Jackson County Democratic Party Newsletter - January 8, 2012
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Secretary of State Kate Brown Joins Us to Answers Your Questions |
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2012 Campaign School - Open to registered Democrats. Only one space left! Call now and get on the waiting list!
Saturday, January 14, 8:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Where: JCD Headquarters, 40 South Central, Medford
Who: Cathy Allen, founder and president The Connections Group, Seattle
Cost: $30 per person, includes continental breakfast and lunch
Register: Contact Jackson County Democrats (541) 858-1050 (leave a message)
This fast-paced session is designed for registered Democrats who plan to file for or are seriously considering running for public office in Jackson County - and for the campaign managers and volunteers who support them.
Campaign School instructor is Cathy Allen, founder and president of The Connections Group (www.connectionsgroup.org), a political consulting firm based in Seattle. In addition to fundamental advice on planning and running successful campaigns, Allen will cover:
- New tools for voter targeting and reaching voters more efficiently
- How to engage Independents and other non-Democrats with issues we share
- Determining a realistic cost-per-vote budget
- Where technology will save candidates money and where it's going to cost more than it returns
- The new negatives that work and what negatives won't work anymore
- New fundraising that you won't hate to do
Allen has spent the past 22 years working to elect people other than the "usual suspects." Her Golden Rule: Have the best message; get it to the right people at the right time, many times in a variety of ways at the most efficient cost. Read more about Cathy Allen's superb qualifications here.
Checks, made out to Jackson County Democrats, should be sent to P.O. Box 4474, Medford 97501. Participants can sign up by phone and pay with a credit card by calling JCD Headquarters, (541) 858-1050.
JCD Democrats Education Series Open to the Entire Community
"Watching the Supremes: The Importance of the Court and Its Impact on All of Us"
Thursday, January 26, 6:30 p.m.
Oregon Education Association building, 2495 S Pacific Hwy, Medford
Wolf Hoppe, as our special guest speaker, will focus on the makeup of the Supreme Court, its ideological schism, and how cases get there; and will illustrate by discussing a recent case. He is a retired trial lawyer, adjunct professor of law and U.S Foreign Service Officer. Wolf has been teaching courses at OLLI at SOU (formerly SOLIR) on the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court and related topics since retiring in Ashland in 1999.
After the presentation, we will have the Central Committee meeting. We'll be rolling out new campaign strategy and volunteer opportunities.
Your New Year's Resolution: Support the Democrats
Help us Elect Democrats in 2012! Please keep the Democrat's Presence in Jackson County Strong!
Your one-time and monthly donations, no matter what the amount, will keep the JCD office as the hub of the Democratic Party in Jackson County and help elect Democrats to important local positions. Please become a "Grassroots" sustaining supporter. Even $10 a month commitment will ensure our office remains open to provide a headquarters for local progressive political education and discussions, committee meetings, seminars and trainings. AND, it is the base for 2012 campaign.
Help us keep a progressive voice in Jackson County. Contribute via credit card by going to the www.jcdemocrats.org website, or by sending a check (and your Grassroots Commitment) to the JCD HQ, PO Box 4474, Medford, OR 97501. Thank you!
JCD Facebook Page
If you want up-to-the-minute news about JCD activities, please "like" us on the Jackson County Democrats Facebook page!
Register to Vote or Make Corrections On Line
If you're not registered, do it now. If you've moved, you need to re-register to vote and update your mailing address. Do it now on-line! Simply click here, have your Oregon Driver's License handy, and 5 minutes from now, you cross this "to do" off your list! By the way, this new on-line voter registration was made possible under Secretary of State Kate Brown - she's running for re-election, and we need to keep this type of progressive-thinking public official in office.
JACKSON COUNTY & OREGON NEWS
Democratic Party In The News
Check out news articles from around the state about our elected officials. Some highlights are listed below. For the entire list of recent releases, click here.
Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley join Congressmen Earl Blumenauer and Kurt Schrader to successfully amend the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011, requiring the Secretary of Defense to notify Congressional defense committees when the Pentagon enters into indemnification agreements with military contractors. The push was sparked by the stories of 34 members of the Oregon National Guard who are suing KBR after exposure to the lethal carcinogen hexavalant chromium during their 2003 tour in Iraq while protecting the Qarmat Ali Water Treatment Facility. "We have been working to get justice for our Oregon guardsmen for a long time," said Rep. Schrader.
Our statewide officials have also been earning praise and media coverage for their good work. Secretary of State Kate Brown was featured in the New York Times and appeared on MSNBC for Oregon's pilot program using iPads to help voters with disabilities in the first congressional district cast their ballots. Treasurer Ted Wheeler negotiated new terms with U.S. Bank that eliminates point-of-sale, bank teller and U.S. Bank ATM fees for Oregonians receiving unemployment and child support payments through ReliaCards.
And Governor John Kitzhaber, in a bold move, brought a halt to capital punishment in Oregon. "Oregonians have a fundamental belief in fairness and justice - in swift and certain justice," the Governor said. "The death penalty as practiced in Oregon is neither fair nor just; and it is not swift or certain. It is not applied equally to all. It is a perversion of justice that the single best indicator of who will and will not be executed has nothing to do with the circumstances of a crime or the findings of a jury."
Encouraged by the "Occupy" movement, great strides are being made toward the City of Ashland divesting from BOA
Andrew Seles, researching Bank of America for Oregon Action, writes an eye-opening editorial on this banking institution. It also coincides with the effort to establish an Oregon State Bank. The issue will be an agenda item during the upcoming State Legislative Session (Feb.1-March 6). Published in the Daily Tidings, we have received Andrew's permission to re-print it here.
Help Save Rural Post Offices! Support ROP's Kitchen Table Activity project
Revel in their accomplishments - get involved! Read about this project and sign the Rural Organizing Project's petition here.
Basic Rights Oregon fights back against the new anti-marriage equality political pac
The folks who brought us Measure 36 are back, and they've got a new name. In response "to the looming threat to marriage," the anti-equality group Oregon Family Council has launched a new Political Action Committee called Protect Marriage Oregon PAC. Using the same old scare tactics as they did during the Measure 36 campaign, their website and fundraising letters are filled with claims of how marriage equality will "harm families, children, religious groups and society as a whole.
You can help Basic Rights Oregon fight back. Read the information and request here.
NATIONAL ISSUES
Join President Obama in fighting for the Dream Act - immigration reform that works for everyone
The DREAM Act is common-sense legislation that President Obama has fought for alongside millions of Americans in both parties, designed to help smart, motivated young people that pursue higher education or join the Armed Forces earn a path to citizenship. Allowing talented young people to fully contribute to our society would only make our country safer and more prosperous. Sign the petition.
Five Women You Need To Know
Harry Reid, along with ActBlue, asks support for 5 important candidates for the US Senate. They are:
- Shelley Berkley, Nevada - A tenacious advocate for the middle class.
- Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota - Who has turned this race into a toss-up.
- Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts -"You know she'd make a great addition to the Senate."
- Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin - "A trailblazing hero."
- Mazie Hirono, Hawaii - A record of expanding access to education and health care.
To support any or all of them, click here.
WIDER COMMUNITY
New Day Network Breakfast
Friday, January 10, 8 a.m. at UCC Church, 717 Siskiyou Blvd
Program: Organizations and individuals will have the opportunity to share information about current and upcoming projects.
Breakfast Potluck - please bring your own plate, cup and utensils.
RSVP: Deborah Rothschild rothschilddeb@yahoo.com
Rally to protest the Guantanamo Prison on its 10th anniversary
Wednesday, January 11, noon
Occupy Ashland, Occupy Medford and Citizens for Peace & Justice are co-sponsoring this event at 12 noon next Wednesday in Vogel Plaza at Main at Central in the heart of Medford. This rally is in solidarity with similar rallies in many cities across the nation and the world.
Occupy Medford General Assembly
Saturday, January 14, Noon - 3 p.m. at the Medford Library
Chances to join in are coming to "Immense Possibilities"
Welcome to the 2012 Season - Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Watch for chances coming soon to be part of the studio audience for our very own local production. See what's coming at http://www.immensepossibilities.org.
Save the date for the 3rd Annual Bodacious Rainbow Ball, Community-wide Dance in Celebration of Diversity on Friday
Friday, February 10, 7 - 10 p.m.
Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 87 Fourth Street, Ashland
General Admission: $15 • Students: $5 • Children Under 12 Free
For more information, go to http://rvuuf.org/bodacious-rainbow-ball
FAMJAM Benefit for Good Grief America
Friday,
January 27, 8:30 p.m. at Rosso's
See the great flyer here.