In Political Campaigns There Will Be Bad Days and Good Days

Potluck and Monthly Meeting Tomorrow

Our next Monthly Meeting will be tomorrow at 7 PM.

The potluck dinner begins at 6 PM.

POTLUCK AT 6PM

Bring a dish to share - whether homemade or store bought - and enjoy some quality time with your fellow Dems before we settle down to business at 7. And don’t worry, if you’re not a good cook and don’t have time to shop, we’d still love for you to stop in and enjoy some food and conversation.

MONTHLY MEETING AT 7PM

You do not need to be a member to attend our monthly meetings, and we would welcome your attendance. Monthly meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month unless otherwise communicated.

IN PERSON: The meeting will be held in-person at the Super 8 Motel in Houghton.

REMOTE ATTENDANCE: Remote attendance is via Zoom. Email readers can click the button below at 7 PM on Wednesday to be connected to the Zoom session.

We’re Marching on the 4th in South Range…

CELEBRATE OUR NATION’S 248TH BIRTHDAY

Join us this Thursday, July 4th as we celebrate Independence Day and support local Democratic candidates at the South Range 4th of July Parade.

WHEN & WHERE: Thursday, July 4th. Parade participants assemble beginning at 1 PM at the South Range Elementary School (2 Whealkate Drive in South Range). The Parade kicks off at 2 PM.

RSVP: Send your RSVP to [email protected] (appreciated but not required)

… and at the Strawberry Festival on July 13th!

CELEBRATE THE BOUNTY OF OUR COUNTY!

Come join us next Saturday July 13th as we march in the Strawberry Festival Parade. Then take part in the activities at the Festival - the strawberry shortcake, the arts and crafts show and the after parade BBQ Chicken by Chassell Firefighters & First Responders. It’s always a fun day!

WHEN & WHERE: Next Saturday. Parade participants assemble starting at 10 AM in the triangle park across from the Krist gas station in Chassell.

RSVP: Send your RSVP to [email protected] (appreciated but not required)

Coming Events - Mark Your Calendars (and Volunteer!)

We still have summer activities and events coming up and we’d love to have you join us! Below is the list of our remaining annual summer activities. Mark your calendars and volunteer:

• August 10 - HOUGHTON COUNTY DEMS CONVENTION: Pursuant to the Michigan Democratic Party’s Call to Convention on Saturday, August 24th, all County and District Conventions across Michigan shall occur on Saturday, August 10, 2024. Our County Convention will convene at the hour designated in our local Call to Convention, which will be issued no later than July 26th. The purpose of our County Convention will be to elect Members and Alternates to the State Convention Committees and to consider resolutions to be forwarded to the State Party. NOTE: Delegates with eligibility to vote at the County Convention shall be the members of the MDP residing in Houghton County whose membership was renewed at least thirty (30) days prior to the County Convention held on August 10, 2024 - which is July 11, 2024. (Precinct Delegates, Democratic elected officials and Democratic nominees to partisan offices residing in Houghton County may become members that day when they register at the County Convention.)

• August 22 thru 25 - HOUGHTON COUNTY FAIR: We staff a table every year to engage with the public and distribute literature. We’ll have our button maker and materials ready for the kids to create their own button designs, while we chat with the adults.

• Labor Day Weekend - LABOR DAY PICNIC: Each year we gather over Labor Day Weekend to picnic and connect as we get ready for the fall campaign season.

If you’d like to volunteer for any of these activities let us know. Just leave a message at (906) 523-1233 or email us at [email protected]

Biden Follows Rough Debate With Fiery Address to Rally

Joe Biden had a bad day on Thursday. Even if you didn’t watch the debate you’ve surely heard about his performance (you can see the whole debate here). Those who attended our Presidential Debate Watch Party found it painful to watch.

In the immediate aftermath the press and political pundits went crazy. Many have called for Biden to withdraw from the race. A stream of negativity has come pouring out of the mouths of Never Trumper Republicans and other doubters. Worry and “panic” have been promoted non-stop as the appropriate reaction to Joe’s performance.

But, as Joe himself would say, here’s the thing - average voters don’t seem to have drawn the same conclusions from Joe’s bad night as the pundits. Morning Consult published a post-debate poll on Friday in which President Biden gained a point.

The President himself gave a speech in North Carolina on Friday and talked about the debate. He had the crowd on its feet as he knocked it out of the park, drawing a lot of attention and praise with his rousing words “I know like millions of Americans know - when you get knocked down YOU GET BACK UP.”

And, as of Sunday the Biden campaign has reported that since the debate he’s raised over $33 million, including $26 million in grass roots donations.

The President, those poll responders, and the grass roots donors know what we know. Now is not the time for doubt, or worry, or panic. There will be bad days and good days. Joe Biden is a good President who had a bad day.

And Donald Trump? He is a convicted felon, an adjudicated perpetrator of sexual assault and a fraudster. He claims with pride that he is responsible for the overturning of Roe, and indeed he is responsible. He and his appointees to the Supreme Court have every intention of taking even more rights away from Americans. He has promised to be a dictator on day one, and his campaign is all about his personal retribution, with no ideas for helping ordinary Americans. His debate performance? It was one outrageous lie after another in a display that days after the debate still seems shocking - even for Trump.

On Saturday the editorial writers of the Philadelphia Inquirer responded directly to the worriers. Their editorial said that “President Joe Biden’s debate performance was a disaster… [But] the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump.” and “Biden on his worst day remains light years better than Trump on his best.”

No, now is not the time for panic. Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get to work to make sure that Joe Biden and the Democrats win in November, to protect our freedoms and preserve our democracy. We look forward to partnering with you all to do that work.

First Door Knocking Event of 2024 in the Books

The Houghton County Dems held the first door knocking event of the 2024 campaign season on Saturday. Volunteer recruitment, lit drop, and signs in yards are all part of the shoe-leather investment we're making from now until November 5th.

Voter contact is the number one priority for a county party, and every pair of helping hands brings victory that much closer!

So You Want To Become A School Board Member?

Our Candidate Recruitment Committee is still encouraging all interested Democrats and progressive citizens to file to run for your local school board. The filing deadline is July 23rd.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW TO FILE AND RUN FOR A SEAT ON YOUR SCHOOL BOARD CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES:

• The Candidate’s Guide put together by The Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) takes you through the process of becoming a School Board candidate, and helps you understand what it takes to be an effective School Board member.

• MASB is also offering Virtual Candidate Forums throughout June and July to answer questions from prospective candidates. Information on the dates and times of the Forums is available in their Candidate’s Guide.

• The Great Lakes Political Academy (GLPA-LEAD) is offering a virtual training session for School Board candidates. This day-long training covers the key issues facing school boards, how to persuasively handle controversial issues in education today and the nuts and bolts of running for school board. The training will be offered on Saturday, August 3rd from 10 AM to 3 PM. Sign up here.

Our Next Monthly Meeting

HCDP Monthly Meetings: Unless otherwise communicated our monthly meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month. Potluck at 6 PM, Meeting at 7 PM. In the conference room at the Houghton Super 8, and by Zoom (starting at 7 PM).

NEXT MEETING: July 3rd

Governmental & Community Meetings

There are no City Council, Village Board or County Board meetings scheduled for this week. Happy 4th of July everyone!

Governmental meetings are scheduled throughout the month by bodies from the County Commission to City, Village and Township boards, committees and commissions; as well as local School Boards and the Copper Country Intermediate School District.

Check by phone or on the particular governmental website for meeting notices in your community. Your participation in local government meetings lets your elected and appointed officials know you are interested in their work, and can provide you with the opportunity to speak about your concerns during public comment periods