feed, biofuel, and even a new bio-plastic. You can buy from Atlantic Sea Farms, working with 2 dozen Maine lobstermen and fishermen.
-a big win-win-win for the East End — Stony Brook has done the research finding sugar kelp (Saccharina latissma) is able to grow using “commercial-style” techniques in all three of our estuaries. This is climate-friendly regenerative businesses generating $9.3 million in economic activity to Suffolk County.
There is alot of interest in kelp as a second crop among Long Island’s three dozen oyster farmers. Right now other states permit commercial growing and New York only allows kelp growing for experimental use. And a local market cannot start to develop as sugar kelp is presently not permitted for human consumption in our state.
Won’t you join us in support of our shellfish farmers, and support the inclusion of commercial seaweed (kelp) cultivation.
Heidi Fiske <heidifiske@hfiske.com> Date: Tue, Dec 1, 2020 at 7:07 AM Subject: ✳️Heidi endgame alert #3: President Biden can’t be effective unless we do this NOW To:
Dear savvy liberal, You hoped your political work would be done November 3rd but the most game-changing actions you take this election cycle may be what you do NOW.See how, where to help below. If Biden is to be effective we need to control the Senate, and that won’t happen unless Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock win their runoff Senate races in Georgia January 5th. If they lose, Republicans control the Senate 52-48. If they win, it is 50-50 and VP Harris can break any tie. Don’t send money to the campaigns now ... One of the wisest political activists I know states: “My advice is to wait. There is so much money pouring into GA that it is almost impossible to know who can use the funds effectively.” And a few very large donations are expected within a week. It may be a somewhat different story for groups seeking to register voters (ends December 7) and to get out the vote, especially in particular communities, — actions that both Republicans and Democrats agree are key to winning these races (as opposed to persuading people to change their vote). If you give to any such group, be sure it is one with an ongoing presence, so that if the money isn’t used in these races, it will work in 2021-22. … but do volunteer. A few caveats Georgians can be downright rude about out-of-staters “parachuting in, telling us what to do as if they know more than we do,” says SE Georgia organizer Amanda Hollowell. And their frankness is a good thing, because they’re telling you how to be effective. Here’s some of what they say:
while the election is of national importance to you, the issues that are going to get Georgians fired up and to the polls – especially in rural communities of color – are entirely local: notably health care access; COVID; environmental justice; criminal justice reform; and treatment of immigrants. “Take back the Senate” cuts no ice here. Says Black Voters Matter’s Wanda Moseley, “it’s not about what the nation needs. It’s about what black voters need. If it isn’t about that they won’t come out. Period.”
two important groups to get on board are Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), who cast 91.3% more ballots in 2020 than 2016, and Hispanics: who cast 72.2% more. But each group is varied, and the differences are important, so let the locals teach you how to approach them.
Georgia has many ways to suppress the vote. You will need to understand them, because your major value may be helping people navigate the system.
Don’t come to work on the ground. First, there’s COVID. Second, plenty of people already do it. Finally, obvious out-of-staters trying to exert influence may raise hackles. One exception: poll watching if you are a lawyer
There are places where digital outreach does not work “because lack of broadband aligns exactly with Black and brown communities.”
However you are interacting with Georgians, take it slow and be a friend, not an official. “Georgia voters are tired, overwhelmed,” says Fair Fight’s Hillary Holley. “They want to hear from people they trust, so come at them with grace.”
Groups to work with Well over 40 highly credible progressive organizations are fighting this fight in Georgia. The few listed below match one or all of the following criteria: They use out of state volunteers; were recommended by several reliable sources; and/or reach special cohorts. Shown in alphabetical order. America Votesamericavotes.orgAV assembles national and state-based coalitions to advance progressive policies and increase voter turnout for Democratic candidates. In Georgia it coordinates the activities of a dozen or more local and national groups so that all bases are covered and none are duplicated.volunteer page https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdfKPID0RoAGR2KUsg1sWHioMFVKfk0lTSUzQ-xVWElv1pjOg/viewform?gxids=7757volunteer opportunitiesYou can check off any of 13 organizations for which to volunteer (including several listed separately here), or choose among these activities: phone banking, texting, canvassing, writing postcards. Asian American Advocacy Fund AAAF advocates for national, state and local policies that will improve the lives of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and all immigrant populations in Georgia. Though this cohort is small, in a race that may well be won at the margins these energized voters could play an important role. (As noted, they increased their votes more than 91% between 2016 and 2020.).volunteer pagehttps://www.asianamericanadvocacyfund.org/volunteervolunteer opportunities phone banking, text banking, postcards Black Voters Matterhttps://blackvotersmatterfund.org/“At BVM, we … are NOT an electoral organization. We are, first and foremost, a power building organization.” BVM works year-round in many communities to make sure that the issues that matter to black communities have political heft.volunteer pagehttps://survey123.arcgis.com/share/d448cd331da240798d118262a8b2f824volunteer opportunitiestexting, phone banking, postcard writing, social media campaigning, Fair Fighthttps://fairfight.com/Fair Fight is a national voting rights organization founded in Georgia by Stacey Abrams. It is the leading voting rights groups in Georgia. Count on them to know the landscape everywhere and to offer fine training.volunteer page https://fairfight.com/join-our-fight/volunteer opportunities poll worker, “line warming,” calling voters, texting voters. Can always use lawyers Flip the West https://www.flipthewest.com/“Harnessing grassroots power to take back the Senate. Current target: Georgia.”volunteer pages(phone banking) https://www.mobilize.us/flipthewest/event/362350/(post card writing) https://www.mobilize.us/flipthewest/event/362341/volunteer opportunitiesphone banking and postcard writing MomsRising https://www.momsrising.orgMillion-member organization targeting voting blocs that turned significantly more progressive between 2016 and 2020: suburban white mothers; unmarried white mothers; and low propensity voters of color. Helping to get out the vote in Georgia now.volunteer page:https://action.momsrising.org/survey/MRAdvocacy_2020/?source=actionvolunteer opportunities: call leaders, write postcards, text, share MomsRising social media with your networksPoder Latinxhttps://poderlatinx.org/“Votar es poder.” Presently seeking bilingual volunteers for Georgiavolunteer pagehttps://poderlatinx.org/contactvolunteer opportunities register voters and get out the vote Postcards to Votershttps://postcardstovoters.org/This is the original postcard program, founded, in Georgia, by “TonytheDemocrat.”volunteer pagehttps://postcardstovoters.org/volunteer/ Voto Latinohttps://votolatino.org/national organization devoted to uniting and empowering the Latinx community. Now very active in Georgiavolunteer pagehttps://votolatino.org/article/volunteer-with-voto-latino/volunteer opportunities text banking, trainings and webinars, general advocacy and call to action alerts Volunteer with each campaignthe Ossoff campaign http://tinyurl.com/OssoffVolunteerthe Warnock campaign https://secure.warnockforgeorgia.com/page/s/website_vol And inspire everyone you know in Georgia …… to vote for these two candidates, and to get all their friends out to do so. Check your contact list for “GA” “Georgia” and zip codes beginning “300.” Revel in your old yearbooks as you look for forgotten classmates. After the wearying fights in 2020, it will be difficult to get people to the polls December 14 to January 5, so every vote will matter! Talking points
Biden cannot be effective, hence this country cannot move forward, unless Democrats control the Senate. McConnell has proved this again and again since 2009.
Here we have two fine Democratic candidates vs. two appalling (and, in the case of Perdue, corrupt) Trumpers
Organizations that can train you to leverage your Georgia contacts:
Galvanize your Republican friends Use the take-no-prisoners arguments and ads of the Lincoln Project, founded by Republican strategists determined to defeat Trump. One might have expected them to support a Republican-controlled Senate to offset a Democratic President. But to their great credit, they also are fighting as hard as we are to have a Democrat-controlled Senate, because they want to defeat Trumpism. https://lincolnproject.us/ Resource Excellent, non-partisan guides to all the candidates’ positions. These are also available in Spanish from campuselect.org :
Especially helpful in compiling this memo were the following, whose work you might value on a continuing basis. With their permission here are their contacts: Evan Kost, (AV coordinates GOTV groups nationwide and in select states) https://americavotes.org; Jane Whitney (wise readable commentary): www.conversationsonthegreen.com; Deepak Puri, founder of the DemLabs (free/affordable apps for political work): https://thedemlabs.org/
Thanks also to Richard O, Craig K, Ellen BN, Victor K, Trey B, Chris B, Daniel S, Sally M, Larry H, Paul LHeidiHeidi Fiskeheidifiske@hfiske.com
