Blue Notes🎶
& News
July 17, 2022 / Newsletter 285
This week's events
Hall County Democratic Party Committee Meeting

When: Saturday, July 23, 2022 at 1:00 pm
Where: Hall Country Library, Gainesville Branch
127 Main Street NW 
Gainesville, GA 30501
The meeting room is on the 2nd floor at the back of the building.

New committee members will receive orientation materials. The agenda will include planning for the election of delegates to the state convention and working on actions to support the campaigns of our local candidates.
Save the Date!

Hall County Democratic Caucus to elect state convention delegates.

Saturday, August 6, 2022

Time and location to be sent out soon!

For more information about this exciting opportunity, please see the article below.
Blue To Do
Donate to our Democratic Candidates

Using the secure website ActBlue, you can donate to these Hall County Democrats running for office. Use the links below:

Follow Kim on Twitter and Facebook

Laura Colaninno, Hall County Commission District 1: https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/135002

Follow Devin on Twitter and Facebook

Angela Middleton Hall County School Board https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/136950

You may also contribute to Mike Ford's campaign for U S House, 9th District of Georgia: https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/132079
Check out Mike's website.

Jody Cooley--Georgia Senate District 49. His website is now up! http://jodycooley.com/ .To contribute to Jody's campaign, hit the Contribute button on his site, You can follow him on Twitter @vote_Jody.

Isabel Martinez Flynn--Hall County School Board Post 2

We'll add links for our other Hall County candidates as they become available. Candidates can email us at HallCountyDemocrat@gmail.com with information about their campaigns.

Get the word out and support these Democratic candidates.
2022 candidates
Stacey Abrams gov
WE HAVE STACEY ABRAMS YARD SIGNS!

Show your support for Stacey Abrams for Governor with a yard sign. Come by HQ during office hours (at the bottom of this email). For a donation to Hall County Democratic Party, you can walk out with a sign! All donations welcome.
The Georgia Democratic Convention is coming up
August 27th in Columbus--
Here's how YOU can be involved!
The Democratic Party of Georgia will host its 2022 State Convention on Saturday, August 27th in Columbus. This gathering will showcase our now incumbent Democratic United States Senator, our amazing slate of candidates and do other important things like adopt our platform.  

Hall County can send a total of 8 delegates to the convention, 4 to be voted on by the Hall County Democratic Party committee and 4 to be voted on by all Hall County Democrats. The committee and the party members will each also vote on 2 alternates.

We have tentatively scheduled the caucus to elect delegates for Saturday, August 6th. We'll send out details of the time and the location soon. We would love to have a large turnout for our caucus, so save the date!

The convention will be held at the Ironworks in Columbus. The party will be sending us details about hotel blocks, agenda and other information soon, and we'll share that here.

The state convention is an excellent opportunity to hear from party leaders, meet delegates from across the state, and build a network of like-minded Democrats throughout Georgia. It's also a chance to have a say in the party platform for 2022.

If you are interested in running for a delegate position, please email us at HallCountyDemocrat@gmail.com and put State Convention Delegate in the subject line.
Message from the Acting Chair:
Countdown to election. Don't get left behind!
Note: While Mike Ford is taking a leave of absence from the chairship to focus on his campaign for U S House in Georgia's 9th District, Acting Chair Jackie Sosby shares her thoughts with our readers.
Across Georgia, local county, congressional district and state leaders and other workers are coordinating efforts to inspire and turn out Democratic voters. That kind of coordinated get-out-the-vote operations in 2020 is what gave Joe Biden the votes he needed to carry Georgia. The same operations in the runoff sent two Democrats to the U.S. Senate. One of those U.S. Senators is up for re-election.

What do we need to convince you that the U.S. Supreme Court is destroying individual rights at a rapid pace and you are never going to get them back from the Supreme Court? People who talk about “packing” the Supreme Court need to turn their efforts to packing state legislatures and the U.S. Congress, both House and Senate, with Democrats.

You can do your part on the ground, on the phone and through your bank account. Some 700 people subscribe to this newsletter. Many of you already volunteer your time working in campaigns and staffing your local county party’s outreach to register and engage Democratic voters. In addition to their time, these people also make a commitment every year, every month, every week, in dollars.

Thank you to all of you who have committed and continue to work backing up the operations with your time and money. However, some of you probably do neither. Truthfully, you may be unable to get out and go, but you can do many functions from your home. You may have limited income, but you can commit to a small amount each month, each week. Many of our subscribers choose to contribute the $60 membership level.

If all 700 subscribers had committed at least $60 this year to Hall County’s operations, we would have collected at least $42,000. I’ll check with our treasurer to make sure, but I don’t think we have received that much in donations this year. Are your dollars bypassing local elections? You can invest in the county committee and boost the local turnout for statewide candidates, increasing the chances for your candidate.

We need your commitment now. We have volunteers training for various voter education and support operations, but we need an idea of how many resources we can provide to keep those people working. How much can you put toward the effort to save our democratic republic?

You can hit the donate button in this newsletter or on our website. If you prefer to write a check, make it out to the Hall County Democratic Committee. Mail it to PO Box 2217, Gainesville, GA 30503.

Democratically yours,
Jackie Sosby
On the Brink of a Coup:
Public Hearing #7: The plan for extremist groups to lead the takeover of the Capitol
“American carnage: That's the true legacy of Donald Trump.”
U.S Congressman Jamie Raskin

Unhinged. Deliberate. Illegal. Openly homicidal.

The July 12th hearing of the House Select Committee on January 6th painted a picture of a desperate man, willing to break the law, willing to violently stop the functioning democratic process of certifying the valid election results, just to hold onto power.

Liz Cheney emphasized that instigating insurrection was a choice that Trump made. “The strategy is to blame people his advisers called, quote, ‘the crazies’ for what Donald Trump did. This, of course, is nonsense. President Trump is a 76-year-old man. He is not an impressionable child.”

Anyone who paid the slightest attention to Trump over the past 6 years won't be surprised by the evidence laid out last week, if they're honest and in touch with reality. Even during his 2016 campaign, his narcissism and autocratic tendencies were in full view. It's one of the reasons we Democrats were so appalled at his election.

But this hearing showed more about the dark forces he aligned himself with to carry out his plans. The Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, and other fascistic organizations coordinated online, with the expressed purpose of using violence to threaten our democracy.

Let me add one more descriptor about these efforts: On-going.

  • Extremist groups are showing up armed at LGBTQ events and pro-abortion rallies across the country to intimidate, or perhaps worse, those they want to oppress.
  • State legislators are still churning out laws designed to discourage voting, claiming that they need to protect against voter fraud, when there is no voter fraud.
  • Mark Meadows is fighting to avoid testifying to the committee.
  • Trump himself is compounding his efforts to avoid the truth coming out. He called a witness we haven't heard from yet, after the testimony of White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson the previous week, an act that suggests an attempt at witness intimidation. Meanwhile he holds out the shiny object of his possible candidacy to the press, in an attempt to distract from the evidence mounting against him.
  • Extremists are running for local office, from school boards to state houses.

Make no mistake. The threat to our democracy is still as real as it was on January 6, 2021.

The committee has scheduled their 8th public hearing for Thursday, July 21, during prime time. The committee will walk through the events of January 6th minute by minute.The narrative will undoubtedly show Trump's failure to act to stop the violent insurrection, his dereliction of duty, his refusal to honor his oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

You can stream Thursday's hearing and watch past hearings here: https://january6th.house.gov/legislation/hearings

C-SPAN, MSNBC and other news outlets will also carry the hearing live.
WATCH
"It felt as if a mob was being organized": Jan. 6...

CBS News New Updates The House Jan. 6 committee held its seventh public hearing Tuesday. A former member of the Oath Keepers and a Capitol rioter testified before the panel. Scott MacFarlane, Major Garrett and Robert Costa...

Read more
www.cbsnews.com
Analysis | 5 takeaways from the Jan. 6 hearing on...

On Tuesday, the Jan. 6 committee held another hearing in which it attempted to tie former president Donald Trump to the most violent extremists leading the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol - and pressed their argument that Trump knew what he...

Read more
www.washingtonpost.com
January 6th Committee Seventh Public Hearing

The January 6 Committee holds its seventh public hearing on the attack of the U.S. Capitol with a focus on the Trump administration and its alleged ties to e...

Read more
www.youtube.com
LISTEN
The Trump Insurgency, Beyond Jan. 6

This week’s Jan. 6 congressional hearings offered an in-depth look at the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other violent extremist groups that organized the insurrection. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the issues …

Read more
slate.com
The Lawfare Podcast: The Jan. 6 Committee, Day Seven

The Jan. 6 committee held its seventh in a series of prominent hearings unveiling the findings of its investigation to the public. Lawfare Editor in Chief Benjamin Wittes moderated a conversation with Lawfare Executive Editor Natalie Orpett and...

Read more
www.lawfareblog.com
READ
Opinion | I Was Betrayed by President Trump

Mr. Gonell is a sergeant in the Capitol Police. As one of the Capitol Police officers who defended the United States against the mob on Jan. 6, 2021, I felt it was important for me to be in the committee room on June 28 to hear the former White...

Read more
www.nytimes.com
LG candidate's involvement in 'fake' GOP electors draws...

State Sen. Burt Jones' role on a phony slate of GOP electors in Georgia, designed to help Donald Trump's failed effort to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election, is drawing increased scrutiny as the Republican vies to...

Read more
www.ajc.com
Jan. 6 panel's next hearing will focus on Trump's...

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot said its next hearing will focus on how former President Donald Trump's failure to quell the violent mob for several hoursshowed a "supreme dereliction of duty."

Read more
www.cnbc.com
The Jan. 6 Hearings Are Not a Reality Series | Dame Magazine

INTERIOR, TV STUDIO. Two television personalities, BOB and SALLY, are seated at a wide, brightly colored desk. They grin at each other as peppy intro music plays. BOB: Welcome back, everyone. In today's news, the Congressional committee...

Read more
www.damemagazine.com
'Lies, deceit and snake oil': Jan. 6 hearing witness...

Faced with no legal path to staying in office, former President Trump summoned supporters to Washington to pressure Congress to overturn the 2020 election results, a move far-right extremists saw as a cue to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,...

Read more
www.latimes.com
MEMBER NEWS
We are pleased to announce that Fred Swan has agreed to become Vice Chair for the 9th Congressional District Coordinated Campaign.

Fred, who was elected to the HCDP Committee last month, has run two very successful statewide campaigns Fred is no stranger to North Georgia and has traveled extensively in our district as a candidate for Agriculture Commissioner. Join me in welcoming Fred to our Mighty 9th Family!

Congratulations to Fred. We know you will be a great asset to the 9th District Dems!
Letters to the Editor
Opinion: Finally, representation on the ballot

If you've seen the Elvis movie currently in release, the days of the "Old South" are well reflected early on in his life and career. So how are things looking in 2022? Look no further than the barrage of political ads we're seeing. I know, I miss ...

Read more
www.gainesvilletimes.com
Our narrow-minded neighbor Dick Biggs has his monthly diatribe in the Letters to the Editor this week. A more uplifting letter from Brian Olson, however, lauds the diversity of the candidates on the ballot in 2022.

If YOU have an opinion you want to share, you can submit a letter to the editor here: https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/about-us-main/contact-letter/ The Times has long given short shrift to Democrats, so letters to the editor are a way to get out the message that we are here, we are active, and we care about Hall County and Georgia!


If you'd like us to help with a letter to the editor, email hallcountydemocrat@gmail.com and put "letter to the editor" in the subject line.
State & Local News (Some links may require a subscription)
Cobb County school board voted on Thursday to allow non-law enforcement individuals to carry guns in their schools. If you think this has the potential for disaster, be sure to vote in November for the Democrats running for Hall County school board: Angela Middleton, Isabel Martinez Flynn, and Pat Calmes.
Cobb schools allow non-police officers to carry guns on...

The Cobb County School District will allow people who are not certified police officers to carry firearms in its schools. The policy does not arm teachers or other employees whose primary responsibility is to supervise classrooms or educate students.

Read more
www.axios.com
Exclusive: Fulton County DA sends 'target' letters to...

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has sent so-called "target" letters to prominent Georgia Republicans informing them they could be indicted for their role in a scheme to appoint alternate electors pledged to the former president...

Read more
news.yahoo.com
Georgia Supreme Court rejects coal ash lawsuit that...

The Georgia Supreme Court has declined to take up a legal challenge to Georgia Power's plan to collect $525 million from customers in coal ash pond closure costs.

Read more
thegeorgiasun.com
Bookman: Georgia GOP puts Herschel Walker in bad...

The nomination of Herschel Walker to be U.S. senator was an act of cynical disrespect, not just to the important office that he seeks, but also to Walker's legacy and to Herschel Walker the person.

Read more
georgiarecorder.com
National News (Some links may require a subscription)
Criminalizing the vote: GOP-led states enacted 102 new el...

First in a two-part series During the 2020 election, Rhonda Briggins and her sorority sisters spent days providing voters in metro Atlanta with water and snacks as they waited in long lines at polling places. The lines for early voting and on...

Read more
www.newsfromthestates.com
Post-Roe, some Democrats fear state legislative races...

As Democrat Veronica Klinefelt goes door to door in the suburban Michigan community she's hoping to represent in the state Senate, she says she repeatedly has to make the case that the outcome of her race matters in a larger fight for abortion...

Read more
www.washingtonpost.com
If you have news, photos, or announcements for the newsletter, please email them to kccopeland1@hotmail.com or dadavieslee@gmail.com. The deadline for including in Sunday’s email is noon on the preceding Friday.
HCDP Office hours:
NOTE: Due to pest control activities, the office will not be open for the next few weeks. We'll resume regular office hours soon.
Monday 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Wednesday 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday CLOSED
Friday 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday CLOSED
314 College Avenue
Gainesville, GA 30501
Phone: (470) 892-5825