Dear OSTPDX Members,
Last week I had the incredible fortune of being able to attend the first Indivisination Rising National Campaigns Network Gathering in DC where 2020 election strategy and democracy reform were discussed. Indivisible groups from all over the country convened, made connections, shared stories of successes, failures, and their best practices. I went looking for ways that One Small Thing PDX, an Indivisible group in a blue bubble, might be able to support flippable districts for 2020 which seemed to be a topic many other groups similar to ours were interested in. Stay tuned for more on how Indivisible groups may further coordinate efforts going forward.
The major takeaway from the gathering is a plan for building alignment on immigration reform and democracy reform to create a democracy that works for everyone. The promise of 2021 where real democracy reform can happen after winning the Presidency, flipping the Senate, and even doing away with the filibuster to enable Indivisible’s democracy agenda to be implemented. Moving beyond Trump and Trumpism will include passing the democracy reform agenda to make long-term change which means we must be in it for the long haul, not just getting through 2020.
Announcements
One Small Thing PDX is currently in the process of defining the direction of the organization once our summer recess is over. It has been decided that we will move from holding monthly meetings to 3-4 strategically timed meetings per year to make the most impact. Stay tuned for details on our October meeting. We’ll be returning to a bimonthly newsletter again sometime in September as well.
Actions
Immigration reform must be a priority because Donald Trump and the GOP have decided that hate and racism is how they win. Under Trump, no immigrant is safe; undocumented or even those with legal status including US citizens. Most immediately, we can ensure that while our MoCs are home for a long recess (until September 9th), we are asking them to Defund Hate, an Indivisible supported initiative to get commitments from our representatives to cut funding in the 2020 DHS funding bill for ICE and CBP and to get rid of the slush fund that will allow ICE to continue terrorizing immigrant communities. Take action by calling your MoC! Use this Defund Hate fact sheet to help with your messaging. Also, there is a week of action planned for Defund Hate from September 9th-13th so stay tuned for upcoming information on that.
Our friends at Causa are looking for some help with Letters to the Editor (LTE) to bolster support for Driver’s Licenses for All. Please consider helping out by writing an LTE! Here is their LTE guide for reference.
Actions by Indivisible Oregon
Our Tuesday ask: Tuesday's call will focus on the new reasons for impeachment. While we may be feeling some fatigue about calling on this issue, rest assured that Congress is tracking this carefully. Our calls are being logged and forwarded to the Democratic leadership. At least two more Members have come out for impeachment, bringing the total to And Trump continues to give the country new reasons to impeach him. The latest is the restriction of travel for elected Members of Congress. It does feel as thought authoritarianism is metastasizing, between restricting travel for Rep.Tlaib and Omar, and the uptick in refusals to renew visas for naturalized citizens. So once again with feeling, call your MoCs and tell them that an impeachment inquiry must be called -- formally -- to save our democracy. The action will be posted on Tuesday July 16th at 6:00 AM. The link is indivisibleor.org/actions
Activities
Senator Merkley will be at Revolution Hall on Monday, August 26th at 7:30 p.m. to promote his book, "America is Better than This - Trump's War against Migrant Families,” about the crisis at our southern border. Tickets include a copy of his book!
Events:
Find a Town Hall near you with The Town Hall Project.
Beer, snacks and democracy: Write letters to engage voters in "Super States"! Tuesday, Aug 27th at Migration Brewery, 2828 Glisan from 11:00-1:00
Indivisible Tuesday: Sen. Wyden & Rep. Blumenauer's office (PDX) Sept. 3rd at 11:30
Indivisible Tuesday: Sen. Merkley's office (PDX) Sept. 17th at 11:30
National Voter Registration Day Party! By the Bus Project at Patagonia on Tuesday, September 24th from 7-10
Causa's American Dreamer Awards Gala 2019 Thursday, October 17th from 5:30-9
Articles
Check out DemCast! It’s grassroots media by the people, for the people. Read why DemCast is so desperately needed.
Check out our website – www.onesmallthingpdx.org – like our Facebook page -- https://www.facebook.com/One-Small-Thing-150519055702228/ -- follow our Twitter account -- @onepdx.
Regards,
Sara McKinney
Comments