Grassroots Organizing Tools

OFA Legacy Training Tools Link – CLICK HERE

Organizing for Action (OFA) was a national grassroots issues advocacy organization, founded in 2013 to support the policy agenda the American people voted for in the 2012 elections. For over six years, OFA fought for progress on issues like climate change, health care, gun violence, immigration reform, economic fairness, and to create a more participatory and accessible democracy.

After notable successes protecting the Affordable Care Act from being repealed in 2017 and winning historic victories in the 2018 elections, in 2019 OFA fully joined forces with Attorney General Holder’s All On The Line campaign to end gerrymandering and restore fairness to our elections and democracy. One of OFA’s signature strengths was its focus on training and leadership development, furthering the Obama organizing legacy and core values of Respect, Empower, Include. The Obama Alumni Association will be a permanent home for these materials, ensuring that this piece of President Obama’s legacy is available to others in the progressive movement. Providing access to this high-quality and battle-tested compendium of materials will help prevent others from doing duplicative work recreating core training materials from scratch, as well as allow more everyday people to organize in their communities. This sprawling collection is a handbook for how to implement these organizing values in both electoral and issue advocacy organizing at every level.

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End the March to War with Iran: 

Messaging Guidance and Toolkit

We are on the brink of war — and it’s Donald Trump’s fault. We must immediately end the escalation and replace it with a massive diplomatic intervention.

Make no mistake: Donald Trump brought us to the brink.

Trump entered office with some of the most promising inroads to peaceful relations with Iran in decades. Instead, he:

  1. Established a policy of hostility and antagonism toward Iran from day one, [1]
  2. Hired advisors and took the counsel of outside warmongers who have long promoted regime change and war with Iran, [2]
  3. Violated the successful multilateral Iran nuclear deal, [3]
  4. Engaged in economic warfare by unilaterally imposing crushing sanctions on Iran and threatened sanctions against our European allies, even though Iran was still complying with the agreement, [4] and
  5. Increased regional tensions through bellicose rhetoric, a “maximum pressure” campaign, and a bolstered, confrontational U.S. military presence in the region. [5]

Now, he has chosen to assassinate one of Iran’s most powerful leaders — an entirely unnecessary and aggressive act of war. The march to war with Iran has been long. Donald Trump has been at its head.

War with Iran would be catastrophic, potentially worse than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. 

  • War with Iran with the goal of ending its nuclear program or changing the regime would require a massive U.S. invasion and occupation that would pale in comparison to the combined U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — and would be just as fruitless and deadly. [1][2]
  • Starting a war with Iran would likely destabilize an entire region, funnel U.S. resources into an unwinnable conflict, and unleash mass-scale human suffering on Iran’s 80+ million civilian population and beyond. [1
  • Even a military conflict short of full-scale war will result in the continued suffering and loss of life that has already marked decades of U.S. endless war in the Middle East. 
  • If we have learned anything from the almost two decades of destructive, futile, endless wars, now is the time to act like it.

Only Congress can decide whether U.S. forces should be put into harm’s way. 

  • Bipartisan majorities in both chambers, backed by vast grassroots support, sought to block this type of offensive executive military action against Iran in the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. But even this most basic level of congressional oversight was too much for the Trump administration and much of the Republican party, which stripped the language in the bill’s final negotiations. Sadly, we’re now seeing the results of that dereliction of duty. [1] [2]
  • Members of Congress and experts have stated that the current authorizations for the use of military force (that authorize the post-9/11 wars) do not authorize war with Iran. [1] [2] [3]
  • But even with Congressional approval, war with Iran would be futile, disastrous, and immoral.

We can still stop the march to war.

  • The Iranian government will likely retaliate. The question is if we can break this cycle of escalating violence. [1]
  • Now is the time to end all incendiary rhetoric, halt the vicious cycle of tit-for-tat violence, and immediately engage in a massive diplomatic effort for peace. 
  • To make that happen, we need a massive display of people-power — and to speak with a unified voice.

The American people don’t want war.

  • The U.S. public does not want a war, the only question is if Washington’s leaders will listen to them and choose a different path. 
  • A Gallup poll found 78 percent of Americans think the U.S. should rely on non-military tools like diplomacy versus 18 percent who preferred the U.S. use military force against Iran. [1]
  • A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll conducted this summer found only 5 percent of American voters wanted to declare war on Iran. [1]
  • A CNN poll — conducted weeks after Trump’s military build-up this spring — found that just 32 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of Iran. [1]
  • A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that just 29 percent supported Trump’s policy of withdrawing from the Iran nuclear agreement. A CNN poll found that 63 percent said the U.S. should not withdraw. [1] [2]
  • A VoteVets poll found that 54 percent of likely swing state voters oppose a U.S. attack on Iran, while only 29 percent support. [1]

Win Without War, and our allies and partners, are fighting for peace.

  • Grassroots organizations from around the country — representing the progressive foreign policy, anti-militarism, Iranian-American communities, and more — are building a movement to stop the war, end the crisis, and build peace between the U.S. and Iran.

Common Questions and Responses

Didn’t Iran bring this upon themselves with the embassy attack?

On December 27, a rocket attack on a U.S. military base in northern Iraq killed one U.S. contractor and injured six others. [1] Blaming the Iran-allied militia group Kataib Hezbollah with little public evidence, the U.S. responded with extensive bombings in open defiance of the wishes of the Iraqi government, killing 25. [2] Demonstrators, distinct from the wider protest movement that has been ongoing in Iraq for months, stormed the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad [3], damaging several reception areas.

This series of escalatory tit-for-tat military actions, in which Trump acted recklessly and aggressively, was just one more step in Trump’s long march to war, and in no way justifies the assassination of a foreign military leader. This was an unprecedented and wholly uncalled for act of war with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Wasn’t Soleimani a bad guy? Aren’t we better off without him?

Soleimani’s pernicious record is not in question, but focusing on it distracts from the larger point: Donald Trump unilaterally assassinated a foreign military leader knowing full well that it would risk plunging an entire region into catastrophic, fruitless war. Moreover, the Trump administration has offered no evidence that the U.S. was in danger from Soleimani. Even if it did, the U.S. killed Soleimani in a country where thousands of American soldiers are stationed who are trained and capable of capturing, rather than assassinating, assets. By choosing to assassinate Soleimani, the Trump administration escalated the conflict unnecessarily. Global security was clearly not the goal. 

Isn’t Iran our enemy?

The U.S.-Iran relationship has long been fraught, and there is no question that the governments on both sides are condemnable. But it is the U.S., and the Trump administration in particular, that has destroyed any hopes of normalizing relations. Trump withdrew from the successful, multilateral nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA), engaged in a counterproductive “maximum pressure” campaign, imposed economic sanctions with deadly effects on innocent civilians, and assassinated a political leader.

More broadly, the U.S.:

  1. Has long engaged in aggressive rhetoric, including countless threats of regime change, while building up military forces in proximity to the country;
  2. Unconditionally supports Iran’s regional rivals, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, undoubtedly influenced by oil interests, think tank funders, and foreign lobbyists;
  3. Invaded Iraq, destabilizing the region; and 
  4. Sowed the original seeds of the animosity between our countries — the current Iranian regime came to power in an uprising against a corrupt authoritarian monarch that had been installed in a U.S.-backed coup against a democratically-elected liberal regime.

Social Media and Graphics

Twitter:

A war with #Iran will harm both the Iranian and American people. It will help no one but Trump and the war hawks he has surrounded himself with in his drive for this war. We must not let it happen.

The calls for war against #Iran are drowning out the voices of those who will be directly impacted by war. Right now, we need media outlets to uplift those voices in giving an accurate picture of what the consequences of this war will look like. #MuteTheWarMachine

Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo have been zooming down the path to a needless, destructive, and costly war with #Iran since the day they stepped into office. We’re running out of time to stop them. Add your name before it’s too late. http://act.winwithoutwar.org/sign/stop-war-with-iran-now/?source=partner 

Trump and his war cabinet axed the #IranDeal and put us on a collision course to war with Iran. Now, war is closer than ever. Add your voice and demand Congress step in to stop Trump from dragging us into a terrible war with Iran: http://act.winwithoutwar.org/sign/stop-war-with-iran-now/?source=partner 

Congress must act fast to stop the Trump administration from getting the #IranWar it’s always wanted, a war that would kill and displace millions. Call your members of Congress and tell them to put the brakes on war with #Iran: (202) 224-3121. 

Facebook:

If we have learned anything from almost two decades of destructive, futile, endless wars, now is the time to act like it. Sign now and tell Congress to put the brakes on war with Iran. 

http://act.winwithoutwar.org/sign/stop-war-with-iran-now/?source=partner

This is not a drill. A war with Iran would kill and displace millions. Congress must act fast. Call your members of Congress and tell them to put the brakes on war with #Iran. (202) 224-3121. 

Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo have been zooming down the path to a needless, destructive, and costly war with #Iran since the day they stepped into office. We’re running out of time to stop them. Add your name before it’s too late. http://act.winwithoutwar.org/sign/stop-war-with-iran-now/?source=partner 

“No War with Iran” Graphics: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TKCgfrxw5-WaCKWsb1gex6yyu3DHb06e?usp=sharing 

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INDIVISIBLE TRAINING INFORMATION

Welcome to 2020! We’re sure you don’t need us to tell you that we’ve got our work cut out for us this year — there’s so much to be done to beat Trump, protect democracy, and push for progressive change at all levels of government. We hope you had a restful end of the year and are energized to keep up the fight. Happy New Year! 🎉

First up, an update on impeachment. In December, Trump was officially impeached, and now a trial is looming in the Senate. We know that the call record between Trump and the president of Ukraine, as well as testimony from top Trump officials, show that what Trump did was both wrong and impeachable. He asked Ukraine to interfere in American elections, blocked military aid to a U.S. ally, and tied those two together in a bribery scheme for his personal political benefit, and obstructed Congress to cover it up. And yet still, despite the overwhelming evidence of Trump’s criminal activity, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans have pledged to act in “total coordination” with the White House during the Senate impeachment trial. This is textbook corruption that raises grave questions about our democracy’s ability to hold people in power accountable. And we’ve got to do everything we can to sound the alarm. 

President Trump does not respect his oath of office. He broke multiple laws to try and cheat to win this year’s election. When he gets caught breaking the rules, he often avoids accountability by breaking even more rules. If our senators continue to put him above the law, he will feel free to continue abusing his office and altering American policy for his own financial and political benefit. There is no telling what he might try to do next, and we can’t let up the pressure now. 

Click here to call your senators today. For Democratic senators, demand that they speak out loudly and firmly about the need for a fair and open impeachment trial in the Senate. For Republican senators, remind them of the oath that they took to support and defend the Constitution and demand they support a fair and open trial in the Senate to fully hear the evidence and hold Trump accountable for his actions. If they don’t, they’ll be nothing more than accomplices in Donald Trump’s cover-up. Donald Trump is a criminal, and he must be removed from office. We can’t let the Senate let Trump off the hook without a fight.


Here are your top actions for the week ahead:

  1. Call your senator and urge them to publicly support a fair and open impeachment trial. Yes, we know we literally just mentioned this, but it is THAT important. If you called before the new year, call again, and reach out to a friend or family member and ask them to call too. We need all hands on deck at this critical moment in history. 
  2. Register for our next Indivisible Presidential Engagement Cafe on Monday, January 6We’re hitting the ground running this month with our very first call of the year. We’re planning to check in about how folks are feeling on the primary, and how you envision your group engaging going into the new year. We’ll also chat more about the candidate scorecard
  3. Register for the next EveryAction introduction webinar on January 14. After many months of discussion, feedback, and planning, we’re excited to share that we are finished developing the EveryAction user agreement, as well as the process for sharing contact information for supporters near you between Indivisible groups and Indivisible National. We welcome all group leaders to learn more about EveryAction on one of our upcoming introduction webinars — click here to RSVP for the call on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. Note that we’ll cover the same information during each call. Future opportunities to learn about EveryAction will be announced soon!
  4. Sign up to join the IndivisiText Team. This year, we’re super excited to be scaling up our peer-to-peer texting program, which allows folks from anywhere to join our squad of IndivisiTexters reaching out to key voters in targeted areas about important topics. We’ll be texting in all kinds of places about a wide variety of things this year, like endorsed candidates in congressional races, issues that Indivisibles care about, and more. To get started as a texting volunteer, join our IndivisiText Slack workspace. If you have any issues joining, please let us know at field@indivisible.org.
  5. RSVP for the January National Activist Call. Join us for our next monthly call on Thursday, January 9, 2020 to discuss the latest on impeachment, the presidential primaries, and much more — these calls are open to group leaders, members, and activists, so feel free to share widely in your network.

Schedule your 2020 Vision/Strategy meeting

We know that many of you have spent or are planning to spend time in the coming months to meet, plan, and map out your strategic visions for 2020 and beyond. So, to help groups visualize and actualize their goals, we’ve created some planning resources, including a meeting facilitation guide and worksheet, a sample meeting agenda, an overview of the key states that our political team has determined are essential to win this year, information about state redistricting, and a calendar to keep track of when important primaries are happening. 

It’s going to take a strategic vision to win, so if you haven’t already, consider having a meeting dedicated to mapping out 2020 and beyond. These resources are meant as a starting point for you and your group members to build the strategy that works best for your specific priorities and needs. Check out our 2020 Vision page to get started. 


Are you ready for the 2020 Census? 

We reaaally don’t need to tell you how critical this year is for our movement, but it’s not just because of what happens in November. 2020 is also the year of our next national census — and it will impact everything from federal funding to district lines. No matter where you live, Indivisibles have a role to play in making sure no one is left behind in the count.

If your group is interested in learning more about the census, or getting involved with partner organizations in your area, check out our latest blog postwith resources, documents, and everything you need to make sure every community is counted this year.


This week’s social media highlights 

Indivisibles ended 2019 with a bang, and we can’t wait to see all of the good trouble you’re up to in the new year. Keep tagging us @IndivisibleTeam on Twitter so we can help amplify your work! 

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team