If you want to sign up with Red Wine and Blue, by the way, you can enter your info here —that way you can also download their Project 2025 Toolkit: https://go.redwine.blue/715_HCRjc
Finally, there’s another Heather Cox Richardson event tomorrow about the importance of grassroots organizing. I promise it, too, will be super inspiring. It’s Wednesday July 17 at 7PM ET. You can sign up here https://www.mobilize.us/nope/event/633957/?utm_source=update
I was on the call too. Can’t begin to describe how grateful I feel for Red Wine and Blue staff choosing HCR to discuss the 2025 Project. I learned a great deal more about some specifics (getting rid of the education department?) and felt empowered to talk more with friends and family.
The kick-ass women on that call are bringing it every day. Proud to be among them and everyone here in this critical juncture in American Democracy! Let’s do this!
Jess - I was on the call and it was jaw-dropping. Not only did 42K join for the first hour, at least another 10K joined for the Swing State break out sessions after to learn how we could start Troubled Nation chapters to get the word out about Project 2025. Polls are not capturing this!
Two other data points:
- I attended a fundraising event for grassroots GOTV orgs hosted by Focus for Democracy which was group of friends who got together in 2020 to deliver wins. It was a Tuesday evening at the beginning of summer, I thought maybe 50 people would come. 1K joined and raised over $1M.
- A few days after the SCOTUS immunity decision, Focus for Democracy hosted another event. 3K people attended and raised over $3M.
There’s more happening that we realize. Keep te faith and let’s do the work!!
Fabulous! The FFD event I attended a couple of weeks ago had a $1M match, which they made, then the donor added another $1M match. I believe when all was said and done 12hrs later, the amount raised was a STAGGERING 4.2 MILLION DOLLARS. I was truly blown away. We are all amazing. Jess is right, we are going to win and win big. My gut, ( for what it's worth) says so, too! 🌊🌊🌊
I attended one of the FOD fundraisers and was very impressed with the groups they were showcasing - especially Galvanize Action. BigTent USA did an interview with the founder, Jackie Payne and the video is archived here:
They also did an interview with Aaron Frank from Focus on Democracy. I must have missed that one and will need to watch it. But in the meantime, here's the link:
Wow, I really needed this. I was feeling really scared yesterday and trying everything--meditation esp--to help myself through it. I'll share the words of meditation teacher Sharon Salzburg in case anyone else needs to hear them: "I often say the most toxic element of fear is hopelessness ... but when we think of the biological foundation of fear it reminds us that's a call for us to do something. Our discomfort about politics can drive us to alchemize our anxiety into activism."
And along similar hopeful signs, I write post cards for Postcards to Swing States and just learned that over 19,000 volunteers have ordered over 5.5 million postcards in the last two weeks!
I saw a great comment online that I hope a lot of you saw too, from Allison Winn Scotch.
“It’s also hilarious to me that conventional pundits think women will forget about Dobbs by November. Boys, we get our periods every month, and every one of us has at some point or other been worried it wouldn’t come and then what. We do not forget. We don’t have that luxury.”
As many have said... I really needed this. I fear four months of this uncertainty will cause me so much despair and anxiety. I only signed up for your newsletter this weekend (H/T author Suzanne Brockmann, who directed me here), and I already find when the anxiety is high, I'm waiting on edge for this little dose of hope or action. I'm naturally a hopeful person, but I think 2016 ruined an aspect of that for me when it comes to our elections. Even with all these numbers, which DO give me hope, it's hard not to have a whisper of "but the electoral college..." I've no doubt (well as little as possible) of winning the popular vote. But that won't decide the election. I'm not sure how to combat that despair!
Teresa, write postcards to voters. Taking action will help. The organizations that do this have been inundated with volunteers. People are getting crazy active. We will beat Trump decisively, electoral college ir no electoral college.
Field Team 6
Blue Wave
Postcards to Voters
Moms Rising
Postcards to Swing States (temporarily paused so they can catch up)
Vote Forward
Activate America.
Please DM me if you have questions. We will beat the orange monster!!!
This is all super helpful, thanks! As an introvert, mailing postcards is definitely more my thing than, say, phone banking. I'm still trying to find where I can be most useful as both an introvert and as someone who does not live in a swing state (I'm in MN and we've often been one, but we've become more solidly blue - especially the last midterms!) and I couldn't fathom how to make a difference within swing states. Knowing about these postcards orgs helps!
I made a post just before the July 4th holiday on the Hopium Chronicles substack about postcarding options. Several people sent me PMs later asking if I could resend it to them because they saw it but then couldn't find it again due to the volume of comments. So I saved a link to that specific comment.
I was on the call as well, and also have the feeling we are going to win big in November, despite how it looks right now. I loved Heather's advice that any attempt to (politically) interact with a die-hard MAGA is a waste of time. Far more effective to just get on with the work that needs to be done to defeat this threat of authoritarianism.
Jessica I saw your Reel on instagram and I swear this is the first time I have been able to breathe easier in days/weeks/years 🎪 🤡 😈
I was actually smiling. I love your enthusiasm. I receive yours and HCR Substack every day along with many others. I need all the positive energy/words I can get. I just forwarded this newsletter to my 87 year old mother and told her to pass it on 🤞🤞
Thanks, indeed, for a hopeful message. These last few weeks have been hard for us stalwarts who are resisting the Chicken Little response of Democratic leaders all across the spectrum who let their emotions run amok in public. I have seen enough interviews and speeches to know this president has not lost his marbles. He can nap more, start later in the morning, finish earlier in the evening and carry all the notes with him he wants; I'll still think we're fortunate to have him and particularly in this time when the alternative is too ghastly to contemplate.
For those emailing me for the link to the recording--it is IN THE POST ABOVE! but here it is again. (:
Link to the recording is here: https://youtu.be/ZSM7LJgKXAo?feature=shared
If you want to sign up with Red Wine and Blue, by the way, you can enter your info here —that way you can also download their Project 2025 Toolkit: https://go.redwine.blue/715_HCRjc
Finally, there’s another Heather Cox Richardson event tomorrow about the importance of grassroots organizing. I promise it, too, will be super inspiring. It’s Wednesday July 17 at 7PM ET. You can sign up here https://www.mobilize.us/nope/event/633957/?utm_source=update
I was one of the 42K on the call with HCR. Happy we have courageous women making a HUGE statement !
Whoooo! Thank you!
I was on the call as well! It was fantastic, Energy!! We’re gonna do this ~ we’re all together now – we’re riding with Biden!
I was on the call too. Can’t begin to describe how grateful I feel for Red Wine and Blue staff choosing HCR to discuss the 2025 Project. I learned a great deal more about some specifics (getting rid of the education department?) and felt empowered to talk more with friends and family.
The kick-ass women on that call are bringing it every day. Proud to be among them and everyone here in this critical juncture in American Democracy! Let’s do this!
Jess - I was on the call and it was jaw-dropping. Not only did 42K join for the first hour, at least another 10K joined for the Swing State break out sessions after to learn how we could start Troubled Nation chapters to get the word out about Project 2025. Polls are not capturing this!
Two other data points:
- I attended a fundraising event for grassroots GOTV orgs hosted by Focus for Democracy which was group of friends who got together in 2020 to deliver wins. It was a Tuesday evening at the beginning of summer, I thought maybe 50 people would come. 1K joined and raised over $1M.
- A few days after the SCOTUS immunity decision, Focus for Democracy hosted another event. 3K people attended and raised over $3M.
There’s more happening that we realize. Keep te faith and let’s do the work!!
Fabulous! The FFD event I attended a couple of weeks ago had a $1M match, which they made, then the donor added another $1M match. I believe when all was said and done 12hrs later, the amount raised was a STAGGERING 4.2 MILLION DOLLARS. I was truly blown away. We are all amazing. Jess is right, we are going to win and win big. My gut, ( for what it's worth) says so, too! 🌊🌊🌊
I attended one of the FOD fundraisers and was very impressed with the groups they were showcasing - especially Galvanize Action. BigTent USA did an interview with the founder, Jackie Payne and the video is archived here:
https://www.bigtentusa.org/event/galvanize/
They also did an interview with Aaron Frank from Focus on Democracy. I must have missed that one and will need to watch it. But in the meantime, here's the link:
https://www.bigtentusa.org/event/focus-for-democracy/
Thank you, Cheryl for sharing these links!
This is so inspiring. This is something I feel but do not see reported anywhere. Amazing!
Thank you for this. Doing this work is as exhilarating as it is exhausting. It's good to know we're all in this together!
Wow, I really needed this. I was feeling really scared yesterday and trying everything--meditation esp--to help myself through it. I'll share the words of meditation teacher Sharon Salzburg in case anyone else needs to hear them: "I often say the most toxic element of fear is hopelessness ... but when we think of the biological foundation of fear it reminds us that's a call for us to do something. Our discomfort about politics can drive us to alchemize our anxiety into activism."
You’re not alone. I’m so glad I found this place.
Excellent quote!
And along similar hopeful signs, I write post cards for Postcards to Swing States and just learned that over 19,000 volunteers have ordered over 5.5 million postcards in the last two weeks!
I am one of them!
I got that email too. I was thrilled!!! We got this.
I saw a great comment online that I hope a lot of you saw too, from Allison Winn Scotch.
“It’s also hilarious to me that conventional pundits think women will forget about Dobbs by November. Boys, we get our periods every month, and every one of us has at some point or other been worried it wouldn’t come and then what. We do not forget. We don’t have that luxury.”
ONWARD!!!
They gave us that same line two years ago, and then they got their asses handed to them in the midterms.
I was one of the 42,000 people on zoom with red wine and blue last night! ♥️
As many have said... I really needed this. I fear four months of this uncertainty will cause me so much despair and anxiety. I only signed up for your newsletter this weekend (H/T author Suzanne Brockmann, who directed me here), and I already find when the anxiety is high, I'm waiting on edge for this little dose of hope or action. I'm naturally a hopeful person, but I think 2016 ruined an aspect of that for me when it comes to our elections. Even with all these numbers, which DO give me hope, it's hard not to have a whisper of "but the electoral college..." I've no doubt (well as little as possible) of winning the popular vote. But that won't decide the election. I'm not sure how to combat that despair!
Teresa, write postcards to voters. Taking action will help. The organizations that do this have been inundated with volunteers. People are getting crazy active. We will beat Trump decisively, electoral college ir no electoral college.
Field Team 6
Blue Wave
Postcards to Voters
Moms Rising
Postcards to Swing States (temporarily paused so they can catch up)
Vote Forward
Activate America.
Please DM me if you have questions. We will beat the orange monster!!!
This is all super helpful, thanks! As an introvert, mailing postcards is definitely more my thing than, say, phone banking. I'm still trying to find where I can be most useful as both an introvert and as someone who does not live in a swing state (I'm in MN and we've often been one, but we've become more solidly blue - especially the last midterms!) and I couldn't fathom how to make a difference within swing states. Knowing about these postcards orgs helps!
I made a post just before the July 4th holiday on the Hopium Chronicles substack about postcarding options. Several people sent me PMs later asking if I could resend it to them because they saw it but then couldn't find it again due to the volume of comments. So I saved a link to that specific comment.
Here is the link in case you are interested:
https://open.substack.com/pub/simonwdc/p/our-july-plans-voting-on-day-1-dems?r=1aiy5t&utm_campaign=comment-list-share-cta&utm_medium=web&comments=true&commentId=60734755
Great post!
Thank you!! 💙💙💙
This IS helpful. Thanks!
Thanks!
I'm glad it's helpful!! I'm an introvert too and also live in a non-swing state (California). This is a great option for people like us.
Sadly, I'm not in a swing state, either--TX, and I am sending postcards to swing states through Field Team 6 and Postcards to Swing States.
I’m an introvert in sapphire-blue New York state. The struggle is real!
And, give to Focus on Democracy!! They are doing incredible work! Check them out!
My first hope of the day. Women to the rescue!
I was on the call as well, and also have the feeling we are going to win big in November, despite how it looks right now. I loved Heather's advice that any attempt to (politically) interact with a die-hard MAGA is a waste of time. Far more effective to just get on with the work that needs to be done to defeat this threat of authoritarianism.
She is brilliant and she has been been brilliant from the get-go. We are so lucky to have her in our lives.
Postcards to swing states had so many requests to sign up they had pause so they could catch up❤️❤️❤️
🙌🏻
Me, too! It was a sign of energy, determination, and hope that I very much needed.
Special thanks to all of the Texans who attended. We are down, but not out!
Jessica I saw your Reel on instagram and I swear this is the first time I have been able to breathe easier in days/weeks/years 🎪 🤡 😈
I was actually smiling. I love your enthusiasm. I receive yours and HCR Substack every day along with many others. I need all the positive energy/words I can get. I just forwarded this newsletter to my 87 year old mother and told her to pass it on 🤞🤞
💙🇺🇸💙✅
This is amazing!!! And nepo baby Clooney and all the pundits can (fill in your own blank)!!
Thanks, indeed, for a hopeful message. These last few weeks have been hard for us stalwarts who are resisting the Chicken Little response of Democratic leaders all across the spectrum who let their emotions run amok in public. I have seen enough interviews and speeches to know this president has not lost his marbles. He can nap more, start later in the morning, finish earlier in the evening and carry all the notes with him he wants; I'll still think we're fortunate to have him and particularly in this time when the alternative is too ghastly to contemplate.