Indivisibles,

I know I’m biased, but I am such a fan of the Indivisible movement, y’all. Last Tuesday, we saw an historic, blockbuster set of primary elections in Michigan, where all three Indivisible-endorsed candidates won. Then on Thursday, the single most asked question on What’s The Plan was some version of: “Ok, great, now how do we unify to win in the general?”

Does this help us defeat the fascists? I believe Trump is a fascist leader who aims to subvert our democratic institutions to consolidate minority rule and enrich himself. That’s why at Indivisible, our primary means of making political and organizing decisions is a simple question: does this help us defeat the fascists? 

That question has driven every major Indivisible tactic of the last 18 months, from DOGE town hall protests to No Kings to our primary endorsements. So I respect the hell out of the Indivisible movement members who win a contentious primary and immediately say, “Ok team, let’s unify to beat the fascists in November!” These are my kind of people. Strategic, practical, and committed to actually getting results, not just winning intraparty debates while the wolves encircle us. But how do we do it?

Be like the chickens. I watched Chicken Run with my 5-year-old this weekend. For a 27-year-old animated kids movie, it sure offers some good lessons for all of us. The chickens are in danger -- the farm operators plan to turn them into pies. By working together, they (spoiler alert) do the impossible -- they pull off a daring escape from the barbed wire-lined camp. In the climactic scene, it’s only by each chicken bravely doing their part that the entire coop flies off together. 

Unfortunately, the anthropomorphic claymation chicken movie is a little unrealistic. There was no chicken contingent actively seeking to divide the flock. Everyone understood who the main enemy was, and that survival required unity.

In our real world last week, after losing a set of primaries, the corporate Dem Third Way group announced with great fanfare a $15 million campaign to attack one faction of the Democratic coalition. And cable TV and political TikTok were full of talkers yelling at each other about why the Democratic Party should rein in one faction or another.

It’s on us all to unify. Don’t get me wrong -- these are important conversations. It’s just the wrong time for them. We’re exiting the primary season less than 3 months from a general election that could determine whether fascists consolidate power. For this brief window, we have a common enemy, and it’s every coalition member’s responsibility to help us unify. That’s how we fly this coop -- together.

For those of us aligned on this, I’d recommend a simple rule: don’t feed the division. Fight like hell in the primary, and then move on. If you won your primary, be gracious and gratuitously thank your opponents. Like this: thank you Haley Stevens and Mallory McMorrow for immediately rallying around Abdul El-Sayed! If you lost your primary, rally around the winner to defeat the fascists. Like this: John Hickenlooper, we opposed you in a bruising multi-month primary and are truly saddened by Julie Gonzalez’s loss, but now you’ve won, we’re 100% behind your reelection to defeat the fascists! That’s the united and aligned flock energy we need.

If you’re interested in depriving the divisive debate of oxygen and building a Democratic Party that fights and wins, we’ve got some ideas for you this week!

In solidarity,
Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

Your weekly to-dos

1. Join our Hands Off Our Vote: Election Protection 101 virtual training next Wednesday, August 19 to learn how to mobilize to defend voting rights and ensure every eligible voter can cast their ballot (8pm ET/5pm PT). No matter where you live or how much experience you have, you can have a national impact on election protection. In this working training, we’ll cover FAQs and help you think through your current actions as well as how to prepare for further activations this fall. More than 30,000 Indivisibles have already joined Hands Off Our Vote, and we hope you’ll be next! (If you’re ready to dive into election protection work right now, check out our toolkit for actions you and your community can take today.)
2. Join our Immigrant Justice Summer call next Thursday, August 20 to learn how to get your community trained up and ready to demand accountability and ensure protection before an ICE surge hits (8pm ET/5pm PT). When ICE shows up in our neighborhoods, it’s crucial that we have a grounded system to channel people, training, and resources in the right direction. Without a plan in place, energy scatters and well-intentioned neighbors sometimes create structures parallel to the immigrant-led response already in progress. This call guides you on the training necessary to build a link tree, an online tool that acts as your community's front door so neighbors can easily find the information they need to show up in an immigrant-aligned, hyper-local, and safe response.
3. Now that the House and Senate are both on August recess, schedule an in-district office visit or plan an event in your community using our Indivisible recess resources. While the August recess should be a time for our Members of Congress to host town halls and meet with constituents, they too often use that time to avoid scrutiny. If you have Republican MoCs, take some time this month to voice your opposition to the SAVE America Act (Trump’s repulsive voter suppression bill), more funding for ICE and CBP, and Trump’s demand for billions to fuel his illegal war with Iran. If you have Democratic MoCs, continue to raise the alarm about Trump’s authoritarianism and demand they not give an inch to the GOP when Congress returns in full after Labor Day.
4. Peggy Flanagan’s Minnesota Senate primary is TOMORROW! Join our phone bank TONIGHT at 6:30pm ET/5:30pm CT/3:30pm PT to make calls to Minnesotans before they head to the polls. We’ll be joined by Indivisible’s co-executive director Ezra Levin! Flanagan is in a tight race against Angie Craig -- yet another establishment Dem who shamefully voted to thank ICE for their service. Craig has a huge cash advantage from corporate PACs and crypto, but we have people power. Right now, every single call counts to help get Flanagan across the finish line so Minnesotans can be represented by a true progressive fighter. Paid for by Indivisible Action. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

P.S. We’re ecstatic about last week’s primary wins for Indivisible-endorsed candidates: Abdul El-Sayed (MI-Sen), Donavan McKinney (MI-13), William Lawrence (MI-07), and Justin J. Pearson (TN-09). Before we turn all eyes toward November 3, we’re organizing hard to win two final primaries with Indivisible-endorsed candidates who will stand up to fascism and build a bolder Democratic Party. If you can, please chip in today to help us bring Peggy Flanagan (MN-Sen) and Patrick Roath (MA-08) across the finish line and launch our general election program in a strong position!

Yale, Don't Cave!

This morning, Indivisible Civics launched two billboards near Yale urging university president Maurie McInnis and other leaders not to cave to political pressure from the Trump regime.

In June, news broke that Yale was negotiating with the regime over the Department of Justice’s politically-motivated investigation into the university’s admissions practices. Instead of standing up for students, McInnis is complying in advance and giving in to the classic authoritarian playbook that targets academic institutions and silences dissent. McInnis must defend students and reject Trump’s weaponization of the DOJ to push his fascist agenda at Yale. If Trump gets his way, we know he won’t stop with Yale -- academic freedom for students on every college campus in the US will be in jeopardy.

Local Indivisibles are actively involved in this fight, and Indivisible National is joining in to support students, alumni, and faculty. Education is a key part of our Courage Collectives program and we are committed to continuing to organize within these foundational societal pillars to resist authoritarianism. If you have any Yale affiliation, you can sign the petition to tell Yale and President McInnis to refuse to cave to Trump.

Good News for a Change: Capitol Hill Edition

Good news from DC? Shockingly, yes! The Senate failed to pass the faux crypto regulation CLARITY Act before leaving for August recess. (As a reminder, this is the crypto industry-backed bill that would do nothing to rein in Trump’s crypto corruption. Trump amassed $1.4 billion from crypto last year alone.)

Why is this so significant? Last year, the CLARITY Act sailed through the House with support from 78 Democrats. The crypto industry has spent ludicrous amounts of money to intimidate the Senate into passing it next, but grassroots pressure has made supporting it politically toxic.

While a vote is still likely when the Senate returns in September, we should use the August recess to our advantage. Consider scheduling an in-district office visit to share your thoughts about the CLARITY Act and the importance of a real crypto regulation bill that actually prevents Trump and his family from receiving crypto bribes. You can also send a quick email to your senators to urge them to hold the line and reject this bad bill.

This kind of progress is only possible because of Indivisibles like you calling, emailing, and meeting with your Members of Congress. Thank you!

 Upcoming events + Election shifts

These nationwide events, calls, training sessions, and electoral volunteer opportunities are coming up soon. For even more Indivisible happenings, check our national calendar and get in touch with Indivisible groups near you!