Chop Wood, Carry Water 10/4

Adieu, Kevin.

Oct 04, 2023

Hi, all, and happy Wednesday.

Well. What a moment in time.

There’s a lot to be said about what happened yesterday; much of it has already been said—and brilliantly—by others. More will be said today, and more will be written by historians, who will frame yesterday’s events in a context we can’t yet entirely see. Plenty of ink will be spilled on this episode, in short, in the days and weeks to come. So I’ll keep my contributions succinct.

Like many, I watched yesterday’s ouster unfold in real time—what a nail biter! Like many I found myself stunned, if not surprised, by the results. Like many I hurried to Google and typed “how many Speakers have been voted out of the House before?”

Like many I muttered “Wow” when I read the answer: none.

We’ve seen another historical first, folks. And while I’m a huge fan of history in general, I think we’ve all had quite enough of it for one lifetime. What I crave—and I suspect I’m far from alone—is normalcy. A functioning government. Boredom.

Let’s be clear: We will never again see those things under Republican leadership. I say “again” generously. One could argue that the “functioning” we’ve seen under GOP rule in the past was always the thinnest of veneers covering the ineptitude that must come from being guided by racism and greed.

At any rate, there’s no way around it now: we must elect an overwhelming majority of Democrats in every chamber, everywhere, up and down the ballot. That, or remember this epoch as the apex, not the nadir, of governmental coherence.

We know what we need to do. Do we have the ability? Of course we do. Do we have the candidates? Absolutely. Do we have the many hands necessary to do the work?

Knowing you, I say yes.

So let’s get to work one more time.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I understand that the Senate will be meeting soon to vote on the confirmation of Michael Whitaker to be the new FAA Chair. We need this position filled quickly—the fact that it’s been vacant for 18 months is unacceptable—and Whitaker is highly qualified. Please ask the Senator to vote yes.

Also, please tell the Senator I want them to support passing more funding for Ukraine, and quickly. We don’t abandon our allies in their time of need. Thanks.

No House call today.

I’m going to give them a minute to recover from the mayhem.

Get Smart! 📚

On Thursday, October 5 at 5 pm PT/ 8 pm ET please consider joining the Center For Common Ground for a discussion about how Glenn Youngkin is trying to suppress Black and Brown votes in the Virginia General Election. This is the most critical election of 2023, and what happens in it will set the stage for 2024.

Youngkin has already dumped 17,000 people (if not more) from the voter rolls. And many voters are still waiting for their rights to be restored.

Find out what you can do to make sure Virginia voters are informed and ready to vote no matter what.

RSVP HERE

Spread the Word! 📣

Please amplify this!

Today, President Biden is announcing $9 billion in debt relief to an additional 125,000 Americans.
Today’s announcement brings the total approved debt cancellation by the Biden-Harris administration to $127 billion for nearly 3.6 million Americans.
Today’s announcement builds on the administration's historic work to make college more affordable:
- Securing the largest increase to Pell Grants in a decade,
- Launching the most affordable student loan repayment plan ever - SAVE,
- Finalizing new rules to protect borrowers from career programs that leave graduates with unaffordable debts,
- Pursuing an alternative path to debt relief through negotiated rulemaking under the Higher Education Act.

Read the official White House announcement here. Fact sheet is here. State-by-state data on income driven repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness discharges is here.

Cool Resource!

Just Security has just launched a major new public resource: The Trump Trials Clearinghouse, by Norman L. Eisen, Ryan Goodman, Siven Watt, Francois Barrilleaux, Sasha Matsuki and Arava Rose.

It’s a repository of information for analysts, researchers, investigators, journalists, educators, and the public at large. Its contents include:

A master calendar of all court dates in criminal and two civil cases, all court documents (organized), all relevant statutes, related government and defense documents, expert backgrounders and more.

The Clearinghouse will be continually updated. The landing page can be found at: Trump Trials Clearinghouse. Enjoy!

Win Races! 🗳

Want a better Speaker? WE MUST WIN IN CALIFORNIA!

From subscriber Patti Crane:

I'm hoping you can amplify the "soft launch" of our new California Grassroots Alliance, formed because the road to the House majority runs through California. By organizing to sweep the six key purple districts, we take the gavel out of Republicans’ untrustworthy hands and let Congress get back to governing.
We start by interviewing Will Rollins, the CA-41 candidate who ALMOST won his election last fall, on October 4 at 7 pm PT. Sign up here.
Here's a link to our flyer with signup links to ALL of our upcoming events.

We neglect California at our peril. Let’s try to attend these events if we can.

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

[to your House rep] [H/T] [Text SIGN PVJWKI to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

I’m aware that the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act is on a fast track and will be voted on by the full House very soon.

As it currently stands, the bill contains several provisions that must be removed.

Specifically, the bill prohibits DOT from considering equity in federal grantmaking. Removing equity considerations in federal grantmaking is akin to leaving many Americans behind, and depriving economic prosperity and resiliency not only at a community level, but nationally. Too many of our transportation woes, such as our national roadway fatality crisis, was manufactured by inequitable distribution of federal funding. By allowing Section 192, we preserve, if not supercharge, the status quo already harming our communities.

The bill also prohibits DOT from implementing the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rule, which would require state transportation departments and planning organizations to not only monitor greenhouse gas emissions on our nation’s highways but also create reduction strategies, benchmarks and goals for the years ahead. This rule is absolutely critical in the fight against climate change as transportation accounts for more than 25% of America’s carbon footprint – making it the single largest contributor to pollution nationwide.

If the final bill contains these proposals, I’m calling you to support their removal and, if need be, vote against any version of the bill that includes these poison pills.

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

Talk soon.

Jess

Chop Wood, Carry Water