WSDCC Wrap-up October 20, 2023

20. October 2023 · Comments Off on WSDCC Wrap-up October 20, 2023 · Categories: Committee News

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Hello Democrats and can you believe the November General Election is in just eighteen days?
 
That means ballots are arriving in mailboxes statewide and there’s never been a better time to increase your involvement! 

If you haven’t already I want to ask you to complete at least one of the following three actions between now and Monday:

  1. Please complete and mail back your ballot or take it to a dropbox (a map of statewide dropboxes can be found on the Secretary of State’s website HERE – https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voters/voter-registration/drop-box-and-voting-center-locations)
  2. Encourage your Democratic friends and family to do the same – make sure they know ballots in WA are postage paid (no stamp required) and be sure to share that link to dropbox locations! 
  3.  Reach out to your local Democratic Party organization and sign up for at least one GOTV-focused activity between now and Election Day. 

Without everyone on board, we risk leaving valuable votes and victories on the table – I hope you will help us maximize our opportunities statewide!  

I’m thrilled to say I’ll be hitting the road for GOTV (Get Out The Vote) events across Washington almost every day between now and November 7th and I look forward to seeing many of you out in the field!

Thanks for all you do – let’s finish this year strong and start ramping up for 2024!

WORKING FOR WASHINGTON

Last Friday, we were proud to celebrate our first ever AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander) Celebration and Gala! We wanted to bid a huge thank you to the 250+ terrific Democrats (including 40+ of our amazing elected officials) who attended and made the night a huge success! 

I also wanted to wish a personal, special thanks to our speakers, sponsors, and co-hosts, without whom this event would have never been possible! 

As the first Asian American woman to lead a major State Party in the contiguous U.S., I was especially proud to convene this celebration – and build power and community for this critical constituency of our Democratic big tent! I can’t stress enough how much it meant to me and how excited I am to see how we can scale up these efforts and build an even bigger, more impactful celebration in 2024! 

DEMOCRATS IN THE NEWS

CCC Chair Suzan DelBene thinks voters will reject Republican ‘chaos’

On Bidenomics and Pete Carroll’s coaching tenure, she stays the course.
 
Dems mount effort to restore wetland protections

More than 100 House Democrats are marking the anniversary of the nation’s landmark water law with a push to restore wetlands protections in the aftermath of a landmark Supreme Court decision.
 
ICYMI: Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America Recognize Champions for Social Justice during CBCF Week
 
Planned Parenthood recognized the Honorable Representative Marilyn Strickland (WA 10th District), recipient of the Congressional Champion of Reproductive Health.

Keep in touch, stay engaged, and as always, thank you for all you do!

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad
Washington State Democratic Party
Donate

The work we do today wins elections this November. If you’re ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now. 


Want to support our work year round? Join Blue Washington, our monthly giving program! It is the most effective way to help candidates, volunteers, organizers, activists, and staff because it gives us the certainty we need to scale up our program with confidence. Your monthly investment ensures we can defend our strong legislative majorities, flip key congressional seats from red to blue, and fight for progressive values. Help us lead the way to victories at all levels of government today!

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

Emerge – October 19, 2023

19. October 2023 · Comments Off on Emerge – October 19, 2023 · Categories: Announcements

Women are powerful: We’re ruling economies, winning championships, and  smashing box office records – but when it comes to our government, the patriarchy has been in charge for far too long. It’s time for women to take over.

But stale, pale, and male Republicans still control our legislatures, and they’re using that to pass hateful laws to control our bodies and our futures. That’s why Emerge works to recruit, train, and empower Democratic women up and down the ballot, and we just launched a new video to spread the word (Take a look!).

Will you help us end the old boys’ club today? Donate $10 now to help Emerge continue to expand our movement!

Emerge has made incredible progress on our mission: Our candidates have won 71 percent of their races. We’ve elected more than 1,200 people to office. And we have 200+ Emerge women on the ballot this cycle.

But we’ve got a hell of a lot more to do. If we’re going to make our government look like our country and make decisions that most Americans agree with, we need to elect way more Democratic women – especially women of the New American Majority.

That’s where you come in. We need resources to keep up support for our candidates, and we’re hoping you’ll chip in today.

Will you donate $10 now to help Democratic women run? It’s the best way to deliver power back to the people and continue working to restore our fundamental rights nationwide.

Thanks for being part of this movement. 

– Team Emerge

P.S. If you’re unable to donate today, please click here to like and share our video.

Empowering Democratic women to run – and win!
www.emergeamerica.org

4 Embarcadero Center
Suite 1400
San Francisco, CA 94111
United States

ACLU October 19, 2023

19. October 2023 · Comments Off on ACLU October 19, 2023 · Categories: Committee News, Recent Events

ARC for October 19

6:30 pm Thursday 19 October
: 
Rural Newspapers: importance and viability
The Eagle (Wahkiakum)
The Islands’ Sounder
The Miner (Pend Oreille)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83419676203?pwd=NUo0NVVYOHU4Ky91RTYxa1Q0cjdXQT09

Police Blotter, Obituaries, and Letters to the Editor

Hyperlocal does it. Colleen Smith (The Islands’ Sounder) and Michelle Nedved (The Miner) explained what it takes to make a local newspaper a success…hyperlocal plus a lot of hard work. Hyperlocal means not just the police blotter and obituaries. It means the relationships behind them. A local paper is a community paper. The people responsible for the papers (Michelle and Colleen) meet their readers and advertisers on the street, in the grocery store, and in the local café. They are your neighbors and they know where you live.

Sometimes they meet in the courtroom. Because that, too, means being part of the community. Sometimes people are not happy with you. Litigation aside, Colleen lives and works in an accepting community where her private views jive pretty well with the community. Michelle, though, is in a community that can be tough politically. This is not all bad. It reinforces honesty and accountability. Here, again, hyperlocal comes into play. Many of the issues of local concern, even when controversial, do not fall along party lines. Much of local government can be technical and not easily politicized, and the genuinely divisive issues in the community may divide neighbors in ways unrelated to party.

Hyperlocal can fray along the edges. Michelle talked about the West Bonner school district across the river in Idaho that is imploding. We have seen the politicization of the Dayton Library and of about everything else in Columbia County. More and more decisions that we assigned professionals in the past are being subjected to a political test. This is not a naïve questioning of the status quo but studied efforts to control the political agenda.

Responsible local papers such as The Miner and the Islands’ Sounder stand in the path of these challenges to community. These attempts to seize control and impose choices on citizens do, indeed, challenge the community. These local papers dampen the waves of populism by standing up for community values of truth-telling. They have confidence in their communities and that confidence is reflected back. Michelle pointed to an old-fashioned habit that a story is not credited until it is printed in the paper.

We talked about “truth” and how our society is schooling itself away from science, “logical empiricism”, scrutiny and analysis, and our older generations’ other ways of distinguishing fact from fiction. There are no easy answers of how to respond to deeply-felt fiction. Colleen during COVID actually resorted to fact checking LTE’s. She would insert correcting data in a box above a published letter asserting mistruths. Michelle has made the occasional tough choice of not printing LTE’s that cross the line.

When asked whether “potholes” or “big issues” moved their readers, Colleen and Michelle agreed that potholes drive elections. Nothing, actually, could be more encouraging for the health of democracy.

We talked about community. Only incidentally did we talk about how local newspapers are crucial to upholding the constitution. The grand political role ascribed to local newspapers comes as a consequence of professional reporting of community affairs, with the emphasis on “community”. Hyperlocal.

The professional part is equally important. It relies on the integrity of people like Michelle and Colleen. We need to do everything we can to support their commitment to transparent and accountable reporting of the news. This leaves “transparent” and “accountable to whom” undefined. This is why Colleen and Michelle are so important.

As for future readers, comics are key. For many of us, our introduction to reading the newspaper were most often comics. The Miner is bringing back comics in January.

Don
20 October 2023

Newspapers – News Websites

From the same Washington Post editorial, “Compared to 2008 there are 34,000 fewer local newspaper journalists in the United States today. How many journalists are there for local news websites compared to 2008? Ca 10,000.”

Don
18 October 2023

Ask Someone Who Knows

“’There’s ‘probably more people trying to help the newspaper business than in the newspaper business.’” (Washington Post, 22 September 2023)

Let’s actually hear from people who know.

Don
16 October 2023

Rural Newspaper: Secret Sauce

Rural newspapers are the secret sauce to making our democracy work. Well, if that is the case, maybe we should know more about them. And maybe we should care more.

Usually, I try to spike your interest in advance of our policy briefings. I cite some data that are counter-intuitive. I pose hypotheticals that may pique your interest. I turn the politically correct into a straw man and light a match. You get the idea.

In the case of rural newspapers, you know everything you need to be engaged. Just think about it for a minute.

And then jot the time and date on your calendar. I am sure that Colleen and Michelle will politely listen to our solutions for saving democracy.

Don
10 October 2023

Our Better Practices roundtable is on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm.. Use the link above for 2023.

Our Policy Series is on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. Use the link above for 2023. 

Copyright © 2023 Ag and Rural Caucus, All rights reserved.
Ag and Rural Caucus of State Democratic Central Committee
Our mailing address is:
Ag and Rural Caucus
2921 Mud Creek Rd
Waitsburg, WA 99361

League of Women Voters Benton-Franklin – Candidate Forums

16. October 2023 · Comments Off on League of Women Voters Benton-Franklin – Candidate Forums · Categories: Recent Events

Prepare for the general election! NWPB is proud to once again partner with the League of Women Voters of Benton and Franklin Counties to help voters get to know the candidates in this year’s election. Watch the Vote 2023 candidate forums to get to know your Tri-Cities candidates: https://www.youtube.com/playlist…

National Democratic Training – October 16, 2023

16. October 2023 · Comments Off on National Democratic Training – October 16, 2023 · Categories: Recent Events

Just touching base — Our introductory training event focused on first-time Asian American and Pacific Islander candidates with Public Wise is tomorrow.

We’re bringing together an expert trainer, an amazing organization, and a curated curriculum designed to go through all the considerations of making the decision to run. And we’ll give you a preview right here of what’s to come!

The trainer: Vanessa Hsia is a digital-comms enthusiast and writer based in D.C. She currently leads communications strategy at a community organization called Femex, and has spent the past year training grassroots organizers and comms professionals on messaging and digital advertising with Priorities USA.

The partner org:Public Wise is committed to forging a diverse, multiracial Democratic Party. They accomplish this work by investing in research, supporting grassroots campaigns, and investing in educational opportunities like this training!

The curriculum: You’ll learn four key takeaways during Tuesday’s training. By the end, you’ll understand the steps to run for office, get help choosing the best office to run for, identify what support you’ll need, and even prepare to sharing your decision with your personal network.

This training does not commit you to a run for office. But it will provide you with the support you need to get started in earnest. We hope to see you tomorrow, Tuesday, October 17, at 1pm ET!

And it doesn’t stop there! You can always visit the Online Academy’s Course Catalog, set up a free account, and keep track of your progress while taking advantage of our extensive course offerings.

And it doesn’t stop there! You can always visit the Online Academy’s Course Catalog, set up a free account, and keep track of your progress while taking advantage of our extensive course offerings.

National Democratic Training – October 13, 2023

13. October 2023 · Comments Off on National Democratic Training – October 13, 2023 · Categories: Recent Events

A better NDTC online learning experience has arrived 🙌💻

Have you logged into the new Online Academy yet? Login today and explore your updated dashboard and enhanced learning experience (and take a course or download a resource while you are there!)

Yesterday, our Online Academy transitioned over to a new dashboard with an updated learning experience. You’ll still have access to the same courses and resources you do now, but with an improved experience to help you learn the skills you need quicker and more effectively.

You’ll continue to see new enhancements and updates as we head into the new year (we can’t wait to share how you can use them to organize your training and reach your goals more effectively) but for now, here’s what you need to know:

  • You’ll need to re-login the first time you enter the Online Academy after the switch over using your same credentials (don’t worry if you’ve forgotten your password, you can reset it).
  • Your course enrollment will be transitioned to your new dashboard, meaning your completed courses will still be reflected.
  • If you have any struggles, head over to traindemocrats.org/techsupport, fill out the form, and our tech team will help you out!

How to Maximize Your Personal Network to Raise Money
Friday, October 13 at 1pm ET

We’re thrilled to partner up for this training with the preeminent fundraising experts in progressive politics: ActBlue!

The greatest source of revenue for your campaign are the people around you, both in your personal network and wider community.

This training will show you how to optimize your existing networks in order to secure campaign funds. You’ll get tactics, tips, and tricks for making hard asks and re-soliciting (or re-engaging) prior donors.

How to Run a Political Campaign Debrief
Monday, October 16 at 1pm ET

Even though Election Day has not happened yet, planning a debrief with your team needs to be a priority. At this training, you’ll learn from your wins and losses in 2023 and move on with a better, stronger strategy for 2024.

By the end of the training, you’ll be able to recognize the components of an effective debrief and get the tools to lead one yourself.

So You Want to Run for Office: Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Edition with Public Wise
Tuesday, October 17 at 1pm ET

In partnership with Public Wise, this training will celebrate Asian Americans in Democratic politics.

The AAPI community is the fastest growing demographic in the country. For Democrats, focusing on issues important to AAPI communities and centering their lived experiences means ensuring AAPI folks have a pathway and the resources to run for office.

Join trainer Vanessa Hsia as she takes you through the essentials of deciding to run, from exploring the roles in your local government and community to sharing the news with your personal network.

And it doesn’t stop there! You can always visit the Online Academy’s Course Catalog, set up a free account, and keep track of your progress while taking advantage of our extensive course offerings.

And it doesn’t stop there! You can always visit the Online Academy’s Course Catalog, set up a free account, and keep track of your progress while taking advantage of our extensive course offerings.

National Democratic Training – October 12, 2023

12. October 2023 · Comments Off on National Democratic Training – October 12, 2023 · Categories: Recent Events

Hey there — NDTC is dedicated to continually improving the learning experience, whether you’ve taken one or 100 trainings!

That’s why we’re emailing you first about updates to our course dashboard that will enhance your learning in a more personalized way.

First things first: your login will remain the same. You don’t need to create a new account or password, though you may need to log in again.

When you log in, you will now be greeted by the new and improved dashboard, where you can manage your learning journey. The dashboard will show you…

  • Which courses and learning plans you’re enrolled in
  • Upcoming virtual live trainings you’re registered for
  • Access to featured and NDTC recommended content

While our look has changed, the content remains the same. You still have access to all the same courses and material, but the experience is better than ever. New look, same NDTC!

If you experience any trouble or bugs, you can contact our Product and Tech Team directly through our tech support form: https://traindemocrats.org/techsupport.

– The NDTC Team

And it doesn’t stop there! You can always visit the Online Academy’s Course Catalog, set up a free account, and keep track of your progress while taking advantage of our extensive course offerings.

And it doesn’t stop there! You can always visit the Online Academy’s Course Catalog, set up a free account, and keep track of your progress while taking advantage of our extensive course offerings.

« Older articles
Newer articles »