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News from the Frontlines of the Political Revolution!

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Join us on Monday, May 17th as we talk with Representative Chuy
Garcia, talk about our organizing in West Virginia and Arizona,
and highlight some progressive candidates running for local
offices!

RSVP NOW ( [link removed]- )

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BREAKING NEWS!

Our Revolution and 140 other progressive organizations
( [link removed]- )
sent a letter to the White House calling on the Biden
administration to uphold international law and prevent the
Israeli government’s forced displacement of thousands of
Palestinians, which amount to war crimes. While the Biden
administration has voiced concerns about the evictions in East
Jerusalem, they have not criticized the Israeli government
outright.

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Our Revolution is carrying out our 5-Point Plan to Win by:

* Mobilizing our nationwide network of grassroots groups to urge
their senators to support critical legislation and eliminate the
filibuster to get it passed;
* Holding our elected officials accountable to voters who want
them to move our country forward — by enacting voting rights,
labor reform, a living wage, climate solutions, and other
pressing and popular policies;
* Electing progressive champions who believe in a democracy that
works for the people, not the powerful;
* Fighting for policies like For the People Act, PRO Act, End
Polluter Welfare Act, and other progressive priorities;
* Pushing the Democratic party to call on its elected officials
to prioritize passing legislation our nation needs over
preserving a Jim Crow-era rule that is standing in the way of
progress.

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IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: Filibuster Call, For the People Act, IL
Meeting, Survey Results, etc. AZ Meeting, WV Action, Princeton
MFA, NY Health Act Call, and more!

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Our Revolution and The Democracy Initiative held a Democracy Town
Hall
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on Monday, featuring Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Amy Klobuchar,
Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic
Participation, Chris Shelton of Communications Workers of
America, Erich Pica of Friends of the Earth, and Maurice Mitchell
of Working Families Party. The call was co-hosted by Our
Revolution’s Joseph Geevarghese and Tefere Gebre of the AFL-CIO
and Democracy Initiative.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, gave an
insider preview of the markup of on S.1 — the For the People Act
— in her committee with a majority of Democratic Senators on
board as co-sponsors. "I cannot thank your members enough for all
you’ve done to get this to the point where we are."

The Chairwoman revealed that the GOP had filed 150 amendments to
the bill, and noted that over 350 bills in state legislatures
across the country have been introduced to limit the vote. “We
won because of progressive ideas and progressive values. Rather
than reevaluate their policies, Republicans are doubling down and
have decided that the one way they're going to win is to stop
people from voting.”

After the markup stage, the next step is to get the bill to the
Senate floor for a vote. Sen. Klobuchar stated her support for
abolishing the filibuster, saying, “Failure is not an option.“

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Sen. Jeff Merkley, lead Senate sponsor of the For the People Act,
said about the bill: “The stakes couldn't be higher. Six states
have already passed restrictions on voting, and another 6 are on
the verge of passing them. The assault on the right to vote will
continue until we pass FTPA.”

To get it done, all 50 Senate Democrats must vote for the bill
and adjust the rules to deny Mitch McConnell a filibuster veto.
Sen. Merkley emphasized that McConnell changed the rules when he
wanted to appoint corporate judges and enact tax cuts for the
rich. “McConnell changed the rules to benefit the powerful and
privileged. Democrats need to be at least as fierce for working
families.” He thanked Our Revolution for being "essential
partners and the force telling Congress, ‘You have to get this
done. No excuses.’”

Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic
Participation gave a brief history of the racist legacy of the
filibuster and how it was used for decades to block civil rights
legislation. Chris Shelton of Communications Workers of America
said the filibuster is standing in the way of passing needed
labor reforms in the PRO ACT. Erich Pica of Friends of the Earth
said critical climate policies have little chance of being
enacted with the filibuster in place. And Maurice Mitchell of
Working Families Party reminded us that Republicans used the
filibuster to block Obama’s agenda every step of the way, and —
whether it’s workers’ rights, healthcare, climate, racial
justice, voter protections, or gun safety — they will do it again
with President Biden’s agenda if we don’t change the rules.

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Our Revolution Trenton-Mercer led the effort
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to win passage of a Medicare for All resolution by the
Princeton Council. Princeton becomes the 8th locale in the state
to pass a Medicare for All resolution, thanks to the dedication
of Our Revolution New Jersey members. Even with the Affordable
Care Act, New Jersey had 700,000 uninsured residents (as of
2019), while more than 147,000 New Jerseyans and their families
lost
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their employer-based health insurance in the pandemic. With
each resolution, ORNJ is continuing to ratchet up pressure on
their Congressional delegation to make guaranteed healthcare for
all a priority.

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Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia [IL-04] delivered a special
Congressional update on Our Illinois Revolution’s Organize to Win
call
( [link removed]- )
, outlining proposals in the American Jobs and Families Plans,
which he called “some of the biggest investments in communities,
working people and infrastructure in a century” including
eliminating all lead pipes, expanding public transit, investing
in teachers and schools, and making college tuition affordable.
“We need to keep fighting and pushing for progressive policies,
and Our Revolution’s organizing work is critical.” Chuy also gave
a shout-out to Our Revolution-endorsed Illinois election winners
Stephanie Mendoza in Evanston and Cesar Guerrero and the Township
slate in Joliet.

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Jenny Craig of Our Revolution West Virginia organized a Pass the
PRO Act Rally in Wheeling with union members from across the Ohio
Valley. The group called on WV Sen. Shelley Moore Capito - and
all other Democratic Senate holdouts - to back the PRO Act and
get it passed. The rally, which was covered by local media
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, was symbolically held in front of a statue of Walter Reuther -
a civil rights and labor leader who made the UAW into one of the
most progressive unions in America.

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Our Revolution South Carolina hosted a healthcare forum Saturday
May 12th. Legendary former insurance executive Wendell Potter and
Medical University of South Carolina student activist Ian
O’Connor made a compelling case on behalf of Medicare-for-All
nationwide or, at a bare minimum Medicaid expansion in South
Carolina.

“I used the word “choice” frequently when drafting talking
points,” said Potter. “But those of us who held senior positions
for the big insurers knew that one of the huge vulnerabilities of
the system is its lack of choice. In the current system,
Americans cannot, in fact, pick their own doctors, specialists or
hospitals — at least, not without incurring huge ‘out of
network.’

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Our Revolution-PDA Arizona held an Emergency Call
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with a panel of state organizers and party leaders to
discuss efforts to fight back against the GOP’s assault on voting
rights and the filibuster that is blocking the path to progress.

Arizona recently enacted a bill which will purge as many as
100,000 voters from early-voting rolls, becoming the 6th state to
pass voter suppression laws - with hundreds of bills in the
pipeline. “The only way Republicans can govern with their elitist
agenda for the rich, powerful, and privileged is to limit who can
vote in elections — they can’t win if everyone has the right to
vote,” said Our Revolution Board Chair Larry Cohen.

The solution — the For the People Act — will face a GOP
filibuster blockade unless the Senate rules are changed, which
Arizona’s senators do not support. That’s why Our Revolution-PDA
AZ is co-sponsoring the End the Filibuster Statewide Rally
( [link removed]- )
on May 20 to call on Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly to
change the rules and enact policies that a broad coalition of
Arizona voters elected them to pass.

Arizona Democratc Party First Vice Chair Paul Stapleton Smith
said, “All of us who worked to get these senators elected — they
promised us, 'Give us the majority and we'll advance the agenda.'
Well, we gave them the majority, and what do we have?"

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Exclusive offer! We need to make sure everybody knows how we feel
about the filibuster. As an Our Revolution member, you have
access to this exclusive sticker to let folks know how you feel
about the filibuster.

ORDER YOUR STICKER TODAY!
( [link removed]- )


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Our Revolution and the Campaign for NY Health held a Pass the New
York Health Act! Call
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, featuring NY Assembly Member Anna Kelles [AD 125], a
co-sponsor of the bill. Dr. Kelles said that with supermajorities
for the bill in both the Assembly and the Senate, New York has
never been closer to statewide single payer. She called the plan
"one of the core components of building back better from Covid,
with equity" and encouraged supporters to keep pushing
legislators to add it to the agenda and bring it to the floor for
a vote because their voices matter. "I've seen grassroots efforts
make or break a bill."

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Our Revolution Board member and syndicated columnist Jim
Hightower asks the question: What if we gave an award for
sleaziest corporate profiteering, where winners get a gold
sculpture of a middle finger? According to Jim, this year’s prize
would go to the massive meatpacker Tyson Foods. Find out why by
listening to this week’s episode
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of his entertaining and informative podcast, the Hightower
Lowdown!

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Our Revolution Michigan signed onto a letter
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with more than 100 groups urging their U.S. Senator Gary Peters
to move D.C. statehood forward by holding a hearing on S. 51, the
Washington, D.C. Admission Act. Sen. Peters is one of 44 Senate
co-sponsors (the most ever) of the bill, which passed the House
and is backed by President Biden. He chairs the committee that
needs to approve the bill before it can have full consideration
in the Senate. The letter calls out the “civil rights and racial
justice failure that the 700,000 people who call the nation’s
capital home – the majority of whom are Black or Brown – do not
have a say in the government that surrounds them.”

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Our Revolution is very proud to be supporting Larry Krasner for
re-election as Philadelphia District Attorney, as he heads into
Tuesday’s primary election without the support of the local
Democractic Party that an incumbent would usually expect.

We first endorsed Krasner for District Attorney in 2017. That
victory was a defining moment for Our Revolution and the Criminal
Justice Reform movement. He’s accomplished a lot in his time in
office so far, but these achievements threaten Philadelphia’s
establishment- especially the Fraternal Order of Police, which
endorsed Trump in 2020, and is throwing its support behind Carlos
Vega.

As reported in The Philadelphia Inquirer
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,

The police union’s support for Vega and the Democratic
establishment’s snubbing of Krasner has energized the left,
organizers said. Paco Fabian, spokesperson for the national group
Our Revolution, said the party didn’t “have the spine to support
someone like Larry, but we do.” The organization is blasting
emails to thousands of voters and phone-banking on Krasner’s
behalf.

If you live in Philly, click here
( [link removed]- ) to find your polling place.

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On Tuesday, May 11th, four local Our Revolution chapters in New
Jersey collaborated to host a candidate forum
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for one of the state’s few competitive state assembly races in
Legislative District 16! The three candidates, Sadaf Jaffer, Roy
Freiman and Faris Zwirahn answered questions about various
progressive issues from Medicare for All to election and ballot
reform to racial and economic justice.

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Our Revolution-PDA Arizona is mobilizing with progressive party
officials in urging the Arizona Democratic Party to hold its two
senators accountable to supporting Democratic policy priorities!
With neither senator supporting the PRO Act or a rules change
that would clear the way for passage of critical legislation,
they risk derailing the Democrats’ agenda and reneging on
promises they made to voters.

We are pressing the ADP to pass three resolutions
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their May 22 State Committee meeting, calling on Sens. Kyrsten
Sinema and Mark Kelly to (1) end the filibuster, (2) cosponsor
and pass the PRO Act, and (3) cosponsor and vote yes on the For
The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

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Are YOU a Movement Builder? Make a recurring monthly donation of
$5 and become an official member of Our Revolution!
( [link removed]- )


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Workers are going on strike to demand $15 and a union! Our
Revolution will be gathering on the National Mall in DC in
support of McDonald's employees and all working families who are
struggling to survive and deserve a living wage.

RSVP HERE ( [link removed]- )

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Join us May 20th as we come together as a community to get real
about democracy in New Jersey and why having a diverse
legislative body is important to the livelihood of all New
Jersyans. This event is co-hosted by the NJ Working Families
Alliance, Our Revolution NJ and the NJ Institute of Social
Justice.

RSVP HERE ( [link removed]- )

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Mark your calendars for noon Saturday May 22, 2021! Our
Revolution PA will hold its second convening where we'll discuss
the path forward for progressives in Pennsylvania - including how
you can become more actively involved in shaping the Democratic
Party's agenda.

RSVP HERE ( [link removed]- )

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Our Revolution is a national grassroots network of local groups dedicated
to organizing a political revolution powerful enough to challenge the
structural forces that threaten our survival as a society. From city halls
to the halls of Congress, our movement is fighting to win progressive
issue fights, elect progressive champions, transform the Democratic party
and get big money out of politics. [ [link removed]- ]Help us achieve these goals by
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