Mercedes Krause, who is running in Nevada Congressional District 2, is going to be joining Bret Healy for our Zoom tonight with Four Directions at 7:30 Eastern. She will share what’s happening on the ground in Nevada, and Bret will fill us in on the other states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
In case you missed the announcement yesterday, this will be the first of three zooms where we get the scoop about various states from the organizations we have been funding.
Tonight at 7:30: Four Directions
Next week on 8/17 or 8/18: Voces de la Frontera
The week after that on 8/24 or 8/25: Voting Access for all
A few people who wanted to attend the zoom tonight can’t make it, so I’m putting out a call for some live blogging volunteers. We had some amazing live bloggers for our Adam Schiff zooms, and I’m hoping some of you will volunteer again. Or that some new folks will step forward.
If you are up for live blogging tonight, please let me know in the comments and also send me an email message so I can send you the zoom.
Last time we had 4 or 5 live bloggers – no one can catch everything, and everyone has a different voice, so this way you get a fuller version of what’s being said.
In case you would like to know a bit about Mercedes ahead of time:
Mercedes Krause is a mother of 3 daughters, and has been an educator and union activist for over 20 years.
She is a proud dual-citizen of the Oglala, Lakota Nation born and raised in Nevada,
Mercedes has continuously stood-up with community members working to make a more just and equitable Nevada. Mercedes is an Emerge Nevada graduate and a graduate of Advance Native Leadership.
Mercedes also currently serves the state in several capacities:
As a commissioner on the Nevada Minority Affairs Commission (Education Committee Co-chair)
Co-founder of Indigenous Educators Empowerment which serves Indigenous educators, educators, and students in Nevada
Chair of the Nevada Native Caucus
An inaugural member of the Superintendent’s Advisory Cabinet for the Nevada Department of Education,
On the board of the Nevada State Education Association, the Nevada Minority Health and Equity Coalition – Native American Steering Committee, the ACLU of Nevada, and the Nevada Democratic Party.
Also, if you would like to attend the zoom tonight and haven’t already sent me email – send me an email and I will sen you the zoom link!
Hope to see a good turnout – I am excited to be hearing from folks on the ground.
Update: No one volunteered to live blog, so no live blogging!
SiubhanDuinne
I am really looking forward to tonight’s Zoom with Four Directions and to the Zooms you’ve scheduled for the next two weeks. Thank you so much for keeping these great initiatives going, WaterGirl! Hope to see a lot of Juicers this evening.
Sure Lurkalot
Date typo for Voting Access for All Zoom (should be 8/24 or 8/25)?
WaterGirl
@Sure Lurkalot: Fixed, thank you!
Nancy
I truly wish I could live blog. I’m recovering from an attack of vertigo and I can’t think straight yet.
Regrets.
SiubhanDuinne
Open thread, so I’ll mention this: Was just checking out Wonkette and saw that they referenced our very own NYT Pitchbot.
I love that DougJ is becoming almost mainstream. If Wonkette can be considered mainstream.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Nancy: Do they know what caused the vertigo? Because when I had my heart attack, the major symptom was extreme vertigo.
Doc Sardonic
Vertigo can be the damndest thing. I had a solid 18 months of it after I had my gall bladder out, apparently one of the anesthesia components and I did not get along. After that 18 months the vertigo vanished into thin air, only to show itself periodically in odd circumstances now, like elevators, escalators or step stools. But never on a ladder.
ETA: Also occasionally on airplanes, but since I don’t fly currently, no problem.
WaterGirl
@Nancy: Vertigo is awful.
Sure Lurkalot
@SiubhanDuinne: The Columbia Journalism Review has this article about the media and the search:
The maddening coverage of the Mar-a-Lago search – Columbia Journalism Review (cjr.org)
Where this was noted about the WaPo and NYT coverage:
SiubhanDuinne
@Sure Lurkalot:
Good for the CJR! I used to read them regularly a decade and more ago, but haven’t paid much attention to them recently. I should remedy that.
Same goes for NPR’s “On the Media,” which was mostly excellent. But my local NPR station dropped it in favour of … some crap program, I don’t remember … so I haven’t listened to it in years.
The Golux
@SiubhanDuinne:
You should be able to download recordings of the shows. Our local NPR affiliate, WNPR, carries that program.
Dorothy A. Winsor
WaterGirl
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Trump is winding these people up like dolls and encouraging them to commit violence.
Appalling that this man was ever elected to be president.
JaySinWA
The sidebar is still calling the meeting tonight Tuesday 8/11 instead of Thursday.
FelonyGovt
I’m still in a hearing and can’t make it tonight, but I am interested in them.
WaterGirl
@JaySinWA: oops! Fixed.
WaterGirl
Unfortunately no live bloggers came forward. i thought the zoom was a success.
AJ of the Mustard Search and Rescue team
@WaterGirl: Really glad it was a success, bummed that I couldn’t make it.
Weirdly I found out yesterday that bunch of college friends were having a mini zoom reunion and I was nose to the grindstone all day so I forgot this was tonight.
H.E.Wolf
Not live-blogged, but I did take some notes on the 1-hour Zoom session.
About 16 jackals attended, plus Mercedes Kraus, a Native American woman who is running for Congress in NV-02, and Bret, the Political Director for Four Directions (abbreviated 4D).
Mercedes’ campaign website: https://mercedes4nevada.com/
Mercedes spoke for the first 20 min. or so, Bret for the rest of the hour (with some Q&A included).
Mercedes excerpts:
– We do things in an intergenerational way – the kids are there with [wide] eyes] – elders are there too.
– Important to connect – to create and sustain relationships in other states with members of the Native community.
– Elections are won by margins of 2-3% and that is the % that is the native community. [27 tribal communities,
64000+ native persons in NV.]
– Environmental issues are so important, and our Native community is known as stewards of the land.
– Abortion (reproductive rights) will be a big issue this year.
– (voter) registration and participation: Elko & Washoe counties are big.
– Elders can ask: what are you [a politician] going to do? It [politics] is about making things better.
Stay tuned for Bret excerpts.
H.E.Wolf
Bret excerpts:
Difficulties:- [in response to a question: Tenar?] League of Women Voters an important asset to 4D as non-partisan voting advocates – filed amicus curiae brief for Navajo Nation voter-repression suit in 2020.
– “Mercedes said, and it rings true: [there’s a] fear of being seen in public as supporting Native and/or progressive candidates.”
– mythology of so-called ‘ballot mules’ – conservatives are “weaponizing that fiction”. WI has restricted [availability of] ballot boxes on a partisan vote.
– conservatives suggesting/inciting citizen stakeouts – it brings a climate of fear/intimidation and there may be a lot of that in 2022.
4D’s responses to difficulties, including:
– MI tribes are engaged: Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes and key native leaders convening in WI – Oct. 2022
– Native [-sponsored?] candidate forum in Atlanta GA in Sept. 2022 – Bret will provide further info to WaterGirl, at SuibhanDuinne’s request.
OJ and Barb (4D founders, husband & wife) en route to AZ – meeting w/ Navajo Nation members in AZ to amplify voter efforts there.
– tactics to push back – asking non-Native hanger-around-ers, what are you doing here on the rez?
– tribal sovereignty card is one that can be played
– [in some states] 4D can help provide assistance at the polls, in the voting booth- every US elected official at nat’l level owes obedience to treaty obligations w/ tribes
– HinTN asked: is the tsunami of candidates straining 4D resources? Bret: 4D does not funnel $ to candidates, because 4D is 501(c)(3) non-profit and therefore barred from so doing.
– WaterGirl asked: what is 4D doing with our $ [raised at/by Balloon Juice]- AZ putting early $ to work- GA: full time state director since last fall – thank you Balloon Juice – incl. vaccination efforts on Lower Muskogee Creek tribal landWI/MI: [sorry, I didn’t note specifics]
General:- staff time and travel to meet w/ tribal leaders- forum/event costs [GA 100K]- digital tech- outreach to candidates- costly but important investments for the final 90-day period before the 2022 midterms- training local activists and tribal leaders how to counteract the voter repression/intimidation efforts against Native voters, incl. reporting to the press when intimidation occurs- Balloon Juice fundraising (with double matches) has meant that 4D is more able to scale up to this larger number of states in 2022 – previously was mostly in AZ and in the Jan. 2021 runoff Senate elections in GA.
Overall: challenging political circumstances throughout the country at this time, HOWEVER: Four Directions, the Native American communities, and Balloon Juice are going to be active in the fight.
Quoted Nancy Pelosi: “Just win, baby!”
H.E.Wolf
Gorrammit, my formatting got messed up. Sorry!
Nancy
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Thanks for checking.
My case appears to be due to inner ear nerve damage that also caused complete hearing loss in one ear. I’ve had tests of my heart and MRIs to rule out tumors, etc.
Your response demonstrates one of the many reasons I treasure being part of this group.
My ability to form sentences seems to have improved. improved.
Nancy
@WaterGirl:
yup