(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . We're Not Helpless: GOTV Links for a Better Future (Links @ Bottom) [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-11 If you’re anything like me, you’re probably emotionally wiped out after the last few days. I’m not here to add to that. There’s plenty of people with informed and plenty more with uninformed opinions about what’s going on in the Middle East. We really don’t need yet another opinion. But what we do need to talk about is how we can stop things like that from happening. I could go into detail and may later but for brevity’s sake, here’s what I think. Even if you can’t stop people hating each other, you can stop them killing each other as often if you do everything you can to support a rules-based international order where people don’t pick up as gun by default to solve their problems. Will it solve everything? No. Will people still massacre each other? yes. But not as much, probably, if we had more people in office who used their power and influence to support a rules based order. Do we have those people in office? No. We don’t even have people who can decide which one of their annoying co-workers gets to waive the little wooden hammer around in Congress for the next few months until the mean man from Florida takes it away again. Why do we have people like that? Because they got elected. Why did they get elected? Well sure, some of them ran out of nowhere and won, but a ton of them ran for local and state office first. If we want people who will understand the gravity of a situation and who will do the right thing when the world demands it, we have to make sure they get elected where it counts first, at the local and state level. So that’s my long-winded way of saying if you’re like me and you’re tired of your nerves aching from anger over your own powerlessness to stop people from killing each other, well, you can’t actually stop them right now. But you might be able to stop it next time if you help sensible, pragmatic progressives win their races in state legislatures. Virginia and New Jersey are both having state house and senate elections this year, what’s supposed to a be a low-turnout year. That’s good and bad for the same reason: it doesn’t take moving mountains to swing races in lower turnout years. It doesn’t take moving mountains to elect good people to their state house. People who might run for Congress later, and won’t be arguing over who gets the wooden hammer the next time the world burns. Even better, you can get involved remotely. Sending postcards, virtual phone banking and text banking are perfect GOTV methods for people anywhere in the country. So please, please consider getting involved. Do one GOTV event in each state if you can. Here are the links to sign up: NJ Democratic Coalitions Sign-up Page VA Democratic Party Volunteer Sign-up Both states have plenty of GOTV opportunities. I was able to sign up for several text banks in minutes. Signing up to send postcards took a little longer as there was a little more information to enter, but compared to getting a clipboard and knocking on doors in a state you don’t even live in, it’s quick and easy. Take it from me: it’s fun, they train you, and it makes a real difference. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/11/2198862/-We-re-Not-Helpless-GOTV-Links-for-a-Better-Future-Links-Bottom?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/