We have just a little over a month to go before it's time for the
second Texas Kos statewide meet-up! You might remember our
inaugural meet-up in Austin two years ago, where we laid out a vision for turning Texas into a battleground state. The event was a great success. It was an inspiring day full of hope and camaraderie, and
navajo and
belinda ridgewood even flew in to visit us.
We're planning for something even bigger this time. In the wake of our Election Day losses, we cannot lose our momentum, and we must continue to stick together as progressives. Next month, we will be meeting in Austin for a day of discussion, strategizing, and (of course) eating. From my
first diary on this meet-up:
Now that we have mostly recovered from the immediate effects of Election Day, Texas progressives have work to do. We knew from the beginning that efforts to flip the state would be a long-term project, and just as Republicans didn't take control overnight, we are not going to retake Texas without a long, hard fight. Now is the time to pull together, talk, plan, but most of all, never lose hope.
[...] Every cog, every organizing effort, every activist outlet in our Texas progressive movement matters, and Daily Kos plays an important role in our future as a battleground state. There are many of us Kossacks in Texas, both vocal and lurking (and somewhere in between), and we hope to bring even more into our shared struggle. Here in Houston, the Houston Area Kossacks group has served as an activist launching pad for several of us. While our metro area is too sprawling to have effective group activist events, our meet-ups have served as a clearinghouse for sharing information, and many of us have become much more active in our own areas of the city. And that should really be the point of any Daily Kos group--after all, we are here to elect more and better Democrats.
In the spring, we want to bring together Kossacks from across the state and region so we can lift each other up, share strategies, inspire and become inspired, and keep up the momentum toward tipping the balance of power in Texas. All while meeting new people and forging new friendships with our fellow Kossacks, of course.
We settled on Saturday, February 28, based on the feedback we received from all of you. The following day (March 1), the Zilker Park Kite Festival will take place, so if you spend the night in Austin, you will have something else to look forward to. (Aside from, you know, Austin itself...do you need a reason to stay longer?)
But wait! There's more! This time, thanks to navajo, we have official support from Daily Kos. We will also have a lineup of Daily Kos speakers, including Meteor Blades and Denise Oliver Velez. If you didn't already have a reason to come to Austin on February 28, now you do. MB and Denise will share their experiences as activists with us, and I, for one, am greatly looking forward to meeting them. We're thrilled that navajo will also be joining us again, and she'll be talking to us about organizing assistance available from Daily Kos. We also just got word that Egberto Willies, front-pager and Houston area activist, will be speaking to us. There are still some moving parts, but we are currently working on putting together a packed seminar schedule. You will not be bored. And lunch and the first happy hour drink will be courtesy of Daily Kos.
Also, from nomandates' last diary on the meet-up:
We're working out the details, but we also plan to discuss what the Republican-controlled Texas legislature is up to and how we can help to minimize the damage they are planning to inflict on those Texans who are neither rich nor powerful.
And, of course, we'll have plenty of time to discuss and to just visit with one another.
There will be plenty to discuss. So what's stopping you from signing up right now?
We hope you're able to make it to Austin on February 28. All Kossacks are welcome, including out-of-staters. And if you're in a part of Texas that does not currently have a Daily Kos group, this would be the perfect opportunity to meet with other Kossacks and maybe even develop a plan to start a group yourself!
We had over 50 attendees at our last meet-up, and we're hoping this one draws up to three times more. Please let us know if you can make it! You can leave a comment here or send a Kosmail to nomandates or me.
Hope to see y'all there!
Saturday, February 28th
Texas All-State Meet-up with Meteor Blades, Denise Oliver-Velez and navajo
Please come for an afternoon of camaraderie and progressive strategizing with Big Orange flavor! Out-of-state attendees welcome!
Lunch and Seminar c/o Daily Kos
TIME: Noon - 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Max's Wine Dive
"Fried Chicken and Champagne... Why the Hell Not?"
207 San Jacinto Blvd • Austin, near convention center
Happy Hour First drink c/o Daily Kos
TIME: 6:00 PM
LOCATION: CRAVE
340 E. 2nd St (around the corner from seminar) • Austin
ORGANIZER: Send nomandates a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. nomandates
2. Chrislove
3. Meteor Blades
4. Denise Oliver-Velez
5. Egberto Willies
6. navajo
7. johnatx
8. mrs johnatx
9. Blood
10. cosette
11. anotherdemocrat - Vege*
12. bastrop
13. Warren Pease
14. Patience John
15. noteaforme
16. blue armadillo
17. RLMAC
18. TexMex
19. JC Dufresne
20. TexasLibertine
21. politik
22. Mr Pea
23. PDiddie
24. Mrs. Diddie
25. suesue
26. mr suesue
27. Sandia Blanca
28. Noisy Gong
29. Essephreak
30. laderrick - Vege*
31. getlost
32. TulsaGal
33. AndyT
34. Carol in San Antonio
35. blueisland
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36. TX Unmuzzled
37. walkshills
38. MargaretPOA
39. rabel
40. on the cusp
41. freerad
42. freerad's guest
43. Wino
44. Mrs Wino
45. Red Tom Kidd
46. Tutone in Texas
47. Mrs Tutone in Texas
48. jfranks
49. 1toughlady
50. kath25
51. scott5js
Maybees:
texasmom
texasdad
BlueMississippi
BlackSheep1
Deja (+1-2)
boadicea
postmodernista
Texan001
Ignacio Magaloni
neverontheright
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* Needs vegetarian meal