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Politics and COVID-19

Is anyone else becoming numb to all the spewing from the White House regarding the tug of war between opening our world and people continuing to die daily? It has become so dystopian that the only thing we can do is to focus on the upcoming election.

Meanwhile . . . We have our Zoomathon. Coming up tonight is Andru Volinsky’s Town hall Meeting which sounds like a not-to-be-missed event. After that there are practically daily Zoom dates so get your calendar in order and try not to miss any!

Saturday, May 9 is the NHDP convention and platform acceptance. All our favorites will be there so let’s hope the weather is as bad as predicted so we can stay in and watch the entire event. Their special guest is Stacey Abrams who is on the short list for VP.

Speaking of that short list, we’re highlighting Val Demings this week. We met Val Demings during the impeachment hearings where she was a house manager . . . and she definitely did not disappoint.

We are happy to be co-sponsoring with the Lebanon Dems, a Zoom series introducing the candidates for governor. Kudos to them for pulling this together. Slap those dates on your calendar!

And don’t forget to put the UVDems event on May 18 on that same calendar. As we all live in this universe of not understanding half of what is happening to us, it will be refreshing to have Russ Muirhead do some explainin’ and let us in on magical and conspiratorial thinking.

And finally we shed a big tear for, but highly respect, Martha Hennessey’s decision to step down. She knows we only live once and that her family needs her as much as we do. We will miss her voice in Concord BUT hopefully, she will still be the go-to person for our many political needs.

So stay home, stay sane, stay healthy . . . Til further notice.

Here are the details from the latest email.  The bullets are below.

 

Posts

The Era of Zoom is Upon Us!

When we look back at this time in history . . . it could be called the Rise of ZOOM . . . or the Rise of COVID-19 . . . or the last gasps of in-person voting. Most of our personal interactions are ZOOM meetings or webinars and although we sorely miss eating together, chatting and interacting as a group, there are some advantages! We can check in on meetings far and wide–in places we would never drive to . . . we’ll think of other advantages . . . in due time. This week we have quite a few ZOOM experiences to choose from. We’ve signed up for most!

UVDem’s maiden voyage with ZOOM presenting Maynard Goldman as our guest worked out quite well and was positively received. The link to it is below and we strongly suggest you give it a listen if you weren’t there on Monday night. Maynard had some interesting historical anecdotes and gave us a lot to think about re what could be coming next in this era of the rise of COVID-19. Thanks to Maynard for a very very special evening.

Maynard speculated about the upcoming general election and how the vote will be handled. We have heard from the Secretary of State and the Governor and it looks like we will be downloading an application for a mail-in ballot. Stock up on envelopes and stamps and make sure friends and family do it! You can Zoom into Open Democracy on Friday for the latest updates on NH voting.

Our Governor is all over the map these days (not literally)–although he is generous with himself, he is less so with people who find themselves going for unemployment compensation. He’s also generous with the federal monies coming New Hampshire’s way—he has declared that he alone will be deciding who receives the money. Hmm. So these and many many other Trumpian moves make looking into the Lebanon Dems’ ZOOM meetings with Andru Volinsky and Dan Feltes so necessary. We’re thinking they are must-see “TV.” Let’s get out there and make sure there is a Democrat in the governor’s office this November! Two great choices–both/either would be terrific as our next governor.

This should be the week we hear about VP Biden’s VP pick committee—he has so many qualified, smart, articulate people to chose from. Until they all come up with the perfect candidate, we are going to continue to highlight one short-lister each week. Today, we’re highlighting Gretchen Whitmer, a strong candidate. We’re thinking he can’t go wrong with any of the women on his short list. Can’t wait.

And finally, next up is the UVDems program on May 18. It will be a chat with Russ Muirhead who has written a book on conspiracy theories. Fits right in with our other-worldly, un/reality that we are living every day. Put it on your calendars!

Stay home, stay safe.

For the full email with ZOOM links, click here!

  • UVD Monday Night Program Video with Maynard Goldman: Could Covid-19 Infect the November 2020 Elections?
  • Sen. Maggie Hassan, Interview NHPR
  • Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Interview, Washington Post
  • Sununu Sad Facts
  • May 1, Open Democracy, Absentee ballots and Covid-19, ZOOM
  • May 5, NHDP Social Media Training
  • May 7, UV Research Team discuss research on COVID-19, ZOOM
  • May 14, Lebanon Democrats ZOOM Chat with Andru Volinsky
  • May 18, UVD May ZOOM Program: Conspiracy Thinking in American Democracy Today

Engage, Educate, Empower, Elect!