Welcome to The Revolution Report — the weekly e-newsletter of our national grassroots organizing network!
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Join our Monday National GOTV Virtual Rally on October 26th at 8:30 P.M. ET, with special guests U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Andy Levin (D-MI) as we get ready for the final push to beat Trump and support progressive candidates and policies up and down the ballot!
DON’T MISS IT - RSVP HERE!
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NEWS FROM THE POLITICAL REVOLUTION BELOW!
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As America votes, Our Revolution members are carrying out our 4-POINT PLAN to fight for a progressive future by #1) Defeating Trump; #2) Electing more progressives to Congress; #3) Building a down-ballot bench; and most critically, #4) Organizing a powerful grassroots movement to win transformative change after the election!
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WHEN WE ORGANIZE ... WE WIN!
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Our Revolution’s army of grassroots volunteers are powering our “Get Out the Vote” efforts in their local communities all across America. This month, over 400,000 people joined our rolling national and state virtual rallies, and we’ve made over 2.3 million one-on-one voter contacts through phone calls and texts!
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#1 - We must go all out to defeat Donald Trump by winning back working-class voters in the Midwest.
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MIDWEST "PIVOT COUNTY" STRATEGY
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As Trump campaigns in Midwestern battleground states, he’s using the slogan “Promises Made, Promises Kept” to lie about his promise to deliver “more jobs and better wages” and “stop the offshoring” of manufacturing jobs abroad. That’s why Our Revolution is organizing laid-off workers to set the record straight - especially in the “pivot counties” that voted twice for Obama-Biden before going for Trump in 2016. Read below to learn more about the deep grassroots organizing our members are doing in key swing areas in swing states to expose Trump’s betrayal of working class voters!
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Broken Promises & Alternative Facts: How Trump Failed Ohio
The Guardian produced a mini-documentary featuring Our Revolution Ohio leader Chuckie Denison talking about the economic devastation of Youngstown, OH. After winning the 2016 election, Donald Trump promised to bring back jobs and prosperity to Youngstown, a once union-strong factory town hard-hit by bad trade deals. But four years on, those promises never materialized. The clip includes Chuckie disrupting a Trump rally and talking about how, under Trump, workers lost their jobs and families got split up.
WATCH THE MINI-DOC!
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Trump Sold Out Workers Like Me
The President came to Iowa bragging about his jobs record, but he didn’t lift a finger to save my plant from closing
Our Revolution Iowa activist Bob Morrison wrote an nationally-syndicated opinion column about how Trump has betrayed workers in the Midwest. “When he took office in 2017, Trump inherited an economy that had gained a net 11.6 million jobs. During the past four years, our economy has lost nearly half of those. American companies are investing more in China than ever, and our trade deficit recently hit a new record. Under Trump’s watch, nearly 1,800 factories have disappeared, including the 150-year old “Murray” in Burlington where I worked. The Murray was the oldest, continuously operating plant west of the Mississippi. Today, shuttered and abandoned, it’s the perfect symbol for Trump’s presidency.”
READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE
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Trump’s Fake Populism
The New York Times Sunday Review quoted Our Revolution activist Shannon Mulcahy - a factory worker who lost her job to Mexico - about why working class voters are abandoning Trump. “Trump’s either incompetent or a Trojan horse who used blue-collar workers to get into the White House, only to hand over the keys to the one percent. Now that the Trump administration is trying to kill the Affordable Care Act, which millions of people depend on in the middle of a pandemic, it could not be more clear whose side he is on. Health care is one of the things that sent Shannon, a former steelworker, back to the Democrats, even though most people in her family still support Mr. Trump. “He’s bragging that he’s saving all these jobs,” she told me. “But he’s not.”
Shannon also was interviewed about her story by Britain’s Independent Television Network.
WATCH IT HERE!
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Outside of the final presidential debate at Belmont University, Our Revolution Nashville & Middle Tennessee activists helped organize hundreds of protestors to call-out Trump’s corporate greed. Laid-off workers denounced Trump’s lies to working people while students demanded that Belmont University remove Damon Hininger, a major Trump donor and CEO of CoreCivic, one of the nation’s largest for-profit prison corporations, from its Board of Trustees.
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Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes joined the Our Wisconsin Revolution's GOTV Rally to talk about how important it is for progressives in the state to cast their vote to defeat Trump. With 23 pivot counties, Wisconsin is a crucial 2020 battleground - and evicting Trump from the White House is the first step in our fight to “rebuild our nation” and achieve “the change we all deserve.” Our Wisconsin Revolution co-chair Sarah Lloyd, a dairy farmer, also joined the virtual rally to talk about organizing in rural areas to defeat Trump and push the Biden-Harris administration for real progressive change. “The rural communities are mobilizing. We stand in solidarity with folks in urban areas who are working on the frontlines of the food system,” she said. “We need to work together. That’s what we need to work on in the days after the election.”
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Michigan's Progressive Voters:
Nov. 3rd Won't Be Repeat of 2016
The Detroit News interviewed Our Revolution Michigan leader Michelle Deatrick, chair of the DNC Climate Council, about the incredible grassroots mobilization she’s seeing on the ground. “The starkness of the tragedy is really apparent to everyone. There's been a tremendous amount of energy among progressive organizations. We are seeing across the breadth of the Democratic Party incredible turnout and volunteerism."
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#2 - We must elect more progressives to the US House and flip & fix the Senate to advance policies like Medicare for All and a Green New Deal.
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Over 85,000 people joined Our Revolution Washington’s GOTV Rally, which featured US Rep. Pramila Jayapal, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who explained why we must elect more progressives to serve in Washington. “Out of 11,000 people who have served in Congress, only 79 have been women of color. It’s not a very progressive place. But everything changes when we are at the table. We hold different hearings, we craft different legislation, we bring in different voices. And we end up with better policy.” Rep. Jayapal then introduced Beth Doglio, a clean-energy champion running a people-funded campaign for Congress in WA-10. As a state legislator, Beth noted she helped pass the strongest 100% clean-electricity bill in the nation. “We need people in Congress who have experience taking on the fossil fuel industry and winning. I hope to take my 30 years of organizing to Washington to create bold, transformational policies.”
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Our Revolution and the Progressive Democrats of America hosted a joint Arizona GOTV Rally featuring US Reps. Raul Grijalva (AZ-03) and Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), who fired-up our members for the upcoming election. Rep. Grijalva spoke about the harm that the Trump administration has caused, from mismanaging the pandemic response to dividing the nation, and stressed the importance of turning out voters in the remaining days: “In Southern Arizona, vote-by-mail turnout is higher than it’s ever been. But if our state is going to play a pivotal role in defeating Trump and flipping the Senate, there is no time to rest.” Rep. Gallego said, “We don’t just want to beat Trump - we want to beat Trumpism. We need to win decisively and hold our elected officials accountable to the working class. I’m excited for Arizona to skip the purple designation and go straight to blue.”
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Donate NOW to help us elect a PROGRESSIVE Congress!
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#3 - We must build a bench of down-ballot progressive elected officials and policies to fight for change from the bottom up.
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2020 POLITICAL TOPLINES: This election cycle, Our Revolution HQ - in partnership with our state and local organizations - endorsed 450 progressive champions - and most importantly, over 88% are running in down-ballot races! Between now and Election Day, our members are mobilizing to elect them to serve on local water commissions, school boards, city councils, and county commissions.
CHECK OUT OUR ENDORSEMENTS ON OUR WEBSITE!
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Dems Rally Local Voters: ‘Who will impact your everyday life?'
Paco Fabian, Our Revolution’s communications director, discussed our down-ballot electoral strategy to transform the criminal justice system with USA Today. “Even before the nation's current reckoning with the criminal justice system, there was a movement to get ‘top progressive cops’ to country prosecutor and attorney positions. The trend that predates the George Floyd protests, but is gaining momentum in the wake.”
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Tarra Simmons, candidate for Washington State House [D-23] spoke at Our Revolution Washington’s GOTV Rally about her fight to reform the criminal justice system. After growing up in poverty, she served time in prison - then went to law school but wasn’t admitted to the bar because of her criminal record. She appealed to the state Supreme Court and won! Today, Tarra is a lawyer and director of the Civil Survival Project and served as advisor to the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force on Criminal Justice Reform. “My lived experience taught me about the trauma-to-prison pipeline and how it can start early with poverty, lack of access to quality education, healthcare, and affordable housing. I think we’d all fare better if we had diverse people with lived experiences running for office."
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Who knows the importance of drainage and how it relates to climate change? Scott Feuless does, and that’s why he’s running for Brazoria County (TX) Drainage Commissioner with the support of Our Revolution Texas - to promote policies that recognize climate science and protect people instead of developer profits. On our Monday Night National GOTV Call, Scott said: “Climate change is real, and most people know that. We're getting storms in increasing numbers and severity, and homes are flooding. But the Republicans in charge don't seem to think it's anything to worry about. It's time to shake up this county!”
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Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, who’s running to be state’s next governor - and who’s been endorsed by Bernie 13 times throughout his career - explained on our Monday Night National GOTV Call why having progressives in the state house matters. “Our Republican governor has vetoed a minimum wage hike, paid family leave, and a climate crisis bill. I will fight for economic justice, universal healthcare, raising the minimum wage, building affordable housing, and a Green Mountain New Deal. There are incredible opportunities for progress - IF we change who’s governor of Vermont.”
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Help us BUILD A BENCH of progressive candidates and policies up and down the ballot!
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BALLOT MEASURES
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In addition to supporting down ballot candidates, Our Revolution is organizing to support down ballot initiatives! Local jurisdictions are laboratories of policy experimentation, and when our progressive policies succeed at the local level, they can be exported up to the national level.
Our Revolution is supporting efforts across the nation to decriminalize marijuana and address the discriminatory impact of the failed war on drugs. Weed is on the ballot in five states in November — in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota, and Mississippi. And in the District of Columbia, Initiative 81 Decriminalize Nature is on the ballot, which would make laws against natural plant medicines such as psilocybin mushrooms among the lowest law enforcement priorities of police.
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Members of Our Revolution in Arizona, Illinois and California are organizing to pass ballot initiatives that aim to ensure the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes. In Arizona, Proposition 208 would add a new 3.5% tax on individuals who earn $250,000 or more to pay for public education. In California, Proposition 15 would close property tax loopholes created in 1978 - and restore an estimated $11.5 billion annually to schools and communities. In Illinois, the Fair Tax Amendment would help lift the burden off working families by finally forcing the state’s wealthiest residents to pay their fair share in taxes.
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#4 - We must build a movement in the streets and inside the halls of power to win progressive change.
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HOLDING BIDEN ACCOUNTABLE
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Biden Eyes GOP Candidates for Cabinet Slots
Our Revolution joined with a coalition of progressive organizations to sound the alarm about the corporate cronies being vetted for powerful positions in a potential Biden Administration. “We need to have people in those positions who will rise to the occasion much like they did in the New Deal era,” Larry Cohen, the board chair of Bernie Sanders’ organizing group Our Revolution, told Politico. “To defeat Trump, we need the broadest possible coalition. But to govern the country, there’s no way we can go back to believing we’re going to get Republican votes — we spent eight years trying and failing on that front.”
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Our Revolution New York’s GOTV Rally with U.S. House candidate Mondaire Jones was featured in The New Republic’s story on how the Left is already strategizing in this moment to move our agenda forward: Step One is to defeat Donald Trump, and Step Two is to be ready so that on Day One, President Joe Biden “finds a well-organized coalition breathing down his neck.”
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UNRIGGING THE SENATE
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Amar Shergill, Chair of the Progressive Caucus of the CA Democratic Party, Our Revolution California leader Brandon Harami and other progressives signed onto a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, calling on him to select a replacement for Sen. Kamala Harris who is committed to changing the Senate rules and ending the filibuster. “Whomever you choose will accomplish nothing in Washington if Senator McConnell and a Republican minority are permitted to obstruct any and all progress by relying on the filibuster. The single most important consideration must be whether the person you choose is a true champion for a functional, effective Senate. Senator Harris’ replacement must be as good as she has been on this topic. The filibuster must either be eliminated or reformed to such a degree that it can no longer block the progress our nation so desperately needs.”
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BLACK LIVES MATTER
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Volunteers paint "Black Lives Matter" mural in East Nashville
This week, Our Revolution Nashville activists made the local news by helping to paint the 200-foot Black Lives Matter street mural in the Music City.
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THE WOMEN'S MARCH
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From Washington DC to San Francisco CA, Our Revolution members hit the streets for the Women’s March!
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FIGHTING CORPORATE POWER
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As a result of pressure from state attorneys general like Minnesota AG and Our Revolution Board Member Keith Ellison, and House Antitrust Subcommittee hearings led by David Cicilline [D-RI], the U. S. Dept. of Justice is finally taking action against Google - one of the wealthiest companies on the planet - for “anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies” that cripple competition, reduce consumer choice, and stifle innovation.
Corporate power is one of the biggest threats to our democracy, and something a President Biden could fix with the stroke of a pen. Our Day One Agenda includes pressuring the White House to take action. SIGN HERE to join our anti-monopoly league!
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IMMIGRANT RIGHTS
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During Our Revolution Arizona’s GOTV Rally, Erika Andiola - a Dreamer and leading immigrant rights activist - spoke passionately about turning the tide on Trump’s attacks on immigrant families. Arizona has a historic opportunity to turn blue for the first time in decades. And it’s not a coincidence. “10 years ago, we fought against SB 1070, then-governor Brewer’s racist law. We’ve been organizing our communities since then, and that hard work has given us a shot at turning Arizona blue.”
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Ahead of Election Day, Our Revolution HQ is holding “Get Out the Vote” Rallies across the country to organize to win at the local, state and national levels.
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UPCOMING “GET OUT THE VOTE” RALLIES!
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Join Our Revolution Pittsburgh, Reclaim Philadelphia and our other groups in the Keystone State as we get out the vote for our candidates, including State Reps. Summer Lee and Sara Innamorato, Philadelphia City Councilor at-Large Helen Gym, and Nikil Saval, candidate for State Senate.
RSVP HERE
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A week from Election Day, Our Revolution Board Member Keith Ellison will kick-off Our Revolution Minnesota’s GOTV Rally featuring U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, State Sen. Patricia Torres Ray, St. Paul City Councillors Mitra Jalali Nelson and Nelsie Yang, and MN state rep candidates Emma Greenman and Ryan Winkler as we gear up for our final push to the polls!
JOIN US!
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Our Revolution Missouri’s GOTV Rally includes Jason Kander, founder of Let America Vote, state house candidates Derrick Nowlin and Kimberly Anne Collins, and special musical guest AY - Musik, a Kansas City native who got his start in the X Factor!
JOIN US!
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PHONEBANK TO WIN! Between now and November 3rd, we are calling voters every day across the country to defeat Trump, flip the Senate, and support our nationally-endorsed candidates up and down the ballot.
JOIN US!
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