224 Comments

Robert, it is your newsletter that brings me the greatest hope…

Im not sure how I would have managed, especially between the last election and the inauguration!

I have recommended your substack to several people, most of whom have subscribed and read daily.

Thank you! (and your managing editor)

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My feelings exactly! I had a friend send it to me in the beginning, and I have sent it on to others, who also love it. We need hope to keep going!

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DW good for you but ask yourself what can you do to help us win in November ? Anything as simple as passing on an article etc would help. Every little bit is required.

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I don’t really have to ask myself…I do what I suspect most of the people on this forum do to one degree or another…write postcards, engage with others on political issues, donate what I am able, and am active in my local Democratic party.

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Well, that is what Robert and Stephen were looking forward. I do much the same as you have written. Sharing these actions helps everyone see that they are part of a larger efforts. Thank you Deborah White. As you, I attended a Town Hall meeting today and learned what is happening with the State Board of Education regarding curriculum which, as we can’t be surprised, some are trying (unsuccessfully, thank goodness) to mess with the curriculum. Participant engagement offered some enlightenment as well. Peace. Keep on sharing when you can.

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Another really good way to get involved, at a more local level, is to become a PCP (precinct committee person) in your local Democratic Party. As such, we go door-to-door, make phone calls, and send out slate cards for every election. The candidates we endorse go from everything from the local school board to for US president, and all in between. Plus it’s great being involved with like-minded folks!

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We also make recommendations on ballot issues.

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I'll be canvassing for our local congresswoman, Elaine Luria.

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Yes. Hello, Deborah. Nice to meet you. Same congresswoman.

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I help overseas American voters register to vote and/or request their absentee ballot using votefromabroad.org.

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I’m grateful for this organization! My daughter is in Paris for a semester and gave up her apartment in Houston. She was sad that she wouldn’t be able to vote for Beto. With vote from abroad she learned that she can!

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Every vote counts, or at least it should. If our political parties ran on ideas, that they offered up for the betterment of all of us, and we in our collective wisdom decided on which ones we wanted to live with, our system of government would be working as it was intended too, it is indeed going to take all of us to put in the needed course correction to steer this ship of state to the destination we want to get.

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Did you know that Americans abroad can vote via email? Not sure how but my friend, whose daughters will be both out of the country on abroad programs told me.

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My friend Laura Mosedale, who is a reader of this newsletter, is a New Yorker who has lived in London for years and worked hard with "Democrats Abroad" ever since Trump was elected. They do registration drives all the time. They helped tons of Americans abroad vote every year since 2016 (and before, I'm sure) and will do this year too!

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This is great news. Good for your friend overseas.

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Every registered-to-vote (can also be done via the site) American can request their Absentee Ballot to arrive by email. However, EACH state has different rules for returning the ballot. Some are snail mail, some are by fax (with a waiver), some are by email. Use the site to check this. It can also be checked on FVAP.gov.

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Mail-in-ballots can be followed by the voter in states/counties that use Ballotrax. Check here to see if your state participates: https://ballottrax.com/

I signed up a few years ago with Ballotrax and get a phone call/email to verify every step of my mail-in-ballot's journey. I love hearing confirmation that it's been processed at the post office, it's been sent to the County Registar-Recorder and then that it's been counted. It may sound silly to some, but I get a sense of pride and comfort hearing about my vote in our democracy as it travels to ultimately be part of the decisions that will decide our way forward.

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Thanks for informing folks. In NJ they make it easy. I’m sure other states make it far more difficult

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Yes, i went to votebymail.ncsbe.gov and submitted an application. It was approved by my local Board of Elections. They will send me a ballot in September by email.

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My son, for whatever reason, prefers to vote in person.

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No. They can't vote by email. They apply for absentee ballots.

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August 20, 2022
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thanks! My daughter (and her family) lives in the UK, and I'll send this to her and urge her to vote

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Contact Democrats Abroad UK ...

Register to vote at your last US address and request an absentee ballot to be sent to your UK address or PO Box in UK. But you can NOT register at your US POBox.. must be a physical place (homeless use cross streets, etc.

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All states can send the Absentee ballot by email, but the FPCA DOES require a physical address in the country where the voter is residing on the form.

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Just signed up; so happy to know about this. Thank you!!!

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Democrats Abroad and Republicans Abroad used to work together to register voters when I lived in the UK. We worked together because we believed in our democracy.

We need 18-35 year olds to vote . Thank heavens the National Basketball Association has said election day no teams will play Dunk the Vote... ad.

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You and Heather Cox Richardson are a big help! I am cheered by the amazing community that participates in www.forcemultiplierus.org . We are all volunteer and in 5 years have raised 11 million dollars for federal candidates and voter empowerment orgs. We hold great events on Zoom for now. Our motto is “we do the research so you don’t have to.” We have no budget , no bank account , just amazing committed volunteers .

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You go, Dale !

I’ve been letting Force Multiplier guide my giving for two years now. Their format of introducing us to individual razor’s edge candidates for Senate and House means we who live in blue areas (mine is Northern VA) get to meet a passel of fine politicians, learn about their localities - and have a dog in the fight in many parts of the country come Election Day.

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Thanks Al, your long-time support is so appreciated. Yes we are a great source for Blue State voters who don't have their own close races to support. I should have mentioned we have carefully vetted voter empowerment non-profits, including an all 501c3 option, the will help voters register, turn out, and protect their vote. And we don't touch the donations in any way -- all goes through ActBlue direct to the candidate or group. Check us out --www.forcemultiplierus.org

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Didn't know about FM previously---thanks!!

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The House passed H.R. 5746 the Voting Rights Act which corrects all the mishaps of Supreme Court , gerrymandering removed, times, places and manner of voting with clear standards so that your postcode no longer determines what you need to vote and whether your vote is counted. We must fight to end the filibuster in September when the Senate returns ... Our vote must be our voice and everyone should have the same rules for voting..

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Wow! This is great! Thanks for sharing.

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That sounds wonderful. I'm going to check it out.

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To pick myself up these days I watch Randy Rainbow videos on YouTube. He does outrageously funny musical videos based on a show tune or popular tune and spins it to make fun of politicians mostly on the right. These are brilliant, little gems.

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Hahahahahahaha. Gotta love a rainbow.

🗽💜

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His best yet. Randy is a national treasure.

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You'll get no argument from me there, Betsy!

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While I am hoping that he's not out of show tunes, the best touch for me was "Mr. Rainbow" on the lectern. Just like the "real" congresspersons.

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It's remarkable how this video was put together so quickly seeing as how some of the news it portrayed was barely a week previous?

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He is a genius! I loved his interview with one of the late night hosts and he said his mother wanted to raise the gayest boy in (forgot the geography) so she played show tunes every night to help him fall asleep!!

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Too funny. I grew up listening to show tunes. I think that is one more reason why I love watching his videos!

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Hahah; fantastic!

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He’s brilliant!

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Thanks! Just watched it!

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Thanks! I think that's one of his best ever! Love his "WTF" network. Robert should love this. "Rainbow to AG-'Step on it sis'" LOL

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Yes! Knocked it out of the park!

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Thanks!

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You're welcome, Kate!

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Lynell had posted about RR's latest musical skewering on HCR's latest substack post as well, and when I saw his comment, I added this link to an interview he did with Mary Trump a few months ago - https://youtu.be/od6S3yOcmJ8

Mary and Randy talk about his book, Playing With Myself, his childhood, and his creative process. The interview starts at about the 2:40 mark. Randy is another one of those lights in the darkness for me that I turn to for a brief respite from the unrelenting grind of the headlines that march across my news feed.

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Thanks, Natalie. I hadn't intended to post it here until I read Brandy Agun's comment about him. So...

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I watched that on YouTube as well. Loved it!

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Thank you for directing us to Randy Rainbow. Brilliant!

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Isn’t he funny?! Now I end my nights with one of his videos and an old Julia Child show on YouTube.

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You're welcome, Mike. Who can't use a little humor, I always say.

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Donald Jessica Trump

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🤣🤣🤣 So funny!

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LOL, Yep, Mary. It's like he made the most of all 4+ minutes of our time!

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He does live shows and is has a new tour coming. Check it out. One of the most fun nights hive had!!!

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He is hilarious and will brighten any day.

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I have just discovered "Randy" & now follow him! You are right, to laugh is a beautiful thing!

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I watched one of Beto O'Rourke's rallies in a very "red" town in Texas. He converted many voters who were interviewed for the video. One voter who was a teacher was inspired by Beto's remarks about education. In the video he said these words about teachers: "We want to be seen as the profession that creates all others..." Wow. Just wow.

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What lovely and brilliant concept! As a former teacher in west Baltimore I was always overtly and covertly nudging my students towards visions of possibility! Framed and hung Michelle Obama's Princeton graduation pic in a place of high honor, her husbands official portrait nearby, and lots of Howard Zinn inspired units to counter the racial narrative they heard in America. Not their families who thought, like all parents, that their offspring could achieve their dreams!

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Who knows how many in your classroom were inspired by your talent, Sarah. Blessings!

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What a perfect concept. Wow. Just wow is the right reaction.

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Yes, Betsy. When I heard him say that it was like a head-slapping moment for me. So obvious; so brilliant.

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“Somehow, we have to get older people back close to growing children if we are to restore a sense of community, acquire knowledge of the past, and provide a sense of the future." Margaret Mead

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Thank you for citing this Margaret Mead quote, Sandy. I'll share it and will return to it often as i deal with negative self talk about aging - as if we didn't have bigger fish to fry;) ...

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Yahweh must be consulted. It’s Saturday. Tomorrow we can consult with The Other Guy.

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Did not know that quote! Thanks.. important.

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Let me be the first to climb on this bandwagon of positivity! The first thing that comes to mind for me is the phone call I got late this afternoon from one of my fellow county Democrats. We exchange stories in these calls about all the crazy stuff that's going on and catch up on our lives. Robert, you reminded me that even though there's lots to be concerned about these simple expressions of caring and reaching out are what's going right. We help each other find the humor and humanity. We lift each other up. We keep going. We remain hopeful.

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Study MSNBC right now.. and all the time...

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Later today I will wear my “Free Grandma Hugs” rainbow t-shirt and go to the Pride festival to show support for those whose own families perhaps don’t show them acceptance. I’ll take my little fuzzy dog with me; she loves attention and helps start conversations. ❤️🐶👵🏻🌈

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My sister's pastor did that. Her shirt read "This queer pastor loves you".

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That is so awesome Nancy! Thank you for sharing your positivity!

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Brilliant!!!

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A long-time friend and I who live far apart both subscribe to Jessica Craven's Chop Wood, Carry Water newsletter. (https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/) When Jessica urged her readers to adopt a swing state, we chose Wisconsin -- the Cheese State -- and are now co-parenting our little Colby Jack with donations, phone banking and registering WI voters via post card. It's great fun to adopt with a friend. We're trying to figure out how to organize a virtual Cheese Lovers for Wisconsin fund-raiser. Suggestions welcome!

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Through WisDems, every part of Wisconsin has a neighborhood team that supports Democratic candidates and progressive causes and candidates (such as for the State Supreme Court). Some of these teams need more support from outside than others. These days we are canvassing and phone banking. Help recruiting canvassers is a critical need. WisDems has an organizer who is responsible for coordinating with out-of-state volunteers. Have you spoken with them? Given the most recent polling, we have hope -- but know Ron Johnson has been behind in polling in prior elections (especially 2016) and the governor's race is tighter than it should be.

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Paul,

Thanks for this. I'll contact WisDems and see what I can find out.

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This Cheesehead thanks you!! 🧀🍻

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Ha! If we get our cheesy act together, we'll let you know!

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Thanks Kate! This makes me SO HAPPY! If others want to adopt a state they can do so here! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R9fi9jBVmVlWJUTQCNSyEg_PV0Z-WIHu7xCEOcyQ4ig/edit?usp=sharing

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One of the proudest moments of my life was (besides giving birth to a lovely baby girl) was being one of four in San Diego Indivisible to protest Donnie’s Muslim Ban. After working endlessly to elect Barack Obama , I was beyond horrified.Being an active member of Indivisibles peaceful protests and marches involved me with like minded wonderful people and similarly made me feel as though I had a voice. The time is now to rise up in our communities to raise awareness once again. Perhaps the stakes for many of us have never been so high Organizing a protest march is not as hard as it might seem, is invigorating, and raises awareness. Let’s all take our part now to protest the insanity and potential violence around us.

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It is you, Heather Cox Richardson, writing postcards and participating in the Tri-State Maxed-Out Womens PAC that keep me politically positive leading up to the midterm elections.

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Oh my. Wonderful Democratic positive ad put out with Morning Joes' voice on Bidens 'achievements. It is positively a video that should be spread all over the media. I saw it on Democratic Undrrground.

Thank you Robert for this wonderful newsletter..

It's just the Best! Emily Warntz

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Thanks for the opportunity to post, Robert. That is kind.

My partner Jason Michelle Patterson and I are developing a documentary 'I Have Reason' to investigate and ask solutions for youth in their homes surrounded by psychological violence. This is an evolving project, we both are in education, and wish to explore how to help vulnerable people when our system(s) don't allow them voice. The development page is here. I have taken off the password. https://www.kalafilmbooktv.com/projects-8 I think there is great value in understanding how this affects young people, so that mental health is held.

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Fabulous!!!!

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One of my fave “messengers”, Leigh McGowan, Politics Girl. Her podcast this week is stunning. The Psychology of America with her guest, Nick Carmody. She also does short, effective, to the point rants from her kitchen. Enjoy the podcast.

https://youtu.be/qJs7xlXrBV0

🗽

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If you like Leigh's podcast, you may also like The Suburban Women Problem podcast, with Rachel Vindman and two other amazing women (founders of Red Wine and Blue). Their guests are also brilliant.

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My wife and I are going to listen to this on the way down to see her Dad (whose dementia is finally at least regulated a bit.)

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Thanks, Christine! Luv her!

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Thank you, Christine, this is a great podcast. I'm going to stay connected with her!

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Thanks---had not heard of her before.

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Love her !!!

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We have a vibrant Democratic Party community in Dakota County, Minnesota. DFL52.org. Of course our ultimate goal is to elect Democrats, but we also strive to build a democratic community. That includes service and education to all who wish to join. It is a group of peace and hope—and action.

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No matter what I think of the right wing in general taken individually I find traits that are admirable. Generosity and loyalty run strong in my neighbors.

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Thank you for this comment. In my little upstate New York mountain town, all the volunteer fire fighters and EMT’s except my husband are right wingers. They save lives and property and are kind and generous. It’s really tough to make sense of their support for evil in politics.

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Ask them what they want that they don’t have. I have no idea.

What will Republicans give them?

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