Chop Wood, Carry Water 10/15
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!
Deep breaths.
We knew it would get ugly, and it’s getting ugly. Trump’s rhetoric is escalating in frightening ways; if we focus only on that it’s easy to become paralyzed.
So let’s focus instead on the helpers.
Millions and millions of Americans are watching Trump and saying “No. I don’t want that for my country.” They are making plans to vote; many of them already have voted. Georgia’s early voting started today—a day after a judge there ruled that “county election officials may not delay or decline to certify election results over allegations of fraud or error in the battleground state.” And guess what? Voter turnout is off the hook! Over 200,000 people have voted so far—shattering previous records for the first day of voting. And the day isn’t over.
Everywhere else in the country people like you are volunteering. They are doing phonebanks, even when it makes them anxious. They’re writing letters. They’re sending postcards. They’re knocking doors. They’re doing voter protection. They’re having careful, reasoned conversations with their neighbors, their dry cleaners, their babysitters, their co-wokers, and their families. They’re not changing every mind, but they’re each changing a few.
And a few, multiplied by millions, gets us to victory.
Remember: each of us is a drop of water. No drop alone can do much—in fact it can be wiped away in a heartbeat. But when you put enough drops together?
You carve stone.
So let’s all bring our drops one more time, knowing that millions and millions of Americans are doing the same. Individually we may be small. But together?
We’re unbeatable.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m furious to learn that investigations into Brett Kavanaugh were effectively blocked by the Trump administration, who then lied about it. According to Senator Whitehouse’s newly released report the "Trump White House strictly controlled which witnesses the FBI was authorized to interview and which leads the FBI could follow." The FBI didn’t interview two people with the most firsthand knowledge of the alleged incident, Ford and Kavanaugh, because the White House wouldn’t let them. It goes on. There is a likely sexual assaulter sitting on the Supreme Court—one who almost certainly lied in his confirmation hearings. What will the Senator do about it? I believe Kavanaugh needs to be fully—and actually—investigated and, if guilty, impeached. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling about Republicans’ recent attacks on overseas military voting. These lawsuits are a betrayal of the men and women serving our country overseas — they are beyond the pale. I understand that a group of House Democrats just called on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to guarantee that overseas Americans, including those serving in the armed forces, retain their right to participate fully in U.S. elections. Has the Congressmember signed on to that letter? If not, why not?
[If GOP add:]
These men and women are putting their lives on the line for our country. Is the Congressmember really saying their voices shouldn’t be counted? Because if so I want to publicize that fact widely. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Know a college student in a swing (or New York) state? How about a parent of one? Please send them this post!
Extra Credit—For Florida ✅
Please spread the word! [H/T
]AUTHORITARIAN TACTICS THREATENING ABORTION INITIATIVE IN FLORIDA
Trump and DeSantis have been pushing hard to defeat the effort to protect abortion rights at the ballot box in Florida – DeSantis has even used his power to threaten TV stations to get them to pull ads for it. Ominously, their authoritarian tactics may be having some effect. New polling suggests the yes vote is falling well short of the 60% required for Amendment 4. But we’ve beaten the forced birthers before and we can do it again. The Yes on 4 campaign has multiple phonebanks, textbanks, and canvasses running in the next few weeks. Let’s sign up for a shift here.
Get Smart! 📚
Reminder about this event coming up soon! It’s going to be GREAT!
Phone Banking for Introverts - Tuesday October 15 at 3 pm PT/ 6 pm ET
This training will help you overcome your hesitation to make calls in a supportive and fun environment where you'll be among other folks who, like you, may feel nervous about calling voters.
Elizabeth Chur, author of The Joy of Talking Politics with Strangers: How to Save Democracy, One Conversation at a Time, will kick things off with an energizing pep talk! After Elizabeth speaks, we will start our training, during which you will learn to use our phone bank platform and gain confidence in making calls.
Spread the Word! 📣
This long-form abortion ad is…staggering. Trigger warning—it’s a tough watch. But if you know anyone who needs a nudge to vote and might be moved by abortion content this video is incredible.
Give 💰!
Join Force Multiplier + the Rural Democracy Initiative in supporting pro-democracy groups in rural America.
Thursday, October 17, 7:00-8:00pm ET on Zoom
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
Sarah Jaynes, Executive Director, Rural Democracy Initiative + Rural Victory Fund
Melissa Morales, Founder + President of Somos Votantes +
Project Director of The Winning Jobs Narrative
Jess Piper, rural mom, teacher, candidate + author of “The View From Missouri”
REGISTER + DONATE TO THE RURAL DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE
Win Races—Become a Keyboard Warrior!
From my friends at Keyboard Warriors for Kamala:
There are people who just don’t phonebank or canvass. Rather than give up on them, we have a new project that teaches them to be effective Keyboard Warriors for Kamala.
We believe that posting is praxis; persuasion usually happens online; and people need some guidance on how to be more effective.
We’ve been in partnership with orgs big and small: ForwardBlue, Cooperative Impact Lab, Daily Drumbeat (to name just a few public ones). And endorsed by an ideological spectrum from Micah Sifry to Deepak Puri to Matthew Yglesias.
We have:
Our (fun, interactive) public learn-do workshops. People will come out of the workshops having posted their own compelling pitch for Kamala, and also start sharing verifiably proven persuasive content going forward.
A do-it-yourself guide to persuasion online
Our flagship sharing app is stocked with the highest-scoring persuasive content we have found. (All scored by a prominent democratic data firm— all the best stuff is added without editorializing)
And we have a sibling app — rather than sharing persuasive things, it’s for liking and commenting on the most important posts this hour.
Check them out!
Win Races—write letters! 🗳
There's still time to get out the vote before November! Join Climate Action Now and League of Conservation Voters for a special letter-writing event on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 pm ET. You will learn about the Vote Forward platform and work on crafting messages to add a personal touch to prewritten letters.
Register for the Thursday October 17 at 7:30 ET event here.
As an additional, optional step, we recommend that you register with Vote Forward by Tuesday, Oct. 15. Taking this step will allow you to adopt 5 voters and print your letters before the event.
Win Races—Help Us Win in CA!
Are you in or near Los Angeles? The Grassroots Dems HQ has a Busses to Blue program from LA to targeted districts for those who do not want to drive themselves.
Not in L.A.? Please join their CA Congressional Phone Banks and CA Congressional Text Banks. They need more people on both!
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
No Resistbot today—sorry!
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
The video is heartbreaking but very necessary. Thank you for sharing it and for all you do every day.
Thank you for all that you do. Love your dedication and heart. 💙💙💙