After the wonderful Georgia fundraising concert for Fair Fight, Warnock and Ossoff last night, which you can still watch this morning – Stacey Abrams has a very specific request this morning. She is asking for donations for Raphael Warnock. That tells me that the Republican efforts to hit Warnock hard is probably working. Sorry I opened the door to speculation in a thread where I am promoting action.
I trust Stacey Abrams, and if Stacey Abrams says Warnock in particular needs donations, that’s good enough for me.
Let’s make Mitch McConnell irrelevant.
Raphael Warnock
Stacey Abrams, in her own words:
In a moment, I’m going to ask you to make a donation to Reverend Raphael Warnock’s campaign for U.S. Senate in Georgia. But first, let me explain why I am proud to endorse him and why your support is so critical.
In 2018, we built a diverse coalition of hardworking folks from all over Georgia, especially Georgians from marginalized communities who felt unseen and unheard. Our fight was rooted in the belief that poverty is immoral, that Georgians deserve access to affordable health care and that the economy ought to work for everyone.
The fact is, people in the White House and the U.S. Senate are failing Georgians of every political party, every race and every region.
The Republican Party’s divisive agenda – and systematic voter suppression – goes against everything we stand for as Americans. But here’s what gives me hope: All around the country, good people – including many folks who have never been involved with politics before – are stepping up to fight back and defend American values. We have the grassroots energy we need to restore this nation’s democracy – and if we all do our part to elect leaders who share these values, I know we can make our vision for the country a reality.
That’s why I am so excited Reverend Raphael Warnock, a champion for Georgians in the fight for justice, is running for U.S. Senate. Reverend Warnock is a strong leader, a pastor and an advocate – and he would be the first Black senator our state has ever elected.
Reverend Warnock knows the incredible movement we built in Georgia in 2018, and he’s determined to build the energy we need all the way to the ballot box in January. He’s ready to fight voter suppression, ensure that health care is protected and expanded and break barriers to opportunity so that future generations know that the sky is the limit.
For the past 15 years, I have watched Reverend Warnock lead on issues of social justice, economic access and voting rights. We stood shoulder to shoulder on the toughest fights, against opponents who used their power to belittle and erase their fellow Georgians. He’s dedicated his life to public service, and I know without a doubt that he will be a strong advocate for folks in every corner of our state.
But if we are going to build momentum and flip Georgia blue, we need to show Reverend Warnock – and a Republican Party that thinks they can steal this seat by spending millions of dollars and suppressing the vote – that we have a grassroots movement strong enough to win. That is why I need supporters like YOU to help us get this campaign off the ground.
Open thread.
UncleEbeneezer
Is there a link for the Abrams quote? I’d like to share this with others.
WaterGirl
@UncleEbeneezer: It came as an email directly from Stacey Abrams, and I don’t see it on her twitter page.
It was titled “big announcement” so I think this one must be important.
Uncle Cosmo
It could just as easily mean that she’s seen internal polls that show Ossoff is toast but Warnock has a chance. (Maybe not an especially good chance, but a better chance than Ossoff.) Considering the Congressional debacle last 3 Nov, in which GOP Senate candidates outperformed publicly-available polling by 5-6%, I lean toward this unhappy interpretation.
mali muso
Whatever the tea leaves may be, I trust Stacey Abrams, so if she’s asking for donations to Warnock, I’m in.
PJ
Done.
UncleEbeneezer
@WaterGirl: Ok. No worries. I will pass it along as a direct call from Fair Fight.
Lyrebird
@mali muso: Sorry so off-topic… could you post the name of that doll with the gorgeous style-able curly hair again?
mali muso
@Lyrebird: Absolutely! Here is Zoe.
Lyrebird
On topic, did anyone else see this dangerous garbage ad from Crenshaw? Link is to Rick Wilson’s twitter feed.
The ad is a horror show. Of course I am now all distracted bc someone in the comments said oh it’s like Dukakis posing in a tank. Okay so Dukakis was short and also was not iiuc a vet, but f it people, he was not suggesting violent clashes.
At least in the ad the supposed antifascists are white, so it’s sorta better than the Pelosi -M thrteen ad.
UGH anyway, and prayers for protection over all the GA voters!
Lyrebird
@mali muso: Thank you thank you! Some loved ones in combined Scots-Dominican families need to have that link!
Chris Sherbak
@Uncle Cosmo: Agreed. Of the two, I’d’ve thought Warnock’s fight was the more secure. OTOH, maybe they are showing that Ossoff isn’t pulling in voters as much as Warnock and they can rely on coattails?
Almost Retired
OK, made a fresh donation to Warnock.
Sort of on-topic, we live-streamed the other benefit concert last night, hosted by the cast of Hamilton. I was expecting Zoom performances from the show, but it was various cast members doing holiday standards. This should have been obvious to me from the registration form, but I didn’t read the fine print since I’m a lawyer and was off the clock on Sunday night.
The performances were spectacular, with the possible exception of an overly-emotive rendition of “Christmas Time” – by an actress I didn’t recognize – that came off more like the restaurant scene in “When Harry Met Sally” than “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
Both candidates made appearances, and were each inspiring in their own way.
MazeDancer
Big PostCard week as Early Voting starts in GA.
Please consider sending a few. Get addresses and free PostCard designs to download at PostCardPatriots.com
And if Stacey is asking, it must be serious.
piratedan
@Chris Sherbak: i think it’s more likely that racism is in play, I think both of them would be extraordinarily better than who currently holds those seats but Ossoff may be an easier “sell” because of his ethnicity (Jewish versus Black) to those donating.
There’s that antebellum shit going down here as well, in that protecting that “white woman” against the “black man” vibe that could be in play as well.
people being people imho and there are a bunch of folks out there that will seize any straw handy, be it consciously or subconsciously.
dm
Oh, look what I found. Someone decided to keep track of the ActBlue donation ticker:
https://observablehq.com/@rdmurphy/actblue-ticker-tracker
(It starts, not too surprisingly, a couple of days after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death)
Another Scott
@dm: Nice. Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
AliceBlue
@piratedan: The anti-Warnock ads are beyond disgusting. And they run constantly–sometimes three or four in a row. I have no doubt they’re working as intended.
Juju
I had a Nexgard rebate card that I used for a donation. I don’t remember who suggested the rebate card, but whoever it was, thank you for the tip. In the directions that came with the card, it said it could be used for anything but a pay at the pump purchase, which is about the only place I use a card in person these days.
WaterGirl
@Uncle Cosmo: Are you suggesting that we roll over and give up?
I’m going to fight along side Stacey Abrams and the people who are working their assess off on the ground, trying to get Georgia two democratic senators and get a democratic senate.
WaterGirl
@mali muso: That is a beautiful doll! And the hair is gorgeous.
Gin & Tonic
I see the Wisconsin appeal has been rejected, but unfortunately to me it looks like it was only 4-3 and not 7-0.
WaterGirl
@Lyrebird: Oh my god.
Just when I think they can’t surprise me any more.
mali muso
@WaterGirl:
@Lyrebird:
I’m very excited for my little girl to open this gift on Christmas Eve! It’s great to see more representation of natural hair. And to support a black-owned business to boot.
Cermet
Watching the EC cast votes using the NYT front page; not real time but close enough. The rump is going down in flames – he loses again today.
MisterForkbeard
Just donated.
I don’t think this is Stacey Abrams hitting the panic button. I think we’ve seen that Warnock is the main target of Republican attacks, he’s black, and I think (but am not sure) that he had a harder time in the General.
WaterGirl
@Chris Sherbak: Or maybe I shouldn’t have started the trend on speculating what this is about. That just clouded my message.
If Stacey Abrams thinks that Warnock needs the help, that’s where I choose to put my energy.
laura
I’m grateful to start the week by fighting for Reverend Rapheal Warnock and alongside Stacy Abrams and all the men and women who have done the long, hard, mostly thankless work of organizing communities and revealing their power.
Another Scott
Donated at the fundraiser last night. Donated here today.
Thanks.
Forward!!
Cheers,
Scott.
BruceFromOhio
Hit the thermometer as requested.
In Stacey, I Trust.
hedgehog mobile
Donated.
BruceFromOhio
Public Service Announcement – do NOT click on any Lilicloth ads from AdSense. My TrendMicro network security has this site flagged as a source of malware, and the reviews I’ve been able to find indicate it is a fully operational scam site (i.e. take your money and do nothing, or provide crappy product late).
I bought some clothing online from a reputable vendor, and the Lilicloth ads have been showing up in the BJ site banner ever since.
SiubhanDuinne
@BruceFromOhio:
Are those the ones with a model wearing drop-seat pajamas with her bare ass hanging out?
WaterGirl
I don’t have much faith in the polls at this point. Any polls. But I am confident that the people on the ground know where things stand. Look at how confident Biden’s people were the day after the election, when they made it very clear that we had won or would win 5 of the 6 swing states, and we even won the 6th when all was said and done.
The real question is always turnout. Hillary hit her numbers for Iowa in 2008, but our turnout for Obama was so high that even with hitting her marks, she lost. That’s some of what happened again this year – turnout for the other side totally exceeded our expectations.
That is surely what will ultimately determine whether we win the senate seats in Georgia. We have to win on the ground in these final weeks. The 2 Republicans could not possibly be more loathsome.
We are all Georgia now. At least on the Democratic side. It’s not just that these races will tip the senate. If Georgia can get two Democratic senators, I imagine that can go a long way to stopping the voter suppression in Georgia, and that bodes well for everything going forward.
Aleta
zhena gogolia
@Gin & Tonic:
But that’s WI Supreme Court, not USSC, right? Forgive my ignorance.
Geminid
@Lyrebird: It’s not a surprise when Dan Crenshaw puts out an ad for Loefler and Perdue that’s all about Dan Crenshaw. The Georgia Senate runoff is an opportunity for ambitious politicians to promote themselves. A couple weeks ago I was wondering, why is the governor of Maryland making this long, high publicity endorsement of two Georgia Senate candidates? Then I remembered that Larry Hogan is thought to be planning a presidential run.
Almost Retired
@WaterGirl: Agree totally about lacking faith in the polls. Not just in the general cynical sense, but in the unique circumstances of this special election. All sorts of factors, including Stacey Abrams voter turnout efforts, the Republicans’ bizarre civil war, the rapid demographic changes in Georgia recently, etc. and so forth and more. So all we can do is donate and work and not point fingers if it doesn’ t work out the way we hoped.
LuciaMia
Normally this would be like watching paint dry but I’m enjoying watching the Electoral College registering the votes.
Baud
@zhena gogolia: Yes.
rikyrah
Haroldo
@Gin & Tonic:
WaterGirl
@rikyrah: Now that made me cry.
zhena gogolia
@Haroldo:
Thanks. Twitter seems to agree.
Wapiti
@Lyrebird: Dukakis enlisted and served 2 years in the Army after college, so counts as a veteran.
Baud
@zhena gogolia:
I hope WI voters remember that when those judges are up for reelection.
Kristine
Donated.
I’ve also been donating monthly to Fair Fight since its inception. Voter protection in all forms was always important, but now it’s essential.
BruceFromOhio
@SubaruDianne:
Ummmm, gonna say nope, I would def remember that. The ones I’m seeing are snarky sayings on t-shirts.
Maybe your shopping history just differs from mine.
Tom Levenson
Just dropped some more…
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Lyrebird:
I get more of a “Steven Segal with a girdle and a hairpiece making an ‘action’ movie based on a video game” vibe. Not that I think Crenshaw is un-dangerous, but…. my god.
Matt McIrvin
@WaterGirl: And even before the election, the Biden/Harris campaign was dropping hints that their internal polling was much closer than the publicly available numbers–I thought it was just the usual fundraising-convenient pessimism at the time, but I think now that they knew even that. They were pretty on the ball.
UncleEbeneezer
For anyone who wants to do more than donate, my local Dem Headquarters sent this:
“Let’s get out the vote AGAIN in Georgia! We will be calling for Daniel Blackman’s critical race for Public Service Commissioner for District 4! This is very important downballot race that will also help to increase voter turnout for the more well-known Senate runoffs!
Daniel will be a voice for families, people on a fixed income, and small business owners throughout the state of Georgia. He believes that we can create efficient and cost-effective energy solutions that are safe for our environment and communities. He believes that we can ensure that not a single person has to choose between paying the light bill and putting food on the table.”
https://www.mobilize.us/teamudh/event/364747/
patrick Il
@Gin & Tonic:
You can thank God for the new woman dem judge elected on primary day this past fall. The guy she beat, along with three of the four repubs still there, are absolute bonkers and it would be 4 -3 the other way. There is one sane repub judge.
cain
@rikyrah:
Boo-ya! Thank you GA! A proud moment for all of us – especially for Stacey Abrams and the other black activists that helped carry the state.
Trump has lost again, and now the election will be absolutely official as of today.
Baud
@patrick Il:
Elections have consequences, part infinity.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Almost Retired:
?
germy
Uncle Cosmo
@Chris Sherbak: To me the question is what the $$$ will be used for.
My impression was that these runoffs were going to turn on turnout. But that can’t be the need – otherwise we’d be asked to donate to an organization like Fair Fight which would promote both our candidates at once.
It’s got to be for media, to hit back at the negative spots against Warnock.
I’m suggesting that yinz might want to dilute your high-proof expectations with a splash of realism so that if things turn out “not necessarily to the Democrats’ advantage” on 6 January, you’re not left contemplating emigration, catatonia or suicide.
Really, have you forgotten how all the Jackals pranced around gleefully anticipating 52, 53, even 54 Democratic Senate wins, and then collapsed in despair when they saw we’d need to beat two GOP incumbents in GA just to reach 50?
I would love to be wrong about Ossoff and see him cruise to victory – but the evidence of the November results, where Thuglican candidates polled 5-6% better than public polling indicated, suggests that the situation is more likely the other way around. Doesn’t mean I won’t send the Rev some $$$; I’m just going to be realistic about what good it might do.
(ETA O/T: Now that I have your attention – backarrow isn’t working reliably today, even for a single step backward.)
kindness
I donated to Stacy’s site on Sunday. Sounds like I’ll do Warnock today.
germy
They’re trying to invent controversies.
Cermet
Well, the slightly plump lady has song; all five so-called ‘contested’ states have locked in their EC votes.
Another Scott
@Uncle Cosmo: Realistically, we’re all gonna die. Sometime.
I don’t think anyone here believes that giving money to the campaigns will guarantee the outcome we want.
But we know, like it or not, that the GE and Runoff Campaigns that have the most money usually (not always) win. Money doesn’t guarantee the result, but it’s necessary to fight disinformation, to keep volunteers fed and sheltered, to drive turnout, and to keep up the enthusiasm that makes everything else possible.
Don’t be a Debbie Downer.
My $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.
WaterGirl
@UncleEbeneezer:
So the election for Daniel Blackman is on the same day as the runoff senate elections? Is it a runoff race, also?
Elie
I sent in some cash and lots of hope. I know that we can’t count on it.
I have to say that I was a bit disappointed in Warnocks performance on the debate. He didn’t really try to break up the automaton responses that Loeffler gave and was somewhat low energy. This is his first time running and it showed. On the other hand, maybe it really doesn’t matter WHAT he does — its tribal warfare…. Hoping our “tribe” turns out…
SiubhanDuinne
@WaterGirl:
It was originally scheduled for December 1, but someone (presumably in Raffensperger’s office) noticed that it would be kind of pointless to go to the additional expense and complication of holding an entirely separate election runoff, so they changed it to the same day as the two Senate runoffs.
https://theintercept.com/2020/11/23/georgia-runoff-public-service-commissioner/
Geminid
@Another Scott: As Rachel Bitecofer points out that even though people say they do not like negative political advertising, those ads work. Our candidates have to counter.
laura
@mali muso: A little girl in Houston is going to be beside herself with joy this Christmas. Thank you for providing this link to beautiful Zoe.
raven
@WaterGirl: We had a DA’s special runoff two weeks ago. Deborah Gonzalez won!!
Thank you justice warriors!
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: Venturing a guess:
Raffensperger decided it would benefit Republicans to hold them on the same day. He may have done the right thing with the recount, but he is working hard to suppress the vote.
WaterGirl
@raven: That’s great. They will start getting rid of runoffs if the Dems start winning them.
mali muso
@laura: My heart! So happy to hear that. :)
BruceFromOhio
@Uncle Cosmo:
I remember when we used to have vote on stone tablets.
AND WE LOVED IT.