50 Days to Election Day
What are the issues/measures on the November 6 ballot?
Find out at the JCD Central Committee meeting, Thursday, September 27, 6:30, at the OEA Building 2495 S. Pacific Hwy. (next to South Medford Grange Co-op). State Representative Peter Buckley will explain them all as only he can. You'll learn a lot and have fun doing it. A short CC meeting will follow. There'll be lots of time to check out the volunteer opportunities.
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 TODAY, Sunday, September 16, 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. There will be additional trainings: Sunday Sept. 23 and Oct. 7, 3 p.m. at the HQ Office.
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 your 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 Rey at the office (858-1050).
Get-Out-the-Vote Coordinators needed
Help fill the shifts for our Get-Out-The-Vote (GOVT) 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 Waitt at 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 (11-3 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 - Buy Your Tickets Today!
Supporters and volunteers for Democratic candidates are ramping up in Jackson County and across the Nation.
This is an incredibly important election! Phone calls are being made; neighborhoods are being canvassed; candidates are spreading their message and babies are being kissed!
It all comes together at the Blue Bash on Election Night, Tuesday, November 6th and we want YOU to join in on the excitement at the Historic Ashland Armory!
Two massive 30’ screens with up-to-the-minute elections results, both national and local, will be shown all evening while you meet and greet fellow Democrats and candidates. Appetizers and a no-host bar open at 5pm, and a fabulous dinner, catered by the Ashland Springs Hotel, will be served at 6:30 p.m.
Click here for more information about buying tickets and becoming a sponsor of the event.
Drawing Tickets – win prizes valued up to $1,000 for only $10
We are thrilled to be able to offer wonderful Drawing Prizes as a fundraiser.
Tickets are only $10, and you could win:
- A week at an elegant Phoenix, Arizona resort in May 2013—valued at $1,000
- A fantastic 2-hour “from the air” tour of Northern California, the Cascades and Crater Lake with Oregon Executive Charters—valued at $1,000
- Politics, Poker & Pizza Party for two with Representative Peter Buckley and former Jackson County Commissioner Dave Gilmour—priceless!
- A basket of goodies and gift certificates from eateries throughout Ashland—valued at more than $200
- A case of delicious locally-grown wine from various Rogue Valley wineries—valued at $200
- 6 hours of “Obamacare” for your garden, from Master Gardener Myrl Bishop, and Landscape Designers Jane Hardgrove & Jose Gonzalas—valued at $400
- Shakespeare Clock by artist Richard Newman & Hilltop Gallery—valued at $325
- Original Watercolor by artist Rochelle Newman & Hilltop Gallery– valued at $300
Winning tickets will be drawn at the Blue Bash on Tuesday, November 6, but you do not need to be present to win, so please purchase Drawing Tickets, whether you’re coming or not by clicking here!
JACKSON COUNTY & OREGON NEWS
Important Election Information Roundup
- Last day to register to vote for the Nov.6 general election: October 16. Register on line : www.sos.state.or.us/elections
- If you've moved, update your registration.
- If you've changed your name, use the paper registration form.
- Registration forms are available at the DMV, all libraries, and the Jackson County Democrats office, 40 S. Central, Medford.
- Jackson County Elections Office: 1101 W. Main, Medford ( upstairs). Their telephone number is 541-774-6148 for any questions you may have.
- If you will be out of town during the election cycle, go to the Elections Office and vote early- call first to determine if ballots are ready.
- If you have not received your ballot by Nov. 1, call the Elections Office.
DPO in the News
Catch up on the activities and legislative actions of our elected officials. For example: "Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to Present Recovered Money to Victim of Telemarketing Scam." 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 Dist. 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.
Putting Citizens First
The Segers for Congress Campaign has an amazing offer for you!
Act now and we will give you the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to trade in your current outdated incumbent congressman and replace him with a brand new, hard-working, informed, caring and uncorrupted Woman of Integrity.
Yes, all it takes is a phone and list, which we will provide you FREE of charge, and you too will be instrumental in this historic event! Respond now and we will include an added bonus: a celebration party on November 6th, where you can relish a job well done and a new chapter in the lives of the people in the 2nd District!
Email to campaign@segersforcongress.org?subject=Phonebanking or call Michael Miles at 503-602-0608 and get your list today!
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Jackson County Candidates Fair to 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.
NATIONAL ISSUES
Don't Miss the Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates
October 3, 6 - 7:30 p.m.; October 11, 6 - 7:30 p.m., October 16, 6 - 7:30 p.m.; October 22, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
For topics and complete details click the link here.
Should There Be Fact Checkers at the Debates?
If you feel that fact checkers at the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates would be a helpful feature, sign the petition here.
Climate Change as a Topic for the Presidential Debates?
The Climate Change Reality Project asks you to join them in requesting that the issue of climate change be addressed in the first Presidential debate October 3rd.
Sign their petition to bring climate change into the first presidential debate. Tell Debate Moderator Jim Lehrer that he must ask both presidential candidates about their views on climate change and what they are going to do about it.
Read about the entire Climate Change Reality Project article and sign their petition here.
Only 96,000 Jobs? We Can Do Better - Support The "Millions to the Middle" Drive
The solution is obvious. Every other economic recovery in the past half century has been driven by public jobs — this time should be no different. Democracy In Action has designed plans that would create 8.2 million jobs for less than the cost of just two years of the Bush tax cuts. With a direct public jobs program, we could put millions of Americans back to work and address unmet needs in the communities where they live at the same time.
Check out the specific solutions being offered for consideration. Click here.
WIDER COMMUNITY
MONDAY! History from Below - Exploring Rural Oregon's Social Movement History
Monday, September 17, 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. 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; contact sarah@rop.org
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.
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@rop.org or 503-543-8417.
Immigration, Human Rights, Local Law Enforcement - Issues and Answers
Wednesday, September 19, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Rogue Community College, Higher Education Center (HEC), 101 S. Bartlett, Medford
FREE and open to the public: A Panel Presentation sponsored by the Rogue Valley Inter-faith Immigration Coalition and sponsored by the Rogue Community College Diversity Programming Board. Immigration is a highly complex moral, social, and political issue. A panel of presenters including John Almaquer (Immigration Attorney), Virginia Camberos (Oregon Action), Ricardo Lujan (Student Activist) and a representative of the Medford Police Dept will provide their perspective, tell their stories, and answer our questions.
Come learn more about life as a person raised in the US without legal residency, the complexities of law enforcement, and the impact and implications of the new Deferred Action Program. Contact: Steve Jensen, sjensen355@gmail.com, 541-890-6353
FREE and open to the public
International Day of Peace
Friday, September 21, 6:45 p.m., Medford Congregational Church, 1801 E. Jackson Street
The topic is "The Concept of Peace in Major World Religions". Presented by the United Nations Association of the USA, Southern Oregon, panelists are:
- Christianity - Pastor Kurt Katzmar
- Islam - Flamur Vehapi
- Hinduism - Dr. Gokul Gokani
- Judaism - Rabbi Alan Rosenberg
- Buddhism - Lama Yeshe
For all the details see the beautiful flyer. Click here.
League of Women Voters Series Presents Films with Election Themes
Saturday, September 22, 7 p.m. discussion, 8 p.m. film in the large room at the Medford Library, 205 S. Central, Medford
The first film will be "The American President", with the discussion led by Chris Walker. Click here for more details on this and other films to be presented in the series.
Marriage Equality Forum and Lunch
Sunday, September 23, 11:30 a.m., Medford Congregational Church, 1801 E. Jackson, Medford
Panelists will include representatives from Basic Rights Oregon, Lotus Rising Youth Led Social Change, and the Medford United Church of Christ, as well as Tara Wilkens, United Church of Christ Minister and Executive Director of Welcoming Congregations, Portland, OR. See the flyer here for more information.
George Mann, NY Labor Singer/songwriter, union and anti-war activist, returns to stir up the locals
Sunday, September 23, 7 p.m., Grass Shack Café in the Exit 24 mall, 205 Fern Valley Road, Phoenix
See the flyer for all the details.
Inaugural Meeting of Rogue Valley Climate Protection Organization
Tuesday, September 25th in the Large Community Room of Medford Public Library, 205 S. Central
Refreshments at 6:30, activities discussion, etc., 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Participants are asked to come with ideas on what activities they think such an organization might spend time undertaking. The program will incorporate break-out group discussions involving brainstorming to develop a list of such activities which will then be clarified. From these we will then vote for those we think the best (most effective / most likely to succeed / most likely to generate active member involvement). Please visit the web site: http://kaconjour.com/Climate_Change/Organization.html and/or contact Alan Journet at alanjournet@gmail.com or call him at 541-301-4107.
Citizens for Peace and Justice Film Nights
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.