Chop Wood, Carry Water 10/30
Hi, all, and happy Monday.
Hope you were able to get some rest this weekend.
I’ll begin with something I’ve said a few times already—because it can’t be said enough: if you are Jewish, Palestinian-American, or Muslim American my heart is with you and I am so, so sorry. I can’t imagine how shattered and destabilized you must feel by events in Israel and Gaza right now. And not just there. We are witnessing terrifying scenes of antisemitism in the U.S. and around the world. The anti-Muslim rhetoric in the right-wing media—and by Donald Trump specifically—is equally alarming.
It’s all morally rancid, counter-productive, enraging, and deeply frightening. I’m so very sorry again. I hate that any of this is our world right now.
There is a lot we can’t control about this situation— much that is beyond the scope of our powers. But we do have control over some things. As Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback from Stephen Wise Temple said this month "We are not responsible for the hatred of others, for their despicable behavior, for their murderous rage. What we are responsible for is how we respond."
I couldn’t have said it better.
So let’s continue to seek out and support every organization we can that is working for peace. Let’s give money to Doctors Without Borders if we can afford it. Let’s check over and over on our Jewish and Palestinian-American friends. And let’s do everything in our power to be a source of love, calm, balance, and truth.
Finally, let’s keep working for better representation and a stronger democracy here. God knows we need it. And so does the world, if peace is ever to come.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I know the House is negotiating the various spending packages that need to be passed before November 17th. I want to emphasize that these packages need to stick to the spending levels agreed to previously. I strongly oppose any “poison pill” provisions having to do with abortion, LGBTQ rights, or climate action. Congress needs to craft bills that can actually be passed and that Americans will support. We don’t support gutting clean energy credits. We don’t support hurting LGBTQ people. We don’t support taking away reproductive freedoms. Make sure Congress doesn’t either. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
From my friends at Newtown Alliance.
The Supreme Court will hear U.S. v. Rahimi on November 7. SCOTUS will decide if an abuser who has a protection order or restraining order against them can legally keep their guns. If the Supreme Court overturns this law, it would likely increase domestic gun violence and put lives—especially the lives of women—at risk. The current law has been in effect for almost 30 years.
TAKE ACTION Grandparents Uniting for Gun Safety has made it easy to send a (snail mail) letter to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court ahead of this hearing. Send your letter HERE—you have to open the template in a Word doc and add your name and address, then print and mail. I have no idea if this is effective but we have to try.
[Join the Newtown Alliance’s daytime or evening online events to collectively advocate for meaningful legislative reform. Your voice is instrumental in this advocacy effort. Join them in pressuring Congress to take decisive action today.]
Get Smart! 📚
The one-year countdown until the 2024 election is about to start! Join one of my favorite organizations, Galvanize, as their founder Jackie Payne and special guest Margie Omero, Principal at the Democratic polling firm GBAO, discuss the current political landscape, hot takes on the latest research, and their plans for connecting with the largest voting bloc in the country—rural, small town, and suburban white women—in the year ahead. Galvanize is the only organization I know of focussing on this demographic and they are doing incredible work!
November 2, 11:00am PT / 2:00pm ET (1-hour webinar)
Interested but not available this date/time? No problem! Please register and they'll email you the event recording.
Spread the Word! 📣
Guides.Vote has nonpartisan guides now available for key fall races. Partners from Black Voters Matter, NAACP, and Center for Common Ground to groups engaging students say they’ve been extremely helpful to get reluctant and cynical voters to the polls. Please share this information!
Give 💰#1!
Virtual Tech For Campaigns fundraiser: “The State of Abortion Access in 2023-2024” on Monday Oct 30 at 5PM ET/2PM PT.
Come for a virtual fundraiser to learn more about the work Tech for Campaigns is doing and how their digital contributions will be a fundamental part of saving abortion access in this country.
They'll have amazing guest speakers including:
Wendy Davis, Former Texas State Senator and leader of 2013’s 13 hour abortion filibuster featured in Netflix’s Reversing Roe,
Jennifer Carroll Foy, Former Virginia gubernatorial candidate and current state senate candidate,
Gina Pak, CEO of Tech for Campaigns will moderate and provide an overview of Tech for Campaigns' work.
No contribution is required to join the event. You can register at this link.
Give 💰#2!
Please Join Force Multiplier and Senator Sherrod Brown on Monday, October 30, 7:00-8:00pm ET on Zoom! Senator Brown will talk about what’s happening in Ohio, the country, and the world. Come hear him and maybe support his race!
Suggested donation $100.
If you can give more, please do.
If not, please give what you can and join them.
Win Races—Relational Organzing!! 🗳
The DNC is launching a NEW organizing program to help Democrats connect with voters and friends in 2024. The simple principle - we are the best advocates with the closest people in our lives.
Sign up today to learn more about Reach Your People and how to best utilize the Reach app in 2024! Upcoming VIRTUAL Training Dates:
Tue, Oct 31, 4:00pm–4:45pm PT,
Thu, Nov 2, 4:00pm–4:45pm PT
Sat, Nov 4, 12:00pm–12:45pm PT
Mon, Nov 6, 4:00pm–5:00pm PT
Win Races in Ohio!
Sign up to help the Ohio Democrats reach more voters! They need as many people on the dialer as possible to reach the 1 million voters they have as their goal.
Tuesday and Thursday ODP Phonebanks from 5:30-7:30PM
Wednesday Bay Area Coalition from 5:30-7:30PM
For their full list of phonebank events, check out their handy dandy phonebank calendar!
[All of your other Ohio volunteer opportunities can be found here.]
Win Races in Pennsylvania!
Update on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Race:
In a recent Inquirer interview with Daniel McCaffery and Carolyn Carluccio, Carluccio was asked if Joe Biden won the 2020 election and her response was: “I have no idea.” Don't be fooled - abortion and voting rights ARE on the ballot this year. The results of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court race will shape Pennsylvania courts for decades to come. Extremists came for the United States Supreme Court, and they're looking to finish the job in PA. We can't let them.
Ballot Chase Calls/GOTV in Philadelphia + Collar Counties
We will be chasing ballots/conducting GOTV all the way through Election Day. Voters in Philly & the collar counties will determine the results of this election. These calls are important & we need your help to reach as many voters as possible. The more calls we make, the more voters we can reach!
[All of your other Pennsylvania volunteer opportunities can be found here.]
Win Races in Virginia!
Join Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost to phone bank into Virginia on Sat., November 4th @ 3pm PT/6pm ET! The first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress, Maxwell Alejandro Frost is proud to represent the people of Central Florida (FL-10) in the United States House of Representatives. Sign up here.
[All of your other Virginia volunteer opportunities can be found here.]
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[Courtesy of Alan Unell—read the background here] [Text SIGN PPQSTW to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I am your constituent and I am appalled that the Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services are operating the ACO REACH program.
Here is a brief summary of this Trump Era giveaway to private companies. Traditional Medicare recipients are signed up without their knowledge into medical networks and have to change doctors to go back to Traditional Medicare. ACO REACH middlemen get to keep 40% of the money the government gives them to care for patients as profit. There is huge incentive to deny service. There is also an incentive to list patients as sicker than they are to get larger capitation fees from the government.
I want you to send a letter to both Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and to Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, head of CMS and tell them that this is a huge giveaway of public funds, takes choice away from seniors, and, like Medicare Advantage, is set up to be rife with fraud. Let seniors have the Medicare they were promised. Here are their email addresses.
Chiquita.Brooks-LaSure@cms.hhs.gov
Thank you.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Thanks, Jessica, as always, for the concrete ways you give us to participate. I was happy to personalize and send my letter, as a Grandma, to Chief Justice Roberts, about the upcoming case on guns for domestic abusers. In Louisville, KY, we had a particularly horrible case of an abuser murdering his partner as she left her job at a nearby Mall. I cited that in my letter.
Thank you for your loving, compassionate treatment of the complex issues in the Middle East...Again, as a Grandma, my heart is breaking at the images of children and families being annihilated.
And, Thank You, for always reminding us how much elections matter. Here in KY, we have a super majority Republican controlled legislature. Our lone Democratic executive branch governor, Gov Andy Beshear, is being opposed by a Mitch McConnell protege (Daniel Cameron). The progressives in KY are working hard to defeat Cameron (who proudly claims Trump support as his biggest asset). Knocking doors again tomorrow and Wednesday to finish ALL the doors in my precinct. Become a precinct chairperson....I'm getting to know all my neighbors! At 70 years young...I'm determined to protect my granddaughters.
Please remember that it's not just seniors who rely on Medicare. Dependants of those seniors--like grandchildren they are legal guardians of--and people who are disabled rely on Medicare. They deserve a fraud-free service too.