Volume 24. Issue 12. December 2022

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Susan Dollar A few weeks ago (before the mid-term elections), I read an article about the value of smiling. Turns out that smiling increases mood-enhancing hormones while decreasing stress-enhancing hormones, including cortisol, and adrenaline. It also reduces overall blood pressure. And because you typically smile when you’re happy, the muscles used trigger your brain to produce more endorphins—the chemical that relieves pain and stress. One study suggested that smiling can help us recover faster from stress and reduce our heart rate. In fact, its worth it to fake a smile because there’s some evidence that forcing a smile can still bring a boost in your mood and happiness level. According to Harvard Medical School, optimism - which is linked to smiling - is associated with a lower risk of early death from cancer and infection. people who experience higher levels of optimism have a longer life span. The benefits of smiling aren’t just limited to ourselves - it can also affect those around us too. When we see someone else smile, the reward center of our brain is activated and it makes us feel a little better. Another study suggests that we can’t help but react with a smile of our own when we see someone smiling - so it’s an all-out infectious loop of happiness And believe it or not, we are actually born smiling. With the advancement of 3D ultrasound technology, medical practitioners have been able to identify that developing babies smile in the womb. Once a baby is born, they continue to smile. This is true of all babies regardless of culture and environment, as smiling is a basic and biological uniform human expression. So, with all that said - what does this have to do with us Democrats? Well, another Thanksgiving has come and gone at our house. This year, the holiday was mild by our standards - only 12 people for a few days instead of the usual 22 for a week. Now that's something to smile about! And another mid-term election has come and gone. And yes, I'm still smiling. Smiling because we have a lot of things to be thankful for and happy about. Even though we suffered heart-breaking losses here in Texas, just consider: Democrats have retained the Senate – doing no worse than holding steady at 50 seats and potentially gaining one – and look likely to keep any net losses in the House in the single digits. For the first time since 1934, the Democratic party had a net gain of governorships in a president’s first midterm. Democrats made gains in state legislative and governors’ races, winning in in three crucial 'blue wall' states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. History was made this year when Massachusetts elected their first female governor who is an openly lesbian woman and in Maryland, a Democrat became the state's first African American candidate to win an election for governor. A 25-year-old member of Gen-Z became the first member of his generation to be elected to Congress.  There's more to smile about! According to CNN, the 2022 elections weakened Donald Trump’s hand. Overall, his hand-picked candidates did not do well. As Trump mounts his third bid for the presidency, the squeeze being put on him by prosecutors and legal adversaries casts an increasingly ominous shadow. Among them: Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to oversee the Mar-a-Lago probe, as well as matters arising from Trump’s effort to subvert the 2020 election and prevent the transfer of power to Joe BIden. The Jan. 6 select committee is preparing to unload a massive report and 1,000 witness transcripts that could provide more explosive evidence about Trump’s attempt to subvert the 2020 election, and fuel DOJ’s ongoing criminal probe of the matter. Trump’s business empire has been placed under the watch of monitor Barbara Jones, a consequence of New York Attorney General Tish James’ lawsuit alleging widespread fraud by Trump, his businesses, and family members. An Atlanta-area district attorney has reached deeply into Trump’s inner circle to obtain testimony about Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday became the latest witness to provide substantive testimony to the special grand jury. Months ago, a red wave was predicted but Democrats fought back. As Ezra Levin, of Indivisible, said, "We proved something important: In this country, there is a political price to pay for anti-democratic extremism. We fought hard for the political world to learn this lesson. We should hold onto it, repeat it, and proselytize it as we look forward to the future fights against the miniscule MAGA majority in the House, against Trump, against Desantis, and against the right-wing extremists who seek to take away our freedoms and undermine our democracy." So during this holiday season, I am smiling. And I am so happy and thankful to be a part of this group of amazing people that have worked so hard to strengthen our democracy. There are more of us than you think! There are more of us than there are of those MAGA crazies. We’re organized and motivated and we will continue to fight until we win! And remember - you feel better when you smile.

THERE IS NO DECEMBER BAD MEETING Our next meeting will be on Thursday, January 12 12:00 noon Longhorn Cafe

Don't forget to R.S.V.P for our holiday party on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11 3:00-5:00 p.m. La Hacienda Scenic Loop Light hors d'oeuvres will be served and there will be a cash bar available. Plan to join us for an afternoon of fun and games, food and camaraderie with fellow Democrats! A $5.00 per person donation is requested and you can RSVP here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094DA9AE29A2F94-holiday

This month, we say goodbye to Brooke Orr and her husband, Dennis. Brooke has been our Membership Chair for the past four years and has managed our scholarship program. She and Dennis are moving to Connecticut. Thank you for all that you have done for BAD, Brooke! We will miss you and wish you and Dennis the best of luck in your new adventure!

‌ BECOME A RECURRING DONOR! Tis the season of giving and we would love for people to give to BAD to support our Democratic activities and our scholarship program. Please consider becoming a recurring donor! The easiest way to donate is via ActBlue; simply click on the ActBlue logo above and enter your donation information. You can also donate via a credit card, an auto-withdrawal from your bank, or by mailing a check. We also love one-time donations!

LAURA BRAY Kendall County Democratic Party Chair NOTES FROM THE CHAIR Check out my post-election Progressive Views column from the Boerne Star. I am a huge admirer of the Indivisible movement (https://indivisible.org/). Their two founders, Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg (who are married) have built an amazing organization with hundreds of affiliates across the nation. Their affiliate groups in Pennsylvania and Arizona were instrumental in those Senate victories. I highly recommend their book, “We Are Indivisible.” (Sadly, it’s not available in book form on Amazon, but the San Antonio Public Library has copies.) My copy is heavily highlighted with their best ideas. They have a real talent for a) adjusting their strategy to meet the current challenge and b) forming effective plans to address those strategies and get results. The day after the gentleman from Florida announced his candidacy, Indivisible held a Zoom call to discuss “Strategy and Next Steps.” Click here to listen to a recording. I am not a big fan of recruiting volunteers to do work in other states, but they made a good case for why having 51 Democratic Senators is way better than having 50. So they’re signing up folks to work remotely to elect Warnock. Click here to find out more. They also have an amazing plan for two other important initiatives: • The Final Session. They’ve planned a push to get as much through Congress during the Final Session as possible. (“Final Session” is the last seven weeks of the current Congressional session before the new Congress is seated in January.) Ezra’s suggestion for those of us who are stuck with Republican representation is to pressure them to hold them accountable. The Electoral Count Reform Act, authored by Susan Collins and supported by Mitch McConnell, is a tremendously important piece of legislation that has a good chance of passing. If Cruz/Cornyn/Roy vote against it (and they surely will), we need to call them out on their failure to support transparency in our elections and how their support of MAGA extremism is out of touch with most voters. (The national results of the midterms prove that, even if not here in Texas.) • They’ve developed a “Defeat Trump Toolkit,” including a Weekend of Action from January 6-8 to include rallies and public-facing events. I saw a great tweet recently (before I decided to close my account) from an activist with some terrific advice: “My strategic advice for everyone not interested in spending their next decade in an America First re-education camp is to mock the House GOP majority mercilessly. That’s how we stop them. If you engage in substantive debates about their crazy allegations, you end up legitimating their argument. See CRT. They must be dismissed and mocked.” I’ll be pondering on all this over the next couple of weeks and have some recommendations for you after Thanksgiving. With TDP in disarray, it might make some sense to align ourselves with Indivisible and take advantage of their proven strategies. Thanks for everything you do to Turn Texas Blue!

BAD BOOK CLUB The next meeting of the BAD Book Club will be on Wednesday, December 14, at 5:30 p.m. at the Democratic Headquarters. We will be holding a book exchange, so bring any books that you would like to trade! The December book selection is And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by Jon Meacham R.S.V.P. to Janice Bloodworth at 210-632-6974.

BAD and KCDP had nice ads in the Boerne Star celebrating our veterans!

Just a reminder: there are always interesting and informative posts on our social media pages so be sure to check them out - and Like them! Web: boerne-area-democrats.org Facebook: Boerne Area Democrats  Instagram: @boerneareademocrats Twitter: @BerneDemocrats

CHANGE IN OFFICE HOURS Our Democratic Headquarters at 216 E. Blanco, Suite 201, is closed until January. Stay tuned for the reopening hours.

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GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY! Let your voices be heard by attending these community meetings. Click on any of the icons for more information.

Boerne City Council meets at 6:00 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, 447 N. Main Street, Boerne. The Planning and Zoning Commission meetings are held on the first Monday of each month in the Ronald C. Bowman Council Chambers at City Hall, 447 N. Main Street, Boerne.

The Kendall County Commissioner's Court meets on the 2nd and 4th Monday at 9:00 a.m. in the County Courthouse, 201 E. San Antonio Street, 3rd floor.

The Fair Oaks City Council meets on the 1st Thursday at 9:30 a.m. and the 3rd Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the FOR City Hall, 7286 Dietz Elkhorn Road, FOR.

The Comfort ISD Board of Trustees meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the CISD Central Office, 327 High Street, Comfort.

The Boerne ISD Board of Trustees meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 5:00 p.m. in the Administrative Offices, 235 Johns Road.

The Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District meets on the 2nd Monday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at 9 Topperwein Road, Boerne.

BOERNE AREA DEMOCRATS BOARD President: Susan Dollar Vice President: Jerry Terry Secretary: Robin Prescott Treasurer: Sharon Noack Membership: Brooke Orr Publicity: Natalie Schun Social Media: Krista Bermejillo-Vasquez Past President: Stacey Gilfillan Ex Officio member: Laura Bray, KCDP

Connect with us! JOIN THE BOERNE AREA DEMOCRATS Membership Form Email: BAD@boerne-area-democrats.com Web: boerne-area-democrats.org Facebook: facebook.com/boerne.area.democrats Notice Regarding Photography and/or Audio/Video Recording The Boerne Area Democrats captures photographs and/or audio/video recordings during our events. Such photographs and recordings may be used in BAD's advertising and social media relations to let others know of our events. In addition, local news organizations may hear of our events, and BAD may allow them to record events for news reporting. If you do not wish to be in photos/videos, please let the photographer/videographer know in advance. This newsletter is intended for people interested in the work of the Boerne Area Democrats and the Democratic Party in general. To be removed from this mailing list, please click on Unsubscribe below or email us at bad@boerne-area-democrats.com.