ACTIVISM FOR THE WIN! Events are starting to ramp up this week so buckle in and hang on! Also, if you’ve got feedback on any of this or something that should be here, please let me know. FSM knows I’ve got blinders so clue me in if I’m not seeing something.

* If you like my articles on Medium, please click the “Share” button on the left or at the bottom. That helps get the articles noticed. If you want to support my work with a regular subscription, I’ve got a Patreon account at https://www.patreon.com/redwoodgirl. I’m a strong advocate for single-payer in California and your support helps me keep working for single-payer. Thanks for your support!

FIRST READ THIS AWESOME DOCUMENT RIGHT NOW: https://www.indivisibleguide.com/ Some former progressive Congressional staffers wrote up this brilliant document for how we can stop Trumpism in its tracks with coordinated pressure campaigns. The TL;DR version: everyone needs to create or join a pressure group, then pressure the fuck out of your congresspersons by phone and by office visits and in public forums, with the immediate and constant threat of their re-election if they fuck up.

CALL ALL YOUR REPS! This takes like 15 minutes.

Call your Congressional Representative about Republican “health care” plans. Rep Paul Ryan’s plans will privatize Medicare, repeal the ACA with no replacement, and eliminate the Medicaid expansion. All of these are unpopular, even repeal of the ACA. They are already getting tons of calls about Republicans’ health care proposals. Repeal is less popular by the day but they still think they have to appease their rabid Trump base. Following the Indivisible document: make it clear their re-election is on the line. Get tough with them. Tell them you’ll vote against them and donate to and volunteer for any fucking primary opponent you can find, even if you’re a Democrat and you‘d be donating to and volunteering for a Republican challenger, because that’s how fucking important this is. Use swear words. Be specific about how repeal will affect you or people you know.

Rep Paul Ryan’s plans will privatize Medicare, repeal the ACA with no replacement, and eliminate the Medicaid expansion. All of these are unpopular, even repeal of the ACA. They are already getting tons of calls about Republicans’ health care proposals. Repeal is less popular by the day but they still think they have to appease their rabid Trump base. Following the Indivisible document: make it clear their re-election is on the line. Get tough with them. Tell them you’ll vote against them and donate to and volunteer for any fucking primary opponent you can find, even if you’re a Democrat and you‘d be donating to and volunteering for a Republican challenger, because that’s how fucking important this is. Use swear words. Be specific about how repeal will affect you or people you know. Call your Senators to tell them to delay confirmation hearings until ethics reviews are completed on the nominees. THIS IS REALLY CRITICAL THIS WEEK AS THEY’RE STARTING CONFIRMATION HEARINGS THIS WEEK. Trump’s transition team has not vetted their candidates and they want to jam confirmations through without conducting ethics reviews. See this phone script for guidance, courtesy of @derekcnel on Twitter (Derek C. Nelson here on Medium).

See this terrific Bill Moyers article on the nominees and why every one of them is terrible: http://billmoyers.com/story/list-anti-trump-liberals-progressives/

Call your state governor, representative/assembly-person and senator about health care, voting reforms, climate change. Ask them what their plan for your state is for resisting Trump’s climate change policy, for making it easier to register to vote and to actually cast ballots, for protecting people from Republican “health care” policies. Your state reps are NOT used to being called so if you call regularly they’ll get to know you. Again, per the Indivisible document, pin them down, demand answers, tell them their re-election is on the line if they don’t act to protect people from Trump and the Republican Congress.

Then some volunteering and donating and speaking out:

Take a few minutes every day to talk about politics with your friends and co-workers about politics. Lots of people tune out politics because it’s too confusing. You can be a voice of clarity. Use simple words and short sentences. Talk to them especially about health care this week.

Lots of people tune out politics because it’s too confusing. You can be a voice of clarity. Use simple words and short sentences. Talk to them especially about health care this week. Support and speak out for marginalized groups. Many groups are now at risk and need your support: immigrants’ rights groups and churches, mosques and Muslim community groups, synagogues, LGBTQ centers. Go to events hosted by these organizations to show solidarity. Sign up on Facebook if you’re not already and look for groups and events in your area.

Many groups are now at risk and need your support: immigrants’ rights groups and churches, mosques and Muslim community groups, synagogues, LGBTQ centers. Go to events hosted by these organizations to show solidarity. Sign up on Facebook if you’re not already and look for groups and events in your area. Join one of the Save Health Care rallies on January 15th, 2017. These are going to be big and they’ll make you feel more powerful and less alone. And displays of power are always important to any resistance movement. Bernie and the National Nurses Union and the Democratic Party leadership are organizing various events across the country. Check the NNU Facebook page for info on three major California rallies in SF, LA & Sacramento: https://www.facebook.com/nationalnurses/?fref=ts. Check Bernie Sanders’s page for a list of other events: https://berniesanders.com/ourfirststand/#List.

These are going to be big and they’ll make you feel more powerful and less alone. And displays of power are always important to any resistance movement. Bernie and the National Nurses Union and the Democratic Party leadership are organizing various events across the country. Check the NNU Facebook page for info on three major California rallies in SF, LA & Sacramento: https://www.facebook.com/nationalnurses/?fref=ts. Check Bernie Sanders’s page for a list of other events: https://berniesanders.com/ourfirststand/#List. Join one of the Women’s Marches on January 21st, 2017. The big one is happening in DC but they’re also taking place in lots of other cities, including three just in the Bay Area in Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco. See the Women’s March Sister Marches page for links to the sister marches, and Women’s March Bay Area for information on the three Bay Area marches.

The big one is happening in DC but they’re also taking place in lots of other cities, including three just in the Bay Area in Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco. See the Women’s March Sister Marches page for links to the sister marches, and Women’s March Bay Area for information on the three Bay Area marches. Get involved in the upcoming state Democratic Party assembly-district delegate elections. Each state’s Democratic Party has some convention delegates who are elected by regular party voters. California just had its delegate elections but some other states are coming up. Find the website for your state Democratic party and look for “assembly district delegates” or “state convention delegates”. Look them up on Google and on Facebook, as lots of candidates in California set up Facebook pages. Figure out which ones are progressives and tell your Democratic-registered friends about them. Look to see if any of them are organizing themselves into slates and if so what the organizing principle is behind the slate. Join the Facebook group “DemEnter” to learn about and support other Democratic Party assembly-district delegates. Take a look at my article on how some candidates I know were elected to become delegates in California’s Assembly District 15 (AD15): https://medium.com/@redwoodgirl/how-to-become-a-state-party-delegate-2f78dc82fd5c#.oxxofrmut.

Each state’s Democratic Party has some convention delegates who are elected by regular party voters. California just had its delegate elections but some other states are coming up. Find the website for your state Democratic party and look for “assembly district delegates” or “state convention delegates”. Look them up on Google and on Facebook, as lots of candidates in California set up Facebook pages. Figure out which ones are progressives and tell your Democratic-registered friends about them. Look to see if any of them are organizing themselves into slates and if so what the organizing principle is behind the slate. Join the Facebook group “DemEnter” to learn about and support other Democratic Party assembly-district delegates. Take a look at my article on how some candidates I know were elected to become delegates in California’s Assembly District 15 (AD15): https://medium.com/@redwoodgirl/how-to-become-a-state-party-delegate-2f78dc82fd5c#.oxxofrmut. Join an organization, or start organizing with others. Some good all-around progressive organizations include Democratic Socialists of America, Progressive Democrats of America, MoveOn, and Democracy for America. For more organizations worth your time, see my guide to organizing: https://medium.com/@redwoodgirl/redwoodgirls-guide-to-organizing-work-in-progress-9d43ee953adf#.r4wzyee06. If you’re in California, Courage Campaign is also ramping up their organizing.

Some good all-around progressive organizations include Democratic Socialists of America, Progressive Democrats of America, MoveOn, and Democracy for America. For more organizations worth your time, see my guide to organizing: https://medium.com/@redwoodgirl/redwoodgirls-guide-to-organizing-work-in-progress-9d43ee953adf#.r4wzyee06. If you’re in California, Courage Campaign is also ramping up their organizing. Get involved in the single-payer health care movement. IMO the fight for single-payer is at the core of the progressive project. It attacks racism, and the idea that everyone must “earn” their health care, and the idea that the free market is always the best solution, and the dominance of corporate profits over Americans’ well-being. If you want single-payer health care in California, check out Health Care for All — California. Many other states have a “Health Care for All” organization but it’s not always dedicated to single-payer so read their mission carefully. For other national & statewide single-payer organizations, see my list here: https://medium.com/@redwoodgirl/single-payer-medicare-for-all-organizations-in-the-us-de6f26adafe9#.2wogiqqjb

IMO the fight for single-payer is at the core of the progressive project. It attacks racism, and the idea that everyone must “earn” their health care, and the idea that the free market is always the best solution, and the dominance of corporate profits over Americans’ well-being. If you want single-payer health care in California, check out Health Care for All — California. Many other states have a “Health Care for All” organization but it’s not always dedicated to single-payer so read their mission carefully. For other national & statewide single-payer organizations, see my list here: https://medium.com/@redwoodgirl/single-payer-medicare-for-all-organizations-in-the-us-de6f26adafe9#.2wogiqqjb Donate to or volunteer for or create independent progressive media. Democracy Now and Amy Goodman have done stellar work this year. Unicorn Riot has been very active with independent media in lots of actions. Thom Hartmann and Randi Rhodes do great progressive radio shows. AlternNet, run by a former publisher with Mother Jones, is doing some great original reporting. Progressive Army is a fantastic progressive podcast network including Benjamin Dixon, Anoa Chang, Nicole Sandler, and many others. Chapo Trap House is doing a great progressive/socialist podcast show that’s become infamous for its profanity and no-apologies socialist outlook. If you see some independent media online you like, send them money if you have it, but you can share and publicize it too. If you’ve got the energy to create some media of your own, jump on in.

Democracy Now and Amy Goodman have done stellar work this year. Unicorn Riot has been very active with independent media in lots of actions. Thom Hartmann and Randi Rhodes do great progressive radio shows. AlternNet, run by a former publisher with Mother Jones, is doing some great original reporting. Progressive Army is a fantastic progressive podcast network including Benjamin Dixon, Anoa Chang, Nicole Sandler, and many others. Chapo Trap House is doing a great progressive/socialist podcast show that’s become infamous for its profanity and no-apologies socialist outlook. If you see some independent media online you like, send them money if you have it, but you can share and publicize it too. If you’ve got the energy to create some media of your own, jump on in. Get local with your politicians. Some suggestions from sky2fall: “Find out who your local mayor, city council people, school board etc are. Find out out what their views and policies are at the local level. Throw your time and support behind the people you support. Get involved with their campaigns, community meetings etc. Find out about the local chapter of the political group you associate with and get involved with them.” There’s going to be some elections in 2017 and you can get involved in those now. Nationally there’s a New Jersey governor’s election in Nov 2017, where progressive and Bernie-supporter John Wisniewski is running. Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page is a great resource for finding out when elections are and who the candidates are.

— SF East Bay folks, there’s a Berkeley city council election coming up to replace former councilmemberJesse Arreguin who was elected mayor in Nov 2016. The main candidates for the open city council seat are Kate Harrison, a “public-sector consultant”, & Ben Gould, a graduate student in public policy at UC Berkeley. Gould has been endorsed by council members Lori Droste and Susan Wengraf. Harrison is endorsed by Arreguín and council members Ben Bartlett and Sophie Hahn.

— Find out about your local city council meetings. Here in the East Bay, Berkeley and Oakland have city council meetings every other Tuesday, on alternative weeks between the two of them, with committees and special sessions happening frequently.

— East Bay folks can see all the East Bay progressive events that I know about at https://www.facebook.com/eastbayprogressives/. I also post those events to a GMail calendar that anyone can add to their own GMail or Outlook calendar, at eastbayprogressives@gmail.com. If you’re not in the East Bay, consider starting up a similar service for your area.

Work to elect a progressive Congress in 2018. Brand New Congress was started by a couple of former Bernie staffers and is working to recruit progressive candidates for every single Congressional race in 2018,. I haven’t worked with them personally but sat in on a conference call and they seem very organized and determined.

Brand New Congress was started by a couple of former Bernie staffers and is working to recruit progressive candidates for every single Congressional race in 2018,. I haven’t worked with them personally but sat in on a conference call and they seem very organized and determined. Work to elect progressive governors in 2018. There are 38 states with governor’s elections in 2017 & 2018, and in my opinion Democrats have an excellent chance at taking several of these states. Find out who’s running and get involved in a campaign or consider getting some people together to recruit a candidate. If your state is safe for a Democratic victory then work to push your candidates to the most progressive positions by challenging them on their Facebook pages and in public forums. See this article for a map and analysis of the governor’s races: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/11/25/can-the-democratic-party-rise-again-yes-and-heres-the-first-big-thing-to-watch/?utm_term=.5623f15df506

Governor’s races in 2017 & 2018

Post a comment if you want to see more or different ideas! Follow me on Twitter at @RedwoodGirl where I’m tweeting like the house is on fire about progressive politics!