Yesterday, in the quiet dark of the early morning hours, I sat down at my little yellow kitchen bistro table, poured my coffee, and opened my computer.
I spend the first few minutes of every day in that very spot, reading up on the day before.
Historian Heather Cox Richardson tells me how today relates to yesterday and how to make tomorrow better. Former US Attorney Joyce Vance sings to my former litigator’s heart, with updates on docket entries and appellate filings and complex legal theories. And of course you know that I religiously follow fellow activists and action list creators Jessica Craven and Sue Rogan (I’ve know Sue since the early days, just after the 2016 election – her persistence is a virtue).
I round out my morning reading former lawyer Robert Hubbell’s Today’s Edition substack; Robert breaks down what happens day-to-day, too, and often offers his own legal analysis. His is a refreshing read, often punctuated with action items and reader comments.
Much to my surprise, when I opened his email yesterday morning, I saw my own words.
Right now, he is traveling the country, meeting with grassroots folks in their own towns – on the front lines. This week he was in St. Louis, Missouri.
It was at a St. Louis reader event that a grassroots member of Blue Missouri, a project I co-founded back in 2017 under the name It Starts Today-Missouri, told Robert about our work funding downballot candidates running in the toughest parts of the state.
That interaction led Robert to our website, which led him to quote myself back to me.
Think of us as crowdfunders – for Missouri’s Democratic nominees for state legislature.
We make it easy for you to join thousands of other people and crowdsource democracy – supporting our nominees for a few dollars a month (which, these days, is less than you might spend on a fancy cup of coffee). And, as a monthly program, you just set it and forget it, knowing that you’re doing your part – no matter what else you have going on.
After the primary, Blue Missouri distributes 100% of the community funds directly to the Democratic state legislative nominees who desperately need your help. And you rest easy, knowing that you are part of the solution. Job done.
(You can read more about Blue Missouri at our website here.)
I spent the rest of my morning coffee hour watching my email fill up as dozens of new members – from every corner of the state, and across the country – joined our grassroots project.
And that’s … poetic.
Because it wasn’t a press release, or a consultant, or advertising that led to those people to join.
It was because of the actions of one person. It was one grassroots member of a grassroots group that fundraises for the races that everyone says are unwinnable. All of our Blue State projects fund state legislative races from the bottom up – meaning that we fund those who have the least, first.
We’re an underdog organization funding underdog candidates – and punching way above our weight in doing so.
Since 2017, we’ve raised and distributed over $350k – landing our grassroots community of monthly donors solidly in the top two largest donors to Democratic candidates for MO state legislature.
Let me repeat that.
A grassroots community that gives funding to state legislative nominees running in the reddest, roughest, most gerrymandered districts in Missouri is one of the largest donors in Missouri politics.
We don’t have a budget. (We’re funded by optional tips by community members.) We don’t have a staff. We do have a long-term plan, huge hearts, and an incredible community.
And that makes us a small but mighty force, friend.
When our Blue Missouri member stood up and told Robert about our project, little did she know that because of her, and because of him, we’d have dozens of new members – and thousands more to distribute to Democratic nominees this year.
But it’s even bigger than that.
Because someone will get a postcard in the mail, or get a knock at the door, or see a yard sign down a dirt road, because one person stood up at an event and told Robert Hubbell about this community they’re part of – Blue Missouri.
One person can do a lot.
Friend, you’re one person.
So let’s get to work.
Actions for the Week of February 27, 2024
Inspired? Learn More about every State blue
Blue Missouri is a project of Every State Blue (https://everystateblue.org/); besides Missouri we have state projects in Ohio, Texas, and – soon! – Tennessee. Our federal project, Forgotten Democrats, is chaired by former Lincoln Project executive director Fred Wellman. With all of our projects, we fund from the bottom up – making sure that nobody who’s fighting for democracy is going into that fight solo.
When I say that we’re underdogs funding underdogs, I mean it! So if you are inspired and want to help, pitch in with a one-time donation to help us keep the lights on. You can do so here.
You’re Invited! Come to Our Blue Missouri Meeting Tonight!
Tonight, Blue Missouri Executive Director and Dirt Road Democrat Jessica Piper and I will be hosting our Blue Missouri monthly meeting, with special guest and Vice Chair of the MO Democratic Party, Yvonne Reeves-Chong. It’s filing day in Missouri, so it’s going to be a great conversation with Yvonne about recruitment for state legislative races.
We’ll also break down what our impact has been in the past, and where we are for this cycle. Join us! I’d love to see you.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEscuqprz4jG90TUt4n6ONaUKIIU_DCqfgT
Send Thank You Postcards to Biden
I love this action, and a huge thank you to Markers for Democracy for sharing it.
At this moment when the media is fixated on Biden’s age and seems obsessed with printing lackluster stories about the many accomplishments of the Biden administration, let’s send postcards to President Biden thanking him for doing a good job. As Susan Wagner, who devised the campaign, puts it: “The postcard community is turning our Sharpies to a very special campaign: Show your support and appreciation of President Biden.” And, as Postcards4VA wrote: “This is your opportunity to put into words how you feel about this administration’s many accomplishments. It’s also an opportunity to show the Biden White House just how special it is to receive one of our handwritten cards. … Please post photos of your cards and help us to spread the word! Be sure sure to use the hashtag #PostcardsToBiden if you post on social media.“
Send postcards to: President Joe Biden, White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC, 20500.
Do Not Let Up On Ukraine: Call Your Congresscritters
This last week marked the two year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Let’s let that fact galvanize us into action.
I also read Michael McFaul’s substack, and he had an excellent idea that he shared today. (You can read his whole piece here: https://michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/a-win-win-win-for-speaker-johnson?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2)
McFaul states: “I have the impression that Speaker Johnson feels like he needs some cover to allow a vote on this legislation, to avoid the wrath of Trump and his most militant supporters and, ultimately, former Speaker McCarthy’s fate.”
His recommendation?
To “amend the aid bill passed by the Senate with another piece of legislation – H.R.4175: the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act – already voted out of committee in both the House and Senate. This bill authorizes the President to confiscate Russian sovereign assets, currently frozen in the U.S. banks, and then transfer them to a newly created Ukraine Support Fund ‘to compensate Ukraine for damages caused by the Russian invasion.'”
McFaul explains: “Most of these frozen Russian assets are held in Europe. But if the United States moved to transfer these assets first, Europeans would follow. While the total amount has never been fully disclosed, it is estimated to be around $360 billion. That’s real money that could help finance the war effort immediately and fund reconstruction in the long term.”
As it happens, the Biden administration is not 100% on board with this idea – making it especially enticing to Speaker Johnson, who can come out victorious in forcing Biden’s hand.
Of course, all of this is made easer if we all pick up the phones and call our Congresscritters and demand aid for Ukraine.
It sure sounds like Johnson needs cover – he needs to be able to point to overwhelming public outcry.
That can be arranged… can’t it?
Get our your phone!
Script: Hi, my name is [name] and I’m a constituent at [zip]. I’m calling today to ask the Congress(wo)man to support getting funding for Ukraine before the full House for a vote. That the speaker has not brought that legislation to the floor is a gift to Putin. Not funding Ukraine is a gift to Putin. Let’s show the world that America stands with its allies, not a murderous dictator. What is the Congress(wo)man doing right now to get funding to the floor?
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 