Happy Tuesday, Activists!
258 DAYS TO THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS
“Like my parents before me, I remain optimistic about our future. The events of the past year, while deeply disturbing, show that even though our institutions and our fellow citizens are being challenged in ways that few of us ever expected, we will endure, we will persist and we will prevail.” -- Marie Yovanovitch, Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine We need to heed Ambassador Yovanovitch’s words and maintain our optimism. Of course, it's optimism coupled with knowing that in order for our democracy to endure we need to actively work at keeping it alive. Fortunately, we know how to do that! This week’s Call To Action takes a page from historians whose work tells us how to stand against an authoritarian government.
Attorney General Barr has proven to be the most corrupt attorney general in our history. If you missed all the stories about his corruption over the past few weeks, here is a good explainer.
The last straw came last week when he intervened to seek a lighter sentence for Roger Stone, contravening the request made by his own line prosecutors. This happened after Trump tweeted his displeasure over the original sentencing request and thus Barr injected politics into DOJ practice, a violation of DOJ rules. The four prosecutors on the case quit in protest. Now, over 2,000 former prosecutors have written an open letter demanding Barr resign. You can read it here and more background here.
CALL TO ACTION Use one per day this week.
(1) Call our Democratic MoCs and tell them to “Defund Barr.” That means demanding they stop funding his office at DOJ – where he and high-level DOJ appointees work – until he and other Trump appointees recuse themselves from any Trump-related matters. And demand they start an investigation into Barr's actions. You can get longer scripts for House Members and Sen. Casey here. Sen. Casey – Phila office 215-405-9660; D.C. office 202-224-6324; 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 (2). Call or email the Department of Justice Comment line to leave a brief message demanding Barr’s resignation. Call 202-514-2000 (press 4 for voicemail). After the beep, the very short script is: “I am calling for Attorney General Barr's resignation due to his corruption.” Or send an email to askDOJ@USDOJ.gov. (3) Stand up for the resisters. Trump fired Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman from his White House assignment because he perceives the Colonel to be his “enemy” because of his testimony in the impeachment hearings. Team Trump spread falsehoods and rumors about Marie Yovanovitch in Ukraine and elsewhere while she represented our country in Ukraine. Vindman and Yovanovitch honored their oath and are being attacked for corrupt reasons. We need to stand up for them and for the rule of law. Call Senator Toomey and tell him – Phila office 215-241-1090; D.C. office 202-224-4254; email link TOMORROW’S MEETING 2020 KICKOFF – OUR PLAN TO WIN!
When: February 19, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Where: Philadelphia Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Sign up with this link.
Tomorrow's meeting will be all about our strategy for 2020. And we’ll have pizza! Bring your questions and thoughts.We have a great lineup of speakers.
Kevin (Vin) Arceneaux, PhD. from Temple University – Dr. Arceneaux will discuss the best strategies to get out votes and why these strategies work. His research focuses on how people make political decisions. He also has published articles on the topic of the influence of partisan campaigns on voting behavior. This will be a super interesting talk!Andrea Koplove from Turn PA Blue – Andrea will speak about the successes we’ve achieved in the past two years and our big plans for 2020. Three candidates for state House seats from Bucks County – Marlene Katz (HD 29), Gary Spillane (HD 144), and Ann Marie Mitchell (HD 178).
PHILLY COUNTS 2020 — CENSUS ACTION DAYS
Help shape the future of Philadelphia for the next ten years by getting involved with Philly Counts, the City’s initiative to ensure a complete and accurate count in the 2020 Census. Every person counted represents $21,000 of federal funding for Philadelphia over the next ten years. You can help increase census responses in a really easy way by just hanging flyers on doors during the upcoming Census Days. All volunteers will canvass with a partner and get a short training before they head out. You can sign up here. Canvass Action Day I: Saturday, March 21 Canvass Action Day II: Saturday, March 24 Canvass Action Day III: Saturday, April 4 Time: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sign up here.
VOTER REGISTRATION
We’ve added more voter registration opportunities for all you registration enthusiasts! We’re taking the fantastic job we did in 2018 and making this year bigger and better. Check out our events below and stay tuned for more. Do you live in an apartment building in the city? If so, let us know here to talk to us about your building with an eye toward registering voters there.
New! First Fridays in Old City
Register voters on the first Friday of each month at First Fridays, that awesome night in Old City where that area’s art galleries extend their hours into the evening. Where: Cuttalossa, 47 No. 2nd Street, Philadelphia 19106 When:
Friday, April 3, 5:00 - 9:00 pm (two 2-hour shifts) Sign up here for a 2-hour a shift Friday, May 1, 5:00 - 9:00 pm (two 2-hour shifts) Sign up here for a 2-hour shift
New! Philly AIDS Thrift
Register voters on the first Saturday of each month at Philly AIDS Thrift during their monthly sale day. Where: 710 S. 5th Street, Philadelphia 19147 When:
Saturday, April 4, Noon - 2:00 pm Sign up here. Saturday, May 2, Noon - 2:00 pm Sign up here.
Kensington Derby & Arts Festival
This is the coolest festival and you should check it out. The event is a Philadelphia-wide attraction where people experience the parade of sculptures and shop with artists and food vendors. You can sign up for a voter registration shift and then go and enjoy the festivities. Or the other way around. Where: Trenton Ave. from York St. to Norris St. – Exact meetup location TBA
When: Saturday, May 9, Noon - 4:00 pm (two 2-hour shifts) Sign up here for a 2-hour shift.
Northern Liberties Second Saturdays Pop-Up Market
From street art to live music, the neighborhood comes alive with family friendly activities in restaurants, galleries and shops as well as out on the sidewalks of N 2nd and N 3rd. Where: North 2nd Street, exact meetup location TBA
When: Saturday, June 13, Noon - 4:00 pm (two 2-hour shifts) Sign up here for a two-hour shift.
POSTCARDS
This week we’ll finish up writing postcards for Harold Hayes, who is running in the March 17 special election for the District 18 PA House seat in Bensalem Township, Bucks County. This is our first HUGE opportunity to flip a state house seat this year! We’ll also write cards to get Florida voters to register to vote by mail. All you do is come with your writing hand and good humor. And bring a friend! If you sign up and then find you can’t make it, please email us and let us know. We depend on having the right count!
If you can, bring $5.00 to help defray the cost of postcards. Would you like to start your own satellite postcard event? We can set you up with everything you need to have a postcard party at your home or a coffee shop nearby with family and friends. For more information just let us know here. The more the merrier! CARDS & COFFEE Where: OCF Coffee House, 2100 Fairmount Ave. When:
Wednesday, February 19, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. RSVP here.
Wednesday, March 11, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. RSVP here.
CARDS & COCKTAILS Where: Vicki Miller’s house (Graduate Hospital area). The exact address will be at the bottom of the confirmation email under “Additional Information.” When:
Thursday, February 20, 6:00 - 8:00 pm. RSVP here.
Thursday, March 5, 6:00 - 8:00 pm. RSVP here.
Thursday, March 12, 6:00 - 8:00 pm. RSVP here
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