Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/10

Our test of resolve.

Jan 10, 2024

Hi, all, and happy Wednesday.

On weekday mornings I get up early with MJ and spend an hour or so with them on the couch before they leave for school. We pass part of this time doing word games, but then we mostly read. It’s a sweet time for me as a mother, but it’s also my time to ingest the multiple Substacks and other publications I receive daily so that I can get a grasp on the news.

This morning, while reading about—just for starters—Florida’s newest draconian abortion bill, Trump’s lawyer’s argument that political opponents can be shot, the hundreds of vicious anti-trans bills being proposed across the country, the death and suffering happening overseas, and the calamitous flooding in upstate New York (right where my family lives), I had a moment where I stopped reading, looked across the couch at Mj, and thought, “How can I possibly protect them from all of it?”

I’m sure you know the feeling.

It’s so much, you guys. An absurd amount of suffering, rage, and injustice, happening all around us, everywhere, constantly, and being delivered to our newsfeeds without cease. How can we endure it? How overcome it? How protect our children, our grandchildren, and our loved ones from it? How protect ourselves?

I’d love to have a one-line response to these questions; I don’t.

But I do know there is one word that is critically important to the answer; it is “resolve.”

As a verb resolve means “to decide firmly on a course of action.” As a noun it is “a firm determination to do something.” Either way, it is something we need.

We cannot overcome the many evils of the day in a day. We can’t overcome them completely, perhaps, ever. But we can, and must, resolve that we will work towards doing so, always. We must carry that resolution with us like a shield, and raise it before us when dire news comes rolling in. With it we become empowered, fired up, fueled by a righteous determination. Without it we feel—and are—defenseless.

I don’t know how I can protect my kid from all of this. I don’t know how you can protect yours. But I’m sure as hell resolved to try, and I’m beyond thankful that you are, too. Because that resolution is almost certainly the most potent protection there is. It’s also a formidable weapon. It contains love, after all. And steadfastness. It holds courage. And strength. It contains imagination. A dream of a better way.

It contains the understanding that we’re more powerful than we think.

It is, again, both sword and shield. It does it all!

Look, I say it all the time: we’re not in the results business. We’re here to take the best, most effective, and most right-minded actions we can. It doesn’t seem like much of a plan.

But done with resolve, I believe strongly that it is.

And that, with such resolve always before us, we will see victory.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) and House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I’m glad that Congressional leadership has reached a top-line deal to keep the government funded for the remainder of the year, but there are a couple of unresolved items I’m worried about. First, Congress has not yet agreed to fully fund the Women, Infant, and Child Supplemental Nutrition Program (WIC) at the level needed to prevent benefit cuts and/or waitlists. This needs to be remedied immediately. Fully fund WIC, please! Second, the House still hasn’t passed supplemental funding for Ukraine. This is a huge mistake—funding Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s aggression is existential, not just for them, but for us. Please give Ukraine the money it needs to defend itself now! Later will be too late. Thanks.

Spread the Word! 📣

Have you checked out Activate America’s Amplify page? It’s AMAZING! The goal of Amplify is simple: to expand awareness of all that President Biden and Democrats have accomplished and all that Republicans want to undermine and destroy. Each post has a brief background, some short talking points, and shareable social media posts. They recently improved the page, and you can now filter by topic. There are multiple posts there that they haven’t sent out via email.

As a reminder, you can sign up for Amplify emails anytime HERE. If you haven’t been to Amplify, here’s what you’ve been missing:

And they’re putting up more content all the time. This is exactly what people have been asking for!

Please consider subscribing to Amplify, and feel free to share within your networks. We want these messages to be seen far and wide.

Give 💰!

🚨 Big announcement! 🚨

YOU GUYS! I am thrilled to announce a new matching campaign for the Movement Voter Project!!! One of my subscribers has generously offered to match up to 19K of your donations! WOW! And friends, I have decided to go into my savings and put up the final 1K to make it a round 20K match. Please know I have never, ever made a donation of anywhere near that size. I’m not a wealthy person; I typically max out at $100. But THAT is how strongly I feel about funding MVP. It’s also how certain I am that they are vital to our very survival as a democracy this year.

So please, give what you can, and send this link to anyone you know who’s looking for a strategic place to give early money. If they want to know WHY to give, send them here or here or here. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT! Let’s do this!

Win Races-NH! 🗳

Give President Biden an Early NH Presidential Primary Valentine!

Announcing the Swing Blue Alliance NH Write in Biden phone bank starting Sunday January 14th 3-5 PM ET.

President Biden needs to win big in the Jan 23rd NH primary. He isn’t on the ballot as NH refused to give up its first in the nation primary status against the wishes of the DNC.

Democratic Activists in NH have started a “Write In Biden” campaign to ensure he has a big enough victory to prevent stories about him being weak. Volunteers will be calling voters with high Democratic partisan and Presidential Primary Turnout scores. You’ll be using the OpenVPB dialer which is the easiest to use. Training is provided!

Please sign up HERE

Win Races—NY-03! 🍎

Friendly reminder that I’ll be phonebanking for Tom Suozzi today with Swing Left and the Bay Area Coalition from 2:30-4:30PM PT / 5:30-7:30 PM ET. I would really love to see some of you there. Please join me! This election isn’t going to win itself!

Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥 AND Get Smart! 📚

In September, President Biden announced the launch of the American Climate Corps, a groundbreaking workforce training and service initiative that will prepare tens of thousands of young people for good-paying jobs in the clean economy.

Beginning this week, the Biden-Harris Administration will convene a series of virtual listening sessions to hear directly from prospective American Climate Corps applicants and implementing partners. Join the American Climate Corps team and special guests to share your thoughts about how to make the ACC a success.

The first listening session will be held on Thursday, January 11 at 10 am ET. Sign up here.

Additional listening sessions will be held on the following dates:

January 16 at 6 pm ET. Sign up here
January 25 at 6 pm ET. Sign up here
February 1 at 10 am ET. Sign up here

More information about the virtual listening sessions can be found here.

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

[To: ] [H/T] [Text SIGN PMIDLN to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

The Affordable Connectivity Program has been a critical lifeline for millions of Americans, providing essential access to high-speed internet. This program has enabled students to continue their education remotely, allowed adults to work from home, facilitated tele-health services, and ensured that individuals remain connected to their loved ones during challenging times.

As the expiration date of the ACP approaches, I am deeply concerned about the potential loss of these vital services for those who need them the most. The expiration of this program would disproportionately impact low-income households, exacerbate the digital divide, and hinder our nation's progress towards ensuring universal access to high-speed internet.

Therefore, I strongly urge Congress to act swiftly and renew the Affordable Connectivity Program.

This renewal is not just a matter of maintaining the status quo but a step forward in building a more connected, inclusive, and equitable society. By renewing this program, Congress will demonstrate its commitment to bridging the digital divide and supporting the ongoing needs of all Americans in the digital age. Thanks.

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

Talk soon.

Jess

Chop Wood, Carry Water