James Carville Recommends Markers For Democracy (3/10/24)
We are riding high and energized to keep working after President Biden hit it out of the park with his SOTU speech. Keep the momentum going by sharing this great new ad from the Biden campaign. After a few weeks of battling New York Times reporters and columnists who had all but written off President Biden, the SOTU gave us all a boost of adrenaline. (And the bizarre and falsehood-filled response by Republican Katie Britt has spawned an industry of justifiably snarky memes.)
As you probably know, Markers For Democracy (MFD) has been in the news in the past few weeks with shout-outs by James Carville in his podcast, the New York Times, and multiple Substacks. All these mentions have led to over 400 new subscribers signing up for this newsletter.
We want to welcome our new subscribers to our MFD community and tell you a bit about who we are and what we do . . . a quick guide to All Things Markers. And if you are a long-time member of our community, take a look; you may just learn a thing or two.
Our Organization
We are an all-volunteer grassroots organization of over 2,000 activists dedicated to strengthening democracy. Through activities like postcarding, text banking, phone banking, social media amplification, and hosting candidates and other speakers on our morning Zooms, we support Democratic candidates up and down the ballot nationwide. Through all these activities, we also work to build an inclusive and engaged community. Learn more at www.markersfordemocracy.org.
Our Postcarding
Postcarding is central to our mission and the heart of what we do. Many of us have been writing postcards since 2017 and 2018 and we have written for many different postcarding groups. Last year, we launched Postcards For Democracy (PFD), focusing on down-ballot races in swing districts that do not have the funds for other advertising to get out the word, and where our postcards can have an impact. To sign up, email us at postcards@markersfordemocracy.org. In addition to the campaigns on Postcards For Democracy, we include a curated list of current postcarding opportunities in our newsletters and on our Slack. Be sure to check out our detailed postcarding FAQ which includes how to access our Vistaprint postcarding shop. After a very busy January and February, with multiple special elections, there is a bit of a lull for postcard campaigns right now. Not to worry; as we get closer to the November election, there will be more and more campaigns on Postcards For Democracy and other sites.
Our Zoom Meetings
Pre-Covid, we met in person regularly. Since March 2020, we've met several times a week on Zoom, hosting over 700 candidates, grassroots leaders, and authors, with our two sister organizations, Downtown Nasty Women Social Group and Team Min. We also host special events on evenings and weekends. We strive to be a warm and welcoming community. Join us for engaging discussions and special events. You can always find us on Mobilize.
Staying Informed
Newsletters: Stay updated with our once-a-week newsletters. MFD News ( bi-weekly on Sundays) highlights our Zoom guests, events, and more. Be sure to read all the way through. There is always a clickable table of contents. This Week in Postcarding (bi-weekly on Fridays) covers our PFD postcarding efforts and campaigns by other organizations. Forward to friends and family and encourage them to subscribe!
Slack Community: Join our buzzing Slack community where members post about a wide range of topics including political news, books/movies/podcasts, opportunities to phone-bank/text-bank/canvass, in-person meetups, and much, much more. Sign up HERE.
Social Media: We are active on several social media platforms and we would love you to follow, like, and share! See more details further down in this newsletter.
Our Giving Circle
MFD started a giving circle with The States Project in 2019 to focus additional energy and resources on shifting the balance of power in our nation's all-important, but too often overlooked, state legislatures. For 2024, we will once again be supporting candidates in Arizona and Pennsylvania to further our goal of strengthening our nation's democracy by strengthening our state democracies. Watch this short video to see why we do this work.
To learn more about the Markers For Democracy Giving Circle, read our FAQ
Join the MFD 2024 Giving Circle HERE.
We hope this intro was helpful, and that you will become an active member of our MFD community. Now take the time to read through this week’s newsletter to learn much more!