![]() Our blog has always intended to focus on local and regional issues. But the subject initiative, Project 2025, the Presidential Transition Project, is so massive, and so decidedly harmful to our democracy, that it deserves mention in every available outlet. The 900 page document outlining far-right plans for our country under a second Trump presidency is deliberately unwieldy and obtuse. No one could be expected to sit down and digest the entire content. But I beg you to take just 3 minutes here to understand what will happen to Medina County folks…and all Americans…if Trump is elected and these initiatives are launched. Remember that this is just a minute thumbnail sketch of four of the hundreds of authoritarian actions Project 2025 will enact. 1. Project 2025 (referred to here as P25) will eliminate the Department of Education and ban discussions of race and gender in the classroom. Sound innocent enough? Perhaps not when you learn that educators who dare to broach these topics will be required to register as sex offenders! If you are a Medina County teacher, understand that the slightest slip in the classroom could cost you your livelihood and reputation. www.snopes.com/news/2024/07/11/project-2025-explained/ 2. P25 calls for increasing…yes, increasing…the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels and withdrawing any attempt to mitigate the climate crisis. If you are the gentleman in Hinckley who famously turned on his kitchen faucet only to see it alight in flame due to fracking activity, this is, of course, bad news for you. On a larger scale, it exacerbates the global heating that we are already experiencing. Frightening enough for us. But consider the environment we bequeath to our children. 3. It will come as no surprise to you that P25 launches an all-out war against women’s reproductive rights. Under P25, access to abortion pills will be eliminated and federal funds will be diverted to anti-abortion groups. Insurers will no longer need to cover the cost of contraception. The Project’s “family first agenda” mandates that federal aid should be used for “policies…encouraging marriage, work, motherhood, fatherhood, and nuclear families.” Are you a Medina mom who works outside the home? Or a single mom or dad? Are you divorced? Too bad. Project 2025 doesn’t believe your needs are worthwhile. 4. Perhaps most disturbing, P25 calls for establishing a federal government operated by political appointees equipped to "carry out the President's desires." Existing federal agencies that don’t directly report to the President will be shut down. In their place will be organizations staffed exclusively by employees who proclaim extreme conservativism. Believe it. Check it out. Apply here to be a right-wing government appointee: www.project2025.org/personnel/ Don’t qualify for the first round? It’s OK! The government will train you to be a good, loyal Trump devotee with their new Presidential Administration Academy! www.project2025.org/training/presidential-administration-academy/ When you hear that Project 2025 will subvert democracy, do not assume it is a sensationalist threat. It is real. It is frightening. And it is imminent, unless we support Democratic candidates at every level of the ballot. Protect Democracy. Vote Blue. P.S. Read it and Weep: static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf #project2025 Insta , Prjct2025 X P.P.S. For your reading pleasure, additional Project 2025 actions will be discussed in future posts.
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![]() “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” Theodore Roosevelt Your Medina County Democratic Party believes that every child is entitled to receive an excellent public school education. Yet this critically important contribution to our children's development into capable, compassionate individuals is threatened by our county’s far right initiatives. Here are just a few examples: In Medina County, there are over 175 members of ‘Moms for Liberty,’ the extremist group that “engages in anti-student inclusion activities, opposes LGBTQ+ and racially inclusive school curriculum, and has advocated books bans” (Southern Poverty Law Center, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/moms-liberty ). Do you have a child attending an Ohio university? State Senator Mark Romanchuk, Medina County District 22, is a co-sponsor of SB83, the legislative initiative that forbids colleges and universities from supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/134/sb83/status ). That’s correct: Providing employee sensitivity training for a diverse population’s needs is, according to the initiative, a really bad thing. (Here I would ask Mr. Romanchuk, “What are you afraid of?”) Do you have an LGBTQ+ child in school? Concerned about their safety? You have good reason. Ohio has just been ranked the fourth worst state in the entire country for LGBTQ safety and security https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ohio-ranked-4th-worst-state-for-lgbtq-safety-and-legislation-a-key-factor-report-says/ar-BB1nFeD8 But wait, there’s more. Ohio HB 445 requires K-12 schools to allow students to leave school during normal school hours for ‘religious instruction.’ https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/download?key=22263&format=pdf A brilliant proposition! Yes, let’s reduce the time our students spend in the classroom, despite the fact that Ohio 4th and 8th graders exhibited significantly lower scores in reading from 2019 through 2022 https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/?grade=4 . (And please don’t get me started on separation of church and state.) How do we preserve a quality education for our children without right-wing indoctrination? First, by supporting our state and local Democratic representatives. Visit https://www.medinadems.org/our-candidates--issues.html to learn how each of our candidates will work toward an open and productive academic environment for our children. Then, get involved! Work for these candidates. Attend school board meetings. Find out from your kids what’s going on in their classroom. And speak out! ![]() Earlier this year we talked about the importance of local elections. While seemingly taking the back burner to the sexier national elections, it is the folks who represent us at the State level that have the real impact on our daily lives. Consider, if you will, the actions that might have been taken in our state legislature if a Republican super-majority had not ruled. Medina parents would not be concerned that their children lose their lives in a school shooting – strident gun control would ease their minds. Medina women would be assured that Issue 1 is sacrosanct, and their rights to bodily control would not be endangered by legislative attempts to dilute or repeal the amendment’s content. Medina residents would not be wary of turning on their kitchen faucet only to see flames erupting due to fracking activity. My friends, it can be that way. Our state representatives have the power to make Medina County this wonderful place. And only we can make it happen. So, what does all this have to do with the classic Billy Wilder film? We’re asking Medina County Democrats to get HOT...Help Our Team! Unlike their Republican counterparts, our Ohio House and Senate candidates do not have large corporate sponsors. They're not sponsored by wealthy families or patrons. They have…us. Maybe you feel that your efforts won’t count. But they will. Maybe you feel as if you’re too busy to volunteer, or too strapped to contribute. But you’re not. Contributing even one dollar to our candidates’ campaigns will help, and contributing just one hour of your life to write postcards or attend an event will help. If every Medina County Democrat does one small thing to support each of our candidates, we can swing this thing. We really can! Volunteering is HOT! And once you see how great it feels to work toward these goals, I’ve no doubt that you’ll eagerly become more involved. Start by visiting our esteemed and highly qualified candidates’ websites: Kathy Salem, candidate for Ohio State Senate District 22 kathysalem.com/about/ Bradford Scott Quade, candidate for Ohio State House Representative District 66 https://www.quadeforohio.org/meet_bradford_scott But wait! Before you leave their website, donate whatever you can, volunteer for just one activity, register to attend just one event. When the results come in, and we win ‘em both, you’ll feel proud that you were part of the effort. You'll like it hot. Additional information: On the candidates: www.medinadems.org/our-candidates--issues.html Candidate events: https://www.medinadems.org/upcoming-events.html Candidates on Social Media: BSQ: YouTube www.youtube.com/channel/UC7PAPa8VF5zQiOIFHPl7xXw Instagram https://www.instagram.com/quadeforohio/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/QuadeforOhio Tik Tok www.tiktok.com/@quadeforohio Kathy Salem: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Kathy-Salem-for-Ohio-Senate-22/61557085577559/ Instagram www.instagram.com/kathymosessalem/ ![]() Are you one of the 2.2 million Ohioans who voted to enshrine reproductive rights in the Ohio constitution? Were you one of the over 55% of voters in Medina County that supported this measure? Then your choice of candidates in November’s election is clear. Vote Blue! #MedinaCoDems They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. Well, here's a picture of the candidates running for legislative offices in 2024, and their respective positions on reproductive rights. (Actually it's a chart, but nevertheless) Just a brief gander at the extreme anti-choice views of Republicans running for local and national legislative offices will convince you that the right of Ohioans to make their own healthcare decisions without interference from government is up for grabs if we don't vote Blue. Take a look. See if this isn't just the case! Then plan to Vote Blue, Support Blue and Work for Blue. You can learn even more about these remarkably talented and devoted candidates by visiting: www.medinadems.org/our-candidates--issues.html Or, visit us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/MedinaCountyDemocraticParty/ Decision 24 - Supporter of Reproductive Rights? Take Your Pick! ![]() Democracy in Ohio depends on one simple concept. Truth. But particularly in the case of Ohio’s Republican politicians, that truth is slippery indeed. They say, “No more August elections.” But four months later, decide to hold one anyway to wage battle against citizens’ amendments and reproductive rights. They assert their support for renewable energy yet accept $61 million in bribes to legislate against this very objective. They claim to champion the democratic process, yet scheme to gut the contents of amendments that have been passed by an overwhelming majority of Ohioans. Their platforms are not based on truth, but rather, the latest talking points emanating from the RNC. Your Democratic Party stands for principles, not talking points. We reflect the values and convictions of Medina County citizens. We stand for you. We walk the talk. And here is our truth. We believe it is yours as well. 1. We believe that citizens, not politicians, should determine fair districts and work toward the end of gerrymandering 2. We support individuals' rights to reproductive healthcare, as recently enshrined in the Ohio Constitution. 3. We believe that every child is entitled to receive an excellent public school education. 4. We strongly encourage the development of renewable energy and the assurance of clean, fresh air and water for our children 5. We understand the importance of supporting our citizens with a living wage to ensure all residents can thrive and prosper. 6. We believe in reasonable public utility charges as assured by non-partisan oversight. 7. We believe that the rights of citizens to safeguard their property should never be trumped by big oil and gas interests. 8. We assert that Medina County’s citizens should not be burdened by the costs of major public building projects without the prior consent of the people. As time moves us inexorably toward the November election, we’ll be talking with you about each of these individual truths in detail...the movements afoot to subvert them and what we can do to defend them. And if you believe, as we do, that these represent your view of a proud, prosperous Medina County, please remember: Vote Blue. ![]() Fun Fact: Why do we call gerrymandering, gerrymandering? Well, it seems that way back in 1812, Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts led a redistricting campaign that heavily favored Republicans. (Sound familiar?) The revised district map took the shape of a salamander. Hence, Gerrymander! And that, my friends, is the only amusing thing about gerrymandering, which over the past decade has virtually eliminated equal representation for Ohio Democrats. Here in Ohio, voters do not choose politicians. Politicians choose voters. Hey, it’s not like we haven’t tried. In 2015, more than 70% of voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that created the Ohio Redistricting Commission, which would be responsible for constructing fair, bipartisan voting districts. A great idea, with one major flaw. The commission’s members were to be appointed by Republican and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly, plus the governor, state auditor and secretary of state. Well, with the latter three offices held by Republicans, you can guess the result. The Commission is currently composed of five Republican members and two Democratic members. More recently, Republicans manipulated district lines resulting in their supermajority in the Ohio legislature. In doing so, they blatantly ignored several rebuffs by the Ohio Supreme Court, who found five of the six versions of Statehouse district maps unconstitutionally partisan. But in the oft-quoted words of Winston Churchill, Ohioans must ‘Never, never, never give up.’ The group Citizens, Not Politicians proposes a Voters’ Bill of Rights amendment to the state constitution that would create an entirely non-partisan, 15 member redistricting commission with the goal of an “open and independent process” to create “fair and impartial districts.” Learn about the initiative, and how you can help, by visiting: www.citizensnotpoliticians.org/ We’re ready to collect signatures, and we need 413,487 by July 3 to get on the November ballot. What can you do? Plenty. Talk to family, friends and neighbors about the amendment. Tout the initiative’s many advantages on social media. Write letters to the editors of your local press. Volunteer to gather signatures, send postcards, work at local events. Sign the petition! And on November 5, vote for fair districts. Take action. End gerrymandering! P.S. The fate of Ohio's redistricting is in your hands! But no pressure. For a fun and engaging activity, visit slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/06/gerrymander-puzzles-ohio.html for an interactive puzzle that challenges you to see how quickly you can put Ohio back together! ![]() With the essential nature of our democracy at stake, it may seem that our attention to local and regional candidates is less urgent than our concern for major offices. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Democracy has always been a ground up initiative. It is our local, state and congressional representatives who have the prodigious responsibility of advocating for us in government. These elections have real consequences. They pertain to our quality of life. Education. Infrastructure. Housing. Transportation. For these reasons it's critical that we take the time to vote in the March 19 primary. Yes, you'll be selecting your choice for the Democratic candidate for President. But you'll also be selecting candidates for several Medina County offices, as well as candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, Ohio House and Senate candidates, and your Party's Central Committee Members . Local issues feature prominently as well, including several property tax measures. Voter turn out is crucial to fair and representative elections. To find out more about the candidates and issues that affect you, visit: www.medinadems.org/our-candidates--issues.html So mark it on your calendar! Tuesday, March 19 - 2024 Primary Elections. Note that, beginning February 21, you can vote at the Medina County Board of Elections, 3800 Stonegate Drive. This includes the two Saturdays and the Sunday before election day. You can click here for early voting hours: www.boe.ohio.gov/medina/c/upload/Election_EarlyInpersonAVHours.pdf Or, mail in your absentee ballot, which must be postmarked by March 18 and received by March 23. This can also be dropped off at the Board of Elections no later than 7:30 PM on election day. However you choose to cast your ballot, be sure to do so! |
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