Now we know why MassFiscal is embarrassed by its backers.

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Our goal with the Wednesday Wire is to give you the tools to boost Democrats and take on Trump and his Republican allies here in Massachusetts. Use these talking points on social media, as the basis for a letter to the editor of your local paper, in emails to your personal network, or in conversations with your friends and neighbors.
June 10, 2020

Black Lives Matter. Take Action Now. (#BLM)
Koch Money in Massachusetts (#Koch)
Massachusetts Democrats Sweep in Special Elections (#Dems)
Trump’s Trying to Take Maine (#Maine)


The murder of George Floyd was not an isolated incident, and the just protests unfurling across the country show the pain, anger, and grief resulting from hundreds of years of systemic racism and police violence against Black Americans. As activists, organizers, and allies, we know that direct and immediate action is the best way to make real change.
* Sign a petition. Black Lives Matter has an extensive list of petitions ([link removed]) that take only a few minutes to sign, including one calling for the firing of the officers who killed Breonna Taylor in her own home. ([link removed])
* Support local and national activists. In addition to splitting a donation between these national and statewide groups ([link removed]) , support other local groups calling for justice, sign on to Color of Change's platform of structural demands ([link removed]) or the NAACP's 'We Are Done Dying’ Campaign ([link removed]) ' to support reforms to criminal justice, economic, health, and voting policy.
* Support Black-owned businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color. If you live in the Boston area, check out this list of Black-owned businesses ([link removed]) to support.
* Take time for self care. The images and videos we’re seeing online and on the news can be traumatic, especially for Black folks who’ve experienced police violence. Here’s a list of things you can do to care for yourself ([link removed]) . Mental health and self care are essential to organizing for change. View the Healing Justice and Action Toolkits from Black Lives Matter here. ([link removed])
* Educate yourself. Many organizations have compiled anti-racist resources like this one from Ibram X. Kendi ([link removed]) . Add some anti-racist literature to your reading list this summer.

You might remember the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, the right-wing organization that pretends to promote government transparency while hiding it’s own donors and pushing to overturn campaign finance laws.Well, we learned a little more about where their support comes from ([link removed]) , and we’d be embarrassed and ashamed if our backers were affiliated with the Koch brothers, like MassFiscal.
* You already know MassFiscal--last year they were inducted into the “Hypocrites Hall of Fame” ([link removed]) for advocating greater transparency and accountability while going to extreme--potentially illegal--lengths to conceal the funders of its right-wing, anti-Massachusetts agenda.
* Koch money has long supported MassFiscal. In its lawsuits seeking to overturn state laws restricting corporate campaign contributions and requiring campaigns and PACs to disclose their donors, MassFiscal was heavily supported by groups with significant Koch funding.
* This just proves what we already know--MassFiscal never had any intention of being the nonpartisan advocacy organization they claim to be on their website. They’re a front for the national radical-right, trying to inject their extremist agenda into Massachusetts.


ICYMI: Democrats flipped another seat in the Massachusetts legislature--winning all four special elections decided this spring. Voters made their voices heard loud and clear: they’re done with the divisive rhetoric of Donald Trump, the MassGOP, and the radical right.
* Three seats in the legislature flipped from red to blue because voters know that Democrats are the ones who are going to get the job done for working families while Republicans follow the lead of the most corrupt, damaging and incompetent President our country has ever seen.
* All four Democrats running in this spring’s special elections ran positive, forward-thinking campaigns dedicated to lifting people up that resonated with voters across the state--especially during such an unprecedented time.
* MassDems invested in these races early, hiring new staff to focus on priority areas, and innovating new ways to campaign during a pandemic--because success this spring sets us up to win this fall.
* We’re ready to bring the same energy to the general election with our MobilizeMA campaign--a coordinated effort to in-state and battleground state support effort to kick Donald Trump out of office and elect Democrats at every level.CLICK HERE to join MobilizeMA. ([link removed])


Donald Trump knows he’s in trouble in November--and so are Republicans down the ballot. Last Friday, he stopped in Maine to try to salvage his and Susan Collins’s reelection campaigns. He knows Maine is on track to turn bright blue, so he’s pulling out all the stops to help Collins keep her seat.
* Last week, Trump made a special trip to Maine to use essential workers as a backdrop to claim victory over coronavirus--even while the pandemic rages on unchecked.
+ We already know Trump cares about his polling numbers and not American lives, so it’s not surprising that he visited a facility that makes swabs for COVID-19 testing without a mask--and they had to throw out all the swabs manufactured during his visit. ([link removed])
* Trump’s visit came at the end of a week where he tweeted that protestors should be shot, threatened to use the American military against the American people, and tear gassed peaceful protestors for a photo-op.
* He disguised this campaign stop as an official visit, but his goal was clear: prop-up Susan Collins--the last Republican in the New England delegation--and save her reelection bid.
* That’s why the Maine Democrats have doubled down on their efforts to defeat Collins and take on Trump in Maine and this week, they’re hosting a Call from Home Week of Action.
+ One on one conversations with voters is the best way to make sure Democrats protect the House, flip the Senate, and beat Donald Trump--CLICK HERE to start talking to voters now. ([link removed])

We encourage you to share these stories with your networks online and offline. Questions about the information outlined above and about the Wednesday Wire program may be directed at our Communications Manager, Allison Mitchell. (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Wednesday%20Wire)

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