Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

He really is that stupid.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

Good lord, these people are nuts.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

This blog will pay for itself.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Bark louder, little dog.

You are here: Home / Political Fundraising / Political Fundraising 2021-22 / Four Directions Michigan: Let’s Go!

Four Directions Michigan: Let’s Go!

by | 129 Comments

This post is in: 

Last Friday, FOUR DIRECTIONS called me.

If we could do our Michigan fundraising in the second half of January, instead of February, they would plan for boots on the ground in Michigan on Feb 1.  

I love the sound of that!  Because of us, there will be boots on the ground in Michigan – just 16 days from now! 

That’s how much faith FOUR DIRECTIONS has in us and our ability to get this done.

With our early money, this nearly top 10,000 blog will be influencing Nov 2022 outcomes in 4 key states: Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and now Michigan.

Four Directions
MICHIGAN!

Goal Thermometer

Our goal with fundraising this year is to do our best to make sure that we win elections in key states with margins that make them too big to steal.  Margins so big that the legislatures don’t dare to subvert the will of the people and overturn the results.  And to form relationships and build the groundwork for 2024.

Michigan’s elected executive officers are all up for election in Nov 22.

  • Gretchen Whitmer (D) Governor
  • Jocelyn Benson (D) Secretary of State
  • Dana Nessel (D) Attorney General
  • Garlin Gilchrist (D) Lieutenant Governor

So let’s do everything we can to keep these 3 kick-ass in Michigan’s key executive roles:  Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General of Michigan. That would be true anyway, but we really need them in Michigan,  a state with a hard-line rabid Republican legislature.

According to BlueGuitarist in the comments, with redistricting in Michigan there’s a good chance to flip both the state house and state senate.  There are also Michigan Supreme Court Justices up this year as well.  (update)

Michigan peeps, what do we know about the Lt. Governor?

Gary Peters (D) was just reelected to the US Senate in 2020 and Debbie Stabenow (D) isn’t up for reelection until 2024.

Our work this year is for November 2022, but it’s also the beginning of 2024, identifying potential voters, building relationship and connections that will help us win the House, the Senate and the Presidency in 2024, as well.

FOUR DIRECTIONS has already secured at 1.5 match for us, and we hope to have confirmation by tomorrow that they have secured another .5 match to make this a double-match for us.  Just as they are trusting our ability to raise the $25,000, I am trusting their ability to secure the full double-match for us.

We are staring with 54 donations and $3,126 in the thermometer.  We have a commitment every dollar in the thermometer will be matched at the final level, even when the donations are in the thermometer before the matches are finalized with the external matchers.

We have a couple of Balloon Juice angel matches right out of the gate!

Read the fine print:

Just as before, up to $50 can be matched per person by a particular angel match – but you need to let us know your donation amount in the comments in order to be counted toward the match.

When we start a new angel match, up to $50 of another donation can be matched, even if a previous donation was matched by a different BJ angel.

Starting BJ Angel Match #1!   Who wants to remain anonymous.  Let’s do this!

Update:

Oh my gosh, we blew through angel match #1 so fast that I hadn’t even gotten the “comment” amounts entered into the spreadsheet!

And we blew through angel match #2!

We are now into angel match #3, which is for $2,500!

BJ Angel #3 mostly lurks but sometimes comments, so let’s call him friend of the blog Andrew.

Reader Interactions

129Comments

  1. 1.

    WaterGirl

    The math:  when we have a double-match + a BJ angel donor

    If you donate $50 through THIS thermometer:  Our Balloon Juice angel adds $50 to that, for a total of $100.  Which the FOUR DIRECTION donor double-matches, adding $200, for a total of $300.  So your $50 turns into $300!

    If you donate $10 through THIS thermometer:  Our Balloon Juice angel adds $10 to that, for a total of $20.  Which the FOUR DIRECTION donor double-matches, adding $40, for a total of $60.  So your $10 turns into $60!

    If you donate $100 through THIS thermometer:  Our Balloon Juice angel adds $50 to that, for a total of $150.  Which the FOUR DIRECTION donor double-matches, adding $300, for a total of $450.  So your $100 turns into $450!

  2. 2.

    WaterGirl

    I was going to wait to put this up tonight, but I am frustrated by recent events and this is something I can do right now to make a difference.

    Update:

    You need to let us know your donation amount in the comments in order to be counted toward the match.

    When we start a new angel match, up to $50 of another donation can be matched, even if a previous donation was matched by a different BJ angel.

  4. 4.

    Miss Bianca

    Oh, crap, I just used the thermometer that’s up at the right, because I’m a bear of very little brain. But hope it goes to some good out there in my old home state!

  5. 5.

    SiubhanDuinne

    In for $50 right now, with more to come as the month progresses.

    I concur that you should repost this thread later today.

  8. 8.

    Barbara

    I donated. Thanks for doing this. Positive action and contribution feels so much better than the opposite.

  12. 12.

    WaterGirl

    @Tinare: Your comment went into moderation because you misspelled your nym in your email address. I fixed it and approved your comment.

    So you’ll want to post another comment with the correct spelling so your computer will remember the right number again.

  17. 17.

    SiubhanDuinne

    WG, back on November 30, when you first put the 4D-MI thermometer up, I donated $25. Not sure I reported that at the time, but obviously if it’s match-eligible I’d like it to be noted. Thanks.

  18. 18.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne:  Thanks for giving me the chance to clarify because I know you’re not the only one with that question.

    Everything put in the thermometer before I put this post up today will be matched by the external donors.

    For BJ angel matching, the donation must be made while that particular angle match is happening.  So your previous $25 without an angel match will be most-likely-double-matched, so it will turn into $75 for FOUR DIRECTIONS.

    $25 donated during an angel match turns into $150.

    The donations to the thermometer in Dec and earlier in January warmed my heart, and they are *part of why four directions is so confident that we can get this done.

    edit: the other reason for Four Directions’s confidence that we could get Michigan done is that TWO Balloon Juice angels came forward – when we finished Wisconsin in November – to say that they wanted to be angels when we did Michigan. They deserve special thanks because having those two angel in our pocket, so to speak, really made a difference going forward.

  19. 19.

    WaterGirl

    I am confident that 4 Directions will get us to a double-match, so I will respond to donations in the comments as if the double-match is already in place.

    But first, I am going to eat breakfast!

  23. 23.

    WaterGirl

    @Ksmiami: I am not sure what you mean.

    This is in the post up top.

    Gary Peters (D) was just reelected to the US Senate in 2020 and Debbie Stabenow (D) isn’t up for reelection until 2024.

    Are you suggesting that she is up for election this year?

  27. 27.

    Mokum

    I donated $25 twice, because at first I did not see the $50 match. Still not sufficiently caffeinated.

  30. 30.

    MazeDancer

    Four Directions said on their discussion thread this week that early donation was as good as a double match in itself.

    Because with early money in the bank, they can hire operational staff.

    So, that means $10 now creates the impact of $120.

    I’m in for $15.

  33. 33.

    Jackie NC

    I’m in for 50, I discovered during the Bush debacle, when enraged donating makes me feel better.  Thank you angels

  35. 35.

    Fleeting Expletive

    Have y’all seen Mick Mulvaney, formerly a Cabinet Secretary to TFG, hawking some computer security thing in tv commercials. He wears a spiffy tee shirt, with a collar, even.

    And I’m going to kick in some more money too, another $25.00.

    The miscreants I’d most like to see status of investigations on are the Republican Secretaries of State and state AGs who enthusiastically supported insurrection and subversion of election rules. They were blatant, and organized against the Biden administration.

  36. 36.

    caroln

    As a mostly life time Michiganian, I have been waiting for this! We are so fortunate to have the women trifecta. I’m also lucky, both my state rep. and senator are Democratic women. Best of all, represented in Washington by the most lovely, gracious, and hard-working rep. of all, Debbie Dingell. They are all doing their best work to hold back the crazies in this beautiful state. I’m in for 50.00 today. Also, Wonkette should move here.

  42. 42.

    VFX Lurker

    In for $100. I grew up in Michigan, and I want Michigan to do well. (I realize only half of my donation will be matched, but that’s OK!)

  46. 46.

    phdesmond

    i just threw in $50, but wasn’t aware that the thermometers were different.  i hope you can still match it!

  49. 49.

    H.E.Wolf

    Thank you WaterGirl and 1st Angel, and donors! So exciting to see the thermometer almost double in height from its total yesterday.

  51. 51.

    BlueGuitarist

    With redistricting in Michigan there’s a good chance to flip both the state house and state senate.

  52. 52.

    H.E.Wolf

    I wrote down a few quotes (may be slightly paraphrased; it was a fast-paced discussion) during last night’s Zoom with Four Directions.

    From OJ Semans (co-founder, with his wife, of 4D):

    “Whenever we (4D) are involved in an election cycle, the Native American turnout is almost always historically high.”

    “We don’t bring in outsiders – we hire (lots of) local tribal members, and train & supervise them. [Unemployment is high, especially on the reservations, so by paying our local organizers] we put food on the table.”

    “It takes time, it takes messaging, and it takes media to get the message out. When people see that others are fighting for the right to vote, it is motivating to them.”

    “It’s real simple ’cause it’s the truth – and the truth will take you a long ways.”

  54. 54.

    H.E.Wolf

    OJ also mentioned that his eldest granddaughter has been helping to canvass since she was 5 (she’s now in her 20s), and the new granddaughter, < 2 weeks old, well, "We'll wait 'til she starts walking". :)

    New baby's name in Lakota Sioux is Híŋháŋni Wa (Morning Snow), pronounced "Hee honey wah", per OJ.

    Let's celebrate the arrival of an adorable new future canvasser and voter by knocking this MI fund drive out of the park!

  55. 55.

    RaflW

    @H.E.Wolf: Well, we’re getting a fresh layer of white fluff here in much of Minnesota today.
    And I’ll be joining this dollarpalooza shortly!

  60. 60.

    evap

    I’m in for $100!   It makes no sense that the legislature is so red, maybe we can change this in 2022!   How good/bad is the redistricting there?

  61. 61.

    artem1s

    $50 for that state up north. Hope they are more successful than OH has been in keeping the deplorables at bay.

  62. 62.

    dnfree

    I already set up a monthly donation which I think has kicked off twice now, so I won’t be involved in any of the BJ matches, but the Four Directions matches will double it.

  64. 64.

    Memory Pallas

    I was “already in the thermometer” (for $100) but I just added another $100 after this post.

  67. 67.

    Almost Retired

    OK, matchers, I’m in for $200.  My first political donation of calendar year 2022 (along with some cash thrown at Karen Bass for mayor)!

    This mathematical magical matching mechanism is as awesome as it is alliterative.

  73. 73.

    stinger

    In for $25 (before I read to the end of the post and saw that 50 could be matched. I’ll do another tomorrow so it doesn’t trigger a hold on my debit card). Been kicking in $5 whenever the news gets too discouraging, but was saving my big bucks for matches.

    Thanks, BJ Angel!

    Thanks, H.E.Wolf!

    Thanks, WaterGirl!

  74. 74.

    H.E.Wolf

    @RaflW: @H.E.Wolf: Well, we’re getting a fresh layer of white fluff here in much of Minnesota today.
    And I’ll be joining this dollarpalooza shortly!

     Awwww, sweet! I’m in a swirling white cloud today, too, but it’s because I dumped flour into the bread bowl with a little too much verve.

    Logging back out so that I can start kneading. If I’m lucky, this batch will rise like the Four Directions MI thermometer!

  77. 77.

    JeanneT

    Michigan resident here!  I just donated another $50 (donated some in December).  Thanks to the angels and all the folk donating to help in Michigan.

  79. 79.

    BlueGuitarist

    @WaterGirl:

    Just started looking at the maps in Daves Redistricting looking for opportunities for synergy up and down the ballot.

    Here’s a kos diary written before African-American state legislators sued:

    https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/12/30/2071898/-De-gerrymandering-Michigan-New-maps-make-key-swing-state-competitive-again-for-Democrats

    Also, there are 2 State Supreme Court seats up this year, 1 D, 1 R. Court flipped to D 4 – 3 R in 2020. Officially nonpartisan.

    And other elections, statewide and local that need more attention.

  80. 80.

    WaterGirl

    Oh my gosh, we blew through angel match #1 so fast that I hadn’t even gotten the “comment” amounts entered into the spreadsheet!

    So you guys not only met angel match #1, but we are going to complete angel match #2 as soon as I donate this $35.

    So angel matches #1 and #2 are now complete!

    Now starting angel match #3, which is for $2,500!

    BJ Angel #3 mostly lurks but sometimes comments, let’s call him friend of the blog Andrew.

    Thank you, Andrew!

    I am waiting to hear whether I can put a name to angel match #3 or if they prefer to be anonymous.

  84. 84.

    H.E.Wolf

    Bread is in the bowl for its first rising, and I’m going to wax poetical (and a bit clichéd) for a moment.

    Making bread from scratch is kind of like the process of GOTV – from fundraising to canvassing to persuasion to access to the polls to vote protection.

    It takes time. It takes ingredients. It takes knowledge transmitted by others, either first-hand or via recipes. It takes effort (kneading bread is great for the arm and abdominal muscles). It takes patience.

    In its early stages – tipping a glob of… something… onto the kneading surface – a bread project looks unwieldy, unpromising, and (especially if someone hasn’t done it before) unlikely to work. It takes a certain doggedness to believe that it’ll work this time too, particularly on days when the dough is rising slower than ever before in living memory.

    You can make bread successfully without faith, without hope, without joy, without love, with only the necessity for edible food and the ingredients to provide it.  The yeast will still raise the dough, and the bread will still nourish the people who eat it.

    But those intangible ingredients don’t hurt. And sometimes they lift the baker’s heart, along with the bread dough.

    I think the finished bread tastes better that way too. :-)

  85. 85.

    Pharniel

    @caroln: ​
    It’ll be interesting with the new map for sure, but I’m still in Dingell’s district.

    I just hope Talib doesn’t get booted because of the Detroit shenanigans.

     

    Also dropped $25 in the kitty.

  86. 86.

    lowtechcyclist

    @WaterGirl:  I was going to wait to put this up tonight, but I am frustrated by recent events and this is something I can do right now to make a difference.

    Yeah, I can totally relate to that.  I must be pretty damn frustrated too, because I was planning on contributing $100, but when I got to the ActBlue page, I clicked that $250 button instead.

  89. 89.

    RaflW

    @H.E.Wolf: I’m gonna bake my favorite spelt-potato burger buns tomorrow. Because of food sensitivities I use 300 gm white spelt + 75 gm whole spelt, but the recipe is a snap. The 5 mis on the dough hook is the only ‘kneading’.
    They’re soooo good!

    (I do enjoy kneading. First time I baked I was like “how do I already know how this feels?” It was because I did a year of ceramics in college. Wedging clay is remarkably similar.)

  90. 90.

    Mo Salad

    A second $50 has been sent in to match angel #3. I’m assuming that my previous one today went against #1or #2.

  93. 93.

    H.E.Wolf

    @stinger:

    @RaflW:

    Bakers (and ceramicists) represent! And stinger, thank you for the compliment.

    RaflW, I have some potato flour in the fridge that I’ve been wondering how to use. You may just have solved that mystery. Thank you! [ETA: flour and flakes aren’t quite the same, but I enjoy tinkering with bread recipes….]

  94. 94.

    WaterGirl

    Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!

    There have been 80 donations and over $6,000 raised.  ($5,000 in the thermometer and one check)

    John always likes me to remind people that no one should ever feel obligated to donate in response to any request, whether it’s for political fundraising or to support the Balloon Juice site.  Everyone is welcome, donations or no donations!

  95. 95.

    Paul W.

    I’m dropping in $100 after reading that both state houses are up as well, which is SO FRIGGIN IMPORTANT!

    In 2018 and 2020 I donated to a wide range of candidates in many states and at significant expense, and in 2020 that strategy proved ineffective so I have focused on Georgia, Arizona and then state parties that have shown they are effective at GOTV. Four Directions obviously fits that description well though they aren’t a state party. Down the line, we should look at who we can get to help in PA because a lot of important races are happening there too.

    I’ll double that at the end of the month so make sure we do some more fundraising around so I don’t forget!

  97. 97.

    WaterGirl

    @Paul W.:

    I’m dropping in $100 after reading that both state houses are up as well, which is SO FRIGGIN IMPORTANT!

    Yes!  It’s so important.

    The same person reminded us that:

    … there are 2 State Supreme Court seats up this year, 1 D, 1 R. Court flipped to D 4 – 3 R in 2020. Officially nonpartisan.

    State Supreme Courts matter more than ever. Everything at the state level matters more than most of us realized even just a couple of years ago.

  101. 101.

    WaterGirl

    There have been $2,550 of matchable donations so far in the comments, which turns into over $7,500 for Michigan.

    In the evening thread I will get back to indicating how much each donation turns into.

  107. 107.

    Reverse tool order

    Put in $50 about 3.5 hours ago. Fourth attempt to have a comment show up & did send site feedback. It matters for the matching, no?

  108. 108.

    WaterGirl

    @Reverse tool order: I was just about to contact you!

    You and one other person were in “banned” for no apparent reason, so I fished both of you out.  At least you were both in good company?

    If you look, you show up at comment #75 now, and your $50 has been counted. :-)

  109. 109.

    Joy in FL

    $14 from me just now.

    I will donate multiple times because it’s fun and more affordable for me : )

  114. 114.

    J R in WV

    Wife and I are just now in for $250. I’ll tell her later.. ;~)And Good luck Michiganders!!​
     

    ETA: I too have had a lot of trouble submitting comments successfully — VERY slow to respond, when it does at all. This one took several minutes to post, glad it did because it counts right now on this thread!!

  115. 115.

    Reverse tool order

    Maybe a more useful thing to say:

    If you watch the news tonight, this story will not be on there.

    A little fault tolerance is beneficial.

  119. 119.

    WaterGirl

    Sneak peek:  As soon as we finish the match that takes us to $15,000, we we will have TWO $1,000 angel matches running concurrently.

    So a $10 donation turns into $90, a $25 donation turns into $225, and a $50 donation turns into $450.

    But we have to get to $15,000 in the thermometer first!

  123. 123.

    MazeDancer

    It is dazzlingly there are so many angels willing to offer matches. Thank you, thank you. Your generosity makes all the difference. Feel good. Feel proud.

  124. 124.

    mvr

    OK, was at work all day so could not give from there without risk to rule violations.
    Now I’m home and just gave $50. Hope there is still a match going.
    Thanks to all who set this up!

  129. 129.

    WaterGirl

    Okay, no comments in over 12 hours, I am closing this tab.  If you make a donation, please be sure to add it to the current fundraising thread.  thank you to everyone!

Comments are closed.