Countdown Time!
October 7, 2025
Dear Game Changers Members and Friends,
American documentary filmmaker Ken Burns recently observed that we each have to decide whether we want to live in Bedford Falls or Pottersville. Bedford Falls, the town in the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” in which the residents are bound to one another through common purpose, or Pottersville, the darker, amoral world it’s transformed into by the town’s greedy banker.
Burns wants to live in Bedford Falls. If you value this wonderful life and this country, he said, you can’t not want to have some skin in the game.
As understatements go, saying we are living in uncertain and troubling times ranks up there with the best of them. Reading or hearing each day’s news has become a white-knuckle ride.
In some ways, that makes the choice to get involved easier. Because what’s the alternative? To snooze on the sidelines, hoping for the best and letting the chips fall where they may? Seriously?!? The way through these times is not to pull the covers over your head; it’s to work together with like-minded people.
The focus of the States Project, of which the Game Changers Giving Circle is a proud part, is on state legislatures; in our case, Virginia. There are two reasons for this. One, it’s our first chronological option. The mid-terms, let alone the next national election, are still a glimmer on the horizon.
The arguably more important reason is because that’s where the most significant change occurs. Congress has been effectively neutered. State lawmakers are having the most direct impact on our health, safety and freedoms, for better or for much, much worse. To cite just one example, Florida is moving to eliminate all state vaccines, including those for children to attend school.
If we succeed, there will be a Democratic trifecta in Virginia—that is, Democratic control of the State House, Senate and Governorship—that will address the issues of public education, childcare affordability, and the ability to pay for life-saving medical prescriptions.
As TSP Executive Director Mandara Meyers accurately notes, “Issues like safe, comprehensive health care are coming down to the state you live in and who has the governing power in that state. That has become the reality of the red-state and blue-state existence.”
What can you do?
If you live in Virginia, vote! Vote early now or vote on November 4.
Regardless of where you live, reach out to one or more like-minded friends or relatives in Virginia and ask them to vote. You might be surprised at how many people don’t bother to vote in state elections.
Spread the word. Forward this newsletter to others. Or share a link to our Game Changers website that sums it all up in concise detail.
If you want to broaden your impact and participate in a phone bank (yay!), go to Call Voters in Virginia to win in November 2025 - Swing Left.
Participate in No Kings Day on October 18, a nonviolent day of national protest to express opposition to threats to democracy, abuse of power and authoritarian rule. Find an organized event near you here.
It’s easy to feel powerless these days. Instead of complaining or worrying, seize this opportunity. Because, in the end, it’s about hope. Bedford Falls vs. Pottersville. You get to choose.
Committed and undeterred,
The Game Changers Leadership Circle*
Diane, Debbie, Ginny, Cindy, Carol and Beth
*Diane Kessel Knight, Founder
*Debbie Cragin Broder
*Ginny Dean
*Cindy Deutsch
*Carol Burgess Goldman
*Beth York
Game Changers: We are deeply committed and results-oriented members of the Game Changers Giving Circle, whose mission is to help Democrats rise again. The States Project’s Giving Circles are groups of like-minded people who pool resources to support candidates who can win and affect the balance of power in state legislatures.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people can make a difference.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
To learn more about the Game Changers CLICK HERE.