Chop Wood, Carry Water 10/16
A good day in Georgia!
Hi, all, and happy Wednesday!
About 328,000 people, 54% of whom were women, voted early in Georgia yesterday; the previous record for the first day of early voting there was 120,000. Those figures are deeply encouraging. They’re more proof of what we already know: voter enthusiasm is at an all-time high, women are profoundly galvanized, and the polls either can’t or won’t capture it. More likely the latter.
Jimmy Carter’s representatives confirmed today that he, too, has officially voted. While they wouldn’t say for whom, Carter earlier stated that he wanted to live long enough to vote for VP Harris. We can now assume that he has. Bless him.
In more good Georgia-related news, the MAGA Election Board’s hand counting mandate got blocked in court; we’ve already discussed that that same court ruled yesterday that the Board will be required to certify the election on time. Phew and phew again!
It is as I’ve been saying, my friends. The center will hold. It is holding. We have a system of laws; it’s cracked in many places and in need of an overhaul, but it still largely functions. I believe it will carry us through, although there will be rough moments ahead. Once we get through this election we must and shall contemplate how to strengthen it further, but for now it’s functioning as it’s designed to.
This is another reminder that “awfulizing” about the future is often—not always, but usually—a waste of time and mental energy. The GOP will keep throwing things at the wall. Little of it will stick. What does stick, we will handle. We always have. So let’s stay in the moment, trust that a LOT of good people are at work helping to bolster and protect our democracy, then turn resolutely back to doing our part.
And we know what that is, right? So let’s get to it one more time!
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I understand that the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program, which is a critical lifeline to small businesses, homeowners, and renters affected by disasters, has now been exhausted and will have to halt issuing new loans until Congress approves more funding. But Speaker Johnson is still refusing to bring the House back into session. Help me understand. This is an emergency. If House members don’t think it’s important to help struggling Americans right now maybe they need to find a new line of work. Come back and pass more funding, please!
Extra Credit ✅
Post this on your social media.
Today, new reporting from WaPo details how Trump’s tariffs would raise costs on the typical American household by up to $7,600 a year and devastate American businesses and jobs.
Americans would be hit by higher prices for grocery staples from abroad, such as fruit, vegetables and coffee. Mortgage rates would go up. Gas prices would increase by as much as 75 cents per gallon in the Midwest.
Read the article. Then vote like your wallet depends on it. It does.
https://wapo.st/3UdjVxj
Get Smart! 📚
Join the all-volunteer team at Walk the Walk USA this Sunday for their final Zoom of this election. Walk the Walk funds strategic grassroots initiatives that utilize the most effective voter engagement tactics, supporting the most impactful voters in the most competitive geographic “pressure points” in the country.
They’ll be sharing evidence-backed recommendations for ways to have outsized impact with limited political dollars. In a nutshell, they support voters rather than candidates. This will be the last opportunity to learn about Walk the Walk's work and to leverage their unique strategy to impact the 2024 election.
Walk the Walk USA —Final Zoom of the 2024 Election
Sunday, October 20, 5:00pm PT / 8:00pm ET: Register in advance here.
Spread the Word! 📣
Have you ever thought to yourself, “If only there was a source I could go to find out more about the many good things Democrats have done for us lately?”
Activate America can help.
Their Amplify blog churns out dozens of short messaging bulletins and shareable social media posts on everything from the latest positive economic news to the ways Democrats are making prescription drugs more affordable. New pieces are coming online all the time, and they email some of them to Amplify subscribers.
Interested? You can visit Amplify HERE to see examples and sign up.
Give 💰!
Come to a Zoom call I’m co-hosting on Sunday, Oct 20 at 8 pm ET featuring Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn! He’ll be joined by some of the people from his campaign team to provide an update on the state of the race.
David Von Drehle just posted a piece about Dan in today’s Wash Post.
He writes:
As a Trump-endorsed Republican in a deep-red state, Sen. Deb Fischer might expect an easy reelection. Instead, she’s in perhaps the tightest Senate race in America — so says the election data site 538 — against a rookie politician named Dan Osborn, a mechanic turned union leader with tattooed forearms and a level gaze.
Dan is running a smart, strategic campaign that is shocking the political world. He started out as the longest of long shots—I remember telling you guys about him months ago when no one had heard of him!—but there have been several polls over the last few weeks showing the race within the margin of error.
Please join us for this call — and join the movement to help put Dan Osborn across the finish line.
The link to donate and register is here.
Win Races—help in Montana!! 🗳
Montanans are voting RIGHT NOW! The conversations we have with them over the next 21 days are critical in determining the outcome of the country’s most important Senate election—which I believe is winnable.
Sign up HERE to make calls to Montana Voters in the critical final 3 weeks!
THIS FRIDAY Actress Michelle Williams will be joining to make calls to Montana voters virtually from 5:30-7:70pm MT (4:30-6:30 PST, 7:30-9:30 EST). Sign up HERE for a spot to hear from Michelle about the importance of all the work you are doing and get energized to make Get Out the Vote calls in the most important battleground state!
Right now, they are encouraging any and everyone to join them in state to knock on doors! Canvassing is our most effective way to boost voter turnout. If this is something you are able to do, please fill out the COMING TO MONTANA FORM so they can make arrangements and set you up where you are most needed on the ground!
Win Races—Vote From Abroad! 🌎
Please ask your friends abroad to join Vote from Abroad’s “24 for '24 Ballotpalooza” offering 24 hours of non-stop ballot assistance on Zoom! They are staffing rooms from 10 PM( Washington DC time) on Saturday October 19, through Sunday, October 20 at 11:59 PM ( Washington DC time). Amazing!
Win Races—Help Women For Harris-Walz!
From them:
We urgently need canvassing volunteers in Key Battleground States to knock doors and encourage people to go vote. Grab your pals, pack some snacks for the road, and Canvass for Kamala to one of these locations this Saturday, October 19.
Pennsylvania
Philly/Eastern PA - Downingtown: 12:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Pittsburgh/Western PA: 12:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Michigan
Grand Rapids Weekend Register Unregistered Voters: 12:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Wisconsin
Oconomowoc, WI Canvass: 12:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Can anyone sign up? I so hope so!
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T text taken from this article] [Text SIGN PGSYNE to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I understand that Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) have reintroduced the No Shame at School Act. Under the bill, schools would not be allowed to publicly identify or stigmatize students who are behind on meal payments. They would also not be allowed to hire debt collectors to go after families of students who have accumulated negative school meal balances.
The bill was originally introduced in 2019 and reintroduced again in 2022.
A handful of states have already passed their own laws banning lunch shaming, including North Dakota and others. States that offer universal free school meals, including Minnesota, have also done away with lunch shaming since they provide all public school students free school meals each day free of charge (this should be a federal priority).
No child should have to go through the experience of being shamed at school for an unpaid lunch bill. We need to set our children up for success in school. Making sure kids get the school lunches they need without being made to feel ashamed or embarrassed is an important part of that success. Please support this bill and fight to pass it. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
So glad Jessica is highlighting the Senate race in Nebraska. Dan Osborn has a really good chance of winning against Republican Deb Fischer. The polls show the race is super close and Dan's got a much better ground game going. He's an independent but by taking a seat away from the Repugs, he could be the key to the Dems controlling the Senate. A big deal!
Thank you for all
Of this info!!!!