Join a Team: We're In It to Win It

Here's a message from the NY22 coalition support team:
"We're moving forward with the excitement of the NY22 Summit! The previous grassroots coalition for NY22 was called "Knit the District." We've created "Our NY22" as the tentative name for this coalition as it is more inclusive and expansive with organizations and people who are working in unison towards a common vision of what we want our NY22 to be. 

We invite you to attend a meeting for the working groups on Wednesday, March 1st from 7-8 pm on Zoom. Register here. If you weren't able to sign up for a working group at the Summit, that's ok!   Please attend and choose at this one that we're calling Our NY22: Working Group Meeting. During this meeting, each working group will get approximately 40 minutes in breakout rooms, and then report out to the whole group. (It's also okay if you were at the Summit in one group and now want to join another instead.)

Bonus
If you would like to increase your familiarity with Google docs, sheets, forms and slides, please attend this upcoming training on Monday, February 27th at 3pm on Zoom. Register here. These are helpful organizing tools that make it easy for people to collaborate together, and we hope anyone who would like to boost their confidence in learning them will attend. A second training can be scheduled."

Remember that our work together is not just to win in 2024.  Our teams can also build skills and power for 2023 local elections by doing this work now.  See you on March 1st on Zoom!
 

Our February IMV Meeting Recap 

It was good to see everyone who attended our February 2023 IMV meeting on Zoom earlier this week.  We had an almost hour long briefing and Q&A with pollster John Zogby of John Zogby Strategies.  He talked about the history of the predecessor congressional districts currently included in the new NY22 and how winnable NY22 could be for Democrats if there is a persuasive and vibrant candidate (campaign) who appeals to moderates and has the endorsement of the Working Family Party.  He also talked about President Biden (very successful and trending up in the polls!), and American voting patterns.  He encouraged us all to join party (Dem, WFP) committees locally, and to carry voter registration forms everywhere we go all the time, and use them.  He sees the old conservative vs liberal distinction in parties and voting breaking down, and the emergent trend is a different polarity: libertarian (me and my rights, keep your distance) vs communitarian (we're responsible for each other, all in this together). 

After the meeting, we heard from him in an email that he wanted us to share: "One important point I forgot to mention is about the climate. I polled last year for a conservative think tank about the environment and found a significant number of conservatives and GOP voters who were also ardent anglers, hunters, hikers, outdoor enthusiasts, and parents who cared deeply about clean rivers and streams, air etc. Despite their ideological views, they strongly favored federal legislation to protect these from excessive polluting economic expansion. They can be reached."  Overall, Zogby's message was encouraging.  You can watch his weekly podcast with his son, The Zogby Report, here. 

We met Katelyn Kriesel, a NY 22 candidate for Congress, and also heard campaign updates from Celeste Friend (endorsed by the Working Family Party for Utica Mayor!), Caroline Reale (Oneida County Leg District #15), and Crystal Faria (Oneida County Leg District #10).  Sarah re-played Antonio Delgado's message to the NY22 Summit for those who missed it and reminded everyone to sign up for the Summit Follow up Zoom and team meetings on March 1.  We gave some love to Sarah and Kathy Wojo for all the work that they and their planning team did to pull off the Summit.  There are similar summits happening in the next month across NY.  Indivisibles are determined to work with coalition partners from parties to labor and beyond in order to win back the seats we could have in the House!  

Finally, we got updates from newly sworn in Mohawk Valley (Utica) NAACP President Freddie Hamilton about her executive team (including Dawn Laguerre as VP) and priorities for the coming year. 
 

Letters to the Editor

 In case you missed it, check out Betsy Brigg's LTE in My Little Falls from last week, "Give Credit Where Credit is Due." Betsy points to the ARPA funds that are helping our communities recover since 2021, and notes that this is thanks to Democrats in Congress and President Biden, because not one Republican in the House voted for the American Rescue Plan Act.  This could be an ongoing theme of LTEs in the coming months to help defeat Republicans who opposed spending that helps Americans, and help Democrats win.  If you want to become more involved in Letters to the Editor work, consider joining the NY22 Team focused on that project (see page two for the group description).  
 

Three Actions to Take

You have probably heard or seen that MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called for the dissolution of the United States in a Monday morning tweet.  It's not the first time she has used her social media platform and high visibility in Congress to threaten the nation.  And still, Speaker McCarthy appointed her to the House Oversight and Homeland Security committees and Republicans in Congress ignore the danger she poses within the house and on social media.  On Wednesday, Indivisibles across the country got an email requesting that we take the specific action of calling our Republican members of Congress. So, it's our job now to call Brandon Williams (or Elise Stefanik) and ask their staff whether they too support the dissolution of the United States of America, and if not, then will they 1) make a public condemnation and 2) demand Kevin McCarthy remove her from her committee assignments.
 

1. Call your Republican representative, tell them to condemn Marjorie Taylor Greene’s comments, and demand they make Kevin McCarthy take action. 

Click the link above, fill in your address, and you'll be connected to the House switchboard.  Follow Ezra's script. It's easy, and this is pressure we can exert. 

2. Be sure to register for the NY22 Summit Follow Up Meeting on Zoom. The teamwork starts on March 1!

3. Get ready for a month of petitioning--starting Tuesday! It's time to collect signatures to get candidates on the ballot (or ourselves onto Dem committees). When we collect signatures, it's not just about getting candidates on the ballot, though. It's about that first pass at connecting with registered voters, letting them know what is happening in the upcoming election, and listening to their concerns and priorities.  It's about building relationships with voters so that they have a connection year round, not just the week before the November election.  

So mark off some days to do this important work in the coming month, pull on your boots, head outside. Candidates need you.  Voters need you. Thanks for all you do to strengthen our democracy.  As you know...

It's not a spectator sport. 

Follow us on Twitter using @indivisiblemv and of course our Facebook page and IMV Activism Group.