****Actions 11/7/2019****
ELECTIONS:
State Elections:
We’re still waiting to hear about Congressional maps--more on that below. But in 2020, we need to focus on elections at every level, and winning back at least one chamber of the state legislature is absolutely essential to ensure that we will have maps that aren’t gerrymandered for the next decade, too. There are a couple of ways to get involved in supporting your state senate and house candidates. One starting point would be the North Carolina Democratic Party. Donating and volunteering early could make a huge difference: https://www.ncdp.org/action
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FEDERAL:
Push Tillis to Defend His Support of Trump’s Wall:
We need to keep Tillis on the defensive. He is continuing to latch onto positions that are going to be increasingly difficult to justify. Tillis needs to answer for the fact that he voted to take $80 million away from military projects to build a section of the Border Wall. Now migrants are literally cutting through that wall with chainsaws available from The Home Depot. The wall itself is an inhumane symbol, one that is meant to tell migrants they are not welcome here, but it’s also completely wasteful and has literally taken money that would have been spent right here in our state.
Details:
https://www.politifact.com/north-carolina/statements/2019/nov/06/democratic-senatorial-campaign-committee/did-nc-senator-vote-let-trump-administration-raid-/
Script:
Hi, I am a constituent from _________ to urge Senator Tillis to explain why he supported Trump’s decision to take $80 million away from military projects in our state to pay for a useless section of border wall. The border wall is itself an inhumane statement, but it’s also incredibly wasteful. Migrants have now discovered that Trump’s wall can easily be cut with chainsaws available at hardware stores. Can Senator Tillis explain why he thinks Trump’s border wall is a good idea? Thank you.
Thom Tillis: DC: (202) 224-6342
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Oppose Steven Menashi’s Appointment to the US Court of Appeals:
[Senate Only] Steven Menashi, the Trump administration’s nominee for a lifetime seat on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, is yet another judicial appointee with a long history of espousing and defending bigoted views. In college, Menashi wrote antigay, misogynist, and racist editorials. Menashi later defended former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s racist claim that Western culture was superior to Islamic societies. In 2010, he wrote a 65-page article arguing that racial and ethnic diversity led to less effective government. Before he joined the White House general counsel’s office in 2018, he was acting general counsel at the Department of Education, where he provided legal oversight of the department’s reversal of Obama-era civil rights protections.
Recognizing the controversy surrounding Menashi’s nomination, the Senate Judiciary Committee quietly scheduled his initial confirmation hearing just two days in advance. During his September 11th confirmation hearing, Menashi refused to answer questions about his role in the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies, his stance on the Bill of Rights, and his positions on gun control. Menashi’s history of extreme bigoted positions and his stonewalling during his hearing make him unfit for a lifetime judgeship. Urge your senators to oppose his confirmation. Word on the street is that Menashi is becoming increasingly difficult to defend, and it sounds like many Republicans may be ready to cut their losses and withdraw his nomination. This is one we can win.
Background:
https://www.advocate.com/politics/2019/8/26/trump-judicial-nominee-has-history-antigay-misogynistic-writings
Script:
Hi, my name is __________ and I'm a constituent from __________. I'm calling to urge Senator ___________ to oppose Steven Menashi's nomination to the US Court of Appeals. Menashi has a troubling history of espousing racist, sexist and anti-lgbtq views. His extremist beliefs have no place in our federal judiciary. Thank you.
Federal Contact Numbers:
Thom Tillis: DC: (202) 224-6342
Richard Burr DC: (202) 224-3154
Tim Scott (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-6121
Lindsey Graham (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-5972
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Impeach Trump:
Let’s keep the pressure on about impeachment. Tillis and Burr both need to know that we will not tolerate the kind of corruption that Trump and his GOP cronies have displayed in their efforts to undermine a political opponent. Also, because our Congressional districts will be redrawn in 2020, our current reps may actually have to respond to their constituents’ concerns, so make sure they hear clearly from us that we will not tolerate having a crime boss running our country and trying to extort favors from a foreign country.
Details:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trumps-envoy-tells-congress-the-president-outsourced-ukraine-policy-to-giuliani/2019/10/17/484b30d0-f0ee-11e9-b648-76bcf86eb67e_story.html
Script:
Hello, I am a constituent from ______________ calling to urge Rep./Sen. _____________ to support the impeachment of Donald Trump. It is becoming increasingly clear that his abuses of power qualify as impeachable offenses. We need to restore the rule of law and Trump has consistently violated the law and is quickly destroying whatever credibility our nation has on the global stage. It’s time to take your oversight responsibility seriously and to support impeachment.
Federal Contact Numbers:
Thom Tillis: DC: (202) 224-6342
Richard Burr DC: (202) 224-3154
Tim Scott (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-6121
Lindsey Graham (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-5972
House: https://www.house.gov/representatives/
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STATE:
Redistricting Comment Portal:
The NC GOP is still trying to play games with drawing our new Congressional districts. Every day they delay is one less day that candidates can get out and campaign and connect with voters. But they are also using a number of tricks to try to protect their majority. Among other things, they are using a backdoor means to try to ensure that incumbents’ addresses are taken into consideration so they are not double-bunked. Some of their maps still divide counties and communities in ways that avoid principles of compactness. They are essentially reverse-engineering gerrymandered districts. The NCGA has opened up a comment portal. Let’s leave hundreds of comments telling the NC GOP to respect our rights as voters to choose our representatives rather than having our representatives choose the voters they would like to have.
Comment portal link:
https://ncleg.gov/RequestForComments/32
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Thank Governor Cooper for Vetoing SB 250:
SB 250 would have required the State Board of Elections to identify and remove people from voting rolls who — at some point in the past — have been excused from jury service because they said they were not U.S. citizens. That information, however, is often unreliable and difficult to verify. For example, a person's information may not be updated after they become a naturalized citizen. Similar voter purge programs have resulted in eligible registered voters having their right to vote denied. Worse, because it makes these records publicly available, it could expose people to prosecution by ICE. Thanks in part to your calls, Governor Cooper has vetoed this awful piece of legislation. Let’s send him some thank you emails.
Link:
Email: https://governor.nc.gov/contact/contact-governor-cooper
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