Buckle Up, We're In For a Rough Ride |
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We’ve been taught since the early days of the republic that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. Most of us never thought we would see that seriously threatened in our lifetimes, but here we are.
The range of news and opinions we’ve seen since last Wednesday’s insurrection at the Capitol Building has been head spinning enough to give anyone whiplash. We can be thankful that some Republicans such as Collin County’s Van Taylor are displaying some unusual patriotism in breaking with their party’s leadership. But at the same time, we’re still processing knowing that over a hundred Republican members of Congress and a handful Republican Senators, including Texas's own despicable Ted Cruz, still voted to challenge the Pennsylvania votes after the mob had been cleared from the building.
But what is perhaps more distressing is hearing some on the Left being seduced by the pleas from Republicans wanting to forgive and forget, calling for unity and healing. Let’s be very clear about this – there can’t be unity or healing without repentance, without admission of what went wrong and responsibility for it. What happened last week wasn’t simply a misguided mob trying to “defend” the Republic from a “stolen” election. It was a mob whose fears about losing what they believed America to be had been irresponsibly, carefully, and intentionally stoked for decades. Conservative media and politicians have demonized Democrats for decades, and what happened last week was the inevitable result of that.
One of the widespread initial reactions to last November’s election results was the sobering realization that such a large swath of American citizens not only still supported the President, but also completely bought into the “defund the police” and “socialist” fear campaigns. If that didn’t wake anyone up, then last week did.
We have a lot of work ahead of us as we start another two-year election cycle. For the next several months we’ll be focusing on supporting good progressive candidates for the May non-partisan elections, as well as supporting our Democratic legislators as they try to limit the damage from the Texas legislative session. We’ll then be moving into Primary season and the 2022 general. And all through this there will be voters to identify, relationships to build, donors to cultivate, and activists to engage. And this time it’s not just to promote progressive values – it’s to protect democracy itself.
Mike Rawlins
CCDP Chair
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POLITICAL TRAINING NEXT WEEK FROM THE CCDP! |
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I VOTED, WHAT NOW?
Let’s start with the basics – “Politics 101.” We will discuss the past, present and future of Collin County and consider what you can do to meet the goal we have always had: Turn Collin Blue.
Who should attend? any Democrat can attend this virtual event. It will be geared to those who want a better understanding of politics, especially in Collin County and Texas.
Facilitator: Barb Walters, with special guests
2-hour Zoom session.
Thursday – January 14, 7-9 p.m.
Wednesday – January 20, 7-9 p.m.
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The CCDP has offered this training several times in past years and we've received much positive feedback. If you are interested or have questions, contact Barb Walters at bwalters@collindemocrats.org.
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A CLOSER LOOK AT COLLIN COUNTY POLITICS |
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Collin County Commissioner’s Court: On January 4, the Commissioners held an almost 3-hour meeting. During the conversation about whether to buy land to facilitate a segment of the US Highway 380, County Judge Chris Hill discussed his concerns over eminent domain (which will be inevitable) before deciding to table it until the January 25 meeting. With all that’s going on in our county right now, to spend 1 hour and 16 minutes on a fruitless discussion is unconscionable.
The Commissioners finally got around to talking about the vaccine rollout. They then spent 40 minutes deciding to prioritize internal county personnel in the 1a and 1b groups before moving to the general public wait list. Hill was the only vote against this motion, stating that the general public will view this badly.
What the Commissioners don’t understand is that people aren’t receiving the information they need about when the vaccine will be available and how they’ll be able to get it. Collin County constituents are understandably frustrated because we’re one of the few large counties in the state that doesn’t have a vaccine hub location (COVID-19 Vaccination Hub Providers (texas.gov)). There was absolutely no discussion about why Collin County is at a 3.7% infection rate while the closest county to us in population – Travis County (which actually has 200,000+ more people than us) – is at 2.0% infections (https://covid19-projections.com/infections/counties/tx/). Even Bexar County – with 1 million more people than Collin – is at a lower rate of infection (3.6%) than we are. I wonder what both Travis and Bexar Counties have in common that we don’t? Perhaps there are actions Collin County could be taking to reduce the spread.
They also took no responsibility (other than putting a vaccine dashboard on their website) for not informing constituents about the vaccine roll-out. Hill in particular is pushing people who contact him towards Darrell Willis, the Public Information Officer for Collin County’s Health Care Services. Willis doesn’t know how many ICU beds are available in the county and he certainly doesn’t have answers about why we don’t have a vaccine hub. If the Commissioners had any self-awareness at all, they’d realize that people aren’t mad at them because we’re clueless. We’re angry because they aren’t doing a good job.
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Join Beto O'Rourke and your local Democratic clubs as we brainstorm about what's next for Collin County. Beto's excited about our future and we are too! We can't wait to hear his take on the next steps to make a difference right here in our own communities. Don't miss this LIVE special event!
When: January 22, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual Event
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January Meeting & Inauguration Celebration! |
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Join WOW Dems as we combine our general member meeting with Inauguration Day - Wednesday, January 20 at 7 p.m. - to celebrate the Inauguration of President Joe Biden & Vice President Kamala Harris AND to vote on WOW Dems Board for 2021-2022!
To celebrate, WOW will put together a PARTY BOX for you. Party Box orders must be placed by January 15 at 3 p.m. and can be picked up at various locations (details to follow) starting January 16 at 10 a.m.
You can don your party supplies and sip your signature drink while you vote on the WOW Dems 2021-22 Board and brainstorm ideas for your committee! We will give our members a chance to join breakout rooms based on their interest and involvement in our committees and plan for this coming year.
This meeting will be VIRTUAL over Zoom. Register now. You'll be emailed a Zoom link the day of the meeting. NOTE: You MUST register via the Mobilize link below to join the meeting:
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OVERCOMING RACISM, ONE DINNER AT A TIME |
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Breaking Bread, Virtually |
The Dallas Dinner Table sets the table for another chance to connect with others – virtually -- in 2021
The roots of racism run deep, cultivated through hundreds of years of history. For those in a position of privilege, systemic racism is often difficult to recognize or understand.
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How can concerned citizens address those issues so the healing can begin? One avenue is conversation: respectful, meaningful discussion shared by people who might not otherwise connect.
That’s the concept of Dallas Dinner Table, an independent non-profit organization focused on improving race relations in the DFW metroplex, “One Dinner at a Time.” The next Dallas Dinner Table event will take place virtually on Monday, January 18, 2021, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Central time. Participants will gather online in separate breakout rooms for guided conversations. The Dallas Mavericks, the Leadership Sponsor, and PepsiCo and Frito Lay, the Presenting Sponsor, are supporting the 2021 event.
Founded in 1999, Dallas Dinner Table has organized annual dinners on the third Monday of each January to coincide with Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. Dallas-area residents break bread together in small groups, while hearing and sharing diverse perspectives about the impact of race on their daily lives.
In previous years, dinners were held in private homes, churches, businesses or restaurants and hosted by citizens who graciously provided an evening meal to participants from diverse backgrounds. Facilitators guided dialogue at each table towards cross-cultural communication with a focus on personal action and growth, and the advantages of cross-racial relationships. This year, in the interest of safety, the event will take place via Zoom.
Registration is free, but sponsorship donations are encouraged. To register, please click here. To learn more about sponsorships, click here. Participants will need to have Zoom on their device or download it at zoom.us in order to participate.
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The CCDP physical office is closed until further notice for safety. Our office staff are, however, working for you from home and available by telephone at 972-578-1483 or contact us on the web at collindemocrats.org |
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Political advertising paid for by the Democratic Party of Collin County.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
Political donations are not tax exempt.
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