Last weekend, we held our second Bernie Sanders canvass of the summer. This one was in sunny Germantown, and turnout was, by all accounts, incredible: fifty-plus canvassers, nine of whom were canvassing for the first time, knocked an estimated 1,300 doors Saturday afternoon, taking our 2020 primary total to ~3,000 doors of our 200,000-door-by-April-28th target. And it’s only August!
Even nine months out, the enthusiasm for Bernie is infectious, as Marlin found while out on doors in Germantown:
“As my canvass partner and I walked toward our turf, a passing driver rolled his window down to ask us what the clipboard we were carrying were for. We shouted back ‘Bernie Sanders!’ and then were both astonished to see him swiftly cross a lane of traffic to pull into a driveway next to us. He leapt out of the car and said, ‘Sign me up!’ It was a better start to the day than we could have possibly hoped for.”
The canvassing committee has an ambitious plan to increase the number of weeknight canvasses in various neighborhoods around the city, with a goal of at least 2-3 weeknight canvasses per week plus one big weekend canvass a month. We plan on canvassing throughout the city, especially in areas where we haven't canvassed before (Northeast Philly, here we come!) and where Bernie's message will have the most resonance (i.e. working class neighborhoods). In order to reach that goal, we’ll need as many people as possible to join us.
As incoming Electoral Committee Chair Kilynn Lunsford said at our Bernie Open Strategy Meeting,
“[The Sanders campaign] is the type of mass politics that puts us in contact with a living, breathing, broadly-constituted body of working people… This will give us the chance to fight for these same issues we have based all our disparate campaigns on under the umbrella of a nationally watched and discussed presidential campaign, allowing us to build out a broader network of coalition partners. Building a coalition off a campaign platform that brings all of these campaigns together, led by the only candidate who will work to get these policies enacted, will make us that much stronger in number and organizing knowledge. It presents DSA with the potential to radically expand our membership, train more leaders, and thus take on more ambitious campaigns and projects in the future.”
In addition to going door-to-door, you can also boost our canvassing work by phonebanking, tabling at events, hosting weeknight canvasses, or doing data entry after big weekend events. Contact Vicki from Canvassing ([email protected]) to get involved!
BuxMont Passes a Resolution in Support of Medicare for All!
Big win from our friends in the ‘burbs this week as BuxMont DSA successfully pressured the Norristown Municipal Council into passing a resolution (unanimously!) in support of Medicare for All. Here’s Daniel from BuxMont:
“Norristown is a working class town with large communities of Black residents and Latinx immigrants, a town where 15% of its residents (over 5,000 people) have no health insurance at all, let alone the many who are underinsured in expensive, inadequate plans. As council member Hakim Jones said before voting, Norristown isn’t ‘interested in waiting until the next election cycle to see what the people at the top believe in, and [we’re] not interested in following a trend[...]We are a community that suffers from not having access to healthcare.’
Norristown is now a vanguard municipality in southeastern PA in the fight for single-payer. Meanwhile, Representative Madeleine Dean does not support Medicare for All despite this clear demand from her constituents. The struggle is far from over. As socialists in Bucks and Montgomery counties and from around the country continue to push for this essential working class demand, politicians will no longer be able to ignore the mounting pressure from the working majority. A better healthcare system - a better world - is possible, but only if we fight for it. Through continued organizing, we hope to see other towns throughout suburban Philadelphia follow Norristown’s example and pass their own resolutions affirming healthcare as a human right.”
Save the Date! Philly DSA General Meeting
Saturday, September 14 | 12:30 - 3:00 pm | First Unitarian Church | 2125 Chestnut St
RSVP Here
Our next General Meeting is Saturday, September 14, 2019 at First Unitarian. At GMs, we hear reports from campaigns and committees, set local policy and work priorities, and debate and vote on resolutions. The assembled membership is the ultimate decision-making body of the local, so participation is crucial.
Resolutions for the September 14 GM can be found here. Amendments are due on 8/29.
At the GM, we will also be voting on endorsement resolutions that have been submitted for Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O'Rourke. Philly DSA members will have the opportunity to ask questions with Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O'Rourke prior to endorsement votes. Questions may be submitted by writing to [email protected]. Candidate interviews will be moderated by the incoming Electoral Committee chair, Kilynn Lunsford. Please review the candidate questionnaires prior to the General Meeting:
Kendra Brooks Candidate Questionnaire
Nicolas O’Rourke Candidate Questionnaire
Sherrie Cohen Candidate Questionnaire
Joe Cox Candidate Questionnaire
General Meeting Phonebanks
Phonebank your fellow members to let them know about the upcoming General Meeting! Democracy means participation, and we want as many members as possible involved in deciding on our political work.
South Philly Phonebank
Wednesday, August 28 | 6:30 - 8:30 pm | RSVP to [email protected] for address
Wednesday, September 5 | 6:30 - 8:30 pm | RSVP to [email protected] for address
West Philly Phonebank
Tuesday, September 10 | 6:30 - 8:30 pm | RSVP to [email protected] for address
Table For Bernie
Talk to fellow Philadelphians about why a Bernie Sanders' victory is a key step towards a society that works for everyone, not just millionaires and billionaires. Sign up for a shift here!
South Philly
Sunday, September 1 | 1:00 - 5:00 pm (2 hr shifts) | Dickinson Square Farmer's Market | 515 Tasker Street
North Philly
Thursday, September 19 | 2:00 - 6:00 pm (2 hr shifts) | Cecil B. Moore Farmer's Market | Broad and Cecil B Moore
If your union does something cool between bulletins, let us know on Facebook or Twitter!
North Philly Happy Hour
Monday, August 26 | 6:30 pm | El Bar | 1356 Front Street
Weeknight Bernie Canvass and Data Entry in West Philly
Tuesday, August 27 | 6:00 - 8:30 pm | 4030 Market St, 2nd floor apartment
Delco DSA August Meeting and Manor Care Union Support Canvass
Saturday, August 31 | 2:00 - 5:00 pm | Yeadon Community Park | 401 South Union Ave, Yeadon, PA 19050
Bernie 2020 Tabling: South Philly
Labor Day Picnic
Monday, September 2 | 12:00 pm | FDR Park (Picnic Site #4)
Marxism and Politics Lecture Series: Adaner Usmani on Mass Incarceration
Monday, September 9 | 7:00 - 9:00 pm | Parish Room, First Unitarian Church | 2125 Chestnut Street
Philly DSA General Meeting
Saturday, September 14 | 12:30 - 3:00 | First Unitarian Church | 2125 Chestnut St
Temple University Bernie Canvass
Saturday, September 21 | 12:00 - 4:00 pm | Location TB
Bernie 2020 Tabling: North Philly
Thursday, September 19 | 2:00 - 6:00 pm (2 hr shifts) | Cecil B. Moore Farmer's Market | Broad and Cecil B. Moore
Harassment and Grievance Process
In accordance with Article XIII of our Bylaws, a commission has been formed to process grievances. The purpose of the Philly DSA Grievance Commission is to receive and review all filed grievance claims in order to determine if they are credible, not credible, or not substantiated and to make recommendations on possible disciplinary action. To read more about the process or to file a grievance you can do so here.
The Policy Committee Needs Your Help!
Do you have a socialist policy idea? Something to start a campaign in the chapter or support our ongoing work? Something that we need to put on Bernie Sanders' desk? At our November 2018 General Meeting, the local established a Policy Committee to research policy and present Philly DSA members with the opportunity to engage in discussions about the kinds of policies that we would like to see pursued at all levels of government. The Committee now has a form for members to submit these ideas and work with the Committee on a project. We will help you produce a pamphlet, white paper, or even model legislation!
Get involved in Philly DSA’s Communications Committee
The Philly DSA Communications Committee is looking for writers, artists, programmers, photographers, and anybody else who’s interested in promoting our local’s amazing work. If you’d like to get involved, please email [email protected]
Local Convention Report
The full local convention report is available now on our website. Click through for the platform, vote totals, and conclusions from the SC and planning committees.
Host a Canvass!
The Philly DSA Canvassing Committee will be running smaller, shorter weeknight and weekend canvasses out of members' homes and in order to do this, we need people to volunteer their houses and apartments as launch locations! Please email Vicki at [email protected] with any questions. If you're interested in hosting, please fill out the form below:
Host a Canvass
Member Surveys: Childcare
At our November 2018 General Meeting, the local established a childcare committee in order to implement more consistent childcare practices for the organization. The committee has prepared an initial survey to assess member needs and interests in order to guide their work. Please take a moment to fill out the survey.
Committee & Branch Meetings
Steering // Outreach // Pol Ed // OCOS // Social // Canvassing // Policy // Labor // Housing // Childcare // Diversity & Engagement // DelCo // BuxMont
Support 👏 Philly 👏 DSA 👏!
Local Dues - support our campaign work and cover everyday operating costs like meeting space // Contribute to Philly DSA PAC - help fund our independent electoral campaigns // Accommodations, Accessibility, Childcare - let us know what you need to stay involved // Moved away from Philly? - update your address on the DSA national database.
In Solidarity,
Philly DSA Bulletin Team
Inquiries | Website
Isn’t it time to do something? Get involved with the Local.
