Fight for Democracy, Part 2: Actions Before Elections

The most impactful way to help a specific candidate win an election is to volunteer for them. Contact their office, make calls, canvas neighborhoods. But I’m going to assume a number of people reading this are in a similar place as myself: I live in a liberal area where I’m represented by Democrats who I mostly agree with, and more importantly they are secure in their positions. Current government policies don’t directly harm me much and my vote won’t change anything in my district or state and neither will my neighbors’. What can we do to help Democrats win elections, advance our desired policies, and hold the Administration accountable for its many crimes, both legal and moral? We can do a lot.

Start with your checkbook (or more likely your credit card). If you are middle-class (or richer), if you have the privilege that protects you from most of the harms of Conservative policies, then you almost assuredly can afford to spend a little cash supporting good causes - which right now means Democrats running for office. And if you hate the fact that money buys influence in politics - suck it up and get over yourself. The only way to get money out of politics is to win and the only way to win right now is with money. If your personal representatives are good and safe, give to those who need it elsewhere. It doesn’t need to be a lot, but it should definitely be more than you gave last time. Here are a few places to find people to support:
https://www.flippable.org/
https://secure.actblue.com/
https://www.emilyslist.org/donate
https://www.vox.com/2018/6/4/17390070/california-primary-2018-midterms-house-blue-wave


Another great way to reach people who live in swing districts is through phone calls. It’s a lot easier than walking door-to-door and allows you to reach across the country (or even just the next county over). There are a number of national groups that make this an easy way to get involved on your own schedule:
https://swingleft.org/p/call-voters
https://www.cadem.org/take-action/get-involved/make-some-phone-calls

Voice your opinion. Look, social media helped get us into this mess so it’s only fair it helps get us out. I know everyone’s sick of political pie-fights on Facebook and no one ever changed their mind because of a Twitter war. But by simply speaking up and stating what you believe in it will help others find the strength to do the same. Liberals don’t need to change minds - on virtually every issue and policy position the liberal stance is favored by the majority of Americans. We need to remind people of this fact. We need to make our voices heard to those who really aren’t sure where they stand. We do this with truth and honesty and change the narrative of our social constructs. You don’t need to share a bunch of biased memes or attack anyone’s opinions or beliefs. Simply let the world (and your friends) know what you think is right and add your voice to the chorus.
https://www.wallofus.org/

Fight for Democracy, Part 1: Election Season

After the 2016 election many people, including me, asked the question: what do we do now? The world seemed suddenly different, a much darker and damaging place, and we didn’t know how to combat the horrors we saw coming because our main weapon, our vote, had failed us. My answer then was that we didn’t need radical change in individual behavior, but we did need to do more. A large mass of people speaking out, donating to worthy causes, informing others and fighting the lies and misinformation used by the other side. If everyone did a little it would add up to a lot.

To some degree, we’ve done that. The Resistance, as it’s often referred to, is robust and has found some success (the ACLU has more money which it’s used to fight and win against the administration in court, the media - at least some - have lost their complacent both-siderism and helped spread the truth, and most importantly public opinion has definitely shifted to favor Democrats over Republicans in both policy and position (https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-generic-ballot-polls/?ex_cid=rrpromo). But none of that has stopped the descent of our country towards the truly shameful and barbarous society that the current Administration sees as the holy land. So what do we do now?

We do a little more. Because it’s not only about the amount of effort you give but when you give it. There are times of greater affect and the upcoming elections represent the greatest opportunity of pivot we will have in the near future. So if you’ve been fighting all along, or if you’ve been upset and dejected with no viable outlet, now is the time to dig in and give a greater effort.

What does that mean? First, prepare to vote. Make sure you are registered: https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status/

Second, encourage everyone you know to do the same. And most importantly, vote Democrat. I’ll give a lengthier explanation later, but the simple fact is we live in a two-party system and the only group large enough to counter what the Republicans (and yes, it’s all Republicans, not just the Administration) are doing is the Democrats. They’re not perfect. You don’t have to agree with all of their ideas. You might even consider them evil, but there is no doubt they are the lesser evil. We need to stop the horrors right now - children torn from their parents, environmental protections being tossed aside, whole groups of people being demonized, and hate becoming the currency of the land. Vote Democrat to give the Resistance real power and then continue to fight to hold Democrats accountable or replace them with those who will represent the people.

Finally, speak up. I know everyone’s sick of politics. Especially on social media. We all just want to get back to our normal lives and enjoy baby pictures and kayaking pictures (and maybe baby kayaking pictures). But a lot of people don’t have that luxury and are suffering right now. If you want to help, speaking up on social media for justice is simple, fast, and costs you nothing. And it does make a difference - the more people speak up for justice the more people feel empowered to speak up with them, the more those with power will listen. If you don’t know what to say, if you don’t have the time to write out long thoughts or inclination to research the topics, feel free to share what I write - there will be much more to come.