The Person We Are Waiting For Is You
Retake Our Democracy purpose is to make it easier for people to effectively advocate for social justice by publishing a blog, hosting a radio show, and sponsoring a range of actions and events. We also have organized two action teams that meet alternate weeks to advance their goals (described below).
IMPORTANT: To keep informed we recommend our signing up to receive our blog published four days weekly, you must click the blue “follow” button at the right and click to follow by email. Even if you think are signed up, please click this follow button. You won’t get a duplicate.
To ensure that your blog will not go to SPAM, please put WordPress.com in your address book or contact list. You should get a blog post four times a week, generally on M, T, Th, and Sat. If you do not, check your “Social” “Promotions” or “Spam/Junk” folders. If it is found there, please mark the email as not being SPAM, It may take a bit to train your email server to allow Retake e-blogs into your in-box. If you sign up and do not get the blog within a week, please email me at Paul@RetakeOurDemocracy.org.
Action Teams
Local Action Team. Meetings every second and fourth Monday of each month from 6pm-7:15pm at the offices of New Energy Economy at 343 E. Alameda in Santa Fe.
The Local Action Team is focused on seeking social justice in Santa Fe advocating for progressive policy at the City Council and participating in a range of community service actions, direction actions and protests. They are currently focused on policy related to affordable housing and public transit.
For more information, contact Jennifer Johnson at gridded@mac.com.
Roundhouse Advocacy Team. Meetings every 2nd & 4th Thursday, 4:30-6:30pm at New Energy Economy, 343 E. Alameda.
The Roundhouse Advocacy Team (or the Rat Pack) has developed two core strategies for advancing social justice at a state level. Strategies include:
A 2018-2019 Legislative Strategy. In collaboration with over two dozen progressive non-profit allies like Common Cause, Prosperity Works, 350.org, NM Voices for Children, Planned Parenthood, and New Mexicans for Health Security, our Roundhouse Advocacy Team identified 29 good bills in 13 issue areas that had been stalled in the 2017 and 2018 Legislative sessions.
We organized the bills into SpeakUp NM!, an online survey so that New Mexicans can voice their priorities. Respondents are asked to provide contact information if they want to be kept informed about the bills they care about most and if they want to be part of our developing Statewide Rapid Response Network which will organize strategic communication with legislators before, during and after each session. To take the survey, click the blue box below.
Election Strategy. We join forces with other progressive groups across the state and target a few districts to provide house party (fundraising), canvassing, and phone-banking support. We target three kinds of campaigns:
- Supporting good Democratic incumbents who face strong GOP opposition in the general election;
- Supporting strong Democratic challengers who have a chance to unseat GOP incumbents; and
- Supporting Democratic challengers who run in the primary against Democrats who have a history of opposing or stalling progressive legislation.
In 2016, we identified seven Democratic challengers, five of whom upset GOP incumbents, returning the House to Democratic control. In 2018, we supported two Democratic challengers in the primaries. Our candidates successfully unseated two longtime barriers to progressive legislation, with Susan Herrera unseating Debbie Rodella (Dist. 41) and Andrea Romero unseating Carl Trujillo (Dist. 46).
For more information about the Roundhouse Advocacy Team, please contact Lynne Fischer at LynneAFischer@gmail.com.
Thank you.