March 2015 Newsletter 
Important Member News
Annual General Meeting
DATE: Saturday, 14 March
TIME: 2 to 5pm
VENUE: Hotel d'Angleterre
ADDRESS: Quai du Mont-Blanc 17, Geneva
RSVP: events@democrats.ch include Name and Email Address of each member attending, special requests, and Participation Method (in person, remotely, proxy-vote only)
Our country-wide Annual Meeting this year will take place at the Hotel d'Angleterre, downtown Geneva. All members are encouraged to attend and support Democrats Abroad Switzerland as it organizes for 2015 and the 2016 presidential elections.
We will elect our new Executive Committee and then enjoy a stimulating presentation and general discussion on “Citizens United and the American Political Landscape”.
We encourage members from Basel, Bern, Zurich, Lugano and further to come for the day or weekend: homestays with local members • Saturday AM walking tour of Geneva • dinner gatherings on Friday or Saturday night (sans host).
Selma, Alabama • March 7, 2015
It is a rare honor in this life to follow one of your heroes. And John Lewis is one of my heroes.
Now, I have to imagine that when a younger John Lewis woke up that morning fifty years ago and made his way to Brown Chapel, heroics were not on his mind. A day like this was not on his mind. ... Continue reading →
TIME: 2 to 5pm
VENUE: Hotel d'Angleterre
ADDRESS: Quai du Mont-Blanc 17, Geneva
RSVP: events@democrats.ch include Name and Email Address of each member attending, special requests, and Participation Method (in person, remotely, proxy-vote only)
We will elect our new Executive Committee and then enjoy a stimulating presentation and general discussion on “Citizens United and the American Political Landscape”.
We encourage members from Basel, Bern, Zurich, Lugano and further to come for the day or weekend: homestays with local members • Saturday AM walking tour of Geneva • dinner gatherings on Friday or Saturday night (sans host).
- Join us remotely via WebEx (you'll receive log-in instructions upon sign-up)
- If you cannot attend but wish to vote, you may give your proxy vote to someone you know who will attend (sign up and indicate you wish to vote by proxy)
Regular nominations for Executive Committee offices are now closed, and we have candidates on the ballot for: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Legal counsel and one of the four Member-at-large spots. At the meeting, the Elections Committee will invite nominations from the floor for the three remaining Member-at-large positions. Please consider running for one! Read full description of each position →
Letter from the Executive Committee
Ask not what your country committee can do for you...
Elections for the Executive Committee of Democrats Abroad Switzerland will be taking place during its annual general meeting on Saturday 14 March at the Hotel d’Angleterre in Geneva (see above for details). This yearly meeting is for you, and your votes will elect the nominations brought from the floor. Maybe you would like to join the Committee! As an added incentive we will present and discuss "Citizen’s United and the American Political Landscape", a subject we are all concerned about.
If we don’t have paid staff, how do we ensure things get done? DA-Switzerland, DA International and all its other country committees are 100% volunteer organizations. We really do need help – on the local-chapter, national and international levels.
As a volunteer organization, we depend entirely on our members to accomplish our goals. It's Committee members who imagine new ways to reach out to all those Americans in Switzerland. So not only is your participation really important to us, but any hours you donate make it possible to: set up and man voter registration tables where Americans meet, create buzz on our social media channels, organize American-community events, or run phone banks before elections. We wouldn’t even have monthly meetings without you.
If you have a few hours a month that you can spare, and if you want to help us get ready for the 2016 Presidential Elections, please stand for a Member-at-Large position on Saturday, or simply get in touch with us. We’ll find the perfect job for you! :-).
Elections for the Executive Committee of Democrats Abroad Switzerland will be taking place during its annual general meeting on Saturday 14 March at the Hotel d’Angleterre in Geneva (see above for details). This yearly meeting is for you, and your votes will elect the nominations brought from the floor. Maybe you would like to join the Committee! As an added incentive we will present and discuss "Citizen’s United and the American Political Landscape", a subject we are all concerned about.
If we don’t have paid staff, how do we ensure things get done? DA-Switzerland, DA International and all its other country committees are 100% volunteer organizations. We really do need help – on the local-chapter, national and international levels.
As a volunteer organization, we depend entirely on our members to accomplish our goals. It's Committee members who imagine new ways to reach out to all those Americans in Switzerland. So not only is your participation really important to us, but any hours you donate make it possible to: set up and man voter registration tables where Americans meet, create buzz on our social media channels, organize American-community events, or run phone banks before elections. We wouldn’t even have monthly meetings without you.
If you have a few hours a month that you can spare, and if you want to help us get ready for the 2016 Presidential Elections, please stand for a Member-at-Large position on Saturday, or simply get in touch with us. We’ll find the perfect job for you! :-).
— Anne-Shelton Aaron, Chair
and the Executive Committee of Democrats Abroad Switzerland
and the Executive Committee of Democrats Abroad Switzerland
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF VOTING RIGHTS ACT
We share with you President Obama's speech at the bridge in Selma, AL, on the 50th anniversary of the March 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting-rights protest marches. These high-profile protests were a racial-justice turning point, and helped lead to the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Selma, Alabama • March 7, 2015
Remarks of President Barack Obama
It is a rare honor in this life to follow one of your heroes. And John Lewis is one of my heroes.Now, I have to imagine that when a younger John Lewis woke up that morning fifty years ago and made his way to Brown Chapel, heroics were not on his mind. A day like this was not on his mind. ... Continue reading →
Letter from Washington
Tom Fina's monthly letter from the eve of this new year looks at the health of U.S. politics, highlighting many of the positives that seem to get burried by the negative. It is a helpful message for those of us still searching for inspiration and motivation to move beyond November's elections:
To Democrats Abroad
23 February 2015
Tom Fina
Executive Director Emeritus
The clock has about run out on 2014 and the Obama score for the year is a lot better than any Republican and many Democrats expected.
No issue has been more on the public mind than our economic condition. Now, for the week ending December 28, the Gallup Index of Economic Confidence has hit its highest point since 2008. It measures of public judgment about economic conditions and whether economic conditions are getting better or worse. Public perception is catching up with reality. Continue reading →
calendar of EVENTS
Monday, 9 March, 5-7pm • Zurich
Discussion with US Ambassador Suzan LeVine
Democrats Abroad Zurich Chapter Chair Annamaria Fato will moderate this interview and discussion with Ambassador Levine: “Defining Success: What Does it Mean to Have it All?” at the American Women's Club of Zurich. (This event is already full.)Wednesday, 11 March, 7pm • Geneva
Young Dems Get-Together
American Uni students, grad students or any young Democrats: Join us Wednesday at new Geneva tapas bar "La Fabrique", easy walk from UNIG. Write Emma Clarke for info or to RSVP.La Fabrique • rue Micheli-du-Crest 2, Geneva
Saturday, 14 March, 2-5pm • Downtown Geneva
DA Annual General Meeting and elections
(Please see above)Wednesday, 18 March, 6:30pm • Quartier des Bains, Geneva
Democrats Abroad Art Walk
Private guided tour of art galleries before Thursday evening's public La Nuit des Bains. Mamco art historian and curator Samuel Gross will guide you through his choice of current exhibits, over 1.5 hrs. Meet at gallery Truth and Consequences. Followed by dinner at local restaurant. This tour is a fundraiser for Democrats Abroad Switzerland. Donation: Chf 80/adult, 140/couple; optional dinner 50/person. Spaces limited, reply early to: events@democrats.ch.Gallery Truth and Consequences • 7 boulevard d’Yvoy, 1205 Geneva
Friday, 20 March, 11:45am – 2pm • Geneva
Discussion Luncheon with Michael Parmly
Topic:“Dealing with Cuba: What has Changed”Members of the American International Club and guests: Don't miss this informative session over lunch with ex-Director of the US Interests Section in Havana and current Member-at-Large of Democrats Abroad Michael Parmly. Hosted by the AIC. • Info and reservations →
SwissĂ´tel MĂ©tropole • 34 quai GĂ©nĂ©ral Guisan, Geneva
© 2015 Democrats Abroad Switzerland.
DACH is part of Democrats Abroad, representing U.S. citizens living outside the states in the Democratic Party.
Democrats Abroad Switzerland (DACH) is open to voting-age American citizens living in Switzerland.
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