99 Days

Until the November 3rd Election

Our Recommendations for November

What Voting Blue means to us: We Steering Committee members are pragmatic progressives with no “purity or litmus tests” for our key issues. Rather, we will support the candidate that comes closest to our positions, which means that moderate Joe Biden is much preferred to fascist Donald Trump. And, electability matters; one can’t govern from the sidelines. Sometimes that means backing someone who looks less blue than their opponent, someone who is in a better position to be elected and actually help us. Finally, some candidates might want us to maintain our distance for political reasons specific to their constituencies. We respect that, so people we would otherwise recommend may be missing from this list.

President: Joe Biden

U.S. Senate: Jeff Merkley

U.S. Congress CD2: Alex Spenser

Secretary of State: Shemia Fagan

State Treasurer: Tobias Read

State Attorney General: Ellen Rosenblum

State House District 4: Mary Middleton

State House District 5: Pam Marsh

State House District 6: Alberto Enriquez

Jackson County Commissioner: Terrie Martin

Today’s Call To Action

CRAFT A PANDEMIC BILL

FOR

WE THE PEOPLE

After dithering for weeks, the Senate GOP may finally unveil another pandemic relief bill this week. The first relief bill added $2 trillion to the national debt with 83% of the funds going to the top 1%.

The House’s $3 trillion HEROES Act—passed by the House in May—is designed to help the other 99%, especially those whose basic needs are threatened. Among other features, it extends the $600 a week bump in unemployment assistance, helps state and local governments in their budget shortfalls, helps small businesses, and provides funds to make November voting safer.

The Senate’s response, a $1 trillion CARES2 Act, is expected sometime this week, perhaps as early as today. Disagreement among Senate Republicans could remove benefits enjoyed by 20 million people—including an eviction moratorium—that would be catastrophic for the economy. The GOP bill is rumored to differ from HEROES in these areas:

The addition of $105 billion for education designed to coerce teachers back to the classroom.
Liability protections that would shield employers from lawsuits if they fail to protect their employees.
Scaled back $600 unemployment boost.
No additional funding for state and local government.
No funds for safe elections.

Demand FULL Relief NOW!

Protect Key HEROES ACT Features!

ACTION ONE: CALL OUR U.S. SENATORS

SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR SENATORS MERKLEY and WYDEN:

“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Please thank the Senator for pushing for coronavirus relief funding. Trump has prolonged the pandemic crisis by pushing states to open while the threat was still high. Nearly all of the last relief bill went to the top 1%. The rest of us now need help too. Please fight for:

A continuation of the $600 boost to unemployment checks,
Money for state and local governments,
Funds to make voting safer and more reliable.
And oppose McConnell’s liability shield, which is just a vaccine for businesses who don’t protect their workers.

And please continue to demand that Trump’s armies brutalizing Black Lives Matter protesters withdraw from American cities.

Thank you.”

SENATOR JEFF MERKLEY

Portland: (503) 326-3386, DC: (202) 224-3753
Salem: (503) 362-8102, Eugene: (541) 465-6750
Medford: (541) 608-9102, Bend: (541) 318-1298
Pendleton: (541) 278-1129
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/

SENATOR RON WYDEN

Portland: (503) 326-7525, DC: (202) 224-5244
Salem: (503) 589-4555, Eugene: (541) 431-0229
Medford: (541) 858-5122, Bend: (541) 330-9142
La Grande: (541) 960-7691
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/

ACTION TWO: CALL COMPLICIT GREG WALDEN

SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WALDEN:

“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [town/city], Oregon [zip code].

This pandemic has been prolonged and Americans need help trying to survive the crisis. The HEROES Act could provide that much-needed relief. Tell Greg Walden that I want him to support the HEROES Act, including additional funds for unemployment, for state and local government and money to make voting more safe and secure.

To remain silent on all of this is a moral outrage. If that’s Greg’s decision, I call on him to resign his office effective immediately.

Where’s Walden? History is watching; Greg’s legacy is at stake.

Thank you.”

COMPLICIT GREG WALDEN

DC (202) 225-6730, Medford: (541) 776-4646
Bend (541) 389-4408, La Grande (541) 624-2400
https://walden.house.gov/contact-greg/email-me

ACTION THREE: CALL GOVERNOR KATE BROWN

Governor Kate Brown Phone: 503-378-4582 Trump’s militarized DHS forces who have invaded Portland are acting without restraint or accountability. They are suppressing free speech and terrorizing peaceful protesters. I want to thank the governor for calling for them to leave and speaking out against Trump’s abuse of power. But I am asking for more. Every night that the DHS continues to march on Portland streets, more people are endangered. I am asking for real action to get DHS forces out of Portland now. And action necessary, up to and including use of the Oregon National Guard, to protect all Oregonians on the streets of Portland.

ACTION FOUR: BE AN ACTIVIST

July 27, 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Ongoing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday
#MyORHealth Support is available for Oregon’s “helpers”

Lines for Life has created a Virtual Wellness Room to offer support to helpers, mental health professionals, first responders, social workers and anyone considered an essential worker during the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon. Each check-in call will have a facilitator to guide the conversation.

“We at Lines for Life want to thank you for all the work you do to keep our communities safe,” the organization said. “We are offering a place for helpers to exchange stories of hope and areas of need. We especially want to hear what things are coming up for you personally and explore how we can cheer one another on to continue the good work you are already doing. We ultimately want to create space to breathe out stress and breathe in hope.”

The meetings are held using Zoom conference calls from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at this link: https://zoom.us/j/4848426773. Please share this invite with anyone in your network of Oregon helpers.

Letters to Voters Garden and Zoom Parties – Medford (And Your Homes)
July 28 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Ongoing, every Tuesday
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/letters-to-voters-garden-and-zoom-parties-medford-and-your-homes/

Ongoing Action: ORD2 Indivisible Virtual Postcard and Letter Writing Parties

Postcards to Voters:

Our postcard team is temporarily suspending the delivery of postcards to your door. However, the good news is that you will find everything you need to continue writing from home (including templates to print your own or purchase pre-printed cards) here: https://postcardstovoters.org

You can sign up through https://postcardstovoters.org/volunteer/

To avoid unnecessary trips to the post office, order stamps directly from the USPS:
https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/coral-reefs-postcard-stamp-S_745104

…and voila, you’re ready to go! Send an e-mail to with any questions.

Letters to Voters

We encourage our team of volunteers to sign up with Swing Left to start writing letters to voters in 12 swing states. It is super easy to join. Check out their website, sign up, and let’s start writing! https://swingleft.org/

Send an e-mail to if you would like more information about how to get involved.

Correction:

In yesterday’s newsletter, the contact information for Dasja Dolan, who is one of the leaders of ORD2 Indivisible’s letter-writing campaign for Vote Forward, was incorrect. Her email address should be . We regret the error.

Virtual Letter-writing Parties

We encourage you to join virtual letter-writing parties hosted by Oregon Indivisible / Swing Left. The parties are held at noon every Saturday and on the last Tuesday of every month. Here are the links for the next two parties:

https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/267146/

**Visit the ORD2 Indivisible Event Calendar on a regular basis to keep updated on local activities. Participate with us as often as you can. We also encourage you to submit events to be added to the ORD2 Indivisible Event Calendar and help us keep current with our event postings. https://ord2indivisible.org/submit-your-event/