The Power of Many - Minnesota: November 2018

Monday, November 26, 2018

Monday 11/26 Call to Action

Monday 11/26

What an ugly news weekend it has been. I’m tired of seeing what the new “lows” look like for this country.

Sunday afternoon border patrol agents fired tear gas at people, children, who are seeking asylum. They have the right to seek asylum. This is taken from Immigrant Families Together, “If that enrages you, the Senate is in session tomorrow and both chambers are in session starting Tuesday. Start working the phones. Express your indignation that people are being harmed in this way. Ask your reps where they stand on budget allocations for DHS and ICE. Force them to answer what they’re going to do about this human rights crisis.”

https://apnews.com/72efa4f1822241c2817a2fb6aa191fb4

Looking for resources to help those in the caravan besides just phone calls to your rep? Check this out. Thank you KMP!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eOh3VAtUupIxN8HgirOxcrxcykIHITMNCPxnDNpcbvE/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR2Idfl0vmDab-_QK9rFDw3GvlwhtlRl55ksz3umUrdkzStQnr4EaN718ls

“Last Tuesday, Trump declared his loyalty to Saudi Arabia and suggested he wasn't overly concerned about what the U.S. intelligence community finds. The world is "very dangerous" and Khashoggi's murder shouldn't affect America's relationship with Saudi Arabia, he argued.

Graham is arguing the opposite. "We cannot have a normal strategic relationship with somebody this crazy," Graham told me. Graham said "everything would be on the table" to punish Saudi Arabia, including blocking arms sales.”

https://www.axios.com/defying-trump-key-gop-senator-to-sharpen-focus-on-saudi-prince-d8ffc5e5-708b-467d-b982-dc66e2f98a92.html

When Russia has Trump in their pocket, and post-Khashoggi Trump is unlikely to say anything, now would be the time for something like this to happen.

“Russia has fired on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels off the Crimean Peninsula in a major escalation of tensions between the two countries. Two gunboats and a tug were captured by Russian forces. A number of Ukrainian crew members were injured.”

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46338671?ocid=socialflow_twitter

Thanks to Senator Smith for drawing attention to what MN will suffer from under the changing environment.

"Projected changes in precipitation, coupled with rising extreme temperatures before mid-century, will reduce Midwest agricultural productivity to levels of the 1980s without major technological advances," the highlighted section of the report says.

It also warns that corn is especially "vulnerable," which is ominous for Minnesota as the state is a major corn producer (and 1st in the U.S. for sweet corn, according to AgMag).

"The Midwest is projected to have the largest increase in extreme temperature-related premature deaths" according to at least one prediction model, the report notes.”

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/heres-what-that-climate-change-report-means-for-mn

Klobuchar-202-224-3244

Smith (202) 224-5641

House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121

MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators

Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/

Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Wednesday 11.14 Call to Action

Wednesday, November 14th

Indivisible 2.0
Did you know that last week’s midterm elections had the highest voter turnout in 50 years? Democratic candidates had the most pick-ups since shortly after Watergate and President Nixon’s resignation. Across the United States, 317 districts moved to the left. Ballots are still being counted in many contests, so the number of wins could go even higher. It feels good, right? Our hard work has helped to change the playing field. We have so many more tools at our disposal than we did this time two years ago. What should we do to keep this momentum going? Well, Indivisible has come up with a new guide to help us do just that.

Check out Invidivisible 2.0. https://indivisible.org/campaign/indivisible-whats-next

Starting in January our approach will change. The last Indivisible guide focused solely on defensive tactics. The new guide will provide a three-pronged approach.

Offensive
Democrats have a nice majority in the House. This means that we have partial agenda setting power in Congress. Of course, without the Senate many of the bills Democrats propose will probably not become law. But this is a great time for us to create a progressive plan that can be implemented if/when Democrats win again in 2020. Our new roll going forward is to make sure our members of Congress are creating legislation that supports the ideals we find important. The next two years will be our time to showcase to America what Democrats stand for. Let’s show voters that we have a different vision for our country than Trump and the GOP.

Oversight
Congress has a constitutional duty to provide oversight. As we all know, current GOP members of Congress have failed at this task. With our new majority in the House we will finally be able to do something about it. The sabotage of the Affordable Care Act, family separation, Russia, emoluments, unethical cabinet members. We can investigate all the things! Our job will be to make sure our members of Congress do so.

Defensive
We’ve been doing this for two years, so this should be easy. The GOP members of Congress want to make Trump look successful before the 2020 election. To do so, they will try to cut deals with Democrats to push legislation. Our new defensive roll is to make sure that our members of Congress stand up for our progressive values.

In addition to this guide for federal government, Indivisible will be creating a guide for state legislature as well. Changing government at the state level is how we will succeed in the long term. During the Obama administration, Democrats lost 1000, state legislator seats. We got 300 of those seats back last Tuesday and we need to work over the next two years to get the rest (and more!)

The first 100 days of the new Congress will be the most important as far as pushing our elected officials to set a progressive agenda. The legislation created during this time will most likely be the bills that we can pass in 2021. That means that we will need to be ready to hit the ground running in January 2019. The next month and a half will be our time to plan for that. The first bill will most likely be a pro-democracy reform bill, including voting rights, gerrymandering, election security, holding elected officials accountable, and getting money our of politics. January 3rd will be a country-wide day of action, so keep your eyes peeled for events near you.

Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

YOUTUBE.COM

will.i.am - It's A New Day

Monday, November 12, 2018

Monday 11/12 Call to Action

Monday 11/12

Thank you to the veterans who have bravely served our country. We honor you. #neverforget

Last week the American College of Physicians published a paper about reducing firearm injuries and death. On cue the NRA tweeted, “Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane. Half of the articles in Annals of Internal Medicine are pushing for gun control. Most upsetting, however, the medical community seems to have consulted NO ONE but themselves.”

“A couple of days later, the Centers for Disease Control published new data indicating that the death toll from gun violence in our nation continues to rise. As the NRA demanded that we doctors stay in our lane, we awoke to learn of the 307th mass shooting in 2018 with another 12 innocent lives lost to an entirely preventable cause of death — gun violence.

Every medical professional practicing in the United States has seen enough gun violence firsthand to deeply understand the toll that this public health epidemic is taking on our children, families, and entire communities.

It is long past time for us to acknowledge the epidemic is real, devastating, and has root causes that can be addressed to assuage the damage. We must all come together to find meaningful solutions to this very American problem.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/11/10/health-care-professionals-nra-help-us-reduce-gun-deaths-column/1956288002/

Many in the medical profession are tweeting back at the NRA for the senseless tweet. You can see some of their responses in this article. Beware, some of the images are graphic. https://www.npr.org/2018/11/11/666762890/after-nra-mocks-doctors-physicians-reply-this-is-our-lane?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

“The Thousand Oaks shooter used a high-capacity magazine that, in 2016, California voters banned anyone in the state from possessing, but implementation of the law has been blocked by a lawsuit brought by the NRA and other gun rights advocates.”

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/claudiarosenbaum/thousand-oaks-shooter-high-capacity-magazine?bftwnews&utm_term=4ldqpgc#4ldqpgc

When our newly elected officials take office in January, let’s make sure we make sensible gun laws a priority.

California is battling a deadly wildfire and the current leader of this country has attacked and threatened to withhold aid. “The current fire siege is a tragic showcase of how multiple trends can combine to a deadly result, with climate change serving as a threat multiplier. The crisis is far from over, and depending on how the Santa Ana winds get on Sunday through Monday, the situation may yet worsen in some areas.” Let’s let our MOC know that California deserves federal aid, despite what Trump tweets.

https://www.axios.com/california-wildfires-critical-fire-danger-continues-woolsey-fire-ea9ca559-bce5-4e75-9848-b729b7dd98ff.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic

If you’ve been wondering about ways you can help with making sure every vote gets counted in Georgia, check this out.

https://www.blackvotersmatterfund.org/phonebank

Come January when Democrats are in the majority, let’s make them fight for us. “Rep. Jerry Nadler, the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, on Sunday promised that acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker would be the first witness newly empowered Democrats call to testify when they take control in January.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/11/house-judiciary-whitaker-mueller-congress-982956

I’m ending on a good note, because we need to relish in some of the amazing things that have happened with the midterm. High fives Minnesota!!

“Peggy Flanagan becomes the highest ranking indigenous woman ever elected in Minnesota with her win as lieutenant governor.”

https://kstp.com/politics/minnesota-gubernatorial-election-shattered-glass-ceiling/5137328/#.W-iJnvJB-0Q.twitter

Friday, November 9, 2018

Friday 11/9 Call to Action

Friday
Hello! Did you see all the fantastic things that happened last Tuesday? All the hard work over that past two years paid off. We elected some fantastic leaders who will spend their time in office making Minnesota a better place for everyone. TPOM’s original intention was to take a break for a few months to catch our breath and get ready for the next two years. It has become apparent that our current administration is not going to let us do that. So going forward, we will will continue to post two to three days a week to keep you up to date on important issues. Come January, we will be full steam ahead in our fight for good government.

Last night, across the country citizens came together to protest Trump’s latest attempt to stop Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Despite the cold, snowy weather, hundreds of Minnesotan’s gathered to show their support for the rule of law. The protest at Representative Erik Paulsen’s office was showcased on the Rachel Maddow show. Watch that here: https://www.msnbc.com/…/sensing-trump-threat-widespread-pro…

The protest on the steps of the state capitol got coverage in the Start Tribune. http://www.startribune.com/hundreds-rally-at-minnesota-…/…/…

CD2Action has a nice review of the evening at the Capitol. https://cd2action.com/protectmueller-protest-at-the-capit…/…

Thank you to those of you who were able to get out and brave the cold to show support for protecting Mueller.

Beloved Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg fell at work yesterday and fractured three ribs. Thankfully, it appears she will recover. Read more about that here: https://www.cnn.com/…/ruth-bader-ginsburg-fractu…/index.html
If you have any leftover postcards, why not send Justice Ginsberg your get well soon wishes.
Here is her address:
Justice Ruth Ginsburg
The Supreme Court of the United States
One First Street N.E.,
Washington, D.C. 20543

Another mass shooting has occurred merely days after the last one. In fact, there have been 307 mass shootings since the beginning of the year. That number is unbelievable and despicable. The latest tragedy occurred at a country music bar in California and many of the patrons there that night had also been at the Las Vegas shooting one year ago. https://www.nytimes.com/…/shooting-california-thousand-oaks…
When our new leaders start working in January, we must insist that they find solutions to this terrible problem. Let them know today of your expectations so they can prepare ahead of time and hit the ground running in the New Year.

As I am writing this post, there are news reports of an active shooter in a North Carolina school. https://www.wcnc.com/…/active-shooter-reporte…/275-612930965

Some good news to finish out this post. House member Melissa Hortman will be Minnesota’s next Speaker of the House. I think we can be confident that she will be great in this new leadership roll. Congratulations Speaker Hortman!
http://www.wctrib.com/…/4526801-minnesota-democrats-pick-ne…

YOUTUBE.COM

The Interrupters - "Take Back The Power"

"Take Back The Power" by The Interrupters from the self-titled album, out now! Order on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/theinterruptersdlx Order CD's,…

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Thursday 11/8 Call to Action

Thursday 11/8

Get your marching boots, warm coats, hats and mittens, signs, and flashlights ready for this evening.

No one is above the law. Today we are going to show up and show Trump that we the people are going to hold him accountable, and we expect the Special Counsel Investigation to continue.

If you haven’t already RSVP’d to this march, do so here. It’s tonight at 5 p.m., with various marches around the state.

https://act.moveon.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response-events/?fbclid=IwAR2ATH863Y_5qZPNNjey77lLZKoX-Zo1kb0nyxN4nFELVIaEIel9x6lRnUw

Now that Whitaker is the acting attorney general he should recuse himself since he wrote an opinion piece back in 2017 saying this investigation is a witch hunt.

““Given his previous comments advocating defunding and imposing limitations on the Mueller investigation, Mr. Whitaker should recuse himself from its oversight for the duration of his time as acting attorney general,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-sessions/democrats-warn-trump-after-attorney-general-sessions-forced-out-idUSKCN1NC2QM?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter

Maybe you feel like filing a complaint against Whitaker for his opinion piece he wrote and how that affects his ability to lead the DOJ and oversee the Mueller investigation?

https://www.justice.gov/opr/how-file-complaint

Let’s let our MOC know we haven’t forgotten about H.R. 3654 and S. 1735, and we want them passed.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3654

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1735

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

ELECTION DAY 11/6/2018

ELECTION DAY

This is it. Today is the day we have been working towards since November 8th, 2016. As Steven Beschloss said, today’s vote will decide if we are a country that believes in kindness, decency, humanity, honesty, women, people of color, facts, science, education, healthcare and democracy. Today’s vote will tell the word whether we reject cruelty, corruption, criminality, racism, hatred, lying, nepotism, white nationalism, and Trump.

The Power of Many was created by two devastated moms who felt the need to act, to do something, anything to put a road block in front of this terrible administration and our complicit members of Congress. Since then we have grown and we’ve joined multitudes of grassroots resistance groups working hard across the state. Together, we have formed a community of ideas and support. We have, without a doubt, let our leaders know that we expect them to work for the people (even if they don’t). We have picketed, called, emailed, tweeted, shown up, spoken out and spread the word. I am certain that resistance groups like ours are the impetus for this “Blue Wave”. We have made a difference!

No matter what happens today, I want you to know how thankful I am for all of you. Thank you for fighting for the ideals that make America so wonderful. Thank you for reminding me that I am not alone. No matter what happens today, realize that our fight is not over. We have so much left to do. Like Robert Frost said, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.”

VOTE!
The Secretary of State’s website has all the information you need to get your vote on. You can figure out where to vote and even get a sample ballot so you can do your research ahead of time. https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/
Fun Fact: Minnesota voters can register in person when they vote. Please bring a valid ID, a bill that states your address, or a registered voter to vouch for you. Vote! Vote! Vote!

Here is an article from MPR that lists where candidates stand on important issues. https://www.mprnews.org/…/minnesota-voter-guide-english-ele…

If you are not working today, you can still help get out the vote.
https://events.mobilizeamerica.io/dfl/

Do you want to watch the results of today’s election with kindred spirits? Many candidates will be having election night parties. Check out their Facebook pages for more information.
Walz/Flannagan https://walzflanagan.org/
Amy Klobuchar https://www.amyklobuchar.com/
Tina Smith https://www.tinaforminnesota.com/
Julie Blaha https://blahaforauditor.org/
Steve Simon https://stevesimonmn.com/
Keith Ellison https://keithellison.org/

District 1 Daniel Feehan https://danfeehan.com/
District 2 Angie Craig https://www.angiecraig.com/
District 3 Dean Phillips https://www.phillipsforcongress.org/
District 4 Betty McCollum https://www.mccollumforcongress.com/
District 5 Ilhan Omar https://www.ilhanomar.com/
District 6 Ian Todd www.iantoddforcongress.com
District 7 Collin Peterson http://www.petersonforcongress.com/
District 8 Joe Radinovich https://www.joeradinovich.com/

Thanks for this song, D. R. It's a perfect anthem for the day. VOTE! RESIST!

YOUTUBE.COM

"Justice Choir" by Peter Mayer

"Justice Choir" is a new song from Peter Mayer that will be included on his upcoming CD. It makes a great "get out the vote" anthem!

Monday, November 5, 2018

Monday November 5 Call to Action

I drove in to work today, and the Dean Phillips crowd was out with signs on the foot bridge across Highway 62 in Edina. One day left!

There's still stuff to do. Check out for last-minute options.
https://events.mobilizeamerica.io/dfl/

There are a handful of news items, but let's just focus today on getting ourselves and all our Democratic friends to the polls by 9pm tomorrow!

The Secretary of State’s website has all the information you need to get your vote on. You can apply for an absentee ballot, figure out where to vote and even get a sample ballot so you can do your research ahead of time. https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/
Candidates cannot win without help from us. Commit today to doing your part.
Each candidate on the November ballot has a website where you can sign up to volunteer. Every person can do at least one thing per week to help these candidates win.

Walz/Flannagan https://walzflanagan.org/
Amy Klobuchar https://www.amyklobuchar.com/
Tina Smith https://www.tinaforminnesota.com/
Julie Blaha https://blahaforauditor.org/
Steve Simon https://stevesimonmn.com/
Keith Ellison https://keithellison.org/
District 1 Daniel Feehan https://danfeehan.com/
District 2 Angie Craig https://www.angiecraig.com/
District 3 Dean Phillips https://www.phillipsforcongress.org/
District 4 Betty McCollum https://www.mccollumforcongress.com/
District 5 Ilhan Omar https://www.ilhanomar.com/
District 6 Ian Todd www.iantoddforcongress.com
District 7 Collin Peterson http://www.petersonforcongress.com/
District 8 Joe Radinovich https://www.joeradinovich.com/

Minnesota House Campaigns
Check out these calendars for upcoming events near you.
https://cd2action.com/calendar/
This And That
Study after study shows that the most effective way to get people to vote is by having conversations with them in the four days before Election Day (Saturday, November 3rd–Tuesday, November 6th). Volunteer here to be part of the last big push. https://thelastweekend.org/?source=MN02
Sister District Action Network did a study on the impact of postcards on voter registration and released the results showing positive results: https://mailchi.mp/sisterdistrict/dark-money-fireside-chat-and-critical-insights-265125
Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

Friday, November 2, 2018

Friday 11/2 Call to Action

Friday
It’s the last weekend before Election Day!! What will you do to help good leaders get elected on Tuesday? If you are looking for somewhere to go, join The Power of Many in Cottage Grove to help get out the vote for our great DFL candidates. You can door knock or phone bank in good company. We will meet from 12-3. RSVP here: Door Knock- https://events.mobilizeamerica.io/dfl/event/63800/ Phone Bank - https://events.mobilizeamerica.io/dfl/event/63971/

Young people say they plan to vote at near-historic highs
According to a poll from the Harvard University Institute of Politics, a high number of young voters could turn out in the 2018 midterm elections. The poll showed that 40 percent of 18-to 29-year olds said they will “definitely” vote in the 2018 midterm elections. This is a substantial increase from previous years. Oh Lordy, let’s hope so! https://www.vox.com/…/young-people-vote-harvard-poll-2018-m…

Young people nationwide are going to walk out of class on November 6th and head to the polls to vote en mass. We can promote and support this effort by using the hashtag #WalkOutToVote in our social media posts and encouraging our friends and family members to spread the word!https://walkouttovote.org

Pentagon: Border Migrants Aren’t A Threat
A document leaked from the Pentagon reveals that the military does not consider the migrants heading to the southern border to seek asylum a threat (no duh). What the military is concerned about are the throngs of armed, unregulated militia inspired by Trump and the GOP’s never-ending scaremongering of immigrants. Read more here:https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-migrant-carav…

New Information about Watergate Scandal
According to new documents that were released by the National Archives this week, Nixon didn't resign for the good of the country or to avoid impeachment. He resigned because he was about to be indicted. I am guessing the timing of the release of this information was not a coincidence. Read more here: https://www.newsweek.com/grand-jury-indict-richard-nixon-wa…

Now let’s get to work. Here’s what you can do to get Democrats a win at the polls next Tuesday in order of importance.

Door Knock and Phone Bank
Campaigns are combining forces in a big push to Get Out The Vote. Minnesota’s DFL is coordinating door knocking and phone banking events throughout Minnesota. Sign up here for as many times as you can handle.
https://events.mobilizeamerica.io/dfl/

Or check out this page to be part of the last big push. https://thelastweekend.org/?source=MN02

You can also go to a candidates website and sign up to volunteer there. Are you lucky enough to be well represented in a safe district? Consider giving your time to Tina Smith, Keith Ellison, Julie Blaha, or Steve Simon.
Walz/Flannagan https://walzflanagan.org/
Amy Klobuchar https://www.amyklobuchar.com/
Tina Smith https://www.tinaforminnesota.com/
Julie Blaha https://blahaforauditor.org/
Steve Simon https://stevesimonmn.com/
Keith Ellison https://keithellison.org/

Minnesota House Campaigns
Check out these calendars for upcoming events near you.
https://cd2action.com/calendar/
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed…

Talk to your friends and family. Commit to getting at least 3-5 people out to the polls. Let Wiki-How give you some advice on talking to your friends and family about voting. https://www.wikihow.com/Encourage-Others-to-Vote

Send Texts to Voters
Do you like texting? Check out these sites or contact a Minnesota campaign and see if you can get involved with a GOTV campaign on Hustle.
Action MN- Text Out The Vote https://www.takeactionminnesota.org/eve…/category/text-bank/
MoveOn.org-Text Out The Vote: https://front.moveon.org/join-moveon-text-team/

Get Active on Social Media
Do you have some free time while in between activities today? Tweet out some support for your favorite candidate. Share your voting story with your friends on Facebook or Instagram.
Here’s some tips from AAUW. https://www.aauwaction.org/…/get-out-the-vote-using-social…/
Add a picture, people like pictures. Here are some graphics or take a picture yourself. https://www.google.com/search…

Feel free to use these as well to post on social media.
Who says Democrats don’t have policies? Here are great graphics on Democratic positions to read and share. https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1052014272677597186.html Let’s spread the word! If we are on twitter, we can also retweet this thread herehttps://mobile.twitter.com/DeepInTheHil…/…/10520143030444277

The Secretary of State’s website has all the information you need to get your vote on. You can figure out where to vote and even get a sample ballot so you can do your research ahead of time. https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/
Fun Fact: Even though online registration is closed, Minnesota voters can register in person when they vote, now through November 6th. Please bring a valid ID, a bill that states your address, or a registered voter to vouch for you. Vote! Vote! Vote!

Here is an article from MPR that lists where candidates stand on important issues. https://www.mprnews.org/…/minnesota-voter-guide-english-ele…

Rachel Maddow has a new podcast!! Check it out here: http://www.msnbc.com/bagman…

YOUTUBE.COM

13 Michael Jackson We're Almost There

Album 1975 The Best of Michael Jackson Michael Jackson The King Of Pop 1958 - 2009 R.I.P.