💪BigTent News: Not Backing Down
In Plain Sight
EXTREMISM HAD A BAD ELECTION NIGHT
👓 STANDING UP: VA SCHOOL BOARDS
What's the issue: On Tuesday night, voters rejected extreme school board candidates who espouse book bans and restrictions on classroom discussion about issues of gender and race. Instead, voters elected moderate and progressive candidates who campaigned on support for traditional public education. This trend was consistent across the U.S. including in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Iowa. An election analysis conducted by the American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest national teachers’ union, found "candidates publicly endorsed by conservative groups such as Moms for Liberty and the 1776 Project lost about 70% of their races nationally in elections this week,"- and they do not stand with the views of a majority of voters. 🤿 Dive deeper
Why is this important: The Huffington Post called Loudoun County in Virginia "a poster child for the ongoing battle over the control of America’s public schools." In the last two years, Loudon County has been a hotbed of "debates over so-called parental rights, what educators are allowed to teach, LGBTQ+ issues, and pandemic policies." On election night, three out of the four candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty lost and the fourth Moms for Liberty endorsed candidate, Deana Griffiths, won by only one percentage point. 👓 Read more
What now: BigTent is proud to congratulate our partner, We The People for Education, for helping to elect 27 anti-extremist candidates to school boards across Virginia. We will continue to work with our partners to educate voters on extremist candidates and reclaim the power of education (which an overwhelming number of voters support) in the hands of the public.
How can we take MORE action: => Buy Banned Books => Send letters to Congress => State Leaders
Join us on Wed, December 13th @7pm ET to hear a virtual discussion with NYT Best Selling Authors, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, on their new book, Tyranny of The Minority, moderated by Ian Bassin, Executive Director of Protect Democracy.
🤿 DEEP DIVE: OHIO WINS
RESOUNDING VICTORIES FOR REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM!
What's the issue: Voters in areas of the South & the Rust Belt voted in line with preserving reproductive freedoms. Ohioans voted to approve Issue 1, amending the right to abortion in their state constitution. This ballot measure won by a large margin (around 12%), demonstrating notable support for reproductive rights in a conservative state. The Ohio Secretary of State's office says more than 3.9 million Ohioans voted in this November's election, about 800,000 more than we saw back in August.📚 Read More
Why this matters: Voters in these states proved that reproductive rights are an important issue — one that spans beyond party lines. In these elections, constituents rallied together to preserve freedoms. In the November 2023 election, 18 counties in Ohio that voted for Trump in 2020 also voted in favor of Issue 1. AND- even more counties voted in favor of protecting abortion access than previously did in August 2023. These results send a strong message to lawmakers that reproductive freedom is an important and bi-partisan issue. 📖 Read more
How BigTent helped: Our BigTent community sent over 4,000 letters to voters in Ohio and Virginia through our campaign with Vote Forward and Vote Riders- and made hundreds of calls to voters. We hosted David Pepper, Center for Common Ground and We The People for Education. But as they say, "It ain't over!"
Doubling down on minority rule: Although this election was a huge win for democracy, extremists are already aiming to reverse the decision against the will of their voters. After the results of the election, anti-democratic officials in Ohio have already declared war against the will of the people, vowing to strike down reproductive freedom. Republican Senator J.D. Vance calls the outcome a "gut punch" and calls for "war" on this issue, despite the clear message his constituents are telling him. 🚜 Dig Deeper
What happens now: We need you! Take Direct Action with us. Your enthusiasm to contribute more to safeguard our democratic rights is inspiring. We want to ensure your involvement is personally fulfilling and contributes to our mission of preserving democracy. To assist us in matching you with the most suitable BigTent opportunities and projects to impact, please fill out this brief questionnaire 🫶🏻🇺🇸.
UPCOMING EVENT
🗓 WEDNESDAY, DEC 13 @7:00 PM ET
A Conversation with Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt and Ian Bassin: Tyranny of the Minority
We are honored to host a special conversation with Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, authors of the new book Tyranny of the Minority (the follow-up to the bestselling How Democracies Die) along with Protect Democracy Executive Director Ian Bassin. They will discuss how counter-majoritarian rule has resulted in the erosion of American democracy and the reforms we need to consider.
📌 RECAP: BIGTENT EVENT
11/1: Neal Katyal
This month we were thrilled to host Neal Katyal. Katyal offered insights into this term's lineup at the Supreme Court, shared updates on Trump's ongoing legal problems, and provided perspective on the resilience of American democracy and the rule of law-(and with a nod to comedian, John Mulaney!) Below are links to the recording, audio podcast, and resources referenced on the call.
🤯 and finally...LINKS THAT KEEP US UP AT NIGHT
Is the GOP Disintegrating Before Our Eyes? | 👀Jay Kuo
How to make Turkey out of MAGA this Thanksgiving | 🦃 The Cycle
The House Is Most Definitely Not In Order | 🧹Dana Milbank
Listen to Ian Bassin “In Plain Sight” | 🎧 MSNBC
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