The Gov Hub: August 28, 2023

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Gov Hub
August 28, 2023

Welcome to The Gov Hub Newsletter by Girl and the Gov®. This weekly pop of politics is designed to share action items, resources, and quick links to civic engagement tools and topics to inboxes far and wide. Typos included free of charge.

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THE ACTION ITEMS

Jump right in

ACTION 1:

The Ask: Tell your [federal] reps to co-sponsor and pass the IDs for an Inclusive Democracy Act.

The Action: Copy & paste your preferred pre-written note to your rep, fill in the blanks, and hit send via Democracy.io.

The Background: IDs are a critical piece of life infrastructure that enables people to be able to do everything from apply to jobs to receive health benefits to obtaining a lease. Yet despite their essential nature, an estimated 21 million Americans don’t have an ID, making everything listed above and beyond [ex: opening a bank account] virtually impossible. And getting an ID isn’t an easy feat either – they’re incredibly cost prohibitive and inaccessible [ex: if the closest DMV is an hour away and you don’t have a car, and there isn’t access to public transportation, how are you getting there? And then if there is public transit, can you afford it in addition to the ID?] Cue, the IDs for an Inclusive Democracy Act, which comes as a result of years of work from Project ID Action Fund and its founder, Kat Calvin. The Act if passed would provide a free federal ID to all Americans, opening the door to basic services and beyond. To get up on the groundwork, check out one of Girl and the Gov, The Podcast’s very first episodes with Kat – or stay tuned for the part two episode that’ll drop in September, along with Kat’s book on the topic.

ACTION 2:

The Ask: Tell your reps that you support BlueGreen Alliance’s Solidarity for Climate Action.

The Action: Hit send on this pre-written note from BlueGreen Alliance.

The Background: Two besties that have long been kept apart like Romeo and Juliet – labor and environmentalists – have come together in a marriage of the minds via the BlueGreen Alliance. And low key this bestie pair makes a lot of sense – tune in here if you’re like wait, do we ship??? Once you do, the united vision that puts labor and enviro partners in the same room and pushing for the same agenda will make a lot of sense. That agenda comes to life in the Solidarity for Climate Action plan, which looks to solve the dual crises of climate change and economic inequality. Its vision is to achieve this by growing unions across the country including in the clean tech sectors, building more resilient infrastructure, hitting a goal of net zero emissions by 2050, ensuring safe workplaces and conditions for the communities businesses operate in, and so much more.

ACTION 3: Boise, Idaho

The Ask: Tell the Boise School Board to make a permanent student-held position on the Boise School Board.

The Action: Copy and paste this letter written by the team at BABE VOTE, and email it to [email protected].

The Background: What’s a school board without student representation? Incomplete. Shiva Rajbhandari, a high school senior who ran and won a seat on the Boise, Idaho School Board wants to make student representation on the board a guarantee by creating a position that makes sure student voices are heard on the issues that impact them directly. However, Shiva’s current board colleagues have turned his proposal to make a student position on the board down twice. Apparently, they really are that scared of students and their opinions. Time to tell ‘em to reconsider and to make a permanent student position on the board a reality.

ACTION 4: Brought to you by Senate Majority PAC

The Ask: Show support for Democratic Senate Candidates that will fight for climate-forward policy like the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Action: Sign this petition via the Senate Majority PAC.

The Background: House Republicans passed H.R. 2811, a proposal slashing clean energy incentives while expediting oil and gas projects. The bill is unlikely to pass the Senate – because Democrats control it. But it serves as a reminder of what Republicans will do if they retake the Senate next year. Please take 15 seconds to add your name to a petition supporting Democratic senators and Senate candidates who are focused on making climate resiliency a policy priority!

Looking for more action items? Check our library of past Gov Hub’s.

A MOMENT FOR THE MUGSHOT MEMES

Pick a favorite? Impossible. Make a round-up of the best of? Done, done, and done with these mugshot memes and messy moments:

…and the best response to the mugshot goes to:

@girlandthegov

#duet with @C-SPAN #potus #greenscreen no crumbs with this response #darkbrandon

…the best reenactment of the pic being taken goes to:

@bri_jean198

Werk it ! #donaldtrump #america #comedy #skit

… the best headline covering the saga goes to the Morning Brew:

@humanrightscampaign

GOP candidates when asked if they’ll support trump.

FULL SEND…TO A FRIEND

Just about guaranteed to make it to the group chat

  • Which politician in this UNC Dems picked bunch are you? Double doggy dare ya to ask the brunch table which they align most with – or your next date.

  • What does pollution and penises have in common? One is shrinking and one is growing.

…the only thing better than the pic is the comment section – a few highlights:

GET IN, WE’RE GOING SHOPPING

Add-to-cart must-haves for you and the whole crew

MUGSHOT MERCH

The gift that keeps on giving

The aforementioned bobblehead.

POST WEEKEND CATCH UP

Three top stories you might've missed

RACIST EXTREMIST MURDERS THREE IN JACKSONVILLE, FL: A white 21-year old man gunned down three Black people Saturday at a Dollar General in Jacksonville, Florida using a weapon outfitted with a swastika. The attack has been deemed a racially motivated attack by the sheriff, with the perpetrator having posted racist writings, as well as having left writings found by his family that, according to reporting by AP, made clear that he hated Black people. The murders happened in the New Town neighborhood of the city that also houses Edward Waters University, an HBCU – which the perpetrator visited prior to the shootings; a security guard had denied him entry onto the campus and had flagged down a Jacksonville sheriff’s officer that was in the process of sending an alert to other officers as the shooting began. The racist posted a video of himself on TikTok before beginning his rampage with a Glock handgun and AR-15, both which had been purchased legally despite being involuntarily committed for a mental health exam in 2017; this didn’t come up on his background check. The DOJ has announced that it will be investigating the shooting as both a hate crime and an act of racially motivated violent extremism. For more details – this, this, and this.

WAGNER BOSS, PRIGOZHIN CONFIRMED DEAD W/ GENETIC TEST: We’re not foreign policy experts here, but one of us did grow up in Jersey, and thus our first reaction to the initial news of Prigozhin’s hit was “huh, that took longer than we would’ve expected.” Regardless of our interpretation of this as an episode of the Sopranos, the mercenary leader behind Wager who has caused death and destruction in places from Ukraine to Africa, tried a small mutiny against Russia’s Putin. So it’s not really an episode of Sopranos, it’s more of an episode of “when bad people do bad things to each other.” Specifically, a plane Prigozhin was allegedly on traveling from Moscow dropped from the sky last week – was it a bomb on board? Maybe. Was it a missile? No one’s saying that. Was he even still alive or was this a bit of long haul propaganda theater? Honestly, no idea, but the Russians are putting it all to bed with a report that DNA evidence confirms that Prigozhin was amongst the ten dead in the crash.

SOUTH CAROLINA - ABORTION IS BANNED AFTER SIX WEEKS OF PREGNANCY: South Carolina’s all-male state Supreme Court upheld a six week abortion ban late last week. If you’re thinking to yourself, wait didn’t they declare a doppelganger of a ban unconstitutional this past winter, you’re remembering correctly. At the time, for what it’s worth, there was a woman still on the court. Regardless, the decision makes what had been the lone state in the south to allow an abortion past 15 weeks [was legal until 22, available via clinics until 15] of pregnancy, no more. The ruling made the six ban law of the land immediately, which will have far reaching impacts not just for those seeking care in the state, but the entire region.

MORE KEY STORIES TO HAVE ON YOUR RADAR:

  • AP: The Taliban say security forces will stop women from visiting Afghan national park

  • The Hill: 2024 Republicans want to eliminate the Education Department. What would that look like?

  • Politico: CPAC vice chair resigns amid turmoil

GOOD NEWS BEARS

Positive political reads and achievements [yes, those do exist]

  • Democracy Docket: 140 Judges Later: Senate Democrats Work to Diversify the Federal Judiciary

  • CAP: 8 Ways State Attorneys General Have Protected Abortion Rights Since the Fall of Roe v. Wade

  • The American Independent: Infrastructure law funds expansion of electric vehicle charging ports in Pennsylvania

BACK ON OUR BILLSH*T

New bill, new BILLsh*t

FEDERAL: The wildest thing about sex ed in the US isn’t the dated videos played on an old school VHS. It’s actually the fact that it's not required. Not only that, what’s taught in states that do have it, actually doesn’t have to be based in fact. We wish we were kidding. Cue a bill that would change this up – the Real Education and Access for Health Youth Act [REAHYA], would make sex ed a nationwide educational requirement, and this version would have to be based in facts. As reported by the 19th, the instruction the bill would require must-be “comprehensive, equitable, medically accurate, culturally responsive, trauma-informed and resilience-oriented.” The mandate would also require learning about the prevention of pregnancy and STIs, gender identity, bodily autonomy, and more. The bill comes out of the office of Rep. Barbara Lee [CA-D].

THE ICK LIST

The rotten eggs of politics [& sometimes culture]

VIVEK RAMASWAMY: It appears that this Eminem wannabe/GOP billionaire and candidate for prez took a page out of Melania Trump’s book by plagiarizing one of the Obamas. He also took time during last week’s debate to make a load of false claims, which resulted in this ingenious policy idea. I guess, thanks for the ick and the idea? Oh, and before we forget this tidbit, despite being a GOP candidate, he hasn’t voted in a Republican primary recently enough to be affiliated with the party in Ohio state voting records. He’s literally an unaffiliated voter who BTW didn't vote in 2008, 2012, or 2016, nor in several primaries since. A candidate that doesn’t vote? Palm over face emoji.

ROYAL SPANISH FOOTBALL FEDERATION PREZ LUIS RUBIALES: The creep with too much power who forcibly kissed soccer player and captain of team Spain, Jenni Hermoso as she accepted her FIFA Women’s World Cup medal doubled down on his actions. Refusing to resign, Rubiales instead spewed false claims that the kiss was “mutual and with consent,” and that the backlash was a witch hunt against him under the guise of ‘false feminism.’ Literally what even is that? Nobody knows, but we do know that his unacceptable behavior and harassment has been co-signed by the national team’s head coach offering Rubiales a four year contract extension and a major raise. Given what we detailed about the man at the top of the FIFA food chain last week, this deeply misogynistic cult–ture and related behavior comes as no surprise, even with his 90 day suspension and the entire coaching staff except for his partner-in-creep [head coach Jorge Vilda] resigning in protest of his actions. What will happen from here? We’re not sure, but the GIST will be keeping us all up to date.

CANDIDATE WATCH ‘24

The following have said put me in coach for….

  • FLORIDA: Former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has her eyes on Rick Scott’s FL Senate seat, and has offish put her hat in the ring. Learn more about her campaign here.

  • IOWA: Dr. Jay Brown is running for a Congressional seat in Iowa – specifically for the 4th Congressional District. Learn more about his campaign here.

  • OHIO: Democrat Steve Thomas aims to kick the GOP’s Jim Jordan to the curb in his run for Congress. Learn more about him and his county fair announcement here.

  • WISCONSIN: Gen-Z’er and Harvard law student, Aaron Nytes has entered the race for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. Learn more about his campaign here.

ELECTION SZN ‘23

Yes, there are elections in 2023 and they are v important

SEPTEMBER SPECIAL ELECTIONS: September 5 is just around the corner, and it’s a big primary day for two special elections for emptying Congressional seats – one in Rhode Island [District 1] and one in Utah [District 2].

FALL GENERAL ELECTIONS: Sweater weather comes with a complementary election day for key seats in these states with these dates:

  • VIRGINIA | November 7, 2023: State Senate + House of Delegates [Virginia’s version of the State House], School Boards + Municipal

  • NEW JERSEY | November 7, 2023: State Senate + State Assembly [NJ’s version of the State House], School Boards + Municipal

  • KENTUCKY | November 7, 2023: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Commissioner of Agriculture, School Boards + Municipal

  • MISSISSIPPI | November 7, 2023 [November 28 runoff]: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor, Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, Commissioner of Insurance, Public Service Commission [3 seats], Transportation Commission [3 seats], State Senate, State House, School Boards

  • LOUISIANA | October 14, 2023 [first round], November 18, 2023 [second round if needed]: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry, Commissioner of Insurance, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, State Senate, State House, Intermediate Appellate Courts, School Board, Municipal, Local + State Ballot Measures

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NEW ON THE POD

New week, new guest

If you’ve been curious about what it’s like to run a political campaign, this episode is going to be your holy grail. Save it, send it, listen to it time and time again because it’s a walk-through of how to get into campaign management with the former campaign manager for Colorado Governor Polis, Sarah Andrews. Hit play here:

She gives listeners the full lens on what it was like, how she got there, and what anyone needs to know about going into that role. We also talk about her story on the campaign trail and what shape maternity leave takes on it [hint: it inspired the founding of Created Not Equal]. And of course what working on campaigns has in common with long weekends with one’s friends – interestingly quite a lot. Naturally, we also chatted about 2024 and what’s ahead via her current role at EMILY’s List where she serves as the Federal & Gubernatorial Campaigns Director. Get the whole nine yards, by tuning in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts, and YouTube.

PS before you put your pods in, an action item and script from the guest of honor to do and check off your to-do list.

ALL THINGS GIRL AND THE GOV®

THE GOV CLUB: Focused on political networking and community amongst civically engaged besties, The Gov Club provides members access to free virtual networking events, 1v1s, and connections with one another. The Gov Club has also made moves from its old Slack channel home to the Geneva platform to make connecting with one another easy as pie. Sign up for the Gov Club, here.

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PODCAST AUDITS: Girl and the Gov®’s Podcast Audit service provides a comprehensive review of the client’s existing show with the goal of identifying areas of improvement. This is for clients with existing podcasts at any stage that wants to bring their show to the next level. Start the process with a Discovery Call.

SOCIAL MEDIA AUDITS: Think it’s time for a social media audit? Girl and the Gov® can help with that. Get up to speed on what needs to stay, and what needs to go on your social media accounts for it to go from zero to hero. Book a Discovery Call to learn more about what an audit can do for your accounts.

Other *things* of note on the comms front:

For pitches, PR, partnerships, collaborations, and more, send all details to [email protected].