Archive for the ‘Tractivists in Action’ Category
Trick Or Vote – The Movie
Monday, November 17th, 2008Trick Or Vote Hits the Streets
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008The Traction Haunted House
Monday, October 27th, 2008Between now & October 31st make sure you stop by the Haunted Headquarters,
the official Trick-Or-Vote Traction Haunted House
1018 Broad Street
Durham, NC 27705
Learn more about Trick Or Vote and make sure you sign up to walk in the Costumed Canvas this Friday, Halloween!
Pride Traction Style (Guest Blog From Cara)
Thursday, September 25th, 2008I’m proud that Traction is a leader in standing up for the LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer) community in NC…
Pride, Traction-style, is just SO MUCH FUN! I mean, you get to check out the festival with fellow Tractivists and march together in the parade (carrying giant silver balloons that spell out TRACTION) and support an awesomely diverse community in NC.
Seriously, Pridefest is the place to be this weekend— for queer-identified and straight progressives alike! Marching in the parade alongside other groups that are working for LGBTIQ rights in our state, visiting info booths to learn more about the issues, and listening to the great speakers and musical acts are all part of this amazing festival.
Even if you’ve never been to a Pride before, or if LGBTIQ issues aren’t front and center for you, I encourage you to give Pride, Traction-style, a try. It’s my personal belief that we should support other progressives in their struggles and celebrate with them in their triumphs, and Pride is a wonderful place to celebrate some progressive triumphs.
Now that I’ve bared my Pride-lovin’ soul, I’ll get down and dirty with the details about marching with Traction in the Pride Parade…
Sat 9/27: March with Traction in the Pride Parade
NOON lineup at Duke’s East Campus
This year, we’ll have a rolling How Low Can You Vote? limbo crew, plus the giant silver TRACTION balloons and rainbows galore!
Oh, and just so we don’t show up unprepared, you’re also invited to our Pride Planning party on Friday night. Come have a drink, meet some new friends, decide what role you’ll play in our spectacular parade crew, and then stick around to watch round one of the Obama-McCain debates. Who knows, there could be dancing after…
Fri 9/26: pre-Pride happy hour (parade planning, then debate-watching) at Traction HQ
6PM Pride prep / drinking; 9PM Presidential debate-watching.
Email pride@getTraction.org to RSVP for Pride, Traction-style (Parade and/or Happy Hour).
ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION II: a theatrical sideshow
Saturday, April 5th, 2008Tractivists, do you like to watch?
For the next five weeks, we are the epicenter of U.S. politics! The whole world is watching. So it’s time for us to ACT, not to watch. Look for an email soon with ways to be active in this election cycle with Traction.
But on April 11th and 12th, it’s time to join your fellow Tractivists and WATCH…
ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION II
a theatrical sideshow to benefit Traction!
Some of the area’s best actors and directors* + live music + good people + good cause + democracy + food/drinks + you!
ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION II (Wrath of the SuperDelegates)
7pm on April 11th and 12th
at the Trotter Building
410 W. Geer St., across from Manbites Dog Theater
$10 suggested min. donation — tickets conveniently sold online
*featuring Tractivists from Z to A, like Zephyr Teachout, Nicole Quenelle, Jim Haverkamp, Jay O’Berski, Dana Marks and Adam Sampieri.It’s an amazing show and you know it’ll be a great party, so get your tix NOW!
More soon, fellow patriots, Lanya
P.S. To volunteer for this show (or anything else Traction), contact Cara by emailing use.me@getTraction.org.
National Popular Vote for President
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008Checkout this new video on North Carolina and the Presidential Election, directed by a Tractivist and featuring local folks you might know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhOZCKac6os
The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia). It has passed in the NC Senate, and is currently in the NC House.
In less than two years, the National Popular Vote bill has been enacted into law in Maryland and New Jersey and is on the Governor’s desk in Illinois. The bill has passed 14 legislative houses (one house in Arkansas, Colorado, North Carolina, and Washington state, and both houses in California, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland).
The shortcomings of the current system of electing the President stem from the winner-take-all rule that awards all of a state’s electoral votes to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in each state.
Under the winner-take-all rule, candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, campaign, or worry about the concerns of voters of states that they cannot possibly win or lose. This means that voters in two thirds of the states are effectively disenfranchised in presidential elections because candidates concentrate their attention on a small handful of “battleground” states.
Another shortcoming of the current system is that a candidate can win the Presidency without winning the most popular votes nationwide. A shift of 60,000 votes would have elected Kerry in 2004, even though President Bush was ahead by 3,500,000 votes nationwide.
The National Popular Vote bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes—that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill is enacted in a group of states possessing 270 or more electoral votes, all of the electoral votes from those states would be awarded, as a bloc, to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).
The bill has been endorsed by the New York Times, Chicago Sun Times, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Sacramento Bee, Common Cause and Fair Vote. 70% of the public has long supported nationwide election of the president.
Additional information is available in the book Every Vote Equal: A State-Based Plan for Electing the President by National Popular Vote and at www.NationalPopularVote.com.