The DWC held a training last Saturday (2/15) and during her presentation on messaging, Dee Owens quoted the third paragraph of the following excerpt from an article by Dr. George Lakoff on 9/11/11 entitled “The use of 9/11 to consolidate conservative power: Intimidation via framing”
“Democracy is defined by a simple morality: We Americans care about our fellow citizens, we act on that care and build trust, and we do our best not just for ourselves, our families, and our friends and neighbors, but for our country. Americans are called upon to share an equal responsibility to work together to secure a safe and prosperous future for their families and nations.
“The conservative consolidation of power violates this most basic of democratic principles. It replaces social and personal responsibility with personal responsibility alone. It approves of the government over our lives by corporations for their own profit, and hence sees government by, of, and for the people as immoral and to be eliminated.
“The conservative move to defund government is a means, not an end. What conservatives really want is to run the country and the world on conservative principles: to control reproduction (no abortion); to control what is taught (no public education); to control religion (conservative Christianity); to control race and language (mass deportation of Hispanics immigrants); to guarantee cheap labor (no unions); to continue white domination (no affirmative action); to continue straight domination (no gay marriage); to control markets (eliminate regulation, taxation, unions, worker rights, and tort cases); to control transportation (privatize freeways); to control elections (institute bars to voting).”

The loss of “democracy,” of the shared responsibility of citizens to and for each other and the damage that is currently being done to the value, reputation and infrastructure of our governmental institutions is going to be a lasting legacy of many of the people who currently “represent us” in the State House and on the National scene. It is going to be difficult to repair this damage and to institute change but it can be done.
The 2020 Election cycle is now in full swing both nationally and here in Monroe County. There are several contested democratic primary races this year but even in uncontested races candidates will benefit from starting early to get their messages out to voters. Now is the time for all of us to engage in our civic responsibilities which include not only the act of voting, but also ensuring that our friends are registered and able to vote, and that we are getting the education to make an informed decision about the candidates we support and vote for. 
Over the next few weeks the DWC will be interviewing candidates who seek endorsement this year and we hope to bring those recommendation to the membership to vote on at the March 6 breakfast. We will also endeavor to keep you abreast of political happenings through this newsletter and social media and encourage you to take a look at all the candidates, attend meet & greets, forums and other events that will let you know who is running for office and whether or not they are willing to share an equal responsibility to work together to secure a safe and prosperous future for all of us. See you all out there….

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

DWC ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPDATES:

The DWC is looking for up to two members to join our Endorsement Committee for 2020. You would need to be available over the next three weeks as we finalize committee organization and interview candidates who have applied for endorsement by the DWC. It’s a great way to learn more about the endorsement process and running for office. For more information or to join the committee email Carolyn VandeWiele at [email protected].

Are you creative, skilled at writing, a social media expert?? - THE DWC NEEDS YOU!! We trust you like our communications and rely on them to help keep you informed of political happenings and DWC operations. Those communications are not magically self-generating-they are an essential function of the DWC and we have a small crew of creative women who make it happen. We are looking for women to join that team and help create the Monday Morning News and our Social Media messages. It is not time consuming, and it is not difficult. Plus, for those of us who like to write and craft messages, it is actually fun! If anyone reading this newsletter has a few scant hours a month to help us out, please let us know by sending an email to [email protected]

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CANDIDATE NEWS AND EVENTS:

Volunteering for Shelli Yoder: If you are interested in volunteering to help get Shelli to the State House, please join our team by emailing Ashley Pirani at [email protected]. There are several ways for you to get involved. Some of those opportunities include canvassing, helping to write postcards, and hosting a meet and greet. They'd love to have you join them!

There will be a fundraiser for Kara Krothe For Judge on Friday, Feb. 21 at 5pm.
Click here for full information.

Note: The DWC’s mission is to recruit, fund and support pro-choice, progressive women candidates in Monroe County. For more information about candidates, candidate events and other political information that does not fall within this mission, check out, among others, the Monroe County Democratic Party Website, The Indiana Democratic Party Website and the Indiana Secretary of State's Election Division. If you don't currently get the Monroe County Democratic Party Dispatch, you can send a note to [email protected].

CANDIDATE & OTHER POLITICAL TRAININGS:

Monroe County Democratic Party:

TO BE RESCHEDULED
MCDP Training: Campaign Communications (originally scheduled for Feb. 22)
Monroe County Democratic Headquarters, 116 S. Madison St., Bloomington
MCDP will host a training for candidates, campaign staffers, and volunteers on campaign communications. Come and learn more about how to communicate with constituents to best serve your campaign!
MCDP is also planning future trainings on fundraising and using the VAN

Indiana Democratic Party

A Candidate Tool Box, Precinct Committee Person Handbook, VAN training and links to the Party’s Webinar Training Series can be found at https://www.indems.org/trainings-and-voter-file-access/

Emily’s List Webinars:

Thursday, February 20, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm Fundraising and Budgeting Best Practices  
If you want to win, you're going to need money. Campaigns are like a small business and the most successful campaigns are built on thoughtful budgets. In this webinar, we'll walk through the steps of building your campaign budget and finance plan - critical pieces of any campaign.

Thursday, March 5, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm - Introduction to Campaign Messaging
Who are you? Why are you running? Why should people support you? As a candidate, you must be able to answer these questions with confidence. In this webinar, we'll walk through how to craft your personal narrative to create a message that potential voters can trust.

National Democratic Training Committee Webinars

The NDTC has and extensive list of webinars and courses in political management, messaging and communication, fundraising, and running for office. Check out their list of courses at https://traindemocrats.org/course-catalog/

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OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The final day to register to be able to vote in the May 5 Indiana Primary is April 6.Now is a great time to double check that your voter registration is up to date - check your status at indianavoters.com

Early Voting for the Indiana Primary in Monroe County starts on April 7 - all absentee in person voting will take place at Election Central, 401 W. 7th St., Bloomington on the following dates:
April 7 - April 9 8an - 6pm
April 13 - April 17 8am - 6pm
April 20 - April 24 8am - 6pm
April 25 9am - 4pm
April 27 - May 1 8am - 6pm
May 2 9am - 4pm
May 4 8am - Noon

Upcoming National Caucuses & Primaries:
Feb. 22 Nevada Caucuses
Feb. 29 South Carolina Primary
March 3 Super Tuesday - Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Democrats Abroad, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont & Virginia

MONROE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY EVENTS AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: 
contact Taegan Bolden-Davis, Executive Director, Monroe County Democratic Party at [email protected]

BOARD AND COMMISSION OPENINGS: A great way to get involved and learn about how government works in Monroe County and Bloomington and to make a difference in your community:

CITY OF BLOOMINGTON B&Cs
The office of the City Clerk announces a vacant position on the Bloomington Commission on Sustainability. This position is available for city residents 18 years of age or older. The BCOS promotes economic development, environmental health, and social equity in the community for present and future generations. The commission gathers and disseminates information, promotes practical initiatives, and measures, monitors, and reports on the community’s progress towards sustainability. 
For information on this position, or other commissions that have vacancies at this time, contact the office of the City Clerk or check https://bloomington.in.gov/boards to see the nature of the board or commission, recent minutes and actions, and how that particular vacancy is filled.

MONROE COUNTY GOVERNMENTAL B&Cs
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners invites you to apply to serve on a Board or Commission! There are immediate openings on a number of these bodies, including: Animal Management, Environmental Commission, and the Human Rights Commission. For information on each of them, see https://www.co.monroe.in.us/boards/. The application is available in a tab at the right side of the boards page. If you have any questions, please contact Julie Thomas ([email protected]). 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO OUR MEMBERSHIP:

ACTION ITEM(s): 

1. Renew your membership in the DWC for 2020 (see below)

2. Get involved with the DWC - there are a couple of ways you can contribute beyond your membership support, one immediate and one longer term.
Endorsement Committee: we are looking for a couple of women to serve as we develop recommendations for Candidate Endorsement for the 2020 Election Cycle. This would be a three week commitment starting immediately. For more information or to volunteer contact Carolyn VandeWiele at [email protected]. 
Social Media: we are looking for women to help us maintain and keep our social media pages up to date and to contribute to writing and/or editing the Monday Morning News. A couple of our long time writers will be unavailable after this spring. This doesn’t necessarily require a major time commitment. If you’re interested please email us at [email protected]

3. Contact your senators about two important pieces of legislation that have stalled in the Senate:

VAWA: The Violence Against Women Act:
Just over 25 years ago, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA): landmark legislation designed to protect survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Considered one of our country’s most effective tools in combating gender-based violence, VAWA has earned bipartisan support since its passage. Yet last February, the law expired. 
• READ | This GQ article about how the NRA has effectively blocked VAWA’s passage.
• LISTEN | This NPR piece shares one family’s heartbreaking story of how a temporary restraining order did not stop an abuser from obtaining a firearm.
• READ | The Guardian digs deep into the epidemic of violence against Native American and Alaska Native women.
• WATCH | Samantha Bee breaks down the boyfriend loophole in this 2017 episode of Full Frontal.
• READ | The title of this Jezebel article says it all: "The NRA is Fighting Like Hell to Keep Stalkers and Abusers Armed".
The House passed an updated version of the bill—once again with bipartisan support—in early April. Under Mitch McConnell’s leadership, however, the bill has stalled in the Senate. It has become an all-too-familiar trope: Congressional Republicans are using women as partisan bargaining chips, putting the NRA and other special interest groups above all else. We know that’s not going to change. That’s why it’s absolutely critical that Democrats take back the Senate and expand our House majority in 2020. 

The Equal Rights Amendment
On February 13, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to retroactively remove a deadline that required states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) by 1982. 
The vote comes on the heels of Virginia’s historic move in January to become the 38th state to ratify the ERA. Now, three-fourths of all state legislatures have passed the ERA. 
Next, the effort to remove the ratification deadline heads to the Senate, where a similar resolution has been introduced with bipartisan support. 
Ratifying the ERA will be an uphill battle. In addition to potential opposition from Republican senators, the measure to remove the deadline also faces pressure from opponents—including Mitch McConnell, the U.S. Department of Justice, and various states that have filed lawsuits opposing ratification—who claim the 1982 cutoff should be strictly enforced. 
Enshrining gender equality in the U.S. Constitution can change this country: it would provide new avenues to push for pay equality, strengthen existing laws to protect survivors of gender-based violence, and expand reproductive rights, among other initiatives. 
Removing the ratification deadline may not be the only step we’ll have to take to ratify the ERA, but it is a crucial one.

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES

Todd Young:
https://www.young.senate.gov/contact/email-todd
(202) 224-5623

Mike Braun
https://www.braun.senate.gov/contact-mike
(202) 224-4814
(317) 822-8240

Trey Hollingsworth
https://hollingsworth.house.gov/contact/
(202) 225-5315 (U.S. House) or (812) 288-3999 (Jeffersonville Office)

BECOME A DWC MEMBER or RENEW your membership! 
The DWC is dedicated to inspiring, recruiting, training, supporting and funding women to increase the number of progressive, pro-choice women in the political arena. We ALL help with this mission, together, collectively. Make sure you have full rights and privileges of membership.
Only $20 for one year’s membership. 
Join online here: https://democraticwomenscaucus.nationbuilder.com/membership

Do you have news items? Send your items of interest to us at [email protected]
Deadline for MMN is noon on Sunday.

Paid for by DWPAC - Democratic Women's Political Action Committee
Democratic Women's Caucus
http://www.democraticwomenscaucus.org/