Insider News from the Political Revolution!
HEADLINES: Nina vs. SuperPACS | New Endorsements! Amy Vilela - Brittany Ramos DeBarros - Summer Lee | Bernie Calls Out Biden | Ro Khanna | NY Health Act | & MORE!
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Yesterday, workers around the world celebrated May Day — the International Workers’ Day established by labor activists in 1889 to commemorate the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago and the struggle for an eight-hour working day.
Witnesses testified that none of the eight workers charged threw the bomb in Haymarket Square. Labor leader August Spies said: “I knew from the experience of the past that this butchering of people was done for the express purpose of defeating the eight-hour movement.”
Spies showed solidarity with his comrades through the trial, appeals, and at the gallows. Yesterday, we marked the sacrifice and perseverance of workers striving for justice.
Become a member of Our Revolution, and receive your commemorative MAY DAY STICKER today!
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Join us tomorrow at 8:30p ET/7:30 CT for a special Our Revolution Town Hall to Defend Democracy with our partners at Free Speech for People and lay out our campaign to bar insurrectionists from the ballot.
We’ll speak with courageous Our Revolution members - and their legal team - taking the fight directly to far-right extremists like Marjorie Taylor-Greene. And, we’re recruiting progressive patriots across the country to get engaged in this fight!
RSVP HERE
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OUR REVOLUTION vs. SUPER PACS
Billionaires and oil barons are lining up to line the pockets of our candidates’ opponents in the primaries. They’re funneling millions and millions into SuperPACs like DMFI, AIPAC, and now the new, “Mainstream Democrats PAC” to try to stop progressives from taking power.
Working-class fighters like Nina Turner, Rep. Andy Levin, David Segal, and Jessica Cisneros are being targeted with expensive smear campaigns from every direction. But, we have their back, and we know that M4A, a living wage, and climate action are the true mainstream positions of the people in this country.
The corporate establishment knows what’s at stake in these races, and so do we. That’s why we mobilized our ground game early and are waging the fight in each of these pivotal races.
Our candidates rely on the power of the movement — campaigns funded by small-dollar donations and fueled by our boots on the ground. Join our Phonebank Force to connect with voters and help drown out corporate money.
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The primaries are heating up, and we have some truly phenomenal candidates on the ballot – organizers, teachers, and diverse working-class fighters – stepping forward to lead with our movement. Become a Movement Builder today to help progressives seize the levers of power from corporate Dems.
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NINA TURNER FOR CONGRESS - ROUND 2
THE HOMESTRETCH
Folks, this is not a drill —
This is our chance to elect Nina Turner to Congress!
Election Day is Tuesday and in-person early voting is happening right now! So far, turnout is low, so every vote we get for Nina will really COUNT!
If you know someone in Greater Cleveland, help them get out to vote before 7:30 pm Tuesday at Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, 2925 Euclid Ave.
“The energy on the ground is palpable!” Nina told us. “Now is the time to maximize our efforts together.”
This is one of the most consequential primaries of 2022 — and the billionaires know it. But, our movement is rising up against the BIG money trying to buy this seat. As Nina says, “All that we love is on the line, and Cleveland is not for sale!”
As Katrina vanden Heuvel wrote in The Washington Post, noting Our Revolution’s support for Nina: “The contest has come to represent a battle for the soul of the party.”
“Turner’s election to Congress would provide progressives with a skilled, dedicated, and powerful reformer, an inside ally for the progressive movement that is driving the change vital to this nation’s democracy and security,” she stated.
“Change will take place only if citizens organize to force it — both with movements that drive the debate and with leaders such as Nina Turner who frame the issues and help lead the fight,” says Heuvel. We wholeheartedly agree.
NINA & THE FIGHT FOR M4A
Nina has been in the trenches with Our Revolution for Medicare for All since Day 1, and on Thursday, we hosted a fundraiser for her centering around just that.
“The commodification of healthcare in America is not by accident. It’s inhumane and cruel,” Nina said. “I won’t get any peace until we get Medicare for All, and I won’t let anyone else get any peace either.”
Our Revolution National Organizing Coordinator Anna-Marta Visky spoke on the call about our work to grow cosponsors for federal legislation and pass M4A Resolutions in cities in Nina’s district.
“This work is paying off big time,” Anna Marta said. “Lakewood and Cleveland Heights have passed M4A Resolutions. Talking one-on-one with folks results in a more engaged voter base, and we’re excited to see them early vote for Nina!”
Healthcare justice advocate Michael Lighty said, “Our Revolution walks the walk and that embodies what Nina and the Medicare for All movement are all about.”
“They would not be spending this kind of money if the other side wasn’t losing — we can win, and our win will have a ripple effect for other candidates across the country,” Nina said.
This is a new day and a new district — which includes all of Cleveland, where Nina won by 10 points, and neighborhoods like Lakewood that went for Bernie twice! We can bring this home if we put in the work. Let’s go!
Nina isn’t taking a DIME from special interests or corrupt SuperPACs, which means she’s counting on us to power this final push and get out the vote.
So far, 150 Our Revolution volunteers have made 60k phone calls and sent 40k texts and 330k emails connecting with voters for Nina.
Help us reach even more folks up through the end of voting Tuesday night! With low voter turnout, the calls you make to get progressives to the polls could get Nina over the finish line.
VOLUNTEER FOR NINA
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As one of our movement’s fiercest champions for Medicare for All, Our Revolution is honored to endorse Amy Vilela for Congress in Nevada’s 1st District.
Amy served as Nevada Co-Chair for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign, and now she’s taking on a corporate-backed Democratic incumbent for this pivotal Vegas seat.
“I am running to represent the working class,” Amy told us on our National Organizing Call on Monday. “This is the right race at the right time, and stakeholders on the frontlines want a seat at the table.”
Amy’s politics and progressive values are deeply rooted in her lived experience. Raised in poverty, experiencing homelessness, and becoming a first-generation college graduate — she knows the struggle firsthand. Amy and her husband thought they were beating the odds to build their American Dream when tragedy struck in 2015.
“The last thing I told Shalynne, as I held her dying body in my arms, was that she will not have died in vain.” Amy said she fully intends to make good on that promise — or die trying.
Electing true allies like Amy is how we change the composition of Congress and make democracy work. Now we need your help to win this crucial race for our movement.
VOLUNTEER FOR AMY
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Our Revolution and Our Revolution-NY Progressive Action Network are backing Brittany Ramos DeBarros for Congress in NY-11!
Brittany is an Afro-Latina Staten Islander, community organizer, former Army captain, and anti-war activist running a bold campaign to empower working people in her community.
“I feel for our people in my bones, and nothing could stop me from standing up boldly about the truth of that suffering and a vision of a future we know is entirely possible,” Brittany said on our National Organizing Call on Monday.
The Amazon Labor Union drives are right in her district, and Brittany said she’s proud to help them organize. “These workers have the kind of grit it’s going to take to have a powerful, organized working class for a real revolution of values in this country.”
Brittany grew up in a conservative, military family, believing the American ‘bootstraps’ story — though they struggled and she went to college on an Army scholarship.
“Once I deployed to Afghanistan as a platoon leader responsible for 40 lives, I saw corporations were running the show,” she said. “Nobody should have to carry a gun - potentially killing and dying - just to afford an education.”
Medicare for All and a Green New Deal are two of her top priorities. “I'm fighting alongside my community for dignity, for housing justice, economic justice, racial justice, and criminal justice reform,” Brittany said.
In the primary, she’s up against conservative former Democratic Rep. Max Rose, who lost the seat in 2020 to GOP Nicole Malliotakis. The incumbent supported the Jan. 6th rioters and calls herself the “right-wing answer to The Squad.”
If you’re in NY-11, you can apply for your absentee ballot now to vote in the June 28th Democratic Primary. Click here to get started!
“This race is a huge opportunity,” Brittany said Monday. “We have the people-power on our side. If we put in that groundwork, we will win this and we will make history.”
We hope you’ll help Our Revolution ramp up our ground game to give candidates like Brittany a decisive edge. Your calls will make a huge impact in this district!
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER
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Our Revolution is thrilled to endorse Summer Lee for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 12th District!
Summer worked as a labor organizer with the Fight for $15, organizing to protect worker rights, and went on to lead voter mobilization efforts to strengthen our democracy.
In 2018, she made history as the first Black woman from Western PA ever elected to the state legislature. Throughout her time in office, State Rep. Lee has been a voice for working families and an ally of Our Revolution.
“Organizing is the center of my work. It’s where I come from and it’s integral to how I serve in office,” Summer said on our National Organizing Call on Monday.
“As legislators, we have platforms and some resources, but when we use them to organize people on the outside — that’s a powerful movement right there,” she said.
In Congress, she’ll be a champion for Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, voting rights, and taking on corporate power to restore the voice of the people in our democracy.
“The number one support for lazy incumbency is low voter turnout and voter suppression. If they can keep working people home, they can stay in their seats serving corporate America forever,” Summer said.
“We’re expanding the electorate, connecting people to their own power, and we’re changing the political landscape.”
Rep. Lee has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Our Revolution Pennsylvania. Help us elect progressive allies like Summer to make democracy work for all of us.
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Join thousands of Our Revolution volunteers to elect working-class fighters like Amy Vilela, Brittany Ramos DeBarros, Summer Lee, and of course Nina Turner! We must replace the enemies of progress in Congress with strong movement partners.
Our Revolution Volunteer Taylor Pinckney told us how good it feels when our efforts pay off. While she was phone banking, a voter a voter mentioned that her call and a mailer from Our Revolution helped him switch from a centrist candidate to Erica Smith for Congress in NC-1.
“He thanked us for opening his eyes that Erica was the most progressive candidate and said that’s what his district needs,” Taylor told us. “It was cool to see the impact — when I make these connections with voters, it motivates me to keep the work going.”
If you have just one hour a week, you can make a difference, too! Our crew will be there every step of the way to help you make calls, earn rewards, and tip the balance of power!
JOIN THE FORCE!
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BERNIE ENDORSES NIDA ALLAM
Our Revolution is backing Nida Allam for Congress in North Carolina’s 4th district — and, now it’s official, Bernie is too!
“Nida Allam knows that it takes a true grassroots movement to defeat big money special interests and deliver real change for working people,” Bernie said. “Together in Congress, we will fight for the working class by standing up for M4A, GND, and a living wage.”
Nida was political director for Bernie’s 2016 presidential campaign and currently serves on the Durham County Commission. The first Muslim woman ever elected to public office in North Carolina, she voted to raise the minimum wage for county employees to a living wage.
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BERNIE STANDS WITH WORKERS,
CALLS ON BIDEN TO ACT!
This weekend, Our Revolution joined Bernie and AOC as they hit the road to rally with workers fighting to unionize against some of the most powerful corporate forces on Earth.
On Sunday afternoon, Bernie addressed Amazon Labor Union ahead of their 2nd union election at the LDJ5 facility in Staten Island. By evening, he was speaking to a crowd at a concert for Starbucks Workers United in Richmond, Va.
On Tuesday, Bernie was live on the Senate floor calling out Amazon’s “illegal anti-union tactics” and calling on President Biden to issue an executive order prohibiting any company that engages in union-busting from getting federal government contracts, Reuters reports.
“Amazon is the poster child for why this anti-union busting Executive Order is needed,” Bernie said. “President Biden, you promised to prevent union-busters like Amazon from receiving lucrative contracts from the federal government. Keep that promise.”
Rumors of Bernie 2024 are circulating, but the truth is — Our Revolution and the progressive movement are doing the work today to build the worker power we need to forge a better future.
It takes labor power, organizers like us, and elected allies all lifting together to advance our progressive mission forward. Bernie lit the match and he’s still out here with us. Become a movement builder today to help carry the torch.
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Today, workers around the world celebrate May Day — the International Workers’ Day established by labor activists in 1889 to commemorate the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago and the struggle for an eight-hour working day.
Witnesses testified that none of the eight workers charged threw the bomb in Haymarket Square. Labor leader August Spies said: “I knew from the experience of the past that this butchering of people was done for the express purpose of defeating the eight-hour movement.”
Spies showed solidarity with his comrades through the trial, appeals, and at the gallows. Today, we mark the sacrifice and perseverance of workers striving for justice.
Become a member of Our Revolution, and receive your commemorative MAY DAY STICKER today!
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LARRY COHEN ON THE LABOR FIGHT
Our Revolution Board Chair Larry Cohen, a lifelong labor leader, joined our National Organizing Call on Monday to dig into the rise of worker organizing.
“This is an exciting time — not only at Amazon and Starbucks, but there’s all kinds of organizing at workplaces across the country. The first Apple retail store joined my union CWA,” Larry said. “This is organizing from the bottom up, and that’s what we believe in here at Our Revolution.”
Why now? Larry told Aaron White of Open Democracy that “fueled by inflation, the pandemic and a shortage of people to do these jobs, working-class people are much more confident and not willing to just take whatever is thrown at them.”
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RO KHANNA TALKS POLICY FIGHTS
Also on our latest National Organizing Call, Our Revolution Board Chair Larry Cohen asked US Rep. Ro Khanna about legislation to end taxpayer subsidies to the fossil fuel industry.
“Greta Thunberg testified and said it would be a gut punch for Democrats to have both chambers and the presidency and not repeal fossil fuel subsidies,” Ro told him. “And, she’s right. This is something we can and must do.”
To Larry’s inquiry into Biden’s Billionaires Tax, Ro said: “There are a lot more working class and middle-class folks than billionaires, and they rightly resent the fact that they’re not paying their fair share. Instead, they take loans against their values and never realize the capital gains.”
Ro also spoke on the need for Democrats to deliver to strengthen democracy. “Folks don’t believe the promises anymore,” he said. “They watch presidents and congresses come and go, and their lives are worse — decades of off-shoring jobs, towns shrinking, kids moving away. We need a systemic policy for economic revitalization in this country.”
Larry agreed, saying: “Ro helps us build Our Revolution and build this outside political pressure we need. Now, it’s time to get more allies for the Ro Khannas in Congress.”
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FIGHTING FOR HEALTHCARE IN NY
On Tuesday, Our Revolution joined Campaign for NY Health and other groups in Albany for a Day of Action calling on the state to pass the NY Health Act to provide universal healthcare to every New Yorker and end medical debt.
Organizers, activists, labor leaders, and legislators all came together to march, rally, and speak in one voice to demand New York electeds prioritize healthcare justice before they go on recess on June 2 to campaign for re-election.
Our Revolution NY Organizing Coordinator Jennyfer Almanzar spoke to attendees at the rally: “Every New Yorker — and every person in America — deserves full healthcare and to be free from the burden of medical costs. Our lives are on the line.”
Become a member of Our Revolution to help us continue this fight in New York and across the country. Every step towards Medicare for All is a step toward healthcare justice.
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2022 MEMBERSHIP DRIVE KICKOFF!
To show our gratitude to members joining at higher donation levels, we’re sweetening the deal! For $10 a month, we’ll throw in our sticker 6-pack, and at $15, you’ll get the stickers and a poster. For $27, get both and a tote bag, or join at the $50 level to get it all and a T-shirt.
As committed Movement Builders, we know the real reward is taking action to make a better world, but we want to share these fun items as a way of thanks.
BECOME A MOVEMENT BUILDER
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Mark your calendars for May 9th, when we’ll be joined by progressive powerhouse Rashida Tlaib on our next National ‘Organize to Win’ Broadcast — 8:30p ET/5:30p PT.
RSVP TODAY
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Join thousands of Our Revolution volunteers to elect working-class fighters and replace the corporate-aligned politicians up and down the ballot.
If you have an hour or two a week, you can power our movement as a caller with the 2022 Phonebank Force! Our crew will be there to help you make calls, earn rewards, and tip the balance of power!
SIGN UP NOW!
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The Tar Heel State deserves a great progressive in Congress. State Sen. Erica Smith running in NC-1 fits the bill to a tee. Join Our Revolution’s Campaign Team and help us elect Erica!
RSVP HERE
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Help us get Attica Scott to Congress! Join the Our Revolution Phonebank Force and help us make calls to Louisville and the rest of Kentucky’s 3rd congressional district to get another progressive in Congress!
RSVP HERE
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On May 3rd, we’re holding a special Our Revolution Town Hall to Defend Democracy with our partners at Free Speech for People and lay out our campaign to bar insurrectionists from the ballot.
We’ll speak with courageous Our Revolution members - and their legal team - taking the fight directly to far-right extremists like Marjorie Taylor-Greene. And, we’re recruiting progressive patriots across the country to get engaged in this fight!
RSVP HERE
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Are you a member of Our Revolution? For $5 a month, you’ll be part of choosing our candidate endorsements and crafting our platform and strategy. Plus, we’ll send you our new 2022 Membership Card.
To show our gratitude to members joining at higher donation levels, we’re sweetening the deal! For $10 a month, we’ll throw in our sticker 6-pack, and at $15, you’ll get the stickers and a poster. For $27, get both and a tote bag, or join at the $50 level to get it all and a T-shirt.
BECOME A MOVEMENT BUILDER
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