via Four Directions, we have a QUEEN SIZE star quilt to raffle off!
The quilt was made by Linda Szabo, who is a member of Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Linda Szabo also owns Soldier Woman Art Gallery.
Everything we raise will go to Four Directions to aid in their Montana efforts – we need Jon Tester to keep his seat!
Tickets are $25 each, and we hope to “sell” at least 200 tickets.
To “buy” a ticket, make your donation in the thermometer and send email to WaterGirl with your donation so you can be e entered into the raffle. WaterGirl at balloon-juice.com
This is just for the raffle – we’ll be starting a fundraising effort for $30,000 for Four Directions as soon as they can line up an external match for us. :-)
Note to all of us from OJ Seamans, who, along with his wife Barb, founder Four Directions. They are co-directors, and their daughter Donna also plays a key role in Four Directions.
Pila maya pelo (Thank you)
Mitakuye Oyasin (We are all related)OJ Semans Sr.
QUILT RAFFLE TICKETS ONLY
THIS THERMOMETER IS FOR DONATIONS – We have an external match for the first $15,000!
We now have an external match for the whole $30,000!!
If Democrats win the White House in November, Peggy Flanagan is poised to become the country’s first female Native American governor. Politico has an article about her.
Q: You mentioned Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids, two other Native American women who have had massive political accomplishments. You also have a background as a political activist. What are the biggest challenges in building Native American political power that you see?
A: There’s a lot of distrust of government systems for incredibly good reasons. That’s something that is absolutely a challenge, but it also provides an incredible opportunity. Native people — and I would say Native women — have been leaders since time immemorial. It is just modern society that is catching up.
Thankfully, we are beginning to see more Native people in elected office. But if we want to reach parity, we have to elect 17,000 Native people at all levels of government. I’m the co-founder of an organization called Advance Native Political Leadership, and it grew out of Wellstone Action and the Native American leadership program that we had there. This is an organization that is training Native people to run for office and to work on campaigns all across the country.
The Native vote makes a huge difference. We are strategically located in swing states all across the country. I think President [Joe] Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris were elected because of the Native community in Arizona. Ignore us at your peril. We are a really important voting block.
Oh, and speaking of Politico, I am giving them the middle finger for this headline, and article, currently on their front page: The 5 warning signs for Harris after the DNC. (These are warning signs???) They need to get some perspective.
Here are five obstacles the Harris campaign will need to address as the race kicks off in earnest.
- Tight polling. (
I’m sure all these new voters and young people are totally covered in the polling.) - Harris still hasn’t sat for an interview. (over-inflated sense of their own importance!)
- The debate debates. (As if it’s her fault because Trump is waffling?
- Where’s the policy? (They want details they can pick at to derail the current upward trajectory.)
- Trump’s support from white men. (Well, if white men support Trump, then she shouldn’t even run, right?)
Open thread.
SiubhanDuinne
In for $25 right now.
Will there be an opportunity to enter more than one? That quilt is gorgeous!!
Chris
President Romney, President McCain, and President Dole join two-termer Presidents George HW Bush and Gerald Ford in confirming: you cannot be President without the white men vote
ETA: along with President Trump, of course, who’s currently finishing his second term in office.
rikyrah
Most people don’t grasp that the GOP’s target in states without Blacks and Latinos, are Native American voters.
The Native vote delivered Arizona for us in 2020.
And, if Tester wins in Montana, it will be in no small part due to the Native vote.
Steve LaBonne
Jesus, Politico. If I were Harris (thankfully for the country, I’m not) I would just cut these mofos off after the inauguration. No press conference appearances at all, and a relentlessly sarcastic press secretary who makes Karine Jean-Pierre look like a softie. Of course Harris is smarter and more emotionally mature than I am so that won’t happen, but she must be tempted.
Manyakitty
LOLGOP was on Bluesky asking for similar organizations to promote. I dropped him a link to their website. Thanks for bringing this fantastic group to our attention.
Baud
Y’all can scoff all you want at these media criticisms, but everyone is ignoring the elephant in the room: Harris is simply too old to be president.
realbtl
In for $100 for my late Comanche wife.
FastEdD
Kicked in 25 smackers. Please don’t enter me in the raffle though. I’m not worthy! Seriously though, I had a volunteer who couldn’t walk for Dems because he has a broken ankle. I steered him to Four Directions.
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: Only one quilt will be raffled, but you can buy as many tickets as you want.
We have had people buy as many as 10 or 20 tickets to a single raffle!
WaterGirl
@rikyrah: Yes!
Four Directions was in Montana for Jon Tester’s first election, and the Native vote most definitely exceeded the margin of victory in that race.
Totally agree about Arizona, as well.
WaterGirl
@Manyakitty: Oh my gosh, can you head back to BlueSky and share this ink?
And mention that while we have met our initial goals for all of these organizations… that every single one could benefit from ore funding!
https://balloon-juice.com/2024-targeted-political-fundraising/
Targeted Fundraising
Manyakitty
@WaterGirl: you bet! I’ll share it now.
WaterGirl
@realbtl: Just to be clear, this for the quilt raffle.
Looks like maybe I should set up the thermometer now for the upcoming $25,000 fundraising for Four Directions Montana – that is not part of the quilt raffle.
I’ll do that and be right back.
WaterGirl
TO BUY A RAFFLE TICKET, please send me an email and let me know how many tickets, and how much you donated.
WaterGirl
@Manyakitty: Thank you! That page has a little blurb identify what each organization does and what populations they serve.
Manyakitty
@WaterGirl: done!
WaterGirl
@Manyakitty: Maybe be sure to mention that our thermometer default to NOT SHARING donor information with the organizations.
*but they can click the box if they want to share their information.
Manyakitty
@WaterGirl: I can go back and add that. Guess it’s too much to expect people to figure it out on their own.
Villago Delenda Est
Tiger Beat on the Potomac is a vile nest of Villager vermin. No quarter for them.
SiubhanDuinne
@WaterGirl:
When the cause is so important and the raffle prize so stunning, I’m not surprised!
Will the raffle be going on for a few more days, or until the $$ goal is reached, or what?
Villago Delenda Est
@realbtl: Condolences. A fine memorial.
Chris
@rikyrah:
On the flip side, if I’m recalling 2020 correctly, part of the reason we lost North Carolina was that a tribe that had been petitioning for federal recognition for decades finally had it granted by the Trump administration, and then turned out for him. Margins were thin enough that that may have made the difference too.
Not saying that we should be any more suspicious of native populations than anyone else, but it illustrates the point: yeah, they’re here, they make a difference, and politicians of any party forget that at their peril.
WaterGirl
@Manyakitty: Well, just thinking that it might be a selling point to donate through our thermometers since they won’t end up on a list unless they want to be. :-)
Manyakitty
@WaterGirl: reasonable 🙂
Baud
@Chris:
Can you imagine if voters rewarded us for doing good things?
Kent
And Alaska. The native vote in Alaska gave us Mary Peltola, was responsible for every Democrat every elected statewide in Alaska. And also kept Lisa Murkowski in power over Tea Party and MAGA challengers who would have replaced her easily without the native vote
If the Dems win back the house with the help of Mary Peltola then it will be the Alaska native vote that is instrumental.
WaterGirl
@Villago Delenda Est: I ALWAYS link when I quote an article, but I deliberately did not because it was Politico. That’s probably wrong. Right?
Steve LaBonne
Voter suppression targeted at BIPOC people only works for Republicans because we white folks (especially men of course) still can’t get our heads out of our asses.. Must be pretty tiresome for the people who have to keep saving us from ourselves.
skyweaver
Hello. I don’t post here often but I just donated to the raffle and I don’t have WaterGirl’s email address. I don’t seem to be able to find it on any site info.
Chris
@Baud:
Lots of voters do, including many natives. The problem is, we need enough to win an election.
Not that I wasn’t a solid partisan before, but the ACA pretty much cemented my lifelong Democrat status: it made it possible, during my twenties in the Great Recession, to stay on my parents’ health insurance for years, and after that was done, to find affordable health insurance during my unemployed and underemployed periods. It’s also why I’ll always have a good word for Obama (and Pelosi, who did all that heavy lifting in Congress). They pissed me off plenty of times just like all politicians do, but it’s probably the starkest and most memorable example in my life of “I was in trouble and this politician helped me.”
They say your twenties are when the politics that define you for the rest of your life solidify. I was always much more politically engaged than the average guy, but even if I wasn’t, I suspect that would’ve left a mark.
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne:
That is a most excellent question! I hadn’t thought about that.
Hmm. Some people get paid at the end of the month, some at the beginning of the month, some get paid every week, some every 2 weeks.
I think maybe the raffle should be on Sunday, Sept 8. If my logic holds, that should cover most of the time periods when the bulk of people get money plopped into some account, regardless of source. :-)
How does that seem to people? If someone’s income source falls outside that period. I will accept an IOU for the raffle donation. I have done that a couple of times, and everyone always comes through.
realbtl
@WaterGirl: Yup for the quilt. I kick in some bucks to Tester and a few others once a month.
WaterGirl
@Chris: Well, Trump hasn’t done anything for anyone lately, in years, in fact.
The states where Four Directions focus tend to turn out ~ 95% Democratic.
Kosh III
@Steve LaBonne: relentlessly sarcastic press secretary
Like our own version of Sarah Huckabee Fraking Sanders?
Jesse
In for $25 for phase 2 (not the quilt).
BCHS Class of 1980
$100 for the raffle.
WaterGirl
@skyweaver: Hello and welcome!
Send email to WaterGirl at balloon-juice.com
If that’s too cryptic, check out CONTACT US in the white menu at the top and it will show you an example.
thank you!
WaterGirl
@BCHS Class of 1980: Please send an email message to me if you haven’t already. Thank you!
Baud
@Chris:
We haven’t gained much percentage wise on Republicans since 2008. So we’re losing as much as we’re gaining. Obviously the structural issues hurt too, but nothing so far has made us significantly more attractive to voters generally
ETA: 🤞that this year will be a brake out year.
skyweaver
@WaterGirl: Thank you!
Belafon
@Chris:
Which is why so many GenXers (not me luckily) are hard core conservatives, they grew up in the 80s recession and see Reagan as a savior.
bluefoot
After being unemployed for quite a few months, I just got a job offer! Which means I can start donating to help win this election and beyond.
Baud
@bluefoot:
Congratulations!
Manyakitty
@bluefoot: woohoo!!!
Redshift
If that’s the best Politico can come up with for “warning signs,” I like our chances!
The political press loves detailed policy documents (even though they can’t usually be bothered to read them, their existence is an important totem.) Kamala Harris has talked quite a bit about the components of major policies. It would be a good idea to have people working on the details so they can be moved forward quickly, but there is no campaign reason to publish them — they’re not going to sway anyone, they can be cherry-picked, and the broad outline is the only thing you actually “get a mandate” for.
WaterGirl
@bluefoot: Super excited for you about the job! Yay!
WaterGirl
@Redshift:
Politico Warning Sign n#6:
Today’s horoscope for Harris said…
eclare
@Belafon:
I’m an older Gen-Xer, and the first president that I really paid attention to was Clinton. He had that sunny optimism (Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow), passed the FMLA, DADT (problematic in retrospect, but at the time a good thing), the economy was great, and except for the Balkans, kept us out of war. I started my first job out of college in 1991, and I’ve been a solid D ever since.
eclare
@bluefoot:
Congratulations!
rikyrah
@bluefoot:
Congratulations!!!
Chris
@bluefoot:
Congrats! Unemployment is a soul crusher. Glad you kicked its ass.
Chris
@eclare:
I sometimes think Bill Clinton actually was the President all of Reagan’s fans claim he was.
bluefoot
Thanks all! It’s been pretty demoralizing. My entire department was eliminated a while back. It’s the same across the entire industry (biotech/pharma). What’s depressing is that it’s mostly the people who actually generate value and make things work – the people in the lab, scientists, etc – that are getting laid off. It’s a cliche, but at big companies they bring in some consulting group which then recommends a huge number of cuts without actually understanding the business or long term strategy, then a bunch of people get laid off and the company flounders for the next year plus.
Assuming nothing goes wrong, I won’t get my first paycheck until October, but I can start donating to our various causes/groups here, which makes me happy. Despite current vibes re Harris/Walz, this election has me freaked the f*ck out.
Scout211
@bluefoot: Congratulations!
Ha Nguyen
Just donated $250 for 10 raffle tickets.
Westyny
In for 25.
band gap
$100 to phase II
GB in the HC
I’m in for $25.
RedDirtGirl
In for $25!
Wolvesvalley
Just put in $100 for Four Directions Phase II (not the raffle).
Kristine
Kicked in $25 for the raffle and sent you an email WG.
That quilt is gorgeous.
Villago Delenda Est
@WaterGirl: It’s just as well that you don’t link to them. They’re not very far removed from The Washington Free Beacon, after all.
Villago Delenda Est
@bluefoot: Congrats, and conslutants exist to cater to the dead weight of any company, the C suite.
Memory Pallas
Donated $250 for 10 tickets. Will also send an email.
ceece
is there a functioning link to Soldier Woman art gallery? I would like to see if I can purchase items directly from the artists.
Search engines only get me outdated facebook profiles, so if someone has a better link I would be very appreciative.
WaterGirl
@ceece: That’s there same problem I had when I searched earlier. I did find one URL for a website but it wasn’t live.
Another Scott
@ceece:
I found this page:
The first picture shows about 30 quilts.
Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Scott.
PatrickG
I’m a sucker for a quilt raffle. :) in for 25!
KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))
I’m in for $100 on that beautiful quilt
p.s. I haven’t received my postcards for MI VAAC yet. Hoping they arrive by this weekend.
WaterGirl
@KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager)): Thanks for letting me know about the postcard boxes. I just texted my postcard contact at VAAC to ask about them.
RaflW
Just added $50 to the non-quilt thermo. Not sure if there’s any magic for matching but there it is. I don’t want to donate directly to Jon Tester, but I’d like for the Dems to have a shot at 50 Senate seats in the caucus. Hoping Four Directions has the juice to help make it happen
(eta: The quilt is beautiful! We’re just not a quilt household, and I’ll be happy when it goes to a home where it will be cherished.)
Madeleine
Just donated $50 for two tickets. Spectacular quilt!
Edit: fixed typo.
Hirudo
I kicked in $150 to Four Directions Phase II and $100 for lottery tix.
WaterGirl
Yay for everything! :-)
If you “bought” raffle tickets, please send me email to let me know. Then I’ll add you to the official raffle spreadsheet.
StringOnAStick
In for $25.
WaterGirl
@StringOnAStick: Guessing that’s a donation, and not a raffle ticket
Please correct me if I’m wrong.
rekoob
@WaterGirl: Added $25 to the Four Directions Phase II. I’ll declare an interest — Biden has nominated a former neighbor and still good friend to the US District Court for the District of Montana. Daines has failed to return her blue slip, and she hasn’t been scheduled for a hearing. If confirmed, she would be the first Native American US District Judge for Montana. A Tester win and a Harris win makes all of that more likely. Plus, she’s one of the nicest people I’ve met, someone who will apply justice with mercy and, dare I say, joy.
S Cerevisiae
In for a raffle ticket and passed on this link to some friends, Miigwech for all you are doing here !
exbarrowboy
In for $25 for the raffle, plus $75 to phase II
WaterGirl
@exbarrowboy: Thank you!
Please send me an email to let me know about the raffle ticket. I use the email messages to track the tickets. thanks
Mercy
In for $50 on the quilt. Email to follow. Thank you for reposting!
WaterGirl
@KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager)):
I just heard back. They were mailed later than expected, but they should arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope that doesn’t goof up anybody’s plans!
Hungry Joe
In for two and a half sawbucks (all right — $25).
Problem: How are we going to keep Phoebe the Cat off the quilt?
WaterGirl
@Hungry Joe: Not possible!
WaterGirl
PSA: It’s a holiday weekend, so all donatios into the Four Directions MT Phase II thermometer until it reads $22,500 will be 4x donations – no need to let us know about your donations.
When we get to $22,500, a gaggle of Angels will pop i the matching $7,500.
PSA #2: To get to the thermometer for quilt raffle tickets, click on the image of the quilt in the sidebar.