With the pace of news nowadays, I had to Google to learn that Jon Ossoff just cleared the 50 per cent threshold to avoid a runoff. His nearest challenger, Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, had about 15%. Two other candidates won their home counties but trailed even further statewide.
I’m less optimistic about Ossoff than Conventional Wisdom Today, both from the election intrinsics and the certainty that in Georgia the mechanics of voting will be tainted by malice aforethought on top of incompetence.
Welcome to new member Karen Cross!
Naomi recommended online resources on racism. Trevor Noah. White Fragility. 75 things White people can do for racial justice. Judy supports the Ella Baker Center.
I reviewed the polling situation for Senate races in AZ (very good), CO (very good), NC (close), and both races in GA (better than expected). The Georgia Democratic primary is tomorrow. Whichever candidates win, they are all underfunded for the General Election. Judy and I discussed how insipid Cal Cunningham’s campaign in NC is so far. The NC Senate race will be the most expensive in history. Right now, Cunningham is well behind in fundraising.
Bruce reported on Indivisible calls. We are surprised how much opposition is developing against police brutality. Indivisible recommends we pay attention to what local officials are doing, and Judy then added an announcement about an Oakland Police Commission Town Hall today. She will also be on the next Kamala Harris phone call to see what her staff is up to.
Bill gave an extensive presentation on EBAA’s candidates in Michigan, complete with maps (can you post the slides, Bill?). MI is another state (like NC, AZ) where it is both important and realistic to aim for Blue votes up and down the ballot.
I have been remiss in keeping the ActBlue page moving. I will switch it to the EBAA Michigan candidates. I will also put up a link for the Movement Voter Project. Their ActBlue page is under another name, which fooled me.
As for our own outreach work, remember—
Time: Jun 7, 2020 04:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87943519788?pwd=Zm9IRW5kaUVaeHM3RHhybVJSQ2k0Zz09
I was asked why I don’t think Josh Harder, whom we worked hard for last cycle, needs any more money. Open Secrets has the answer.
Howze had to spend what little he raised on a competitive primary, and he is a weak, racist candidate.
Time: Jun 7, 2020 04:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87943519788?pwd=Zm9IRW5kaUVaeHM3RHhybVJSQ2k0Zz09
Agenda:
1. Political report—what a fortnight it was. Polling included.
2. Judy on Kamala Harris phone call. Indivisible East Bay has 2020 Summer Palooza.
3. Diverse other reports.
Forgiveness of Never Trump conservatives should probably be slow, especially for ones like Charlie Sykes who had so much to do with getting us into this mess. (Sykes, a former right-wing radio host, almost single-handedly gave Wisconsin to Scott Walker.) That said, no group is doing as much to discuss the amorality of Trump and his Party, perhaps because the rest of us took it for granted.
Sykes, Bill Kristol, and other refugees from The Weekly Standard, which folded when its Sugar Daddy threw in with Trump, have founded The Bulwark (online only). Here is a sample of articles.
It’s a Set Up [Things have been poised to explode and the black community has been set up for the fall. Again.]
What did They Think Would Happen? The folly of Trump-following mainstream GOP.
Dear Reader, from Lois Lowry, author of the YA classic The Giver.
I admit, these Zoom meetings with our Senate candidates aren’t as much fun without the free food and liquor. But—tomorrow at 5:00 PDT is such a meeting with Amy McGrath (KY), Cal Cunningham (NC), Dr. Al Gross (AK), and Dr. Barbara Bollier (KS). Invitation. Minimum contribution is $100.
I would rank these races, in likelihood of victory, as Cunningham, Gross, Bollier (if Kobach is the Republican nominee, perhaps even ahead of Gross), McGrath. Cunningham is, of course, one of the Big Four in the plan to flip the Senate.
Yesterday, I listened to a Flip the West webinar with Ben Tulchin, a pollster who was working for Bernie and who is now concentrating on Senate races. He not only discussed polls (not much new there: AZ, CO, ME, and NC as the Dems’ Big Four, anticipating a loss in AL, where Jones is 10 behind), but also who has enough money and who doesn’t.
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