Happy Tuesday, Activists!
We hope you’re healthy and staying safe and sane. You know, we’ve been at this shutdown for a while now, and we know it’s getting old. But we know you are staying committed to our collective mission to restore our democracy, even in this time of trial. You can be sure that as soon as we are “released” from this shutdown, to the point we feel comfortable being back outside, we at Indivisible Philadelphia HQ will be ready to get back at it!
In the meantime, we want to keep you informed, motivated, and engaged in moving forward while we’re staying at home. So many of you are writing postcards to voters and even having fun at our virtual postcard parties. We’ve had a couple of virtual meetings too, on topics we know you care about. For those of you who weren’t able to make it we have posted the videos on our YouTube channel at this link (Census) and this link (Vote By Mail).
We are working on a couple of other projects too and hopefully we'll have more on that soon. But we want to know what else you are interested in learning about or doing as a group. So give us your ideas! What issues are at the top of your list? Email us here and let us know what’s on your mind and we’ll try to address them.
CALL TO ACTION
You can see our previous Calls To Action, which are still a good thing for you to do, on our website here.
Sen. Casey – Phila office 215-405-9660; D.C. office 202-224-6324; email link
Sen. Toomey – Phila office 215-241-1090; D.C. office 202-224-4254; email link
Rep. Evans – D.C. office 202-225-4001; Phila. office (215) 276-0340; email link
Rep. Boyle – D.C. office (202) 225-6111; Phila office (215) 335-3355; email link
We know the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 epidemic hasn’t done nearly enough to help working people. We’re calling on members of Congress to vote against the next coronavirus relief package (COVID 4) unless it is a true People’s Agenda for relief. Democrats must ensure the next package provides relief to every person in this country, regardless of tax or immigration status, age, or disability.
Call our MOCs and demand they withhold their vote unless the next package has provisions that:
Keep people on payrolls: Stop mass layoffs, and preserve employment relationships for all businesses, including small businesses. Ensure federal dollars go to workers and small businesses, not enriching CEOs and Wall Street.
Provide financial relief: Expand aid for the most vulnerable in the COVID-19 epidemic, including direct cash assistance, increased food aid, debt relief, and eviction protections.
Protect public health: Full health coverage for all COVID-19 care and protections for all frontline workers.
Defend elections: Enact a vote-by-mail requirement for 2020 federal elections while maintaining access to in-person voting for those who do not have access to mail voting. Full funding for the Postal Service is a requirement to make this happen too.
After you make a call, follow up using Indivisible's two new tools to easily tweet and email. We’re hearing right now that social media is a more effective tool to engage with our members of Congress than usual because of remote working and social distancing. Let them know you’re paying attention.
Click this link to tweet at your representative and demand they vote 'no' on the next package unless it puts people first.
Click this link to email your representative after you've called and tweeted to follow up.
Also – Remember to:
1. Sign up here to vote by mail.The applications are accepted through May 26 but don’t wait! Get it out of the way now. You can read this short article from MIT about voting by mail and its history. You can see the important recent changes to the vote by mail system in a recent newsletter at our website here.
Once you sign up you can track your ballot status here. It shows when your application has been approved, when your ballot has been mailed to you, and when it is received back at the election office.
2. Register To Vote (if you need to) – The voter registration deadline is extended to May 18. If you, or someone you know someone, needs to register or update your voter registration with a new address or new name, tell them to do it now. Register online here.
3. Fill out your Census! Really? You still haven’t? This is your reminder!!
PHONEBANKING
Call Voters & Tell Them About PA’s New Vote By Mail
We’ve made a staggering number of calls already, and this week we have a chance to reach a big milestone – half a million calls in April! This is how we get Dems elected – remember Wisconsin?
-- Join this Saturday’s Back 2 Blue Phone Bank. The new phone bank system eliminates calls with no answer or an answering machine, so all the calls go to a person who answers the phone – no wasted time. Choose an hour or two to make calls between 11 AM-8 PM. You can sign up here to call Democrats and urge them to vote by mail this Saturday!
Training is optional but recommended. Sign up for phone bank training.
-- Make Calls from the Couch at Your Convenience! Choose from the full line-up of Back to Blue open virtual phone banks. Check out Turn PA Blue Phone Banking Tips.
Call & Tell Philly To Complete The Census!
First of all, we ALL need to fill out our own Census form. Then, we need to make a few calls to our fellow residents and ask them to fill out their Census form too. Here’s how to do it:
Sign up here to make some calls. It’s really easy and the system removes the rings with no one home or an answering machine. Here are instructions on how to set up your account for the phone bank.
POSTCARDS
Last Thursday’s virtual post card party went a full hour over because we were having such a good time! No lie, it’s fun writing cards together even though we’re not in the same room.
And of course, if you don’t want to write postcards with a group, no problem – just write cards at home. It all helps! Details are below.
We’ve been writing to voters in Arizona to remind them to double-check their voter registration status. We’re also writing to more Wisconsin voters to urge them to vote for Tricia Zunker, Democratic candidate for Congress in the May special election. We’ll be adding more options as we go along. This is guaranteed to relieve your anxiety and give you confidence you are making a difference.
Here’s how it works:
– Step One: Order postcards from the Postal Service at this link. They are 39 cents each, including the stamp, and are the cheapest way to buy cards and stamps.
– Step Two: Email us here and let us know you want to write cards.
– Step Three: We will send you addresses and a script for you to write the cards. We’ll replenish your supply of addresses as needed.
Virtual Postcard Events
We’ll be doing these events every week, so order your postcards now. They’re taking about 10 days to arrive. The Zoom meeting link will be at the bottom of your confirmation email. For easy access, all of our events are at this link.
Virtual Cards & Coffee
When: TOMORROW, April 29, 11 am-1 pm (stay for as long as you want). Sign up here.
When: Wednesday, May 6, 11 am-1 pm (stay for as long as you want). Sign up here.
Virtual Cards & Cocktails
When: Thursday, April 30, 6-8 pm (stay as long as you want). Sign up here
When: Thursday, May 7, 6-8 pm (stay as long as you want). Sign up here
DONATION MATCHING GRANT
Don’t forget the Indivisible matching grant. First, we want to send a big THANK YOU to all those who have donated so far! We receive double any donations made between today and the end of May, up to a total of $500 in donations. So now your donations will go twice as far to help Indivisible Philadelphia fulfill its mission. Please donate here.
Even though we are not busy with every one of our activities right now, we want to be ready to hit the ground running the moment the shutdown lifts.
MORE IDEAS FOR SPENDING QUALITY INDOOR TIME
Here we go with more fun stuff! If you missed our ideas from last week, find them on the Newsletter page on our website here.
1. Space! It’s last call soon for Orion for this year. You can catch the famous constellation in the night sky before it disappears in early May until next winter. And watch this nighttime live stream of the aurora borealis streamed live. And let’s get all science-y and re-learn how the northern lights work.
For more in space news check out the “30 years, 30 images” photo portfolio from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. You can view the other gorgeous photo collections from Hubble too.
2. Virtual Travel – Today we go to Paris! Check out this quiet, charming view of the Streets of Paris Under Quarantine. And if you’ve always wanted to go, or have gone, or plan to go, check out this video of the history of this beautiful museum, in a virtual tour of the Musée d’Orsay. From train station to museum in 85 years!
3. Looking to Make a Donation? – You might be looking for somewhere to make a donation, and we know there are SO many options out there. These are a few great organizations offering support during this crisis: Feeding America, No Kid Hungry, World Central Kitchen, God's Love We Deliver, Direct Relief, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Even a small donation helps!
4. New Music Releases – Check out these new offerings and get away from it all for a bit.
-- The Rolling Stones– “Living In A Ghost Town” "It wasn't written for now, but it was just one of those odd things," Mick Jagger tells Zane Lowe, in an interview for Apple Music.
-- Kacey Musgraves – “What A World 2.0" This track was reworked and turned into a fundraiser for Earth Day.
-- Bright Eyes “Forced Convalescence,” Jónsi’s “Exhale” + others – In this collection are some new voices and some not heard from in a while.
-- Lucinda Williams -- “You Can’t Rule Me” and “Man Without A Soul” – Definitely some political comments here!
5. More animals!
We’ve left out the canines lately so this is for all you dog lovers out there! It’s every breed of dog explained, with the best known voice of the Westminster Kennel Club. It’s a two-parter, so here’s Part 1 and here’s Part 2. The histories of some of these beasts are fascinating!