Chop Wood, Carry Water 10/26 😳

"Able bodied workers" for democracy.

Hi, all, and happy Thursday.

Many are upset about MAGA Mike Johnson’s ascension to the House GOP’s highest position, and it’s understandable. He’s awful. We should be angry and outraged over his elevation. I made a TikTok about him yesterday, and just listing the details of his awful voting record was enough to make me physically sick. Republican “moderates” (of which there aren’t any, it’s clear) threw us under the bus with this vote. We won’t soon forget it.

But folks, this is not the time to give up. As abhorrent as Johnson is in every possible way, he also represents, as Jay Kuo explained this morning, an “unforced error” on the part of the Republican party. Why? Because he espouses policies that are wildly unpopular with vast swaths of American voters.

Voters overwhelmingly oppose abortion bans—especially so-called “heartbeat bills,” and they certainly don’t want women and doctors criminalized for accessing or offering abortion care. Johnson supports all of the above.

Voters support gay marriage and disapprove of trans healthcare bans. Johnson helped to introduce a national “Don’t Say Gay” bill and vehemently opposes gay rights of any kind.

Voters support common sense gun laws. Johnson opposes even basic common sense policies like universal background checks.

Voters dislike election deniers. Johnson was a key architect of Trump’s electoral college objections in 2020.

Voters love veterans. Johnson voted against the Honoring Our PACT Act not once, but twice.

Voters adore Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Johnson sits on the Republican Study Committee, whose main goal is to gut those programs. (Although, to give credit where it’s due, Johnson has stated that if women just gave birth to more “able bodied workers” Republicans would cease their attacks on Social Security. Sigh.)

It goes on, but you get the point. Johnson is on the wrong side of every issue Americans care about. And the GOP just made him their figurehead. Political strategist Mike Lux told me this morning “Back in 1996 we ran more ads against Newt Gingrich than we did against Bob Dole. I’m foreseeing a similar dynamic this election cycle.”

See the point? Mike Johnson is now the face of the Republican party. He was elected unanimously. Talk about an albatross around the necks of GOP lawmakers! We are going to destroy them and Mike Johnson will help us.

So don’t be scared. Get mad, then get busy. We can beat the MAGA GOP, and we must.

But it’ll take elbow grease. It’ll take winning elections everywhere. It’ll take doing, in short, what you do so well.

So let’s get to work.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

We’ve had another mass shooting, this time in Maine. Every time this happens I am reminded that U.S. lawmakers value the NRA and gun manufacturers more than American lives. It’s awful. Is the Senator co-sponsoring S25, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2023?

[If yes add:] Thank him/her for me, please. And ask him/her to make passing this bill one of his/her top priorities. No one wants to live—or die—this way. Enough is enough.

[If no add:] What possible justification can he/she have for this position? It’s unconscionable. Please ask him/her to co-sponsor this bill or expect to be voted out.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

We’ve had another mass shooting, this time in Maine. Every time this happens I am reminded that U.S. lawmakers value the NRA and gun manufacturers more than American lives. It’s awful. Is the Congressmember co-sponsoring HR 698, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2023?

[If yes add:] Thank him/her for me, please. And ask him/her to make passing this bill one of his/her top priorities. No one wants to live—or die—this way. Enough is enough.

[If no add:] What possible justification can he/she have for this position? It’s unconscionable. Please ask him/her to co-sponsor this bill or expect to be voted out.

Extra Credit #1 ✅

Please share this on your social media [H/T DemCast]:

With the GOP House’s election of MAGA Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House, it is abundantly clear that far-right extremists are in charge of the Republican Party. All they care about is power and passing policies that will hurt Americans.

We need to take back the House. It’s existential.

So here’s a list of the most vulnerable Republicans in the House and the Democrats who are challenging them. Let’s pick a race and get to work.

https://demcast.com/2023/10/25/flip-the-house-2024/

Extra Credit #2

Po Murray at Newton Alliance is urging everyone to call Senator Angus King (I), Senator Susan Collins (R), and Rep Jared Golden (D) at 202-224-3121 to urge them to support the assault weapons ban NOW. None of them are co-sponsors. Here is a Maine Assault Weapons Ban toolkit with scripts, phone numbers, email addresses, and more.

Po adds that:

“We have secured the votes from 203 House Democrats and 45 Senate Democrats to pass HR 698 and S25. We only need 15 more Senators to overcome the arcane filibuster and 15 more House Representatives to pass the ban. As of today, ALL Republicans in Congress - 222 House Republicans and 49 Senate Republicans - and the following 6 House Democrats, 4 Senate Democrats, and 2 Senate Independents have not yet made a commitment to support the assault weapons ban legislation that would halt the production of weapons of war:

Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas 28th)

Rep. Donald Davis (North Carolina 1st)

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington 3rd)

Rep. Jared Golden (Maine 2nd)

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (Texas 34th)

Rep. Mary Peltola (Alaska At Large)

Sen.  Martin Heinrich (D - NM) 

Sen. Mark Kelly (D - AZ) 

Sen. Angus King (I - ME) 

Sen. Joe Manchin (D - WV) 

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I - AZ) 

Sen. Jon Tester (D - MT) 

Let’s focus on the Maine lawmakers today, though, folks. Golden in particular represents the district where the shooting just happened. And he has actively OPPOSED the AWB. Light up his phones and tell all your friends—especially in Maine—to do the same!

Spread the Word! 📣

It’s really, really important that people across America know how awful the Republicans’ new Speaker is. Please share the below info every way you can.

• A couple of toplines on MAGA Mike Johnson:

  • Johnson was a leader in the fight to overturn the 2020 election and subvert our democracy – and pushed his Republican colleagues to get on board,

  • Johnson is an anti-abortion extremist who backs a national abortion ban,

  • Johnson supports many of the most extreme, unpopular parts of the MAGA agenda – including slashing Social Security and Medicare,

  • Johnson is a key member of Trump’s “inner circle” and is set to do his bidding in Congress instead of prioritizing the issues Americans care about. 

Here’s some research on Mike Johnson’s anti-LGBTQ track record from Accountable.

Also here’s the TikTok I made yesterday describing his positions and listing a bunch of great bills he’s voted against. You can also share Under the Desk News’ post about him here.

Don’t forget you can also join the DNC’s Greenfly to start receiving daily content updates and access to DNC social media resources. Click here to download the app and use code DEMSTALKERS at sign up.

Give 💰!

I didn’t realize that there was a Zoom link for the in-person Civics Center fundraiser tonight! Register here to hear Laura Brill and Jessica Yellin in conversation—should be great! Speakers start at 7PM PT.

Win Races—Ohio! 🗳

The Ohio Democractic Party is hosting a phonebank later today to talk to voters about voting YES on Issue 1. They need more volunteers! Sign up here—if you can’t make that shift there are lots of others.

Win Races—Kentucky and Virginia! 🗳

Please consider signing up for virtual phone banks for Virginia & Kentucky through the Democratic National Committee. Note: The sign-ups are not by state; shifts for Kentucky are Oct 30 - Nov 1; all other shifts are for Virginia. These are a perfect way to help rally Democrats to vote — we need you! 

A Ballot Curing Emergency in VA? 😳

I got an email from someone this morning telling me that we are in a “mess” in Virginia because so many ballots need to be cured and they don’t have enough volunteers. The state apparently changed the mail in ballot rules just before the election and lots of voters have filled out their ballots wrong. I put this ballot curing sign up link in the newsletter earlier this week but here it is again—please can we all take a shift? It’s easy and they will train you. These are Democratic voters and they will be very grateful you’ve called!

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[to al 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN PRIEQB to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

Now that Congress has a Speaker they must reach a comprehensive, bipartisan agreement to fund the government, which is critical for a number of bipartisan priorities – including child care, nutrition assistance, public health, research and development, and national security.

The Biden Administration also recently communicated with Congress about critical funding needs for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Student Aid Administration, and the Social Security Administration to prevent harmful impacts on women and children, students, seniors and individuals with disabilities in the coming year, and I expect Congress to address these needs as well.

We also need funding for the Disaster Relief Fund to enable FEMA to continue supporting critical response efforts and recovery projects in communities across the country. Thanks.

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

Talk soon.

Jess