57 Days to Election Day
Time to power up! Let's give President Obama and all our Democratic candidates a big win. Step up and VOLUNTEER!
Check out the varied opportunities below.
"Lift All Dems" Project: This is the Obama campaign in Jackson County
Training session (TODAY) Sunday, September 9, 3 p.m. at the HQ office, 40 S. Central, Medford
We'll call those Democrats who did not vote in the primary and remind them of the importance of the general election and the importance of voting for Obama and down the ballot. To volunteer, call (541) 858-1050 or send an email to mail@jcdemocrats.org. Scripts, talking points and training provided. OR you can come on in to the JCDems HQ between 11 and 3 Tuesdays through Saturdays, and Michael Rey, our office manager, will get you started. Make the Jackson County Democrats an effective voice for President Obama.
Letters! Be part of the letter writing team
From now on let's fill the "Letters to the Editor" page with letters to support President Obama and all our Democratic candidates. We'll get you started with tips and samples and lots of ideas. Call the office (541-858-1050) to put you name on the team list.
"Lift All Dems" Helpers Needed. You can make a big difference
We need a few people to recruit new callers and keep track of the current callers and supply them with new lists. We need you to fill out the team. Contact Jan Waitt at chair@jcdemocrats.org or 541-482-8249. Or call Michael at the office 541-858-1050.
Get-Out-the-Vote Coordinators needed
Help fill the shifts for our Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) phone bank. The phone bank will operate approximately October 24 - Nov. 6, but we need to fill out the schedule ahead of time. Two or three people would make a good team. Call the office 541-858-1050 or e-mail Jan rjwaitt@opendoor.com.
Oregon Action Voter Registration
1 to 2 hr shifts tabling in Medford or Ashland, Saturdays or Sundays. Some canvasses. To schedule call Virginia 541-772-4029.
Jackson County Democratic Candidate List is Now Available
Pick up your copy of the slate at Jackson County Democrats Headquarters, 40 S. Central, Medford during office hours (11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays) or see it at www.jcdemocrats.org.
Obama Bumper Stickers, Buttons and Lawn Signs are Now in the HQ Office
Pick up whatever you can use, and please leave a donation to help cover our costs in obtaining them. Ask a friend or two if you can bring them any of the above while you are getting your own.
Blue Bash Planning Underway
Yes, we're already making plans for the Jackson County Democrats Blue Bash on election night, November 6, at the Historic Ashland Armory. Mark your calendars! We need YOUR help! We are looking for a vacation home or timeshare that we can use as the Grand Prize for the drawing, which helps us raise approximately $5,000 in the election year to cover the cost of supporting local, state and national candidates and important issues on the ballot.
Do you have anything you can donate to this fabulous cause? If yes, please contact the JCD fundraising committee at fundraising@jcdemocrats.org. Thank you!
JACKSON COUNTY & OREGON NEWS
The Democratic Party of Oregon at the National Convention - A Brief Review
After a week of suffering through the Republican Party's convention, which featured repeated, previously debunked falsehoods by Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan and one of our favorite movie actors arguing with an empty chair, it's finally our turn.
What a start we had! It was a night to tell the truth about the honest, real solutions the Obama administration fights for every day. A night to talk about the work we Democrats are doing to make this an economy that's built to last -- built from the middle out, not from the top down. And it was also a night to remember why we love Michelle Obama so much.
Did you love last night as much as we did? Join the conversation: Facebook / Twitter. Here are some of our favorite quotes:
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"We sought justice because equal pay for equal work is an American value." -- Lily Ledbetter
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"Mitt Romney talks about all the things he's fixed; let me tell you, Massachusetts was not one of them." -- Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
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"My mother fought hard for her civil rights so that instead of a mop, I could hold a microphone." -- San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro
And, of course, this one from Michelle: "I see the concern in his eyes ... and I hear the determination in his voice as he tells me, 'You won't believe what these folks are going through, Michelle ... it's not right. We've got to keep working to fix this.'"
DPO in the News
Catch up on the activities and legislative actions of our elected officials. Senator Merkley reports that he is announcing a loan for a Lakeview hospital, asking for emergency firefighting funds, and urging Congress to pass a Veterans' Jobs Bill. Check out all the articles here.
We Must Not Allow Voter Suppression in Oregon. Sign Kate Brown's petition!
As reported in the Oregonian, we now know that Republican Knute Buehler, Kate Brown's opponent, supports the movement to restrict ballot access that is gaining momentum in states across the country. Read Oregon Secretary of State Brown's complete statement and support her effort to nip voter suppression in the bud. Click here.
New Website for Jim Diefenderfer
Jim Diefenderfer, candidate for State Senate District 2 has a new website: www.Jimdiefenderfer.com. All of you living in Central Point and on north, Jim is your candidate. Check out his issues page; it includes brief statements on many important issues.
Jackson County Candidates Fair be a Feature of the Southern Oregon Historical Society's Chautauqua
Saturday, September 22, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hanley Farm, 1053 Hanley Road
Candidates invited by the League of Women Voters will appear from noon to 2 p.m. There is no charge for the Candidates Fair.
A charge applies for the balance of the Chautauqua events, which include music, stage acts and speakers to “inform, enlighten, and entertain”. See the flyer here for more details.
Joyce Segers Hosts Town Hall and Viewing Party
A sizable crowd applauded and cheered while watching President Obama's acceptance speech at the National Democratic Convention.
Others speakers were representatives from the Latino community (Mi Voz Cuenta), Move-to-Amend and GMO Free Jackson County.
Segers says "Walden Moves Further Right; It's Time for Him to GO!"
Per The Oregonian (August 29), Greg Walden will become Chair of the Republican National Congressional Committee this fall. This means Walden can no longer pretend to be a centrist. Issues such as women's reproductive rights, voter suppression laws, and Medicare would be held hostage by the extreme right. He could well be vulnerable at last because of the negative Republican agenda.
In addition Walden is head of their Presidential Leadership Team in Oregon for the Romney/Ryan campaign. With Ryan coming to Oregon on September 10th we must ACT NOW! Read the full article here, and get involved today in one of the most critical and exciting Congressional Races in our own 2nd CD! Bring your ideas, your fervor and dedication and help us in phone banking, canvassing and in any way you feel you can make a difference.
Support the Joyce Segers "Putting Citizens First" campaign by contacting Volunteer Coordinator, Kathleen Connair-Rau at teamsegers2012.kathleen@gmail.com or through the Segers campaign at 541-601-1100, www.segersforcongress.org
John Huddle, Democratic Candidate for State Representative, Oregon District 55, is Looking for Volunteers for the La Pine Fall Fest
Be there, listen to good secular music on Saturday and gospel music on Sunday, and talk to people about John. If you can help out by staffing his booth on Saturday or Sunday, September 15 & 16 please email Beth at beth@johnhuddle.com with your availability. Shifts are 10 a.m. to 12 noon, 12 noon to 2 p.m., and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. John Huddle's web site is www.johnhuddle.com.
NATIONAL ISSUES
Marriage Equality on the National Democratic Platform
Platforms are more than pieces of paper - they are outlines of where a party will go. President Obama and the Democrats are choosing to move forward.
Last week, the Democratic Party approved the following language in its 2012 platform:
"We support the right of all families to have equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law. We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples.
We oppose discriminatory federal and state constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny equal protection of the laws to committed same-sex couples who seek the same respect and responsibilities as other married couples. We support the full repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act ...
We know that putting America back to work is Job One, and we are committed to ensuring Americans do not face employment discrimination. We support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act because people should not be fired based on their sexual orientation or gender identity."
When the delegates approved this platform today, they put us on the right side of history. Make sure you and your friends are registered to vote, and show your support at the polls for the only party that's standing up for equality. In Oregon register to vote at www.sos.state.or.us/elections.
With thanks from Jamie Citron, National LGBT Vote Director,Obama for America.
President Obama Weighs in on Move-to-Amend
Last Wednesday, President Obama called for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United:
"Over the longer term, I think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn Citizens United (assuming the Supreme Court doesn't revisit it). Even if the amendment process falls short, it can shine a spotlight of the super-PAC phenomenon and help apply pressure for change."
Read more about the implications of the President's remarks. Click here.
Meet the Final Six of Howard Dean's Dozen
"The Dean Dozen" is Democracy For America's (DFA) highest level of endorsement.
We reserve this endorsement for 12 candidates who will be leaders in the next Congress, who will champion our shared progressive values, and fight for the middle class instead of the one percent." They are:
- Annie Kuster (NH-02)
- Raul Ruiz (CA-36)
- Manan Trivedi (PA-06)
- Elizabeth Warren (MA-Sen)
- Mazie Hirono (HI-Sen)
- Tammy Baldwin (WI-Sen)
These progressive leaders could be the difference between Speaker Boehner and Speaker Pelosi - and between Majority Leader Reid and Majority Leader McConnell. Click here to join the campaign.
WIDER COMMUNITY
Oregon Action Community Meeting
Monday, September 10, 6 p.m., Medford Library, Adams Room
Join the fight for our future NOW! Participate in deciding the outcome of our elections. Your actions can make the difference! Oregon Action is about voter empowerment, non-partisan voter registration, voter education and getting out the vote.
March for Homes
Friday, September 14, 11 a.m. beginning at Riverside Park, Salem
"Homeowners, renters, taxpayers, and community members who all are being impacted by foreclosures will bring our message "home" to lawmakers in Salem in Oregon's first March of Homes. We march in support of real solutions for all of us such as mortgage write-downs, big bank investigations and and a temporary foreclosure moratorium to stop the looting of Main Street by Wall Street." Read more from ProjectReconomy here.
History from Below - Exploring Rural Oregon's Social Movement History
Monday, September 17th, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Taprock's Evergreen Room, 971 SE 6th Street, Grants Pass
From Tea Party town halls to Occupy encampments, ordinary people across the country are exercising their rights to free speech and popular assembly in the hopes of shaping the course of our nation's history. Rural Oregonians are no exception. Indeed, at critical moments in Oregon's history, rural communities have been sites of unconventional and noteworthy social movement activity.
Retired professor of political economy and social movements from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., Dan Leahy, will offer opening remarks on the significance of local social movement history for today's social challenges, highlighting historic movements with rural roots. SOU historian Jeff LaLande will share insights from his research on rebellion and contention in Southern Oregon politics from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sponsored by the Rural Organizing Project.
History from Below: Exploring Rural Oregon's Social Movement History is a participatory workshop that invites participants to explore those moments when passionate, principled or simply fed-up people from rural Oregon (and Southern Oregon, in particular) have banded together in hopes of changing the course of history at the local, state, or national level. The workshop will focus on issues and historical social movements that are of relevance to the politics and socio-cultural dynamics facing Southern Oregon communities today. Breakout sessions will offer participants an opportunity to dig deeper into this history by looking at historical archives of social movement activity in Southern Oregon and analyzing what they reveal about the values, demands and strategies of these movements. A facilitated discussion will explore the connections between grassroots movements past and present. A sliding scale donation of $3 to $10 is suggested; no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Coffee and tea will be provided. RSVPs are requested but not required: sarah@rop.org. This program is organized by the Rural Organizing Project, a statewide network of locally-based groups that work to advance democracy and human dignity in Oregon's rural, frontier and small towns. History from Below is made possible in part by a grant from Oregon Humanities (OH), a statewide nonprofit organization and an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds OH's grant program. For more information about this event, visit the Oregon History from Below blog or contact Sarah (sarah@rop.org, 503-543-8417).
Citizens for Peace and Justice Film Night Presents
Tuesday, Oct. 2, 7:00 p.m., at the Medford Central Library Adams Room, 205 S. Central Ave
CPJ typically shows films on the first Tuesday evening of each month. Our October offering will be HEIST: Who Stole the American Dream? HEIST explores the reasons behind the 2008 collapse of Wall Street and lays the blame on government deregulation of big banks.
CPJ will not have a film on the first Tuesday of November because that is election day. Please see our website at www.cpjmedford.org for more information on our organization and our films.
SO Pride Weekend, October 11 - 14
Join the parties, march in the parade, have brunch. Get the details here.
"Immense Possibilities" Has Moved to Fridays
"Immense Possibilities" will now be seen on SOPTV, Friday, 8:30 p.m.
See what's coming at www.immensepossibilities.org
JCD Facebook Page
If you want up-to-the-minute news about JCD activities, please "like" us on the Jackson County Democrats Facebook Page.