Time To Get Our Hands Dirty
WHAT DO WE DO WITH ALL THIS ENERGY!?!
Dear Fellow Democrat,
Last week's primary election results were stunning. Democratic turnout was 242% higher than in the last midterms (2022) statewide for a total of about 1.5 Million voters! There's a lot of discussion about what drove those numbers, how many first timers, Independents, and Republicans joined us, and how the turnout affected the various outcomes. I'll leave that to the pundits and statisticians to pontificate on over the next few weeks. The thing that I see, in keeping with what I've been saying for months, is that this energy has to be harnessed, focused and managed in a way that takes us straight to a BIG November win! We have momentum and we have a very long runway, but the way things are going (voter suppression, war, distractions, etc) we will need to be extremely disciplined and focused to get everything right enough to end at a new beginning - flipping Texas from the Governor to the Senate and House, and Congress from Senate to the House. Folks ~ We've Got Work To Do.
Democracy is not going to save itself. It is going to require us to get engaged in all the ways we can. This morning I read a poem by Mary Oliver called Rice that I've read before, but it hit me different this time. You can read it here, but the part that struck me is this:
I don’t want you to just sit at the table.
I don’t want you just to eat, and be content.
I want you to walk into the fields
Where the water is shining, and the rice has risen.
I want you to stand there, far from the white tablecloth.
I want you to fill your hands with mud, like a blessing.
The difference between just eating rice and actually farming and harvesting it is immense. Rice is a labor intensive crop. The appreciation for what you are enjoying at the table is all the greater for the work that it took to get it there. Same with democracy. The difference between just living in a country where democracy has been the norm for 250 years and actually working for it is where we find ourselves. It's time to get our hands in the mud.
This weekend we will start block walking. We just finished the primary election (But wait! There's More! Primary Runoffs are at the end of May!) and we are off to the (municipal!) races!! We have an excellent candidate we are very excited about for RISD Board of Trustees District 3 - Nazlee Burney. Please check out her website! We'll be meeting this Saturday morning and there will be all the support you need to get out and knock on doors. This is a great way to start if you haven't done this before. The area is predominantly Democrat, the subject is non-partisan (great public ed!) and the weather will be lovely! This is a short race - the election is in less than 8 weeks! We'll see the fruits of our labor and be ready to get on to the next race!
JOIN US!
On Sunday, March 15th, all women are invited to join our Kindred Table meeting. We'll meet from 2-4 pm and Nancy Watson will lead us in a Yoga For Grief practice. Grief comes in all shapes and sizes and often goes unacknowledged. This practice will help move it through the body. No previous yoga experience is needed and you can either practice in a chair or on a yoga mat. Please register for details.
Our next Happy Hour will be March 19 (next Thursday) and it will be GREAT! Texas Democratic Party Chair, Kendall Scudder will be there to rally the troops! State Senator and Democratic nominee for State Comptroller Sarah Eckhardt will join us to talk about this important race against the odious extremist Don Huffines (yes, he who also owns the former Epstein ranch in NM!). We have to come out strong for Sarah!! And we're excited to introduce to you to Nazlee Burney (see above)!! We'll be back at Northside Drafthouse & Eatery. Register for details and JOIN US!!
As usual, we continue to show up weekly, ROARing on the bridge and with our signs! We are now SEVEN months into our weekly protests, and they continue to be a fun and effective way to inspire others and to lift our spirits in community. You can join the ROAR Bridge Brigade on Thursday evenings from 3:30 - 5:30 and Saturday mornings from 9-10 on the Collins Blvd Bridge over I-75 (park at Cafe Max on the east side and walk up!). They are always happy to have more hands to hold the banners and flags and wave at the honking cars on Central! We also meet every Saturday morning from 10-11 on the southeast corner of Campbell & 75 to let our community know that there is a resistance in Richardson! Join Us!
On March 27, Representative Mihaela Plesa will have a Town Hall focusing on the high cost of insurance!
Everyone is impacted by this issue and she wants to hear from you. There will be a panel of experts who will give a presentation and then will open the floor to conversation with the community. You can find out all the details and sign up to attend here.
AND PLEASE PLAN TO JOIN US FOR THE *NO KINGS* PROTEST ON MAY 28TH! We will meet to go as a group at 10:30 Saturday morning. The train leaves at 10:58, and we'll arrive at the Ackard station downtown at 11:30. It's a 15 minute walk to City Hall and the event starts at noon. RAD is not involved in the planning of the protest, we're just putting together a group so everyone feels like they aren't alone! Please register to join us and thousands in Dallas, and millions across the country to tell the world that American has NO KINGS!!
The ENERGY seems in our favor, but nothing is guaranteed. It is tempting to give in to exhaustion or despair, or even just think that someone else will do the work. As Rebecca Solnit said, "Hope may seem too sunny to a lot of people, but at the heart of it is this: We make the future in the present, if we show up, and never fucking surrender."
~ See You Soon ~
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Once again, if you haven't done so yet, we invite you to join or renew your membership in Richardson Area Democrats. Your suggested donation of $10/month will help us continue to build this inclusive community! Thanks for all you do.
