Message from DA Spain Chair

Is it ironic that I’m writing this column on Mother’s Day and that I spent the morning at the church where I first met Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who successfully argued Roe v. Wade? I refer, of course, to the topic of the leaked Supreme Court (SCOTUS) draft opinion that would overturn Roe if ultimately adopted. Such a ruling would do tremendous violence to the individual right of bodily autonomy as well as impede the delivery of the best practices in reproductive health care. Small wonder, then, that opposition to overturning Roe has been forceful and virtually instantaneous. Members of Democrats Abroad are already participating in this opposition. If you want to join that effort, please read on and follow DA Spain on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

But in addition to the drastic move backwards for American women portended by this draft opinion, the Supreme Court’s apparent willingness to overturn Roe signals two other significant dangers we ought to be aware of.

The first is that SCOTUS is expressing a potential willingness to curtail other rights delineated in historic opinions over the years. What does the fall of Roe mean for Obergefell, the opinion recognizing the right of same-sex couples to marry? Or for Lawrence, which struck down laws criminalizing homosexuality? Or Griswold, protecting the right of access to birth control? Or Gideon, requiring the provision of lawyers to indigent defendants in felony cases? Or Brown, ordering school desegregation? The list goes on and on, because a Court that overturns the expansion of rights in one area may have no compunctions about narrowing Constitutional rights in others.

The second danger is somewhat less obvious, but more far-reaching. It is explained very clearly in the book “How Fascism Works,” by Yale professor Jason Stanley. In the first chapter of this profoundly unsettling book (summarized in this video), Stanley argues that the first step in establishing a fascist regime is to invoke “a pure mythic past tragically destroyed.” Fascism claims that it, alone, can restore this perfect, fictional bygone era. In the pure, mythical past being heralded by the American right, women and other minorities were firmly under the control of men, both legally and physically. The Court’s promotion of this myth can be regarded as the first step on the path to a further unraveling of our democracy.

So what do we do? There’s no shortage of work, and for Democrats Abroad that means getting out the overseas vote for Democratic candidates. We must help American voters who live in Spain register to vote and then navigate the multi-step process of voting overseas. Without our efforts, thousands of votes for Democratic candidates — who will work to restore and expand our rights, not deny them to disfavored groups of Americans — will be lost.

So, over the next five months, let’s get out every Democratic vote we can! The stakes have never been higher.

Thanks for all that you do, 

Kathy Tullos (Chair)

Living in Spain isn’t all fun in the sun, siestas and fiestas.

For our next webinar, we welcome Mr. Roland Sabates from the firm Expat Legal Services Group. This webinar will be held on May 18th at 7:30 pm (CET) on the topic of US citizen tax obligations while living abroad. Roland will cover important tax issues for Americans in Spain. 

To tailor these webinars to your needs, we ask that you send us any questions you might have ahead of time. We will pass them on to our speaker, so that he is aware of your concerns and can plan the talk accordingly. Send your questions to [email protected] by Monday, May 16th. 

If you are unable to attend the live session but would like to see the recording, do send in an RSVP. We will send a link to the video to all who sign up.

RSVP here

I am still in contact with the Madrid Embassy about the possibility of a webinar on retirement and the agreement between the US Social Security and Spanish pension system.  Stay tuned for updates on this possible webinar. 

Are there any other topics of interest? Do you know anyone willing to be a guest on one of our webinars? Send your suggestions and ideas to [email protected].

All the best, 

Doris

Message from DA Spain Chair

Usually the fun fact in our newsletter appears at the end, but today we’re starting out with one, as well. Did you know that the average adult spends about 10 full months of their life talking about the weather?

As I write this, the weather here in our home in Torrevieja has been absolutely wild. March was the wettest it’s been in 95 years, and the wind has whipped the palms around so much I’m surprised the fronds aren’t in braids by now. On the plus side, local surfers are having a great time. And for good or ill, we entertained two sets of guests from the USA during this deluge. We apparently have hardy friends, because everybody just donned rain jackets and headed out to see the sights.

Our home country is experiencing heavy weather, too. In the midst of the world’s turbulence, we’re facing midterm elections in which forecasters say Democrats could lose up to 60 seats in the House of Representatives. SIXTY SEATS. Goodbye investigation of the attempted coup on January 6, and hello impeachment of Joe Biden for, well, being alive, along with anything else equally nefarious the Republicans can think up.

So Democrats Abroad Spain has to do its bit. Each of us has to do our bit. And here are the three things you can do:

1. Volunteer to phonebank. This is critical. We’re calling other members of DA to make sure they register to vote, request their ballots and return them. You use an online system that lets you know what to say, dials for you, and doesn’t tie up your own phone. Make five calls just to try it out; you’ll see how easy it is!  (See details below)
2. Tell other Americans abroad about the importance of voting from overseas. Guide them to votefromabroad.org, where up-to-date voting information about every US jurisdiction is available, along with individual help if users have questions. The vast majority of Americans who vote from abroad are Democrats, so your individual outreach can have a significant impact.
3. Help Democrats Abroad Spain find folks who are savvy about social media and who’d be willing to help DAS with its social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok) or otherwise help out with the communications team. Reach out to us at [email protected]. 

It’s time to pull on the raincoats, stuff our feet into rain boots, and get to work. We can’t change the weather, but we can change the outcome of our elections. So let’s get going!

Kathy Tullos (Chair) 

Living in Spain isn’t all fun in the sun, siestas and fiestas.

For our next webinar, we welcome back Mr. Ignacio Pellicer and Mr. Pedro Heredia, from the law firm Pellicer and Heredia. This webinar will be held on April 6th at 7:00 pm on the topic of Litigation in Spain.

To tailor these webinars to your needs, we ask that you send us any questions you might have ahead of time. We will pass them on to our speakers, so that they are aware of your concerns and can plan the talk accordingly. Send your questions to [email protected] by Monday, April 4th. 

If you are unable to attend the live session but would like to see the recording, do send in an RSVP. We will send a link to the video to all who sign up.

RSVP here

And mark your calendars for the May session, which has been confirmed: 

May 18th: US citizen tax obligations while living abroad 

Still being organized: 

• Retirement and the agreement between the US Social Security and Spanish pension system 

Are there any other topics of interest? Do you know anyone willing to be a guest on one of our webinars? Send your suggestions and ideas to [email protected].

Message from DA Spain Chair

One of my favorite poems is Tennyson’s “Ulysses.” The work presents us with Ulysses many years after his odyssey ended, safe in Ithaca but still yearning for adventure. As part of his meditation on aging, the hero utters the classic line: “Tho’ much is taken, much abides.”

This line has been with me often in the last few tumultuous weeks. As you may have noticed, Democrats Abroad has not officially spoken on the top news story, the conflict in Ukraine. Many are asking why we are silent in the face of this unfolding drama. I wanted to talk with you today about why that’s so.

When I joined Democrats Abroad, I was surprised to learn that the organization has a strict policy not to discuss foreign policy in any way, shape, or form. I’ve been told that there are legal reasons for this prohibition, although I have no firsthand knowledge here. What does resonate with me is that DA has members in more than 200 countries around the globe, and some of those countries would surely take offense at almost any foreign policy-related comment we could make. So, for example, if we were to condemn Russian actions, Russia and its allies would probably take umbrage at our decision.

Now, even my nearest and dearest know that I’m personally not afraid of hurting someone’s feelings in furtherance of the greater good. If someone gets mad at me, so be it, but DA is in a different position. We have members in countries with wildly varying stances on the issues at hand. Some countries have been known to retaliate against individuals who belong to organizations that publicly disagree with them. And that potential retaliation can be–and, apparently in some cases, has been–quite serious.

So here we are. As an organization, we have a responsibility to keep our members safe. Thus, as an organization, we don’t comment on foreign policy. As you can imagine, this prohibition has sparked a lively debate inside DA, and those discussions are ongoing. But in the meantime, the rule stands, and we will abide by it.

But, as Ulysses observed, though we can’t do some things, we can still do others. I’m sure many of you, because you have the good taste and open hearts that led you to join DA, are doing wonderful, vital work on issues in DA’s no-go zone, and DA is doing its bit by fulfilling its core mission: electing Democrats.

So, if you will, abide with us as we move towards the midterms. Please take advantage of the many volunteer opportunities described in this newsletter. Register to vote, request your ballot, and cast your ballot. Encourage other US citizens to do likewise. Because, as Ulysses saw, there is still much for us to do. 

Kathy Tullos (Chair) 

Message from DA Spain Chair

It’s February, and I’m writing to you from my home state of Texas. Remarkably, it’s actually been cold here; we had an entire week of at- or below-freezing temperatures at night. (The electrical grid didn’t even threaten to collapse, which it actually did last winter, but Texans with cold weather PTSD have been quite twitchy for a few days.) Anyway, the cold inspired me to make a couple of batches of soup.

As I stood in our kitchen stirring a fragrant batch of bean soup, I recalled one of my favorite childhood books. Stone Soup told a story that resonates with what we are doing at Democrats Abroad Spain.  Read more about stone soup...

Here at DA Spain, we make a lot of our own sort of soup together. Of course, our dishes aren’t liquid, and you can’t eat them, but they are important all the same. Members make a few phone banking calls – potatoes. Members staff tables at voter registration drives – carrots. Members use their social media platforms to talk up DA and tell others about how US citizens can vote from abroad – tomatoes. Members contribute small amounts to DA to help us pay for phone banks, mailouts, banners for our voter registration tables, and the myriad other items that enable us to connect with Americans abroad – beans. Again, you get the idea.

I’m grateful to every one of you who helps us fill the pot. And I hope each of you will consider adding to DA’s soup. We’re not the tricksters that our travelers were, so all we can do is assure you that whatever you choose to add, matters. Your efforts promote and safeguard democracy. And that’s a delicacy beyond compare.

So if you’re interested in volunteering or contributing, please take a few minutes to fill out the Volunteer Interest Form.

Thank you, and buen provecho!

Kathy Tullos (Chair) 

Message from DA Spain Chair

I’ve read a lot of murder mysteries. A LOT. And my favorites are the cozy ones, where, even before you start the book, you know that everything will turn out all right. Of course, there’s always one chapter toward the end where the protagonist is cornered by the dastardly murderer. That’s the bit I read the fastest, because I just want to get to the happy ending and enjoy the part where the villain is no longer holding a dagger at the detective’s throat.

A different dagger is being held at the throat of our democracy, as President Biden recently reminded us, and the threat is not fictional. We see signs everywhere that our homeland could easily slip into autocracy, or worse. Voter suppression is rampant; lies about the integrity of our elections spread faster than Omicron; open calls for civil war are heard in public discourse and on social media. And sadly, we can’t simply read fast and skip to the part where everything turns out okay in the end.

That’s why we, overseas Democrats, must turn out in droves in the midterm elections. We have to register to vote, request ballots, and return those ballots in a timely fashion. We have to be the people who refuse to succumb to the second, more insidious Big Lie: that our votes won’t count, so there’s no point in voting in the first place. And we have to ensure that our American family members and friends do the same. This is the only sure way to defeat the threats to our democracy.

Look, I know that phone banking, staffing voter registration tables, and sending messages to US voters abroad may not be on your list of Top 10 Entertaining Things To Do in 2022. I’d rather be reading the aforementioned murder mysteries myself, but if we want our democracy to survive, we all have to pitch in. Please go to VoteFromAbroad.org for reliable information on how you can vote in the midterms. And click on our Volunteer Interest Form to find out how you can do your bit to help others vote. Finally, please share this information with your friends.

So while there is a dagger involved, this time there’s no mystery. Let’s get out there and fight for our country.

Kathy Tullos (Chair) 

January 21 marks the anniversary of the Women’s March of 2017, held in protest the day after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president. Demonstrations to highlight the threat to civil, human, and reproductive rights took place not only in Washington, DC, but in cities and towns around the United States and across the world. I was heartened by the turnout and enthusiasm of the Women’s March here in my adopted hometown of Barcelona. We were upset and had to demonstrate our angst and frustration in whatever way we were able. 

Now it’s 2022 and, in some ways, it seems that things are not improving for women; in fact, in some areas, things seem to be backsliding. But to celebrate this very important date, and to keep positive, I’ve decided to dwell on the good stuff.

At the top of the list is the fact that Trump has been voted out of office, and we have a female vice president in Kamala Harris. We trust that the first woman president is not far away. 

Women can now be found in greater numbers in all areas of work and life. Television, for example, is full of crack female reporters and interviewers. The MeToo movement has brought gross injustices in the news casting and entertainment industry to the forefront.  

Nearly 60% of university students in the US are women. Here in Spain, there are more women than men studying in traditionally male-dominated fields such as law and medicine.  

Abortion rights are under attack, but there is now an abortion pill that (in part thanks to Covid) is becoming more widely available and easier to obtain. 

A new US quarter-dollar coin is coming out that features the poet Maya Angelou, and women are being remembered and honored like never before. (We are still waiting for the twenty dollar bill featuring Harriet Tubman!)

So, let’s keep fighting for our fundamental rights, but never forget where women were and how far we have come! If you would like to share your thoughts and ideas, write me at [email protected]

Would you like to become a volunteer with Women’s Caucus Spain? Fill out the Volunteer Interest Form and we will be in touch.

Don’t forget to write to your representatives about the ERA and reproductive justice. Click on the links to see what you can do!

https://www.democratsabroad.org/wc_issue_era

https://www.democratsabroad.org/wc_reproductive_justice_action_team

Message from DA Spain Chair

It’s December, which means it’s holiday season once more. Many religions and cultures celebrate special days this time of year; for both of us, Christmas is the holiday of choice this month. And Christmas in Spain can teach us all a lot about what’s to come in the months ahead.

In the USA, of course, Christmas Day is pretty much an ending. It means presents get unwrapped and put away, carols stop ringing out of car radios and at shopping malls, and householders start eyeing the space they’ll regain in the living room when the tree finally gets taken down.

In Spain, though, December 25th is the beginning of the 12 days of Christmas, which will culminate in the coming of the three Wise Men on January 6th, el Día de Los Reyes. On that day, Spanish families celebrate the arrival of the Kings with gatherings, gifts, and parades. Here, Christmas Day is a beginning, not an end.

Democrats Abroad Spain goes through a similar push-me-pull-you with endings and beginnings this time of year. Certainly December is an ending for us, as we close out our books on the year. We tally up how many members we gained and lost this cycle, check our bank balance, and reflect on what worked and what didn’t in terms of programming and outreach.

But it’s also a time for us to contemplate what’s ahead. Next year is an election year, and predictions for the midterms aren’t pretty right now. Fortunately, we’ve got amazing folks working on Get Out The Vote programs, membership initiatives, and fundraising efforts to pay for all of the above (and more) in the year ahead. Having celebrated the past, we’re ready to move into the future.

With the elections and COVID-19 and heaven knows what else around the corner, we’re confident that 2022 will be yet another challenging year. But as they say in the Christian tradition, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Thanks to you all, whatever traditions you hold dearest, for being part of that light and for walking together through whatever lies ahead.

With best wishes for the holidays and the new year,

Kathy and Carlos

Living in Spain isn’t all fun in the sun, siestas and fiestas.

To help you navigate the minefield so that you can have more fun in the sun, DA Spain’s Women’s Caucus (SWC) is proud to announce a new webinar series called ‘Living in Spain.’ 

Once a month, for an hour, Living in Spain will host a guest speaker who will present on a topic of great interest and answer audience questions. The webinars will take place on select Wednesdays at 6 p.m. 

We are following up our successful November webinar about Spanish taxes with advice on how to talk to Republicans during the Holidays.

Next up, and just in time for the holidays, Living in Spain will feature guest speaker (and former Republican) Victor Horcasitas, who will share sage advice on how to talk to your crazy uncle in the MAGA hat, how to circumvent awkward encounters around the dinner table or at the local supermarket, and more. The session will be held on Wednesday, December 15 at 18:00h. 

RSVP here 

Mark your calendars! Future topics that have been confirmed with  Ignacio Pellicer and Pedro Heredia from the Alicante law firm Pellicer and Heredia are: 

• January 12th: Residency visas and immigration
• February 9th: Renters rights and buying property