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Alfonso Saldaña published OHIO: Fighting Corruption: Ending the Political Influence of Wealthy Individuals and Corporations in State Government in Upcoming Events 2021-04-02 09:49:55 -0700
Move to Amend Ohio State Network
Fighting Corruption in Ohio
Ending the Political Influence of Wealthy Individuals and Corporations in State Government
The 2020 First Energy scandal was unprecedented in scale, yet the big money involved symbolizes the consistency in which the wealthy corporate entities shape public policies, preempt local control, and prevent Ohioans from having our voices heard and our needs met. It doesn't have to be this way, and it shouldn't be this way. Hear from strong pro-democracy state legislators and friends and supporters of Move to Amend about efforts to fight corruption in Ohio.Speakers
Ohio Senator Nickie Antonio Ohio Representative Mike SkindellSaturday, April 17, 10 am ET
RSVP BELOW TO BE SENT ZOOM LINK / CALL IN NUMBER
Sponsored by Ohio Move to Amend NetworkContact: [email protected]WHENApril 17, 2021 at 10amWHEREvia Zoom
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March 2021 Live Report
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Alfonso Saldaña published Who has benefitted most from the 14th Amendment? in Announcements 2021-03-28 13:18:44 -0700
Who has benefitted most from the 14th Amendment?
When Virginia L. Minor tried to register to vote in Missouri in 1872, the registrar (Reese Happersett) refused to allow it. Minor sued, on the grounds that the 14th Amendment made women citizens of the nation -- and therefore she should be able to vote.
This week marks the 149th anniversary of Minor v. Happersett -- wherein the Supreme Court ruled that a right to vote was NOT inherent to citizenship, and that the laws regarding who could and could not vote should be left to the states.
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Campaign Progress Report
Great news! We now have 42 co-sponsors formally committed for the reintroduction of the #WeThePeopleAmendment as House Joint Resolution 48, with more expected to sign on by the end of this week!
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Feminism vs Corporate Rule
Did you know that the Supreme Court deemed corporations as people with Constitutional rights fifty years before women achieved the right to vote? That fact gives a whole new meaning to this sentence: The US Constitution is a property rights document.
Read moreToday, March 8, is International Women's Day -- an observance established in 1911 with deep roots in the Women's Suffrage Movement. It is an expression of how hard women all over the world have had to fight to secure the same legal status, rights, and opportunities as men. It's also a reminder of the immense work is left to be done to elevate human rights over corporate privilege. Help us grow the movement to continue that work by sharing the Motion to Amend petition on your social media, or a group text/email to your friends and family!
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Alfonso Saldaña published Community Rights: Working Together for Real People in Announcements 2021-02-28 14:34:27 -0800
Community Rights: Working Together for Real People
Community Rights: Working Together for Real People
National Community Rights Network's (NCRN) presentation and discussion with Greg Coleridge, Move To Amend's (MTA) Outreach Director, 2/24/21
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Alfonso Saldaña published Move the 117th Congress to Amend: Campaign Progress Report in Announcements 2021-02-21 12:57:02 -0800
Move the 117th Congress to Amend: Campaign Progress Report
We're doing it, folks!
We now have 33 co-sponsors committed for the reintroduction of the #WeThePeopleAmendment as House Joint Resolution 48.
The Move the 117th Congress to Amend campaign goal is to secure 100 co-sponsorships for the #WethePeopleAmendment by March 31, 2021.
If you aren't able to sign up for this campaign, please make a donation to help us start STRONG in the new Congress!
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Alfonso Saldaña published We're here to fight for The People, no matter which party is in power in Announcements 2021-02-18 18:37:08 -0800
We're here to fight for The People, no matter which party is in power
Perhaps the most destructive lasting impact of the previous administration's legacy is just how far the bar has been lowered -- and how any criticism of our current government can now be met with "hey, at least it's not Trump!"
The past four years were not a fluke, nor an aberration. A fascistic faux-populist rising to power is but one of the consequences of a government that has lost the trust of those they represent -- a government that systematically puts profits over people, fueling the deep inequalities that are indefensible anywhere but especially in a nation as wealthy as the United States.
And right now, the deep suffering of the American people is being ignored, in the middle of an economic and public health crisis that has NOT ended with the transfer of power. We are concerned that this cycle will continue if the Biden administration does not step it up, and quickly.
WHAT WE NEED IS AN F.D.R. MOMENT...
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Alfonso Saldaña published Power concedes nothing without a demand in Announcements 2021-02-14 15:03:58 -0800
Power concedes nothing without a demand
On this day, we celebrate the chosen birthday of great orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery, Douglass never knew his actual birthdate or age -- but he remembered his mother affectionately called him "Lil Valentine" -- and after escaping slavery, Douglass chose February 14th to observe his birthday as a free man.
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Alfonso Saldaña published UPDATE: Move the 117th Congress to Amend Campaign in Announcements 2021-02-11 11:06:33 -0800
UPDATE: Move the 117th Congress to Amend Campaign
Great news!
We have already secured 25 co-sponsors for the reintroduction of the #WethePeopleAmendment as House Joint Resolution 48. The Move the 117thCongress to Amend Campaign is in full swing!
As leaders and constituents organize around the country, now is the time for YOU to plug-in. Our campaign goal is to secure 100 co-sponsorships for the #WethePeopleAmendment by March 31, 2021.
We are pleased with the initial number of Congressional members that have already committed, considering all that is happening in Congress!
However, we are aiming much higher. For that, we need YOU!
CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED
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Do We Have a "Right to Vote" in the United States?
Last week marked the 151st anniversary of the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which declares “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
While the 15th Amendment was objectively good and greatly expanded and protected voting for Black men and other previously excluded groups, there is a common misconception that it grants a universal right to vote.
It does not. There is no universal right to vote in the U.S. Constitution.
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What is Move to Amend's Position on the "For the People Act" (HR1)
Reformist legislation like H.R.1. are good in that they mitigate corruption and protect and expand voting access in the short term. But it's still playing defense. We need a long game too -- that is why it's critical that we continue to push hard for HJR48, the #WeThePeopleAmendment, in order to have genuine DEMOCRATIC POWER FOR THE PEOPLE.
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February 2021 Newsletter
In this month's newsletter:
- Let's Move the 117th Congress to Amend!
- Quick Actions for All
- Join the Movement Education Program Re-launch
- Join us as we March Toward a People's Constitution
- Community Calendar
- January Live Report Recording
- Making Sense with Move to Amend
- The REAL Democracy History Calendar
- From our Store
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Unhappy birthday
Forty-five years ago today, the Supreme Court ruled in Buckley v. Valeo (1976) that restrictions on campaign spending were a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
They really said that MONEY, which is PROPERTY, is the same as FREE SPEECH.
Most of us learned about the absurd Supreme Court doctrines of "money = speech" and "corporations are people" in 2010, when the Citizens United ruling came down.
But the Buckley v. Valeo (1976) case that set the "money = speech" precedent was not about corporations -- it was about one individual's belief that campaign finance laws were a violation of his first amendment rights to express himself.
It's important to understand that these two ridiculous doctrines existed long before Citizens United.
Citizens United is a symptom -- it is not the disease.
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Move the 117th Congress to Amend Campaign
Our campaign goal is to secure 100 co-sponsorships for the #WeThePeopleAmendment (House Joint Resolution 48) by April 30, 2021.
To achieve this goal we have identified 135 priority targets based on previous co-sponsorship of the amendment, Pledge to Amend signers, caucus membership, location (districts where Move to Amend has passed initiatives), and voting record/time in Congress.
If your Representative is not on the list below you can definitely still target them, but we suggest starting with the closest Rep to you and recruiting constituents in that District to hold a meeting with their target Representative (or their legislative staff). Either way we will help you!
Here's what you'll need to do:
- Choose which Representative you're focusing on (see below for the target list, or if your Rep isn't on the campaign target list you can elect to lobby them instead)
- Recruit 3-5 constituents to join you for the meeting
- Schedule the meeting (a Move to Amend national organizer will join you for this meeting)
- Organize a prep call to prepare
- Hold the meeting and ask your Representative to co-sponsor HJR48
- Follow up
- If they don't sign on, time to escalate your tactics! We will help you plan an appropriate action from bombarding their office with phone calls, to organizing a letter-writing campaign to dropping in at their house with Move to Amend petitions! We will work together to decide an appropriate escalation.
We'll provide you with all the tools and resources needed as well as organizing support. You can expect that this effort will take 2-5 hours a week.
Sign up below to get started!
Kickoff Call
Campaign Targets
--> View targets on spreadsheet (Google doc, opens in new window)
Sign up below to get started!
Campaign Resources
***Click on each task for related templates and instructions.
STEP 1 -- SIGN UP FIRST!
- Sign up to organize or participate in a lobby meeting on our website.
- We will follow up to connect you to our Slack organizing space and get you plugged in to the campaign
STEP 2 -- Recruit 3-5 Constituents to Commit to Join a Meeting with the Representative
- Send an email blast to the Move to Amend list asking people to sign up for the meeting
- Recruit your friends and neighbors through social media, email or text messaging
- Phonebank or text bank the Move to Amend list to ask people to commit to joining the meeting
STEP 3 -- Schedule the Meeting
STEP 4 -- Prepare for the Meeting
- Post the meeting date and time to the Move to Amend website to help promote
- Review background information about the #WeThePeopleAmendment
- Line up a Move to Amend national organizer to join you for the meeting
- Hold a prep call to review meeting roles and make sure you are each clear on what you'll say and how to make sure to get to the ask
- Send a blast to constituents on the Move to Amend list a few days in advance to ensure the office gets calls to put the #WeThePeopleAmendment on their radar before your meeting
STEP 5 -- Hold the Meeting
- Follow an agenda because you'll only have 20-30 minutes
- Take good notes, keep track of any questions you get that you can't answer on the spot and commit to follow up with the answer(s)
- Enter the details and notes to Move to Amend's national database
- Make a clear ask: Will you co-sponsor the #WeThePeopleAmendment (HJR48)?
STEP 6 -- Follow up!
- Send a thank you email with any info requests to the staffer(s) and mail a thank you note to the Representative
- Send email blasts to constituents on the Move to Amend list asking them to call each week to keep the pressure up
- In 2 weeks send an email and/or call the office and ask for response. Be persistent! Keep trying every 2-3 days until you get a response
STEP 7 -- Celebrate or Escalate!
- Often this is all it takes, especially for Representatives who agree with our goals. But if you don't have a commitment yet it is time to escalate your tactics. We will work with you to determine how to escalate appropriately, from stepping up the phone calls, to organizing a letter-writing campaign, to car parades around their office, to delivering Move to Amend petitions to their home, and more!
Ready to Sign Up?
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Alfonso Saldaña published Let's Move the 117th Congress to Amend! in Announcements 2021-01-16 10:32:50 -0800
Let's Move the 117th Congress to Amend!
Despite all of the chaos, we haven't forgotten that it is a brand new Congress!
As we watch the events unfold in the wake of the January 6th riots at the Capitol, we also remain laser-focused on our immediate goal for the first quarter of 2021:
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100 HOUSE COSPONSORS for the #WeThePeople Amendment
And we have a solid plan to get it done.
Join the 2021 Campaign Kickoff Call on Jan 21
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100 HOUSE COSPONSORS for the #WeThePeople Amendment
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Impeach Trump
If the Senate fails to convict Donald Trump for spreading falsehoods and inciting the deadly January 6th riots at the Capitol, we won't be surprised.
We have unfortunately grown accustomed to them not doing their jobs.
But that doesn't change the fact that it is critical that they convict him. Tell your Senators to act swiftly to convict Donald Trump before he leaves office.
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You're the best ❤️
From the bottom of our hearts -- thank you so much.
We are blown away at how you all came through for us. After a year like 2020 -- which was terrifying on every level, not excluding the uncertainty that our 100% grassroots-funded organization could survive the economic downturn -- we are so excited to announce that you made sure we met our fundraising goal of $25,000 and then some!!!
Which means we are 100% READY to come out swinging in this new year, to advance the #WeThePeopleAmendment in a new Congress.
WHAT'S NEXT: Join us for two trainings we are offering in January...
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Looking ahead to 2021 👀
We are ready to go because the fight is more important than it's ever been -- and the time is right. We recognize that this is a unique moment in history -- amid all of the confusion and suffering, movements are rising up everywhere, and coalescing around a larger set of demands for social, economic, and environmental justice. 2020 saw more people in the streets than at any other time in U.S. history. These are the moments where anything is possible, if we all rise up together.
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Alfonso Saldaña published Donate Now to Double Your Impact in Announcements 2020-12-27 17:59:37 -0800
Donate Now to Double Your Impact
Investing in Move to Amend is like a light in the wilderness -- a sure fire way to lift your spirits!
Our POCLAD friends are worried we aren't going to make our goal for the end of the year so they have pledged to match all contributions to Move to Amend between now and December 31, up to $10,000.
Click here to double the amount of your contribution.
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