Rain Perry

Hey everyone!

We've got some new folks here, so I'll take an opportunity to say hi and introduce myself. I'm a songwriter and performer from Ojai, California. I'm not a TV talking head, nor a party strategist. But I've spent a lot of time doing political work as an organizer and volunteer, and I've learned a thing or too. So welcome! Thank you for signing up.

This email was intended to go out weekly, but things are happening so fast, I'm adapting that schedule to "whenever a topic reaches critical mass!"

Hope

First off, go Tennessee!

That's the kind of data we should be paying attention to, not polls. In election after election since the Dobbs decision, voters across the country have been trending more blue, often dramatically so.

This is a very good explainer of why polling, while useful to get a sense of things, is not good at predicting outcomes. Data analysis is much better. I am particularly skeptical of polling -- and there's a lot of it -- that doesn't include "abortion" as an option among top concerns for respondents, because it has proven to be a top concern for voters, in blue and in red states.

Another way to look at voting trends? Donald Trump won in 2016 and he and his ideas have been steadily losing ever since.

Another hopeful development? Our coalition is rapidly expanding in a thrilling way. Republicans for Harris, with an impressive roster, rolled out today not as an affinity group like "White Dudes for Harris," but as an official "campaign within the campaign." I love it because it's aggressive and smart, creating a space for folks who are not ready to define themselves as Democrats (but give 'em time 😆) yet are determined not to elect Donald Trump.

If you didn't make "White Dudes for Harris," are three Harris zooms tonight, IN HALF AN HOUR, at the same time (5 pm PST/8 pm EST): Comics for Kamala, Progressives for Harris and Elders for Kamala. Latter Day Saints for Harris is tomorrow!

And some more hope: here's a quick update from last emails's topic "Can they refuse to certify the election?" Here's Democracy Docket's Marc Elias' reassurance that they're currently litigating 40-50 cases. (Hopefully you all can view a link from Threads, even if you don't have an account there.)

Which brings me to...

Strategy

Today or tomorrow, Kamala Harris will announce her VP pick. (Maybe even while I'm writing this email!) I might be wrong, but the "Veepstakes" this time seems more shrill than ever. People have a lot of opinions. At first it was like, "any of the guys she's probably considering would be wonderful in their own nerdy white way," but now it's gotten more serious, with some factions forming for or against some of them.

Harris is also adding staff, and the other day she hired David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, as a senior advisor. I was skeptical. Plouffe cohosts a podcast with KellyAnne Conway and he's a spokesman for the evil Uber. Plus, she already has a wonderful campaign manager -- Jen O'Malley Dillon.

I tweeted my concern. And then I deleted it.

The world is not waiting for my semi-formed opinion about David Plouffe, first of all. But more importantly, what benefit is there to seeding doubt in Harris' choices? I'm sure, as the manager of a winning, transformative presidential campaign, Plouffe has insight that could be useful. Maybe having him around reassures jittery major donors. I have no idea.

It got me thinking about my voice in this election. Some people do listen to what I have to say. So what do I really want to say?

That's a big question in our Big Tent party. We do not all agree with each other. I love that about us, but sometimes it splits us into factions when we really need to keep our eyes on the prize. There's a trueism: "Democrats fall in love; Republicans fall in line."

How do I remain true to my own concerns and opinions while doing everything I can to win the election and beat back the real threat of looming fascism that is the Donald Trump candidacy?

It turns out I'm not the only one thinking about this right now. From Robert Hubbell's essay last night:

"Let’s rally behind the new team and avoid giving the media a talking point that will distract from the most important point: Democrats are united behind Kamala Harris and intend to win in November. Anything else is noise. For once, we are “on message.” Let’s stay there!"

So I've been thinking about this. What’s my role here? Do I want to be a random Internet commentator? I answered my own question this way: I want to talk privately about issues with people whose opinions I trust, but publicly I will stay positive, focused, and determined in order to effect the outcome I so badly want. And it occurred to me that that role actually has a name: "ambassador." Ambassador for Democracy has a nice ring to it!

So here are the two strategy suggestions this week:

• The fact that you are paying attention to this election enough to sign up for newsletters about it means that you are more engaged than many. People are looking to you for guidance. So when you post online or talk with friends about the election, please ask yourself "Is this helping? Is this empowering people to organize and vote?"
• The second thing is this: bots and trolls are everywhere right now. Be aware that someone who's posting something incendiary or dragging you into a debate could very well be someone getting paid to divide us. Don't waste your life force on them. Ignore, block and move on. They thrive on engagement and they wither and die if they’re left alone.

Finally, here are some words of wisdom (Thanks, Laurie, for sending!) from my personal fave potential VP pick, Tim Walz:

“How often in 100 days do you get to change the trajectory of the world? How often in 100 days do you get to do something that’s going to impact generations to come? And how often in the world do you make that bastard wake up afterwards and know that a Black woman kicked his ass and sent him on the road?”

92 days and counting...LET'S DO THIS!

xo, Rain

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