Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/10

Hi, all, and happy Tuesday.

Let’s start with a Bernice King quote:

Being truthful about the state of our nation and world does not equal losing hope. Hope sees truth and still believes in better. That which dismisses or does not seek truth, but grins, saying "It will be okay," is naïveté, not hope.

She’s right. And we should certainly eschew naïveté. So let’s state the facts: the Republicans leading the House right now are frightful; their vision for the country apocalyptic. They seek to destroy democracy, oppress all but their own kind, and profit off of the misery of working Americans. Right now they have way more power than people as dangerous as them should have.

I see that truth. I know you do, too. But stopping there is painful.

We must go the next step. We must believe in better and act accordingly. And that’s what we do here.

So yes, things feel grim right now. It was much more fun having full control of Congress and pushing Democrats to pass great bills. Playing defense stinks, especially when it’s against vicious and unscrupulous players.

But we can do it, provided that we do it through a lens of “believing in better.”

In other words, let’s not “fight the bad guys.” Let’s help the good ones. It’s an easier haul, especially over the long term.

Speaking of which? YOU all are some of the best. Thanks for that.

Now let’s put our beliefs into action one more time.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I understand Republicans in the House just passed a bill that would defund the IRS. I want the Senator to vehemently oppose it when it comes to the floor there. The IRS has been starved of funding. Because of it rich tax cheats like Donald Trump and Elon Musk have avoided paying their fair share. It’s unacceptable. Also, this bill would add 114 billion to the deficit. No way. Please make sure this bill dies on the Senate floor. Thanks.

Extra Credit

FL Governor Ron DeSantis has just announced a desire to sign a permitless carry law in his state. A permitless carry bill would take away the more rigorous background check, fingerprinting and gun safety training currently required to obtain a permit. States that have passed permitless carry laws have suffered a 22% increase in gun homicides.

According to Giffords.org, Florida already ranks as the 24th worst state in terms of Gun Death Rate in the US, with one gun death every 3 hours. Allowing permitless carry will only take FL farther to the bottom of the list.

Let’s make a call:

1. Call Governor DeSantis’ office at (850) 717-9337

2. Use the script provided to leave your message for the Governor

3. Want to follow up with an email? Email the Governor at GovernorRon.Desantis@eog.myflorida.com

Hi, My name is _______________ and I am (a gun violence survivor/gun owner/veteran/faith leader/educator/practitioner/law enforcement family member/parent/grandparent) from _______ .

Governor DeSantis has gained national attention as a possible 2024 Presidential candidate and I am very concerned to hear that he has promised to sign a Florida permitless carry bill into law. 

Safety matters to my family when we consider where to vacation, where to invest in a second home and who to vote for in national elections. 

If Governor DeSantis passes a Florida permitless carry bill, we will ensure that Florida is off our list for vacations and retirement and DeSantis is off our list for President.

Thank you.

[H/T and more info from Newton Alliance]

Stop Disinfo! ❌

If you've felt trapped in your Fox-News-containing cable or streaming TV package because of your household's appetite for sports, you've probably wished that there was a guide that would tell you how to find the sports content that will get you out of the trap and able to go Fox-News-free. Good news! There is a guide to finding sports content that is kept current by HotDog.com. Check out the HotDog sports-content-locator here.

[H/T Defenders of Democracy Against Disinformation]

Get Smart! 📚

First, exciting news: Indivisible has a new guide for 2023. If you want to prepare for how to respond to our extremist House, this is the place to start. Our wins over the last six years have been because we were coordinated, energized, and informed; let’s make sure we go into 2023 with that same foundation in place to fuel more wins. 

Also, consider registering for the Deep Dive on the New Guide this Thursday, January 12 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. The Indivisible team will break down the main focuses of the Guide, walks us through activation strategies that can be applied locally in 2023, and creates a community space to reconvene and launch into a new year.

Spread the Word! 📣

House Republicans’ First Order of Business is to Protect Billionaire Tax Cheats.

After a bruising speakership fight, the first order of business for Republicans’ new majority yesterday was to protect ultra-wealthy tax cheats from paying their fair share while blowing a $114 billion hole in the deficit and worsening inflation. Read DNC Chair Jaime Harrison’s statement here and help uplift the following stories to hold Republicans accountable:

• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: House GOP’s First Bill: A Misleading Gambit to Protect Interests of Wealthy Tax Cheats

• Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: IRS Funding Repeal Could Cost Over $100 Billion, Encourage Tax Cheating

• Washington Post: ‘87,000 IRS agents’ is the zombie falsehood setting the House agenda

• The Hill: White House opposes ‘reckless’ GOP bill to rescind IRS funding

Win Races! 🗳

I’ve signed up to make calls with The Democratic National Committee for Aaron Rouse’s campaign today at 2PM PT. Yesterday’s calls were unbelievably satisfying and fun. Please come! This election is really important for abortion rights in VA.

Use this link to sign up.

---

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

Talk soon.

Jess