Protest MAGA Extremist Lee Zeldin in Utica tomorrow 10am
Protest MAGA Extremist Lee Zeldin on Saturday 10 am
Please join IMV on Saturday, July 23rd from 10-11 am at a counter-protest in Utica against Lee Zeldin's extremist voting record, which is bad for New York, bad for women, bad for the environment, and bad for business. Our goal with this demonstration is to get a local headline that mentions Zeldin's extremism or notes that his tour of upstate NY was met with protests. Our Indivisible friends in Syracuse are part of the same effort, as they hold a rally today when Zeldin does a pitstop in Syracuse.
What: Counterprotest Lee Zeldin's Utica "Fire Kathy Hochul Rally"
Where: North Utica Shopping Center, 50 Auert Ave. Utica
When: Saturday, July 23rd, 10 am
Why: Lee Zeldin is bad for New York and bad for business.
Signs to bring (Don't worry if you don't have time to make a sign. We'll have extras).
Zeldin vs Women (He just voted No to protect the right to both contraception and abortion health care)
Vote no on MAGA extremism
No to fracking, no to Zeldin
Zeldin loves pardons
Zeldin is complicit in Jan 6th Insurrection
Zeldin vs Labor
Protect our kids from Zeldin & extremists
Don’t trust Zeldin
Stop Zeldin–Go Hochul!
According to a press release yesterday, ALL of the New York County Democratic Committee Chairs signed a letter urging the Jan. 6th House Select Committee to investigate Rep. Lee Zeldin's support of and involvement in the Jan. 6th insurrection. "Accordingly, we write today to urge the Select Committee to investigate and gather information on New York Congressman Lee Zeldin (NY-01), who not only strongly supported President Trump and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results but also has years-long connections to extremist groups like the Oath Keepers, who played an essential role in the insurrection,” they wrote to the House Select Committee. “As Lee Zeldin runs for higher office in the State of New York, we believe the state and the nation must be aware of any possible involvement in the insurrection on the United States Capitol.”
Having won the primary in June, Zeldin is the Republican candidate for Governor of New York. We need to let our neighbors know that he is an extremist with a voting record that is bad for New York.
Don't Miss the Wednesday, July 27th NY22 Dem Candidate Forum
IMV has joined with many of our political partners in NY22 to sponsor a NY22 Democratic candidate forum on Wednesday, July 27th, 6-8 pm at Mohawk Valley Community College (Utica campus). You must pre-register for this event. After you do so, please invite all your registered Democratic party voter friends and family to pre-register as well. Here's the Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/380084722637
We have a fabulous evening planned so that you can meet the four Democratic candidates for the NY 22 congressional election, hear their positions on the issues and their plans to win, and get excited and prepared not just for the primary, but also for the general election. We must and we will flip NY22 blue once again.
This event is co-sponsored by the Oneida County Democratic Committee, the Cornhill Democratic Club, the Oneida County Democratic Women's Club, and Citizen Action CNY. This event is for YOU: to help you decide who to vote for in August, and also energize us all to do the work in the coming months to WIN in NY22! Register right now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/380084722637.
We have goodie bags filled with candidate info, the chance to meet candidates for office at every level, lightening round topics to keep things moving, and we'll make this event fun. You'll meet NY22 candidates Francis Conole, Sarah Klee Hood, Chol Majok, and Sam Roberts. We can't wait to see you at this event! Park in the A1 lot (Academic Road off Sherman Drive), or the P1 lot on Sherman Drive and go to Alumni College Center, doors facing the main quad.
The Other Side of the NY22 Race: Steve Wells
Former NY22 State Democratic and Brindisi Campaign Field Organizer Jon Lipe stays on top of the latest for the NY22 race. Jon writes:
The Syracuse paper has had two interesting articles about Steve Wells in the past week. Wells is the designated congressional candidate for local Republicans, endorsed by the county Republican committees and local leaders like Anthony Picente. He’s also apparently hated by the Republican base, as he refuses to answer any questions about Trump, abortion, immigration, or pretty much any other issue in the race.
The Trump die-hards still view him skeptically after he challenged Claudia Tenney for the nomination in 2016, and he was Richard Hanna’s chosen successor. Wells has promised to give his own campaign half a million dollars and he hopes to buy the Republican nomination and sail through to November without taking any positions. He’s being challenged by an even further right-winger Brandon Williams, who has pledged fealty to Trump. Williams has the Conservative party endorsement.
Steve Wells is refusing to debate Williams or anyone in the race. Rumor has it that he is still wary of debating after Claudia Tenney out-MAGA’d him in the 2016 debates. All of our Democratic candidates have no problem debating, of course. They all accepted invitations to debates and forums ahead of the primary election. According to the Syracuse paper:
____
Conole, who won the backing of local and national Democratic leaders for the primary election, said all candidates should participate in public debates and forums to be accountable to voters. He said Wells has taken a deliberate strategy to duck that responsibility. “I think it’s a complete disservice to the voters of Central New York,” Conole said of Wells. “He’s running a multimillion-dollar, self-funded campaign and staying in the shadows.”
Conole said he’s surprised that Wells has remained mostly silent on the issue of abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision last month to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“It’s crazy because this is the most fundamental shift on women’s rights that I’ve seen in my lifetime,” said Conole, who supports abortion rights. “This is the first time in our country’s history that an individual right has been taken away.”
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Here are the articles:
CNY race for Congress: Steve Wells ducks Trump talk while opponent embraces ex-prez
https://www.syracuse.com/.../cny-race-for-congress-steve...
Steve Wells hides from debates in Congress race; ‘They don’t want to be asked hard questions’
https://www.syracuse.com/.../steve-wells-hides-from...
IMV Action: What's Ahead
Saturday, July 30th Indivisible Give No Ground Weekend of Action Please SAVE THE DATE. IMV plans to head to Frankfort, where many of our members have canvassed extensively over the years, and knock doors for Matt Castelli. He's waging an exciting campaign against MAGA Extremist Trump-lover Elise Stefanik, and we want to support him. More details to come!
Monday, Aug. 1st 5:30 pm, Postcard party at Cherrywood Pavilion! We hope to see as many of you as possible as we start writing postcards to remind Democrats in NY21 to vote against Stefanik. We'll hold those until just before the election and then mail them, but since we have thousands, we need to start writing now. Plus, it will be a chance to say goodbye to founding member of IMV Joelle, and our frequent Cherrywood host, who is moving to Boston.
You'll also see lots of opportunities to sign up for Monday phonebanks with other NYS Indivisibles as we start direct voter contact ahead of the 2022 midterms, and even some Indivisible OneNYS text banking ahead of the August 23rd primary.
Finally, we are planning our annual IMV Summer Picnic for after the Aug 23rd primary as well--we hope on Wednesday, August 24th, just awaiting confirmation of a pavilion at New Hartford Town Park.
As always we encourage people to meet up and connect at the IMV rally in front of Tenney's office in Utica on Thursdays (4-5:30 pm) or on Zoom for CAFE Friday if you are available Friday mornings. As you probably know, Tenney was the ONLY House member from NY who voted against protection for same-sex and interracial marriages, although she was joined by Stefanik and Zeldin and 192 other Republicans in voting against protecting the right to CONTRACEPTION. That's how terrible Tenney is. How terrible they all are. They voted to allow states to BAN same-sex marriages, BAN interracial marriages, and BAN contraception. Their radical extremism apparently has no bottom and no bounds.
That's why the work that we all do together is so important. When we talk to voters and elect better candidates, we stop this issue by issue extremism in its tracks, and at the same time, we save democracy by keeping it healthy and strong.
As Jon Lipe tweeted just this past week: "I say this every campaign, but just remember that as of today, not a single person has voted in the November elections. The score is 0 to 0. Any one of a wide range of outcomes is possible. It's all a matter of talking to people, getting them engaged, and getting them to vote."
Democracy is NOT a spectator sport.
Don't give up.
Get BUSY.
Fired Up Ready to Go.
See you tomorrow to rally against Pro-Fracking Trump-pardoning, Contraception-banning Lee Zeldin!
See you Wednesday to meet NY22 candidates who share your values and are working to win your vote!
Follow us on Twitter using @indivisiblemv and of course our Facebook page and IMV Activism Group.
