Post-election Edition
And announcement of new Blog/Newsletter
Edit/Update: One of the actions in the Indivisible West Metro was to contact your Representative and tell them to vote “no” on HR9495. The bill has been voted on a passed - https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024477?fbclid=IwY2xjawGtlv1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHeV_w37U7my4iy-QdGuV7gdBnY6wJzJO5ZaTAZYdzCU_7Emax-SGI2mbiQ_aem_RaSdOguFOaXuy4Kpl1PAeg
When I started this Blog, I mainly wanted a way to communicate with constituents about my City Council role and what was happening in Minnetonka.
As we approached the November election, I felt the need to weigh in on state and national politics and candidates, which was a departure from my earlier blogs. As some people have followed me based on recommendations from the Indivisible West Metro and similar substacks, I’ve decided to continue here with a Minnesota and National focus and to share more from ISAIAH/Faith in Minnesota, Indivisible, and other progressive power-building and activist groups. I will create a new substack that will focus solely on Minnetonka.
The branding for this blog will change as well. I already have an idea but since there are some time-sensitive actions included in the newsletter that I shared, I decided not to take the time to create new graphics today.
The November 2024 Presidential Election
Well, that happened. . .
So I’ve (reluctantly) been a part of several meetings where we analyzed what happened and why, talked about regional successes and why they happened, and talked about what’s next.
I was a reluctant participant because I’m still deep in my feels and not all that interested in, well-meaning but privileged, people telling me how I should be feeling in this moment and excusing the racism, misogyny, queerphobia, meanness, and ignorance that got us here. Yes, I know the reality is complicated and sometimes nuanced. That doesn’t erase the underlying current.
That being said, there are lessons to be learned and actions to be taken. I’m not going to go too deeply into the why right now. Perhaps I will discuss more as time progresses.
For now, I’m going to share a link to an Indivisible West Metro (IWM) substack post and to a guide which was put together by a team of Indivisible Leaders from across the county including contributions from one of Indivisible West Metro’s own.
IWM Post - What Can You Do Right Now?
Indivisible Guide - Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink
Election Results in MN
Go here to see a list of local and state IWM candidates that were successfully elected.
The November elections resulted in the DFL maintaining control of the Senate and the House divided evenly. While the state as a whole voted Republican at a higher percentage than in previous elections, we did not see the 6-8% shift seen in most states, and successful campaigns were run in areas where there was grassroots organizing.
Take home message? - That sucked/sucks, there were some bright spots, there are some proactive actions that can be taken, feel your feels.
