#RestinPower
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Welcome to The Revolution Report — the weekly e-newsletter of our national grassroots organizing network!
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SPECIAL THE GET OUT THE VOTE CALL!
Join us on Monday, September 21st at 8:30 PM ET for our Weekly Organize to Win Call to hear from laid-off Ohio GM worker Chuckie Denison on an action outside Pence’s “Workers for Trump” event and Rebecca Garelli from the “Red for Ed” movement about our plan to win the political revolution in 2020, and other special guests!
RSVP HERE
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As America starts to vote, Our Revolution’s Monday Call will focus on our 4-POINT PLAN to fight for a progressive future. We are organizing our members to #1) Dump Trump by winning back working class voters in the Midwest; #2) Elect a progressive Congress by growing The Squad as well as flipping and fixing the Senate, #3) Build a down ballot bench of progressive champions and policies; and most critically, #4) Organize a powerful grassroots movement inside the halls of power and outside on the streets to win transformative change after the election!
READ MORE BELOW!
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#1 - We must go all out to defeat Donald Trump by winning back working-class voters in the Midwest.
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This week, Our Revolution Ohio members called out Mike Pence for lying about the President’s record on stopping factory closings at a “Workers for Trump Rally” in the once industrial of Zanesville.
“Trump came to our community and told us not to sell our homes because jobs were coming back. When GM Lordstown closed, families were separated and now I’m forced to put my house up for sale,” former GM Lordstown worker and Our Revolution leader Chuckie Denison, told the crowd. The General Motors plant in Lordstown was shuttered last year despite President Trump’s promise to stop it. Over 5000 workers received pink slips and the closure devastated the community. “Trump refused to pick up a pen and stop these plant closings,” he said. “It is time we rise up and break down the wall they’ve built between them and our government.”
READ MORE
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Trump’s bold pro-worker rhetoric in Ohio exposed Hillary Clinton’s weak spot during the 2016 race. She failed to make the case that she would use the power of the presidency to fight to bring back jobs and reopen factories. As a result, Trump flipped 9 counties in Ohio that voted for Obama-Biden in both 2008 and 2012. These “pivot counties” - in Ohio and other Midwestern states - put Trump in power. In 2020, Trump is using the same sales pitch again. That’s why Our Revolution is organizing laid-off workers to go to Trump’s Rallies to undercut his lies in local and national media outlets. With polls showing Trump beating Biden on “jobs and the economy” - our strategic organizing on the ground is critical.
Donate to our Midwestern “Pivot County” Campaign and help us fund travel for Chuckie & other laid-off workers to expose Trump’s LIES at Trump Rallies.
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Our Revolution Bemidji (MN) co-organized a Defend Our Democracy Rally in Bemidji on Friday, ahead of Trump’s appearance there. The rally served as a counter-demonstration as well as a reminder that Indigenous people still live there, that treaties must be honored, and that the exploitation and poisoning of the lands and waters will not be tolerated.
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OVER 75,000 VOTER CONTACT MADE!
In addition to the grassroots organizing in Midwestern battleground states, Our Revolution members are holding daily National “Dump Trump” Phonebanks. Between now and Election Day, we’re enlisting an army of volunteers to make calls into key swing states to get out the vote.
JOIN OUR GOTV PHONE BANK!
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There are 23 pivot counties across the state of Wisconsin – Democratic strongholds that voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012, and then flipped to Trump in 2016. Our Wisconsin Revolution’s Organizing Call kicked off a statewide effort to organize voters in those counties as part of our Midwest Pivot County campaign to defeat Trump. The call featured discussions with five down-ballot candidates from those pivot counties who are endorsed. It’s going to take dozens and hundreds in communities and every nook and cranny of places like Wisconsin,” said Mike McCabe, executive director of Our Wisconsin Revolution. “We’re zeroing in on pivot counties.”
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#2 - We must elect more progressives to the US House and flip & fix the Senate to advance policies like Medicare for All and a Green New Deal.
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Idaho senatorial candidate Paulette Jordan, who’s running to be Idaho's first female senator and the first Native American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, was endorsed by Our Revolution on Monday’s Leaders Call. Speaking to our members, Paulette said, “We need grassroots organizers like you — outside, demanding accountability as you are, and inside, representing the people's voice.” A Jordan victory in November could help flip the Senate and give us the votes to change rules like the filibuster that block action on much-needed reforms.
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FEATURED CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE!
Marie Newman took on the Chicago political machine and defeated one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress. Now she is on track to become the newest member of the Squad! “I believe in the objectives of the Green New Deal. I believe in Medicare for all. I believe in universal child care, and making sure that we protect workers’ rights and that we protect and empower unions,” she said in a recent New York Times interview.
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#3 - We must build a bench of down-ballot progressive elected officials and policies to fight for change from the bottom up.
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We’re organizing to win an end to the GOP supermajority in the Missouri state house by endorsing Ashley Aune, candidate for state representative in District 14 in the Kansas City Northland, which recently flipped to blue. On our Missouri Organizing Call, Ashley spoke about why she’s running. “Our state government doesn’t represent the views of all Missourians. Too many voices and solutions are being ignored for a partisan agenda, and I can’t sit back and wait for someone else to fight for what so many of us believe in.”
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We are doubling down on our efforts to build a strong bench in Arizona with our national endorsement of Gabriella Cázares-Kelly for Pima County Recorder! Gabriella joins Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes in her commitment to making the voting process easier, faster, and more accessible. With a victory in November, Gabriella would become the first Native American to hold an elected countywide seat in Arizona! This down ballot office is critical to the protection of voting rights — and as county recorder, Gabriella would oversee improvements like ballot drop boxes and expanding early-voting locations. “Voters should not have to face barriers to exercise their right to participate in our democracy. It does no good to have rights if you can’t access them.”
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Our Revolution Texas held its State Organizing Meeting and featured down-ballot candidates like Vance Keyes, who is running for Sheriff in Tarrant County (Fort Worth). “We need to fight in some of the most conservative parts of our state to fix some of the wrongs we are facing in society today,” he said.
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A Justice Bench: Progressive Prosecutors
Chesa Boudin of San Francisco and Mike Schmidt of Portland — two progressive DAs who were endorsed by Our Revolution and elected with a mandate to reform our criminal justice system — are in the news this week for their bold leadership in challenging the entrenched power and influence of anti-reform police.
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San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin has co-founded the Prosecutors Alliance of California, a first-of-its-kind group committed to criminal justice reform. In June, the group asked the California State Bar to ban police unions from funding D.A. campaigns due to conflict of interest.
READ MORE
Portland D.A. Mike Schmidt took a courageous stand in declining to prosecute protesters on minor charges. “These are our neighbors who are concerned about what they see as wrong with the criminal justice system. It seemed like some of the arrests had the potential to chill speech.”
READ MORE
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Help us build a bench of progressive candidates and policies up and down the ballot!
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#4 - We must build a movement in the streets and inside the halls of power to win progressive change.
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Our Revolution endorsed Missouri’s “No on Amendment 3” campaign during our State Organizing Call. Amendment 3 is a voter suppression and redistricting scheme that would create supersafe red districts and permit the most extreme gerrymandering in the country to be enshrined in the state constitution. Also known as “Dirty Missouri,” Amendment 3 would effectively repeal the “Clean Missouri” anti-corruption amendment that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2018.
READ MORE
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If we want strong, thriving communities, we need to invest in our public schools. That’s why Our Revolution is proud to endorse Arizona Prop 208: The Teacher Salaries and Schools Initiative. This measure would place a very modest 3.5% education tax only on individuals making over $250,000. Rebecca Garelli of Arizona Educators United discussed Prop 208 on our Arizona Organizing Call. “It’s no secret that Arizona is at the bottom of the barrel in every education statistic funding and has a massive teacher shortage exacerbated by the pandemic. This modest surcharge on only the top 1% would amount to just $35 a year.”
LEARN MORE
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The pandemic has local governments demanding austerity measures at a time when more — not less — funding for public supports is needed. A better way to solve budget shortfalls is to increase revenue, and legalizing cannabis is a popular and proven strategy. Over 60% of Arizona voters support it, and Our Revolution joins them by endorsing Proposition 207, The Smart and Safe Arizona Act. Prop 207 is a cannabis legalization measure that would generate revenue for education, public safety, public health, and critical infrastructure while creating jobs and allowing for expungement of low-level cannabis-related convictions.
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OUR REVOLUTION SUPPORTS POSTAL BANKING!
This week, Bernie joined with Senate colleagues to introduce the Postal Banking Act of 2020 to take on Wall Street banker barons and provide affordable banking services to all Americans. The bill would allow post offices nationwide to provide a number of key banking services, including small donor checking and savings accounts. Our Revolution is proud to support this important bill!
READ MORE HERE
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Our Revolution HQ is doubling down, organizing across the country to make change at the local, state and national levels.
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WORKSHOP WEDNESDAYS! Join us Wednesday, September 23rd at 12:30pm ET and 9:00 pm ET for a special training on “Taking Action When Trump Comes to Town.” We’ll provide you with a template which sets out the various steps to take to organize a winning event. This includes how to request t-shirts and posters, live streaming tips and techniques, and ways to publicize your event in order to maximize turnout and exposure.
RSVP HERE
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THIS WEEK’S FEATURED ORGANIZING MEETINGS!
Join Our Illinois Revolution, U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, and other candidates as we get ready to “Get Out the Vote”!
RSVP HERE!
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Our Revolution Maine is coming together to support a slate of down-ballot candidates including State Sen. Troy Jackson, President of the Maine Senate!
RSVP HERE!
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Early voting has started and Our Revolution Minnesota’s meeting features Nikki Villavicencio, a disability advocate who has not let the fact that she uses a wheelchair prevent her from running for Maplewood City Council, and other candidates who are bringing the political revolution to the Gopher State!
RSVP HERE!
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PHONEBANK TO WIN! Between now and November 3rd, We are calling every day across the country to defeat Trump, flip the Senate, and support our nationally-endorsed candidates up and down the ballot. JOIN US!
RSVP HERE
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