Rethinking The Culture Wars When You Are Winning
“If You’re Wasting Political Bandwidth Denying Lies About Yourselves, You Are Losing.” --Greg Sargent, Washington Post
QUICK READ: The GOP playbook is tired and uninspired. Most Americans don’t believe in banning books, prosecuting the parents of trans kids, or excluding Black history. They want reproductive freedom. They believe in LGBTQ rights. Rather than getting distracted by rightwing spitting lies and fury, let’s speak persuasively about our ideas—WE ARE THE MAJORITY!
TAKE ACTION NOW:
BACKGROUND
When the GOP playbook falls open to the “all-culture-wars-all-the-time” page yet again, we should be relieved. Because that strategy routinely fails to represent the majority of Americans.
A case in point: several weeks ago, a Tennessee school board voted unanimously to ban Maus, Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust. The action drew staunch criticism and propelled the work to #1 on Amazon’s best-sellers list. Comic book stores throughout the US mailed free copies to students. A GoFundMe site in Knoxville looking for $20,000 to create a small lending library raised $98,000 in days.
A recent CBS poll found that large majorities of Americans oppose banning books about history and race. 87% oppose banning books simply because they discuss race and slavery. Almost as many oppose banning books because of disagreement with the ideas within them or their critique of US history.
The fact is, most Americans do not align with the GOP’s antagonism toward critical race theory any more than they oppose LGBTQ rights, reproductive freedom, or sensible gun control measures. Rather than taking defensive positions on the culture wars, let’s ignore the GOP’s lies and distortions and take control of the conversation.
ACTION One: Call the Senate.
Script for Oregon Senators
SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753
My name is [--] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Speak out about rabid right’s attack on books. Well over 80% of Americans oppose book banning because they discuss race and slavery. Defend history.
SEN. WYDEN:
Portland office: 503-326-7525 | D.C. office: 202-224-5244
(Messages and calls are most effective if they are personal. Scripts are here to help.)
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Speak out about rabid right’s attack on books. Well over 80% of Americans oppose book banning because they discuss race and slavery. Defend history.
Script for Republican Senators
D.C switchboard: 202-224-3121
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], [state], [zip code].
Speak out about the attacks on books. Defend history.
ACTION TWO: Call the House.
Script for Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)
Oregon office: 503-469-6010 | DC office: 202-225-0855
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Speak out loudly about rabid right’s attack on books. Well over 80% of Americans oppose book banning because they discuss race and slavery. Defend history.
Script for Cliff Bentz (OR-02)
Medford office: 541-776-4646 | DC office: 202-225-6730
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Stop using the tragedy of war, which reduces children’s hospital to ruins, for your own partisan politics.
Script for Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
Oregon office: 503-231-2300 | DC office: 202-225-4811
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Speak out loudly about rabid right’s attack on books. Well over 80% of Americans oppose book banning because they discuss race and slavery. Defend history.
Script for Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
Eugene office: 541-465-6732 | DC office: 202-225-6416
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Speak out loudly about rabid right’s attack on books. Well over 80% of Americans oppose book banning because they discuss race and slavery. Defend history.
Script for Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Salem office: 503-588-9100 | DC office: 202-225-5711
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Speak out loudly about rabid right’s attack on books. Well over 80% of Americans oppose book banning because they discuss race and slavery. Defend history.
ACTION 3: Join the fight
For Ukraine. Links from Ukraine historian and author “On Tyranny,” Timothy Snyder: Yet one thing is encouraging: whenever I speak to my colleagues in Ukraine, they are all doing something. The everyday courage is astonishing. We should help if we can. When I spoke to colleagues in Poland today, I was also astonished by the swift reaction of civil society to more than a million Ukrainians refugees. I think we should affirm that impulse when we can.
Here are a few ways to help. I have made donations today and I hope you will too.
1. Ukrainian reporters are, directly or indirectly, our main source of information about this war. Many of them are at work now at risk to themselves without salaries and proper protective gear. A fund that will direct support and equipment to journalists taking risks in Ukraine is 2402. Have a look.
2. For Americans who want a tax deduction, Razom remains a good bet. This is a volunteer organization that will make good judgements about partners for humanitarian assistance. Donate to Razom here.
3. Hundreds of small Polish NGOs are assisting Ukrainian refugees now. One of them that deserves support is Homo Faber in Lublin, near where many Ukrainian refugees cross. You can help them with a bank transfer:
Name of recipient: Stowarzyszenie Homo Faber; Purpose: Ukraina; IBAN: PL 93 1940 1076 3069 8598 0000 0000; SWIFT: AGRIPLPRXXX; Name of bank: Credit Agricole Bank Polska SA, ul. Legnicka 48, 54-202 Wrocław, Polska. If you are on PayPal you might also be able to reach them that way: PayPal Stowarzyszenie Homo Faber, ul. Chopina, 41, lok. 2, 20-023 Lublin, e-mail: info@hf.org.pl.
4. People have been using Airbnb as a way to transfer money to individual Ukrainians by booking rooms they do not intend to use. If you do this, make sure the phone number of your host has a 380 prefix (country code for Ukraine) and contact the host ahead of time. Airbnb as a a company also enables people to help in another way, by offering lodging to Ukrainian refugees.
5. Canada has a large and well-organized Ukrainian diaspora, and its organizations are raising money for assistance to Ukraine. Here is the the appeal of the Canadian Red Cross.
6. To provide assistance to civilians in need, you can now donate directly by credit card to the Ukrainian Red Cross.
7. The Russian press blackout is shocking. I urge you, if you want to support Russian reporters, to fund Meduza, working from Riga.
PS: The interest in supporting the Ukrainian armed forces is consistent, so I repeat that information here.
The organization Come Back Alive concentrates on protective gear and other equipment for soldiers. You can donate using the information here.
Army SOS supplies medical equipment but also everything a soldier might need. You can donate in cryptocurrency following this link or make a bank transfer in dollars via: IBAN: UA203052990000026003016809842; SWIFT: PBANUA2XXXX; Bank: JSC CB "PRIVATBANK
You can contribute directly to the Ukrainian armed forces via credit card. If you prefer a bank transfer that information is here.
GOOD TROUBLE: Below are opportunities to fight for our democracy. As John Lewis said, go make some “good trouble.”
Find out more about Indivisible Oregon here.
LETTER WRITING PARTY - INDIVISIBLE OREGON: TUESDAY MAR 8, 11:30am-12:30pm
https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/442887/LETTER WRITING PARTY - INDIVISIBLE OREGON: SATURDAY MAR 12, 12:00pm-2:00pm
https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/442966/Fridays at 4 - Letter and Postcard Writing — Indivisible Oregon.
Learn about persuasive language and communication research at the Zoom ASO Movement Briefings every second Wednesday.
Join the campaign to hold the House and Senate at GiveNoGround.org
Work to protect democracy in the House by replacing retiring US Representative Peter DeFazio with another Democrat, replacing Democrat Kurt Schrader, the “Manchin of the House,” with a progressive, and electing a Democrat in Oregon’s new Congressional District 6.
Demand that your primary news source stop creating false equivalencies and just report the truth.
Check out the Poor People's Campaign Readies 'Massive, Nonviolent' Effort to Save Democracy
Outside of Portland? Check out COIN Oregon.
Rally inconsisent Democratic voters to vote in 2022 with Progressive Turnout Project | Feb, 2022 | Medium
FURTHER READING:
Florida House Passes ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Despite Nationwide Outcry | HuffPost Latest News
Comic Book Stores Offer To Send Free Copies Of 'Maus' To Tennessee Students | HuffPost Latest News
The Inside Story of the Banning of “Maus.” It’s Dumber Than You Think. – Mother Jones
