Democratic Party of Racine County

Newsletter October 2012

EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jane Witt, Chair Julie Krautkramer, 1st Vice Chair Jeff Coe, 2nd Vice Chair Beth Pramme, 3rd Vice Chair Heather Geyer, Secretary Pro Tem Joe Cushing, Treasurer Meg Andrietsch, Trustee Greg Bach, Trustee Pastor Melvin Hargrove, Trustee Pat Mc Manaway, Sgt. At Arms John Scott, Sgt. At Arms

Announcement for Next Membership Meeting 7pm - Monday - October 8, 2012 Racine Labor Center 2100 Layard Avenue
Please attend our October meeting. Attorney Carmen Lassiter will explain polling procedures and regulations. There be time for discussion. Well also hear from candidates representatives as the 2012 election draws to a close. See you there!

racinecountydems.org From The Chair:

One Month to Go! And what are you doing?
Canvassing: You did it before; you can do it again. Come in to the Racine office, 606 Sixth St., or the Burlington office, 101 S. Pine St. Voter contact is everything! Phone Bank: (See above!) You did it before; you can do it again. Voter contact is everything. Stop in at the Racine or Burlington office. Youll be glad you did; the field organizers will be glad you did; President Obama will be glad you did; well all be glad you did. Chum: (Chum: n: usually consisting of oily fish ground up and scattered on the water.) In campaign lingo, its an attractive item (not oily fish) that lures voters (bigger fish)! Signs, bumper stickers, buttons buy some, display some, give some to your neighbors. We all know that signs dont vote, but they sure do attract attention, make our candidates names known and who knows? make a difference when the voter enters the polling place. Contribute: Enough said. If you can contribute, please do so. Remember our great down ticket candidates: Kelley Albrecht, Tammy Baldwin, Peter Barca, Jim Brownlow, Melissa Lemke, Cory Mason, Tod Ohnstad, Kim Petersen, John Steinbrink, Senator Bob Wirch, Rob Zerban. They are hard-working, smart, honest people, striving to do their best for the people of Wisconsin. Lets do our best for them. GOTV Weekend: Be present for as many hours as you possibly can. Be part of this exciting weekend, and youll never forget it. Youll be at the Watch Party on Tuesday night with an increased sense of satisfaction that you participated; you made this happen! Vote Early: You need to be available for activities on Election Day, so free yourself up and vote early. Check it out today! Help Others Vote: A quote from a recent New York Times editorial says: On the day of the recall election of Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, the group (TRUE THE VOTE) used inaccurate lists to slow down student voting at Lawrence University in Appleton with intrusive identity checks. Three election observers, including one from True the Vote, were so disruptive that a clerk gave them two warnings, but the ploy was effective: many students gave up waiting in line and didnt vote. Weve seen it in Racine. And people all over the country have seen what happened in Racine. Heres another quote, this time from the Atlantic Magazine: A recording of Racine County trainingtaken by a skeptical resident who brought along

AT-LARGE MEMBERS:
Heather Coe Chris Flynn Mike Frontier Ethel Gates Bonnie Greasby Melissa Lemke Tony Martinez Marilyn Nemeth Wally Rendon Jean Smith Bob Trobaugh

(Continued on page 2)

a hidden camerareveals close collaboration between True the Vote trainers and a local Republican official. The session kicks off with a prayer led by Brad Zinn, a professional magician who co-founded True the Votes Arizona spin-off. About halfway through the training, a balding, portly man named Lou DAbbraccio, who sits on the board of the Racine County GOP and runs its poll-watcher program, enters the room and explains that he will be assigning trainees to polling places. We are going to focus on those that have the most history of issues, he says. And that may be because of the people that work at that particular polling location. It may be just because its a heavily skewed Democratic ward. After that, Zinn and DAbbraccio reel off a litany of dangers facing poll observers. I dont want to scare you, Zinn says, but if youve got your own food, water, and medicine You do want to be self-sufficient, DAbbraccio adds. Im not saying anybody has ever been poisoned, but Zinn and his California colleague urge trainees to be hyper alert. If they see anything suspicious, DAbbraccio tells them, they are to call headquarters. Well come there, either with attorneys or surreptitiously, he says. Typically, I bring video and camera equipment to includeIve gotten into trouble for saying this in the pastto include a video camera, which I will bring into the polling location, thats concealed. (thats illegal, Lou!) Two weeks later, on Election Day, poll watchers streamed into poor black and Latino precincts around Racine, hunting for evidence that people were cheating. They didnt find much, though DAbbraccio later claimed otherwise, apparently in a bid for a recount in a state-Senate race. (Racines sheriff investigated the allegations but found no evidence of fraud.) Reports of voter intimidation, however, abounded. Carolyn Castore, the Wisconsin election coordinator for the League of Women Voters, told me that her organization received more than 50 reports from Racine-area voters complaining that True the Vote volunteers had hovered over registration tables and aggressively challenged voters eligibility. (In previous years, it had fielded only half a dozen or so complaints about observers.) Other reports had poll watchers tailing vans that were transporting voters to the polls, snapping photos of voters license plates, even directing voters to the wrong polling places. When a local journalist questioned DAbbraccio about these allegations, he blamed out-of-state interlopers. True the Vote came in and did their own training, and I was kind of upset about it, he said. I sat in [on] some of that training, and those people were out-of-state. It was clear that they didnt have a full understanding of the law. (italics mine) Ah, yes, our dear friend, Lou DeAbbraccio. And hell be back again. There are careful, legal plans in place to thwart DAbbraccio and friends and to help voters, especially at frequently-contested polling places. The number of trained poll workers and poll observers has been greatly increased. Contact your local party, and well let you know when and where you can help. To wrap up, today the polls look pretty good for the Presidents re-election. But you cant trust the polls will hold until November 6. And we cant neglect our down ticket candidates: We need a Democratic Senate; we need as many Democrats in the Wisconsin assembly as we can get. These are serious times; this is a serious election. Where will you be?

Proposed Amendments to the DPRC Constitution

The Democratic Party of Racine County will hold its second reading of these proposed amendments at our regular membership meeting to be held on October 8,2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the Labor Center, 2100 Layard Avenue. The first reading of these proposed amendments took place at the 2012 July DPRC membership meeting. Following the second reading, the membership may vote on the changes. This notice will serve as the constitutionally required notice for the adoption of these amendments. 1. Article 12, Section 3. Change the current language: "This Constitution is at all time subservient to the Constitution of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin." The proposed language states: "This Constitution is subject to the provisions of the Constitution of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin." 2. Article 11, Section 1. Delete "Good and Welfare" from the monthly order of business agenda.

From the Convention Blog

Following are excerpts written by Meg Andrietsch and Beth Pramme, a day-to-day log of their life at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte NC in September. You can read more of the blog and see some exciting pictures by going to racinecountydems.org. From former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholms and Senator John Kerry's fiery speeches about the many successes of President Obama, to the nomination acceptance speeches by Vice President Biden and President Obama, the mood at the Time Warner Arena was positively electric. Our own Congresswoman and Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin spoke of the Wisconsin she knows, one of fairness and hard work; a Wisconsin that believes in equality and creating a forward-looking economy that is built to last. And primetime coverage kicked off with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords from Arizona, who was shot during an event in Tucson, leading the arena in the Pledge of Allegiance. Escorted by her good friend and Chair of the Democratic National Committee Debbie Wasserman Schultz, there was not a dry eye in the house. Thursday evenings coverage featured several actors and musicians, all helping to lend a celebratory air to the final night of convention But it also featured solemn moments, including a beautiful tribute to our brave men and women in uniform who serve the country we all love with selflessness and courage, every day. To them, we all say 'Thank You'. But the night really got moving as the hour grew later, because we knew that nomination acceptance speeches from our president and vice president were just around the corner\ Delegates were holding signs that read 'Fired Up' on one side, and 'Ready to Joe' on the other, a play on a now-famous line from a volunteer in Greenwood, South Carolina. After Vice President Biden delivered his nomination acceptance speech, where he thanked his son Beau for placing his name into nomination, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin came out to begin the proceedings for President Obama to officially accept the nomination for president. Each speech laid out their case for reelection, that we as a nation face the clearest choice in generations; a choice between two fundamentally different visions for our country's future. We face a choice between a vision for American that favors

the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of the rest of us, or a vision that strives to work for everyone, regardless of where you come from. A vision that our country should be sold to the highest bidder, or a vision that our hard work will pay off, our responsibility will be rewarded, and that everyone gets a fair shot, does their fair share and plays by the same rules. After the speeches concluded, the confetti dropped and the convention came to an official close, delegates and guests made their ways to their events or hotels to finish the evening, energized and motivated (or as we like to say, fired up and ready to go) by what they heard earlier in the evening and throughout the entire convention. This is the energy that will keep us registering voters, knocking on doors and making sure every single person who is eligible and wants to vote has the opportunity to exercise that right. This is the energy that will carry us through the late nights and early mornings, the long hours and the little sleep. And this is the energy that will help us emerge victorious in November. On behalf of the Wisconsin delegates to the Democratic National Convention, a huge 'Thank You' to each and every person who helped make this convention a rousing success. The legions of volunteers who gave up their time and energy to help everything run smoothly, the teams of law enforcement who ensured everyone's safety during the week, and especially the wonderful people of Charlotte who welcomed everyone with arms wide open and made sure we all felt at home, even in a new city. This is certainly an experience no one will ever forgot, and for that we are eternally grateful. On to November!

presently on the shelves.

Closing Up The Office?

What?! Yes! Coming November 15, the lease on the Sixth St. Campaign Office will end, and well be faced with storing many supplies and furnishings. The biggest need is for permanent storage. Do you have a secure storage area that we could use until next time? Call Meg Andrietsch and let her know. A Great Picnic! The September 23 picnic was a delightful afternoon of great food, sunshine, cool breezes, bees, fun, laughter, speeches. And did we mention great food and fun! Nearly 50 people attended. Our thanks to all who helped make this such a special occasion: Rachel for paper goods, buns, condiments and a thousand little things to make us comfortable; Jeff VK for his excellent brats and hot dogs , delicious salsas and tomatoes (and beer!); Pat McManaway for providing soda and ice; John Scott and Colin McKenna for running the 50/50 raffle (and congrats to the winner, Bonnie Hollis!); David and Mike Krautkramer for excellence in sound and music; everybody who brought such delicious food, helped serve and clean up, and took the extra food to HALO; Jean and Joe Smith for signs, table decorations and games. Special guests included Senator John Lehman, Kelley Albrecht, Melissa Lemke, Rob Zerban, Kim Petersen and 1st CD chair Mark Pienkos. Democratic Party of Racine County Monthly Newsletter
A Monthly Publication of the Democratic Party of Racine County P.O. Box 081825 Racine, Wisconsin 53408 Newsletter Staff: Jane Witt Rich Hinderholtz - Editor

Appeal from your Public Library

In order to have available a wide range of political reading, the Racine Public Library is calling for titles of (and contributions of!) progressive literature. Please consider notifying the Public Library of your ideas. Or give a book. This is a good way to counteract some of the Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin and Rush Limbaugh titles that are

Democratic Party of Racine County; Membership Application 2012

( Print Clearly Please ) (Name of Member) (Names of Additional Members for multiple memberships ) Sign me up for: ( ) $50 a month - Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt ** ( ) $20 a month - Harry & Bess Truman ** ( ) $10 a month - John & Jackie Kennedy ** ( ) $75 Family - Dr. Martin Luther & Coretta King, Jr. ** ( ) $45 Activist (includes up to 3 memberships) ( ) $35 Pairs (includes 2 memberships) ( ) $25 General ( ) $10 Senior/Student/Limited Income (One Member) **Includes All Family Members Please charge my: Visa Master Card Direct Account Debit Name (as it appears on the card) Card/Account # Bank Routing # Exp. Date Donation Type: (if direct debit) Amount $ One Time Recurring Monthly

(Address) (City) (State) (E-Mail Address)

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(County) Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation and name of employer of individuals whose contributions, in the aggregate, exceeds $200.00 per election cycle. Please provide the required information below: Occupation Employer Employers Address

Contributions are not tax-deductible, and corporate contributions are not accepted. You can join the party on-line: wisdems.org. Or mail your membership to:

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Democratic Party of Wisconsin 110 King St., Suite 203, Madison 53703

* Democratic Party of Racine County: Meetings & Events *

October
Monday 8 Now until Nov. 6 Monday 22 DPRC Executive board, 6 p.m., and General Meeting, 7 p.m. Racine Labor Center - 2100 Layard Avenue CAMPAIGNING! In-Person Absentee Voting Starts GOTV weekend

November
Friday thru Tuesday 3-6

Tuesday 6
Tuesday 6, 8 p.m. Thursday 8 Monday 12 Thursday 15

Presidential Election
Election Night Watch Party Details to be announced Begin cleaning out the campaign office DPRC Executive board, 6 p.m., and General Meeting, 7 p.m. Racine Labor Center - 2100 Layard Avenue Vacate campaign Office

March 3 or 10, 2013 DPRC Annual Banquet, Infusinos April 13?, 2013 1st CD convention, Racine

Democratic Party of Racine County Newsletter

October 2012
Democratic Party of Racine County P.O. Box 081825 Racine, Wis. 53408 racinecountydems.org

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Authorized and paid for by the Democratic Party of Racine County, Jane Witt, Chair This communication not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee.