The People PAC: Flipping Statehouses

Posted on October 28, 2020 by David Posnett
From Mara Gerstein:

Dear Friends,
with T-6 days until voting ends in 2020, here at The People we are cycling between anxiety and HOPE. We are also filled to the brim with gratitude to our brilliant partners, generous donors, and the network of talented creatives, data geeks, and political wizards who have made our work this year possible. 

Together, as part of our Statehouse Media 2020 program, we produced 200 digital ads for 24 inspiring candidates and are running targeted digital distribution programs to flip the State House in Texas and Iowa and to break the Republican supermajority in Kansas. These states and districts were selected for maximum leverage in strengthening our democracy at the state level.

To date in 2020, this $1.5M program has resulted in our candidate videos being viewed by in-district voters IN THEIR ENTIRETY over 10 MILLION TIMES (and counting). 

So check out the ads for these talented candidates and share them with folks in our target states!

TEXAS PLAYLIST **** IOWA PLAYLIST **** KANSAS PLAYLIST

Inevitably, some of these races will come down to 100, 10, even ONE SINGLE vote (recall that in Virginia 2017, control of the entire State House came down to a tied race with the winner chosen via hat pick!).

So if you can, please consider a final donation to help get candidates in our closest races over the line.

DONATE TO HELP FLIP STATE HOUSE SEATS

Learn more at thepeoplepac.org. 
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Are we Ready?

Posted on October 26, 2020 by David Posnett
The Love – Black Eyed Peas and Jennifer Hudson

“the choice could not be more clear”

Posted in 2020 elections, anti-semitism, Biden, bigotry, BLM, Civil Rights, Coronavirus, democrats, Discrimination, disenfranchisement, Fair elections, fascism, GOP, police, Poverty, public health, Religion & tolerance, Trump atrocities, Women, Zeldin | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Are we Ready?

YAY! I voted!

Posted on October 24, 2020 by David Posnett
pink slip

Like you, I have been waiting for this moment for 4 years.

I have never seen voting lines like this, not in 20 years, not in sleepy East Hampton after the summer crowds are long gone. Newsday and the Press were there to document the lines with photos and interviews of voters.

I got in line for early voting at Windmill Village in East Hampton. Polls were open from 10 AM to 3 PM. At 10:30 AM the line snaked around the neighborhood. I heard from a poll official that there were 260 voters in line. They were processing about 1 voter/min by my estimate based on how often a voter entered the actual polling station.

I was expecting a 4 h wait. But it turned out to be just about 3 hours. My friends Nigel and Jane got in line at 9 AM and voted at 11 AM: about 2 hours.

These kind of waiting periods are exhausting for elderly folks. They were for me.

Here is what you can do:

  1. 1. you can drop off you mail-in ballot and to do so you can go right to the front of the line and be directed to the correct person in the polling stations. The problem is that your ballot won’t be counted until after Nov 3rd along with all other mail-in ballots
  2. 2. if you are in any way disabled you can go to the front of the line. At Windmill Village they have a side entrance (on the right when you are facing the main entrance). I inquired for a family member who is seriously handicapped and she and her husband can use the side entrance thus avoiding the long line.
  3. 3. For the rest of us I suggest choosing carefully when you want to try to vote early. As per a prior post here are the choices:

I am thinking that Monday 7 AM might be a safe bet?

Finally, a word about safety.

Every one I encountered was wearing a mask and observing social distancing. Poll workers and voters were disinfecting their hands and the equipment between every voter!

The people in line were courteous and kept each other in a good mood. There were no attempts to threaten or bully voters. The police was stationed at the entrance to the Windmill Village complex to direct cars to park outside the village. They were helpful and friendly. They allowed cars transporting disabled voters to enter and drop them off close to the polling station. My friend Jerry (acting as a Dem poll watcher) confirmed my impression: no shenanigans and no voter intimidation, such as touted by the likes of the ‘Proud Boys’ and encouraged by the President and his sycophants.

I guess we had short lines compared to some polling stations in NY City:

Posted in 2020 elections, Coronavirus, Fair elections, long island, Trump, Uncategorized, Zeldin | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on YAY! I voted!

Caravans in Suffolk County

Posted on October 22, 2020 by David Posnett
Trump car rally participant

From Shoshona Hershkowitz on Saturday’s rally on Long Island New York:

Yesterday, people where I live, we were harassed by the Trump caravan. This group with covered license plates, screaming slurs out of their bullhorns at intersections, calling for the Secret Service to shoot people I know, were out in full force, invading my town. They came with flags, including 3% and Q Anon flags alongside their Trump cult flags. When they came to Port Jefferson, they called friends of mine homophobic and racial slurs. They harassed people on the street, including children. They told my friend’s child, a child of color, to “go home”. If you want to know what modern day white supremacy looks like, you didn’t need to look any further than Port Jefferson yesterday.

Let’s be clear. There is no equivalent to this on the left. No one I know has attempted to cough unmasked on people. No one I know engages in calling people “faggots”. This is full on Trump white supremacy cult.

I’ll say one more thing. Republicans, you own this. You need to call your dogs off and stop it. Congressman Lee Zeldin, this is your base. These are your supporters. Your voters. Tell them to stop. Ed Romaine, you’ve said that Brookhaven is built on diversity. Stand up to the members of your party, the Republican Party, infiltrating Brookhaven, and making it unsafe for the residents.

The lines are clearly drawn at this point. You’re either with the white supremacists, or you’re not. And elected officials, failure to condemn and put a stop to this renders you complicit. Pick your side. Are you with the neo Nazis, or with the rest of us?

Last but not least, we’re going to be voting and making a real choice this election. Do we want to let these white supremacists win? Do we want to let their preferred candidates like Lee Zeldin win? I don’t. We need to send a message that #HateHasNoHomeHere , and that we will never allow white supremacists to gain this much of a foothold in America, ever again. So I ask you, #VoteThemAllOut. Destroy white supremacy and those who enable it. I’m looking at you, Lee Zeldin.

ALSO:

A woman was injured in a hit-and-run on Route 25A near North Country Road at around 12:45 p.m., police said. The parade was organized by the Setauket Patriots, an online group that supports Trump and conservative values. James Robitsek, founder of the Setauket Patriots Facebook page, led the caravan and said his car was not involved in the hit-and-run.

William Ferraro, a former Brookhaven town supervisor Democratic candidate, shared on Facebook a photo of a car with a flag reading “TRUMP 2020 F— Your Feelings” covering its license plate.

“Port Jeff is for families, not Trump rallies,” Ferraro, co-president of the Central Brookhaven Democratic Club, said. “Several of my friends were down port at the time, and witnessed obscenities on flags, cars swerving, coughing on people in mockery of COVID-19 – it really brought out the worst element.

Posted in 2020 elections, Brookhaven, Coronavirus, fascism, long island, Trump, Trump atrocities, Zeldin | Comments Off on Caravans in Suffolk County

How Masks Matter

Posted on October 21, 2020 by David Posnett

OK. Seriously, what is the latest on masks? Bottom line: if most people wear an effective mask we can significantly curb viral transmission

It is increasingly clear that there are differences in mask quality and protection. Here is one example of a recent report:

https://hartfordhealthcare.org/about-us/news-press/news-detail?articleid=27691&publicId=395
Fitted N95, no valve (14 in photo)
3-layer surgical mask (1)
Cotton-polypropylene-cotton mask (5)
2-layer polypropylene apron mask (4)
2-layer cotton, pleated style mask (13)
2-layer cotton, pleated style mask (7)
Valved N95 mask (2)
2-layer cotton, Olson style mask (8)
1-layer Maxima AT mask (6)
1-layer cotton, pleated style mask (10)
2-layer cotton, pleated style mask (9)
Knitted mask (3) NOT GOOD
Double-layer bandana (12) NOT GOOD
Gaiter-style neck fleece (11) USELESS

Read a more in depth study here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-72798-7#Fig4

Another set of data looks at transmission among airline passengers on Emirates and specifically on their 8h flights Dubai – Hongkong. Emirates has a strictly enforced mask policy. Even on completely booked flights with, for example, 7 COVID+ passengers, there was no transmission to other passengers! https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/10/20/925892185/do-masks-really-cut-your-risk-of-catching-covid-19-on-long-plane-flights

Their conclusion is that strictly enforced mask usage works.

The bottom line: if most people wear masks we can significantly curb viral transmission. It is useful to have an effective mask too.

The following graph plots adherence to mask policy versus quality of the mask used. With poor quality masks it does not matter whether a high percent of people use a mask. And with poor adherence to mask wearing rules, even those that wear a high quality mask are not protected. One needs both a good mask and strict mask use enforcement.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/dont-wear-mask-yourself/610336/

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Prop #1: Yes or No?

Posted on October 20, 2020 by David Posnett

Prop #1 asks voters (on the back of the ballot for Nov 3rd) if we’d like the term length for our Suffolk County legislators be four years rather than the current two. A no vote advocates keeping them on a short leash.  A yes vote advocates giving them breathing room to do the job they were hired for without having to continually raise money for the next campaign.

The Democrats, who currently hold the majority in our legislature, put this referendum on the ballot.  The vote to put it on the ballot was straight party line: 10 Democrats votes for, 7 Republicans votes against and one Republican abstention.
Cheers, Bob Wick

See more info here:

https://www.smithtownmatters.com/politics-government/2020/10/8/suffolk-county-voters-will-cast-votes-on-two-resolutions-on.html

And here is the opinion of Newsday’s editorial board:

Newsday recommends voting no on Proposal One.

Proposal One: This would lengthen the term of office for a Suffolk County legislator to four years from the current two years. A similar proposal put to voters in 2002 was defeated handily. County residents would be right to again reject this proposition. Continuity in county government is provided by a four-year term for the county executive, which is appropriate for that position. A two-year term for lawmakers gives the public a way to more frequently register disapproval and course-correct if it is dissatisfied with the direction of county government.

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Pennsylvania: the Key Battleground

Posted on October 18, 2020 by David Posnett
Pennsylvania (PA) is the tipping point: I read that if Biden wins PA, he has 90+% chance of winning the presidency. If he loses PA he has a less than 50% chance.

“Both sides now see Pennsylvania, with 20 electoral college votes, as a must-win prize on the path to the 270 needed to win the White House, according to Democratic and Republican strategists. They also increasingly view the battle for those votes as one that could well continue beyond Election Day — with a growing list of balloting disputes and lawsuits setting the stage…”

There are about 9000 polling precincts in PA. The PA Poll Observer team plans to put 2 poll observers in each polling station: one inside the station and one outside. NY residents are allowed to be outside, but not inside, poll observers.

Together with 790 other volunteers I attended a 2.5 h training session earlier today. It was excellent. If you don’t mind the grueling Nov. 3rd hours (6:30 AM to 8:30 PM) and being exposed outside for the day, I think this is probably the most productive volunteer work you can possibly do for this election.

“Trump can continue making a fool of himself, and Biden could win all of the swing states on Election Day; but we still can’t rest easy until January 20. Yet the bigger the win, the less likely it is to be overturned. I sure wish this were all safely in the history books instead of unfolding insanely day by day.” ROBERT KUTTNER Follow Robert Kuttner on Twitter Robert Kuttner’s latest book is  The Stakes: 2020 and the Survival of American Democracy.

To be a PA election observer use this link: https://www.mobilize.us/pavotepro/event/319170/

Also sign-up here: https://go.joebiden.com/page/s/voter-protection
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LeeZeldinRecord.com: Living a Double Life

Posted on October 17, 2020 by David Posnett

PRESS RELEASE: October 16, 2020

CONTACTS:  Jacquelyn Gavron, jgavron@gmail.com,

                         Amy Turner, amyturner2000@gamil.com,

NY-01 Constituents’ Website— LeeZeldinRecord.com—Reveals Troubling Discrepancies 

With Rep. Zeldin “living a double life”—as Newsday recently put it—it’s almost impossible for voters to know where he stands on critical issues. “At home in his district,’’ Zeldin presents himself as a “bi-partisan player” seeking solutions, but in Washington, D.C. Zeldin is a “Trumpist-star,” who has voted in line with the president’s positions 91.7% of the time, often to the detriment of NY-01.

Frustrated by the discrepancy between what Zeldin says for local consumption (in social media posts, emails, and his official website) and how he has voted in Congress, a team of constituents from across NY-01 has launched a website—LeeZeldinRecord.com—to fact-check his claims—including Accomplishments on his official website—and provide voters with the information needed to make an informed choice. 

The new Fact Check section on Zeldin’s “Accomplishments” reveals troubling discrepancies on critical issues including Healthcare, Covid-19, Environment, Women, and Veterans. Here are just a few examples (there are many more):

  • Zeldin says he’s “fighting for women,” but he voted against a bill making it illegal for employers to discriminate against women who are pregnant or have medical needs related to childbirth.
  • Zeldin voted against a bi-partisan bill to lower drug costs by letting the government negotiate prices with big pharma, even though he promised to “lower the cost of prescription drugs.” 
  • Zeldin claims he’s “safeguarding the environment,” but he voted to repeal the Clean Water Rule and end Clean Air Act standards.

NOTE: The information on ZeldinRecord.com has been obtained from congress.gov and other publicly available sources.

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Zeldin’s complete Environmental Record

Posted on October 15, 2020 by David Posnett

Latest update of Zeldin’s environmental voting record below. 
The spreadsheet itself (all 193 bills since Zeldin was first elected) is linked in Excel format: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19e5j3Z3xupufWNReLsO-P69eL316sJDLBbf8EZDFklg/edit?usp=sharing

This is our last update before the November 3rd election. It covers the 21 bills tracked by the League of Conservation Scorecard so far in 2020.So far in 2020, Lee Zeldin has voted against the environment in 14 of these bills and for the environment in 7, for a year-to-date score of 33%. Zeldin’s lifetime score (to date) is 15%. Although Zeldin’s lifetime score has crept up by a few percentage points over the last 2 years, it remains embarrassingly low when viewed in context: the average LCV score of a Member of Congress last year was 59%. Some highlights of Zeldin’s environmental voting record so far in 2020: He voted to permit Trump’s EPA to issue weak standards on soot pollution. He voted against more federal infrastructure funding for clean energy, clean water and mass transportation. He voted not to restrict funding for resumption of nuclear testing. He voted against increases in funding for climate, oceans, coastal science, energy efficiency and renewable energy. He voted against increases in federal funding for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds. And he voted against funding for replacing lead service lines providing drinking water to predominately minority and low income neighborhoods. On the plus side, Zeldin voted for full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program he has long supported. LWCF funds are used to protect and enhance public lands and to provide community recreational facilities. This bill passed the Senate and was signed into law. Finally, and in seemingly contradictory fashion, on the same day Zeldin voted for greater regulation of PFAS chemicals, which are suspected carcinogens, but against a bill to close a loophole in the Clean Water Act that permits PFAS to be discharged into waterways. Details can be found in the linked spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19e5j3Z3xupufWNReLsO-P69eL316sJDLBbf8EZDFklg/edit?usp=sharing

To sum it up, he has voted the wrong way on bills to mitigate climate change 92% of the time, to be exact, despite the double talk, evasions & obfuscation he dished out in his video presentation at the NYLCV climate change forum a few days ago.

Best, Marc Rauch and Suzi Kondic

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Trump’s chearleader: Lee Zeldin

Posted on October 15, 2020 by David Posnett

Don’t let him fool you: LZ will take away your healthcare, your reproductive rights and destroy the environment. Another 4 years of DT and another 2 years of LZ spells disaster. VOTE GOROFF for Congress, Biden/Harris for the top of the ticket.

A message from Nancy Goroff: End Citizens United just named Lee Zeldin, one of Trump’s most complicit and self-serving friends in the House, to their Big Money 20 list of top targets who are rigging the system to benefit themselves, their wealthy donors, and the corrupt establishment. As Zeldin becomes more complicit in supporting Trump’s denial of science and putting corporate interests ahead of Long Island families, his chances of winning this race are slipping. But this race isn’t ours just yet. This race is a statistical tie. If we can sustain our communication and field strategies with meaningful voter targeting, we will win. With 19 days left, help us close that gap now: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nancygoroffcongress

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