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WHY WE FIGHT
April was a tumultuous month which reminds us of both the promise and fragility of our democracy. For the first time, Donald Trump appeared in court as a defendant in a criminal trial, but the outcome is far from guaranteed as 12 jurors would have to vote unanimously to convict him. The other civil and criminal cases against him are in various stages and unlikely to conclude before the November election. The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments and, shockingly, the conservative majority appears open to accepting Trump’s arguments that Presidents enjoy at least some immunity from criminal prosecution. These headlines are among many others screaming out that the only way to defeat Donald Trump and his acolytes is at the ballot box.
There are no short cuts. We must do the hard work at the grassroots level to make sure that voters are informed and motivated to get out and vote. The good news is that Democrats are winning elections when we roll up our sleeves, and it’s not that hard to get involved. If you haven’t joined an initiative, please read below for ways that you can make a difference.
This election is not just about Donald Trump. While Trump has been garnering a disproportionate share of the headlines for his crimes and outrageous behavior, Joe Biden and his team have been getting things done that actually help people. The Biden Administration has canceled billions of dollars more in crippling student debt, rolled out climate-change programs and regulations, proposed rules to ban dangerous “forever chemicals”, implemented rules to protect people from junk healthcare insurance, and the list goes on.
We fight to protect the world's greatest experiment in democracy from those who seek to destroy it. Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much.
As always,
Your faithful editor
In This Issue
- Jahana Hayes is Delivering for Us
- Upcoming Events
- Things You
Can Should Do Now
- In Case You Missed It
- "Stop Gun Violence" Yard Signs
- Good Things Are Happening
- Help Still Wanted
- Share Your News and Announcements
- Tell Your Friends
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JAHANA HAYES IS DELIVERING FOR US
Our US Representative, Jahana Hayes, has secured nearly $9 million in community project funding for our congressional district in Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations. The funding is for new affordable housing units, housing infrastructure, water pollution, food insecurity, pedestrian safety improvement, and emergency communications across urban, suburban, and rural communities. The 2024 Community Project Funding includes:
• Salisbury: $110,000 for the Perry Street affordable home ownership project
• Goshen: $50,000 for drinking water system improvements in affordable housing
• Brookfield: Nearly $1 million to upgrade the emergency radio system
• Torrington: $45,000 for fire suppression system repairs for the housing authority
• Litchfield: $500,000 to upgrade the volunteer ambulance facility
• Danbury: $1.6 million for city’s transit center
• Meriden: $1 million for a new senior center
• Morris: $300,000 for affordable housing infrastructure
• New Britain: Nearly $2 million for a homeless center expansion and sewer upgrades
• Plymouth: Nearly $1 million for water pollution control facility improvements
• Waterbury: Nearly $1 million for sidewalk improvements and a church food pantry
• Woodbury: $225,000 for a park environmental education pavilion
Thank you, Representative Hayes!
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May 7 from 12-8pm: Region One Referendum. This vote is is being held to approve the Region One school budget, which covers Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Pupil Services Center, and Regional School Services Center for fiscal year 2024-2025.
The voting takes place at Salisbury Town Hall. Absentee ballots are available.
| May 11 at 6:30pm: Nuclear Energy – A Solution to Climate Change with Joshua Goldstein, PhD presented by The Salisbury Forum. This event will be at The Salisbury School. Joshua S. Goldstein is an award-winning scholar of international relations who has written and spoken widely on war and society, including war's effects on gender, economics, and psychological trauma, and on peace and diplomacy. His book, A Bright Future (with Staffan Qvist) is on international responses to climate change, especially Sweden's success in rapid decarbonization using nuclear power, which is the basis of Nuclear Now!, a new documentary co-written by Goldstein and Oliver Stone. Goldstein’s book War and Gender won the International Studies Association's "Book of the Decade" award. Goldstein has published articles in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, American Political Science Review, and Journal of Conflict Resolution, among others, and OpEd pieces in The New York Times, Washington Post, and elsewhere. For background on current nuclear power policy and pending legislation in Congress, see this March 1 article from The New York Times. The Salisbury Forum invites you to stream Nuclear Now! free of charge between May 3 and May 19. Visit the forum's website for more information. Register for this free event by clicking here. | May 13 and May 20 from 1-3pm: “Messaging Mondays” with the Sharon Democratic Town Committee (DTC) at The Edward, 19 West Main Street in Sharon. The Sharon DTC is hosting twice-a-month gatherings to write letters and postcards to voters in CT and other states. For more information or to sign up, click here or call (860) 364-0362. | |
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May 18 from 5- 6:30pm: Ari Melber at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington. Melber will deliver the 2023 Mona Sherman Memorial lecture for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) of Berkshire Community College. Melber is an Emmy Award–winning journalist, MSNBC news anchor, writer, and attorney. He anchors The Beat with Ari Melber on MSNBC, serves as the network’s chief legal correspondent, and is a legal analyst for NBC News. He has written the forward for the January 6 Report, which will be available for purchase and signing at the Mahaiwe. More information at https://berkshireolli.org/event-5590796
May 21 at 7pm: Salisbury Democratic Town Committee. This regular monthly SDTC meeting will be held at Town Hall and via Zoom. The SDTC is committed to promoting good government and democratic principles at every level of our civic life. The SDTC recruits candidates for local elective and appointed offices and supports the most qualified Democrats to run in municipal, state, and national elections. Meetings are usually on the third Tuesday of every month. Contact Al Ginouves to receive a copy of the agenda and the link to the meeting.
May 27 at 10am: Memorial Day Parade - Main Street, Salisbury.
May 29 at 6pm: JStreetPAC Fundraiser for Congresswoman Jahana Hayes. Congresswoman Hayes is a strong ally and endorsee of J Street as she consistently pushes for pro-Israel, pro-peace foreign policy. Rep. Hayes has distinguished herself through her willingness to have dialogue with her constituents and delve into difficult issues to work towards a just future for all. Click to RSVP. If you can’t attend, you can still contribute via the RSVP link. No minimum donation is required. The event will take place in Simsbury. The specific address will be given upon RSVP.
May 31 at 7:30pm on Zoom: Heather Cox Richardson, Keynote Speaker for the States Project Fundraiser. Saving Democracy is a co-sponsor of this fundraising event with proceeds going to state-level candidates in North Carolina. Heather Cox Richardson will be joined by Daniel Squadron, founder of the States Project. State legislatures play a critical role in American policy and politics and are one of the strongest forces for change in our country. Recent Supreme Court rulings have given even more power to states. Winning state legislative seats is a powerful investment in the Democratic future of the state as well as the nation. In North Carolina, like other states where Republicans hold power, anti-democratic initiatives that suppress the vote have become the norm. Republicans have restricted reproductive rights and enacted policies that affect everything from education to economic development to criminal justice. The States Project helps candidates in winnable legislative districts take back control of statehouses. An investment in state-level candidates provides more bang for your buck because these races cost less than federal races and are often decided by much closer margins. Please make a donation here to join the Zoom on May 28.
July 20 from 5:30-7:30pm: SAVE THE DATE. Garden Party Fundraiser for the Sharon Democratic Town Committee (DTC) at the gardens of Lynden Miller in Sharon. Look for more information in an upcoming newsletter.
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THINGS YOU CAN SHOULD DO NOW
We must write our own history or we will be doomed to live the history that others write for us. If you are reading this newsletter, you are probably very worried about the future of our democracy. But if you haven't yet committed to taking action, now is the time. Below are just some of the ways you can step up and become a force for positive change. (We are updating this list each month, so you will see previous suggestions as well as new ones.)
The Center For Common Ground – The CCG has kicked off its 2024 phonebanking efforts. Its first campaign is for the Georgia Congressional primaries in Georgia's two new Black-majority districts. Because voters will be voting in new districts, getting them the information they need about when and where to vote will be crucial, and people who vote in primaries are more likely to vote in general elections. These are nonpartisan calls, but you’ll be calling voters who are highly likely to vote Democratic. They are also the type of voters who are often the victims of voter suppression efforts, so this is really good work to do! You are invited to join the CFG’s national guided phonebank every Tuesday evening from 6-8pm. Sign up here.
Wisconsin Democrats (WisDems) – Wisconsin is a key swing state that Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020. The WisDems have been gradually turning back the GOP tide in the state and are looking for volunteers for a variety of activities for this summer's state elections leading to the fall Presidential and Senatorial elections. Join in WisDems' weekly virtual phonebanks on Thursdays from 6-8pm. Sign up here.
All in for North Carolina (AINC) – This New England-based group is working remotely to help Democrats win elections in North Carolina. Joe Biden lost here to Trump in 2020 by the smallest margin in any state, but the influx of young progressive voters, especially in Mecklenburg County where Charlotte is located, makes NC a state that Democrats can win. Join AINC every other Sunday night for phonebanks from 6-8pm to recruit volunteers for the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party's initiatives. For more information and to sign up click here.
Saving Democracy – Saving Democracy, our local advocacy group, continues to write postcards on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 2-4pm at the White Hart Inn. Grab a friend, a neighbor, an acquaintance, or meet someone new and write postcards encouraging Democrats to vote. It is easy – cards, address labels and the scripts are provided. Voter turnout will have a big impact on the outcome of the elections in November and these postcards – and your hard work – have a positive impact on turnout.
If your schedule doesn’t allow you to join on weekday afternoons, there is good news for you! This month there are several additional postcard sessions scheduled for Friday evenings. The group will meet for the “Saving Democracy Postcarding Pub” from 5-6:30pm on May 17, 23, and 31 at the White Hart Inn. Pick up a cocktail, glass of wine, or a soft drink at the bar and join fellow activists in the ballroom. Everyone is welcome. For more information, contact savingdemocracyct@gmail.com.
The States Project – The States Project focuses on winning governing majorities in the states by making state legislative campaigns more effective and better-funded. Majorities at the state level are the key to preserving voting rights and other important rights. Using data, the States Project selects states and races where strategic investments can result in wins. The good news is that a typical state races costs just a fraction of a US Senate race. Learn more and consider donating. Regardless of where you live, you are invited to join the Saving Democracy giving circle. Please attend the May 31 Zoom fundraiser with Heather Cox Richardson. See details above in our Events section. Contact Kathy Voldstad for more information.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Ballot “Roll-off” Is a Big Problem for Democrats. Here’s a new term for your election vocabulary: ballot roll-off. It means the tendency for voters to vote for candidates at the top of the ballot (e.g., president), but to ignore those who are further down. According to research compiled by Sister District, the impact of this phenomenon is astonishing and especially frightening for Democrats because Republicans do a much better job of voting for candidates up and down the ballot. One quick statistic: In 2020 Democrats would have gained control of 14 more chambers in nine states if they had decreased ballot roll off by 2% or less. These are Biden voters who skipped voting for state legislative seats! This is an urgent reminder of the importance of our work that helps inform and educate voters about candidates at the state and local levels. Super-activist Jessica Craven has done a great YouTube video about this problem. It takes just 5 minutes and is well worth watching. Spread the word. We can fix this problem!
Donald Trump’s Amnesia Advantage By Susan B. Glasser in The New Yorker. It once was an enormous advantage to run as an incumbent in American politics. But four years after ejecting Donald Trump from the White House, Joe Biden is battling his own bad case of toxic incumbency. Whether high gas prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine or post-pandemic inflation at the grocery store, Biden has absorbed the outrage while he gets no credit for any of his administration’s actions to mitigate problems. Meanwhile, Trump and the Republicans are free to blast away at the President without having to do anything to fix the problem—perhaps the greatest perk of being out of power. As for his own Presidential record, doesn’t anyone remember Trump’s “Muslim ban” anymore? His (incomplete) border wall with Mexico? His threats to end birthright citizenship? Or the idiocy of a President who essentially sat in front of the television all day long, tweeting insults and plotting how to stay in power whether he won or lost? The 2024 race may come down to just how much America has lost its collective mind about its disastrous former President. Read the full article in The New Yorker.
Inside a GOP Plan to Encourage Early Voting Despite Trump’s Attacks. Donald Trump’s falsehoods about mail voting have created a strategic disadvantage for Republicans, who must rely on Election Day turnout. The influential conservative group Turning Point Action has a $100 million plan to change voters’ habits. The New York Times’ Nick Corasaniti spent two days at the Turning Point Action headquarters in Phoenix, observing training programs and interviewing officials at the group, which is hatching plans to fix what it sees as a mortal threat to the Republican Party: its voters’ avoidance of early voting, especially by mail, since the 2020 election. Read this article to understand how the GOP is working hard (and smartly) to overcome its historical self-inflicted wound.
Dissatisfaction With One-Party Control Is Driving Use of State Ballot Initiatives. The founders of our republic were wary of direct democracy and opted for a system in which citizens elect representatives to act on their behalf. However, recent dissatisfaction with one-party control is driving citizens to bypass their representative governments by using direct democracy tools, such as ballot initiatives and referendums, according to Thom Reilly, Professor & Co-Director, Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy, School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University. He says that voters have bypassed their elected representatives and, when available, enacted laws by using direct democracy tools. The number of initiatives and veto referendums proposed nationally has been fairly stable over the past two decades, but were used disproportionately by conservatives to reduce taxes. More recently, progressives in various states have used direct democracy tools to expand Medicaid, raise minimum wages, and protect abortion rights. At the same time, conservatives have moved to make it harder to get ballot initiatives and referendums on the ballot. Read more in The Conversation.
As Elections Loom, Discriminatory Congressional Maps Will Remain in Place. With the Republicans holding just a two-vote majority in the House of Representatives, voters will go to the polls in November in at least two congressional districts that have been challenged as discriminatory against people of color. After months of delays and appeals, courts have decided in the last two weeks that the maps in South Carolina and Florida will stand, giving Republican incumbents an advantage. These and other cases illustrate how difficult it is to reverse gerrymandered voting maps. Even when lower courts find election maps illegal and give state legislatures months to make corrections, appeals and other delaying tactics can run out the clock as elections near. Read more from ProPublica.
This November’s State Elections Are Key To Protecting the Presidential Election. Ahead of former President Donald Trump’s attempt to steal the presidential election through state legislatures in 2020, conventional wisdom evolved from underestimating the risk posed by state legislatures, to acknowledging the risk, to an effort to reduce the risk. Today, with Trump back on the ballot, conventional wisdom has swung back to where it started: underestimating the danger posed by state legislatures. As in 2020, that view is dangerously myopic, but with enough attention and resources, this significant risk could still be reduced. Understand the perils and potential fixes in this OpEd in Democracy Docket by Lauren Popper Ellis, General Counsel at the States Project.
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"STOP GUN VIOLENCE" YARD SIGNS - MORE AVAILABLE
The ground has thawed, so it's a great time to begin putting out yard signs. To start, Kathy Voldstad has a supply of the classic bright orange lawn signs that say STOP GUN VIOLENCE. Please email Kathy Voldstad if you would like one -- or more! They are $10 each.
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GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING
Our monthly sampling of good news comes, as it often does, from a longer list provided by Jessica Craven in her Substack newsletter, Chop Wood, Carry Water. It's crucial to remind ourselves that positive change does happen when we work for it. Joe Biden deserves credit for many of these positive events.
- Only a day after the No Labels Party withdrew from the 2024 race, the party’s national director told an interviewer that he would vote for President Biden over Trump.
- Eleven new Starbucks stores won their union elections….Workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga voted to join the United Autoworkers Union, becoming the first unionized auto factory in the South not owned by one of Detroit’s Big Three automakers…. Workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, AL, have filed for a National Labor Relations Board election to join the United Auto Workers, the latest plant to do so since the UAW began an unprecedented $40 million drive to organize non-union auto and battery plants…. Thanks to recent legislation, fast-food workers and others in California are now making at least $20 per hour/hour…. Washington State enacted a “Strippers’ Bill of Rights” to protect dancers from harassment and violence.
- The Biden administration awarded a whopping $6 billion to efforts to decarbonize heavy industrial sectors…. The EPA finalized the strongest-ever greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty vehicles…. The Department of Energy announced that Brimstone, a leader in industrial decarbonization, was awarded a $189 million grant for the construction of the first commercial-scale plant deploying Brimstone's deeply decarbonized process for producing cement. (If the cement industry were a country it would rank as the world’s fourth largest greenhouse gas emitter, just behind China, the US, and India, and responsible for roughly 7-8% of global CO2 pollution.)…. The Department of the Interior announced the approval of the Sunrise Wind offshore wind project – the nation’s seventh new commercial-scale offshore wind project under President Biden’s leadership…. Pennsylvania’s largest solar farm has been awarded $90 million in federal funding and will sit on 2,700 acres of former coal mining land near the shuttered Homer City coal plant…. Walmart announced it would accelerate plans to transition to renewable power, which currently powers nearly half of its operations, to reach 100% renewable energy by 2035.
- Renewables have grown at a staggering rate since 2014 — and now account for 22 percent of electricity in the US…. New York City will put 180 new electric school buses on its roads thanks to a $61 million federal grant. The Walla Walla School District in Washington has received $3.7M in federal grants for 15 new electric school buses. Next spring, half of Walla Walla Public Schools’ bus fleet will be electric…. Anyone living in Colorado can now get an instant $450 credit for buying an e-bike.
- A record number of voters think abortion should be legal, according to a new Fox News survey, which shows double-digit increases in support from voters 65+, conservatives, and white evangelical Christians…. The Florida Supreme Court gave the green light for a proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights to appear on the November ballot….Arizona abortion rights advocates have gathered enough signatures to get their ballot measure on the ballot.
- Gun-sense activists defeated more than 109 bad gun bills across 15 states in just the first three months of this year, according to Everytown.
- Preliminary data from the FBI point to a widespread decline in crime in 2023. That includes a potential double-digit decline in murder, as well as declines in violent and property crime…. US traffic deaths fell 3.6% last year.
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HELP STILL WANTED
The Salisbury Town Committee is working hard to get out our messages about democracy and good government. We are looking for a volunteer who can help up our game with social media. If you have skills with social media, such as Instagram and Facebook, and want to make a difference, please contact us at salsdemsnews@gmail.com or call Lee Greenhouse directly at (917) 701-5739.
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SHARE YOUR NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please send us any news or announcements that you would like us to share with our community. We publish on the first of each month, so please send us any submissions at least one week earlier. Please submit to the editor at salsdemsnews@gmail.com.
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TELL A FRIEND
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