46th LD Blog

Photo credit:  Jay Johnson

Sanders Rally UW basketball arena, 2015

The arc of history bends toward justice, said Bernie as he bowed out of the presidential race
this week. The fight for justice galvanized his followers: the young, the working class, the low-
income people, the small donors, the 99 percenters, and the rest, who were all enthusiastically
energized. His message resonated. His passion to fight the unchecked power of unethical
corporations was loud and clear.

A month ago, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni, in an editorial entitled, “Sanders Has
Already Won the Primary,” said it all. While Bernie would not secure the presidential
candidacy, he asserted, he had nonetheless changed the playing field for the Democrats. All of
the Democratic candidates sharing the stage with him were forced to lean to the left, where the
party’s values reside. Bernie’s honesty, his integrity, his courage . . . will not be forgotten. The
full scope of his influence is still unfolding, but the importance of his legacy is undeniable.

We all empathize with Bernie’s difficult decision to suspend his campaign. Here again, he is a
patriot. He has put his country ahead of his personal conviction that he could be its next
leader. It is now up to us Democrats to do something for Bernie. We need to unite. We need
to engage. We need to step up and perform our civic duty. We need to elect a whole ton of
Democrats. When we do, and when the country is stabilized, equalized, healthy and has a
sustainable platform, a medal of honor should be bestowed upon the honorable Senator Bernie
Sanders.

Meanwhile there is work to be done.  We are all Democrats and we are all in this together.

Chag Pesach Sameach!

Happy Passover to all of our neighbors who are observant.

We are holding our ongoing Wednesday informal "office hours" for political conversation and socializing, but please be assured that we will have meetings and emails after Passover to ensure everyone has an opportunity to contribute.  No formal decisions will be made at this online coffee hour.

This message is just a reminder of our "office hours" Zoom meeting, open to all members, from 7:00pm - 8:00pm tonight.  Link below.

This is an unofficial gathering of the 46th District Democrats to which everyone in the district is invited.  For the duration of the emergency, any Wednesday evening we don't have a meeting (2nd, 4th, and occasionally the 5th Wednesdays), we will have an open gathering Zoom meeting to chat, ask questions, and generally keep our Democratic community connected during this very strange time.

Here’s what we have on tap tonight:

• A thank you to Sen. Sanders, and a pause to reflect on his accomplishments, as he gracefully exits the Presidential race.
• A few more ballots to count for the Vote by Mail Bylaws election
• Conversation about the Endorsement rules for 2020, which are still being negotiated.
• How to run for delegate to the state and national conventions

If you have time, we hope you will join us here:

Please note that the meeting program starts at 7:00pm, just like our regular meetings, but you can join the feed as early as 6:30pm to test your connection.  A member of the Executive Board will be online to greet you and assist.

If this is your first Zoom meeting, it will take a few minutes to set up on your computer, so you might want to log on at 6:30 or so.