Chop Wood, Carry Water 10/27

Hi, all, and happy Thursday!

As Mike Lux said to our listserv this morning: “Don’t worry about what the polling say, but still, nice to have some good polling news.” He’s referring to Navigator polling, out today, that says that Democrats still have a narrow edge on the generic Congressional ballot.

Of course we do. 😉

Early voting numbers are also approaching 2020 levels, and Democrats are voting in insanely high numbers. Nevada is looking better. North Carolina is looking competitive.

All very good.

Now let’s keep doing the work. Because that’s what we do, regardless of what the fortunetellers—and they are little more than that—are saying.

I’ll start: Yesterday I texted into Texas with Movement Labs (highly recommend!), called into Nevada with Joan’s Democracy Cafe (double highly recommend!), got through 30 Greenpeace letters into CA-47 (I’m convinced these letters are going to win us seats), and had a blast at a political TikTok symposium.

Now it’s your turn. Drop it in the comments, y’all! Tell us what you’re up to! This is how we inspire each other!

Because believe me—you inspire me every single day. And inspiration begets more action!

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

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

I know that the terms of two current USPS board members, Lee Moak and Bill Zollars, are set to expire on Dec. 8, though both are eligible to be kept on for a “carryover year.” I also know that President Biden could opt to renominate one or both governors to a seven-year term. I want to ask the Senator to put pressure on him not to do that. We need new blood on the USPS board, and we need is as soon as possible. The new nominees need to be pro-USPS progressives who will vote to fire Louis DeJoy. This has to be the litmus test every nominee passes. DeJoy has got to go. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

Sign this letter to Penguin Random House telling them to cancel Amy Coney Barrett’s 2 million dollar book deal. Gross! The letter is technically for authors and other folks in the literary world to sign, but even if you’re an avid reader I believe you qualify.

Get Smart! 📚

FREE TRAINING LATER TODAY— LEARN TO OBSERVE THE VOTE COUNT

Thursday, October 27 at 6:00 PM Pacific (9:00 PM Eastern)

Will you be working to register voters, get out the vote, or help with a campaign this year? Great! When that work is over, don’t sit home feeling helpless! Help protect the votes you worked so hard for!

Did you know that in most places the processing and counting of votes is open for observation, yet hardly anyone shows up to make sure everything is done fairly and accurately?

It’s time to change that!

Changes in election laws are making it harder for people to vote. Election officials are being harassed. We may also see challenges to the vote counting! We must come together to stop election sabotage!

At this one-hour training, you’ll learn:

• How to get a behind-the-scenes view of your local elections

• How fair-minded election observers help protect the freedom to vote

• Where things can go wrong in the counting of votes

• What to do if you see problems

• How to become a post-election observer

You don’t need any prior experience to be an election observer. Even if you’ll be voting for the first time this year or do not have voting rights, you’re welcome at the training!

REGISTER NOW

Give 💰!

Someone emailed me this morning asking where I thought last minute money could make a difference right now. Fortunately, I had two emails at hand to help.

➡️ First, this is what Focus4Democracy is recommending—I tend to trust them implicitly.

Our last-minute recommendations (as of 10/26)

1. Working America

Current Gap: $550,000 (c3 and c5) Cost per net Dem Vote: $55 and below (more than 10X as effective as giving to a campaign right now).

To donate to Working America (c3 or c5): Click here

Working America's remaining gap is for its digital programs like Newsboost that put favorable local press stories of the Democratic candidates in front of undecided voters. This proven tactic produces more votes for the money than almost any other among the scores of organizations we have evaluated this year.

2. Forward Majority’s Digital Ad Program: State Legislative races in MI, PA, and AZ.

Current Gap: $275,000 PAC  Cost per net Dem Vote: $175 (more than 5X as effective as giving to a campaign right now).

To donate by credit card to Forward Majority click here.

Forward Majority is strongly committed to testing its tactics and messaging and is able to keep its cost much lower than other groups because it produces all the ads in-house with its own expert production staff. Although this is a higher Cost Per Net Democratic Vote than some of our previous recommendations, because it will take so few votes to flip key legislative chambers, these votes are especially valuable.

➡️ Second, Force Multiplier, another group I really, really respect, has a Hold the House fund for toss-up House races that need support. That fund is here. All of the money you give will go to the races. Unlike the DCCC, FM takes none of it.

Win Races—write letters! 🗳

I wanted to remind everyone that Vote Forward and Stand Up America are doing a special joint partisan letter writing campaign into Nevada to stop Jim Marchant from becoming the next Secretary of State. This situation is really scary; he’s terrifying. They really need more folks to write those letters. If you have any more bandwidth can you take on even 5 (more) here? They need to be sent on Saturday.

Win races—text out the vote!

It's time to Get Out the Vote in PA by textbanking Shapiro/Fetterman supporters to make sure they have a plan to vote and answer any questions they may have about how to cast their vote on November 8.

Training provided--no experience needed!

Shifts on November 1st and 7th. Sign up here.

Win Races—call into AZ with me!

I’m running my regular Grassroots Dems Arizona phonebank today from 3-5 PT. We’d sure love more folks there! These calls to low-propensity Dems are HUGELY important. We always have a ton of fun.

Register here.

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

[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PVTRMF to 50409]

High drug costs have been a serious issue for decades, so I was delighted when, for the first time in history, provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act empowered Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and cap annual drug expenses for seniors.

But I’ve been distressed to see that, instead of supporting policies Americans want, some Republicans in Congress are putting Big Pharma and special interests ahead of working families by blocking a $35 insulin co-pay bill from inclusion in the Inflation Reduction Act and introducing a new bill to end ALL the lower drug pricing provisions.  

Sponsoring a bill to revert popular reforms and allow Big Pharma to continue price gouging is extreme and out of touch with working families across the country. Americans are tired of Big Pharma’s skyrocketing prices for life-saving medications.  

The Inflation Reduction Act is a good start. But there is still more to do to lower drug prices. Americans want Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for everyone, and every American deserves a $35 insulin co-pay. Please get to work making drug prices more affordable, not more expensive. Thanks.

---

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

Talk tomorrow.

Jess