Posts



90 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***

C-19 DEFEATING TRUMP WITH 158,000 AMERICANS DEAD


America is losing the C-19 war thanks to the leadership void in DC. Outbreaks are out of control in 36 states, in both urban and rural areas. The virus is killing a thousand Americans daily. Donald Trump is slowly discovering that he can’t bully or sue the virus, nor can he create his usual alternate reality where the virus does not exist. C-19 is defeating Trump.

Seeing how widely C-19 is spreading, experts are now pushing for a second lockdown. And it’s not only public health experts. A Federal Reserve official last week called for a nationwide lockdown of a month or longer to prevent extreme, long–term damage to the economy.  

Delusional Donald Trump said recently that the pandemic is “under control. Worse, he is demanding that schools reopen. Sending students and teachers back to school too soon — as Trump did when he pushed to “liberate” state economies — will enable the virus to explode into a second wave. 

America is suffering while other developed countries are returning to normal. It is unequivocal evidence that Trump’s approach, to pass the response to 50 governors, has not just failed, but made matters much worse. Without national leadership, controlling the outbreak will require massive efforts by individuals. Masks for everyone. In fact, 82% of Americans support a national mask law. 

 

We Need a National Response Driven by Science!

Ignore the Donald!

Follow the Scientists! 


**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]. 

Oregon is heading toward another shutdown. Without a coordinated federal response based on science, individuals must now take the lead. We need a national mask mandate, which 82% of Americans support. We also need a fully funded HEROES C-19 recovery act with money for $600/week unemployment and funding for the post office, vote by mail, and state and local governments.  And no liability protections for businesses. Please tell the Senator that I do not want him to accept a bad C-19 deal. 

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]. 

Oregon is heading toward another shutdown. Without a coordinated federal response based on science, individuals must now take the lead. We need a national mask mandate, which 82% of Americans support. We also need a fully funded HEROES C-19 recovery act with money for $600/week unemployment and funding for the post office, vote by mail, and state and local governments.  And no liability protections for businesses. Tell Greg Walden that I do not want him to accept the bad C-19 deal crafted by Mitch McConnell. 

To remain silent on 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**

August 5, 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.

ORD2 Indivisible Virtual General Meeting
August 10, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.


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/


SOURCES:

The Hill, Aug. 4, 2020: 2 in 3 say US is handling pandemic worse than other countries: NPR poll | TheHill  

The Hill, Aug. 3, 2020: Poll: 82 percent of voters support a national face mask mandate | TheHill 

YouTube, Aug. 3, 2020: AXIOS on HBO: President Trump Exclusive Interview (Full Episode) | HBO – YouTube 

The Hill, Aug. 3, 2020: Top Federal Reserve official says US needs another lockdown to save economy | TheHill 

Politico, Aug. 3, 2020:  Trump blasts Birx after she warns coronavirus pandemic is ‘extraordinarily widespread’ – POLITICO 

NY Times, Aug. 2, 2020:  Birx Warns That U.S. Epidemic Is in a ‘New Phase’ – The New York Times 

Washington Post, Aug. 1, 2020:  Some experts calling for total shutdown, as coronavirus threat rises across U.S. – The Washington Post 

 NY Times, Aug. 1, 2020: After Plummeting, the Virus Soars Back in the Midwest – The New York Times 

 Twitter, Aug. 1, 2020:  (2) Laurie Garrett on Twitter: “America is in SO MUCH trouble. Only 8 States are trending now in a direction to #COVID19 control. 42 States are heading the wrong way — 36 of them have out-of-control epidemics. As a Nation, we’re losing our fight w/ #SARSCoV2 — & it’s our own doing. https://t.co/48lRtWAzD4” / Twitter 

Kaiser Health News, July 31, 2020: Message From Birx To States, Local Officials: A Mask Mandate Would Help | Kaiser Health News 

 Washington Post, Aug. 3, 2020:  Adam Zaborowski fired at police with AK-47 after arguing over mask rules, police said – The Washington Post 

 NY Times, July 27, 2020:  Opinion | The Cult of Selfishness Is Killing America – The New York Times