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Rise Up To Action (RUTA)

Website:

https://ruta.political-action.org/
Location:

San Francisco, California
Formation:

2017
Type:

Democratic GOTV Organization
Organizers:

Caroline Pincus and John Tibbetts
Budget (2021):

Revenue: $7,285 1

References

  1. “RUTA Activism 2021 and Beyond.” GoFundMe. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.gofundme.com/f/ruta-activism-2021-and-beyond.

Rise Up To Action (RUTA) is an informal left-of-center get-out-the-vote (GOTV) and activist organization based in San Francisco, California. 1

RUTA supports the elimination of the U.S. Senate filibuster rule 2 3 and  has supported Democratic Party candidates and campaign committees through traditional postcard-writing campaigns and phone banking. 4 5 6 7 RUTA has also partnered with Field Team Six, a Democratic Party-affiliated “voter registration machine,” in these efforts. 8 9 10

History and Leadership

Rise Up To Action (RUTA) was founded in 2017 as a community action group to “resist the agenda” of then-President Donald Trump. 11 As of January 2022, RUTA consists of more than 400 members and is committed to “working to restore and strengthen democracy” and advancing critical race theory-inspired concepts including “social and racial justice.” 12 13

RUTA is based in San Francisco, California, 14 and operated by Caroline Pincus and John Tibbets. 15 16 17

 

Activities

Rise Up To Action has supported Democratic Party candidates and campaign committees through traditional postcard writing campaigns, 18 19 phone banking, 20 and get-out-the-vote efforts. 21 RUTA’s activist efforts include working to maintain Democratic Party control of Congress, flipping state legislatures, advocating for policies inspired by the critical race theory-inspired concept of “racial justice,” and opposing state-level legislation that enhances election security. 22

In 2022, RUTA was one of more than 60 left-of-center groups to sign left-of-center lobbying and advocacy organization Sixteen Thirty Fund’s Fix Our Senate petition, which lobbies for changes to the procedures of the United States Senate to make it easier for Democratic lawmakers to pass legislation by removing the longstanding 60-vote threshold to close debate, known colloquially as the “filibuster.” 23 24

According to RUTA’s GoFundMe page, the group pivoted from resistance to movement building in 2021 after working with left-progressive organizations to bring down the “worst President in history and flip the Senate blue” in 2020. 25 In 2021, RUTA participated in the “Deadline for Democracy Rally” in Oakland, California, which falsely promoted the idea that Republicans are promoting “voter suppression” legislation across the country. Other organizers of the event included the left-of-center Indivisible East Bay, Indivisible SF, Indivisible Livermore, East Bay Activist Alliance, Democratic Party-aligned PAC Swing Left Marin, Sister District Marin, and Equal Justice Society. 26

Also in 2021, RUTA members wrote and mailed 56,000 postcards to Georgia in support of U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff (D) and Raphael Warnock (D) in a January 5, 2021, special election. 27 SoCalBlue, an online activist calendar service for Democratic events in California, promoted RUTA’s postcard event. 28 29

Earlier in the 2020 election cycle, RUTA sent over 160,000 postcards in support of Democratic Party candidates, 30 31 mailed postcards in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat the comeback of U.S. Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), and worked with Field Team Six, a Democratic Party-affiliated “voter registration machine.” 32 33 34 RUTA has also supported the campaigns of Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) and the unsuccessful re-election campaign of Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL). 35 36

References

  1. “RiseUpToAction SF.” Facebook. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/groups/RiseUpToAction/.
  2. “60 Organizations to Senate Democrats: Filibuster Didn’t Block Debt Limit Extension, Cannot Block Voting Rights Legislation.” Fix Our Senate. January 3, 2022. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.fixoursenate.org/press/60-organizations-to-senate-democrats-filibuster-didnt-block-debt-limit-extension-cannot-block-voting-rights-legislation.
  3. Kamisugi, Keith. “EJS among 60 groups calling on Senate Democrats to address the filibuster and pass voting rights legislation.” January 3, 2022. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://equaljusticesociety.org/2022/01/03/ejs-among-60-groups-calling-on-senate-democrats-to-address-the-filibuster-and-pass-voting-rights-legislation/.
  4. “Caroline Pincus.” Facebook Image Post. July 18, 2019. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10216569533323630&set=g.1853365578251888.
  5. “Postcards/Letters Events.” SocalBlue. November 2021. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://socalblue.org/events/category/main-calendar-page/postcards-letters/week/2021-11-07/.
  6. “Colleen Irwin.” Facebook Image Post. November 17, 2017. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10210900833749015&set=g.1853365578251888.
  7. “Caroline Pincus.” Facebook Image Post. October 11, 2018. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10210900833749015&set=g.1853365578251888.
  8. “The Fierce Urgency of Now: The Field Team 6 Game Plan for 2022 (click unmute to hear the video).” ActBlue. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft62021plan.
  9. “Home.” Field Team 6. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/.
  10. “Write Postcards in San Francisco to Flip CA-21 Blue with Rise Up to Action and Field Team 6!” Mobilize.us.
  11. “RiseUpToAction SF.” Facebook. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/groups/RiseUpToAction/.
  12. “Caroline Pincus.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-pincus-she-her-72a3594/.
  13. “Tell your friends, tell your neighbors: “Deadline for Democracy: rally Wed. 6 PM in Oakland.” Daily Kos. July 6, 2021. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/7/6/2038557/-Tell-your-friends-tell-your-neighbors-Deadline-for-Democracy-rally-Wed-6-PM-in-Oakland.
  14. “RiseUpToAction SF.” Facebook. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/groups/RiseUpToAction/.
  15. “RiseUpToAction SF.” Facebook. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/groups/RiseUpToAction/.
  16. “Whois Record for Political-Action.org.” Domaintools. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://whois.domaintools.com/political-action.org.
  17. “RUTA Activism 2021 and Beyond.” GoFundMe. March 30, 2021. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.gofundme.com/f/ruta-activism-2021-and-beyond.
  18. “Caroline Pincus.” Facebook Image Post. July 18, 2019. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10216569533323630&set=g.1853365578251888.
  19. “Postcards/Letters Events.” SocalBlue. November 2021. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://socalblue.org/events/category/main-calendar-page/postcards-letters/week/2021-11-07/.
  20. “Colleen Irwin.” Facebook Image Post. November 17, 2017. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10210900833749015&set=g.1853365578251888.
  21. “Caroline Pincus.” Facebook Image Post. October 11, 2018. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10210900833749015&set=g.1853365578251888.
  22. “RUTA Activism 2021 and Beyond.” GoFundMe. March 30, 2021. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.gofundme.com/f/ruta-activism-2021-and-beyond.
  23. 60 Organizations to Senate Democrats: Filibuster Didn’t Block Debt Limit Extension, Cannot Block Voting Rights Legislation.” Fix Our Senate. January 3, 2022. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.fixoursenate.org/press/60-organizations-to-senate-democrats-filibuster-didnt-block-debt-limit-extension-cannot-block-voting-rights-legislation.
  24. Kamisugi, Keith. “EJS among 60 groups calling on Senate Democrats to address the filibuster and pass voting rights legislation.” January 3, 2022. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://equaljusticesociety.org/2022/01/03/ejs-among-60-groups-calling-on-senate-democrats-to-address-the-filibuster-and-pass-voting-rights-legislation/.
  25. “RUTA Activism 2021 and Beyond.” GoFundMe. March 30, 2021. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.gofundme.com/f/ruta-activism-2021-and-beyond.
  26.  “Deadline for Democracy Rally.” Stay Happening. July 7, 2021. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://stayhappening.com/e/deadline-for-democracy-rally-E2ISTOT14WC
  27. “Colleen Irwin.” Facebook Image Post. January 6, 2021. Accessed January 11, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3880517648683362&set=g.1853365578251888.
  28. “Postcards/Letters Events.” SocalBlue. November 2021. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://socalblue.org/events/category/main-calendar-page/postcards-letters/week/2021-11-07/.
  29. “SOCAL BLUE.” Troy Takaki YouTube.  Uploaded August 5, 2019. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYtA-KJw-w4.
  30. “RUTA Activism 2021 and Beyond.” GoFundMe. March 30, 2021. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.gofundme.com/f/ruta-activism-2021-and-beyond.
  31. “Caroline Pincus.” Facebook Image Post. July 18, 2019. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10216569533323630&set=g.1853365578251888.
  32. “The Fierce Urgency of Now: The Field Team 6 Game Plan for 2022 (click unmute to hear the video).” ActBlue. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft62021plan.
  33. “Home.” Field Team 6. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/.
  34. “Write Postcards in San Francisco to Flip CA-21 Blue with Rise Up to Action and Field Team 6!” Mobilize.us.
  35. Colleen Irwin.” Facebook Image Post. November 17, 2017. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10210900833749015&set=g.1853365578251888.
  36. “Caroline Pincus.” Facebook Image Post. October 11, 2018. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10210900833749015&set=g.1853365578251888.
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