By the time you read this email, I will be well on my way to the Hudson Valley. Election Day is Tuesday and I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to help Sara Niccoli and Zephyr Teachout win their races. Plus, if for some reason Donald Trump defeats Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, I can make my way to Canada as soon as the polls close. Don’t feel bad, I’m sure I could talk Karen into letting me start a Canada chapter of Citizen Action. Or maybe not… Remind me to shoot her an email about that. There is a lot at stake this Tuesday, so I’m pretty sure you know what we spent much of this week doing. People have been kicking butt across the state to flip the New York State Senate. Let’s take a peek at what they were up against this week.
-Stanley
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Hedgepapers 41. One of the greatest obstacles in the way of getting a good candidate elected is the shady opposition: bad actors who use their money and power to maintain the status quo and push back on anyone who doesn’t fit their corporate-first agenda. Generally, they enjoy screwing us under the veil of secrecy. Unfortunately for them, the Hedge Clippers aren’t having any of that. In their latest paper, the Hedge Clippers exposed the 17 billionaires trying to buy New York State elections. What are they trying to do, you ask? If Charlie wasn’t going to read this before I pressed send, I would say “world domination.” And sure, even if the real answer isn’t that far off, it’s still a bit more nuanced. But don’t take my word for it. Click here to read the Hedgepaper.
Action Night For Sara Niccoli & Zephyr Teachout. If you’re trying to figure out where the most competitive races are taking place, look no further than the Hudson Valley, where Sara Niccoli is going up against the always classy George Amedore, and Zephyr Teachout is fighting against wealthy corporations and the Republican establishment for the seat in New York’s 19 congressional district. Chapter members and volunteers have been hosting phone bank and door knocking events for these two bad ass candidates every single day. People are getting excited, but we still need one more big push in the Hudson Valley. That’s where you come in. Take some time this weekend or anytime before election day, come on over to the office, and help us flip the New York State Senate and get Zephyr into Congress. Click here to volunteer.
Capital District Phone Banks. Do you know what wins elections? No, the answer is not money. Money can help, but if you don’t have support from the people, you’re going to be in trouble. That’s why we’re using people power across New York to flip the State Senate. In the Capital District, community members and activists gave up their Halloween and missed the first four innings of the World Series to phone bank for progressive candidates. At the center of the fight over control of the State Senate are big issues like getting big money out of politics and fully funding our public schools. If any of that is going to happen, we’re going to need to dig really deep over the next couple of days and do everything we can to get a win. The battle will be hard, but trust me, we can win. Did that inspire you? I hope so. Join us in flipping the Senate. Click here to help flip the Senate from the Capital District.
PODCAST
The Activist Check-In Podcast is back and this episode is pretty interesting. This week, I sit down with the always amazing Jessica Wisneski to talk about hot races in New York State and the Presidential election. I mix things up by interviewing a couple of potential voters as well. You won’t believe what some people had to say about voting for Hillary. When that’s all said and done, you get to hear a conversation I had with an awesome activist by the name of Albert Saint-Jean. Albert is one of the organizers of a New York City campaign called Swipe It Forward. Click here to listen to the entire episode.
IN THE NEWS
Albany Times Union: I’m not sure how many baseball fans we have on this email chain, but there was absolutely NO WAY, I couldn’t mention the Chicago Cubs won their first World Series in 100 years. Do you know what they did when the game was over? Well, while Super Fan Billy Easton was celebrating with bandwagon riders like me and Karen Scharff, the Cubs returned to Chicago in order to celebrate with their fans. I can’t wait until the New York Mets do the same for us. Click here for the not so political story.
Politico: Big news in the Fight for $15 this week: the Department of Labor has ruled that the timeline for fast food workers to receive $15/hour in New York won’t be slowed down to match the timeline for workers in other sectors. We’re going to keep fighting for $15 now for everyone, but until then, this is an important victory. Our Karen Scharff is quoted at the end of this story. Click here for the full article.
WBFO (NPR): If Democrats are able to win back the State Senate, the millionaires’ tax may be here to stay. Listen to Jess Wisneski explain what’s at stake in Tuesday’s election. Click here to read more.
WAMC (NPR): Campaign finance reform, the DREAM Act, which offers college tuition support to the children of undocumented immigrants, and more money for underperforming schools are just a few of the issues we might be able to win if the State Senate is controlled by Democrats. Click here for the full story.
Capital Tonight: Jess Wisneski, Billy Easton and Mike Kink joined Liz Banjamin this week to talk about the Hedge Clippers’ new report that details how billionaires are trying to buy our state elections. Click here to watch.
The Capital Pressroom: Karen Scharff and Billy Easton joined Susan Arbetter to discuss the Hedge Clippers’ report. Click here to listen.
EVENTS
We are in such a crucial moment. In our order to advance our progressive agenda in 2017 – which includes affordable housing, public financing of elections, full funding of our public schools, and criminal justice reform – we need progressive champions in office who will lift up our voices. That’s why we are teaming up with coalition partners to knock doors and make calls to as many voters in these key districts as we can reach in the next 30 days! Phone banks are happening every weeknight from now through November 8, with locations in both Brooklyn and Manhattan: Click here to RSVP.
November 4. Join Metro Justice for their monthly gallery display and learn about their dedication to ending racial inequality and poverty in Rochester. Click here to RSVP.
November 5. Come join us for a rally to kick off our Get Out the Vote efforts in Kingston and surrounding areas. Hear from Sara Niccoli and Zephyr Teachout, our State Senate and Congressional candidates, community leaders and more! Click here to RSVP.
November 18. The 13th Amendment is the foundation of what is known as “legal slavery” inside of the prison-industrial complex. Join Citizen Action’s New York City Chapter for a live screening of this groundbreaking documentary, followed by a panel discussion. Click here to RSVP.
December 13. The year is quickly coming to an end, but before it does, we will honor activists and leaders from across the state at our Annual Progressive Leadership Awards Gala. Join us to celebrate the work of this year’s honorees: Kate Linker (Greater NYC for Change), Linda Sarsour (Executive Director of Arab American Association of NY), Dennis Trainor (Vice President of CWA District one), the Hon. Jim Brennan (NYS Assemblymember) and Shaun King (Senior Justice Writer, NY Daily News). Click here for tickets.
TAKE ACTION!
The stakes in this election are high. And it isn’t just a potentially disastrous Donald Trump presidency that we need to fight against. Control of the State Senate is also in play. Whether it’s funding for your kid’s school, getting big money out of politics, holding police accountable, or making sure the rich pay their fair share of taxes – all of these issues depends on having a State Senate that is willing to respond to the people, not CEO campaign donors. When you vote on the Working Families Party ballot line, you join hundreds of thousands of progressive voices across New York to demand that our elected leaders fight for a state and a nation that works for all of us, not just the wealthy and well-connected. Click here to pledge to vote on the Working Families Party ballot line.
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