Quick Update

1. Andy is working on a chart of our group goals. Thanks to those of you who emailed your goals to me–if you want yours included, email me by the weekend when Andy will post his new handy-dandy visual aid of just how ambitious we all are. Goals can include how many postcards you plan to write, how many letters, how many texts or phone calls or specific campaigns or outreach activities you want to be involved in.

2. I have ten weather-proof Black Lives Matter signs for anyone in our group who wants one. Just drop me an email.

3. Our fund-raising is off to a great start! We blew past $2,500 and are now heading to $5,000.

4. Need help with moving forward with letters, postcards, texts? Drop me an email and I’ll get you a buddy or help you myself.

Minutes from August 2 meeting

I started off with a review of what we need to worry about, and what we don’t.

What to worry about
What to worry about

Bruce talked about phone calls and texting, encouraging us to find a local or regional campaign that suits us. For example, just calling for Biden may not work for you.

Naomi: everyone should make a 100–day plan. Here are some resources.

Bill will be hosting a series of phone banks to Michigan on weekends. Contact him for information.

Quick Update

A full set of minutes from our meeting today will be posted tomorrow (thanks to everyone for a great meeting!). Remember to send me an email (when you are ready) with your 100 Days Goals. How many postcards, letters, texts and phone calls will you try to make before election day? Andy will set up a goal chart which is an anonymous total so everyone gets credit for everything we do!

Meanwhile I want to respond to Judy’s questions about our donation strategies. Please take from this what is useful to you and discard the rest.

For the lowest tier on local state and house races, $100 is fabulous and less is very, very helpful. For the next tier, we will give a big chunk to our two main House races (Cox and Hart) since their expenses are on a different scale. In addition, smaller donations to (hard to turn them down when they call):
Galvin (Alaska) (she plays bridge!)

Mucarsel-Powell (FL)
Brzozowski (IL)
Kunkel (WV) (slightly less hopeless than Swearingen)
Swearingen (WV) (hopeless but a left candidate)
Vazquez (FL)
Imam (TX) (software engineer so Andy had to donate)
Torres-Small (NM) (this is important race)
Lombard (KS)
Driskell (MI)
Hoadley (MI)
Tipernini (AZ) (out of nostalgia)
Stevens (MI)
Dirksen Londrigan (IL)
Hicks (KY)
Goroff (NY)

(early in the cycle we gave small donations to Underwood and Ortiz-Jones but they are well-funded now, same with Harder)

Senate: Main donations to our candidates Gross and Ossoff, token donations to Jordan in Idaho since she is a Native American, Bullock, Greenfield and Bollier.

Zoom link for Aug 2

Time: Aug 2, 2020 04:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 839 4742 1997

Passcode: 231331

One tap mobile

+13462487799,,83947421997#,,,,,,0#,,231331# US (Houston)

+16699006833,,83947421997#,,,,,,0#,,231331# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 839 4742 1997

Passcode: 231331

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kekB7ctRFo

A look at Senate Bang for Buck

Judy Stacey was nice enough to get me a speaking slot to the Wellstone Democratic Club. My points were familiar to Indivisible Elmwood participants.

  • Don’t give money out of spite (McGrath in KY, probably Gideon in ME).
  • Don’t give money to candidates who already have all they can use (Kelly in AZ, Jones in AL).
  • Look for Democratic candidates for whom money can truly make the difference between winning and losing (Gross in AK, Ossoff in GA)

I prepared a spreadsheet that also showed how much more (or less) our candidates have compared to the opponent.

EDIT: A full-size version of this spreadsheet is here, and of our slate, here.

Bang for Buck spreadsheet

Minutes from July 19

Well, if you were at the meeting, you will understand that I am enabling the Waiting Room. The alternative is not exposing the link in a public forum, which will complicate our long-term growth strategy. I will have someone make sure you don’t get left in Purgatory.

We made decision on current fund-raising (Al Gross, Jon Ossoff now; House and State House races later). The ActBlue page has been updated and I reset the thermometer. Let’s send it high again.

I also reviewed why I think these races are good value for money and effort.

For the special campaign of Vote Forward for August 11, which is to get Floridians to vote in their August 11 primary, either email Naomi or go to http://www.votefwd.com.

Bruce said the last national Indivisible call had “a lot of meat”—Call notes. He also plans to sign up for the virtual workshop Training to Win 2020: How We Win During a Pandemic. Also, VirusFreeVoting.org rolls the Voterizer app on Saturday, July 25th at 5:00 (PT) on social media. Theme is a Trump Retirement Party.

We are going to try to coordinate our auction items with EBAA, which has an auction of its own.

Zoom link for July 19 meeting

Topic: Indivisible Elmwood
Time: Jul 19, 2020 04:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 871 6899 7501
Passcode: 970545
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,87168997501#,,,,,,0#,,970545# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,87168997501#,,,,,,0#,,970545# US (Houston)

Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 871 6899 7501
Passcode: 970545
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keeSBAEwW8

Quick update

At our meeting this Sunday at 4:30 we’ll finalize our slate.

Meanwhile, I have lots of T.J. Cox addresses for anyone who wants some. Postcards on the porch. Email me for addresses.

Click here for Day of Action for T. J.

Finally, we will be swapping in a new campaign for our thermometer so let’s do a final push for our two North Carolina candidates before our meeting.