Political Writing Samples
Justice Democrats - June 28, 2018
At the end of 2016, we recruited a candidate in New York’s 14th Congressional District, after her brother reached out and suggested she’d make a good representative.
She didn’t have any money, any support from large donors, or any fancy political connections. But what she did have was much more important to us: clear progressive values, a strong commitment to her community, and a fierce determination to create change.
And that’s the story of how Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the third endorsement ever for us at Justice Democrats.
In just a minute, I’m going to ask you to contribute to Justice Democrats so we can elect more progressive champions like Alexandria. But first, let me explain how all of us here at Justice Democrats -- you included! -- won this election, and how Justice Democrats can keep winning with this strategy:
1. With your support, we raised over $100,000 for Alexandria’s campaign.
2. With your support, we built a phonebanking tool so volunteers could connect with voters -- and together, over one thousand volunteers made over 192,000 calls to over 86,000 voters for Alexandria!
3. With your support, printed out campaign literature, recruited a ton of talented volunteers, and helped build her website.
4. And because she couldn’t afford a full staff, our Justice Dems leadership team stepped in. Corbin Trent handled press and communications, Alexandra Rojas ran the texting, calling, and volunteer recruitment, and Saikat Chakrabarti took charge on fundraising, data, and the election day strategy.
We can replicate this strategy for inspiring candidates in progressive races all across the country -- but we can’t do it alone. We need consistent resources to hire the staff necessary to build these programs, to cover the voter targeting software, and to fund the dialer for phonebanking. That’s why we’re asking:
Can you make a monthly contribution to Justice Democrats to support these programs for candidates like Alexandria in races across the country?
If not, can you make a one-time contribution today to help us grow this program?
At Justice Democrats, we’re doing things differently. While other Democratic organizations endorse candidates based on who will be easiest to elect to Congress, Justice Democrats endorses candidates based on who will be the best representative in Congress.
We don’t deny endorsements to longshot campaigns, no matter what the polls or pundits say. Instead, we do everything we can to help them overcome the odds -- because we know that if we can pull it off (like we did with Alexandria on Tuesday!), they’ll be able to make a tremendous impact in Congress. And even when we come up short, we’re still building a progressive bench for the next cycle.
If you agree that this is the best path forward to elect progressives, can you help us keep up this work by chipping in to support Justice Democrats today?
Thank you for being a Justice Democrat, for supporting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from the beginning, and for everything you do in this movement. This victory belongs to all of us.
Rep. Barbara Lee - September 14, 2017
Sixteen years ago today, we voted on the the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force in the House of Representatives. We all knew it would probably pass, granting then President George W. Bush much more power to declare war at will, and essentially giving him a blank check to fund it.
I remember thinking that surely at least a few of my colleagues would join me to stand up against endless war. But then the bells rang, votes were cast, and the board was full of green lights. There was only one red one.
I cast the lone vote against the Authorization for Use of Military Force. And yet, because of people like you coming together to stand up against endless war with me, I was never really alone.
Not all of you reading this now, or those of you who were watching the vote then, come from my home state of California. But no matter where your physical home is, if you come from a place of love and compassion and reason, I am honored to represent you in Congress.
Your support through the years is what made that lone vote possible -- that little red light in the sea of green stood not only for my vote, but for your voice too. We sent a strong message that day, and I promise we’re going to keep speaking truth to power for as long as it takes to achieve peace.
If you feel inspired to contribute to our campaign so we can keep up the work to stop endless war, you can do so here. But regardless of any donations, I want to thank each and every one of you for being a part of this movement -- for making sure I wasn’t alone that day, or any day.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Onward,
Rep. Barbara Lee
Rep. Alan Grayson - March 25, 2016
As a sitting member of Congress, I am expected to spend a minimum of four hours a day calling wealthy donors, and asking them for contributions for my next campaign. In Washington, each party has offices near the Capitol building, so that Members can run over for “calltime” before and after votes.
If you’ve ever wondered how it’s possible for me consistently to pass more amendments than any other member of Congress, Democrat or Republican, here’s your answer: while they’re dialing for dollars, I’m researching and writing. They’re focused on passing the collection plate on Wall Street, and I’m focused on passing good, progressive amendments on the House Floor.
We don’t fund this campaign by whispering sweet nothings to the wealthy. This campaign is powered by thousands of small-dollar supporters, who chip an average of just $18.27, because they believe in having leaders who will fight for all of us, not just the wealthy and powerful. If you want a Senator like me, who only answers to the People, chip in $18.27, or whatever you can afford, before the FEC deadline >>
Time after time, while my colleagues have been distracted by fundraising, I have found a way to push our progressive goals forward. We fought to galvanize support in favor of universal healthcare (the GOP plan: “don’t get sick”), and we won. We fought against the cruel “chained CPI,” and we won. We fought against a third futile war in the Middle East, and won. And for more than three years now, despite being in the “minority party,” I have pushed dozens of my progressive bills and amendments through the Tea Party’s House. We fight back against the reactionaries, and we show other Democrats how to win.
But this campaign isn’t just about what I’ve done in the House, and what I will do if I make it to the Senate. It’s about a new way to elect our leaders. Because the old way isn’t working anymore. Democracy is dying. Special interests rule us. Elected officials are just tools of multinational corporations and the super-rich. But it doesn’t have to be that way. And that’s what we’re going to prove with this Senate campaign.
Courage,
Alan Grayson