Welcome to Democrats Abroad United Kingdom (DAUK)!

DAUK members receive a monthly e-newsletter on the first Tuesday of each month (in most cases…) with fun and useful information for Democrats in the UK.  Please forward to other Americans living abroad, and encourage them to join Democrats Abroad.

Table of Contents

1) From the Chair

2) Celebrate Thanksgiving at the House of Commons and Meet a Special Guest from Washington, DC

3) Invitation from Ambassador Susman to celebrate Thanksgiving in London

4) DAUK Film: The Age of Stupid

5) Speakeasy Gatherings across the UK

6)Want to Help Get Out the Vote for 2010?

7)Policy Action Network

8) Wanted:  Leaders / Volunteer Opportunities

9) Join DAUK on Facebook & Twitter

10) Contact Us

Please do not reply directly to this email -- find all DAUK Contacts here: http://www.democratsabroad.org...

1) From the Chair

One more step……..and still we wait:

The road has been long, the struggle hard.  But now the House has passed its version of health insurance reform, and today Majority Leader Reid produced a Senate bill.  That version will be presented to the Senate later this week or early next week.

We are not home and dry, though, by any means.

Hurdles remain.  Senator Reid will have to hold all 58 Democratic Senators plus the two independents (Sanders of Vermont and Leiberman of Connecticut) just to bring the bill up for discussion—assuming that that procedural move gets no Republican support.

Then the Senate will have to avoid the pitfalls that surround consideration of the bill—public option?  If so, what kind?  The precise wording of any provision dealing with abortion coverage in policies purchased by individuals in the insurance exchange (that is, those not presently covered by employment-based insurance)?

Then passage by the Senate—again in the face of a threatened Republican filibuster.

Then adoption by a conference committee seeking to reconcile the House and Senate bills.  And then final passage by both the House and the Senate.

Still, no President and no Congress has ever come this close on health care.  But we have further to go.

Side issues can still derail the effort.  But I remain convinced that, this time, we will prevail.

We had hoped to have action by the end of October.  Most likely, the vote on the Senate bill will come sometime in the next two weeks, then the conference committee, with a final vote (possibly) by mid-December.  Then we would really have something to celebrate over the holiday season!

The process is slow—and seems to be interminable.  It may well be January before final action is completed.

But even as we draw closer to a decision on health care, other equally difficult issues await.  Health care reform has been called the signature issue for this administration—and after decades of effort, it certainly will be a great achievement.

But for many Americans, the state of the economy is even more pressing, at least in the immediate term.  Having stabilized the financial system and with the equity markets making significant progress towards recovery, the spectre of unemployment still looms large.  It is always a lagging indicator, but it has the potential to stifle the signs of recovery we are seeing, especially if it reignites the rate of home repossessions and ultimately contributes to the pending crisis (especially for smaller banks) in commercial real estate.

And then there is the environmental challenge (cap and trade), energy security, Middle East peace, a successful conclusion to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, comprehensive immigration reform, regulatory reform in the financial sector—the list is long and daunting.

No one said it would be easy.

My thanks to those members of DAUK who have participated in the phonathon on health care in late September and early November.

Yes, in our own way, we have played a part, however small, in helping move the process forward.

Under the leadership of Elaine Capizzi and the health care task force of our Policy Action Network, members of DAUK placed more than 1000 calls to members from selected states, encouraging them to contact their Senators to urge them to support the President’s effort to reform our health care system.

We chose to call members primarily from smaller states in order to insure that we covered as much ground as possible.  Moreover, the Senators from most of the larger states are already supportive.

We also used the opportunity of touching base with this portion of our membership to update our membership records.

All in all, a very successful undertaking.  And for that we give thanks.

Speaking of giving thanks, do note the invitation listed below from Ambassador Susman to attend the Thanksgiving service at St Paul’s.

May you and all those for whom you care enjoy a healthy and happy Thanksgiving and holiday season.

Democratically yours,

Bill Barnard

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William D. Barnard
Chair, Democrats Abroad U.K.

2) Celebrate Thanksgiving and Meet a Special Guest from Washington, DC at the House of Commons

Democrats Abroad invites you to attend a special Thanksgiving reception at the House of Commons. Joining us on the day will be David Krone from Washington, DC – David will be glad to answer your questions about the Democratic legislative agenda in Washington, DC including health insurance reform and anything else you might want to discuss.

This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from one of the voices at the heart of the Democratic power structure, and to reflect on all the things Democrats (and Americans) have to be thankful for this year.

Date:                   Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Time:                   18:30-20:00
Location:             IPU Room, House of Commons
Price:                   Free of Charge
Refreshments: Wine and beer will be provided.
RSVP to:               DAUKevents@googlemail.com

Hosted by John Grogan, MP, tickets to this reception are strictly limited and will be assigned on a first-come first-served basis, so please RSVP right away to DAUKevents@googlemail.com.

3) Invitation from Ambassador Susman to celebrate Thanksgiving in London

DAUK shares the following information with members, as sent to us by the Ambassador’s office.  From Ambassador Louis B. Susman:

‘It is my pleasure to inform you that St. Paul’s Cathedral will graciously host a Thanksgiving Day service at 11:00 am on Thursday, November 26, 2009, to commemorate this American holiday.

President Lincoln formally established Thanksgiving as an American civic holiday in 1863 as a way of reminding the American people of their many blessings.  The Thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s has become a tradition in London among American visitors, expatriates, and their British friends.

The service will include a Thanksgiving message, hymns, presentation of the colors, and a reading of President Obama’s Thanksgiving proclamation.  I ask you to share this information with your colleagues and friends, and I invite you all to join Marjorie and me at St Paul’s Cathedral Thanksgiving Day service.’

Time/Security:  Doors open from 9:45am, service begins promptly at 11am.  Plan to arrive no later than 10:30am.  Note that as a security measure, attendees will be required to pass through a metal detector, and all bags will be searched.  Tickets are not required for this event.

4) DAUK Film:  The Age of Stupid

To Coincide with the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change the DAUK Film Committee and Policy Action Network will be showing “The Age of Stupid” followed by discussion led by DAUK members.

Date:                Friday 11th December
Time:               7:00 pm (Doors Open at 6:30 pm)
Location:         London School of Economics (Room to be decided)
Cost:                £5 General, £3 Unwaged
Please RSVP to: films@democratsabroad.org.uk

There are a limited number of seats so please consider your RSVP a commitment to attend. If you need to cancel, please let us know as soon as possible.

A film announcement with more information will follow in the next week.

5) Speakeasy Gatherings across the UK

Our regularly scheduled Speakeasies are a chance to meet like-minded Americans, have a drink, talk politics, or just make new friends. Speakeasies are informal and held throughout the country, usually once a month. Drop by and join us - and bring a friend! (We recommend you confirm using the email links below, as some re-scheduling may occur due to holidays or special events.)

• Cambridge (December 2nd):  from 6:30pm, Castle Inn Pub, 38 Castle Street
• London (December 2nd):  from 7:00pm, Duke of York Pub (upstairs), 35 New Cavendish Street
• Manchester (December 1st):  from 7:30pm, Ducie Arms, 52 Devas Street
• Oxford (December 2nd):  from 7:30pm, Kings Arms, 40 Holywell Street

For more information: http://www.democratsabroad.org...

6) Want to Help Get Out the Vote for 2010?

The voter registration committee is laying the ground work for our 2010 voter registration drive.  Join us to help register voters living overseas.  We need assistance contacting American organisations, schools, companies or clubs where we could set up voter registration activities – we provide all the details.

Next meeting:  November 16th at 6:30pm
Location:   Central London
Contact for further details:  DAUKVote@Democratsabroad.org.uk

7) Policy Action Network – Alert!

Action alerts!  The Policy Action Network is currently focused on the issues of the progress of health care reform and environmental legislation.

Contact:  healthcareteam@daukpan.org.uk

The Environment and Energy Security PAN is monitoring the progress of key legislation on controlling carbon emissions and the upcoming negotiations in Copenhagen.  Contact:  eesteam@daukpan.org.uk

For information on other PAN activities, contact Elaine:  pancoordinator@daukpan.org.uk

Website: http://daukpan.org.uk/node/44

8) Wanted:  Leaders / Volunteer with Democrats Abroad UK

• Strategic Planners
• Copy Editors
• Event Planners
• Voter Registration Specialist
• Voter Registration Researcher & Outreach to Organizations
• Voter Registration Social Media Researcher

The Executive Committee of DAUK has announced several exciting opportunities for members to take a greater leadership role within our organization. Many of the positions involve lending your talents and expertise and in return gaining new experiences, meeting fellow Americans, advancing our Party’s goals for the United States and hopefully having fun! DAUK volunteer and leadership opportunities span from projects that can be as little or as extensively time-involved as you choose. Several roles can be conducted at home with email and internet connectivity. Some activities are based on an event and others based on your schedule’s flexibility.

If any of the roles/positions below are of interest, please contact us at: volunteer@democratsabroad.org.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.

9) Join us on Facebook & Twitter

Connect with fellow DAUK members on Facebook & Twitter:

Facebook: Search under Groups:
* Democrats Abroad
* Democrats Abroad UK
* Young Democrats Abroad UK

Twitter:
* DemsAbroad

10)  Contact us

Click on the link below to access the DAUK contacts page, which includes contacts and links to:

• Join Democrats Abroad
• Volunteer with DAUK
• Chapter / Regional Contacts
• Press Liaison
• Democrats Abroad UK Officers
• Mailing address, fax, other
• Register to Vote / Email to Send Questions

Full List of Contacts and Links: http://www.democratsabroad.org/node/927