Note for the day:
The Playing to Win Resources page has been added as a link under Calling All Jackals.
Let’s use this thread today to discuss what impact the COVID-19 virus may be having on the actions you’re taking in support of voting, voter registration, Get Out The Vote, etc. (As well as anything you would normally talk about in this thread.
Going forward, I’d kind of like to highlight a different opportunity in the Note for the Day on each post. Maybe one donation opportunity and one action opportunity each time?
I would need each of you to take the lead by providing me with a short blurb for the donation opportunity and/or the action opportunity that is nearest and dearest to you. If you share that in the comments, or send it to me by email, I can feature one in each post. If you like this idea, let me know in the comments. If not, we’ll drop it.
Here’s a primer for anyone who is new to the Playing to Win posts.
What is Playing to Win?
The goal is a poll-free, spin-free, prognostication-free, media-free, what’s-wrong-with-the-other-candidate-free-zone – a political thread where the focus is on ACTION: What can be done to help our candidates, and what are we doing to help them, every day?
The hope is that this will help provide inspiration, and encourage action, as an alternative to anger, frustration and despair.
*****
A couple of our jackals requested a regular political “action” thread, which we are calling Playing to Win. We’ll keep this up for as long as there is interest.
The goal is a poll-free, spin-free, prognostication-free, media-free, what’s-wrong-with-the-other-candidate-free-zone – a political thread where the focus is on ACTION: What can be done to help our candidates, and what are we doing to help them, every day?
The hope is that this will help provide inspiration, and encourage action, as an alternative to anger, frustration and despair.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Let’s try Thursday late mornings and Sunday afternoons.
You asked for easy ways to find these threads:
· there’s a link in the sidebar under Calling All Jackals (on computers & tablets in landscape mode)
· there’s a link in the hamburger menu bar (on mobile)
· click on the Playing to Win category that shows up just under the byline at the top of the post
· if you’re super lazy worn out from all your work canvassing and calling and texting, click here
Everyone is free to chime in about what they are doing for their their preferred candidate. What actions are we taking at Balloon Juice, individually or collectively, to help candidates we believe in?
What might you like to do, if you weren’t stuck on not quite knowing how to go from thinking about doing something to actually doing something?
· Make calls
· Canvass
· Write postcards
· Text for your candidate
· Donate
· Register people to vote
· Give people rides to the polls to vote
· Bring food and drinks to campaign offices in your area
· Be an election judge
· Be a poll watcher
· Put together a bullet list of what you like about YOUR preferred candidate
· Go to a battleground state to work on a campaign.
· Use your frequent flyer miles to send a volunteer to a battleground state
· If you live in a battleground state, host a volunteer who could stay at your house
· Share a great informational article about YOUR preferred candidate
· If you have campaign connections, connect interested jackals with that campaign
· Organize a postcard-writing campaign and help other BJ peeps get started
What else are you doing?
Tell us what actions you’ve taken today, whether it’s calling or donating or canvassing or writing postcards or talking to someone about your candidate, or anything else that’s on that list. Or even something that isn’t!
Forget the other candidates. Tell us what you LIKE about your candidate.
Share your worries or concerns about canvassing or other activities. What’s holding you back?
If Playing to Win appeals to you, what else would you want to see in this space?
WereBear
My recent efforts have been in the area of public health. I figure anyone still alive at the end should lean more liberal…
The Great Depression nixed a lot of that Hoover love.
Elizabelle
Who would guess the primaries would be pretty much over. Before Saint Patrick’s Day.
Bizarre year. And maybe more twists and turns ahead, depending on who comes down with coronavirus.
Gonna turn my attention to voting rights and registration. And no more gerrymandering. By any political party. Democrats do just fine when voters are allowed to vote fairly, for those who will actually represent them.
Chyron HR
@Elizabelle:
Woah there, Democrats don’t get to decide when the Democratic primary is over.
Redshift
My congressperson (Don Beyer) is in self-quarantine after being in the presence someone who was later diagnosed with coronavirus, and the neighboring congressperson (Gerry Connolly) just postponed his big annual St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser. The session of the legislature just ended, and Virginia legislators aren’t allowed to take contributions while it’s in session, so they would normally start having fundraisers now. They’re probably going to need some help with other fundraising to replace that.
It made me thing. There are a lot of political events that I don’t enjoy all that much, but I realize they’re still important markers — I’d be broke if I donated to the nonstop appeals, but without notable events, I’d have to be more disciplined to donate sometimes and not just ignore all of them.
Diceros bicornis
I’m a fairly longtime BJ lurker but this has brought me out! I’ve been involved with quite a few different political activities for the past 3 1/2 years as an American who lives outside the US. Since showing up in person to town halls and canvassing efforts is…not feasible, I’ve learned a lot about phonebanking, textbanking, and postcard writing.
‘Juicer @Mousebumples mentioned that their Grandma might just be up to be a postcard writer. I replied to her in an earlier thread. I’m volunteering with Postcards to Voters to help vet new writers and send addresses to folks who request them by email. I can get quite a few of them out before the sun rises on the East Coast of the USA!
Right now there are several campaigns to write for, plus my personal favorite: we’re contacting all Florida Dems, county by county, to encourage them to sign up to vote by mail.
I will be happy to provide information about Postcards To Voters to add to the Resources page. However I know @MazeDancer has coordinated BJ postcard writing campaigns and I don’t want to step on toes…
Diceros bicornis
I also have some information to add to the resources page about textbanking…I love textbanking as much as I hate using my texting device as a telephone. Indivisible’s Payback Project has launched a peer-to-peer textbanking outreach campaign to engage voters across nine target states to take action with Indivisibles in their area and mobilize locally to flip their Senate seats. (Because changing the occupant of the White House isn’t enough – we need to flip the Senate and keep the House. And flipping the Senate actually looks like it could be feasible if we Do The Work.)
It’s easy to sign up and do the training, though they don’t accept foreign phone numbers for 2-part authentication so I’m trying to figure out how to get a US-based number that I can use. But ‘Juicers who have US cell phones (you need it only for authentication, all calls are done through a platform that keeps you and your phone anonymous) can totally join in.
(One of these days I’ll share the story of my favorite weird-ass texting story, which had a roomful of us in howls of laughter…I’ll take humor wherever I can find it.)
Whattya say, @Watergirl – is there a way to add textbanking info to the Resources page?
WaterGirl
@Diceros bicornis: Welcome!
There have been two reports here of negative experiences with Postcards to Voters, so while they may be a great organization, it seemed best not to include them on the Resource page.
But I’m glad you have had good luck with them!
WaterGirl
@Diceros bicornis:
Yes, we can absolutely add textbanking information to the Resources page. If you include the info in a comment on this thread, I will be sure to add it to the Resource page.
Diceros Bicornis
@WaterGirl: Wait, what? I just did a search and found lots of references to Postcards to Voters here at BJ going, but not one of them was negative. Can you point me to the complaints? Maybe they are about something I can bring up with the team.