Events
- Presidential Primary Debate Watch Party
- Salzburg Meet-Up
- Experienced Dems
- Solidarity Sundays
- Black Caucus Book Club
- DA EMEA Regional Meeting
Issues & Actions
- Upcoming Elections
- Volunteer Opportunities
Reviews
- Black Caucus Book Club
- Presidential Primary Debate Watch Parties Round Two
Around Town
- American Diplomacy in a Disordered World
- Vienna Humanities Festival
ExComm Dates for September and October
DA Austria’s Executive Committee meetings are normally at 7pm on the second Wednesday of the month. However, due to travels the September meeting will be moved. Our next meetings will be held on:
- September ExComm: Thursday, September 5
- October ExComm: Wednesday, October 9
Please contact Jennifer at [email protected] for the location, if you’d like to come.
Events:
Are We There Yet? Presidential Primary Debate Watch Party
What top issues do you want to see addressed in the next #DemDebate? Here's your chance to let the Democratic Party know. All questions you submit will be shared by debate media partners here.
The 10 candidates who have already qualified are: former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey; Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind.; the former housing secretary Julián Castro; Senator Kamala Harris of California; Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas; Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont; Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; and the entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Join us on September 13 at Beaver Brewery Company. Come early to get a bite to eat and a beer and then settle in as we listen to the wealth of talent that makes up the slate of 2020 democratic presidential candidates and discuss what they have to say.
When: Friday, September 13, from 7pm
Where: Beaver Brewing Company, Liechtensteinstraße 69, 1090 Vienna
Contact: Faith Hall-Herbold, [email protected]
RSVP: Debate Watch Party
Salzburg Meet-Up
DA Members and others are warmly invited to join us for a meet-up in Salzburg on the day after the third presidential primary debate. There will certainly be a lot to discuss!
The location is not yet fixed, but it will be in the vicinity of the Salzburg main train station. Please email me at [email protected] if you are interested and then I can give you the location. It does not have to be a firm RSVP, but that is how you'll know where to join us!
When: Friday, September 13, from 5:30pm
Where: TBD, Near the main train station, 5020 Salzburg
Contact: Mary Beth Kollert, [email protected] for location
RSVP: Salzburg Meet-Up
Experienced Dems Meet-Up
First meeting of the 2019-2020 year!
The Experienced Dems look forward to seeing democrats and interested folks at our monthly meet-up to discuss the latest in politics and current affairs. We start at six, but you're welcome to join at any time.
Remember, you don't have to be grey to be experienced!
When: Tuesday, September 17, from 6pm
Where: Cafe Museum, Operngasse 7, 1010 Vienna
Contact: John Cahill, [email protected]
RSVP: Experienced Dems
Solidarity Sundays 26: The Amazing Disappearing Voter
Voter Suppression undermines democracy and the legitimacy of elected officials. It also changes legislative outcomes: gun restrictions, child-care subsidies, prescription drug price reduction, and green energy bills are widely popular with voters. Each time one of these bills passes in the House, the Republican majority in the Senate blocks it. Let’s be clear: there wouldn’t be a Republican majority in the Senate if the electorate looked more like America. And the electorate keeps shrinking, becoming whiter and more Republican, due to voter suppression.
Solidarity Sundays believes democracy isn’t a fight, it’s a practice. For our September meet-up we’ll discuss voter suppression, and the organizations pushing back. Bring ideas to share on how Americans living abroad might contribute to the battle for Voting Rights back home.
What: Coffee, Cookies, and Civics
When: Sunday, September 29, from 4-6pm
Where: Amerlinghaus, Stiftgasse 8, 1070 Vienna
Contact: Tanya Lolonis, [email protected]
RSVP: Solidarity Sundays
Black Caucus Book Club
At October's book club we will discuss the New York Times bestseller Becoming by Harvard educated lawyer, university administrator and former First Lady, Michelle Obama.
Come join us!
When: Friday, October 4, from 7pm
Where: TBD Vienna
Contact: Faith Hall-Herbold, [email protected]
RSVP: Black Caucus Book Club
DA EMEA Regional Meeting
Do you want to dump Crazy Trump and ditch Moscow Mitch? Do you want to be one of the thousands of DA members around the globe to get out the vote and make that happen?
If so, you’ll want to join Democrats Abroad as we get together for a series of workshops, training sessions, and presentations to prepare for the 2020 election. There will also be a welcome reception by DA Greece, caucus events, a cocktail reception, and a gala dinner.
This is a fantastic way to experience the breadth and depth of DA’s leadership talent, exchange ideas, and keep up with 2020 get out the vote plans. I’ll be there with some other Excomm members – we hope you’ll join us!
Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any questions you may have. For more detailed information about the DA EMEA Regional Meeting and to RSVP, click on the link.
– Jennifer Rakow-Stepper, Chair DA Austria
What: Democrats Abroad Regional Meeting for Europe, Middle East, and Africa
When: October 12-14, 2019
Where: Athens, Greece
RSVP: EMEA Regional Meeting
Issues & Actions:
How to Make A Difference at Home
Sleepy special and state elections may seem minor, but we should all be aware by now just how important state governors and legislatures can be as a push-back to Trump and his devastating policies. That’s why if you vote in any of the following six states please make sure to spread the word to your family, friends, and social media contacts to vote in the 2019 elections!
This autumn will see special elections in North Carolina Districts 3 and 9. NC-9 is having a special election because of ballot tampering. Read More
There are also five states — Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia — that will hold General Elections in November 2019 for state executive offices, state legislative offices or both.
Don’t forget overseas voters need to submit the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA)to request a ballot each calendar year to be guaranteed to receive ballots for elections in that year. Absentee ballots will be sent out on September 21.
First-time voters may simultaneously register to vote and request a ballot using the FPCA if the form is submitted according to the voter registration deadline. All other voters must submit the FPCA by the ballot request deadline.
For more information about what’s on the ballots in the State elections and how to register to vote, go to What is on the Ballot in 2019?
We Can’t Win Without You!
DA Austria is looking for people to fill the following positions so together we can dump Trump and elect Democrats up and down the ballot in 2020!
It will take a village to do all the things we need to do. Here are some opportunities to help:
- Take our Volunteer Survey. We are looking for volunteers in all areas.
- DA Austria is looking for members interested in heading our Youth Caucus and Hispanic Caucus and other vital positions. Find out more information about how to join our team.
- Do you have an idea? We're looking for suggestions on how we can connect with more Americans in Austria, find places to advertise, events to have, and any suggestions you have to get more people to vote. Bookmark this link and submit your ideas at any time.
Reviews:
GBC Book Club
The group met up at a private location to discuss We were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Each chapter represented a year in the presidency of Barack Obama. The presidency of Barack Obama was monumental and was nearly scandal free, a far cry from the current administration. Coates, as well as the rest of the nation, are still analyzing the factors that lead to individuals voting first for Obama and then for Trump, including what racially motivated factors that were at play beyond the standard “economic anxiety” that was put forward as a main cause. Coates uses the historical precedence of the Reconstruction era that saw the successful integration of African Americans into the political and socioeconomic systems of the US only to be driven back during the backlash of Jim Crow era that followed. The chapters were so packed with beautifully written commentary, personal storytelling, and information that the group did not have enough time to discuss them all.
Even so, we will move on with the next book club where we will discuss the New York Times best seller Becoming by Harvard educated lawyer, university administrator and former First Lady Michelle Obama. Come join us on Friday, October 4th at 7pm. Location TBD.
– Faith Hall-Herbold, Black Caucus Coordinator and Member at Large
How to Meet Your Next US President
June and July had great turnouts at our double-header Presidential Primary Debate Watch Parties. We had the chance to meet and discuss with lots of members, new members and concerned non-Americans who hope we’ll dump Trump – it was wonderful to meet all of you!
As we go into the fall, the field of candidates will narrow down and the debates themselves will certainly heat up. It may feel like a long time until November 3, 2020, but the first primary caucus is in Iowa on February 3 – just six months away. And DA’s Global Presidential Primary, where you can vote for DA’s delegates to the convention, will take place March 3, on Super Tuesday.
We hope to see you at an upcoming debate night watch party where you’ll be able to “meet” the future President – all the candidates have been joining in!
– Jennifer Rakow-Stepper, Chair DA Austria
Around Town:
American Diplomacy in a Disordered World
On Thursday, September 19, IWM Permanent Fellow Ivan Krastev will talk with Ambassador William J. Burns, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about America's changing role in the world and the purpose of American diplomacy. Registration is required. Find the registration form and more information at IWM Geopolitical Talks.
Vienna Humanities Festival
The fourth Vienna Humanities Festival will take place from September 26-29 with the theme Hope and Despair. As always, the IWM and Wien Museum have lined up interesting speakers to discuss “the burning issues of our time.” Most of the events are free. Find the program and more information at: Vienna Humanities Festival.