Endorsements

Mike Collier for Lt. Governor

We endorsed in the Lt. Governor’s race, in part, in recognition of the importance of this election to the Texas Legislature. Dan Patrick, with his fervent desire to discriminate against immigrants and the LGBTQ community and to restrict the economic security of all Texans, must go, and Collier is our pick to defeat him.

Read our full endorsement >>

53 days

“The biggest threat to Democracy is indifference,” said President Barack Obama in a speech last week. That Blue Wave we’re all expecting? It won’t happen unless every single one of us do our share.

• Join our Tuesday night pizza, postcards, and phone banking parties. Want to write postcards from home? Order some here.
• Support progressive candidates with your time and money
• Check our community calendar for more ways to get involved

And most importantly, make sure you are registered and have a plan to vote.

Take Action

Stop DHS from detaining children indefinitely

Last week, the Trump Administration issued a proposed rule would allow children to be detained indefinitely. The rule would overturn the Flores settlement, which has been the law since 1997 and prevents children from being detained longer than 20 days.

There is a 60-day period for public comment before the rule goes into effect on November 6 (also known as the most important Election Day of our lives). Here’s where you come in:

1. Comment online
2. Email: ICE.Regulations@ice.dhs.gov. Include DHS Docket No. ICEB-2018-0002 in the subject line of the message.
3. Mail: Debbie Seguin, Assistant Director, Office of Policy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, 500 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20536. To ensure proper handling, include DHS Docket No. ICEB-2018-0002 in your correspondence. Mail must be postmarked by the comment submission deadline.

The proposed rule is clearly in response to Trump administration’s manufactured crisis on the border, where nearly 500 children remain separated from their families thanks to the so-called zero-tolerance policy. Rather than solve the problem, they are attempting to double down on the needless cruelty. Call your reps, too—they need to speak out, and will only do so under pressure from you.

Read more from Families USA >>

Congress Critter of the Month: John Cornyn

Sen. John Cornyn’s aggrieved-grandpa schtick was on full display yet again, this time during confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. He threatened to have Sen. Cory Booker ejected from the Senate for revealing “committee confidential” material that turned out to have been approved for release. (To which Booker responded, famously: “Bring It.”)

In our opinion, Cornyn does not get enough attention from the Texas Resistance, mainly because the more obvious villain, Ted Cruz, overshadows him. (Go Beto.) So let’s give Cornyn some calls this week, and explain that:

1. His pained mansplaining about civility and Senate rules would be more convincing were it not for two words: Merrick Garland
2. Brett Kavanaugh is clearly the Forrest Gump of Bush-era legal malfeasance and should not be elevated to a lifetime position on the Supreme Court. (Instead, he should be impeached.)
3. Trump is an unindicted co-conspirator in multiple crimes and should not get to seat judges on the Supreme Court. This whole process (and presidency) is a sham.

And while you have Cranky Cornyn on the horn, remind him that 2020 is coming, and if he wants any chance of re-election, he’d better start listening to constituents.

Events

Tuesday, Sept. 11

Pizza. Postcards. Phone banking. Hosted by Indivisible Austin every Tuesday night through Election Day. (RSVP here.)

• Want to write postcards from home? Order some here.

Wednesday, Sept. 12

Panel: Texas is Ground Zero for Immigration Policy, hosted by the Texas Observer. 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Central Presbyterian Church, 200 E. 8th St. (Facebook event)

Your Moment of Zen

When you're out for dinner and everyone gets their food before you. pic.twitter.com/MpuGd4CyVC

— Paul Bronks (@BoringEnormous) September 2, 2018

Funding the Fight

NOVEMBER IS NOW!

Every week, every day, we’re working with our volunteers to make sure that in November we win a victory for American values and decency. Registering voters, phone calls, canvassing, postcards, all of it will combine with the work of thousands of other volunteers across Texas and all across America to achieve the victory we need.

But as the campaign season goes on, our budget is tightening, and every day, we are looking at the numbers making hard choices about what we can and can’t afford to do. Help us make sure that we don’t come up short, that we don’t leave work undone. Support Indivisible Austin’s midterm efforts today.