(Thread) What We Can Do
A reader of my blog wrote this after reading yesterday's list of real issues and problems to face in the next few months⤵️
Spoiler: The antidote to despair is to volunteer to help with the election.
@TimothyDSnyder offers insight about despair.
A reader of my blog wrote this after reading yesterday's list of real issues and problems to face in the next few months⤵️
Spoiler: The antidote to despair is to volunteer to help with the election.
@TimothyDSnyder offers insight about despair.
@TimothyDSnyder says: “shock is pre-helpless.”
First we're shocked. Then paralyzed with helplessness.
This generally happens when people think: "This is entirely new! Nothing like this has ever happened."
If it’s never before happened, we see no way out.
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First we're shocked. Then paralyzed with helplessness.
This generally happens when people think: "This is entirely new! Nothing like this has ever happened."
If it’s never before happened, we see no way out.
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But we’ve been here before, and we’ve gotten out before.
If you think we have never been here before, imagine being African American in the year 1850. Or a woman. Or both.
Yeah, it's been worse for a lot of people.
Yesterday's threads start here:
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If you think we have never been here before, imagine being African American in the year 1850. Or a woman. Or both.
Yeah, it's been worse for a lot of people.
Yesterday's threads start here:
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To make a lasting change, we all need to own our democracy and take constructive steps to strengthen the institutions that are currently being battered by the human wrecking ball in the White House and the major political party supporting him.
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Volunteering not only helps save democracy—it also saves your sanity.
The weeks I spent in 2018 in a Texas detention center offering legal assistance to assylum seekers through @RAICESTEXAS lifted me out of the exhausting daily news cycle.
I didn't even read the news.
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The weeks I spent in 2018 in a Texas detention center offering legal assistance to assylum seekers through @RAICESTEXAS lifted me out of the exhausting daily news cycle.
I didn't even read the news.
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I ignored the daily outrage without guilt because I knew I was pushing back in tangible ways.
Trump’s game is to keep us spinning with outrage.
If you’re spinning, you can’t plan. If you’re in a what-if rabbit hole you can’t respond to the emergency in front of us.
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Trump’s game is to keep us spinning with outrage.
If you’re spinning, you can’t plan. If you’re in a what-if rabbit hole you can’t respond to the emergency in front of us.
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Let me give you an example of what good community organizing can do.
Outrage and anger won't help when with an election day disaster—but a good organization can send a fleet of drivers to take voters to the polls or take water and refreshments to people stuck in long lines.
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Outrage and anger won't help when with an election day disaster—but a good organization can send a fleet of drivers to take voters to the polls or take water and refreshments to people stuck in long lines.
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So become a community organizer.
Another example: Suppose at the last minute, a Republican-held state suddenly change their voting laws to make something difficult for lower-income communities.
A good organization can mobilize resources to get what they need.
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Another example: Suppose at the last minute, a Republican-held state suddenly change their voting laws to make something difficult for lower-income communities.
A good organization can mobilize resources to get what they need.
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The cure for what ails us is more democracy, or what Obama calls “citizenship”:
I'll Tweet out my list for people who prefer threads.
First things first: Make sure you’re still registered to vote. Lots of people are being purged from lists.
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I'll Tweet out my list for people who prefer threads.
First things first: Make sure you’re still registered to vote. Lots of people are being purged from lists.
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There are lots of resources out there for checking your registration and how to vote in your state. I've started using the Biden campaign's link because I assume they're keeping it up to date.
It's here: iwillvote.com
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It's here: iwillvote.com
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Volunteer to be a poll worker if you can. pollhero.org
Many of the problems we’ve had in recent elections, including the Georgia primary, could have been solved with more poll workers. Each state has a different procedure.
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Many of the problems we’ve had in recent elections, including the Georgia primary, could have been solved with more poll workers. Each state has a different procedure.
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Elections are monitored locally, and most of the work is done by volunteers.
In some states, you can apply for the job of counting votes.
Wanna make sure it's done right? Do it yourself.
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In some states, you can apply for the job of counting votes.
Wanna make sure it's done right? Do it yourself.
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Our democratic institutions are under attack. So what should you do?
Defend them. (Stop bashing them. They don't always work perfectly.)
Become an institutionalist.
I wrote a blog post on how to be an institutionalist, here: terikanefield-blog.com/what-we-can-do…
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Defend them. (Stop bashing them. They don't always work perfectly.)
Become an institutionalist.
I wrote a blog post on how to be an institutionalist, here: terikanefield-blog.com/what-we-can-do…
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In some states, you can become an official volunteer voter registrar. James Williams tells how he did it in his state. He completed his course and keeps his certificate and paperwork with him so he never misses an opportunity to register a new voter.
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Want to really make a difference in politics and government? Don’t just march, run for something.
Do it! Run for Something recruits and supports progressives running for local office with the long-term goal of building a bench for decades to come.
runforsomething.net
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Do it! Run for Something recruits and supports progressives running for local office with the long-term goal of building a bench for decades to come.
runforsomething.net
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If you don't like (or don't trust) how elections are monitored, run for office to be the person making decisions about how they will be monitored.
Do you think someone should do all the work for you?
Nobody owes you a democracy.
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Do you think someone should do all the work for you?
Nobody owes you a democracy.
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If you're a lawyer, volunteer to help monitor the election. Call your local Democratic office.
Oh, yeah, and contribute to Biden and local Democrats. The Senate race is super important. We need to counter the lies, and that takes money.
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Oh, yeah, and contribute to Biden and local Democrats. The Senate race is super important. We need to counter the lies, and that takes money.
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If you are a teacher consider an assignment requiring students to advocate on behalf of an issue of their choice, or allow / encourage them to substitute an assignment with a civic engagement activity of some kind.
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Americans of Conscience has ideas for letters you can write to elected officials.
americansofconscience.com/4-7-2019/
Volunteer in your local Democratic office. If you find the place a bit disorganized, get to work and organize it.
Why not set up a fleet to drive people to the polls?
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americansofconscience.com/4-7-2019/
Volunteer in your local Democratic office. If you find the place a bit disorganized, get to work and organize it.
Why not set up a fleet to drive people to the polls?
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Write postcards to voters. postcardstovoters.org
Subscribe to local newspapers, and national journals that do good investigative reporting.
Put a sign on your lawn.
Get involved. The cure for an ailing democracy is more democracy.
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Subscribe to local newspapers, and national journals that do good investigative reporting.
Put a sign on your lawn.
Get involved. The cure for an ailing democracy is more democracy.
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Georgia Protect the Vote needs poll watchers.
Please pass this along to anyone you know who might be able to help.
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI……
This job is different from poll worker. Poll workers (are also badly needed in most places) work for the county or state.
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Please pass this along to anyone you know who might be able to help.
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI……
This job is different from poll worker. Poll workers (are also badly needed in most places) work for the county or state.
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This is great, thank you.
Part of what Trump wants is an election day disaster to help with his attempts to delegitimize the results.
Thousands are needed. If you're a professor please encourage your students.
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Part of what Trump wants is an election day disaster to help with his attempts to delegitimize the results.
Thousands are needed. If you're a professor please encourage your students.
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"Despair is a luxury" -- I agree.
Also on the list of what to do: Step away from the screen.
Another advantage of volunteering is you can spend time with likeminded activists who don't have time for despair.
Also on the list of what to do: Step away from the screen.
Another advantage of volunteering is you can spend time with likeminded activists who don't have time for despair.
Doing these three tweets as a screenshot so I can include them all h/t @MIL_Chronicles
I aways appreciate perspective from outside my area of expertise.
1 and 2 explain why the doomsaying and attributing super powers to Trump causes people to sink into despair. . . .
I aways appreciate perspective from outside my area of expertise.
1 and 2 explain why the doomsaying and attributing super powers to Trump causes people to sink into despair. . . .
If you think Trump and Putin have this sewn up ("easy peasy, they hack in, flip the votes and it's all over!") why would anyone get involved?
Why would smart people like HRC, Obama, Biden, and Kamala tell us our votes matter, and the election can turn things around?
Why would smart people like HRC, Obama, Biden, and Kamala tell us our votes matter, and the election can turn things around?
Yes. He's dangerous but he's not superman.
This thread is a blog post, here: terikanefield-blog.com/the-antidote-t…
