Don't Be Afraid Of #RankedChoiceVoting, It Could Just Save Us

US Senate Candidate Lisa Savage Covid- 19 Response Plan

Source: Tomas Poyao

Today Lisa Savage, independent Green candidate in Maine's 2020 ranked choice voting US Senate race, issued the following statement regarding the coronavirus pandemic:

The spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) is a challenge to us as a society. It is already exposing deep failures in our political and economic system, including the moral abomination of a pay-or-die healthcare system, the refusal by political leaders to heed scientists’ warnings with policies to protect the public, and a precarious economy that leaves too many working people vulnerable to illness and economic ruin. For our society to overcome a pandemic in this unprepared state, we must meet it with collective will.

With accurate information, plus care and attention, we can control the spread of the disease and mitigate its effects. We cannot expect to continue our lives as normal in the coming days and weeks, but if we alter our behavior now for a short while, we may be able to avoid radically altering our behavior for a long period of time.

The most difficult aspect to controlling the disease is that those who carry it may not show any symptoms for as long as 14 days. That’s why it’s vital for us to pause, assess who has the disease as they begin to show symptoms, and then treat those people in isolated settings.

In order to accomplish this, we must take a series of actions at the local, state, and federal levels and we must take them quickly:


Testing: The federal government must partner with state governors to immediately commit resources to testing kits that can be deployed to every corner of the United States as quickly as possible. There is no higher priority. We must have roadside testing at travel chokepoints and sidewalk testing on city streets, in addition to tests at hospitals and health care facilities.

Health care: We must enroll everyone without health insurance immediately in some kind of Medicare plan, hiring displaced workers as fast as possible to process virtual paperwork. 
Coronavirus testing and treatment must be provided without individual cost.



Travel: We must suspend all non-essential travel and greatly restrict people’s non-essential movement. People should be encouraged to stay local and certain areas may have to be quarantined with enforcement.

Stimulus: We must pass emergency legislation that suspends rent and mortgage collection in quarantined and restricted areas and subsidizes those companies manufacturing items that are essential to daily social life so that they radically lower their prices. We need to institute a temporary universal basic income that would allow for purchase of food and necessities.


This may require something on the order of 1% of GDP, or $190 billion. The $1.5 trillion recently injected into the markets is a clear indication that there is no shortage of resources for this kind of stimulus package.

Military: As quickly as possible, military forces must be converted into humanitarian forces, distributing necessities, doing wellness checks, conducting testing, etc. Bring as many as possible home from overseas.

Social Services: We must immediately not only cancel SNAP restrictions, but we must extend SNAP liberally alongside and as part of the universal basic income. We will have to create food distribution systems to address food insecurity that will be worsened by disruption of supply lines. A moratorium on evictions will ensure housing security for low income people and families.

Utilities: People must receive subsidies to pay for their power, water, and heating oil/propane, etc., so that no one experiences loss of power, water, or heat.

Taxation: Corporate wealth must be taxed for the purpose of fighting the spread of Covid-19, which they can pay in in-kind donations. The Internal Revenue Service must be tasked with rapidly cataloging contributions and Tax Day for 2020 must be delayed at least six months.

Foreign Policy: The time for inter-country brinksmanship and adversarial saber-rattling is over. Sanctions must be lifted to ensure the free flow of humanitarian aid and supplies around the globe. Anywhere this virus continues to thrive represents a threat to global health, including to those of us here in the United States. We must partner with countries around the world to create the most efficient system possible for creating a vaccine and other treatments and administering them as quickly as possible.

Prisons: Incarcerated people are particularly at risk of contracting communicable diseases. Both the federal government and the states should immediately release nonviolent offenders and incarcerated people whose age or health puts them at high risk, including the many low-income people who are currently incarcerated because of their inability to pay a fine or post bail. Further, we must provide these people with the means to house and feed themselves, along with health care.

 Source: Lisa for Maine.org

Stench Of Bullshit In The Air From Iowa To Maine

What is that nasty smell in the air? Some might call it bullshit. Others, the rot at the core of the "we're not the Republicans, so you owe us your votes" Democratic Party. Amid the blatant cheating and disinformation management of the Iowa caucuses that kicked off the 2020 election year, I'm not surprised that

Democrats in Maine are fibbing to gullible college students about my campaign for the U.S. Senate as a Green.

Did you know that, according to the Women's March and other Democratic Party front groups, my campaign volunteers are guilty of a criminal act when they register new voters as Greens? I have that in writing from a Women's March organizer in Maine sending passive-aggressive emails to allegedly "help" us stay on the right side of the law. 

Then there's the supposedly non-partisan group registering voters at my alma mater and telling environmental activists supporting our campaign the same lie. They're citing a Federal Election Commission regulation that stipulates what corporations and labor organizations* may or many not do while conducting voter registration drives.

* Note: Lisa for Maine is neither a corporation nor a labor organization, in case there is confusion on this point. (You might think that our relatively small campaign would be no threat to Maine Democrats with their millions of dollars of corporate contributions. But ranked choice voting is a game changer.)


Fun fact: when campaigns pick up ballot petitions from the Secretary of State in Augusta, we're also given a stack of voter registration cards. 

So either the SOS is trying to entrap us into illegal activity, or they understand FEC regulations as they pertain to campaigns. 

Extreme conditions are imposed for ballot access: it must be conducted during ice storm season January 1-March 15; commence weeks before college students are back from their winter holiday; and Greens must collect the same number of signatures as the two corporate parties.

Candidates sometimes share surplus voter reg cards with other candidates whose need may be greater. When supplies run low, we can also photocopy a blank voter reg card and use copies to register new Maine Green Independent Party members -- and the Secretary of State is okay with that. 

If the voting public has not yet figured out that Democratic Party operatives will lie, cheat, and smear third party candidates they perceive as a threat, then they must not be paying attention.

One of my favorite bloggers had a field day opining on the Iowa caucus debacle as in her recent post "The Myth Of Incompetence: DNC Scandals Are A Feature, Not A Bug" by Caitlin Johnstone. 

I keep seeing the word “incompetence” thrown around. “Gosh these Democratic Party leaders are so incompetent!”, they say. “How can anyone be so bad at their job?” 

Well, they are not bad at their job. They are very, very good at their job. It’s just that their job isn’t what most people assume it is. 

Their job is not to win elections and garner public support, their job is to ensure the perpetuation of the status quo which rewards them so handsomely for their malignant behavior. Toward this end they are not incompetent at all. They know exactly what they’re doing, and they’re doing it well. 

They are extremely competent. Depraved, certainly. Sociopathic, possibly. But not incompetent.

Yet my friends still under the sway of corporate-controlled "news" are spending sleepless nights worrying about whether Bernie will get the nomination this time around. (Spoiler alert: he won't.) 

Lisa for Maine super volunteer and advocate for people experiencing homelessness Jess Falero & friend Gia

Meanwhile, my team is out on the streets of Portland in the bitter cold talking to potential voters while being interrupted by "blue no matter who" folks with clipboards who want a signature criticizing unpopular Senator Susan Collins.

My team of dedicated Greens is also competing with billionaire Mike Bloomberg paying $20 per signature in Maine for his ballot access petitions.

It's enough to make a grandmother want to abandon pushing the boulder uphill and go back to spending weekends with her little grandchildren.

But being bullied doesn't sit well with me. It tends to make me more determined, even stubborn. 

In the face of adversity and dirty tricks, I'll stay the course. And I invite you to stay with me because, in the race to elect a senator for people, planet, and peace, we're in it to win it.

Youth And Indigenous Voices Speak Out Against NECEC / CMP Corridor Through The Maine Woods

It was a long, tiring public hearing for the proposed NECEC / CMP corridor through the Maine woods last night in Lewiston, Maine. Most who testified were opposed to the project, receiving hearty applause from the hundreds in attendance. The federal officials who had come to hear from the people of Maine certainly got a strong indication of where public sentiment is on this environmental disaster as they began listening at 4:30pm.

As many of us wearily remained until 8pm to see if we would have a chance to testify, up stepped the students of St. John's Catholic School from Brunswick. Parker Jones spoke first and the effect on the audience was electrifying. Such eloquence from one so young!



Parker and his mom (and science teacher) Tiffany Jones gave me permission to record and post this video of his remarks. Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to ask the other two students for permission before they came to the microphone. All of them did well and nothing could have worked better on my motivation to hang in there until the end.

Research, writing, thinking and speaking skills are alive and well in Maine!

Before the hearing we held a press conference for my U.S. Senate campaign. Here's video that Regis Tremblay produced:



It's a good thing that he did, because the mainstream press who attended ignored our contributions completely in their coverage of the event. This was sad because we were fortunate to be joined by three indigenous speakers: John Gonzalez of the Pimicikamak people whose lands in Canada have been devastated by megadams to sell hydropower to the U.S., Dawn Neptune Adams of the Penobscot people whose homeland in Wabanaki territory would be devastated if NECEC is built, and a written statement from past Penobscot chief Barry Dana which he had sent to be read at the press conference.

Why would the mainstream press ignore these important voices? Perhaps indigenous voices are inconvenient when considering a project founded in environmental racism.

I'll write a fuller report on the content of the public hearing when I have more time. It was extremely educational and deserves to be widely shared.

Markos Miller: Maine Families Need A Senator Like Lisa Savage

Sharing an excellent speech by former mayoral candidate Markos Miller of Portland, which drew raves from the crowd at our campaign announcement event on October 10. 

Markos is a dad and former high school Spanish teacher, now an entrepreneur revitalizing his neighborhood with some very cool projects. It was super to hear from him in support of my campaign for the U.S. Senate seat of Susan Collins under ranked choice voting!

Visit LisaforMaine.org website for more information.

Hello,

My name is Markos Miller. I am former public school teacher, small business owner, and parent of a child in middle school here in Portland.

I have known Lisa Savage for nearly 2 decades. She is smart, she is passionate, she is caring. I need a senator like Lisa Savage

As an active member of her community Lisa understands the realities of Maine families and Maine communities.

As a former small business owner Lisa has wrestled with the challenges of economically challenged downtowns and contributed to enhancing community vitality. Maine communities needs a senator like Lisa Savage.

As a public school teacher Lisa has first hand knowledge of the educational needs of Mane students, and the challenges facing their families. Maine students need a senator like Lisa Savage.

Lisa works day in and day out in our chronically underfunded schools, sees their needs and challenges, and still can celebrate the strengths of Maine educators. Maine schools need a senator like Lisa Savage.

Lisa knows from experience that student needs are growing more complex and educators need training to address these needs. Maine teachers need a senator like Lisa Savage.

Lisa knows the crushing burden families experience with college debt and will fight for free college. Maine families need a senator like Lisa Savage.

Lisa cares about our kids, cares passionately about education, and will be our voice in the Senate. The United States needs a senator like Lisa Savage!

Photo credits: Peter Woodruff

Lisa for Maine 2020 U.S. Senate Campaign Announcement + More!

Lisa Burke, Jason Rawn, me and my husband Mark Roman

John Rensenbrink (seated, right), father of the Green party, looks on as young campaign supporters frolic during my campaign announcement event in Portland 10/10/19. 

Photos and video from the Lisa for Maine 2020 U.S. Senate campaign announcement October 10, 2019 in Portland. 

left to right: Ashley Bahlkow, Jill Stein, Dud Hendrick & Kim Rich

So many great speakers joined me at the podium, speaking to a good sized crowd in the audience including a concerned polar bear and some little kids who know how to have fun while helping make a better world for all of us.

Markos Miller and Heather Nichols were both fantastic speakers on my behalf!

Speakers in order of appearance:
Sam Pfeifle, master of ceremonies par excellence
Lisa Savage, U.S. Senate exploratory candidate
Kim Rich, newly minted Green
Dud Hendrick, Climate Change Demands Action Conversion Campaign

Ashley Bahlkow, activist mom against migrant family separations and child detention

Kelly Merrill, Portland Overdose Prevention Society

Jill Stein, 2016 Green party presidential candidate
Markos Miller, former teacher with a middle school child in Portland
Heather Nichols, Portland business owner (Stones and Stuff)
Jessica Falero, Homeless community activist
John Morris, Veterans for Peace

We were also fortunate to have on hand Adam Rice of Progressive Independent News Maine who posted his video of the whole event to Facebook.

Kelly Merrill speaking to a multi-generational (multi-species?) audience

My remarks in Congress Square Park "the people's park" are here, and I'll be sharing the remarks of other speakers in coming days.

After the announcement event, I mailed off my Federal Election Commission paperwork declaring my candidacy.

FOR PORTLAND  10/10/19  by Lisa Savage

  

Thank you, everyone, for being here. I want to acknowledge that we are on indigenous land, Wabanaki land, and the importance for us to be mindful of where we stand, and the responsibility we bear.

Hi, I’m Lisa Savage, a teacher, organizer, and grandmother from Solon. With a committee of like-minded people, I am exploring  a run for the U.S. Senate seat of Susan Collins under ranked choice voting.

I want to to give Mainers a Senator who will stand up for the people, the planet and peace.

We deserve a government that works for us, not the big banks, weapons manufacturers, and fossil fuel giants who are calling the shots in Washington. And I can assure you that the wonderful people of Maine will always be my first priority. 

As a Green party candidate, I will continue the proud tradition of neither soliciting nor accepting donations from big business to fund my campaign.

As your voice in the Senate, I will focus on protecting our children’s future and their children’s future. Maine should not be a resource colony or dumping ground! I oppose the CMP Corridor

  

 through Maine’s wilderness, and I oppose the Nestle Corporation’s theft of our water. And I am firmly against privatization of the VA which many in Maine depend on for primary health care.

I believe, as residents of the richest country in world history, everyone deserves the fundamentals of a secure life -- like affordable housing for all. No one needs to live in poverty!  Children should never experience food insecurity, wondering where their next meal will come from.   

We need a Green New Deal that creates union jobs with benefits, putting 1000’s to work tackling climate crisis.

We need Medicare for All -- a healthcare system that will work for everyone regardless of employment status, and not drive sick people into bankruptcy. In Maine we urgently need harm reduction for the health crisis of opioid addiction, and treatment of addiction as medical rather than criminal.

We deserve quality education for all, including free public higher education, without student debt.

As a teacher in Maine, I work with children whose families are struggling to survive in an economy that’s thrown working people under the bus.

We’re also facing a dire emergency in climate crisis. It’s already harming farms, fisheries, and the Maine coast. Sea level rise will affect a great many of our coastal towns, and the Gulf of ME is warming faster than the oceans themselves. We must act now to protect our families and neighbors. We can invest in a Green New Deal building sustainable energy solutions now and create thousands of good jobs in the process.

Yet with all the urgent needs we face, Congress is making things worse, giving over 55% of our federal discretionary budget to the Pentagon for endless, unwinnable wars that make the world less safe.   

U.S. policies separating migrant families and caging children and babies make us less secure, too, and this needs to stop   immediately. Why isn't Susan Collins, who claims to represent us, doing something to stop this horrific practice? I can assure you I will do everything in my power to stop it if you send me to Washington.

We, the people of Maine, expect humane treatment of immigrants and refugees from our government. A former beacon of refuge for newcomers, now the U.S. is losing that reputation --  for good reason. Welcoming refugees to Portland was such a brilliant response to a humanitarian emergency, with so many cooperating -- this is what Mainers are good at, and I want to help us keep doing it! 

It’s time to say no to politics as usual, and join together to fight for a new system that puts people, planet and peace over profit. 

We have a historic opportunity in this race to use Ranked Choice Voting. 

Our new and improved voting system, which Mainers won through an inspiring grassroots movement, gives everyone the freedom to vote their values, not their fears.

Together we can seize this moment to build a people-powered campaign that will make history.

A recent national poll found a staggering 70% of Americans are fed up with our political system that only works for insiders with money.

I’ve been a small business owner myself, and my husband is a self-employed woodworker. I know how hard it is to operate a small business in Maine when tax laws are written by and for the wealthy. Working people are the backbone of our state and it isn’t fair when people work hard and still can’t make it. Young people saddled with education debt and high rents should not be struggling! They should be starting ventures or families, buying homes, instead of slaving away at 3 Mcjobs to barely make their student loan payments.  

Now, with ranked choice voting, we have a real choice. More voices and more choices make me hopeful!

   

We’ve never had a better opportunity -- or a more urgent need -- to come together for the greater good. 

I hope you’ll consider supporting my campaign to give Mainers a Senator for  people, planet and peace.

Together, let’s create a Maine and a nation that works for all of us!

Shout Out To The Artists & Other Supporters Of Lisa For Maine Campaign

I write this blog to keep my head from exploding when considering the news of the day. Now I've embarked on a new project that is consuming all my free time, leaving little room for keeping up with the news and even less for blogging. 

My friend, organizer Bruce Gagnon, sold me on exploring a run for the U.S. Senate aimed at unseating Susan Collins under Maine's new system of ranked choice voting. (New for Maine and the U.S., that is -- Australia has used a form of RCV since 1947.) One of Bruce's many persuasive arguments was that the project would be fun. Hmmm...

I am insanely busy now as I remain employed as an educator in a very small, very poor school district in Maine's 2nd District. You know, the one where incumbent Bruce Poliquin was unseated under RCV in the last election. When the very unpopular Congressman Poliquin became notorious for hiding from constituents and the press, he failed to win a majority of votes. The rest is history.

If you think Senator Susan Collins and her corporate sponsors aren't paying attention to RCV's potential to do the same to her, think again.

Yesterday in Augusta we gathered together a core group of early supporters for our campaign, and that actually was fun. The extent to which a campaign is a team sport is becoming increasingly clear to me and, wow, I am on a great team.

Photo credit: Peter Woodruff

Photo credit: Peter Woodruff

Wise hearts and minds coupled with a Maine work ethic is a hard combination to beat.

A remark I made at the podium yesterday that resonated with the audience: The artists are with us, and so we will win!

credit: William Hessian

William Hessian, Russell Wray (conversion banner above) and Natasha Mayers have all contributed to the campaign effort thus far and we are the richer for it.



Natasha made placards to illustrate many of the key goals of the campaign: a Green New Deal to create good union jobs tackling climate change, Medicare for All, and quality education including free public higher education without debt.

Augusta was a sentimental choice for my pre-announcement campaign event. My grandfather Brooks Elliott Savage served in the Maine Senate and House for many years. He remained friends with his high school classmate Margaret Chase Smith after she went to represent Maine in Congress. 

A photo from my family's collection -- my grandfather is the tall boy with a hat and fake whiskers -- also on display at the Margaret Chase Smith Library. I believe Senator Smith is front and center in this photograph:
"1916: Graduates from Skowhegan High School. Senior Play, Class of 1916, Skowhegan High School"

His son, my father Mark Elliott Savage, was running to represent Skowhegan in the Maine House when he died in 1988.

I'm an 8th generation Mainer, yet none of my adult children live here -- because the jobs they need to pay back their student loans are to be found in other places.

A member of the millennial generation who wandered by the Lithgow Public Library yesterday and joined our discussion spoke of the intense economic pressure he experiences just to keep a roof over his head. A graduate of USM, he spends a whopping 70% of his income on housing. Fletcha expressed that he was disgusted with "trust fund politicians" who don't care about the struggles of common people in Maine. Our note taker Mary Beth Sullivan did a great job of capturing his concerns to inform our campaign going forward. 

As I listened to Fletcha, I reflected how I had often heard similar expressions during the Occupy movement. That is, before it was violently evicted from public spaces by a coordinated effort of officials advised by the Obama administration.

I still hear the parents and grandparents of students at my school expressing their struggles to survive in a harsh economy that works best for the already wealthy. As it was designed to do.

I'm ready to stand up for the power of the people and to push back against the rich corporations that have taken over our government.

Are you with us? 

Join, Donate, Volunteer!

Lisa for Maine website