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That’s it for this intro! There’s more to say about TextOut and what happens once you start work on a texting campaign. You can find out more from Karen or Dan at the next meeting. Or contact Andy and Naomi. Or leave a comment below. Happy texting!

The meeting began early with text-bank training. We heard that targeted texting by Reclaim Our Vote (and organization to get disenfranchised African American voters back on the rolls) had an 85% success rate in Alabama and 60% in Georgia.

We practiced how to join the Red2Blue text program. (If you want to, and missed it, start here.) Instructions for how to join the Open Progress text program are a separate post. And Indivisible’s Payback Project also has a texting plan against ten targeted GOP Senators.

Bill Marthinsen distributed a Volunteer Commitment Form ideal for getting your less-involved neighbors to contribute. Ann Overton reported that the owner of Pasta Bene restaurant (Telegraph near Blake St.) wants to put Vote posters in all the Telegraph commercial windows. We discussed optimal design. Consensus seemed to be a QR code for voter registration.

The next target for our Donation Page is the Michigan House Democratic Fund. That’s a chamber close to flipping.

The current postcard campaign is for Judge Jill Karofsky for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Names and script available from Tony the Democrat.

Our friends at East Bay Activist Alliance have a calendar web page here. I have asked them to consider a subscription URL.

Today seemed like a heavy news day.

At a time we need people with courage, Disney/ABC shows an unusual amount of cowardice. Project Veritas taped one of their reporters saying he was a socialist who supported Medicare for All. No sign of bias in his work, but he’s suspended and taken off the politics beat.

Maybe his real sin was saying Good Morning America now just spent its time shilling other Disney products and that news was secondary to viewership and advertising throughout.

Paul Waldman in WaPo; Dan Froomkin in his own newsletter.

Also on the journalism front, Trump filed a frivolous lawsuit against The NY Times over their op-ed asserting Trump and Russia work towards a common purpose. Of course, the lawsuit will be dismissed immediately on multiple grounds, and, ironically, if for some bizarre reason it is allowed to proceed, the Trump Crime Family will fold as soon as the Times’ lawyers ask to depose Don Jr., Trump, and others who were able to evade the Mueller Grand Jury. One theory is it is just part of the ongoing War on Truth, to show that everyone lies. I tend to doubt that, not when the suit will be dismissed quickly. I think it’s to prepare us for more such suits after Trump has corrupted the judiciary. Bogus libel judgments were used to end the Free Press in Turkey, Hungary, Malaysia, and other autocracies. But Trump is out over his skis, still, here.

And two articles that Bernie isn’t the electoral disastercthat the Punditocracy claims. Salon. Local guy Robert Reich in WaPo. Keep an eye out for moderate House and Senate candidates trying to wiggle away from him. We lose more votes from the picture of disloyalty and disunity than from the alleged extremism of Medicare for All. And Castro? Obama said the same limited positive compliments of Cuba and no one cared.

I have created an iCloud calendar for Indivisible Elmwood (I am encouraging our sister organizations to make theirs as easy to use). Depending on your browser set-up, the URL below may automatically offer to subscribe when you click it, or you may need to copy it, then paste it into the New Calendar Subscription item in your Calendar program (under the File menu in Apple Calendar, something similar is available in other calendars).

webcal://p35-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/MTA1MTUwMTA3NjEwNTE1MNgC30hvEaMmImfcZMokr1IsZxniX9-PrdbVtO8lEx3EW_mJtv-eczClUDA5LczAAhWMI1lbym0LOhhlwCbUwHs

The article everyone is tweeting about today is Adam Serwer in The Atlantic on Trump Unchained. About as enraging as you would expect. Today’s move of Trump lickspittle Richard Grenell from Ambassador to Germany to Acting Director of National Intelligence is another example.

The acquittal vote ratified the authoritarian instincts of the president and the ideological convictions of his attorney general.

Our son Gideon forwarded an announcement from former Rep. Katie Hill (CA-25), who resigned over complications from a broken ménage a trois. She is founding a PAC (isn’t everyone), HER Time Pac, “to ensure that great candidates who are getting overlooked have the resources they need to win.” More specifically, this seems to be support for women entering politics with a non-political résumé. Although Hill is from Southern California, the HER Time mailing address is 2120 University Avenue, here in Berkeley. I looked it up; it’s a WeWork building.

Meanwhile, the Special Election to replace Hill coincides with the California Primary, March 3. Christy Smith should come out on top.

Even in the Bay Area, Sports Radio isn’t an intrinsically left-wing institution. There was a time when the SF Giants’ long-time radio station (KNBR 680) described itself as “Your Sports and Limbaugh Leader”. They have long since flushed Rush.

The Giants have likewise dropped former key player Aubrey Huff from their various team reunion plans. (Huff laid down one of the best sacrifice bunts of all time in a 2010 World Series games, the only one of his entire career.) Huff cut a sympathetic figure back then, once going on the disabled list for anxiety and depression. He squandered the good will by coming out as a bigoted, misogynistic Trumpkin.

Yesterday, another Sports Radio station decided to interview him after he complained of the Giants’ political bias. It didn’t go well.

Co-host Joe Fortenbaugh decided he had enough of speaking to Huff after the former Giant stated that he doesn’t want to coach women’s sports because “women are tough enough to deal with anyway.”

“Aubrey, do you really think right now is the time to make that joke?” Fortenbaugh asked.

“Hey man, you guys have me on, this is how I joke. You don’t like it, you don’t have to interview me,” Huff said.…

“Absolutely, it’s extraordinarily offensive listening to you,” Fortenbaugh responded. “I can completely understand why the Giants would want nothing to do with you. It’s a shame because we came on today wanting to see your point of view. I came on today thinking, ‘You know what, maybe this guy, just because it’s the Bay Area, they’re going too hard on him. That maybe they lean a little too left here and and he’s getting a bad deal.’ And now I’m regretting bringing you on because I’m thinking to myself, ‘You know what, he’s exactly the turd he makes himself out to be on social media.'”

SF Chronicle

If you’ve lost 95.7…

I like citing Max Boot, because he is the only Never Trump Conservative I know (I don’t claim to have a complete list) who went back to analyze Trumpist racism and nativism, and admitted its close relationship to the Conservative movement he once backed. I’ve been reading Boot since he was the Daily Cal’s token conservative columnist, when he was writing typical teenager Ronald Reagan fanfic. He knows better now.

Trumpism, like all populist movements, is based on the pernicious conceit that only the strongman speaks for the “real” people and that anyone who opposes him must be an outsider or elitist who isn’t in touch with the common folk. The corollary is that the supreme leader is justified in doing just about anything in the people’s name — even abusing his authority to punish those who don’t support him….  In today’s America, Republicans represent more land area, but Democrats represent more people — having exceeded the Republican tally by 2.8 million votes in the 2016 presidential election and by more than 8.6 million votes in the 2018 House races.

WaPo

I’m going to paste in the entire East Bay Activist Alliance newsletter, but you can subscribe (the leadership emails are all at the bottom), so this is a one-off. Note the many events scheduled.

Fired up! Ready to go!

On February 1, over 90 people gathered at our first Big Tent Annual Meeting. With a whopping 150% of RSVPs, we may have run out of coffee but there was no shortage of enthusiasm and great ideas for how to help a mighty blue wave sweep over our country, flip statehouses blue, and save our democracy from the Devil’s Spawn in the White House.
When we went to Michigan two years ago, we promised we would return to support them again. But we know we can do more this year, so our researchers identified additional states that fit our criteria of possible state house flip + important senate race + significant electoral votes + Presidential swing state. After spirited discussion, Big Tent attendees voted. North Carolina and Arizona won by a landslide. So that’s where we will focus our 2020 energies: MI, NC, and AZ. After the primaries, we will seek out winnable statehouse seats in the above states with important up-ballot races and support them to the best of our ability, sometimes with partner organizations.
We also continue our fight against voter suppression. Reclaim Our Vote is one of our nation’s most competent and engaged voting rights organizations, which boasts a modern and effective plan of action. Andrea Miller, founder of ROV, recently held a Berkeley audience in thrall as she enumerated the extent of voter disenfranchisement in this country, particularly among communities of color. That fundraiser on February 4 raised over $32,000, and EBAA is pleased to have served as one of the lead organizers. We will continue to raise funds and do work for this worthy organization, as well as other groups that ensure and re-establish enfranchisement, particularly for people of color whose votes have been targeted (often purged) by the GOP.
You can help the Blue Wave wash over the land. 
Fundraisers
Every. Single. Dollar. Matters. PERIOD. Early money allows candidates to hire staff and create a strong foundation for a winning campaign. Fundraising events also help to build our activist community. Besides, they’re FUN and often delicious.
Make the Resistance Delicious! On Sunday March 8 3-5PM come to a Chocolate Tasting with Alice Medrich, one of the country’s foremost experts on chocolate. Since 1976, when she opened her renowned shop Cocolat, Alice’s innovative ideas and recipes have influenced a generation of confectioners, pastry chefs, and home cooks. Come taste, learn and enjoy! All proceeds go to support Michigan House Dems. Private home near the Claremont. Donate and RSVP here https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cacao and find more information here. 
Make the Resistance Delicious! On Sunday March 15, 3-5PM, come to an Artisan Cheese and Honey Pairing. What a sweet way to Flip Michigan! Join acclaimed cheese educator Lynne Devereux and local beekeeper Danielle Woermann for an afternoon of pairing some of California’s great handcrafted cheeses with a selection of honeys that express their local terroir. Private home in the Lakeshore District, Oakland. RSVP and donate here: . More information here.
Make the Resistance Delicious! Whiskey Tasting on Sunday, April 5, 3-5PM. Stay tuned for details.
On Friday, April 17, from 6-10PM come rock out at the Blue Wave Boogie, Humanist Hall, Uptown Oakland. $45-$60 sliding scale donation goes to Flip Michigan Blue with live music from the Beat Riders, hearty snacks, and sweets. No-host bar benefits Reclaim Our Vote. Save the date and watch for details here. 
Phonebanks
Our phonebanks are on fire! We’re calling voters of color who have been purged from voting rolls in Texas, NC, and possibly other states, (and leaving messages!) Stripping people in the South of their vote is rampant, and this work is vital as we help citizens reclaim their voting power. We’ll also be calling the newly re-enfranchised voters to GOTV for the upcoming primaries. Turnout among these voters is very high - as much as 65% - so these phonebanks are highly rewarding.
We’re also helping build the Blue Wave in Wisconsin to help flip this critical battleground state. At one phonebank, out of 569 calls made, 100 people answered and of those, 40 said they would volunteer. So far in 2020 we have identified 101 WisDem volunteers and we’re pumped. The April ballot includes candidates for the WI State Supreme Court, which will be deciding voting districts and voting rights in the future. Join us!
Berkeley/Oakland/Albany /El Cerrito
Feb. 12, 1:30-4PM in Oakland/Redwood Heights with EBAA Redwood Heights. RSVP.
Feb 12, 5pm-8pm in Oakland/Grand Ave. with EBAA & Winning Wednesdays. RSVP. 
Feb.15, 1-4PM in South Berkeley with Indivisible Berkeley and EBAA. RSVP. 
Feb 16, 3-5PM in Albany with EBAA & TWW Albany Berkeley. RSVP. 
Feb. 19, 5-8PM in Oakland/Grand Ave with EBAA & Winning Wednesdays. RSVP. 
Feb. 26, 5-8PM in Oakland/Grand Ave with EBAA & Winning Wednesdays. RSVP. 
Feb. 27, 3-5PM in Albany with Together We Will Albany/Berkeley & EBAA. RSVP.
Feb. 29, 2-4:30PM in West Berkeley with EBAA. RSVP.
March 8, 1:30-4PM in Berkeley/Cragmont with EBAA. RSVP.    
March 11, 1:30-4PM in Oakland/Redwood Heights with EBAA Redwood Heights. RSVP.
March 14, 2-4PM in West Berkeley with EBAA. RSVP. 
March 15, 3-5PM in Albany with EBAA and TWW Albany Berkeley. RSVP.  
March 21, 1-4PM in South Berkeley with Indivisible Berkeley and EBAA. RSVP.
West Contra Costa County
Feb. 18, 2-4PM in El Sobrante with West County Organizing. RSVP
Feb. 25, 2-4PM in El Sobrante with West County Organizing. RSVP.
March 3, 2-4PM in El Sobrante with West County Organizing. RSVP.  
March 10, 2-4PM in El Sobrante with West County Organizing. RSVP.
March 17, 2-4PM in El Sobrante with West County Organizing. RSVP.
Dublin/Pleasanton
Feb. 29, 10AM–1PM in Pleasanton with Swing Left Tri-Valley & EBAA. RSVP.
March 14, 10AM-1PM in Pleasanton with Swing Left Tri-Valley & EBAA. RSVP.  
Postcarding…a curiously fun way to fight the good fight.
ROV and other groups are using postcard strategies to reach people whose voter registration was purged. This despicable practice surprises many on Election Day. Help us reach them in time to re-register and vote in both their state primary and in November. Bring your own supplies or donate for postage and cards. Get started with a group and find out how to write on your own at home.
Postcard Parties:
Feb. 16 10:30AM-12:30PM in Oakland with Flip the West. RSVP
Feb. 18 6-8PM in North Berkeley with EBAA and Sharon’s Team. RSVP. 
Feb. 23 1-4PM in North Berkeley with EBAA and Sharon’s Team. RSVP. 
March 6, 10-11:30AM in Berkeley with Postcards for America: California & EBAA. RSVP
March 15 10:30AM-12:30PM in Oakland with Flip the West. RSVP
March 22 12-2PM in Berkeley with Postcards for America-CA & EBAA. RSVP.


If you love to write postcards, consider joining Women Who Write, a group of 65 resistance postcard writers. They have been writing for more than two years at over 20,000 postcards per year! No online links but weekly meetings happen three times per week at three different locations, and new writers are always welcome.
Tuesday morning 10:00-1:00 at Lynn Brown’s in the Berkeley hills, 510-548-7102.
Tuesday afternoon 2:30-4:30 at Marlene Lieberman’s in North Berkeley, 510-524-1156.
Wednesday morning 10:00-12:00 at Patty Kates in the Berkeley hills, 510-841-1322.
Texting
Come to our Saturday 2/22 Texting Party. This is the first of our monthly, fourth-Saturday texting parties, 10-noon in South Berkeley. This month, we’re partnering with Flip the West and the Environmental Voter Project to GOTV for the March primaries in AZ and CO. Experienced texters particularly encouraged; others always welcome. This month’s non-partisan effort cannot promote any specific candidates or parties; the goal is to build a strong voting habit for infrequent voters who prioritize environmental issues.
RSVP for Feb. 22
RSVP for March 28
For the experienced, here’s a text-at-home tactic. This month, the EBAA Texting Team recommends IndivisiText, the texting arm of Indivisible, which will be texting for many progressive candidates in February and beyond, including local favorite TJ Cox in CA-21. IndivisiText uses TextOut as their texting software. You can join their Slack here and you’ll get instructions on how to get texting.
In other news around town and farther afield:
We are all in with Reclaim Our Vote. Learn more about its actions and programs by attending one of these webinar introductions:
Feb. 13, 5:00 pm (PST)
Feb. 20, 5:00 pm (PST)
Suppressed: The Fight to Vote  This movie screens on Tuesday, February 18, 6:30pm - 8:00pm, Edith Stone Room, Albany Library. This new documentary by Robert Greenwald illustrates that the basic constitutional right to vote continues to be under siege in America. Polling place closures, voter purges, missing absentee ballots, extreme wait times and a host of voter ID issues in Georgia all disproportionately prevented Stacey Abrams from becoming the first Black female governor in the U.S. in 2018, and this same voter suppression poses a threat in 2020. Also available on YouTube. 
Nevada Dems are calling for help to run their first-in-the-West 2020 Nevada Democratic caucuses on February 22. They need volunteers to come to NV to help on or before Caucus Day. Until now they had been planning to use the same disastrous app that melted down in Iowa which is why the call for help seems rather late, but it’s not too late. After sign-up, vols will receive training and the timeline for helping at a caucus. Sign up here. Contact Norton Tooby for more information.

If you need us, here we are. Please contact us with your questions, ideas and concerns.
Campaign Liaison
Penni Takade
eastbayactivistalliance@gmail.com
Fundraising
Jody Lerner
EBAAevents@gmail.com
Internships 
Elissa Gershon
EBAAinterns@gmail.com
Canvassing
Paul Costello
EBAAcanvass@gmail.com
Phonebanking
Holly Scheider
EBAAphonebank@gmail.com
Postcarding
Jan Murota
EBAApostcards@gmail.com
Textbanking
Penni Takade
EBAAtexting@gmail.com
Newsletter
Peggy Scott
EBAAcommunications@gmail.com
Membership
Andrea MacRae
EBAAmembers@gmail.com
General Enquiries

info@eastbayactivistalliance.org

Get a little inspiration here and help us turn one of the worst (already!) political years in history into one of the best. We’re fired up and ready to go…actually, we’re already on the move. Hop aboard this crazy train and help us take back our democracy. 
Sometimes it’s even fun.
Best wishes from your Leadership Team
Unless otherwise stated, events and activities are organized by East Bay Activist Alliance. The East Bay Activist Alliance is comprised of volunteer activists and organizations in San Francisco's East Bay. We help flip and hold winnable districts red-to-blue by supporting high impact, strategic campaigns where state legislative seats, voting rights, and Congressional campaigns intersect.

The Republicans are trying to paint the pre-ordained Trump acquittal as a sign he (or, perhaps, for them, He) is invincible. Absolutely no external polling supports this. In today’s WaPo, political blogger Glen Sargent explains that this aura is intended to dismay us, keep us from organizing, for the less-committed even discourage us from casting a ballot.