Progress4VA1 Independent PAC
Progress4VA1 is an independent expenditure only political action committee (PAC) registered with the Federal Election Commission and Virginia Department of Elections, and affiliated with the Stafford Indivisible Community Action Network (SICAN), a local, grassroots organization energized by volunteer activists from the Stafford, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania and King George area.
Progress4VA1 shares the vision and values of SICAN and is dedicated to helping improve the lives of Virginia residents by advocating for progressive policies that will make the Rappahannock region a better place to live, work and raise a family.
To achieve our vision we need to elect candidates who advocate for progressive policies that promote a safe and secure environment, economic opportunity, excellent schools, sustainably managed economic growth and development, appropriate infrastructure development, and a culture of mutual respect, responsibility and support. Therefore, Progress4VA1 will support the nomination and election of candidates to federal, Virginia state, and local offices who support these objectives.
This billboard will be placed on Route 1 at Centerport Parkway in Stafford County beginning Oct. 1, 2018
From the National Indivisible Team...
Indivisibles,
Let’s cut to the chase: Trump said he would shut the government down over his wall and, tonight, that’s exactly what he did. (twitter.com/TeamPelosi/status/1076161047659245568)
So what the hell happened?!
On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed a clean Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government funded through February 8. Following a few hours of critical (racist, xenophobic) Fox News headlines and Ann Coulter tweets, Trump announced he wouldn’t sign it. And showing exactly why they just lost the midterms, House Republicans gave in to Trump’s temper tantrum and passed a bill (literally in the last hours of their majority) that contained nearly $6 billion in wall funding.
As expected, the bill was dead on arrival in the Senate.
Right now, there is no plan to re-open up the government, and Trump continues to have a meltdown over the border wall. To their credit, Democrats (led by Senator Chuck Schumer and future House Leader Nancy Pelosi) have been strong in this fight. They gave Trump a bill to fund the government while rejecting his anti-immigrant agenda. As members of Congress (MoCs) negotiate a deal to reopen the government, Democrats must stay strong and confident that their constituents do not want a wall or increased enforcement, they want a clean continuing resolution.
No matter what happens over the next few hours, days, or weeks it’s important to keep one thing in mind: a wall is a wall. Whether it’s $1.6 billion, $5 billion, or even one new dollar -- any money put toward Trump’s border wall would amount to caving to Trump’s temper tantrum, and supporting his bigotry.
This is about more than just concrete and steel slats. This shutdown is about whether we as a country stand by while Trump tear gases women and children at the border, whether we allow him to separate and cage families, and whether we continue to allow the Trump deportation machine to operate with impunity.
Now, here’s what you can do...
Okay, that’s a lot. But there are two things that you can right now. We must show up and project our newly-won congressional power in 2019. And we must demand our MoCs stand strong and continue to reject any new funding for Trump’s wall.
1. Get the latest from our #TrumpShutdown resource. (indivisible.org/resource/trumps-latest-temper-tantrum-and-showdown-over-wall?akid=40120.435107.a5...) - Here you’ll find a play-by-play about how the #TrumpShutdown came together. The Senate is technically in session beginning tomorrow at noon, but with the holidays offices may be short-staffed or shut down completely. Tomorrow, try calling to let them know you want a clean CR, without funding for the wall or enforcement. If you don’t get through, pick up the phone again on Wednesday and keep on calling until you get through.
2. Find a January 3 day of action event near you, or plan one yourself! (indivisible.org/events?akid=40120.435107.a5Yvkx&rd=1&t=8) - On the first day of the new Congress, be sure to tell your MoCs that this is #OurHouse. And in our house, we want a clean CR with no additional funding for the border wall, detention beds, and enforcement agents. No matter what happens in the next few days, we need to let our MoCs know that this will not, and can not happen, in 2019.
We’ll send you more updates on how you can take action as soon as we possibly can. Make sure to follow us on social media for all breaking updates: @IndivisibleTeam on Twitter and @IndivisibleGuide on Facebook.
In solidarity,
Indivisible Team
From the National Invisible Team...
We’re about to embark on our most ambitious Indivisible journey yet -- two new years of strategic and strenuous work to transform our country.
In this posting, we’ll lay out a birds-eye view of the plan.
The Strategy...
1. Go on offense in the House - Indivisibles will be vigilant in holding the Democratic majority we elected to a few things: (1) passing big messaging bills to draw a contrast between the politics of Trump vs. OUR politics (2) halting Trump’s worst inclinations in their tracks by voting down the extreme policy proposals coming from the administration and Republican Senate (3) vigorously investigating the appalling corruptions and abuses of power in the Trump administration.
2. Pass real change in the states - Democrats flipped six state legislatures, which means we have a unique opportunity to pass some really important progressive bills state-by-state -- including key reforms to expand and protect voting rights. If the federal government won’t act while Trump remains in power, we’ll circumvent him by winning at the state level. To help Indivisibles on the ground, we're doubling our organizing team and adding 14 new organizers that work directly with Indivisibles in key states to help build power locally, 3 training organizers, and 2 digital organizers to ramp up digital capacity for Indivisible groups everywhere.
3. Play defense in the Senate - Republicans still control the Senate, where they can rubber stamp Trump’s most radical nominees for the courts and executive branch. Thanks to the pressure coming from Indivisibles, we’ve been able to swing a few of these big votes (like the recent one to confirm Thomas Farr) and stop some of the worst nominees. We need to keep this up, or else we’ll face the repercussions for years to come.
4. Build for 2020 - It goes without saying the big kahuna here is defeating Trump, taking the Senate, and expanding on our gains in states and in the House. We aren’t going to pause our electoral work in 2019 -- our calling programs, texting tools, and voter file access will remain available for Indivisible groups to begin laying the groundwork for 2020. And we’ll be deploying new staff to key states to augment this infrastructural work.
Why It’ll Work...
Here’s why Indivisible’s plan will work if we give it our best shot:
1. Our track record is 🔥🔥🔥-- from leading the major news coverage over raucous town hall meetings with members of Congress, to starting some of the last two years’ biggest protests. We raised hell and stopped Trumpcare. We made the Trump Tax Scam politically toxic, and dozens of House members who voted yes were ousted in November. We flipped the House, flipped six state legislatures, and pushed the Democrats to be bolder and stronger.
2. Indivisibles are all over the 🇺🇸. We’re strongest when we band together, and our thousands of Indivisible groups across the country are working shoulder-to-shoulder to reshape our democracy. There’s no other active network with the vast size and coverage of the Indivisible movement. Our movement is the backbone of the resistance, and will play a huge role in the 2020 elections.
3. We do BIG work, but we stay scrappy 💪. We don’t recommend Indivisibles do busy work. We don’t fundraise for things we don’t need. And we’re one of the few bonafide political movements that works on a national scale while remaining intensely scrappy and agile. We only do what's most strategic to resist Trump and the GOP's agenda.
4. The time is ripe ⏰. Donald Trump’s approval ratings are abysmal. Our resistance has put the forces of Trumpism on retreat mode. America has never been more ready to embrace the forward-looking, hopeful mindset our Indivisibles represent. Right now is the opportune time for our movement to take the reins of power.
You can help fund our 2019 Strategy at...
secure.actblue.com/donate/2019-indivisible?akid=40115.435107.YrPZNq&rd=1&refcode=email_12212018_l...
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for believing in this work.
In solidarity,
The Indivisible Team
LET'S DO THIS! Support SAFE SCHOOLS for LGBTQ and all students - Dr. Scott Kizner, Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent, will present a new draft policy on “Gender Identity and Expression” to the School Board during their meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 11, in the school board chambers, Alvin York Bandy Complex, 31 Stafford Ave. The policy is one of the last items on the meeting agenda.
The Stafford County Democratic Committee (SDC) supports this new draft policy which “Prohibits harassment and discrimination based on gender identity and expression.”
Read the draft policy at... www.boarddocs.com/vsba/scpsva/Board.nsf/files/B77R7H638CB7/$file/Policy%202420%20(Gender%20Identi...
The SDC encourages you to…
1. Contact your School Board Representative and tell them to approve the new LGBTQ policy.
2. Attend the meeting on Dec. 11, show your support, speak up, display signs and wear purple.
You can find your SCPS School Board member contact information below...
Aquia District School Board Member - www.staffordschools.net/Page/24053
Falmouth District School Board Member - www.staffordschools.net/Page/24054
Garrisonville District School Board Member - www.staffordschools.net/Page/24068
George Washington District School Board Member - www.staffordschools.net/Page/24069
Griffis-Widewater District School Board Member - www.staffordschools.net/Page/24070
Hartwood District School Board Member - www.staffordschools.net/Page/24071
Rock Hill District School Board Member - www.staffordschools.net/Page/24072
Vangie Williams is running again in two years and Bill just donated to her 2020 campaign. She needs to pay off 2018 campaign debt and to get a head start for her next challenge. In fact, some national organizations won't provide support until she raises a certain minimum. She also wants to support local Democrats running in 2019. If you would like to help like Bill just did, you can add your contribution at secure.actblue.com/donate/vw2018. Thanks and see you on the campaign trail.
The Stafford NAACP Holiday Gathering is open to everyone and not just NAACP members. Attend, show your support, have a good festive time, and meet the newly elected Stafford NAACP officers, including new president Joshua Cole and first vice president Millisa Gary. It will take place 5-9 p.m. on Dec. 8 at the Aquia Harbor Country Club, 204 Bow Cove in Stafford. Tickets to this festive event are just $25 per person. To purchase tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/stafford-county-naacp-holiday-gathering-tickets-52063002843.
Stafford County NAACP Holiday Gathering
eventbrite.com
Bring in the holiday season with the NAACP--Stafford County Branch. Join us for food, fun and celebration at the lovely Clubhouse at the Aquia Harbour Country Club. What better way to celebrate the season than with friends, family and community change agents!!! Put on your after five attire and join...
https://t.co/fuguZuCZMQ #VA01 @RobWittman vote of the day (Mar'13): Voted for a bill that mandates work requirements for TANF recipients. So we can put burdensome requirements on the poor but not reasonable regulations on businesses?
#VA01's @RobWittman says "we must first address our [military] readiness crisis"
@POTUS cancels military readiness exercises with S. Korea to appease Kim Jung-Un
Rob does nothing to advocate for continuing these exercises.
Why so #SilentBob?