Bullies and Jerks, your time has come
Friends,
I have so many thoughts to share. The scandal involving our mayor continues to deepen. I still owe you a summary of our listening sessions this summer. And the proposed city budget was released this week - I'm not a fan at all.
But today I wanted to focus my weekly email on hope and joy.
Last night, my wife and I decided at the last minute to visit the Indiana State Fair. We rode the aerial people-mover. We ate smoked turkey legs and peanut-butter-and-jelly wings. We drank pickle lemon shake-ups. After we had been there for a little more than an hour, I realized something.
The vibes have changed.
I didn't see a single MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN hat on anyone's head last night. I saw several vendors with that gear for sale, but nobody buying it. I didn't see T-shirts mocking other people. I didn't see open racism. I didn't see "F*ck your feelings" or "snowflake" or "deportation" shirts or gear.
What I saw instead was a giant crowd of multiracial people smiling and treating each other with respect and kindness. A Latinx family asked if they could sit at the picnic table with us to eat, and went back up to the food stand to get us hot sauce because they saw that we weren't enjoying our food without it. A Black family had a friendly and happy conversation with me about whether the PB&J wings were worth trying. Rural farmers in straw hats high-fived urban children in the parade. People were acting decently to one another. People weren't being bullies, and weren't being weird.
I told my wife - "Based on vibes alone, I think the Republican Party is in for a really devastating election year at this rate."
I have many Republican friends and I have respect for my Republican constituents as well. But this year their party has nominated, from the Federal level on down through the State level and even local races, almost exclusively meanspirited, team MAGA bullies.
Trump, Vance, Banks, Braun, Beckwith, Rokita, Freeman - these guys are all weirdo jerks who frequently irritate, attack, and mock people from both sides of the aisle, insisting on having their own way, no matter who it hurts.
And the people of Indiana seem ready to reject the jerks.
I'm a socialist and damn proud of it. I have proven time and again that I will call out Democrats when they are in the wrong. But this year, I feel strongly that it's deeply important to show the entire electorate that the era of meanness and hostility towards other human beings is over. Regardless of what label one puts on their politics, we all are human beings who should be able to work together with respect. The GOP candidates this year fail at this basic test of humanity.
Katrina Owens, the Democratic candidate for State Senate District 32, passes this test with flying colors. Her policy focus is on universal rights and protections, and she shows a willingness to listen to and serve every member of the community, regardless of their age, gender, race, orientation, party affiliation, or creed. We need more leaders like Katrina.
I pledged earlier this year to knock 1,000 doors for anyone who would step up to run for office against Aaron Freeman. Now that I've had a chance to get to know Katrina Owens and how awesome she is, I want to bump that number up significantly.
To that end, I am blocking off my entire calendar from October 11th through 20th for canvassing as many hours as my body can take. I'm not taking any constituent meetings. The Council has no committee meetings during this time period. No DSA meetings. Nothing but knocking doors and making phone calls for Katrina and other candidates for office that I believe will treat all humans with respect.
I challenge you to join me.
How much paid time off do you get? Can you pause your projects and other affairs?
Take a week and a half in October and use it to meet your fellow Hoosiers and help make a more kind world. If you can't do the whole week and a half, do two weekends. Do three days. Do as much as you can. I have trained dozens of canvassers and I will happily partner up with you to make sure you're comfortable. I promise you, if you're reading this you are capable of knocking a few doors.
But if knocking doors isn't something you're willing to do - or if, like me, you don't want to wait until October to get started, get involved in other ways! Katrina can use volunteers to attend community events, greet people at polling sites during early voting, and phone banking as well.
If you have silent auction items, a restaurant or cafe, or anything else that could be used to help set up a fundraiser, let us know! I'm in the process of setting up another big and raucous fundraiser - details coming soon. But I'd love it if we had one every weekend!
The people of Indiana are ready for a change. But it's up to us to move beyond vibes and put the kindness, care, and love into action and end single-party rule in our state.
I'm doing my part. Will you join me?
In love and solidarity,
Jesse