MONDAY NIGHT MEETINGS AT 7:00 PM

 Join our in person meeting @ 7: 00 pm on 

January 27, 2025

Join us for our next meetings Monday, January 27, 2025 at 7 pm, Christ Lutheran Church, 1701 Arroyo Chamisa Rd. Santa Fe NM 87507.  

REMEMBER TO WEAR BLACK

From Timothy Snyder:

A POSITIVE FORM OF OPPOSITION

We need a term like "the Mump regime" to classify Republicans. It offers a vocabulary that helps us to sort people out according to their involvement in and fealty towards Musk. The people who are active in the Mump regime are mumpers. The people who go along are mumpets. "Mump regime" also gives us adjectives, like "mumpy," "mumpier," or "mumpified." Beyond domestic politics, it can help us towards understanding (topic for another post) the United States as "the sick man of the world" in foreign policy, as we will likely be.https://bsky.app/profile/timothysnyder.bsky.social
Thinking about...Shad ow Cabinet Timothy Snyder Jan 06, 2025
 https://snyder.substack.com/

(published Friday, January 17, 2025)

In the next few weeks, the Senate will vote on whether or not to confirm Russell Vought -- a Trump loyalist and co-author of Project 2025 -- as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 

Let’s be clear: Project 2025 is a playbook of politically radioactive, extremist Christian Nationalist policies designed to dismantle our democracy and consolidate authoritarian power. Trump distanced himself from it during his campaign, knowing it was too dangerous to defend publicly. Then he nominated the guy who wrote it to oversee the entire federal government. 

Most Americans don’t fully understand the immense power of the OMB or the stakes of putting someone like Vought in charge. Actually, most people don’t even know the office exists -- it’s not called the “most important government agency you’ve never heard of” for nothing. 

As the name suggests, the OMB manages the federal budget -- but it does much more than that. The OMB Director is essentially the president’s financial planner and policy enforcer rolled into one. They oversee the spending and policies of every federal agency to ensure they comply with the president’s goals. 

If Russell Vought is confirmed, he’ll have the power to organize every federal agency behind his Project 2025 agenda and to replace career civil servants throughout the executive branch with pre-vetted right-wing activists. He’ll MAGA-fy the entire US government. 

If the thought of a Project 2025 author and unwavering Trump loyalist gaining control of our nation's budget alarms you, contact your senators now and urge them to vote no on Vought's confirmation.

Call your senators now >>

Email your senators now >>

This isn’t Vought’s first rodeo at OMB -- he served as Director for a brief time during Trump’s first term and his short tenure should preclude him from ever holding the office again. Under his leadership, the OMB: 

• Broke the law eight times, including withholding vital resources from Ukraine.
• Delayed relief for Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.
• Weaponized the budget process to prioritize Trump’s political agenda. 

And on Wednesday, during his confirmation hearing with the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Vought doubled down on all his past malfeasance. He even hinted at more lawbreaking -- suggesting he and Trump intend to bring back the unconstitutional practice of impoundment (clawing back congressionally appropriated funds as a way to starve agencies of resources and block programs Trump doesn’t like). 

Trump has openly said he wants to behave like a dictator. Having a lawbreaking sycophant who literally wrote the playbook for dismantling democracy at the helm of the OMB is a pretty good way to make his authoritarian dreams come true. 

Blocking Vought’s confirmation will be no easy feat. Republicans need only a simple majority to push him through -- and despite his troubling record and everything we heard during his hearing this week, they’re throwing their support behind him. They’re likely confident there won’t be a groundswell of backlash to Vought’s nomination because they’re counting on it to fly under the radar. 

Time is running out and we can’t afford to let this slide by unnoticed. Vought will face another confirmation hearing with the Senate Budget Committee next week, on January 22, and after that, the Senate will vote on whether or not to confirm his nomination. We need to raise our voices now.

Vought’s nomination represents a direct threat to our democracy, and it’s up to us to hold the line. We must make it crystal clear to every senator that constituents are paying attention -- and we want them to oppose Russell Vought’s confirmation as OMB Director.

Call your senators now >>

Email your senators now >>

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

P.S. -- For more on our strategy to fight the confirmation of Trump’s most dangerous nominees, check out our new resource, Nix the Noms.

New Mexico In Depth

Investigative Journalism for New Mexico
New Mexico Indivisible Congress

nmindivisiblecongress@gmail.com
350 ORG
Stand up to the Fossil Fuel Industry
Common Cause of NM  
League of Women Voters
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence    
American Civil Liberties Union  
Tewa Women United
Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter
Indivisible East Bay San Francisco
newsletter@indivisibleeb.org
http://www.factcheck.org.
Online fact checking resource
aclu.org/end-face-surveil  

MONDAY NIGHT MEETINGS AT 7:00 PM

 Join our in person meeting @ 7: 00 pm on 

January 13, and 27, 2025

As Indivisible Santa Fe continues to plan our vision for the next year, your input will be critical to establish our specific goals and actions. Please bring your ideas about how we can also influence our state’s legislation in the upcoming session.  
Some federal issues also apply to our state.  If you are aware of specific legislation that is coming up in January, please prepare to share those with the group at our meeting on Monday January 6 at 7:00 pm, Christ Lutheran Church, 1701 Arroyo Chamisa Rd. Santa Fe NM 87507. 

How Project 2025 Will Ruin YOUR Life: Here’s a link to Dropbox to download your PRINTABLE copy CLICK HERE
As we wait for national legislation, let’s launch a Green New Deal from below | Jeremy Brecher |The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/21/green-new-deal-from-below-legislation
Email from Kamasamudram  Ravilocha

How Female Monsters Are Made
Why Christian Nationalist Women REALLY Hate Women 

BY Andra Watkins
 I never had good relationships with extended family. My father had four siblings, and my mother had five. Between them were too many cousins to count.
Once we joined the Christian Nationalist church when I was five, every family visit was preceded by a lecture from my mother. She sat me down and went through every person I might encounter, from her mother to various nieces and nephews, and described all the many colorful ways they sinned.
Her mother had a vicious temper, and she cursed. Older brother had five different wives and numerous affairs. Younger brother drank too much. Oldest sister was a smoker/drinker/harlot who lived in New Orleans, one of the world’s filthiest places. Next-oldest sister’s great sin was refusing to attend a Baptist church, so I needed to be careful of her religious views. Younger sister smoked and lied to my mother about it. Plus, her sons looked like hippies and probably did who-knew-what. Her mom’s brothers were terrors to be avoided at all costs.

You need to be careful around these people, Andra

And when I believed every word my mother said and refused to interact with my relatives? Again, this started WHEN I WAS FIVE. My mother sighed and said things like Girls are so difficult and Andra is too sensitive and dramatic.
Because of these dynamics, I never bonded with my extended family. My mother always needed to be the center of my universe, and she poisoned any shared relationship she could sink her claws into, something I didn’t fully comprehend until my late forties.
In 2018, my mom’s oldest sister Lorraine - the New Orleans Harlot/Smoker/Drunk who was really a highly decorated retired teacher - reached out to me. I’d stopped speaking to my mother, blocked her everywhere, and went to a residency in the wilds of northern Wales for two months. Nothing like an ocean-sized exclamation point on my desire to end contact.
My mother springs from the same part of the world as JD Vance, and her upbringing was more harrowing, though she’d deny it today.

Christian Nationalism gives extremely broken people a black-and-white structure and a mirage of functional family they didn’t have in their youth. But it also exacerbates the narcissistic tendencies engendered by relentless childhood deprivation and abuse.

Letters to the Editor, 

 published in the Santa Fe New Mexican, November 18, 2024

Democrats remain in control of the Senate for the next 60 plus days. With a Donald Trump presidency and a Republican-controlled Senate looming, we, members of Indivisible Santa Fe, are urging Sen. Martin Heinrich and Sen. Ben Ray Luján to push their Democratic party leadership and colleagues in the Senate to prioritize the confirmation of pro-democracy judges during the final session of Congress.

The Senate has already confirmed more than 200 of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees, but there are 29 nominations still pending. We need to ensure those vacancies are filled by judges who will uphold the Constitution and our democracy, before Trump returns to the White House. We cannot afford to have these lifetime appointments filled by Trump judicial picks, who will just further his MAGA agenda from the bench.

Indivisible Santa Fe is counting on our senators to use these last few weeks to do everything possible to safeguard our democracy, includingconfirming all of the pending judicial nominees.

S.J. Thelin co-chair Indivisible Santa Fe

published in the Santa Fe New Mexican, November 20, 2024

Stand strong

I implore members of Congress to remember 2016 as the birth of resistance to the Donald Trump administration by the people for the people. We got this no matter how these men (and some women) push us to the brink of lunacy; we will not stop fighting. We will be watching and demanding action every day in and out of Congress. Now we must write, call, speak and show up for ourselves and the generations behind us if we are to have a present and a future life worth living.
We have lost so much in the blink of an eye. We do not control the votes nor the direction of votes, but we do control how we want our members of congress to fight for us. We take credit in getting Rep. Gabe Vasquez, Sen. Martin Heinrich and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández reelected as members of Congress. We demand that they listen, write bills, speak up and show up for us.published in the Santa Fe New Mexican Selling Out
On Nov 5, American heard the siren song of the pocketbook and sold its soul, bartering away our birthright democracy in exchange for the promise of lower gas and grocery prices.  Perhaps even the swaggering dealmaker Donald Trump could not have envisioned how successful he would be in driving this Faustian, zero-sum bargain with the American people.
In 1992 the famous presidential campaign strategy mantra was, "It's the economy, stupid." But that was then, this is now.  All those who treasure our civil rights and seek a just and equitable society must remain vigilant and active in protecting those rights and remember that, actually, it's the democracy, stupid.

Alexa Bradford 
 

Who Profits?

Kudos to Alexa Bradford (“Selling out,” Letters to the Editor, Nov. 8) for spotlighting the folly of “bartering away” our democracy in exchange for (possibly) lower gas and grocery prices. Assume for a moment that we actually get lower gas prices. Here’s an interesting calculation: In 2022, Americans used 135.73 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel. If the price of fuel drops by 25 cents for a whole year, we save $33.93 billion. But note that according to CNN Business, since Election Day, Donald Trump supporters Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos (a supporter or just scared?) and Larry Ellison (of Oracle), together, are $39.1 billion richer.

Herbert Thomas

From: Jonah Public Citizen

“Making Meaning of the Moment" 

We need to be ready to respond and mobilize to make sure every vote is counted and that the outcome is respected and upheld!
Unfortunately, previous elections suggest that some forces in our society may oppose the counting of all votes or raise doubt about the election results. Hopefully everything goes smoothly, every eligible voter is able to easily cast their ballot, and the results are clear and respected by all sides (no matter what results they are).

RSVP for the movement briefing on Thursday, November 7, at 8:00 p.m. ET to get plugged in post-election on how you can make a difference to protect our democracy.
Come together with the progressive movement for a community-wide post-election mass call to get expert analysis of the situation and learn how you can take action in whatever scenario we find ourselves. Join Public Citizen, Election Sabotage Response Network, the Working Families Party, MoveOn, Indivisible, the ACLU and many more as we move quickly to “Make Meaning of the Moment” after Election Day. 
for a post-election briefing
Sign up for the post-election movement briefing here to learn more >>
 

From Dede Feldman 

The Little-Known Stuff

There are four amendments proposed to the state constitution.  For an impartial analysis, go to the nmlegis.gov website, click on Publications, then click on Constitutional Amendments,

Amendments 1 and 2

Arguments for and against. Or you can follow this link.  both increase property tax exemptions for veterans. Amendment 1 expands the number of veterans who would be eligible for the exemption. Amendment 2 expands the amount of the exemption from $4000 to $10,000 and adds a mechanism for automatically increasing the exemption.  I have mixed feelings.  This will raise property taxes for the rest of us by about $34/year and increase the burden on local government. Yet—shouldn’t we support our veterans?
Amendment 3 is a no-brainer: vote yes, the Dean of the Law School should be able to designate someone so she’s not spending all her time on Judicial Nominating Commissions. I’ve been on these they can do it themselves.

 I’m voting no on Amendment 4, which would allow counties to set the salaries of their elected officials, which now are set by the legislature.  Nobody should directly be voting on their own salaries. And I always felt irritated voting yes on salary increases for County officials when  Senator get no salary at all!  
Judges: 
In New Mexico, we select judges via a hybrid system. Most judges start by being appointed when a vacancy occurs.  I recommend voting yes on all judges. That’s the recommendation of The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, nmjpec.org. 
Bonds: Yes, on all. They don’t increase taxes and improve quality of life.
City Charter Amendments:
I am voting No on Charter Amendments 1 & 2.  I saw them in the formation, at the City Council level and they are both attempts to micromanage the administration and tilt the balance of power toward the Council. Amendment one relates to the appointment and removal of certain administrative offices, including the chiefs of police and fire departments. Amendment 2 Shifts the balance of power through a committee created for that purpose. Letters to the Editor: 

Project 2025 is a dangerous threat to our way of life. The plan mandates converting the federal government into an authoritarian regime when the next Republican president comes into power. The overhaul of America is to replace scientific method by enforcing us to live by their interpretation of the Bible. Changes include ramping up nuclear bomb testing on our lands and increasing dumping radioactive waste here and again at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. New Mexicans already bear the arduous burden imposed by the Waste Isolation Project Plant nuclear burial site expansion.

Public health could be converted into a spying organization tracking pregnancies, with little access to birth control. Miscarriages would be assessed for criminal charges. The project would abolish all regulations and laws to give wealthy private interests absolute control over fossil fuel and mineral resources. The government would be run by a president immune from prosecution and a judicial system run by Christian nationalism judges, including those on the Supreme Court. We need to speak up and spread the word. Vote Blue.

Donna Thiersch

Who we select in November’s election will determine the fate of critical issues facing out country. Among many important issues are immigration, crime, inflation, climate change, gun violence, women’s reproductive health, the next Supreme Court pick, poverty, infrastructure and countless more. The overriding factor that will determine the outcome for all of these issues is who we chose for president. Choosing convicted felon former President Donald Trump means putting our democracy at the mercy of extreme religious fanatics, the elitist Heritage Foundation, billionaire-owned monopolies, a corrupt Supreme Court and convicted criminals. While professing to love our democracy, Trump has already proudly announced that he will be “a dictator for a day.” We must reject the notion that America needs a dictator. America’s only choice is to vote against a destructive MAGA Republican party and for a committed Democratic ticket.

Stephanie Mendez

Vice President Kamala Harris fights for the freedom of women to make their own decisions about their reproductive health. As a prosecutor and the attorney general of California, she has fought crime. Under the Biden/Harris administration, crime rates are down compared to the end of the Trump era.

Harris supported the bipartisan immigration reform bill that former President Donald Trump asked his supporters in Congress to veto so he could use it as a campaign issue. The Biden/Harris administration and Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act that combats global warming and promotes a healthy environment.

In addition, this administration produced an economy that is the “envy of the world,” as reported in the Wall Street Journal. Those include record low unemployment levels and pandemic-induced inflation rates falling faster than most developed countries in the world. For these reasons and others, we from Indivisible Santa Fe endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president of the United States.

As Harris said, “Let us go forward, not backward!”

David Hollenbach

Seeking Solutions

We need a manageable resolution to the situation at our southern border. Our history there is at least 500 years in the making. Conflict, hardships, and changing aspirations still drive migration throughout the world. When governments fail, or when natural catastrophes occur, people have always migrated seeking better lives. We are witnessing that in real time. The situation calls for solutions and not the fear and hatred fanned by those with no solutions. 

In 2021 President Biden assigned Vice President Harris to focus on the fundamental reasons people leave Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Harris said, “(O)ur work is to help Guatemalans find hope at home,” offering assistance and collaboration instead of Trump’s punitive measures against Central American governments. She warned those who would make the dangerous trek to the U.S. - Mexico border, “Do not come.” She was never named a "border czar” as conservative media claims.

Instead, she worked with conservative Republicans and President Biden to find answers, and together, they negotiated legislation funding more robust immigration controls (to hire and equip more border patrol personnel, for example). Unfortunately, former President Trump ordered Congressional Republicans to kill the bill and abandon any solutions so he could continue to use the border crisis for his own political ambitions. Liz Parker

INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL
(published Monday, December 29, 2024)

FIVE RESOLUTIONS FOR KEEPING DEMOCRACY ALIVE IN 2025

Hey there,

I hope this message finds you on some beach with a tiny umbrella in your drink, or in front of a warm fire surrounded by loved ones -- or whatever setting best recharges your batteries. Ezra and I are back home in Texas right now with my family, doing our own version of that. 

While we recharge, we’re bracing for what’s to come. And we got a preview of it this month with the Elon-fueled implosion that nearly pushed us into a government shutdown. But one hopeful takeaway from this GOP self-induced fiasco is this: they’re not invincible. Yes, they’re malicious, but they’re also chaotic and incompetent. And when we stick together (indivisibly, you might say), sometimes they stumble and fail.

So, with that happy thought in mind, Ezra and I thought we’d send over five resolutions for keeping democracy alive in 2025. And because Indivisible has a bias towards action, I’ll include an actual thing you can do with each resolution. 

1) Seek out community. “They want you to be alone. Nobody is going to fix this alone. That’s not how this works.” That’s from the famed historian of tyranny Timothy Snyder. The quote resonated so much with us, it leads a chapter of the new Indivisible guide: Indivisible: A Guide to Democracy on the Brink. 

Now, I obviously hope that means you’ll join (or form!) an Indivisible group. And I’m proud to say that we’ve had more Indivisible groups form in the last two months than any similar period since 2017, so you’ll be in good company. But whatever you do, figure out how to get into real, face-to-face community. You’ll need it in the days ahead.

2) Build something local. For the time being, we still live in a representative democracy. That means your elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels still wake up every morning worrying about what their constituents think. And that gives you power -- if you organize and apply it. 

If you’re wondering where to get started, check out the new guide. Make a copy. Edit it. Make some doodles. Delete the parts that aren’t relevant to you. Write addendums. Make it your own. Share it. And get to work where you are focusing on what you can do. 

3) Connect with those under threat. Trump has promised to be a dictator on day one, to go after immigrant families, trans kids, and other marginalized communities. The Project 2025 agenda is a divide and conquer gameplan -- pick us off one-by-one as they dismantle our democracy and hand the federal government over to their billionaire buddies. But their strategy has an Achilles’ Heel -- it doesn’t work if we stick together.

In the most poetically unjust coincidence in recent memory, Inauguration Day falls on MLK Day this year. Well, MLK Day is traditionally a day of service, and we’re encouraging Indivisible groups across the country to use that day to connect with their own communities. It’s a good chance for all of us to do the most basic work of democracy: connecting with our fellow Americans where we live together. Find info here on how to participate.

4) Support your independent media and social media. The media environment has been deteriorating for years. And with Trump taking office and corporate owners rushing to kiss his ring, It’s about to get a lot harder to be a good journalist in this country. Yes, we have plenty of problems with the anticipatory obedience from the likes of the management and ownership of places like the LA Times, New York Times, Washington Post, and ABC News. But we need to engage, trumpet, and support journalists with a pro-democracy bias -- whether independent actors or embattled fighters for truth in compromised institutions. And we need platforms for communicating the truth and with each other.

And there are easy steps you can take. For one: get off of Twitter. BlueSky is thriving -- find me and Ezra over there. When it comes to media, identify the journalist you trust and like, and amplify them (or, if they’re independent, start signing up and paying for their work). In the last week or so, I’ve read compelling, powerful pieces from Perry Bacon and Jen Rubin at the Washington Post, Jamelle Bouie and Michelle Goldberg at the New York Times, Tim Dickinson at Rolling Stone, and Rebecca Traister at NY Magazine. And look at supporting new independent publications, like Bolts, which does incredible local coverage, or Zeteo, which is giving a home to many great independent journalists. Got other ideas or favorites? Great. Share them.

5) Have fun. I’m serious. Fascism is frightening. But self-flagellating judgment or descending into despair are not gonna help us. Our power is in our numbers, which means we have to create welcoming, fun, caring, impactful communities for folks to join. If you’re in an Indivisible group, get an IndivisGather grant for a potluck or movie party or other fun gathering. 

Everything above is more important than giving money -- but if you want people-powered movements to succeed, giving money is important too. So if you’ll humor me with a sixth resolution, I hope it’s this: Contribute to the best damned locally led, nationally-organized pro-democracy movement in the country by supporting Indivisible here.

In solidarity,
Leah Greenberg
Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL
(Indivisible National, Monday December 16, 2024)

1. Tell your representative to push for the publication of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The Equal Rights Amendment has cleared the threshold for ratification, but it’s been held up because of GOP opposition and legal debates. With just 35 days until Trump takes office, we must do all we can to enshrine equality into our Constitution. Call your representative today and tell them to push President Biden and VP Harris to publish the ERA.
2. Tell your Republican senators to block Kash Patel from becoming the Director of the FBI. The FBI already has a long and troubling history of targeting individuals who challenge power while often letting corporate criminals go unchecked. However, appointing Patel would entrench the worst abuses of power and turn the bureau into a tool for political vengeance. If you have a Republican senator, contact them today and tell them to oppose any effort to confirm Kash Patel as FBI Director.

IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL

https://indivisible.org

ISF (Indivisible Santa Fe) webpage
 Indivisiblesantafe.org

Mobilize
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Local and national events

Federal government
United State Congress
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daily alerts for action in the Senate and House.
Proposed bill Sign up for alerts MOC votes.
Subscribe  www.GovTrack.us.
We’re tracking the activities of the U.S. Congress to help you be the best advocate.

White House
whitehouse.gov
Comments: 202-456-1111
The White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.Washington, DC 20500

Members of Congress 
Senator Ben Ray Lujan
https://www.lujan.senate.gov
120 South Federal Place
Suite 302 Santa Fe, NM 87501
Office: 505-230-7040 Fax: 833-702-2621
Senator Martin Heinrich
https://www.heinrich.senate.gov
Santa Fe Office Phone: (505) 988-6647
123 East Marcy St., Ste. 103
Santa Fe, N.M. 87501
Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.),
https://fernandez.house.gov
Office Phone: (505) 428-468
120 S Federal Pl Suite 323 S.F NM  87501

Office of the Governor
Michelle Lujan Grisham Roundhouse 4th floor 490 Old Santa Fe Trail Room 400 Santa Fe, NM 87501
New Mexico Legislatures and legislation
www.nmlegis.gov
House Speaker Javier Martinez
House Majority Whip Reena Szczepanski

Attorney General Raul Torres
https://nmdoj.gov/publications
408 Galisteo Street Villagra Building
Santa Fe, NM 87501(505) 490-4060

Santa Fe County
https://www.santafecountynm.gov/
SF County Commissioners Chambers meetings   on the second floor of 102 Grant Avenue,
 

Santa Fe City Govt.
https://www.santafenm.gov/ 
 

Santa Fe County Clerk https://www.santafecountynm.gov/clerk

Other
ACLU of N M. info@aclu-nm.org
P.O. Box 566 Albuquerque, NM  87103
Tel: (505) 266-5915 Fax: (505) 266-5916
 

New Mexico Planned Parenthood the Rocky Mountains 1-800-230-7526
Indigenous Women Rising: The Indigenous Women Rising abortion fund is open to all Indigenous people in the United States and Canada who become pregnant and seek an abortion in the United States. 
Mariposa Fund: The extraordinary barriers that exist for undocumented people trying to obtain reproductive health services, including abortion. Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice:  helps r transportation, meals, and funds.
 

Santa fe Dreamers Project https://www.santafedreamersproject.org 
Immigrant Law Center NM https://www.nmilc.org/
Semilla Project  
https://semillaproject.org
Somos Un Pueblo Unido
somosunpueblounido.org
 

Project 2025 Christian Nationalism
https://andrawatkins.substack.com
League of Women Voters Santa Fe LWVSFC
https://lwvsfc.org
Legislative Luncheon
Wednesday, January 8, Noon to 2 pm, La Terraza at La Fonda, 100 E. San Francisco St.
Meet your Santa Fe County legislators and hear about their priorities for the 2025 Legislative Session $25 registration fee

INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL
(published December 9, 2024)

Indivisibles,

Last week, the final congressional race of the 2024 election was called. In California’s 13th district, Democrat Adam Gray won a hard-fought race, unseating incumbent John Duarte by a margin of less than 200 votes. (This victory is thanks in part to the work of Indivisibles in a district we've been targeting since 2022!) 

Gray’s win and vacancies resulting from Trump nominations will leave House Republicans with a miniscule 217-215 majority early in the term -- the smallest GOP majority in history. If we can keep Democrats aligned, a single GOP defection would be enough to thwart Trump’s legislative agenda during the first months of his presidency. 

As we note in the new Indivisible Guide, autocrats thrive when they can project an image of omnipotence. But with majorities this thin, we’re going to be able to puncture any veneer that Trump is “all powerful” very quickly. 

By utilizing the tactics outlined in the guide, we’ll be able to block and delay key elements of Trump’s agenda that require congressional approval -- tax breaks for the ultra wealthy, funding for mass deportations, rolling back the Affordable Care Act, proposed cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, and more. 

If we do this right, by the time that vacancies in Congress are filled and Republicans have a slightly bigger (but still historically small) majority in the House, Trump will be weakened and backlash to Republican rule will be mounting as we gear up for 2026. 

We’re not saying it will be easy -- and we can’t discount the harm Trump can do via executive power. But the road ahead looks a little brighter than it did the morning after the election. If we throw everything we’ve got into this fight, we can land some early wins, fuel backlash to Republican incompetence and cruelty, and start building a wave that’ll clean house in 2026.

INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL
(published December 2, 2024)

Indivisibles,

We've got a ticking clock hanging over our heads -- just 18 days left in this Congressional session and 49 days until Trump is sworn into office and begins filling his administration with the architects of Project 2025. President Biden, VP Harris, and Democrats in Congress have a shot, right here, right now, to fortify the barricades around our rights and democracy. And yeah, we absolutely expect them to take it.

There’s PLENTY the White House can get across the finish line right now, but we’re really looking to see them do the following: 

Get that IRA money moving: The Inflation Reduction Act was Biden’s landmark legislation that has created over 330,000 new green jobs, lowered home energy costs, and made prescription drugs more affordable. Now the Biden administration must distribute as much of the funding for these projects as possible before Trump and his coterie of climate deniers take a hatchet to green projects.

Publish the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA): The ERA has cleared the threshold for ratification, but it’s been held up because of GOP opposition and legal debates. Biden has the authority and the responsibility to instruct the National Archivist to publish the ERA as the 28th Amendment and should do so before leaving office. While not a silver bullet, the ERA could provide a critical tool for combating discrimination against women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people nationwide. 

This is also going to be a very busy month on the hill, where we’ve got opportunities to confirm Biden’s nominees while we still control the Senate (see our to-do’s) and a responsibility to stop the Republican House of Representatives from jamming poison pills into must-pass year-end legislation. Here’s some of what we’ll be watching: 

Government funding expires on December 20 and GOP Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated that he wants to pass a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government funded until early next year. Democrats need to stay alert for any Republican shenanigans -- they should not lend support to any bill that includes painful funding cuts or harmful policy riders.  

Congress must also pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)before the year ends. We’re keeping an eye out as negotiations continue because this is another opportunity for Republicans to try and sneak through awful bills like H.R. 9495 (the nonprofit killer). 

We’ll continue to keep you updated on the latest actions you can take to maximize the impact of the final weeks of this administration

INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL
(published November 27, 2024)

This time eight years ago, I was celebrating Thanksgiving in Austin with Ezra and his family.

We were devastated and furious at the 2016 election result. We were scared that everything we cared about would be under threat from the incoming Trump administration. And we were alarmed that many Democrats seemed to be preparing to go along with Trump instead of fighting back.

But we were also seeing something that gave us hope. People around the country had begun to organize themselves. They were getting together in living rooms, libraries, church basements, and synagogues. They weren’t waiting for anyone to tell them what to do. They were organizing.

We knew the power to push back against Trump wouldn’t be found in politicians in DC -- it would come from regular people all over the country driving those politicians to fight back. We decided that our contribution would be to take everything we knew about how the Hill worked, put it on paper, and blast it out to these would-be organizers. We knew that by writing it, we’d probably never get jobs in Democratic politics again. We didn’t care. We had to do something.

The document that we put out on the internet a few weeks later was a guide, but it was also a prayer. It was a prayer that there were enough people out there who, like us, knew that they had to do something. That there were enough of us to fight back the coming horrors.

And our prayer was answered. All over the country, those community gatherings turned into organizing hubs. People turned their grief into action. And together, we built the power to fight back.

This Thanksgiving, there’s a devastating feeling of deja vu. Trump is taking office again in just a couple of months. Mainstream institutions and billionaires appear all too eager to do his bidding. And too many Democrats have gone skittish, fighting with each other instead of fighting back against MAGA.

But once again, there’s a reason for hope. It’s all of us.

Because I can tell you that once again, across the country, people are organizing. In the last couple weeks, we’ve had 40,000 people join our guide launch. We’ve driven 20,000 calls to Congress to stop the nonprofit killer bill. We’ve seen nearly 100 new Indivisible groups form. These are the kinds of numbers you see when something big is happening -- and they’re only growing from here. 

So I’m thankful for you -- for every one of us who’s prepared to fight for our families, our neighbors, and our democracy. If you’ve been organizing and giving it your all since 2016, thank you. If you joined us because you were excited for Kamala Harris and now you’re turning your grief into action, thank you. If you just signed up yesterday -- thank you! Whoever you are, you’re welcome here -- and you’re needed.

In solidarity,
Leah Greenberg
Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL
(published November 18, 2024)

Indivisibles,

The big topic of conversation around kitchen tables and group chats over the past week: What the **** is up with Trump’s cabinet picks? 

• For Attorney General, Trump nominated Matt Gaetz -- a guy who’s been investigated for child sex trafficking, allegedly attended drug-fueled parties with minors, and whose own colleagues could scarce believe had a law degree. 
• For HHS Secretary, Trump nominated an abortion-ban-promoting anti-vax poster boy who believes in some of the most loony conspiracy theories out there (like chem trails). Some are laughable. Some have cost people their lives. All make RFK Jr. a pretty horrifying choice to lead our top health agencies. 
• For Secretary of Defense, Trump’s chosen a Fox News broadcaster whose biggest qualification seems to be “looking the part” and/or “he’s on my TV!” Pete Hegseth has never managed anything but is now nominated to oversee the biggest bureaucracy in the world. The “insider threat” thing is a bit concerning, too. 

The list goes on and on. And eventually, the conversation about all these picks inevitably leads to this question: Will the Senate actually confirm any of these dangerously unqualified clowns? 

The truth is, we don’t know. What we can tell you is: We have a plan to fight back. 

That plan is the new Indivisible Guide that we shared with you last week. There’s no section specifically on “stopping confirmations of people who intend to destroy our institutions and turn federal agencies into Trump’s personal attack dogs” but the blueprint for pressuring your senators -- red or blue -- is in there.

And if we execute on that blueprint, then yes -- we stand a chance of getting a few Republican senators to sum up the thimbleful of courage it takes to say, “Matt Gaetz should not lead the Justice Department, FFS.”

These and many other fights lie ahead. But right now, in this moment, there’s work we can be doing to help safeguard our democracy against the incoming Trump administration. There are judges we need to confirm. There’s an ethics report on Matt Gaetz that needs to be released. There are Democratic trifectas in 17 states that need to get to work.

We still have a Democratic White House and Senate, and we’ve got a groundswell of grassroots determination. Let’s put it all to work. 

1. Read the new Indivisible Guide -- Our new “Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink” is our gameplan for getting through the next two years with our democracy as intact as possible. It provides tangible ways to organize locally and leverage the power we have to block the most dangerous elements of the Trump agenda. Read it, share it, and let’s continue building a movement that has the power to save our democracy. (More on the new guide below!)
2. Contact your Democratic senators and tell them to confirm Biden’s judicial nominees -- There are at least 29 pro-democracy judges waiting to be confirmed ahead of the new administration, folks who have been handpicked by Biden for their diversity, ethics, and commitment to justice. If the Senate doesn’t confirm them all before Trump takes power, he’ll be able to stack the judiciary with MAGA sycophants. We cannot let that happen.

(published October 29,  2024)

Rolling Stone released an article on Saturday quoting our very own Ezra Levin about the innovative work we’re doing to make sure we win this election and they started it out by asking the evergreen question: 

“Are you someone who wants to heed Michelle Obama’s call to “do something?” Here’s something to do: 

Turn out your neighbors to vote.”

Rolling Stone knows it, and you should too: We’ve got one week left to prevent a second Trump presidency.

Each and every one of us is nervous about the potential outcome of this election. Your friends, family, and acquaintances likely know you pay attention to politics and may be starting to share their own anxieties about what might happen with you. How do you soothe that anxiety when you’re navigating your own?

You don’t! You channel that anxiety into action, and encourage them to join you in doing everything they can to win next Tuesday. Or as Ezra put it:

By every measure, the 2024 election is looking like a coin flip -- which means for activists it is within the margin of effort. “That is nerve-wracking,” Levin says. “But from an organizing perspective, it is a good place to be. It means the work that we’re doing right now is meaningful. You can make that argument to volunteers: ‘This could come down to a few dozen or a few hundred votes outside of Phoenix or outside of Atlanta.’”

The tighter the margins, the more every last voter contact matters. That means that, this week, all of your door-knocking, your calling, your conversations with friends at the grocery store will add up to a potential victory. But if you don’t act, we can’t win.

That is why we’ve scheduled our Every Last Door Week of Action to coincide with GOTV weekend. One more week of talking to voters; one more week of convincing a friend or family member to join you; one more week of leaving it all on the field. Find everything you need to get to work in this toolkit -- whether you’re in a battleground district or a safely blue state.

But, don’t forget, the crown jewel of our GOTV work this cycle is the Neighbor2Neighbor (N2N) program. From the Rolling Stone article:

Neighbor2Neighbor focuses instead on “relational organizing” -- with volunteers mobilizing voters from their own communities, on their own schedule. N2N volunteers sign up online, plug in their home address, and “get 10 sporadic Democratic voters who are within a couple blocks,” Levin says. The terrain is familiar and so are the faces. “You can show up at their house when you see their car in the driveway. Whenever you’ve got time,” he says.

Not everyone can participate in this incredible program, but everyone can help guarantee its success:

1. If you’re eligible, sign up for Neighbor2Neighbor today. The most effective way to motivate voters is to talk to them. The most effective way to talk to voters is face to face. The most effective messenger for those conversations is someone in their community. Neighbor2Neighbor takes those truths and turns them into a simple way for you to motivate pro-democracy voters. This is our number one goal for our week of action.
2. If you’re not in an eligible N2N area, forward the Rolling Stone article to someone you know who is, and ask them to sign up. It’s the final week, people are seeing the polls say it’s 50-50 and getting nervous. Let’s channel that energy into action. Send them this article, so they can hear how effective Neighbor2Neighbor is and how accessible it can be for new and old activists alike. You may not be in a battleground, but you can reach someone who is and turn one conversation into 11.
3. Sign up to phonebank. We still have opportunities for you to call into battleground districts before election day. Join a phonebank, and help us secure a Democratic trifecta.

With exactly one week until Election Day, we cannot predict the future, but we can do everything in our power to make sure it’s a brighter one. Find a little time to do a little more before November 5. We won’t go back. 

In solidarity,

(published October 21,  2024)

Indivisibles,

When polling is this extraordinarily, unprecedentedly close, pundits talk about the race being within the margin of error. Activists talk about the race being with the margin of effort -- our ground game to knock doors, make calls, and get every last voter to the polls.

Trump has outsourced his ground game almost entirely to a guy who spends his days posting memes and screaming at advertisers fleeing his crumbling social media website: Elon Musk. 

Musk’s big idea? Pay people in swing states to spread a petition. Promise a chance to win a million bucks. Naively assume that wily Democrats aren’t just sharing the petition with liberal friends and then donating the money to Kamala Harris. Pray it’s all legal (it might not be). And in the end, his super PAC will have...an email list they've put together two weeks before the election.

So if you’re looking for some hope today, here it is: Trump’s ground game is incredibly weak. And ours is strong. We have an actual plan (not just a concept of a plan) to get Kamala Harris into the White House with a Democratic Congress to pass her agenda. We have tens of thousands of people volunteering without the promise of a $1 million check. 

But this thing is still going to be close. We need everyone reading this to take another phone bank, knock a few more doors, and gear up for one last push to the finish line -- with your energy and passion, we’re gonna win this thing. 

With that, read on for your weekly to-dos:

P.S. We don't have a billionaire cutting million-dollar checks for us -- and we don't need one. We know we can win this fight with grassroots organizing fueled by grassroots dollars. So if you've completed your to-do's and you're looking for one more action you can take this week, please consider pitching in to help us recruit more volunteers and reach more voters.

Indivisibles are going all in November 1 - November 5 for our Every Last Door Week of Action. During these crucial last days, we are asking group leaders, activists, and volunteers to get out the vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, and Democrats up and down the ballot by knocking on doors in their own neighborhoods or contacting voters in critical battleground states. Check out our toolkit for everything you need to know, and let’s get out there and knock some door

New Mexico In Depth

Investigative Journalism for New Mexico
New Mexico Indivisible Congress

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