Plus: Get your free COVID-19 tests before they’re gone.

Indivisible SF Newsletter
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Government shutdown clock:

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If Congress does not pass a budget bill or CR by Friday, March 8, the government will shut down.

House and Senate leadership have negotiated a budget package, which MAGA Republicans in the House are obstructing.

Thank you for voting in the primary election! We had some important questions on our ballot in SF, and your votes made a real difference.

If you worked as a poll worker, or an elections official, or on a campaign or other committee, or you were a candidate, or you volunteered—thank you, too. You’re doing the hard work of democracy. We appreciate it.

We’re writing this on Tuesday evening so we don’t yet have any idea of the results. We do know that turnout was low, and there is a tendency of “red shift” where Republicans tend to vote in person so their votes get counted later—so early returns aren’t always indicative of final results, particularly in close races. So let’s wait for every vote to count, and then celebrate our victories and mourn our losses once they’re settled.

We’ve got a few months to rest, and then we can expect voter outreach to start back up closer to September in advance of October voting in the general election. We’re going to need to reach everyone we can and inform them about the danger of Trump and the benefits of Biden between now and the general election if we’re to keep Trump out of the White House, keep Biden working for all of us, and take back control of both houses of Congress.



** On the Supreme Court’s ruling on Trump’s un-disqualification
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On Monday, the Supreme Court restored Trump to the ballot ([link removed]) in Colorado’s primary election that ended yesterday, from which he had been removed for his part in the Jan. 6th insurrection. They ruled that no state has the right to affect the Presidential election in this way, and that Congress must make the decision to remove Trump from the ballot nationwide.

This ruling has been widely panned as a reckless misinterpretation of the 14th Amendment that minimizes what the events of Jan 6th actually were: an attempt to overthrow the democratically elected government.

This decision is not surprising, but it is still disappointing. It is part of the broader trend of our highest courts, and the DoJ itself, stalling and dithering and passing the buck rather than doing their part to hold him accountable for crimes for which others are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This sets a dangerous precedent; the message to MAGA extremists will be that all they need to do is try harder next time.

We’ll do our part at the ballot box. We know that this fall, it’s going to be Biden vs. Trump ([link removed]) . And we need to do everything we can to make sure people vote and make change not just federally, but locally and statewide—where people’s rights can be best protected.

But at the same time, every legal avenue must be used to hold Trump and his extremists accountable. We must demand that our institutions work to protect democracy, and we must call out their failures so that we can in turn hold them accountable in the future. We must do our part, and our part includes calling on the other pillars of our democracy to do theirs. No one can do it alone—united we stand, divided we fall.



** Congress kicks the can down the road one more week: Tell our MoC’s to stand firm
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Last week, Congress passed yet another continuing resolution ([link removed]) when faced with last Friday’s deadline for a government shutdown. Now, funding for a large portion of the federal government runs out at midnight on Friday, March 8. Funding for the remaining portion ends one week later, at midnight on March 22. If a new appropriations bill or another CR is not passed by those deadlines, major portions of our government shut down.

The Trump/MAGA extremists who control the Republican Party are threatening to shut our government down if their racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and anti-democratic poison-pill demands are not injected into the appropriation bills or the next CR. Their tirades and tantrums are focused on border security and demonizing non-white immigrants, further restricting abortion rights and denying women the freedom to control their own bodies, blocking or weakening measures to combat global warming, and "anti-woke" policies aimed at curtailing and destroying diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, including freedom of speech and thought at schools and colleges and economic justice efforts. They know they don't have the votes to enact any of their poison pills through the normal legislative process so they are using the blackmail threat of a government shutdown to impose their will on everybody else.

Even more so in an election year than in a normal year, our Democratic representatives must stand for our freedoms against MAGA-Republican efforts to drag us back into our racist, patriarchal, bigoted past. We must make the difference plain as day: Republicans want the government dismantled and our freedoms burned; Democrats want the government to work for you.

Tell President Biden and our Members of Congress: ([link removed]) Stand fast, don’t surrender to MAGA Republican shutdown blackmail!


**
Free covid tests are ending again—get ‘em while you still can
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The USPS is taking orders for eight (in two separate orders) COVID-19 rapid antigen tests, to be delivered to any US household free of charge, paid for by the Biden Administration. Use these rapid antigen tests before attending (or hosting) a gathering or other event; if you test positive, cancel—or wear a good (N95) mask and gather outside if possible.

However, this program will be suspended once again this Friday, March 8. If you didn’t order in September or you didn’t order in November, place your orders now ([link removed]) before it’s too late.


**
Over 65? It's time for your spring COVID-19 shot
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If you're 65 years of age or older, you need to renew your protection against COVID-19 more frequently than younger folks. So the CDC has recommended as of last week that you should get another COVID-19 shot if it's been more than four months since your previous COVID-19 vaccination.

Folks who've had a rough time with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines may want to try Novavax, as some recipients have reported less severe side effects than with the mRNA-based vaccines.

Whichever COVID-19 shot you go with, it should be covered by your insurance. If you're uninsured, the CDC's Bridge Access Program covers the cost at participating pharmacies. For a pharmacy near you that's offering COVID-19 shots, visit [link removed].


**
Volunteers welcome: We’re looking for an Editor and a Social Media Person!
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This year is going to be a busy time, and we’d love a few more volunteers on board to help with editing our weekly newsletter and publishing ongoing social media posts.

Our newsletter team meets every Tuesday night, and our editor helps us make sure everything looks professional, all the links work, and all the commas are in the right places.

Several members of our team post on various social media websites (Twitter, Mastodon, Instagram, etc.). This is more of an ad-hoc role. We especially would like someone to help us create, schedule, and monitor posts on the Meta Suite (Facebook and Instagram) and Threads. No prior knowledge required—we can train you!

If you’re interested in volunteering, let us know at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

[link removed]
TODAY: Bay Area Coalition Phone Banks to CA, NV, and AZ: Wednesday, March 6, 5–7 PM (and every Wednesday thereafter). Join to help elect Adam Gray in CA-13 and Rudy Salas in CA-22. This phone bank also calls into swing states Nevada and Arizona. RSVP here. ([link removed])

Activate America and Swing Left East Bay Canvas for CA-13 (Lathrop) Sunday March 17, 9:30am-1pm. Join Activate America and our partners at Swing Left East Bay to knock on doors to get people to pledge to vote in 2024. More info and RSVP here. ([link removed])


** About this week’s photo
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If you’ve seen our newsletter posts on social media, you might have noticed that we include a photo or graphic with each issue.

Today’s graphic is a slide from the Department of Elections’ presentation ([link removed]) on the just-concluded primary election, featuring this year’s “I Voted” sticker design.

Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team ([link removed])

If you'd like to support our all-volunteer team:
DONATE HERE ([link removed])

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