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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!
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BREAKING NEWS!
Our Revolution and 140 other progressive organizations 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 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 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 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, 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, 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 8th. 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’ costs.
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Our Revolution-PDA Arizona held an Emergency Call 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 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!
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Our Revolution and the Campaign for NY Health held a Pass the New York Health Act! Call, 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 of his entertaining and informative podcast, the Hightower Lowdown!
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Our Revolution Michigan signed onto a letter 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,
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 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 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 at 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!
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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
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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
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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
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