Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic party, has been hard at work helping to elect her candidates, including Kara Eastman in Nebraska’s second congressional district, and Jane Raybould, running for Senate.
Both of those seats have been held by Democratic party members in the not to distant past, in the case of Nebraska’s second, as recently as two years ago. Is it possible to win those back? What role can Daily Kos readers and writers play?
And that’s where the new C!U!A! comes in! On August 17, I’ll be traveling to downtown Omaha, Nebraska, to meet with — and celebrate, the work of Nebraska Democrats, who hold their annual Morrison-Exon dinner as well as some activities throughout the day to help honor their volunteers and workers for the party, the people who are putting in the effort to make major changes.
Part of our goal in Connect! Unite! Act! has to be to unite Daily Kos members and communities with real-world actions, and to that end, I’m working on meeting with community members in their own states, or major regional events.
When we think about action, events like the Morrison-Exon event in Omaha are the definition of action in politics. These events aren’t just about party donors — they are about rewarding the lifeblood of Democratic effort, by recognizing volunteers, support groups, and by having a little bit of fun.
That’s right! If you’ve ever had the desire to see someone like me karaoke but weren’t able to come to Netroots to see it.. you might be in for a treat.
As we get closer to this event, we’ll talk more about what to expect, but this will be one of the first events in a new plan reach out to the activists, the campaigns, the organizers, by attending the events that are already ongoing all over the country. While this will be the first we’re documenting under the C!U!A!, I hope it sets up a steady pattern of events and opportunities to connect our community with the efforts of volunteers and activists all over the country.
We all do better when we all do better. We can all do better the more we know about each other’s communities. It is a lot easier to care about what happens, anywhere in America, when you come to know the people.
If you’re in Omaha, feel free to leave a message in our comments — I look forward to seeing you there! But if you aren’t in Omaha, this is the perfect time to learn just a bit about why Democrats and activists fight for their communities.
Over the next few months, I plan to highlight more events and meet up opportunities, not just events for state organizations, but national organization events, activist group gatherings, outreach into communities of color, and hands-on organizing on behalf of groups like the Poor People’s Campaign, Indivisible, Vote Vets, Let America Vote and many others.
Are you ready to see what happens next? Let’s talk about what is happening in your community — what organizations are working, what activities are you a part of, and what outreach plans are happening around you?