Chop Wood, Carry Water 10/12

Love we must.

Art by Shepard Fairey via Amplifier

Hi, all, and happy Thursday.

Last night I took a break from politics to bring Mj, my almost-14-year-old, to a concert at the Greek Theater. To say that the outing was just what the doctor ordered is an understatement.

The band we went to see is called MUNA; they’re fairly beloved in our household as they were the first “queer band” Mj really fell for after coming out. I know MUNA’s music inside and out after hearing it around the house for years—at this point I enjoy it as much as Mj does.

Going to the Greek is always spectacular, but going with your kid to see their favorite band along with a huge, vibrant, exuberant crowd of mostly LGBTQ people was just, well, delightful. At one point during the show MUNA’s lead singer, Katie Gavin, called the Los Angeles Trans Choir onto the stage to sing with her. As soon as the choir emerged an enormous roar rose from the crowd—a roar of love, celebration and support. It went on and on. Such a moment of joy! The choir members beamed, the music soared, and I expect I wasn’t the only one to weep at the sheer beauty and inclusivity of it all.

It’s not hard to just love people. One wishes it weren’t so rare.

And of course it’s not rare on this list; I thank you for that.

In other news, early voting has started in Ohio; Louisiana has Gubernatorial elections on Saturday; Virginia’s early voting is ongoing, and Kentucky and New Jersey’s early voting starts soon. There are other places, too, with immanent local elections—I just phonebanked into Sante Fe for their City Council races yesterday.

The point is, there is a LOT happening that is out of our control. Much of it is terrifying, angering, or deeply saddening. While winning elections won’t solve all of it, it will help, whereas losing them will make things infinitely worse. So let’s try to “work the program, not the problem” today, making our calls, asking ourselves which race(s) we’re helping with, and making sure that we are putting our all into the things we can control.

And let’s not forget to reach out again to friends and family with ties to Israel or Palestine. The graphic details we’re receiving about the carnage there are gutting. Let’s be there for each other as best we can.

I’m talking a lot about love and human relationships today. Why? Because it’s relevant. Ultimately it is love—of our fellow Americans, of democracy, of humanity, and of the planet—that can and must save us. Love is the only bedrock upon which a purposeful and satisfying life—or country—can be built. And build the latter we must.

So love we must.

With that as our guiding light let’s get to work one more time.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

We learned this morning that there are new charges being leveled against Senator Menendez—charges that he conspired to act as an foreign agent of Egypt even as he served as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Menendez needs to step down immediately. He is, of course, innocent until proven guilty, but he cannot continue to hold a position of power when under this cloud. There are national security issues involved. Will the Senator call for him to resign?

[If GOP add:] Also, has the Senator made a statement denouncing Tommy Tuberville’s blockade on military promotions? Because they’re unacceptable and so is the Republican party’s silence on the matter.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

First, has the Congressmember yet called for the expulsion of George Santos? The fact that he is still in Congress considering all of the new allegations against him is staggering. He is, of course, innocent until proven guilty, but he cannot continue to hold a position of power when under such a massive cloud. I know Rep. Anthony D'Esposito is introducing an expulsion resolution. I expect the Congressmember to sign on.

Second, the House needs to come together and elect a unity candidate like Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker. We need a functioning House. Republicans have shown they can’t provide it on their own. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

This is an absolute Hail Mary. Let’s call or write Tommy Tuberville’s office. (251) 308-7233 or 256-692-7500 or (334) 523-7424 or (202) 224-4124.

If you call you can say something like:

I’m calling the Senator to ask him to lift his blockade against military promotions. He’s endangering our servicemembers and our national security. This affects me personally. At a time of global instability and with events escalating quickly in the Middle East we MUST have a fully staffed military. Please ask the Senator to lift the blockade now. Thanks.

We can also send him a postcard at:

Senator Tommy Tuberville, 455 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510.

You can say what I said above, or simply:

“Kindly turn our military personnel back over to We, the People. We need them. NOW."

Get Smart! 📚

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, challenging the constitutionality of one of the districts in South Carolina’s Congressional redistricting map. 

Now, the Court is poised to decide whether a state can use race as a proxy for partisanship, intentionally minimizing the power of Black voters, then defending that choice by claiming that the real aim was to minimize the power of Democratic voters.

On Friday, October 13th at 11am ET, join experts from the American Constitution Society, Black Voters Matter, End Citizens United/Let America Vote, National Action Network, Color Of Change, and Stand Up America with introductory remarks from Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King to hear about this case, the part it plays in the Court’s broader attacks on democracy, and how we can fight for reforms to make the Court more protective of our democracy and more accountable to the American people.

Register here.

Chop Wood, Save the Planet! 🔥

One of my readers has highly recommended MIT's award-winning podcast: Today I Learned: Climate. Hosted by Laur Hesse Fisher of the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, the show delivers bite-sized, 15-minute episodes, making complicated climate topics digestible for a wide audience!

The first episode covered greenhouse gases and they'll be diving into everything from methane to wildfires and desalination. Check it out here.

Give 💰!

Join a group of special guests at 7 pm this Sunday for a Center for Common Ground Virtual Fundraiser! They will have a “star-studded” panel of speakers (you’ll see why I added the quotes when you read the list of speakers):

• Kyra Sedgwick, Actress & Philanthropist 

• Robert Hubbell, Author of the Today's Edition Newsletter

• Heath Booth, Civil and Women's Rights Activist 

• Ray McClendon, Communities United for Justice

• Janice Gay, Virginia Phone Bank Team and Norfolk/Virginia Beach Democracy Center

• Me 😂

Seriously, it’s going to be a great event! Come and help us raise $50,000 to continue our Virginia efforts and prepare us for 2024!

RSVP HERE

Win Races! 🗳

Election Day is near, with critical state elections in KY, LA, NJ, MS, OH, PA, and VA where reproductive rights, gun control, and democracy itself are on the ballot. Even if you don't live in one of these states, you probably have friends and family who do. So you can make a difference by encouraging those friends to vote with SwipeBlue, the FREE relational organizing app designed to elect Democrats everywhere. Swipe Blue matches your phone contacts to the public voter file to find all your Democratic friends in the battleground states. Just swipe left (blue) to send them a personalized text encouraging them to vote. Studies show messages from friends are 29x more effective than strangers. THIS IS REALLY EFFECTIVE!

You can download SwipeBlue here.

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OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess