Indivisibles,

#NotMeUs. It was a message that resonated with thousands and thousands of people across this country. With Senator Sanders’ suspension of his presidential campaign today, that message is more important than ever. Since 2016, Bernie Sanders has been at the forefront of a powerful conversation in this country about some of the biggest questions that face our democracy: who it works for, who it’s stacked against, and how it could better serve working people. 

He challenged us to fight for what we deserve, and he brought so many of the ideas at the center of the progressive agenda to the mainstream. To his supporters and to his campaign staff: we see you and thank you for your work to move the conversation forward. We’re committed to working together to build the kind of coalition we need to not just beat Trump, but beat Trumpism and the forces that allowed him to rise. 

Today, Bernie is doing what he'd always said he would do (he was the first presidential candidate to take the Indivisible pledge!): put the country before himself and support the nominee. 

That means it’s time for us -- the grassroots blue-wave-builders -- to recalibrate and talk about what’s next.

We want to be super clear. Today may mark the end of Sanders’ campaign for the nomination, but it’s not the end of what his campaign -- and what Elizabeth Warren’s campaign -- were fighting for: big, bold, structural change to fundamentally shift the way our democracy functions.

There are going to be a lot of pundits out there who want to convince us that the takeaway is that Sanders’ and Warren’s ideas are unpopular. But that couldn’t be further from the truth: progressivism and the ideas that define it are more popular than ever thanks to the grassroots and the historic campaigns of Senators Sanders and Warren. And our present crisis shows us that it’s that those ideas (like Medicare for All) are now more important than ever.

Primary voters support Medicare for All. In every exit poll since the start of the primary, more voters want a universal plan than don’t. They support student loan forgiveness. In fact, 58% of Democrats are in favor of all student loans being forgiven regardless of circumstance, 71% support capping interest rates at 8.25%, and 66% support eliminating undergraduate tuition and fees at four-year public universities through taxes on Wall Street stock trades. What's more, 80% support legalizing marijuana and 74% support raising taxes on the wealthy. They support intersectional policy that recognizes how race and class and gender impact laws. And they support the kind of structural democracy reform we need to tackle all the challenges we face with a representative government that actually responds to the people.

Real talk: like we said a year ago last April, we’re going to rally behind the nominee. Period. That means we’ll be doing everything we can to power Joe Biden’s campaign to victory this fall. At the same time, just like we pledged to make this primary a robust discussion of ideas, that conversation is far from over.

Supporters of Warren and Sanders are looking to Joe Biden now to have the kind of conversation we need to have to inspire the broadest coalition to build the biggest blue wave possible. The question now is whether he’s ready to listen to the grassroots and adopt some of the best ideas from this primary contest and take on Trumpism at its core. 

So, let’s talk about our plan.

When we wrote the Indivisible Guide, we wrote it so people everywhere would understand the power they have and how to use it. It was about using that power to resist the Trump administration and beat back the worst of what we knew Republicans would try to do with their power (read: take away our health care, build a wall, demonize immigrants, and stack the judiciary with Trump judges for life for starters). But what people ended up doing with that Guide was about so much more than just Trump’s agenda. It was about making their voices heard in government at every level and building the kind of infrastructure and civic participation that’s critical to reshaping our democracy into a democracy of, by, and for the people.

So by now, this shouldn’t surprise you: we’re building this movement for the long haul. That means it’s not just about beating Donald Trump.

This year, we have to do five things (and we may have to do them while socially distancing in new, innovative digital ways):

1. Continue to pressure Joe Biden to prioritize the issues Indivisibles care about to make him the strongest candidate to take on Trump, period -- namely, proposing a bold democracy agenda, making democracy a top legislative priority, and getting real about how we get it done: ending the filibuster. But it doesn’t stop there. Racial justice. Climate justice. People-first immigration policy. Healthcare. The 2020 Democratic primary has been an incredible conversation of ideas. It’s up to us to take the best of those ideas and press our nominee to ensure that the best policy becomes part of the new president’s agenda and our vision for democracy.
2. Send Joe Biden to the White House (and prepare for what happens if Donald Trump loses and refuses to leave).
3. Take back the Senate. Period. End of story. While Mitch McConnell remains Majority Leader, we have no hope of saving democracy or getting anything done (remember: he said he’ll be the grim reaper of Democratic legislation).
4. Keep the House. Indivisibles were on the front lines of building the blue wave that swept Democrats into power in the House of Representatives in 2018. We know that defending those 41 seats we won isn’t going to be easy, let alone picking up even more. But we also know how important it is to progress. TL;DR we’ve got to build an even bigger wave.
5. Fight disinformation. It’s not a secret that Russian troll factories will be out in force this year, just as they were in 2016. Intelligence officials have already warned that Putin is interfering in the 2020 election to benefit Trump’s reelection. But it’s not just foreign powers we have to work against. As The Atlantic proclaimed in February, “The 2020 Election will be a War of Disinformation”—and many of it will come straight from the Trump campaign (to the tune of $1 billion). It’s critical that we understand where disinformation is appearing, how folks can report disinformation publishers, and take part in a massive coalition to take down publishers who are creating disinformation campaigns.

It’s also critical that through all of these fights we’re growing groups, building capacity, learning new skills and tools, and ensuring Indivisibles E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E are set up to organize, to advocate, and to win on the issues they care about the candidates they support for the long-term. 

That’s it. That’s the ballgame. 

We just threw a lot at you - we know. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be talking a lot more about these plans and all the ways for you to get involved. But in the meantime, here’s where you can start:

1. Find your Indivisible group. If you’re reading this and haven’t found your local Indivisible group, STOP. RIGHT. NOW. Find your group, say hello (virtually!).
2. Sign up for Payback Project, our plan to defeat 11 Senate Republicans. Learn more about our four-pronged approach to beat some of the worst Trump enablers and tell us you’re all in to pitch in.
3. If you haven’t yet, take the We Are Indivisible pledge to do the work to beat Trump in November. We’ll be letting folks know how they can get involved in this critical work. (We know we owe you an update on the Pledge events. Because the convention has been postponed, and because of COVID-19 concerns, we are working with groups to sort out what to do next, and will update you as soon as we know more!)

The primary has been a long few months -- but right now, it’s critical that we remember what we’re fighting for. Take a deep breath and stay focused. If we do the work, we will win.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team