Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
There’s lots going on right now, as always—we’ve got actions below on ICE’s terrifying new gloves, the absolute debacle unfolding on the USS Abraham Lincoln, another child suffering in ICE detention, and more. But I want to talk about Tuesday’s primaries.
I keep seeing headlines that claim, more or less, that progressives were humiliated in Wisconsin on Tuesday—that the left failed spectacularly because Francesca Hong didn’t win as expected, and that Democrats are, once again “in disarray.” This narrative is so false on so many fronts that I feel the need to weigh in.
It is true, of course, that Francesca Hong did not win as expected. She underperformed the polls (or, more accurately, her opponent overperformed them) by twenty points. Does this mean that the Democratic party is riven by division—hopelessly bogged down by infighting, or that progressives have hit some kind of wall? No!
It means, first, that the primary polls were very inaccurate, which, it turns out, is more the rule than the exception. (Read G. Elliot Morris on this, really. It’s well worth your time.) It means that Hong’s campaign had some issues, and that big names like Bernie Sanders and AOC didn’t get behind her. It means she was massively outspent on the airwaves. It means that a lot of voters decided they wanted to back someone they felt confident could win. And that’s OK!
But take note: on the same night that Hong, a far-left progressive, underperformed by 20 points, another progressive, Peggy Flanagan, overperformed in her MN Senate primary by—you guessed it—20 points! But where was the corporate media on that stunning event? Nowhere to be found. Why? Because it doesn’t fit their narrative.
The long and the short of it is that a) primary polls are inaccurate, b) the voters chose, which is what primaries are all about, and c) the media is desperate to depict Democrats as floundering when, in fact, we are excelling. What does that excellence look like? Guess what? In every state it’s different, because the voters in every state are unique! End of story.
One last thing: in each of the recent bruising Democratic primaries the losers have immediately conceded, congratulated the winning contender, and committed to helping them win. That is not dysfunction. It’s a beautiful example of unity, and how democracy should work. Republicans should try it some time (spoiler alert: they won’t.)
Folks, everything is OK. Voters are voting. Choices are being made. Those whose picks didn’t win are—for the most part—promising to get behind the candidate who did. Is everything perfect? Of course not. We’re living in the real world, not Nirvana. But I’d rather be us than Republicans any day of the week. If you want to talk about a party that has everything going against them that’s where you want to turn. Their outlook gets bleaker by the day.
As for us? We simply have work to do. Because ultimately these elections won’t come down to vibes and they won’t be determined by the pundit class. Polls won’t flip a single seat. Neither will hopes, or prayers.
All of it will be determined by voters, who will be turned out—or not—by volunteers just like us.
The fate of democracy, then, is truly in our hands. Let’s not squander it!
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲 and Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, I’m upset about the mistreatment of our sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln. I want them to be relieved immediately, and I want Pete Hegseth to be fired. American servicemembers are being harmed under his watch and he won’t even admit it’s happening. Unacceptable.
Second, I’m horrified that ICE plans to spend $20M on electric shock gloves for its agents. These gloves are enormously dangerous even when used responsibly, and we know ICE agents will not use them that way. ICE officers routinely use violent tactics and excessive force. Giving them electrified gloves is a terrifying idea. Congress needs to act. Find a way to prevent these horrific weapons from becoming part of ICE’s arsenal, please! Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
There is a Venezuelan girl, Martina, who turned 6 this week in ICE detention at Dilley. She just wants to go home. Lidia Terraza has been covering her story on Instagram—you can see a post with the child’s picture here.
Martina’s congressmember is Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican in Florida, and advocates think it’s worthwhile to call him and urge him to work to get her out.
(202) 225-4211
Script:
Hi, my name is ____ and I’m calling as someone who cares about children. You have a 6 year old constituent in ICE detention in Dilley, TX. Her name is Martina. She is from Venezuela. There’s no humane way to detain a child. Standing against the detention of children is the right thing to do regardless of party. This is a bipartisan issue. Please do everything you can to get Martina and her mom released
Get Smart! 📚
Care about protecting voting rights in the South? Then on Tuesday, August 18 at 5:00 PM PDT / 8PM EDT please join the next Freedom Summer Mass Call!
From the organizers:
All across the country, people are rising into the legacy of our elders and ancestors who fought for voting, civil, and human rights during Freedom Summer.
We are bringing that energy, strategy, and people power building into the 21st century.
Join our coalition, which includes civil rights, faith, labor and community organizations committed to working together to build a steady drumbeat of mass mobilizations and events nationwide, from Juneteenth through Election Day!
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
Let’s all post this on our social media!
IMPORTANT MIDTERMS TIP! 💁🏼♀️
Don’t wait until Election Day to find out whether you need a specific ID or additional documents to vote.
• Check your state’s current voter ID and registration requirements NOW!
• If you need an ID or supporting documents, find out how to obtain them. VoteRiders is a great resource--call or text their helpline at: 866-432-8683
• Share the information with friends, family, students, older voters, and anyone who may not have voted recently.
• If you don’t have the required ID when you go to vote, ask for a provisional ballot on the spot.
• Save the nonpartisan voter-protection hotline number to your phone and report any problems at the polls – 866-OUR-VOTE.
A few minutes of preparation can help prevent confusion on Election Day. Know the rules, know your options, and make a plan to vote!
Give 💰!
In case anyone wants to help Colombians affected by the massive earthquake there, my friend Sylvia of Tono Latino, who is Colombian, provided me with three well-vetted, effective places to give.
They are:
Direct Relief’s Colombia response
Win Races! 🗳
Folks, the next big primary is in Florida on Tuesday and Angie Nixon is an exceptional, amazing U.S. Senate candidate. I am all in for her and hope you will be, too!
Here are just a few things to know about Angie:
She’s a lifelong Floridian and a current state representative. She’s a mother of 5, and a former labor organizer with SEIU public service union. Angie has won all of her elections in a landslide, including her last election with 99.7% support. She’s also been the leading opposition to Desantis and the fascist far right in Florida. When Florida was the first state to call a special session on redistricting after the Calais decision, Angie held up the proceedings and was later arrested for a sit-in in the governor's office. When Desantis began banning books and black history, Angie opened up a community bookstore in her district, Cafe Resistance, which provides tutoring, black history programming and jobs for youth.
It just goes on and on. She’s amazing.
Please sign up to phonebank for Angie. You can do so here for weekday shifts, here for this Saturday, and here for Monday, pre-election day.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T—People Who Value Science] [Text SIGN PLAOYI to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)
I am writing to demand immediate congressional intervention regarding severe missteps in our national security and foreign policy. Congress must act swiftly to uphold accountability, protect service members, and end reckless foreign involvement.
First, urgent intervention and investigation is required into the alarming operational conditions and crew welfare aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Unacceptable living standards, safety hazards, and systemic neglect severely endanger our sailors and compromise force readiness.
Second, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth must be removed from office immediately. His leadership has consistently prioritized political ideological posturing over the foundational stability, ethics, and well-being of the Armed Forces. He is dangerous and embarassing.
Finally, the United States must immediately cease aggressive posturing and unauthorized military escalation concerning Iran, Cuba, and Greenland. Interventions in these regions destabilize key global alliances, provoking unnecessary conflict, and squandering national resources. Expanding imperial reach or threatening sovereign territories directly contradicts our fundamental national interests.
Conduct rigorous hearings, enforce strict military accountability, and redirect our national strategy toward diplomatic resolution and domestic stability.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
I so appreciate your clarity about how the voters are seeing beyond the hype of polling and media categorizing to vote for strong candidates! But more than this, I appreciate that here we are, counting down to the midterm elections, after a constant on-going barrage of administration attacks on our country - structures, values, people —and you are still steadily bringing us grounded, appropriate and timely encouragement.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
BTW ..the pillow man refuses to concede in an election he lost in Minnesota by DOUBLE DIGITS!!
VOTE 'EM ALL OUT!!
THEN LOCK 'EM ALL UP!!