Give to your local Democratic Party.

This is a letter I wrote to members of my local Democratic Party.

It’s not even an election year and we are bombarded with donation requests from political organizations and candidates. Our budgets are stressed by rising prices, inflation, and uncertainty over tariffs and cutting of government programs. That’s why a small monthly donation is a budget friendly way to support your local DFL Senate District 46 and help us win major elections coming next November.

The money Senate District 46 raises fund party outreach, inviting more people into the party, and expands our message. A message you help create through caucuses and resolutions. It is the basic building block of democratic government. It gives money to our local candidates and because SD 46 is a democratic stronghold, we support other politically challenged districts & candidates and support our congressional and statewide candidates. It is a good investment for defending democracy and fighting corruption in Minnesota. It truly is grass roots organizing.

Democrats in St. Louis Park, Edina, and Hopkins want to support Cheryl Youakim and her endless support for education, Larry Kraft who is defending our environment, and Ron Latz keeping our cities safe with common sense gun legislation. You can support all three of these hard working Democrats with one donation to Senate District 46.

I have been giving money to Senate District 46 every month for several years through ActBlue. It’s easy to do. I ask you to contribute to this worthwhile organization. Anything you can give $5, $10, $20 monthly strengthens local democratic institutions and candidates and provides a stable budget for community outreach.

If there was ever a time to support your party financially, now is the time. We see our democratic institutions crumbling under the Trump regime. Christian Nationalism taking hold in our society. Our reputation in the world is being damaged every day. Corruption and self-dealing are an integral part of GOP legislation. They are taking your tax dollars and the programs they fund, that are essential to millions of Americans to give away to the already powerful and wealthy. It is time for regular citizens like you to take a stand.

By donating to your local SD 46 you are supporting true grass roots organizing. Your neighbors and friends, people you see in the store are part of the organization. Please give a donation to Senate District 46. Small monthly donations are easy on the budget and provide stability to the Senate District.

FYI: The $75 or $150 Political Contribution Refund PCR refund may be ending on August 1 this year. There is legislation as part of budget cutting to eliminate this program.

 

Everything Everywhere All at Once

I think I am past the depression created by the election results. Time to start thinking about what we are going to do about it. Trump does not have a mandate, though he will pretend he does. I expect disarray, infighting, and some very bad decisions from this regime. We need to fight this at every opportunity.

I have written before about the disadvantage Democrats have in media and messaging. Conservatives control a majority of media. Their message is coordinated and distributed with efficiency and intent. Their media outlets are available everywhere while perceived liberal media is limited at best. This includes new media like social networks, podcasts, as well as subversive messaging in popular programs.

We see Fox News and the like being shown in public spaces like gyms, airports, military bases, and nearly any place where the public gathers. Podcasters like Joe Rogan and similar hosts, regularly interview conspiracy theorists, republicans, and quack doctors. Social media is rife with trolls and MAGA nuts who wait for a chance to jump on any perceived liberalism. Even dramatic programs and cop shows perpetuate a chronic crime wave that supposedly hasn’t ended since the 1970s, terrorists infiltrating the Mexican border, or cartels that control southwestern states. It all perpetuates the conservative message.

Another advantage conservatives have vs liberals is committed and engaged voters. When Trump decided, he was not going to give up on the nomination of Pete Hegseth, MAGA faithful started sending letters to their Senators. One of the first demonstration of this was in the 1994 midterms when the NRA campaigned against the Brady Bill and the Clinton Administration. NRA members did what they were told to do, and they wrote letters to their congressmen and letters to the editors and most of all, they voted. This is what we need to do during the Trump term.

Resistance will require an everything everywhere all at once strategy. We need to petition media to feature more liberal points of view and provide them with content. We need to combat MAGA trolls on social media. We need to create new media outlets and distribute them, make them available everywhere for free whenever possible. And we need to get liberal narratives in TV writers’ rooms.

During the campaign I went to a few rallies for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. I had watched their stump speeches on TV and knew what they were going to say, but I went anyway because it helps create momentum, I invited friends and family and even brought my wife, who hates crowds and being cooped up in stuffy auditoriums. More people matter at rallies just like more people using their voices in more places will matter in the resistance.

The same is true for letter writing and phone call campaigns. This is something we as individuals can do and should do regularly. It’s a small commitment. Writing letters to all the senators on a committee takes minutes after the letter itself is written. And the letter doesn’t have to be long, keep it short and to the point is always best. Using a web browser and some copy and pasting you can send a letter to all the Senators that are making a decision that is important to you.

Write about what you care about. There are organizations and groups working on your issue and they can guide you in writing an effective message. When we all make our wishes known it can move votes. Congresspeople do keep a count on issues for and against and the Democratic side needs momentum.

Members of the house have a filtering system that asks for your zip code before allowing you to post an email. I have looked up zip codes in their district and used them to bypass this filter. You may rather make a phone call instead. They will ask you where you live but you don’t have to tell them. If you are that person’s constituent, by all means tell them so. This kind of lobbying, and yes that is what it is, can’t be done with form letters or robotic calls.

In reevaluating its media failures of 2024, the Democratic party should formalize a program for Democrats to write and call their representatives. Every time a Democrat is on TV, radio or a podcast they need to encourage the audience to write and call their congresspeople. This cannot be overused. A program like this can be created by multiple interest groups to encourage their voters to do the same.

We need to build a wall of messaging. Everything everywhere all at once to get our message wherever anyone could possibly see it. And that includes citizen correspondence to Senators to oppose nominees, reject trickle down tax cuts, save NATO, and keep Trump off balance. The party needs to invest in the people to do this. I can do it, and you can do it, Let’s do it.