And things to remember as 2024 winds down
Indivisible SF Newsletter
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On Sunday, December 8 at 5 PM we are hosting a virtual General Meeting via Zoom ([link removed]) , to come together in community, discuss our short-term plans, and make calls to our elected officials. Whether you are a regular, joining for the first time, or missed our in-person meeting a couple weeks ago, you are most welcome to share this virtual space with us. Register here ([link removed]) .
** Update on H.R. 9495: Now we need to call the Senate
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Unfortunately, H.R. 9495 ([link removed]) passed the House. This extremely dangerous bill would allow the Trump administration to declare any organization as one aiding terrorists, crushing dissent.
But our work made a big shift. A massive influx of calls from Indivisibles like you throughout the country lowered the number of Democratic votes from 92 to just 15. And we flipped our incoming Senator, Adam Schiff, to vote NO. So, thank you so much for your calls.
It now moves on to the Senate, where we have a chance to shut it down. We have proved that H.R. 9495 is now unpopular for Democrats to vote on, and Democrats still hold the majority in the Senate, so that’s where we can stop it.
Tell your Senator ([link removed]) : Vote NO on H.R. 9495.
**
Tell your Senators to fill every judicial vacancy NOW
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We need to continue pushing our senators to confirm as many pro-democracy judges as possible before the end of the year.
While the Senate has confirmed over 200 of President Biden’s highly qualified judicial nominees, there are 12 nominations pending, and more vacancies ([link removed]) for which President Biden still needs to nominate someone. Democrats need to act fast and work through the procedural steps to get this done.
Remember that these judges serve lifetime appointments—we need them to be filled by candidates who will uphold the Constitution. And we need them filled by the time Trump takes office.
Tell your senators ([link removed]) to make the most of their time and to fill every judicial vacancy now.
**
Things to remember as 2024 winds down
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#1: Joe Biden is still the president.
We still have another eight weeks in which President Joe Biden controls the executive branch.
Don't pay too much attention to the endless parade of clowns that Trump is announcing for his Cabinet. Right now, Trump is a private citizen; he can announce that he'll nominate somebody, but that's months in the future. We can oppose those nominations when that time comes.
Right now, we should continue to focus on getting President Biden to do what he can in the time remaining—such as the judicial-vacancies action described above.
#2: You can't do everything.
Remember that in Trump's first administration, there was a new horrible announcement or pronouncement every week, sometimes every day. Trump and his hangers-on are founts of bad ideas, and some of his strategists intentionally “flood the zone with shit”, as one of those strategists, Steve Bannon, put it. The effect is to keep us pinging from one crisis to the next and exhaust our energy.
To fight fascism effectively, we must pick a battle and focus on it. You might, at some point, choose to shift to a new battle when one stalls or when strategy warrants, and we can expect emergencies that demand a response. But in general, we all do our best work with persistent focus.
So once Trump does take office, you are allowed to—you will need to—keep your focus on the particular piece of the work you’ve chosen to take on. That's how we'll get through the next four years with our mental and physical health intact and resist Trump most effectively.
#3: Don’t get jerked around by the media.
Tying into the previous point, corporate media and social media love to soak up your attention on feints, trial balloons, and outrageous statements. There will be important things that warrant a response, but tuning into the fresh horrors device every day will sap your ability to do that.
Much of what will be covered in the media will be speculation, drama, or otherwise not actionable. It will be outrage fuel that you don’t need. We’ll need to stay focused on things we can do something about, and specific effective actions, not just passing around bad news to help depress everybody else along with ourselves. Awareness is not a substitute for action—spend your time on the latter.
Read more in our 2020 blog post about media literacy ([link removed]) .
**
Talking to your friends and family about Trumpism
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If you’re gathering with family or friends over the holidays we hope everyone has gotten this year’s vaccine, and we encourage you to have the hard conversations about the right-wing movement to dismantle our democracy and drag us into an authoritarian one-party state.
In that spirit, we bring you, as we do every year, our guide to talking to your friends and family about Trump(ism) ([link removed]) . We first published this guide in 2018 and it continues to be a helpful resource, especially in this season.
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Get your free COVID-19 tests and vaccines while you still can
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It’s unlikely that free COVID-19 tests will last past the end of the Biden Administration, so if you haven’t ordered yours yet, the time to get on that is now.
Also, if you haven’t gotten this year’s COVID-19 vaccine yet, now’s the time. If you’re uninsured, you can still get it for free through California’s Bridge Access Program—but only through the end of the year. Insured Californians should be able to get the vaccine covered by their insurance.
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Indivisible San Francisco General Meeting, Sunday, December 8, 5–7 PM Online: We will get together, share our thoughts, discuss Indivisible’s strategies going forward, and make calls to our elected officials. RSVP here ([link removed]) .
People's March & Rally to Stop Mass Deportations and Protect Immigrant Californians:
Monday, December 2, 11–1 PM In Person: Please join the ICE Out of CA and Dignity Not Detention California coalitions in Sacramento to demand that the California legislature and Gov. Newson pass policies that live up to our values. The event will begin with a rally and end with a march (0.5 miles). RSVP by Wednesday, Nov. 27 ([link removed]) , to receive more information, including buses being organized from the Bay Area and Southern California.
Location: Area 27, next to the California State Capitol Building (grassy area on N street between 12th and 13th streets), Sacramento
SURJ Bay Area Community Meeting for Connection, Reflection, and Preparation:
Sunday, December 15, 1–3 PM In Person and Online: As we process the devastating reality of the election results, let us come together and recommit to our values: community care, solidarity, and justice for all. Join SURJ for a Bay Area-wide hybrid community meeting to get grounded together, get clear on our analysis of how we got here, and then get organized for the work ahead–defending our communities and bringing more white people into the fight for a multi-racial democracy. Register here. ([link removed]) Oakland location or Zoom link (for virtual attendees) provided upon registration.
** About this week’s photo
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If you’ve seen our newsletter posts on social media, you might have noticed that we include a photo or graphic with each issue.
Today’s graphic is a photo ([link removed]) from the White House of President Biden serving food at a Thanksgiving event at a Coast Guard facility.
Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team ([link removed])
If you'd like to support our all-volunteer team:
DONATE HERE ([link removed])
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