I know we are all stressed about the mid-terms, but what you do with that stress is have a voting plan. Write it out, put it where you can see it. Read it as many times as you need to read it.
Fear is contagious, but so is courage.
You get courage through action.
So, go help a local campaign. Watching things like Talarico getting all these people to show up in +54 Trump counties and school boards being taken back in Florida and Knox County Tennessee, is amazing, but it’s even more amazing to go talk to people about it all.
We all have an hour in a week to give. Go wave signs for a campaign, go help knock doors (they have a place for people who don’t like to talk!! But also, former evangelicals, this is no worse than evangelizing like we did when we were kids and I promise you - people WANT to talk to you about this.), go text voters with a campaign, request a sign from a campaign for your yard, host a meet and greet for you and your friends with a candidate!
Yup. An Adolph Hitler replica sits in the White House. He has destroyed the institutions, historical architecture, alliances, integrity and morality of this country and much of the damage is irreparable. Yet people sit on their hands and twiddle their thumbs. Where's the outrage? People ought to be in the streets with pitchforks. Instead they shrug their shoulders.
You're goddamn right. Fuck these Republican assholes, every single one of them, and I'm beginning to wonder if the Democratic Party is a bunch of quislings.
I'm not sitting for this, and that is why you'll find me at my monthly city council meetings raising my voice, making my outrage known. I give 'em an earful every single time, something to think about. My three minutes may not be a lot, but it's something, and I'm doing my part.
If all of us were to act accordingly we would see progress, we would begin to see change. If every voice in this land were to stand up and speak out people will begin to take notice. We're sleep walking into tyranny. Apathy and indifference are the real enemies.
Speaking one's mind at a city council meeting may have mixed results. The Brown Act and the interpretation by a given city's Mayor comes into play. If a meeting is a "special session", then the Brown Act allows the Mayor to censor discussion that does not directly apply to the agenda item. For a "regular" city council meeting, the Brown Act allows the Mayor to censor discussion that is not under the "jurisdiction of the city". Of course, the Mayors also have personnel with firearms present to enforce their decision.
Interesting. Thank you for that information, I have a lot to learn.
So be it, let them cut me off, let them censor me. So what, what do I care? It’s all protected speech, I’m not gonna get arrested for saying unkind words. I’m speaking to a wider audience than those council members sitting behind the dais. People have suffered far worse consequences for speaking the truth. So be it.
Take action!! GOTV ! https://www.mobilize.us/ Knock on doors, make phone calls, write postcards! These are for James Talarico in Texas with Postcards to Swing States https://secure.ngpvan.com/bcp6GpoxVEC3b1bF0GqgZg2 Most of the efforts to stop us from voting have failed in court. The playbook is 1. Lie about election fraud 2. Stop people from voting 3. Try to change the outcome if they lose 4. Use violence to overturn the outcome. Voter turnout is our best chance with numbers too big to question. Let’s DO this!
As someone who has been standing on a street corner protesting every week for 18 months, here is what I know: welcome and encourage those who are coming late to the protest. We need everyone, especially those just awakening from their comfortable slumber.
Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.
Here’s what I posted on FB this morning. It’s relevant here as well: A lot of you have told me you're proud of me for the organizing work I do, and I thank you for that.
But here's the truth: I don't need spectators. I need people next to me. So instead of applause, here's how you can actually help. Even two hours a month changes what's possible.
Low commitment, high impact: 📞 Phone bank or text bank (trained in 10 min) ✍️ Write postcards to voters — from your couch 📣 Share specific, well-sourced action info (not just "vote" — actual details) 📧 Join a local group's email list so you know what's happening
A bit more involved: 🚪 Canvass for a few hours on a weekend 🏛️ Show up to ONE city council or school board meeting — numbers matter 🗳️ Register voters at an event near you 🚗 Drive someone to the polls
Got skills, not a ton of time? 💻 Data entry / spreadsheets for a local org 🎨 Design, photo, or video editing for social content ✏️ Writing or editing — flyers, newsletters 📊 Legal, accounting, or admin help 👶 Childcare during meetings so parents can attend
Got money, not time? 💵 A recurring small donation to a local group (often more impact per dollar than national orgs) 📦 Sponsor supplies for an event
Not ready to be public yet? 🙋 Just show up to one event. No speaking required. 🏡 Host a small gathering to introduce people in your circle
I don't need you to become me. I need you to stop being neutral where I'm not.
Pick one thing from this list. Comment or message me and I'll point you to exactly where to start. 💪
Central OC Dems and other clubs also offer opportunities for “lit drop.” It’s Canvassing Lite. You don’t knock on doors — you just hang our doorknockers on doorknobs. Central OC Dems serves Tustin, Orange, unincorporated Santa Ana, Villa Park, and surrounding communities. Sign up for our newsletter here so you can be kept in the loop. Scroll to the bottom of page on the link in this comment and sign up to get more info. Live somewhere else? I’ll attach a link so you can find your local Dem club. Local clubs are particularly helpful in down-ballot races, and those are some offices that affect your life directly. https://www.centralocdems.com/
THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO. If you're concerned about attempts to disrupt our elections don't just worry about it. Prepare and help others prepare.
Protect your vote:
-Check your voter registration now.
-Know your state's voting rules and deadlines.
-Vote early when possible.
-Track your ballot if your state offers tracking.
-Use official voting locations and authorized drop boxes.
-Verify your ballot was received or counted if your state provides that capability.
If something goes wrong, don't give up. Contact your local election office and find out what options are available.
BE VOCAL. GET THE MESSAGE OUT.
Talk to your family, friends and neighbors. Share accurate voting information. Help others check their registration and understand their voting options.
Get involved. Join your local Democratic organization or another pro-democracy civic group. Volunteer. Mobilize. Canvas your neighborhood. Help register voters. Help people make a plan to vote.
-Don't wait for someone else to do it. Be proactive while you still can.
-Prepare. Organize. Vote early. Verify. Speak up.
Democracy isn't a spectator sport. There is something each of us can do.
A lot of us running for local office would love volunteers to knock doors or distribute our literature. If you're in South OC? Canyon Dems is the group where you can find the local candidate names and our social media to sign up to volunteer. League of Women Voters of also a fantastic source for voting info and to sign up to help with elections.
The info and the headlines are definitely scary but I'm confident we will be fine, here in CA at least.
Jeff, there is a protest almost every day somewhere in OC. That is one way we have been shouting FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! the past 18 months.
Some - many! of us have been busting **** for literally YEARS because it was clear what was going to come, one way or another. Frankly, people hated Biden because of our nation’s support of other nations behaving badly. Others have been shouting FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! since 2021, because… doh! Trump was going to try again to take over the US by force.
And here we are.
All we can do is channel our fear and anger into standing up, even though we are IMO quite literally in danger of getting hurt or killed.
Every article like the one in the NYT and Washington Post should and could include alternative methods for obtaining a ballot and voting. They always include a Public Service Announcement about suicide hotlines in articles about suicide. Why not take the same approach for articles about surpressing voter turnout?
I know we are all stressed about the mid-terms, but what you do with that stress is have a voting plan. Write it out, put it where you can see it. Read it as many times as you need to read it.
Fear is contagious, but so is courage.
You get courage through action.
So, go help a local campaign. Watching things like Talarico getting all these people to show up in +54 Trump counties and school boards being taken back in Florida and Knox County Tennessee, is amazing, but it’s even more amazing to go talk to people about it all.
We all have an hour in a week to give. Go wave signs for a campaign, go help knock doors (they have a place for people who don’t like to talk!! But also, former evangelicals, this is no worse than evangelizing like we did when we were kids and I promise you - people WANT to talk to you about this.), go text voters with a campaign, request a sign from a campaign for your yard, host a meet and greet for you and your friends with a candidate!
Take. Action.
Stop being afraid.
Go be the hero we all need.
Absolurely 100% correct.
Yes!👏
Yup. An Adolph Hitler replica sits in the White House. He has destroyed the institutions, historical architecture, alliances, integrity and morality of this country and much of the damage is irreparable. Yet people sit on their hands and twiddle their thumbs. Where's the outrage? People ought to be in the streets with pitchforks. Instead they shrug their shoulders.
You're goddamn right. Fuck these Republican assholes, every single one of them, and I'm beginning to wonder if the Democratic Party is a bunch of quislings.
I'm not sitting for this, and that is why you'll find me at my monthly city council meetings raising my voice, making my outrage known. I give 'em an earful every single time, something to think about. My three minutes may not be a lot, but it's something, and I'm doing my part.
If all of us were to act accordingly we would see progress, we would begin to see change. If every voice in this land were to stand up and speak out people will begin to take notice. We're sleep walking into tyranny. Apathy and indifference are the real enemies.
Speaking one's mind at a city council meeting may have mixed results. The Brown Act and the interpretation by a given city's Mayor comes into play. If a meeting is a "special session", then the Brown Act allows the Mayor to censor discussion that does not directly apply to the agenda item. For a "regular" city council meeting, the Brown Act allows the Mayor to censor discussion that is not under the "jurisdiction of the city". Of course, the Mayors also have personnel with firearms present to enforce their decision.
It’s time for these malevolent actors to be called out. Look at what they are supporting.
Interesting. Thank you for that information, I have a lot to learn.
So be it, let them cut me off, let them censor me. So what, what do I care? It’s all protected speech, I’m not gonna get arrested for saying unkind words. I’m speaking to a wider audience than those council members sitting behind the dais. People have suffered far worse consequences for speaking the truth. So be it.
Really? I’m planning on bringing it to them soon.
You’re lucky you get 3 minutes! HB City Council might give speakers 90 seconds!
Take action!! GOTV ! https://www.mobilize.us/ Knock on doors, make phone calls, write postcards! These are for James Talarico in Texas with Postcards to Swing States https://secure.ngpvan.com/bcp6GpoxVEC3b1bF0GqgZg2 Most of the efforts to stop us from voting have failed in court. The playbook is 1. Lie about election fraud 2. Stop people from voting 3. Try to change the outcome if they lose 4. Use violence to overturn the outcome. Voter turnout is our best chance with numbers too big to question. Let’s DO this!
100% Jeff!!!! FIRE!!!! https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02SG7kH5CYAjkzcojuNmPaWPebcFKFsM3QBc2KL6iKrhF64SP4qe3D68jDZCbUNRtRl&id=1660294152&mibextid=wwXIfr
100%
I’m screaming but I’m not sure Democrats in Congress can hear. Some do; not enough. I hope this attempt to restrict our right to vote ends in failure.
How can this be ok to anyone?
America is over.
Come to Canada. We got lots of room.
Love to!
As someone who has been standing on a street corner protesting every week for 18 months, here is what I know: welcome and encourage those who are coming late to the protest. We need everyone, especially those just awakening from their comfortable slumber.
"On Tyranny" by Timothy Snyder, Chapter 13;
Practice Corporeal Politics
Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.
Here’s what I posted on FB this morning. It’s relevant here as well: A lot of you have told me you're proud of me for the organizing work I do, and I thank you for that.
But here's the truth: I don't need spectators. I need people next to me. So instead of applause, here's how you can actually help. Even two hours a month changes what's possible.
Low commitment, high impact: 📞 Phone bank or text bank (trained in 10 min) ✍️ Write postcards to voters — from your couch 📣 Share specific, well-sourced action info (not just "vote" — actual details) 📧 Join a local group's email list so you know what's happening
A bit more involved: 🚪 Canvass for a few hours on a weekend 🏛️ Show up to ONE city council or school board meeting — numbers matter 🗳️ Register voters at an event near you 🚗 Drive someone to the polls
Got skills, not a ton of time? 💻 Data entry / spreadsheets for a local org 🎨 Design, photo, or video editing for social content ✏️ Writing or editing — flyers, newsletters 📊 Legal, accounting, or admin help 👶 Childcare during meetings so parents can attend
Got money, not time? 💵 A recurring small donation to a local group (often more impact per dollar than national orgs) 📦 Sponsor supplies for an event
Not ready to be public yet? 🙋 Just show up to one event. No speaking required. 🏡 Host a small gathering to introduce people in your circle
I don't need you to become me. I need you to stop being neutral where I'm not.
Pick one thing from this list. Comment or message me and I'll point you to exactly where to start. 💪
Central OC Dems and other clubs also offer opportunities for “lit drop.” It’s Canvassing Lite. You don’t knock on doors — you just hang our doorknockers on doorknobs. Central OC Dems serves Tustin, Orange, unincorporated Santa Ana, Villa Park, and surrounding communities. Sign up for our newsletter here so you can be kept in the loop. Scroll to the bottom of page on the link in this comment and sign up to get more info. Live somewhere else? I’ll attach a link so you can find your local Dem club. Local clubs are particularly helpful in down-ballot races, and those are some offices that affect your life directly. https://www.centralocdems.com/
Find your home club here. https://orangecountydemocrats.com/clubs
THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO. If you're concerned about attempts to disrupt our elections don't just worry about it. Prepare and help others prepare.
Protect your vote:
-Check your voter registration now.
-Know your state's voting rules and deadlines.
-Vote early when possible.
-Track your ballot if your state offers tracking.
-Use official voting locations and authorized drop boxes.
-Verify your ballot was received or counted if your state provides that capability.
If something goes wrong, don't give up. Contact your local election office and find out what options are available.
BE VOCAL. GET THE MESSAGE OUT.
Talk to your family, friends and neighbors. Share accurate voting information. Help others check their registration and understand their voting options.
Get involved. Join your local Democratic organization or another pro-democracy civic group. Volunteer. Mobilize. Canvas your neighborhood. Help register voters. Help people make a plan to vote.
-Don't wait for someone else to do it. Be proactive while you still can.
-Prepare. Organize. Vote early. Verify. Speak up.
Democracy isn't a spectator sport. There is something each of us can do.
A lot of us running for local office would love volunteers to knock doors or distribute our literature. If you're in South OC? Canyon Dems is the group where you can find the local candidate names and our social media to sign up to volunteer. League of Women Voters of also a fantastic source for voting info and to sign up to help with elections.
The info and the headlines are definitely scary but I'm confident we will be fine, here in CA at least.
Jeff, there is a protest almost every day somewhere in OC. That is one way we have been shouting FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! the past 18 months.
Some - many! of us have been busting **** for literally YEARS because it was clear what was going to come, one way or another. Frankly, people hated Biden because of our nation’s support of other nations behaving badly. Others have been shouting FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! since 2021, because… doh! Trump was going to try again to take over the US by force.
And here we are.
All we can do is channel our fear and anger into standing up, even though we are IMO quite literally in danger of getting hurt or killed.
Take Action. Best idea. It's vital to our democracy.
Every article like the one in the NYT and Washington Post should and could include alternative methods for obtaining a ballot and voting. They always include a Public Service Announcement about suicide hotlines in articles about suicide. Why not take the same approach for articles about surpressing voter turnout?
Clearly we need to physically protect our right to vote. Here is a place to start. https://www.mobilize.us/aclu/event/979340/
And the OC Registrar of Voters is hiring. Sign on!