ProWo Meetup Notes

ProWo June 25, 2019

Kathy C, Kathy D, Lena, Carol, Michelle, Jane, Rhonda, Joan, Ellen, Mary Ellen, Kirsten, baby Emmie

Selected Election-Related Resources

- Joan created a resource that summarizes several national resources/organizations related to electing progressive candidates. It also has resources that helps you find state and federal representatives, and online voter registration tools. Thank you, Joan!

https://https://tinyurl.com/JoanResources

Use this as a resource as you plan for political donations over the next two years. Let’s all come up with plans. Donations are extremely important!

Notes: ActBlue now takes money for immigrants.

The different organizations have targeted the same 11 states.

ActBlue is a reliable, responsive interface.

Light for Liberty

- Action item: Save the Date—Friday, July 12

$4.5 Billion Border Spending Bill - House

- Contentious among House Democrats. Progressives wanted to be sure strict limitations that money will go toward standards of care. [As of 6/25, Pelosi clinched an 11th hour deal with Progressives. https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/25/nancy-pelosi-border-spending-package-1382038

Will Senate pass? Will President sign? Administration is under pressure to do something.

Action: Contact Reps, Larson/Courtney/Hayes; Murphy, Blumenthal. Let them know where you stand on this. They need to hear from us!

Do Not Despair

- We need to continue to voice our opinions. Repubs are losing in the long game; they can only win by cheating/Russia, etc. They know this. We have to stay strong and involved.

- Watch this edition of the The Beat with Ari Melber, MSNBC (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqZbU_ZVTPY): Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg have a new podcast titled “Solvable.” This podcast showcases the world’s most innovative thinkers and their proposed solutions to the world’s most daunting problems.

[Note: Study finds Connecticut’s homelessness at lowest point in 12 years
https://ctmirror.org/2019/06/21/state-homelessness-at-lowest-point-in-12-years-study-finds/]

-Another good podcast: Gaslit Nation with Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa. Sharp insight and prescience.

Campaign Trail

-“Joe Biden Doesn’t Look So Electable In Person”

Michelle Goldberg, New York Times, June 24, 2019

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/24/opinion/joe-biden-electability-2020.html

-“Elizabeth Warren is Completely Serious” - New York Times Magazine, June 27, 2019

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/17/magazine/elizabeth-warren-president.html

Will people support Warren - she has ideas and willing to work hard

- Watch the debates, Wednesday, June 26 & Thursday, June 27, 9pm. DVR or tape it!

- Repubs call everything they don’t like “Socialism.” Medicare and Social Security are “Socialism.”

Suggestion:

-We invite our local and state reps to join the website. They can see what is important to us progressives. Let Jane know thoughts on this.

Discussions

- Impeachment: Are you in favor? We need to show he is unelectable.

- Does our State Democratic party donate to out of state campaigns or organizations? If so, which ones? How is this decided?

- Virginia is one of the states that is flippable. Very important to change to Dems - redistricting will take place after the 2020 election.

- Is phone banking effective? Jane gave one example of talking to a voter who was unaware of the election…we need to reach one by one.

- Michelle shared a Facebook post on Voter Turnout for 2020. (See below). “This isn’t a competition of ideas. We’ve won that competition long ago. It’s a competition for engagement.”

Art Project

- We are participating in a gallery showcase at the Mandell JCC this fall. The theme is “Welcoming the Stranger.” We had a couple of ideas. Lena and Carol are taking the lead on getting the information about this project. Rhonda offered to let us use her studio to create a mosaic. She needs lots of help! Dates to help will be forthcoming.

Check it Out

The Immigrants’ Journey Through the Eyes of Quilters

June 30-August 30, 2019, Chase Family Gallery, Mandell JCC

Twenty quilters created quilts telling the varied, moving stories of immigrants.