Last week I was interviewed by Dan McCool, the founder of Blue Revolution, as part of their one-year-until-the-election event. (You can watch it here if you want: youtu.be/XL0eGeIyeTw Forgive the bad hair and terrible lighting.)
One of the first questions he asked was: how are you feeling about 2024?
My answer was three-fold.
First, I’m hopeful – because of you and people like you, all over the country, who are clearly getting engaged even one year out from the election.
Second, I’m as nervous as everyone else. Of course over the last few weeks we’ve seen polls in battleground states that should snap everyone awake and to attention. It’s a year out, of course. But that cuts both ways – time is long or short depending upon your perspective. And the time to make progress is right now.
And that dovetails into my third point – one that I emphasized often in the speeches that I made in the direct aftermath of the 2016 election.
Because the morning after that election I was inconsolable. Yes, I was scared about what I thought might be coming. Yes, I was sad about what could have been.
But mostly, I was consumed by one awful feeling: regret.
I knew that I could have done more. So while crying into a cup of coffee in the early hours after the election, I promised myself that I’d do everything in my power to never feel that way again.
I said as much during the interview – and Dan laughed and said, perhaps off-handedly, that it sounds like I’m in the anti-regret business.
And he’s right. I am.
I’ll bet you are, too.
Because I’ll bet that after the 2016 election you were consumed by the same emotions I was. You remember how sharp the pain was – how gnawing the guilt was.
So yes, we have a year.
We have only a year.
Let’s make it count.
Let’s get to work.
Actions for the Week of November 7, 2023
Join the Ohio Watch Party!
I really, really hope you’ll join me, David Pepper, Simon Rosenberg, Jamie Raskin, Jessica Piper and more tonight as we watch the Ohio election results come in. To say that I’m starstruck by our guests is a complete understatement, so join in so that you can help me out if I get tongue-tied. 😉
Here’s the link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kc-qvqDwrHta4vk-BlV4v2x3yENOwKBlt
Invite your friends!
Thursday: Join Trae Crowder to Talk Tennessee
Y’all. Trae Crowder (https://www.traecrowder.com/) – the comedian otherwise known as the liberal redneck – will be joining the launch group from Blue Tennessee to help them raise funds to launch in their state, and I am *so* excited.
Trae grew up in a small town in Tennessee – one of the very places where Republicans have run unopposed in cycle after cycle. So he’s joining the Blue Tennessee launch group and Jessica Piper on Thursday to talk about why that’s so messed up – and what we can do about it.
This event will raise funds to launch Blue Tennessee – which would join Blue Ohio, Blue Missouri, and Blue Texas projects of Every State Blue. Like the other state projects, Blue Tennessee would create a community that crowdsources for Democratic state legislative nominees – and distribute funding first to those that have the least. I’m really, really, really excited to have the potential to launch in TN, where 45% of the state legislative seats went completely UNCONTESTED by Democrats in 2022.
The team has already raised 1/2 of what’s needed to launch, and we’ll hopefully get the rest of the way on Thursday. You can pledge your support here (your card won’t be charged until the goal for launch is reached – so this is just a pledge until we reach what’s needed to launch): https://contribute.itstarts.today/blue_tennessee/contribute
And please sign up to join us on Thursday night here (no cost to attend!): https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcudO6trD0vHNxYlhWI0Ta1KdRElatwqFZy
Hat Tip to Sue Rogan & Rogan’s List For This Urgent Action Item In KY: APPLY FOR EMERGE CANDIDATE TRAINING – LOUISVILLE DEADLINE THIS WEEK.
Emerge Kentucky is looking for 20-25 Democratic Kentucky women from diverse backgrounds, committed to effective leadership and planning to run for office in the next 5 years. Successful applicants will receive a 6 month 70 hour training course to hone their skills and learn how to run a successful campaign. Program members will also meet campaign experts, elected representatives and become part of Emerge’s state and national network. We can find out more about the program here. If we, or someone we know in the Louisville area is interested, it’s time to act NOW, since Louisville applications must be submitted by Nov 10, in time for interviews on the next day. Later applicants will have to go to Lexington for December interviews. Apply here today.
Call Your Senators: End Tuberville’s Holds
As you no doubt recall, Senator Tommy Tuberville has been holding up nearly 400 military promotions because he doesn’t like the current defense policy that allows servicemembers (and their families) in restrictive abortion states to travel to receive healthcare. He’s damaging national security, straight up.
Read this great piece by Fred Wellman for more nuance from a former Army guy who knows what he’s talking about.
In any case, it sounds like there’s a movement afoot to circumvent Tuberville. Last week Republican Senators took to the floor of the Senate to try to convince/browbeat Tuberville – and that didn’t work. Now it sounds as though there’s appetite for a resolution that would change that rules for a specified time – short of changing the rules forever.
So let’s get on the phone – to either GOP or Democratic Senators – and let them know that we are watching and that this blockade of military leadership has to end. Now.
Script: Hi, my name is _____ and I’m a constituent at _____. I’m calling because Senator Tuberville’s blockade on military promotions is hurting our national security – and it’s got to stop. I know there is an effort to support a temporary change in the rules to allow votes on these deserving service members and I urge the Senator to support it.
WHEW! GO TEAM!
P.S.: Why don’t you make someone’s day and send this pep talk to a friend or two? I bet they need it.
If you’d like to sign up to get this pep talk and action list in your in-box each week, you can do that here. Welcome, friend!
P.P.S.: If you want to help support this work you can do so via Patreon at
https://www.patreon.com/smalldeedsdone or via paypal at https://www.paypal.me/smalldeeds
My deepest gratitude in advance.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for writing. I read and respond to every email! We’re in this together. Don’t you forget it.
Small Deeds Done 