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You are here: Home / Open Threads / You don’t have to be elected in order to help save democracy.

You don’t have to be elected in order to help save democracy.

by WaterGirl|  September 4, 20254:33 pm| 19 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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Four years ago, the Marc Elias group opened their doors.  Imagine where we would be without all their (mostly winning) lawsuits protecting our right to vote.

You don’t have to be elected in order to help save democracy.

Each of us has a role to play.

I guess I would have to say the contribution I am making is my work on the political fundraising.

Speaking of which, I know we’re tired and stunned and angry, but we have to keep doing the work.  Can we give Kimberly Pope Adams another shot at winning this time around?

We raised $12,500 for Kimberly Pope Adams in 2023 – we know that Good Kim wouldn’t have gotten within 77 votes of beating Bad Kim without our $12,500 last time, right?

Every day now we get a lesson in how important state government is.

Early voting in Virginia starts in just 3 weeks, and our two VA House candidates can make best use of our funds if they have them before then.   I would like to get our funds to Kimberly Pope Adams, aka Good Kim, within a week, and get our funds to Virgil Thornton the following week.


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What roles have each of you guys chosen for yourselves in this fight to protect everything we thought the U.S. stood for?

How about naming some other national heroes here, besides Marc Elias?  We are seeing every day that you don’t need to be elected to be a leader in this fight for our nation.

Open thread.

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Previous Post: « GOP Murderers Open Thread: The RFK Jr Hearing
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  • H.E.Wolf
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    19Comments

    1. 1.

      SpaceUnit

      September 4, 2025 at 4:49 pm

      Batman!

      Reply
    2. 2.

      Jackie

      September 4, 2025 at 4:59 pm

      Sorry it’s off topic, WaterGirl, but the other thread is sputtering and I thought this could sorta fit here…

      Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) questioned Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at a hearing:

      CASSIDY: Do you agree with me that President Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed?

      KENNEDY: Absolutely.

      CASSIDY: But you just told Sen. Bennet that the Covid vaccine killed more people than Covid.

      BOOM! (The link above is the video of the exchange)

      Reply
    3. 3.

      Josie

      September 4, 2025 at 5:15 pm

      I have a stack of post cards to write for the Virginia election. In for $50.00 for Good Kim. Thanks, WaterGirl, for keeping us on track.

      Reply
    4. 4.

      Jackie

      September 4, 2025 at 5:19 pm

      I nominate ProPublica! An example:

      ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.

      The Trump administration has vowed to go after anyone who got lower mortgage rates by claiming more than one primary residence on their loan papers.
      President Donald Trump has used it as a justification to target political foes, including a governor on the Federal Reserve Board, a Democratic U.S. Senator, and a state attorney general.

      Real estate experts say claiming primary residences on different mortgages at the same time is often legal and rarely prosecuted.

      But if administration officials continue the campaign, mortgage records show there’s another place they could look: Trump’s own Cabinet.

      Underscoring how common the practice is, ProPublica found that at least three of Trump’s Cabinet members call multiple homes their primary residences on mortgages. We discovered the loans while examining financial disclosure forms, county real estate records and publicly available mortgage data provided by Hunterbrook Media.

      Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer entered into two primary-residence mortgages in quick succession, including for a second home near a country club in Arizona, where she’s known to vacation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has primary-residence mortgages in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, has one primary-residence mortgage in Long Island and another in Washington, D.C., according to loan records.

      more at the link
      propublica.org/article/trump-cabinet-mortgage-fraud

      Reply
    5. 5.

      H.E.Wolf

      September 4, 2025 at 5:23 pm

      Thank you, WaterGirl, for this thread.

      I’m grateful for the many posts on Balloon Juice that keep us apprised of the day’s news items.

      I’m equally grateful for posts that ask me to consider what I am doing.

      In answer to your question: I’m writing 5 GOTV postcards every 2-3 days; and I’m doing a couple of hours of data entry every day for my state Democratic Party’s data team (who are coordinating in substantive ways with Dems in neighboring states).

      I’m getting this done by consuming less news, and talking/writing less. I have the energy to do, or to talk, but not both. :) I’m choosing what makes sense for me.

      Reply
    6. 6.

      H.E.Wolf

      September 4, 2025 at 5:28 pm

      Let’s help Good Kim lead VA Democrats to victory in November!
      kimberlypopeadams.com/about/
      “My daddy was a union worker at a local chemical plant, and my mom was the neighborhood Crossing Guard.”
      [with a great photo of ToddlerGoodKim and DaddyGoodKim]

      Reply
    7. 7.

      mrmoshpotato

      September 4, 2025 at 5:29 pm

      You don’t have to be elected in order to help save democracy.

      So true.  Like Marc Elias, you can be a good sport and help the fat, orange, fascist shitstain get pummeled by Lady Justice in court.

      The man deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

      Reply
    8. 8.

      Nelle

      September 4, 2025 at 6:07 pm

      I feel that I’m on the sputter setting of the dial lately.  But I have 55 households to visit three times in the next two months to get out the vote for city council and school board elections in November.  I also host neighbors at least once a month for what is informally called “porch wine.”  A new to us neighbor started coming – I’d been bringing campaign lit to her 19 y.o. daughter who registered D, but the parents were both R’s.  The other morning, I ran into her on the sidewalk and said something about them being R’s.  She immediately corrected me, saying “were.”  Then repeated it with emphasis.  Small steps.  Still calling the Congress critter and Senators, but whoa, it feels futile.  Will still do it.  Never know when a call tips the balance.  We go to the protests, but the one on Monday was minor.

      Reply
    9. 9.

      mrmoshpotato

      September 4, 2025 at 6:10 pm

      @SpaceUnit: Clank-est!

      Reply
    10. 10.

      planetjanet

      September 4, 2025 at 6:11 pm

      I nominate Jon Soltz who cofounded VoteVets. That is a badly needed organization.

      Reply
    11. 11.

      H.E.Wolf

      September 4, 2025 at 6:31 pm

      @Josie:

      @Nelle:

      @planetjanet: Good idea. And I nominate Nelle and Josie!

      Reply
    12. 12.

      chrisanthemama

      September 4, 2025 at 6:36 pm

      I’ve set up monthly donations to outfits like Democracy Docket, World Central Kitchen, Planned Parenthood, Blanchett House (local shelter/free kitchen), and the Oregon Food Bank.  I stand on freeway overpasses and on sidewalks of major thoroughfares holding my homemade protest signs.  I try to throw some coin in the cup as I see fit and as I’m able.  I struggled through handwriting 200 postcards to swing voters in NC last October (and if you saw my handwriting, you’d know it was a struggle).  I argue with assholes on FB who want to argue with me when I simply thank our two excellent Oregon Senators and Representatives (Merkley, Wyden, Dexter, Salinas, etc.).  Try to do some random acts of kindness and try to keep it anonymous (except for telling you).  It ain’t much, but it’s keeping me this side of insane.

      Reply
    13. 13.

      zhena gogolia

      September 4, 2025 at 6:38 pm

      @chrisanthemama: You’re great!

      Reply
    14. 14.

      WaterGirl

      September 4, 2025 at 6:47 pm

      I appreciate the people who are sharing the things you are doing.  Impressive.

      Reply
    15. 15.

      H.E.Wolf

      September 4, 2025 at 7:53 pm

      @zhena gogolia: ​@chrisanthemama: You’re great!

       Yes! I nominate chrisanthemama, too.
      And zhena gogolia for steadfast good cheer.

      Reply
    16. 16.

      FelonyGovt

      September 4, 2025 at 7:54 pm

      Haven’t done much of anything for a while but I’m signing up to text voters about Prop 50, Gavin Newsom’s revenge gerrymandering proposition.

      Reply
    17. 17.

      chrisanthemama

      September 4, 2025 at 8:18 pm

      @zhena gogolia: Nah, just trying to stay human.  But thanks.

      Reply
    18. 18.

      chrisanthemama

      September 4, 2025 at 8:19 pm

      @H.E.Wolf: That is too kind of you.  I replied to @zhena gogolia that I’m just trying to stay human these days.  The B-J community are real heroes in their fund-raising efforts for worthy electoral (and other) causes.  Thank you

      Reply
    19. 19.

      Debbie(Aussie)

      September 5, 2025 at 3:03 am

      I think you are all heroes! You haven’t run for the exit or given up hope. I wish my friends at BJ an end to this horrific situation as soon as possible.

      Reply

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