Chop Wood, Carry Water 11/1
Hi, all, and happy Wednesday.
What a time. It’s tough out there. I am holding all of you—particularly my Jewish and Palestinian-American readers—in my heart. While I can’t fix the brutality of what’s happening in the world, I can keep trying to make this newsletter a safe place. And that’s what I’ll keep endeavoring to do.
On that note:
I’m wrestling pretty much constantly with how to address the situation in Israel and Gaza. It’s presenting a painful challenge to me as the author of a political actions newsletter; the war there has become a central issue in our politics, Americans are wildly divided over it, and there’s an urgent feeling, growing by the day, that “something” must be done. Yet I remain unable to find a call to action that all—or even most—of my subscribers can agree on. The small attempts I’ve made have led to hurt feelings, anger, and criticism from all sides. I don’t mind the latter, so much, but I’m deeply uninterested in harming anyone inadvertently. I’m also loathe to pull this newsletter’s focus away from saving American democracy and winning elections. So I’ve ceased my efforts to post actions about the Middle East—for the time being, at least.
This has left me feeling, quite honestly, wholly inadequate to the moment. Meeting such a catastrophe—not to mention the largest political challenge of our time—with silence goes against who I am and the very point of this newsletter. But taking a partially uninformed position that could alienate thousands of readers feels equally unhelpful.
All of this is to say that I’m agonizing about this, and I want you to know it. I’m not sure if the course I’ve chosen is the correct one; I weigh daily whether or not I should choose differently. In the meantime I’m trying to get better educated, to look for organizations that are showing the way forward, and to support those who are aiding victims of the conflict.
I hope you will do the same. If you feel let down by my not putting more actions here pertaining to Israel and Gaza, I’m sorry. I’m trying to keep our coalition together, and for now this seems the best way to do that.
Because again, we must, must, must win elections here next week and again next year. I don’t need to delineate the stakes—you know them. They’re sky high. Global peace, in the end, may very well rest upon what we do in the next 12 months.
Today’s newsletter contains more than the usual amount of Get Out the Vote opportunities. There is so much we can’t control. But we absolutely can help determine the outcome of school board, election administration, state legislative, and gubernatorial races across the country in six days. And we absolutely must.
So let’s all chip in and “change the things we can.”
And for God’s sake let’s be gentle with each other, please. In the comments, in our lives, and on social media. To quote one of you: “In a world where so many feel hopeless, demonstrate that the light is alive and well with your kindness.”
That, at least, we can all agree on.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling again to say I strongly oppose cuts to the IRS, whether they are made to “pay for” emergency funding or not. The IRS is bringing in more money than it’s spending now that it’s focussing its efforts on wealthy tax cheats. Any attempt to cut their funding comes not out of fiscal conservatism—because experts have told us that such cuts will expand the national debt by tens of billions of dollars over the next decade—but out of wanting to protect billionaires and corporations from having to pay the same rates the rest of us are paying. It’s unacceptable and despicable and Americans won’t stand for it. Leave the IRS funding alone. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling again to say I strongly oppose cuts to the IRS, whether they are made to “pay for” emergency funding or not. The IRS is bringing in more money than it’s spending now that it’s focussing its efforts on wealthy tax cheats. Any attempt to cut their funding comes not out of fiscal conservatism—because experts have told us that such cuts will expand the national debt by tens of billions of dollars over the next decade—but out of wanting to protect billionaires and corporations from having to pay the same rates the rest of us are paying. It’s unacceptable and despicable and Americans won’t stand for it. Leave the IRS funding alone. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
The transportation sector is the nation's largest source of climate pollution, with medium and heavy-duty vehicles accounting for less than 10% of vehicles, but producing more than one-third of the transportation-related climate pollution.
Earlier this year, the EPA proposed revised greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty trucks and buses. Together with other “Clean Truck” rules issued by the Biden Administration, the standards will remove hundreds of thousands of tons of pollution from the air and prevent nearly 3,000 annual deaths and hospitalizations resulting from respiratory illnesses. But we’ve got to get them passed first!
Please consider signing this petition from my friends at the Sierra Club urging the EPA to finalize strong standards that will set us on a rapid path to zero-emission trucks and buses. Your personalized comment at the top makes a big difference—even one sentence helps! Let’s do this!
Get Smart! 📚
The amazing, anti-book-banning, anti-Moms-For-Liberty org Red, Wine, and Blue has TWO blockbuster events this week - with Heather Cox Richardson tomorrow and VP Kamala Harris on Friday! WOWOWOW!
Both will provide opportunities to help get out the vote in key states including Ohio (for Issue 1 and school boards), PA (for State Supreme Court and school boards), and in VA (for state legislature and school board)!
Sign up here:
It’s GO Time with Heather Cox Richardson on November 2nd
Kamala Harris Rally on Friday November 3rd
Spread the Word! 📣
Chop Wood, Carry Peace.
One of my subscribers gave me the link to a spreadsheet she’s been keeping “of organizations that have been doing fantastic work to foster trust and peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians, many for decades.” Here it is!
Win Races—School Boards! 🗳
We’re a week away from E-Day and school board candidates need your help! The School Board Project has candidates running against far right extremists in PA and VA and calls to mobilize voters for election day will truly make a difference in these close races.
The School Board Project is dedicated to electing candidates that share core values and are committed to schools that are equitable and inclusive. They will be hosting GOTV Phonebanks on November 4th, 5th, and 6th. If you can join their GOTV Phonebank or would like to make calls on your own, please fill out this form. Thank you for supporting school boards!
Win Races—Enviro Voters
The Environmental Voter Project has a whole ton of phonebanks between now and elelction day—I think I’m kicking two of them off, in fact! We'll be calling voters across the Environmental Voter Project's target states throughout the week. Find the whole list here.
Win Races—Call on Your Own Schedule!
Learn how to make calls to voters in priority states on your schedule with the DNC National Call Crew! Sign up HERE, then call on your own time as you can!
Win Races—Phone and Textbank into Kentucky!
SURJ has several phone and textbanks into Kentucky in the next week to help make sure we re-elect the wonderful Andy Beshear and prevent a MAGA takeover in the state. This is really important! Sign up here.
Win Races—Cure Ballots in PA!
This is a special ask from an activist friend—it’s important!
In 2020, no court was as critical to upholding the Presidential election results as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. This year’s open-seat opportunity is a critical hold for Democrats. The candidates are currently in a dead heat and the race is vulnerable, mostly because the candidates are completely undefined; neither Democrat Judge Daniel McCaffrey nor Republican Judge Carolyn Carluccio have 25% name ID. In 2021, Democrats lost a State Supreme Court seat by just 24,918 votes. There are currently thousands of ballots to cure in PA and it’s very challenging because the rules are different from county to county. If you have had some curing experience and want to help VoProPros cure ballots, please email Cynthia.swartz@strategypr.net. You can do it on your own time, between 9:30 am and 8:30 pm EST.
Win Races—Call into Virginia with the Stars!
Grassroots Dems HQ has three incredibly wonderful guests kicking off phone banks in the next few days: Congressman Maxwell Frost on Saturday, Congressman Eric Swalwell on Sunday, and MSNBC Commentator Brian Tyler Cohen on Tuesday (Election Day!) If you can't join any of these three shifts, then come to another shift through Election Day!
We had so much fun on my phonebank yesterday—it was GREAT to see some of you at it! Hope to see many of you over the next few days. WE CAN DO THIS!
Win Races—Ballot Chase in PA with Me TODAY!
I’m joining a PA ballot-chase phonebank today at 3PM PT / 6PM ET. Join me?
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[to President Biden] [H/T] [Text SIGN PQJZKN to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I urge you to consider the proposal from the tribes and communities of the Coachella Valley in California to designate Chuckwalla National Monument and to expand Joshua Tree National Park by designating a monument to the east of the park. This proposal would protect approximately 677,000 acres of important land.
This region is incredibly rich in biodiversity and species that would benefit from the protection of these lands include Chuckwalla lizards, desert tortoises, bighorn sheep, Sonoran pronghorns and migratory birds. Currently, there are "islands" of protected public lands in this region, including Joshua Tree National Park and designated wilderness areas. The proposed national monument and Joshua Tree National Park expansion would connect these "islands" and safeguard core habitat areas and habitat linkages. This is critical for survival of native species in the face of climate change-related habitat loss, warming temperatures and increased drought.
Lands within the proposed national monument are the traditional homeland of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan and Maara'yam peoples (Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations). We urge you to support and act upon requests for co-stewardship from tribal nations, who have been the stewards of this area since time immemorial.
Already, these lands are beloved for outdoor recreation activities like hiking, picnicking, stargazing, and recreational off-highway vehicle (OHV) touring on legally authorized routes. Permanently protecting these lands is an opportunity to ensure that these places are here for current and future generations of Coachella Valley residents and visitors to experience and enjoy. Please do so! Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Thank you for all that you do.
Focusing on the threat to American democracy, and the overwhelming dangers we face...loss of abortion rights, contraception (the GOP is targeting birth control pills), gay rights, trans existence, public schooling, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, freedom of religion, parity for women, the rule of law, national security, and on, and on, and on...is an enormous amount of work.
Americans, whatever their views on the Middle East, will have no ability to do anything if control is ceded to the GOP.
We owe you a debt of gratitude, not an expectation that you can solve an impossible tragedy where innocents on both sides are pawns for religious extremists in leadership on both sides.
Simply adore you and your comments - I appreciate that there is no easy answer to the terribleness of what is happening in the Middle East and i so value you stating that. As always, thank you for what you do