Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/10

A critical week.

Hi, all, and happy Monday!

Hope you had a great weekend, and that you got some rest. You’re going to need it, because this week is going to be busy!

I want to share an update I just got from my contact at Declaration for American Democracy:

Tomorrow, President Biden will give a speech in Atlanta. We are nearing the end of the road. Schumer is holding to his timeline and it comes down to Manchin and Sinema. The filibuster rules make no sense now. It’s been reformed over 160 times, including to pass corporate tax cuts and confirm extreme right-wing justices.

The McConnell plan is to pretend to maybe want to possibly fix the Electoral Count Act. The ECA should be fixed, but it is not a replacement. It only deals with the presidential election, not other elections, and there is no point in fixing it if the rules of the election are rigged through voter restrictions.

Republicans will likely offer some sweeteners to the bill, but will do nothing to counter the anti-voting laws passed in state legislatures. 

We have two roles this week:

1. Make clear the public and press know the truth about McConnell’s gambit

2. Stress the urgency of passing this bill

So that, my friends, is what we’re going to do. Expect to hear McConnell break out every trick in the book to stop us—he knows Democrats are circling closer to a win. Expect attacks on unrelated subjects, a full-on Fox News assault, and anything else you can imagine.

Stay steady and undeterred.

Our ask hasn’t changed. We know what we need. We will continue to demand it calmly but firmly until we get it.

P.S. Want to do more than call your Senator? I have an entire document devoted to ways you can help get the Freedom to Vote Act over the finish line. It’s here.

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

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

I’m calling to say that I’m gravely concerned about the attacks on our democracy happening across the country. The Senate needs to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act now. While I’m glad Republicans are now interested in fixing the Electoral Count Act—which we should do—it alone isn’t enough. We need all of these bills, plus the Protecting Our Democracy Act.

[If Democrat:] Democrats must do whatever it takes, including changing the Senate rules, to protect Americans’ right to vote. I want the Senator to fight to pass these bills with or without Republicans.

[If GOP] The Senator should put country over party and support these bills. If they won’t I will support Democrats in reforming the filibuster to get it done.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

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

I want the Congressmember to support H.R.4421 - the Farm System Reform Act of 2021. It’s time to change the fundamental structure of our food system, and that starts with getting rid of factory farms. Thanks! [H/T, more info here]

Extra Credit

Back in February, Trans Mountain filed a request asking to keep the identity of its insurers a secret, arguing that the pressure from the environmental movement was making it difficult to find insurers that will provide coverage for the toxic project. Thanks to pressure from all of you, three insurers cut ties with Trans Mountain last summer, and eleven global insurers now have policies in place that restrict coverage of the tar sands sector. 

Let’s ramp up the pressure on the insurers that have refused to drop Trans Mountain by emailing the CEOs of the pipeline’s remaining insurers here.

Win WISCONSIN! 🗳

Yesterday Ron Johnson announced—despite earlier promises to the contrary—that he would run for a third term as Senator of Wisconsin. In some sense this is a boon for Democrats’ chances of flipping the seat—he’s got a 36% approval rating and is known to be wildly corrupt—but it’s a very red state, and Johnson’s opponent is still going to need all of our help.

I’ve talked before about putting together an “Adopt-a-state” program, and yesterday’s announcement incentivized me to make my first toolkit—for Wisconsin! So. Would YOU like to join team WI?

If so please check out this doc. It’s got the best places to donate NOW, good grassroots orgs in Wisconsin to volunteer with, and an email sign up form so I can send you updates when I add new items.

Let’s unseat a COVID denying, Russia-colluding, tax-cutting-for-the-rich Senator and pick up another Senate seat! The work starts now.

P.S. I made a TikTok about this to try to spread the word and get more folks signed up. Feel free to share! (It’s also on IG here.)

Messaging Messaging Messaging!

A great grassroots messaging group called More Perfect Democracy is partnering with several other organizations to create, curate, and circulate winning content, and they’re having a Kickoff Meeting on Thursday, January 13th from 2-3 EST. They'll talk about how to create content and get it out effectively. They'll also tell you about some of their upcoming trainings on social media best practices, winning messaging trainings, meme parties, and more! Register here to participate.

Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)

[to your Senators] [H/T] [quick send: text SIGN PARCPZ to 50409]

The January 6th attack by right-wing militants demonstrates the dangers facing our nation. I want the Senate to act now to protect our democracy and transform our political system into one that works for all Americans.

I call on you to do whatever is necessary to pass:

The Freedom to Vote Act, the most significant voting rights and anti-corruption bill in generations, will protect the freedom to vote for all Americans, prevent partisan politicians from sabotaging future elections, stop partisan gerrymandering and limit the influence of dark money so that billionaires can’t buy elections.

The Protecting Our Democracy Act, a historic pro-democracy-for-all package, will create and strengthen guardrails to prevent the abuse of presidential power and restore fundamental checks and balances in our government.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which restores and strengthens our freedom to vote by making sure that any changes to voting rules that could discriminate against voters based on our race or background are federally reviewed, so we all have an equal say in our future, and our rights are protected.

DC Statehood. DC’s lack of Statehood directly impacted the length and scope of the Jan 6th attack. On January 6th, the President prevented DC’s National Guard from assisting at the Capitol. It was DC’s local police force which re-established control of the Capitol, and members of DC’s local police force gave their lives to defend our democracy. Statehood would also end more than 200 years of taxation without representation.

If we act now, we can help prevent another January 6th attack and realize the promise of democracy for all of us - no matter our color, zip code, or income - so we all have an equal say in the decisions that shape our daily lives and futures.

I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.

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

Talk tomorrow.

Jess