Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
This morning when I’m done writing this I’ll be heading over to my Congressman’s office in Downtown Los Angeles. A small group of us constituents have signed up to drop a card, some homemade cookies, and a bunch of balloons there to thank him for his work keeping climate legislation in the Build Back better Plan.
This is part of a coordinated push by the Green New Deal Network to recognize members of the Progressive Caucus for their climate leadership, and I am so glad to take part in it. I don’t really have the time to go downtown in the middle of my morning, but it is so important to vocally reward good lawmakers that I am carving it out. Words, after all, are cheap. Cookies and balloons are priceless—especially on social media.
Remember: What we focus on grows. Today let’s remember to focus a bit of our energy on thanking the reps who are doing the RIGHT thing. It’ll make us feel better, and hopefully prompt our good representatives to be even better.
As for the “bad” ones? I’ve got special scripts for them below. 😉
Because we can walk, chew gum, call our reps, and bake cookies…all at the same time, right? We have to.
So let’s do that one more time.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______. I have two subjects to make comments on today.
First, new reports released today by the White House, the U.S. intelligence community and the Pentagon conclude that climate change will exacerbate long-standing threats to global security. The details are scary, and these reports come on the heels of many others telling us of the health impacts, economic impacts, extinction crises, and more that will result from this climate emergency. When will enough be enough? When will this Congress put facts and moral imperative above political expediency and pass strong legislation to address this crisis?
[If “Good” Democrat:] We can’t remove anything climate-related from the Build Back Better Plan. It all matters too much. Please don’t give up the fight. Our kids are counting on us.
[If “bad Democrat” or GOP:] Can the Senator explain to me how they are justifying not supporting the strong climate legislation in the Build Back Better Plan? And please don’t tell me it’s about the pricetag, because this article gives further proof that the price of not doing anything will be much, much higher. Please ask him/her to change course now, before it’s too late.
Second, I strongly support passing voting rights legislation NOW.
[If Democrat add:] The GOP proved yesterday they will not step up to protect our democracy. Democrats need to go it alone, carve out the filibuster, and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act now. The clock is ticking. Thanks.
[If GOP add:] I’m disgusted that Republicans voted to filibuster debate on the Freedom to Vote Act yesterday. Whatever our color, background or zip code, in America we deserve to have our vote counted. I will support the Democrats in reforming the filibuster and passing this bill without Republican support. But it will be to your party’s everlasting shame. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
New reports released today by the White House, the U.S. intelligence community and the Pentagon conclude that climate change will exacerbate long-standing threats to global security. The details are scary, and these reports come on the heels of so many others telling us of health impacts, economic impacts, extinction crises, and so much more. When will enough be enough? When will this Congress put facts and moral imperative above political expediency and pass strong legislation to address this crisis?
[If “Good” Democrat:] We can’t remove anything climate-related from the Build Back Better Plan. It all matters too much. Please don’t give up the fight. Our kids are counting on us. Thanks.
[If “bad Democrat” or GOP:] Can the Congressmember explain to me how they are justifying not supporting the strong climate legislation in the Build Back Better Plan? And please don’t tell me it’s about the pricetag, because this article gives further proof that the price of not doing anything will be much, much higher. Please ask him/her to change course now, before it’s too late. Thanks.
Extra Credit
Post this on social media:
Instead of doing their duty to tackle urgent issues facing our society, a handful of politicians want to make it harder to vote and create barriers to register. We--the majority!--need to fight back.
Take action — tell your Senators to pass the #FreedomToVoteAct. 202-224-3121
[you can download this GIF here.]
Get the Latest on Voting Rights From Stacey Abrams! 🍑
Later today Stacey Abrams will do a briefing on where the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act stand, and how you can continue to advocate for federal voting rights legislation. Join her, by registering for Fair Fight Action’s briefing TODAY!—at 8:30pm EDT—here. I’ll be there!
Get Out the Vote In VA! ❤️
Have I mentioned I made a document with every phonebank for Virginia I could find in it? Please consider picking one that works for you today and giving an hour of your time. I know I sound like a broken record, but winning this election almost couldn’t matter more.
Here’s the doc. Please share it with friends! I even gave it a tiny url so it’s easy to remember! tinyurl.com/winwirginia.
Chop Wood, Give Dollars? 💸
My Sister District chapter is doing a small fundraiser for Brianna Sewell, our candidate in Virginia. All of us put our money together to create a matching fund of $750, and now we’re trying to raise the same again.
As far as political donations go, the Virginia statehouse races are a great place to put your money. Not only will it translate into votes for Democratic Delegates, but into up-ballot votes for Terry McAuliffe, Hala Ayala, and Mark Herring, too. Win, win, win, WIN! 🙌🏼
If you happen to have any extra cash, might you send it Brianna’s way here?
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)
[to all 3 reps] [H/T]
The Carried Interest Loophole allows Wall Street money managers to avoid paying their fair share in taxes. I urge you to include Senators Wyden’s and Whitehouse’s “Ending the Carried Interest Loophole Act” in the Build Back Better legislation to invest in our future.
This bill will tax wealth like work and generate $63 billion in revenue over 10 years. Wall Street money managers should not be allowed to pay a tax rate on their carried interest earnings that is nearly half the top tax rate on wages.
I urge you to include this critical bill in Build Back Better to help unrig our tax code and create an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess