Greetings Staunton Democrats and Happy Halloween ! My scary Halloween costume this year is Ben Cline ! Enclosed are more news, opportunities, future and past event details, and pleadings for volunteers and funds and whatever else we think of. We hope you will look forward to this post every Monday and use it to keep fighting for our democratic values and dedication to all members of our communities. If you wish to submit information to be published by the SDC then please email the information to publicity@staunton-democrats.care . We can publish to the blog weekly, and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc) more frequently. Please send all comments and feedback to publicity@staunton-democrats.care . And now for the show ! This week: Opportunities and calls for action ! The SDC Candidate Forum for the Win ! VOTE ! Our Democracy at Stake ! Events SDC Coffee The SDC blog - NEW Posts ! What is a living wage for Staunton ? News from our friends Ben Cline (Sigh!) Jennifer Lewi
Greetings Staunton Democrats !
This is the second weekly email that will contain news, opportunities, future and past event details, and pleadings for volunteers and funds and whatever else we think of. We hope you will look forward to this email every Monday and use it to keep fighting for our democratic values and dedication to all members of our communities.
If you wish to submit information to be published by the SDC then please email the information to publicity@sawdemocrats.care . We can publish to email (weekly), and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc) more frequently.
Don’t forget to look at our new blog at blog.sawdemocrats.care . We are gradually posting more informational commentary about local, regional and national issues. We are looking for writers ! Please submit a blog post to publicity@sawdemocrats.care . More information about the blog below.
This week:
Opportunities and calls for action !
Fan Mail !
Events
Candidate Forum (sponsored by the SDC)
SDC Coffee
Kristin Siegel events
The SDC blog
DEI News
Democratic achievements and news
Meanwhile, the Republicans …
Ben Cline (Sigh!)
Jennifer Lewis (YAY !)
Staunton City Council and School Board races
From the Lincoln Project
Opportunities and Calls for Action !
ANYTHING That You Can Do Is Helpful !
URGENT CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP PUT ON THE CANDIDATE FORUM ! See the information about the Candidate Forum in the Events section. Please sign up here - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44A8AF2DABF4C25-help
Where will your money go ?
Donations may be used in election related activities (mailings, radio issue ads, events for voter registration and candidate support, door to door canvassing for local regional candidates, etc).
Donations can also be used to support the SDC office and printing capabilities that are needed during the non-stop elections seasons. We are also looking towards the future since there is a Virginia Legislature election in a year then the 2024 elections. The fight is a continuing effort !
Join the Staunton Democratic Committee and Join an SDC Committee (SDC membership is required)
Volunteers are the life blood of our organization. Without volunteers you would not be reading this very fine publication !
The SDC is trying to organize some canvassing efforts and some individuals are interested in canvassing their neighborhood on their own. Regardless, we NEED volunteers since leaflets don’t distribute themselves.
Spend a few hours staffing the SDC Headquarters – answer phones, talk to visitors, data tasks, distribute canvassing and electoral information, etc.
The Jennifer Lewis for Congress campaign needs volunteers to help. Get in touch with Peri Price at peri@friendsofjenniferlewis.
Fan Mail !
Shortly after our first SDC Weekly Email went live we received a very nice comment (I did not make this up !):
“This newsletter is great! So much good information. We need to keep the facts out there for everyone. Thank you for the newsletter and keep them coming!”
Please don’t be shy about sending heaps and heaps of praise !
Actually, we are here to provide factual information, promote discussion, provide motivation, organize and provide hope ! Please submit your ideas and ENGAGE !
Events !
Candidate Forum – on Tuesday 9/13/22 at 7 PM the SDC is holding a non-partisan Candidate Forum – we have invited all the Staunton City Council and School Board candidates as well as VA 6th Congressional District candidates Ben Cline and Jennifer Lewis. A moderator will officiate and ask questions of the candidates that we hope will reveal the differences between them and allow the public to make a more informed voting decision. The doors open at 6:00 pm food available, the forum starts at 7:00 pm. Use the entrance for Tempest Bar and Lounge on North Central Ave. SAVE THE DATE !
URGENT CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP PUT ON THE CANDIDATE FORUM ! Please sign up here - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44A8AF2DABF4C25-help
SDC Coffee at Serendipity – what could be better than sitting at a local coffee shop with a great cup of their fresh brew (supplied by the SDC) and talking to compatriots about the news of the day. I have been attending the SDC Coffee at Serendipity Java Bar and Eatery since I joined the SDC in May 2022 and have met wonderful people and learned much in the subsequent discussions. This happens on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 9-11 AM. Donations are welcome to help pay for the coffee or you can order something else for yourself (including food). Serendipity is located at https://bit.ly/3Pru44b . You can find this event and many others at the SDC Event Calendar on the SDC website at https://www.sawdemocrats.com/calendar .
Jennifer Lewis will be at the JMU Block party on Saturday August 27th. https://downtownharrisonburg.
Postcard writing party for Jennifer Lewis Sept 6, 6:30pm. Location in Staunton TBD. Jennifer will be joining us !
From Kristin Siegel
Kristin Siegel is seeking canvass volunteers and invites you to her campaign kick-off event. Please check out both of these links!!
Link to volunteer to canvass: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4aaca823a7fbcf8-canvassing
The SDC Blog
The SDC blog (at https://blog.sawdemocrats.care) is coming along slowly but nicely. Currently there are 5 sections:
Staunton Democrats Speak ! - this section is more issue specific and currently has 2 articles “Vote Like Your Pants Are On Fire !” and “Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, is my HERO !” We plan other posts called “My Wife is not a Second Class Citizen”, “On the Chopping Block” and others (I will give you a cookie if you can guess the topics behind these titles).
Ben Cline. Where’s the beef ? - this section is dedicated to the appalling and anemic performance of our current VA 6th District Congressional Representative. With your help we can retire this section on November 9, 2022. Snippets of his record will occur weekly in this Email with more discussion of the bills and vote on the SDC blog.
Thoughts from Yvonne Surette – Yvonne is a well known local columnist who always (to use a basketball reference) swishes her jumpshots.
Democratic achievements – Democrats are generally very bad at tooting our own horn when we do something good. Talking points included.
Community Voices - In this section the Staunton Democrats hope to soon publish content from users and organizations from the Staunton area that have a unique perspective on life and where they fit into the American melting pot. There are many voices that are not often heard so we hope to help them ! This may include contributions from the LGBTQ community, younger voters, those who are struggling to help others and those who are just struggling. We want to hear about your lived experience. Knowing and caring about our neighbors better is why we are Democrats.
Of course I am going to ask for volunteers and writers and any ideas and feedback you may have.
The Staunton Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission
I had the pleasure of meeting Daniel Stuhlsatz at the SDC Tuesday Coffee at Serendipity. During the course of many cups of coffee and discussion I found out that he was a member of The Staunton Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission (DEI) and that he is also a retired professor of Sociology at Mary Baldwin University. I then attended the next meeting of the DEI Commission at 10 AM on 8/17/22 (there were 2 other DEI meetings for different subcommittees that day that I could not attend).
From the DEI website “The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission is initially charged with objectively evaluating existing data, studies, and reports from available sources concerning social and racial equity in the City of Staunton that evaluate social determinates and inequitable outcomes within the City.”
That is quite a mouthful but the goal of the DEI is to find out (using a variety of methods such as examining currently available research data, collecting more primary data from the community, soliciting direct input from community public forums and listening sessions and connecting with community leaders and partners) what factors are contributing to a positive community environment and those that are preventing Staunton from being a more diverse, equitable and inclusive community and recommend possible solutions to the City Council.
I spent 2 hours at the Data & Research Sub-Committee meeting and found the members to be creative and earnest volunteers with a variety of backgrounds and not a hint of a political agenda. This bodes well for the future success of the DEI Commission.
The Commission as a whole is just beginning their work and they have a monumental task ahead.
I hope to routinely go to the meetings (the public is welcome and the meeting details are posted on the website) and report back as they progress. I personally am giving them whatever support I can.
Staunton DEI website with supporting information - https://www.ci.staunton.va.us/government/city-council/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-commission
Democratic Achievements and News
President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act which attacks climate change through changing the fossil fuel economy to a greener version (over time, of course). The bill also helps with lowering medication costs and other benefits. More detail in our blog post.
Watch the powerful Biden speech at the signing of the bill.
Excerpts from the speech will be available to read on the SDC blog
Kansas overwhelmingly rejected an amendment to their constitution that would allow the Kansas legislature to restrict abortion as they see fit. Although this is not really a Democrat led win it does represent a win for Democratic ideals. More about this in the SDC blog. Although this is not specifically a democrat led win, the energy of the people and end result shows that many people on both sides of the aisle want the radical conservatives to keep their noses out of our business.
Michigan, under the guidance of three strong women leaders, setup a ballot initiative that would protect right to abortion and reverse the 1931 ban. Michigan needed 425,059 signatures and they easily blew through that requirement by gathering 753,759. This indicates a significant amount of support for the proposed Michigan Constitutional amendment. The final vote on this ballot initiative is November 8, 2022. More on this in the SDC blog.
BREAKING NEWS ! - a Michigan Judge just issued an injunction blocking the 1931 abortion ban stating that the law appears to violate rights to due process. He also noted that Governor Gretchen Whitmer (one of those 3 strong Michigan women leaders I was talking about) is likely to prevail that abortion rights are protected under the Michigan Constitution !
New poll shows Mandela Barnes with lead over Ron Johnson - The newly minted Democratic Senate nominee holds a 7-point edge over the incumbent.
Meanwhile, the Republicans …
Defund the FBI ! (Oh, the irony and hypocrisy !)
Rand Paul R-Ky calls for a repeal of the Espionage Act after the Mar-a-Lago search – his new nickname is Rand “I belong to the law and order party” Paul).
"Attorney General Garland, preserve your documents and clear your calendar," Kevin McCarthy said about investigating the DOJ after the Mar-a-Lago search – his new nickname is Kevin “Revenge is mine if we win the midterms” McCarthy.
Per the Washington Post article, in his next term, He Who Shall Not Be Named (Trump) wants to:
Execute drug dealers
Move homeless people to outlying ‘tent cities’
Deploy federal forces against crime, unrest and protests
Strip job protections for federal workers
Eliminate the Education Department
Restrict voting to one day using paper ballots
More on this in an SDC blog post
Indiana passed a very restrictive abortion law “The Indiana ban, which goes into effect Sept. 15, allows abortion only in cases of rape, incest, lethal fetal abnormality, or when the procedure is necessary to prevent severe health risks or death. Indiana joins nine other states that have abortion bans starting at conception.” There is also huge fallout from business (Lilly is going to look elsewhere for their expansion plans) and healthcare providers not feeling safe or supported in their emergency medical decisions that will result in a decrease in healthcare professionals in the state. Didn’t Indiana learn from the business loss due to the 2015 debacle of the radical Religious Freedom Act they passed (under Mike Pence’s watch) ?
Our beloved Governor Glenn Youngkin asked four anti-abortion lawmakers to craft restrictive legislation banning abortions after 15 weeks except in the cases of rape, incest, and danger to the life of the mother. This was announced right after Roe was overturned in June. There was no mention of an exception in the case of severe fetal anomaly. Of course, Youngkin sidestepped questions about his abortion stance during the campaign but his true colors are now apparent. Virginia is just two State Senators away from the entire state government being controlled by Republicans. The General Assembly elections are in 2023 – WE NEED VOLUNTEERS FOR THE FIGHT !
Trump is apparently having great difficulty hiring seasoned criminal defense lawyers.
Ben Cline (sigh!)
This section of the SDC Weekly Email has been voted the hands down favorite of our readers ! Not really but like a fender bender on the highway you cannot avert your eyes from Ben Cline’s appalling voting record !
More detailed information about Ben Cline’s voting record is located on our Staunton Democrats Speak ! Blog – Ben Cline has his own section called “Ben Cline. Where’s the beef ?”
Ben Cline voted NO to the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act
Ben Cline voted NO to the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of 2022
Ben Cline voted NO to the Protecting Our Kids Act
Ben Cline voted NO to the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act
Ben Cline voted NO to supporting firefighter illness resulting from protecting the public
Ben Cline – prolific author ?
Ben Cline has authored only 13 bills in Congress in the last 4 years. His lack of work ethic is shocking compared to the average of 63 sponsored legislative bills in 4 years by each of the other Virginia Congressional representatives. What has he been doing all this time ? Obviously not much.
He has also voted NO on numerous bills that would have been very helpful to his constituents including lowering the cost of medications and insulin, preventing fuel price gouging, and many others. More detail in the SDC blog.
Ben Cline does not seem to believe in the Rule of Law, does not appear to be able to think independently and is continuing to promote Donald Trump and only does what he is told by his Party - it is the only work he does as a Congressman. From our friends at Clinewatch.com – Ben Cline says:
"As a freshman member of the Judiciary Committee, I had a front row seat as Robert Mueller‘s fake ‘Russian Collusion’ charges fell apart. Today’s raid by the FBI of President Trump’s home is unprecedented, and it reeks of more of the same - the continued weaponization of the Department of Justice to target a past and possibly future political opponent. That’s a story from a third world country; not from America."
Ben Cline voted against protecting animals from abuse (please read the articles and you will be outraged and heartbroken and angry at Cline):
Remember this when you vote in November 2022.
Jennifer Lewis
This message from Jennifer Lewis says it all:
Statement from Patrick Fritz, Deputy Campaign Manager, Jennifer Lewis for Congress:
“Forget the partisanship for just a second and just compare and contrast these two honestly - Congressman Ben Cline and Jennifer Lewis
- Which one of them has worked, day in and day out, for YEARS out in the community helping home-bound folks with food, comfort, and a listening ear ?
- Which one of them knocks on every door, talks to every person, and genuinely listens to every single person no matter their age, beliefs, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, educational achievement, neighborhood they live in, or any other attribute ?
- Which one of them has reached into her own pocket to buy cat food, diapers, feminine hygiene products, gloves, masks, hand sanitizer, Tylenol, or anything else not covered by EBT or other types of assistance {To put into the food pantry she built and maintains} ?
- Which one of them sat with elderly folks during the pandemic and listened to them and was a friend to them when nobody else would ?
- Which one stood on picket lines in solidarity with workers striking for basic human dignity and fair wages ?
- Which one of them even voted to allow the torture of animals ?!
Strip away party labels. Strip away partisanship. Strip away all the bullshit.
There is only one candidate in the race that has done a damn thing for you and your family. There is only one candidate that has fought for your dignity and your basic
human rights.
That person is and always will be Jennifer Lewis for Congress.”
More about Jennifer at:
Staunton City Council and School Board Races
The Staunton Newsleader has summary profiles of some of the Staunton, Augusta and Waynesboro School Board candidates.
From the Lincoln Project
The Lincoln Project describes themselves as “a leading pro-democracy organization in the United States – dedicated to the preservation, protection, and defense of democracy” .
On 8/16/22 they issued a Statement on Liz Cheney’s Primary Loss as follows:
August 16, 2022 — The Lincoln Project releases the following statement on the primary loss of Liz Cheney:
“Tonight, the nation marks the end of the Republican Party. What remains shares the name and branding of the traditional GOP, but is in fact an authoritarian nationalist cult dedicated only to Donald Trump.
“Liz Cheney stood up to the lawless, reckless attack on our nation led by Donald Trump and millions of Americans saw leadership that transcended ideological boundaries. For standing up to Donald Trump and working to hold accountable those responsible for his violent insurrection, Liz Cheney risked and lost her political career as a Republican.
“The Wyoming GOP, supported by millions of corporate dollars from Kevin McCarthy, nominated a reality-denying conspiracy theorist who promotes the “Big Lie” and bends a knee to Donald Trump.
“Liz Cheney showed America what a dedicated public servant driven by principle is like; it’s no wonder today’s GOP hates her. She remains an essential leader of the pro-democracy forces in the United States today and we encourage her to continue to engage in the fight to save our Republic and protect our democracy.
“The way she fought this race has only increased her stature among people setting aside their partisan differences to fight for democracy. We thank her for her service, and look forward to seeing her next chapter. America needs her and more people like her.”
Now back to reality:
I agree that Liz Cheney certainly deserves high praise for her public efforts as part of the J6 Committee and in other public stances to fight for the truth and democracy and fight against the fascist authoritarianism currently dominating the Republican Party behind the cult figure Donald Trump, we also have to remind ourselves that she is still abides by a very conservative philosophy (see her voting record) that is generally contrary to our Democratic values. I do give credit for recently supporting the Right to Contraception Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, the Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022, the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and others. The bottom line is that she deserves praise and even though we do not agree in our politics, I would say that she is someone I could work with for the betterment of this country.
Thanks for reading !
If you have any suggestions or corrections then please email to publicity@sawdemocrats.care and put Feedback for Weekly Email 8/22/22 in the subject line.
Comments
Post a Comment