We hope everyone had a safe, warm and happy Thanksgiving. The weather certainly cooperated. But now it's on to year end. Will the government shut down? Will Mueller's team drop additional bombshells? Can we survive this parody of American politics until December 31st and at least say we survived a year? (Not that it matters much. Life in this ever-changing fresh hell will go on...)

But no need for despair. There is still much we can do at the local level, especially to begin preparing for local elections in 2018 and 2019. So start thinking now about offices that are up for election and how you can help candidates who support the mission of the DWC. We offer many ways to get you started in this newsletter.  Off we go!

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For the second week in a row we’ve been inspired by a rousing speech by a woman… Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes was the keynote speaker at last week’s 2017 Democratic Dinner and stirred up the crowd in the style of an old time revival. She encouraged us to rise and organize, to listen to each other and to be inclusive as a group and united as a party. She gave credit to the stalwarts of the party and encouragement to the youth that represent our future. We left the dinner energized, excited and ready to continue the fight.
The victories around the country on Nov. 7 were important and welcome but we should not be complacent. We must continue to speak out about the things that bother us and that we would like to change. And we must continue to listen and be responsive to constituents in order to make future gains.
It won’t be an easy fight. In Alabama, Roy Moore continues to run neck and neck with Doug Jones despite the fact that only one of those candidates has any fitness to serve in office. Our country remains polarized and angry, civil discourse is at a low and our national and state governments are working hard against the little guy to benefit the 1%.
Here in Monroe County we are lucky to have so many groups that are focused on working to improve the lives of our citizens and put good candidates in office. Groups like Rise to Run, Your Voice Matters and our own DWC are moving to field, train and support candidates that will truly represent us. Election Day 2017 is over… the march to the next election begins. Run, volunteer, question, support, fund, train, educate…. rise and organize!!

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November breakfast will feature Karlee Macer, Indiana's State Representative from District 92

Please join us for the DWC's monthly breakfast this Friday, November 3rd, where our speaker will be State Representative Karlee Macer. Karlee is a resident and native of Wayne Township on the west side of Indianapolis. She serves as a board member on the Wayne Township Education Foundation and is the former president of the 40 West Business Association. Karlee and her husband also have two young children. In her "spare" time, Karlee leads the sales and marketing department at the Harrison Retirement Community. She will be an inspiration to all of us so we hope to see you Friday!

A safe and Happy Halloween to all, and let's hope Trump gets his own big Halloween SCARE from Mueller!

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If you were on the computer at all in last week it was almost impossible to miss the words “Me Too” as you scrolled through your social media accounts. Looking through my friends accounts of all the ways that they have experienced sexual harassment and sexual assault in their lives made for some very sober reading. The “Me Too” campaign was started ten years ago by activist Tarana Burke with the aim of unifying those who’ve been victimized by sexual violence, particularly for women of color. Social media has made it easier to spread the word and share stories about a problem that has existed for time immemorial.
And there have been so many more attacks on women’s lives in the last months that one finds it hard to keep up. Attacks on reproductive rights, contraception, Planned Parenthood, the ACA, Social Security, Medicare, WIC, CHIP, Meals on Wheels and other social programs all affect, or will affect, women’s lives in many ways.
On the political scene Congresswoman Frederica Wilson was the latest victim of a smear campaign by various members of the Trump administration. In general we have watched as democratic and progressive politicians, and women politicians in particular, have been maligned and denigrated for doing their jobs, stating the truth, standing up for all their constituents and supporting programs that make all of our lives better.
It has been heartening to see the resistance movement grow. Locally, canvassers for the “Your Voice Matters” campaign report that citizens are engaged and want better than they are getting. On the national front, the upcoming election in Virginia is the next big battleground. We must find ways to continue the momentum and the gains in state and local legislatures that we have seen over the past few months. We also need to find ways to support each other, minimize the effects of the damage that has already been done and keep the fight going strong. We welcome your thoughts, ideas and voices as we head towards 2018.

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UPDATE:
Breakfast meeting attendees heard some ideas about how to start a campaign for office. Tips for organizing, funding, and conducting a run for public office were discussed, and members who had run for office added some personal tips. There are any number of offices open for next year, at all levels of government from township board through Senator.  Slots on the ballot in May will include all Democratic Precinct Committeepersons, and delegate slots for the Indiana State Convention (June 15-16, 2018 in Indianapolis) where we'll nominate the Democratic candidates for Secretary of State, State Auditor and State Treasurer.  Filing begins on January 10th and ends at NOON on February 9th. 

Our Women in Politics Cocktail Hour, a little more casual in nature, focused more on the problems that women have in running. Local women who have run shared some of their experiences --some funny, some shocking, all particular to women's candidacies.  Attendees were presented with a goodie bag from member Matthew Metz. He brought these back from Columbus from the United State of Women conference, and we thank him for the T-shirts, and campaign books!

We'll be planning more training, longer sessions targeted toward specific aspects of running and managing a campaign, as the fall continues.  Watch for Circuit Training in January.

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Please plan to join us for breakfast on Friday, October 6th at 7:30am at the Village Deli.
So You Want to Run for Office?

Whether you are interested for yourself, or for a friend that you think would make a great public servant, there are several things you need to consider before running (or persuading your friend to run). We'll cover these things from what motivates women to run for office, to initial steps, to protocol, things to NOT do, things TO do, with some things you absolutely MUST do.  

In 2018 there will be more slots on the local ballot than other election years. There will be 84 slots for Democratic Precinct Committeeperson and 44 slots for township governments (one trustee and three board members for each of 11 townships in Monroe County).  And that doesn't consider the county council seats, county commissioner seat, judgeships, prosecutor, clerk, recorder, and sheriff positions that are up for Monroe County. There are also some school board positions that will be elected, although remember those people do not run by political party.

We also plan to have the same program at a Women In Politics Cocktail Hour that evening at 5:30 pm at Truffles in Jackson Creek Shopping Center.
So that we will have enough materials for everyone, please send a note to [email protected] to let us know you are coming to breakfast or cocktails and if you'll be bringing that potential candidate friend with you! 

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On Thursday the DWC’s Amanda Barge and Shelli Yoder will join other Monroe County Government officials and health experts in a summit to address the growing crisis of opioid dependence in our community and throughout South Central Indiana. Addiction to opioid pain medications and heroin destroys lives, tears apart families, blights communities, and places tremendous strains on the criminal justice and public health systems. Intravenous opioid use lies at the root of the tragic HIV outbreak in Scott County.

Infuriatingly, as Monroe County comes together to discuss how we as a community can help our fellow Hoosiers suffering from the disease of addiction, the president and his Republican enablers in the Senate are determined to ram through Graham-Cassidy. This bill threatens drastic cuts to Medicaid—a major source of funding for addiction treatment. Denied access to Medicaid-funded anti-addiction drugs and counseling, many low-income patients and their families would face a hopeless future.  

As we look forward to learning from the summit how best to prevent and treat opioid dependence, we must fight NOW to protect the ACA. See this week’s action item below. Call Senators Donnelly and Young and demand that they vote no on Graham-Cassidy.

A recent snapshot of local government—your DWC-endorsed county councilors at work. From left: Cheryl Munson, Shelli Yoder, Lee Jones.


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Stop Cassidy-Graham, Help Stabilize the Insurance Markets and Save CHIP!

by DWC member Nancy Hutchens

Medicare for All is getting a lot of the attention from activists this week, but right now, today, we have to mobilize to not let Senate Republicans push through the Cassidy-Graham Bill.  This is the last repeal and replace Obamacare bill standing and is actually worse than either the House or Senate repeal bills.  
     The Center for Budget Policy and Priorities estimates more people would lose coverage than a straight repeal (and that's 32 million!).  McConnell has asked the Congressional Budget Office to rush a markup so they can get it up for a vote.  
     It has to pass by September 30th to qualify under reconciliation (which only requires 50 senate votes--Pence would be the tie breaker).  
It is estimated that 48 senators are on board.  (We can't count on McCain who is BFF with Lindsay Graham!)
This bill would make the ACA a block grant administered by the states and has no provision for pre-existing conditions.   
We can't take our eye off of this! 
Here's a link to contact GOP Senators: https://trumpcaretoolkit.org/.  
In addition, phone both Senator Donnelly ( 202-224-4814) and Senator Young (202-224-5623) and tell them this is unacceptable.  
     Also, ask them to support: the bills coming out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP Committee) to stabilize the insurance markets and the Senate Finance Committee to extend funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) more than one year. CHIP has given low-income kids heath care for decades and it is due to expire. 

RISE TO RUN brings scores to City Hall

Mayor John Hamilton welcomed young women to the Kickoff Event of Rise to Run. He noted that the future would be bright as young persons used their creativity to work on local issues. He encouraged women to rise to their potential. Young, Local, Female.

Kentucky State Representative Attica Woodson Scott addressed the gathering and encouraged them to run for office. Her story was one of support from other women who helped her campaign with on-the-ground work, urging her and buoying her up all the way. Representative Scott was in the very first class of Emerge Kentucky, a training program for pro-choice Democratic women, and hasn't looked back since!

Several DWC members, Julie Thomas, Shelli Yoder, Amanda Barge, and Nicole Browne joined by Dana Black from Indianapolis, Diana O'Brien, professor of political science at IUB, and Representative Scott in a discussion of problems women encounter in running, overcoming those obstacles, and talked about mentoring and support during campaigns. Young women had a chance to chat with these women over snacks afterwards.

Joining the Rise to Run Bloomington Hub was Eileen Soffer of the national R2R board. She came all the way from CA for this kickoff event, one of only four at this time in the US.  More hubs will develop soon, and the goal of the national group is to have a hub in every state by 2020, the 100th Anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment.  

To connect a young woman, high school, college or graduate student with Rise to Run Bloomington, email Rachel Guglielmo at [email protected] or Regina Moore at [email protected]

Above: Kentucky State Representative and Rise to Run Trailblazer Attica Woodson Scott addressed young women to encourage them to seriously consider careers in public service as elected officials. Below: Panel members (l to r) Representative Attica Scott, County Clerk Nicole Browne, Professor Diana O'Brien, IDP Deputy Chair Dana Black, Commissioner Amanda Barge, County Council member Shelli Yoder, Commissioner Julie Thomas moderator.


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We know it's on everyone's minds. So many of us have friends and relatives in Texas, Florida, the burning west, and affected nearby states. Creatures in part of global warming, voracious fires and monster storms are a problem our country must take steps to address IMMEDIATELY because they are only going to get worse and more frequent. And they are affecting so many of our citizens--especially the most vulnerable, our economy, and our future survival. Please take a few moments to think about how we can change the path we are on as a country and a society. How about advocating for changing our development and zoning practices where nature continues to defy us. How about spreading the message and electing officials who believe global warming is partly human caused and are willing to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! 
Remember--change starts locally!

Images below of the Oroville fire, Irma (yesterday), and the aftermath of Harvey:

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In honor of Labor Day, we usually revisit stories of Frances Perkins, Mother Jones, Lilly Ledbetter and the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire -- all major contributors to the history of women in the labor movement. But how many other women labor leaders do you know?
This page from the Zinn Education Project should give you a whole day of reading! Enjoy, discover some new names and stories!
https://zinnedproject.org/materials/women-in-labor-history/

Breakfast Meeting Re-cap
     At our breakfast meeting on Friday, one of the updates we received was from Moms Demand Action State Coordinator and DWC member Rachel Guglielmo. She and other Moms members had attended the summer study committee on Permitless Carry, AKA Constitutional Carry.
     Rachel noted that Jim Lucas (R-Seymour) and a few other very pro-NRA representatives have proposed bills on permitless carry for the past several years, so far without success; this year the proposal was referred to summer study committee for consideration and possible referral to the full legislature during the 2018 session. If enacted into law, permitless carry would eliminate the existing requirement that an individual apply for a permit to carry a loaded handgun in public. Without the permitting requirement, law enforcement would be unable to vet individuals based on age, felony convictions, record of domestic abuse, serious mental illness, or history of drug or alcohol abuse.
     At the first meeting of the summer study committee on August 22^nd, representatives of the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police, Indiana’s Fraternal Order of Police, and the Indiana Sheriff’s Association testified AGAINST this proposal. They stated that the current permitting requirement works, citing 3,000 denials of permits to prohibited purchasers last year.  Representatives of these organizations unanimously asserted that handgun permitting protects Hoosiers by preventing dangerous people from carrying guns in public.
     Following the meeting, Rep. Lucas used social media to accuse Indiana law enforcement organizations of being against ‘returning to the Constitution’ on the basis of their testimony in support of the state permitting system.  He claimed that the permitting requirement places an undue burden on citizens who have to take a day off work to apply for a permit and get fingerprinted to “prove their innocence”; he also objected to the cost of the permit (currently $125 for a lifetime permit).
      You may remember that in 2014 the state passed a law that allowed guns in locked vehicles in school parking lots and then in 2015 the state legalized sawed off shotguns. Repealing the permitting requirement would constitute a further step toward dangerous deregulation of gun ownership in our state.
     The next meeting of the permitless carry summer study committee will be held at the Statehouse on September 7^th at 10am. Testimony from any responsible gun owners/NRA members in this group in favor of retaining our permitting process would be extremely useful, but everyone's presence is encouraged.
     If you can't make it to Indy on the 7^th, please call or email the chair of this committee, Senator Bray (317-232-9400; [email protected]) and let him know that it's just common sense to require people who want to carry a loaded handgun in public to obtain a permit first.
     If you need more information, or would be interested in carpooling to the committee meeting on the 7^th, please contact Rachel at: [email protected]

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Constitution 101.  Held on 6 Thursday evenings starting October 5th
     Sounds elemental, right? Well, actually not. The League of Women Voters and the Monroe County Public Library are combining to present a 6 week program studying the Constitution as a founding document. This program has limited seating to allow for the dialogue between participants and instructor, Robert Lemming, National Director of the We the People Program for the Center for Civic Education, Civic Education Consultant for the Indiana Bar Foundation, and Professor of Graduate Studies at Kansas State University.
Information and registration is at the link below.
If you know you can't be present for all 6 weeks, it would be better to allow someone else to take that place.
http://mcpl.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=56813

Hoosier Women Forward 
Senator Vi Simpson and former Lt. Gov Kathy Davis took the opportunity of a women's caucus meeting at IDEA at French Lick to announce the Hoosier Women Forward political and civic leadership program for Democratic women. The mission is to increase the number and influence of Democratic women in elected and appointed governmental positions, and in positions of influence in their communities and the private sector. 
     The goals were stated to empower Democratic women to become more active, confident, and value participants in politics and community leadership; to grow a powerful network of engaged Democratic women across Indiana; to develop Democratic women to run for office at the local, state and federal levels; and to increase the number of Hoosier Democratic women of influence in every level of government and in seats at the tables where decisions are made. There will be a group of about 20 outstanding Democratic women who will be selected to participate in this nine month leadership program. The initial application process will begin next spring in June 2018 and the first class will be seated in August of 2018. Look for a website coming soon, and we'll keep you as informed on this program as more news develops. 

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