HR Dems for Political Action
This newsletter will be sent out periodically to communicate political action events in Collin County and resources for influencing key political figures.
The BIG THING this week:
Hands Off! National Protests this Saturday, April 5th
Hands Off!, a national movement to resist Trump and his clowns from destroying Democracy, is sponsoring a mass mobilization day Saturday, April 5. Protests are scheduled across the United States. The closest to Heritage Ranch (and it’s really close) is scheduled from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. (come and go) in front of the Social Security Administration Building, 3250 Craig Drive, McKinney. This is located behind the strip center at Eldorado and Craig (Half-Price Books, Pei Wei, etc.)
Hands Off! explains: “This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies. Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.
A core principle behind all Hands Off! events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.”
CCDP & HANDS OFF EVENT:
- WHEN: Saturday, April 5. 10am – 4pm CDT (come and go)
- WHERE: Social Security Office, 3250 Craig Dr, McKinney, TX 75070
- WHAT: National Non-Violent Rally Day to say HANDS OFF...!
A group from Heritage Ranch plans to carpool and be there at about 10 a.m.
If you want a ride or want to offer a ride, please contact Jill Pendergast, Jillp2006@yahoo.com or Sheila Levatino, sheila@levatino.net
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Call to Action: Speak up for Social Security
Numerous members of the Club are either calling, writing to, or emailing our State and Federal representatives and senators multiple times a week. This week, the emphasis is on our Federal politicians and Social Security. Remember, if you call, you will most likely go straight to voicemail, but your call WILL be logged.
This is from AARP Texas Advocacy:
“We're asking Congress to reassure us that Social Security claims will be processed on time and that we will have access to the help we need -- when we need it. And we're asking every AARP member in Texas to speak up today.
Please, tell Congress: Protect and save our Social Security!
You pay into Social Security with the promise it will be there for you in the future. And since voters 50-plus decide elections in Texas and across the country, your voice should make a big difference to your Texas members of Congress.”
U.S. Representative Keith Self 202-225-4201
U.S. Senator John Cornyn 202-224-2934
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz 202-224-5922
Sample Script from AARP:
I am a Texas resident and one of your constituents, (address) Fairview. Please, protect and save my hard-earned Social Security.
Recent news about Social Security makes me nervous, and as my member of Congress, I am asking you to make sure my Social Security is safe and sound, and that I can get help when I need it.
Social Security is the largest source of income for most seniors. One in five households who have earned Social Security rely on it for nearly all of their income.
Social Security is how we survive in retirement, and it cannot be messed with.
I have paid into Social Security my entire working life based on the promise that I would get my money back when I retired. Please protect and save Social Security.
Submitted by Chris Diaz
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Upcoming Events:
Here are some upcoming ways to join like-minded people and take action in Collin County:
Sat, Apr 12 @ 1:30pm
Resistance Roundtable › (see next article)
Thu, Apr 3 @ 6pm
Collin County Democratic Party Happy Hour ›
Sat, May 24 @ 6pm
Collin County Democratic Party NIGHT AT RIDERS FIELD ›
Fri, Apr 18 @ 6:30pm · McKinney Area Democrats
McKinney Democrats April Happy Hour ›
Mon, Apr 14 @ 8:15am · Frisco Democratic Club
FDC Breakfast ›
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Resistance Roundtable
Collin County Democratic Party hosted the first Resistance Roundtable in March. Why? “Because fighting back requires a collective effort.” The meeting was deemed a great success, with about 100 attendees arriving before room capacity was reached.
Melody Wattenbarger and Jill Pendergast attended from Heritage Ranch. Melody captured the major talking points and suggestions/resources for action, which cover a variety of topics of interest to Collin County. Melody’s notes follow this article. It’s worth the read!
Here are the details to the second Resistance Roundtable. All are invited! Go to the link in this newsletter in the “upcoming ways to join like-minded people” and click the link.
📅 Date: Saturday, April 12th
⏰ Time: 1:30pm-4:00pm
📍 Location: Roy & Helen Hall Memorial Library, 101 E Hunt St, McKinney, TX
Melody’s Notes from a previous meeting:
Collin County Democratic Party (CCDP)
Resistance Roundtable Notes
March 8, 2025
Attending:
From Heritage Ranch: Jill Pendergast, Melody Wattenbarger
Total attendance was close to 100 with many turned away for lack of space even after the event was moved to a larger venue.
CCDP Chair Jeremy Sutka presented the operating philosophy of the CCDP:
- We are scared.
- We are fed up.
- We are ready to fight back. We are ready to resist.
Sutka presented specific strategies for the next two years:
Communications – Listen to the people and build new, clear, fresh messages around things that are important and resonant with the people. For input, take the community survey on the CCDP website:
https://www.collindemocrats.org/
Outreach – Reach out to disenfranchised and ignored voters in order to listen and learn from them and to be present with them all the time (i.e., not just before the election)
Recruitment – CCDP needs to recruit an army of people to resist and serve as volunteers. Equally important is the need to identify, train, and support candidates that connect to working class people.
Fundraising – Collin County is the wealthiest county in Texas and the 6th largest county in the state. It is the largest county in the state that is still red. Too much money in the county is leaving the state. The budget for the Dallas County Democratic Party is 12 times that of the CCDP, and Dallas County is not 12 times larger than Collin County.
Investing – Use resources (time, energy, money, people) in ways that the data show will be the most productive.
Informing about State and Local Elections – Support state, local and school board elections. The CCDP website will have information about state and local elections and about Democratic candidates running in them. School boards serve as the bench for city council and county commission spots, and the city/county spots serve as the bench.
Resources and other information:
Track the Texas Legislature online at https://capitol.texas.gov/Home.aspx
Track federal legislation at https://www.congress.gov/
Follow voting rights information in each state at https://tracker.votingrightslab.org/ (the Voting Rights Lab)
Subscribe to CCDP’s newsletter, The Rally, which comes out every Thursday. It will have information about upcoming events, protests, rallies, and town halls. To subscribe visit https://www.collindemocrats.org/
Volunteer and donation opportunities are also on the CCDP website.
Two things required by Texas constitution: For CCDP to run primary elections and to have a convention every two years.
The remainder of the meeting was open comments from attendees:
Recommendation for reading: How Democracies Die by Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky, particularly using common values as a way to begin conversations with people you do not agree with
There is a huge need for voter education. The most frequently asked question on election day was “Did Biden drop out?”
Tension exists between the slow process of working together to find common values and the urgency of a fascist takeover of the country.
Jordan Wheatley is running for Keith Self’s seat. He spoke of his and his family’s working-class background.
From a former Republican activist: Look for messaging that will resonate enough for your candidate to win. Also look for ways to weaken your opponent.
From a 17-year-old: We have to keep the disparate ideologies in the party together. We haven’t listened to young men, and they are not connected to the party. We need to counteract that because we cannot afford to lose any voters. This speaker did not reveal his age until the end of the remarks. His question to the group was this: “Would you pay as much attention if you knew my true age instead of thinking I was 25?”
From a federal employee, aged 26, fired from her federal dream job after only 4 months on the job in the mass purge of probationary workers. Her testimonial was very powerful and ended with “I believe in the country even though it has hurt me.”
Be open to all forms of protest including silent protest and finding common ground.
Encourage people to become Volunteer Deputy Registrars (see https://www.collindemocrats.org/) to register people to vote or to become involved in canvassing.
Develop a simple, memorable response to repeat every time Trump comes up in conversation. Example: “Trump is a danger to our safety.”
From Darrell Evans, candidate for House Dist. 89: He ran last time on unabashedly progressive values. His campaign will not budge an inch on values and, at the same time, will welcome all who wish to join in. He emphasized his own working-class life and how important that is to his candidacy. He also said, “What am I going to tell my son if I did nothing while fascism was knocking at the door.?”
Instead of complaining about what Dems are not doing, talk about what we are doing.
Gerrymandering is a huge structural barrier that will require something national to fix. In the meantime, a counter to gerrymandering is to mobilize nonvoters.
Texas is a purple state that does not vote. The best way to defeat those in power is to VOTE THEM OUT.
CCDP will plan another Resistance Roundtable in April. Watch The Rally for sign up information and visit https://www.collindemocrats.org/ to learn about other ways to get involved.
We welcome you to submit events, articles, ideas for articles, and political actions/accomplishments. Send to sharishaw@msn.com
Issue 5, March 30, 2025
