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Our Revolution Weighs in on to Historic Protest Vote in Washington State

By Homepage, Policy Fights

Our Revolution – America’s largest progressive political action organization – is proud to stand in solidarity with American Muslim Advancement Council, UFCW Local 3000, Seattle DSA, LTM and others who helped power the Washington Uncommitted campaign.

In Washington’s primary, Our Revolution went all-out to mobilize our 132,000 supporters by phone, text, and email.  We also teamed up with Dep. Mayo Rami Al-Kabra of Bothell, WA, to record a robodial message heard by tens of thousands of voters as they got ready to head to the polls. 

Because of our coalition’s collective work, almost 10% of WA primary voters cast a protest vote against President Biden’s complicity in Netanayhu’s brutal war targeting civilians in Gaza. 

And that means nationally, nearly half a million progressive primary voters across the country have used their ballots to send Biden a message:  Change course now on Gaza or cede the White House and the future of American democracy to Trump. 

We see that our pressure campaign for Peace, here and in key battleground states like Michigan Minnesota and NC, is working. President Biden is now calling for a temporary ceasefire and signaled willingness to condition aid to Israel

These are words – not action.  In order to shore up the progressive vote, Biden must secure a permanent ceasefire by any means necessary.   

And until he does, Our Revolution will continue to show up, speak out, and carry our pro-peace movement to Wisconsin and beyond. 

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SOTU: Our mobilization for peace is working. Now we’re bringing it to Washington state.

By Homepage, Policy Fights

From mobilizing more than 375,000 votes for Peace in Michigan and the Super Tuesday primaries to hearing President Biden call for a temporary “Ceasefire” and more aid for Gaza at the State of the Union — it’s been a big week in progressive politics.

Biden acknowledged in his speech Thursday that the 30,000 people killed in Gaza are primarily innocent civilians, and said he will be “working nonstop to establish an immediate ceasefire to last 6 weeks to get all the hostages released.. and build toward something more enduring.”

This is a start. But, while he’s looking to set up a pier on the coast of Gaza to deliver more food, medicine, and aid to the Palestinian people, what he did not announce was an end to U.S. support and weapons fueling Netanyahu’s War on Gaza.

That’s why we must keep up the drum beat for a true and lasting Peace. We need a permanent ceasefire ASAP.

The Uncommitted Vote is gaining momentum state by state — from Michigan to Minnesota to North Carolina, voters are sending a clear message to President Biden:  End  unconditional support for Netanyahu and broker a permanent ceasefire

Our grassroots supporters and activists have helped turnout more than 375,000 votes across the country in just over a week. And, this Tuesday is Washington state’s chance to be the next megaphone for Peace!

Our Revolution is mobilizing our 132,000 supporters in Washington to get out the vote for ‘Uncommitted Delegates’ to urge Biden to change course on Gaza and save lives.

As Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese told CalMatters this week, this shift is also necessary for Biden to realign with the young voters, progressives, and voters of color who won him the White House in 2020.

“Coming off the momentum generated in Michigan, we need to continue lifting up our voices and sending a clear message to President Biden—we need a ceasefire now,” Joseph told The Daily Beast. “If he doesn’t change course, he will be putting our Democracy at risk.”

Let’s maintain our momentum – adding more “Uncommitted” votes from Washington State to the overall tally will send a powerful message:  President Biden must realign with the values of the base or risk losing peace voters in November.

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Our Rev. Director calls on Biden to change course on Gaza

By Homepage, Policy Fights

Ahead of the Michigan primary, Our Revolution leader Joseph Geevarghese is speaking to the nation about why Biden must change course on Gaza to seek peace, save lives, and earn back trust from the coalition he’ll need to defeat Trump in November.

“The carnage in Gaza needs to end. The president must be a peacemaker. And, we must defeat Trump in November,” Geevarghese said. “It all starts with making progressive voices heard in the primaries in Michigan and beyond.”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL PIECE

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Our Revolution makes Michigan a megaphone for Peace

By Homepage, Policy Fights

Our Revolution is joined by Rashida Tlaib and former Congressman Andy Levin in this call to get progressives to ‘Vote Uncommitted’ as a push for Peace in the Michigan presidential primary on Feb. 27th.

We must send a clear message directly to the Biden campaign:  Change course NOW on Gaza or else risk losing Michigan to Trump in November.

If you’re in Michigan, pledge here to Vote Uncommitted on Tuesday!

 

“Our Revolution is throwing its weight behind the movement to vote Uncommitted in Michigan’s Democratic primary, seeking to pressure President Biden into changing his approach to the war between Israel and Hamas,” wrote the New York Times.

“It’s a strategic opportunity to send a signal to the president that he’s got to change course,” Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese told CBS News.

This effort intends to “realign with the values of his base, including young voters, voters of color, and Michigan’s significant Arab-American population,” reported John Nichols in The Nation.

“Months of protests and activism in cities across the country continue to be ignored, and this latest veto (of the UN ceasefire resolution) shows exactly why it’s imperative for voters to send a message to the Biden administration at the ballot box,” Joseph told The Hill.

“With just a few days until the Michigan primary vote, Biden’s blockade of the cease-fire resolution will only intensify the outrage and galvanize pro-peace voices to vote ‘uncommitted’ to make their voices heard,” Joseph said.

Our Revolution organizers are making calls, sending texts, and emailing 87,000 our members in Michigan — chip in so we can reach as many Michigan voters as possible.

The grassroots has already chipped in $12,000 for this project, but we need to raise $20,000. Can you make a donation now to help us close the gap? Thank you for being a voice for Peace! 

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Urge Biden to Protect Forests

By Policy Fights, Take Action

Our Revolution has joined forces with a coalition calling on President Biden to use executive action to halt the devastation caused by logging old-growth forests.

Old-growth forests provide irreplaceable ecosystems to countless endangered species and are key to climate change mitigation — and 95% have been destroyed forever.

This is another tragic case of corporate interests dominating all other stakeholders and capturing government policy to serve their bottom line at the expense of the rest of us.

Sign your name now to urge President Biden use his executive authority to protect these forests before it’s too late.

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Bernie Votes No on Israel Funding

By Homepage, Policy Fights

The Senate Democratic caucus just voted in support of $14 billion in funding for Israel. But not Bernie. Bernie stood firmly against continued U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians.

AIPAC is a big reason why support for Netanyahu’s war is so strong on Capitol Hill and in the White House. And AIPAC has promised to spend $100 million against pro-Peace progressives like Bernie, Barbara Lee, Rashida Tlaib, Pramila Jayapal, AOC, and Summer Lee in 2024.

AIPAC donates to both corporate Democrats and insurrectionists, and they’re funded by right-wing billionaires and Trump mega-donors. We have beat big money before and we can do it again.

Chip in today to directly support our work to defend and expand the progressive caucus against $100,000,000 of AIPAC spending. We’re counting on your support!

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Reducing the Threat of Nuclear War

By January 20, 2024, Policy Fights

Last weekend, Our Revolution played a major role in this year’s Reducing the Threat of Nuclear War Conference — one of the nation’s most significant gatherings of Nuclear Disarmament advocates, led by Massachusetts Peace Action.

Joining the discussion with leading peace advocates from around the country were U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna and Our Revolution Board Chair Larry Cohen, who spoke to the need to defend and expand progressive representation in Congress in order to advance an agenda for peace. 

“We can’t just elect Democrats who support a bloated military budget,” Larry said. “And, this isn’t just about a single issue, but the need for a coalitional politics that stands for real change.”

As a member of Congress who has repeatedly voted against the Pentagon budget, opposed new rounds of nukes, and more , Ro Khanna is an important voice against militarism. 

Ro worked with Bernie Sanders to pass the first War Powers resolution to bring the war in Yemen to a close. During the call, he dug into the details of why he is calling on President Biden to abide by the resolution following dozens of American and UK strikes in Yemen last week.

“We can’t have a president of either party getting us involved in another Middle East conflict,” Ro said. “I’ve spoken for Ceasefire for humanitarian reasons: children are being killed, the possibility of famine, the release of hostages.”

“But there are also regional reasons for deescalation,” he explained, “so we don’t expand into Yemen and prevent a wider war in the Middle East. I view this as an urgent task for members of Congress, particularly the Congressional Progressive Caucus, to get us to a point of ceasefire in Gaza.”

Merkley spoke to how the current Senate is broken, gridlocked, and a threat to the foundations of our democracy. He explained how the minority party can just declare a “no talk” filibuster requiring 60 votes to pass nearly any bill, and have veto power over the majority’s agenda — all behind closed doors.

“The filibuster is used by the powerful to block progress on every issue – from democracy reforms to climate legislation,” Merkley said. “No matter what aspect of the progressive movement you’re passionate about, we need to push Congress to fix this.”

We were also joined by Mike Zamore, who served as Sen. Merkley’s chief of staff from the beginning and co-authored their new book “Filibustered: How to Fix the Broken Senate and Save America.”

“The filibuster is perfect for the Republicans, it’s ‘heads I win, tails you lose,’” Zamore said. “We can’t build power when we’re hamstrung by the filibuster. It’s not just policies that get blocked, it’s us and our power and our ability to show that our vision of America is worth fighting for.”

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee has been on the forefront calling for a Ceasefire and we all remember how she stood alone to vote against giving George W. Bush unilateral power to go into war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Wherever I am or what platform I have, I’m going to fight for peace and security for people no matter where they live — Gaza, Ukraine, and our own communities,” Barbara told Our Revolution.

“I don’t believe in taking our resources and tax dollars to enrich arms dealers that are scamming the system and creating war,” she said.

Check out this LA Times article on why Barbara is the Peace Candidate in this race compared to her opponents, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff, then sign up at the link below to help elect Barbara Lee to the U.S. Senate!

JOIN PROGRESSIVES FOR BARBARA LEE

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The Filibuster Town Hall

By January 20, 2024, Policy Fights

Last week, we took a deep dive into the filibuster and democracy with U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee on Our Revolution’s LIVE National Organize-to-Win Call.

Progressives are leading the fight for a government and an economy that works for all of us — that means ending the racist relic of the filibuster and delivering material change for people’s lives.

Merkley spoke to how the current Senate is broken, gridlocked, and a threat to the foundations of our democracy. He explained how the minority party can just declare a “no talk” filibuster requiring 60 votes to pass nearly any bill, and have veto power over the majority’s agenda — all behind closed doors.

“The filibuster is used by the powerful to block progress on every issue – from democracy reforms to climate legislation,” Merkley said. “No matter what aspect of the progressive movement you’re passionate about, we need to push Congress to fix this.”

We were also joined by Mike Zamore, who served as Sen. Merkley’s chief of staff from the beginning and co-authored their new book “Filibustered: How to Fix the Broken Senate and Save America.”

“The filibuster is perfect for the Republicans, it’s ‘heads I win, tails you lose,’” Zamore said. “We can’t build power when we’re hamstrung by the filibuster. It’s not just policies that get blocked, it’s us and our power and our ability to show that our vision of America is worth fighting for.”

Barbara Lee gave powerful insights into the institutional racism from which the filibuster emerged — and how we must fight back.

“This is one of the fights we have to make if we’re going to defend our democracy and our freedoms,” she told us. “I’ve said this for years — a lot of people think it’s a law, but any rule that is established to discriminate against African Americans has got to be awful.”

Rep. Lee said she intends to join Sen. Merkley in the Senate so, together, they can work together and work with our outside movement to fix the filibuster and deliver policy that saves lives in America.

Don’t miss this final opportunity to get your signed copy of Sen. Merkley’s and Mr. Zamore’s new book “Filibustered: How to Fix the Broken Senate and Save America” — skip Amazon and buy it through Our Revolution here to help support this movement!

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Democracy is Not for Sale Movement Call

By January 20, 2024, Policy Fights

On Thursday, Bernie Sanders joined us for the Democracy is Not for Sale Movement Call to discuss the critical need to overturn Citizens United — this month marks 14 years since the disastrous Supreme Court ruling that unleashed a flood of Big Money in politics. 

“Corporations are not people and money is not speech,” Bernie said. “The forces against us in the fight to overturn Citizens United are, by definition, extremely wealthy and extremely powerful, but let me emphasize that they are the 1% and we are the 99%. 

“It’s time my colleagues in DC understand that our government and our economy must work for all of us, not just the billionaire class,” he said.

Our movement has been crucial to engaging the 99% in politics to elect progressives and mount pressure on politicians to represent us, not the 1%. Become a recurring monthly member of Our Revolution or give a one-time donation today to empower our collective voice.

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The Peace Town Hall

By Homepage, Policy Fights

On Thursday, U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee and Rashida Tlaib joined Our Revolution activists from around the country for a powerful discussion on the urgent need for a Ceasefire at our Peace for All Town Hall.

WATCH THE TOWN HALL HERE

Not only did we lift up the call for Peace, but we dug into real diplomatic and legislative solutions — including Bernie’s call to halt more than $10 billion in military funding for the rightwing Netanyahu government.

We hope you’ll add your voice to stand with Bernie and show the strength of our demand:  The U.S. government must stop using our tax money to fund this brutal war against the Palestinian people. Not one more dollar.

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U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee has been on the forefront calling for a Ceasefire and is one the most courageous anti-war advocates in all of Congress — just one of many reasons Our Revolution is working so hard to elect her to the Senate.

Jewish Insider mentioned Barbara’s “unequivocal ceasefire in Gaza” and how it’s garnering progressive support in their reporting on Our Revolution’s Peace for All Town Hall.

Barbara has actually visited refugee camps in the Middle East and nearly stepped on a cluster bomb in Lebanon — later, finding a bomb casing that read “Made in the USA.”

“I came to understand the dynamics and the United State’s role in the Middle East,” she said. “And, since then, wherever I am or what platform I have, I’m going to fight for peace and security for people no matter where they live — Gaza, Ukraine, and our own communities.”

“I believe in security, but I don’t believe in taking our resources and tax dollars to enrich arms dealers that are scamming the system and creating war,” Barbara told us.

We all know about Barbara’s lone vote in Congress against the authorization to give President Bush nearly unlimited war powers to go into the disastrous conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan — a vote that resulted in death threats at the time but was vindicated by history.

But Barbara is also the only candidate running for Senate in California who voted against the PATRIOT Act and drone strikes in Libya — and always votes to slash the bloated Pentagon budget. She also serves as co-chair of the Global Peace and Security Task Force in the Progressive Caucus.

Our Revolution was proud to announce our endorsement of U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib we’ve had her back since the beginning, and we’re going to fight against the dark money targeting her in her race for re-election in 2024.

Rashida is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and one of our most fearless progressive leaders in Congress — always standing on principle for peace, people, and planet no matter the cost.

Rashida was recently censured by her rightwing colleagues in the House of Representatives for her outspoken advocacy for the Ceasefire — but she’s not backing down!

“This is about speaking truth to power no matter if our voice is shaking,” she told our Peace Town Hall on Thursday. “We can’t stop fighting to save lives. The answer to war crimes is not more war crimes.”

The Resolution for a Ceasefire introduced by Rep. Tlaib and Rep. Cori Bush has grown in support from 13 to more than 60 members of Congress and we must keep going.

Rashida emphasized the importance of outside organizing to pressure elected leaders to do the right thing. “Every time I see all of you out there — whether it’s rallying or standing outside district office or making calls to your reps — it all makes a difference and it just makes me cry,” she said, welling up with tears.

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