Campaign News

Carbon tax friends, we’ve got 5 days left and we’re closing strong! 

When we launched this campaign we compared ourselves to a relief pitcher, and now—two years later— we are on the mound, it’s down to the wire, and it’s time to finish strong!

You can get inspiration from today’s New York Times article about I-732 (and the fight over coal export terminals). And also the article in today’s Seattle Times.

 

You can get inspiration from Letters to the Editor in the Seattle Times from Slade Gorton and Gail Gatton (see also Slade Gorton’s op-ed in the D.C. publication The Hill); and from LTEs from Halsead Harrison in the Bainbridge Island Review, Jane Milne in the New York Times, Kaleb Holton in the Longview Daily News, Thad Kurtz in the Olympian, Nick Tillotson in the Whidby News-Times, Heidi Cody, Ed Griffith, and Linda Selsor in the Columbian, Chris and Chom Greacen in the Islands Sounder, Brian Grad, Gary Fring, and Bob Vreeland in the Peninsula Daily News, Richard Zerbe in the UW Daily, Jen Syrowitz in the Issaquah Reporter, Ellen W. Chu on PTLeader.com, Susan Vosler in the Kirkland Reporter, Kurt Smithpeters in the Kitsap Sun, and Ned Witting in the Tacoma News Tribune.

You can get inspiration from the email blast sent out yesterday by the No campaign begging for money because “Polls show the outcome of I-732 is too close to call.” (Go look at their PDC report—headlined by $250,000 last week from the DC-based American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers—and then have a chuckle at their line about “late, out-of-state money”. It kind of reminds me of when AWB’s campaign leader started telling an editorial board about their “grassroots base”.

You can get inspiration from Audubon Washington’s new TV ad. See also the original “Nod Yes on 732” TV ad and also the face-swap TV ad.

You can get inspiration from our endorsement from Conservation Hawks, which promotes climate action among hunters and anglers. And from Leonardo DiCaprio (for comic relief see also this classic headline in the Tacoma News Tribune), from the folks at Years of Living Dangerously, actress Lili Taylor, as well as Harvard professor Naomi Oreskes, and #basicincome advocate Scott Santens. Check them out on Facebook and/or Twitter too (Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Cheadle, Nikki Reed, Ian Somerhalder, Years of Living Dangerously).

And you can get inspiration from the Chicago Cubs’ World Series victory, their first in 108 years. (Almost as long as climate scientists have been talking about global warming, and a bit longer than economists have been talking about pollution taxes! And for all you Cleveland fans out there, well, you got the NBA championship.

What can you do with all that inspiration in the next 5 days???

What we can do as a grassroots organization is organize and with only 33% of registered voters having turned in their ballots – what we do now may make the difference! 

• Doorbell, flyer, or phonebank. Let me say it again: Doorbell, flyer, or phonebank. Thank you!!
• Last chance to write a Letter to The Editor (please read these guidelines and/or contact [email protected] if you need help with an LTE or when you’ve submitted one and if your going to write then do so ASAP so it will get printed before the election!)
• Call your friends and tell your neighbors about I-732. Share the news that I-732 is endorsed by 50+ UW climate scientists, and by Jim Hansen; by dozens of economists around the state; by folks on the right like Rob McKenna and Slade Gorton; by folks on the left including dozens of Democratic leaders and organizations and also The Stranger (caution: foul language) and folks like Catalytic Community (“I’m voting Yes, and will continue to work with climate justice advocates for the other things we need”) and Geov Parrish (“Climate change is too important for… internecine nonsense”); and by media sources including the Seattle Weekly (see also their cover and their I-732 cartoon featuring Melvin the melting starfish) the Washington Post, the Economist, and the Olympian. Email your whole list, call all your friends, or write a letter to each of your neighbors and tape it on their door!
• You can tell PSE how you feel about their $125,000 contribution to the No campaign by emailing [email protected] or by contacting them on Facebook or on Twitter @PSETalk. (Apparently you can also leave comments on their Google Map and Yelp pages.) Here’s a sample comment from a 732 supporter on Mercer Island: “You say that Doing smart things for our customers and the right thing for our planet is what PSE is all about. The right thing for our planet is to reduce consumption of fossil fuels.  I-732 would do that. PSE should be in favor of a policy that puts a price on carbon, not spending large amounts of money in opposition.”
• Share all of this online too, plus this amazing Years video. And get involved in Twitter and Facebook conversations. (Here’s a list of potential search terms: CarbonWA, Initiative 732, “I-732”, I732, #I732, #Yeson732, #YesonI732, #Noon732, #NoonI732, Nocarbontaxwa.) Thank you!
• You’re also of course welcome to make a donation, but our focus for the next 5 days is on grassroots voter outreach!

Upcoming events  

On F Nov 4 in Ballard from 2pm-10pm (!), Executive Committee rock star Greg Rock is hosting a Climate Heroes Awards Party (and phonebank party!). Details here and please join us for one of the last opportunities to reach the undecided voters that may end up deciding the election!

And then please come to our election night party on T Nov 8 from 6:30-9:30pm at Peddler Brewing Company (1514 NW Leary Way, Seattle WA, 98107). If you are on Facebook, you can find the event here and invite other supporters. (A couple of logistical notes: Peddler is all ages, they serve beer and cider and soda, and the overflow space is a heated outdoor tent, so you may want to bring a jacket. Win, lose, or draw we hope you will join us for this historic night… and if coming to Seattle isn’t an option we are encouraging people to host local house parties as well!)

Let’s win!   

From the whole Yes on 732 team