|
DO SOMETHING
Many of us have a bounce in our step these days. After the Democratic National Convention, Democrats as well as many independents and even some Republicans are feeling optimistic and excited about the prospects for a Democratic win in November. In just one month, we have gotten to know Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, and the more we see of them, the more we like them – as candidates and as torch bearers for the future of our country.
Let’s all enjoy the afterglow of the convention, and the compelling messages expressed by speaker after speaker, many of them young, fresh faces representing a new generation. But as we enter the final stages of the campaign, let’s also heed Michele Obama’s warning that the going is going to get tough and let's not forget her call to action near the end of her speech: "I’m telling y’all to do something.” We need to translate our good feelings into action.
There are only 65 days until Election Day -- but even fewer days to do our work because over half of voters will cast their ballots weeks ahead through early voting and mail-in ballots. After November 5, none of our enthusiasm and good intentions will matter unless we acted. Just do it!
As always,
Your faithful editor
In This Issue
- A Great Time at the Fair
- The Convention Speech: Kamala Harris in Her Own Words
- Justin Potter's Race Just Got Interesting
- Vote YES to Expand Absentee Ballots in CT
- Attention Young Democrats
- Upcoming Events
- More Things You Can Do
- In Case You Missed It
- Get Some Honey for Your Money
- An Easy Way to Amplify Your Voice
- Lawn Signs Are Here
| |
|
Thank you, everyone who visited us at the Lakeville Journal's street fair in Salisbury on August 10th. It was a great opportunity for us to meet you and hear about the issues that matter to you. It was also a great opportunity for voters to meet State Rep. Maria Horn and State Senate candidate Justin Potter, both of whom stopped by. Justin also donated jars of his honey for sale to benefit the DTC. (See below for a tantalizing offer!) Thank you, Lakeville Journal, for organizing this wonderful community event.
| |
THE CONVENTION SPEECH: KAMALA HARRIS IN HER OWN WORDS | |
|
It's hard to find the words to characterize Kamala Harris' acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. We will leave that to others who are more skilled at distilling the essence of her words and tone. If you missed it, watch it. If you saw it, watch it again to remember what we are fighting for and against, and how we are fighting. Better yet, invite a friend to watch it with you.
| |
|
JUSTIN POTTER'S RACE JUST GOT INTERESTING
A Democrat hasn’t won in our State Senate District (30th CT District) since 1978 -- but now it's rated a toss-up by CNalysis, which forecasts state legislature races. The district has shifted blue, and our Democratic candidate, Justin Potter, is a dynamic new face running a great campaign focused on kitchen table issues, such as the cost of living and especially housing. This race is also about values. Donald Trump is deeply unpopular in this district, not just among Democrats, but among unaffiliated voters. The incumbent, State Senator Stephen Harding is a Trump acolyte who was one of only two CT lawmakers to serve as delegates for Trump and has only good things to say about JD Vance. This race is clearly winnable -- if we help Justin. Please click here to volunteer to doorknock or phonebank for Justin.
| |
|
VOTE YES TO EXPAND ABSENTEE BALLOTS IN CT
After years of work, Connecticut voters will finally have a chance to expand absentee voting to all CT voters. Connecticut is one of just 14 states that require voters to provide an excuse when requesting an absentee ballot. The list of the states that require an excuse won't surprise you: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
Under the current CT state constitution, voters may cast an absentee vote only if they are unable to vote in person at their polling place on Election Day due to 1) absence from their city or town, 2) sickness or physical disability, or 3) their religious beliefs prohibiting secular activity on a day. If this amendment is approved, the state constitution would no longer require a reason for any voter to obtain an absentee ballot.
It's time for Connecticut to join the 36 states that allow a registered voter to choose an absentee ballot. Look for the following question on our November ballot and vote YES:
Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to allow each voter to vote by absentee ballot?
For additional background, read this article from the New Haven Register.
| |
|
ATTENTION YOUNG DEMOCRATS
Your voice matters! Join the Greater Litchfield County Young Democrats and be part of a dynamic community committed to positive change. Whether you're passionate about social justice, environmental issues, or economic equality, there's a place for you here. Get involved in local politics and advocacy efforts, volunteer for causes and candidates that matter to you, learn about important issues facing our region and country, and make a real impact on the future of our community! Together, we can shape the future we believe in. For more information, contact Daniela Larsson at nwctyd@gmail.com or (518) 354-9179.
| |
|
September 7 from 10am - 1pm: Doorknock in North Canaan for State Rep. Maria Horn and other CT Dems. Never knocked before? No problem! You'll be trained and paired with a pro. It's a great way to meet neighbors and have meaningful conversations about the importance of voting. Click here to sign up. Or contact Cindy Barrett at (860) 781-5066 or cbingoshen57@gmail.com.
September 8 from 1-4pm: Doorknock in Norfolk for State Rep. Maria Horn and other CT Dems. Never knocked before? No problem! You'll be trained and paired with a pro. It's a great way to meet neighbors and have meaningful conversations about the importance of voting. Click here to sign up or contact Cindy Barrett at (860) 781-5066 or cbingoshen57@gmail.com.
September 9 from 1-3pm: “Messaging Mondays” with the Sharon Democratic Town Committee (DTC) at The Edward, 19 West Main Street in Sharon. The Sharon DTC hosts twice-a-month gatherings to write postcards to voters in battleground states. Click here to sign up -- or just show up and bring a friend! For more info call (860) 364-0362.
September 8 from 3-5pm: Fundraiser for Jahana Hayes with Special Guest Senator Richard Blumenthal. This event takes place in Litchfield (Address to be provided after RSVP). Host committee: Davida Foy Crabtree, Eda di Biccari, Lynn Fulkerson & Dr. John Fulkerson, Laura Shapiro Kramer & Jay Kramer, Lynne Potter, Mary Sherwin, Merle Waxman & Dr. Stephen Waxman, former NY Governor David A. Paterson, Dean Birdsall, Patricia Donovan, Bill Honan, Lee Greenhouse & Flora Lazar, Anna & Richard Heys, Deborah Helck & Joe Yeno, John and Darcy Markelon, Marie McFadden, Kathy Thompson, Bibby Veerman, and others to be announced. This race is critical for Democratic control of the House of Representatives. Republicans have zeroed in on Jahana Hayes’ seat as one of their top pickup targets, and she’s counting on our support. This occasion will feature music with renowned saxophonist Paul Winter, remarks by environmentalist Bill McKibben, and other celebrity guests. Please click to RSVP and donate (from $50 to $3300). And please spread the word!
September 9 at 5:30pm: The Sharon Democratic Town Committee holds its regular monthly meeting. You are welcome to join in person on the second floor of Sharon Town Hall, 63 Main Street, in Sharon, or remotely on Zoom. Please email sharontowndemocrats@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
September 15 from 10am-1pm: Doorknock in Cornwall for State Rep. Maria Horn and other CT Dems. Never knocked before? No problem! You'll be trained and paired with a pro. It's a great way to meet neighbors and have meaningful conversations about the importance of voting. Click here to sign up or contact Cindy Barrett at (860) 781-5066 or cbingoshen57@gmail.com.
September 16 from 5:30-7:30pm: “Messaging Mondays” with the Sharon Democratic Town Committee (DTC) at The Edward, 19 West Main Street in Sharon. The Sharon DTC hosts twice-a-month gatherings to write postcards to voters. They will be writing to the all-important battleground state of Georgia, encouraging lower-propensity Georgians to sign up for no-excuse absentee ballots. Click here to sign up -- or just show up and bring a friend! For more info call (860) 364-0362.
September 17 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. All are welcome.
September 18 from 6:30-9pm: Woman-to-Woman Phone Bank with State Rep. Maria Horn and other CT Candidates at the Kent regional Democratic headquarters. More information at https://forms.gle/1XKsHGpJpQWiSekx7.
September 22 from 10am-1pm: Doorknock in Sharon for State Rep. Maria Horn and other CT Dems. Never knocked before? No problem! You'll be trained and paired with a pro. It's a great way to meet neighbors and have meaningful conversations about the importance of voting. Click here to sign up or contact Cindy Barrett at (860) 781-5066 or cbingoshen57@gmail.com.
| |
September 29 from 4-7pm: Democratic Candidate Meet and Greet in Salisbury. Join the Salisbury Democratic Town Committee for a Sunday afternoon of family fun at the Town Grove. There will be a free barbecue and entertainment for children. This is a great opportunity to talk to State Rep Maria Horn, State Senate candidate Justin Potter, and other candidates in a relaxed environment. Please bring the whole family! | |
|
MORE THINGS YOU CAN DO
With all the ways to volunteer, there is no excuse for standing on the sidelines. Here are just a few more ways to make a difference in elections at the local, state and national levels. With the great technology now used by all campaigns you can work locally or anywhere in the country. These campaigns are great at training new volunteers, so just sign up and jump in.
| |
Saving Democracy – Our local advocacy group, Saving Democracy, continues to write postcards on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 2-4pm at the White Hart Inn and the crowd has grown in numbers and enthusiasm in the last month. Grab a friend, a neighbor, an acquaintance, or join in and meet someone new. The group writes postcards encouraging Democrats in swing states to vote. It is easy – cards, address labels, and the scripts are provided. One focus in September will be registering new voters. There will also be postcards to support our local candidates as well as congressional races in swing states. 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. For more information, contact savingdemocracyct@gmail.com.
| |
All in for North Carolina (AINC) – Things are heating up 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 North Carolina a state that Democrats can win. All in for North Carolina (AINC) is working remotely to help Democrats win elections in North Carolina. This phase focuses on calling people in Mecklenburg County who have expressed an interest in volunteering to elect Democrats. These efforts should have a multiplier effect. Every person who signs up to canvass, phonebank, or help out in the office will mean many more voters can be reached. Join AINC on Sunday and Wednesday nights 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.
| |
Easy Phonebanking: Rust Belt Rising Calls to Register Wisconsin Voters.
Wisconsin is one of the key states on the path to victory this November. Join Rust Belt Rising's virtual voter registration program to make sure that everyone in Wisconsin is able to vote. The organization's innovative program helped thousands of Wisconsin residents register so they could vote in 2020 and 2022. In 2020, this program produced over 26,000 Wisconsin voter registrations and Joe Biden won Wisconsin by just 20,682 votes!
Here's why this program is so effective: Rust Belt Rising targets people who would likely vote Democratic but are unregistered at their current address. It then mails these targets a pre-filled voter registration form with a motivational flyer and postage for returning the form to their elections clerk. That's where we come in! We make follow-up calls to encourage these people to complete the easy process of registering.
Rust Belt Rising is holding virtual phonebanks on Saturday mornings from 11am-1pm and Monday evenings from 7-9pm. They use a simple autodialer that makes the work go fast. Click to sign up. For details or questions, please contact Lee Greenhouse at (917) 701-5739 or LRgreenhouse@gmail.com.
| |
|
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Talking Points: Lower Drug Costs Are Happening. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced new, lower drug prices for the first 10 drugs selected for price negotiations thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which allows the federal government to negotiate drug prices. These 10 drugs are used by 9 million Medicare recipients, costing them $3.4 billion in out-of-pocket costs. The new, negotiated prices will save Medicare recipients $1.5 billion annually and all US taxpayers $6 billion annually. We have Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to thank. Harris’ tie-breaking vote in the Senate and Biden’s signature on the Inflation Reduction Act have lowered healthcare costs for millions of Americans. By contrast, Donald Trump and the Republican party want to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and are threatening cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. For more, read the FAQs from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Harris and Trump Offer a Clear Contrast on the Economy. Both candidates embrace a vision of a powerful federal government, using its muscle to intervene in markets in pursuit of a stronger and more prosperous economy. But they disagree, almost entirely, on when and how that power should be used. Harris embraces the idea that the federal government must act aggressively to foster competition and correct distortions in private markets. Her approach seeks large tax increases on corporations and high earners, and to fund assistance for low-income and middle-class workers who are struggling to build wealth for themselves and their children. At the same time, it provides big tax breaks to companies engaged in what Harris and other progressives see as delivering great economic benefit — like manufacturing technologies needed to fight global warming, or building affordable housing. Mr. Trump’s pitch is simpler: He says that he made America rich the first time he was in the White House, and that he would do it again. He also blames Harris and Biden for a surge in inflation under their administration. Read more in this analysis by New York Times tax and economics reporter Jim Tankersley. Also read another New York Times article explaining Trump's costly idea to end income taxes on Social Security benefits.
US Supreme Court Reform is Now on the Table. The Election Stakes Just Got Higher. Read this opinion piece by Harvard Law Professional Laurence Tribe and former federal prosecutor Dennis Aftergut to understand the possibilities if Kamala Harris wins. Joe Biden recently proposed concrete steps, which Kamala Harris quickly endorsed, to correct the extremism that Donald Trump has enabled through three appointments to the court. Biden’s new plan calls for term limits and also for an enforceable code of conduct mandating that justices “disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity, and recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest.” Read the full piece in The Guardian.
The Political Shockwaves of America’s Falling Birth Rates if Trump Wins. Social Security insolvency, less economic growth, and a smaller and older workforce are some of the long-term economic consequences demographers and economists say the US could face if Donald Trump makes good on a central tenet of his campaign platform — significantly cutting immigration levels and increasing deportations. The reason that curtailing immigration would send such large shockwaves through the American economy isn’t simply that the nation would be deprived of the economic benefits of immigration. It’s also that the impact would be amplified by a much more deeply ingrained and long-term trend that is starting to surface more frequently in political discourse — the consequences of a shrinking population as fewer American families decide to have children. Read the story in Politico.
| |
GET SOME HONEY FOR YOUR MONEY | |
|
The Salisbury Democratic Town Committee has been investing heavily in supporting Democratic candidates at this critical time. Our expenditures are most noticeable in the yard signs that you are starting to see all over town. We also help get out the word about our outstanding candidates in surrounding towns that have less money to spend. In addition, we help pay for postcards and postage used by our robust postcard writing campaigns targeting voters in swing states.
Many of you have already given generously to support our work -- thank you! But now we have this tantalizing offer that you won't want to miss:
| |
|
Through a generous donation of honey from Justin Potter, the Salisbury Democratic Town Committee is offering an 8 oz. jar of Justin's delicious honey for anyone who donates $100 or more thru September 15. Justin is not only our Democratic candidate for CT State Senate here in the 30th District. He is a renowned maker of delicious local honey (with a little help from the bees themselves). To qualify, just make a donation through our online system using the QR code or by clicking here.
| |
|
AN EASY WAY TO AMPLIFY YOUR VOICE
Every time you send an email, you have the opportunity to spread the word about voting. Did you know that in order to vote, everyone must update their voter registration with their elections clerk if they have moved -- even if they only moved around the corner? Please add the following non-partisan message below to the automatic signature line of your email. It will help remind people to register to vote and to make sure that their registration is up to date:
Election Day is Coming!
Register/Check Your Registration: https://voterizer.org/
It's easy to add these lines to your signature. In Gmail, go to "Settings" then "See all Settings." Scroll down until you see "Signature" and edit the signature box on the right. Finally, hit "Save" at the bottom of the screen. The signature you create will be automatically appended to all of your outgoing emails. If you want to remove it from an email that you are sending, you can just delete it from that specific email.
| |
|
LAWN SIGNS ARE HERE
Hot off the truck, lawn signs have arrived for Jahana Hayes, Maria Horn, and Justin Potter. We expect to have Harris-Walz signs soon. There is a lot of demand for signs and they are expensive (no, we do not get free signs from the campaigns), so please take a sign only if you have a very visible place to put it. We also want to share the wealth with surrounding towns that are less financially able to purchase signs. Please email Al Ginouves if you want a lawn sign.
| |
|
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 in advance. Please submit to the editor at salsdemsnews@gmail.com.
| |
If you've read this far, it's probably because you like this newsletter. Please feel free forward it to your friends and family. Let them know that they are welcome to join our mailing list no matter where they live. We are delighted to have readers from anywhere -- Salisbury, the Northwest Corner, or elsewhere in the world. They can sign up with the QR code or just click to sign up.
| | | | |
