Dear Reader,I was pleased to hear from Moveon.org that there were a lot of people who read Lisa's blog who oppose the recall the way I do. Thanks to all of you who took the time to sign their petition against it.
If you haven't already done so, why not take one minute to go to the following link and sign up NOW.
http://Moveon.org is also involved in some very creative organizing around this issue as well as others.
Click on the link below to go to their website and print out a request for an absentee ballot form for YOUR county. Fill it out and send it in to your county registrar - they will provide the address to send it to right on the form.
http://moveon.org/pac/recall/register/They had the brilliant idea of using the idea of Flash Mobs for organizing activities like handing out these registrations. If you want to spend a couple of hours this Saturday working on this issue, check out the link below.
Well, that's all I have time for today but, I promise I'll be back with things YOU can do to make change happen.
Regards,
Bobby Lilly
In case you want to read the message they sent me today, here it is:
Dear MoveOn member, The outcome of the California recall will come down to this: the side that gets more people out to vote wins. Those behind the recall are counting on poor turnout. That's why we need to make sure that every friend, family member and colleague votes.
There is one fantastically simple way to do that: give them mail ballot request forms and make sure they complete and send them in. If everyone receiving this email did that with 10 like-minded friends, family members and colleagues, we could increase voter turnout against the recall by one million votes. Click below to print out your mail ballot request forms:
http://moveon.org/pac/recall/register/
Mail voting is critical to beating the recall. More than half of normal polling places will be closed in this election due to time constraints, making many voters much less likely to get to a voting booth on October 7. Voting by mail is the answer.
This Saturday we're kicking off our vote by mail campaign with something fun. We're going to gather in groups of 30 to 50 volunteers across the state to hand out ballot request forms and information in our communities. In one day we will help tens of thousands to vote. We could change the outcome of the recall election on Saturday. Click here to learn more and to pick a place for a gathering in your area:
http://action.moveon.org/
Some of you have asked for help in those important conversations with your friends and family about the recall. Unfortunately, some of the most sensible and powerful arguments against the recall have been lost in the media circus. That's exactly why it is so important to talk about the recall with those who respect your opinion. Below are some points to help.
10 Reasons Why the Recall is Wrong:
A single congressman brought us the recall with $1.7 million of his own money -- while simultaneously putting himself forward as the man to replace the governor.
The recall threatens to give California a governor elected by a tiny percentage of the electorate -- and gives wealthy individuals an unprecedented opportunity to attempt to buy the governorship.
It threatens to invalidate a fair election just months after it took place.
It sets a dangerous precedent -- if it succeeds why wouldn't opponents attempt to recall every future governor?
It's expensive: The recall election itself will cost over $60 million.
It prevents our elected leaders from working to solve the state budget crisis and other important issues by forcing them to campaign to defend the results of a fair election.
The cost to the economy is too great: a successful recall would cause enormous economic instability and loss of confidence.
This won't stop in California: 18 states have recall provisions. Unless the California recall is decisively rejected, sore losers in others states will continue to use this tactic.
The recall threatens California’s environment. Governor Davis has made important improvements to environmental law. Polluters see the recall as a chance for roll-back.
Gray Davis has made important gains in education, health care, the environment and public safety. The recall is an attempt to reverse those advances.
Please help your friends and family to vote by printing out a mail ballot request form here:
http://moveon.org/pac/recall/register/
And please join us this Saturday at events across the state to help us distribute tens of thousands of mail ballot request forms:
http://action.moveon.org/
Thank you,
--Carrie, Eli, Joan, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack
The MoveOn Team
September 10th, 2003
PS: Nearly 100,000 Californian MoveOn members have taken our pledge to talk to friends and family about the recall. If you haven't signed the pledge, please help us reach our goal of 100,000 signers by Friday by clicking here:
http://moveon.org/pac/recall/
Also: Thanks to the participation of MoveOn members in our Defend Democracy campaign, the mainstream media is beginning to connect the dots between impeachment, Florida, Texas and the California recall. This New York Times editorial is just one example:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/09/opinion/09TUE4.html
"The more the G.O.P. persists in this, the more it hands the Democrats traction for their charge that Republicans are mischievously specializing -- as in the California recall -- in undoing normal elective processes."
