CALL TO ACTION #984: Trump Kindles C-19 Outbreak in Schools (August 12, 2020)
83 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 Senate District 2: Jerry Allen
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***
TRUMP KINDLES C-19 OUTBREAK IN SCHOOLS
In his mad scramble to revive the economy he killed, Trump is strong-arming schools to reopen so parents can return to work, without regard for student and staff safety. It’s deja vu all over again; just like his push to “liberate” state economies, the premature opening of schools will likely result in more illness and death.
It’s Trump, so he’s lying about the risk. “If you look at children, children are almost — and I would almost say definitely — but almost immune from this disease.” This particular lie forced a Twitter ban because it violated “Twitter rules on COVID-19 misinformation . . .”
Israel learned the hard way that getting children and staff back to school too soon was a bad idea. They reopened schools without restrictions and ten days later, a large outbreak occurred in a high school sparking a significant wave of infections in the general population. The government was forced to shut down parts of its economy again. Our scientists learn from other countries’ mistakes, but not the Trump denial cult.
New York, for instance, is following expert guidance to reopen its schools; new infections in the community must be below 5%averaged over a two-week period. Governor Kate Brown has a similar protocol in place for opening Oregon’s schools.
Listen to the Scientists!
Ignore Self-Serving Trump!
**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].
Trump’s push to open schools is already leading to C-19 outbreaks. Please ask the Senator to say publicly that premature reopening of schools will likely go as badly as Trump’s “liberation” of state economies – which unnecessarily spread the virus. School districts should reopen only when community spread is below 5%, and use of masks should be strongly encouraged for everyone on school property.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to hobble the Post Office to suppress the vote. He’ll do anything to “win” the election. We need hearings about this outrageous abuse of power.
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/
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].
Republicans, like Greg Walden, who care more about power than our country have enabled Trump’s war on democracy. I call Greg to reverse course and fight to preserve the sanctity of the vote. At the very least, he should fight Trump’s hobbling of the Post Office. It’s simply massive voter suppression. Greg swore an oath to the Constitution, not Trump.
Where’s Walden? History is watching; Greg’s legacy is at stake.
Thank you.”
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: BE AN ACTIVIST**
August 10, 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 Zoom & Garden Parties
Today: August 11 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/letters-to-voters-zoom-garden-parties/
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.
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/