Hi, all, and happy Tuesday.
Thanks so much for the many expressions of goodwill towards my kid yesterday. They’re still positive for COVID but not doing too badly—it’s manifesting like a moderate cold. The heartache over having to miss Thanksgiving is probably worse than the physical discomfort. Thank goodness for “Only Murders in the Building!”
I sensed some confusion about MJ’s gender in the comments, so allow me to clarify—they identify as nonbinary, which means they don’t consider themselves male or female. They are outside of the binary, as it were. So while I used to call MJ my daughter, I now—since they came out—use my “kid,” for lack of a better term. No need to apologize if you referred to them as my daughter or my son—I know it’s a new set of terms to wrap your heads around, and if you don’t know anyone who identifies as nonbinary it can be confusing. You can learn more about this gender identification here if you’re interested.
Because my kid is queer, of course, the hate crime committed in Colorado Springs this weekend was more devastating than the “average” mass shooting. But it wasn’t surprising. It’s not news that hate is here, and in full flower due to the disastrous pampering its getting from the far-right. It’s not news that it’s resulting in more deaths—lax gun laws and stochastic terrorism are a highly dangerous combination. It’s not news that the same politicians who fanned the flames of this hate are now denying all responsibility for the carnage.
None of it is a surprise. We will see more of the same until our gun laws change and every one of these instigators is removed from the halls of power.
All of that is why you and I are here. And the good news is, this newsletter’s subscriber base has exploded in size since Biden was elected. More of you have signed up for it in the last year, by a long measure, than did during the entire time Trump was in office.
More Americans, in short, are waking up every day. The demand for change is growing in intensity. It’s multiplying exponentially.
So while it’s easy to feel despair in the face of such senseless and preventable violence, it’s also possible—and important— to find hope and solace in the great, determined, and vast throng of Americans who do not wish for this violence, who decry it, and who—most importantly—are newly willing to do something about it.
Our numbers, in short, grow larger. Theirs, smaller. Our hearts more determined. Theirs, more poisoned by fear. Our actions more effective. Theirs, more desperate and self destructive.
It may take a long time; we may see more brutal loss; we may suffer more harsh disappointments on the way, but we are here for this fight, and we will win. Love and light will prevail. It must.
And it can. Because of you and me.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
We’ve all heard the New York Times report that the U.S. Supreme Court's 2014 decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores was leaked to an anti-choice activist weeks before it was announced, allowing him to tip off the head of the Hobby Lobby chain.
This story is further proof that the Supreme Court has been thoroughly corrupted. It must be held accountable. I demand that the Senate investigate this leak, as well as Samuel Alito and anyone else who is implicated. Also, this Court needs greater transparency and a code of ethics. Every other federal court has one—SCOTUS has proven it cannot be an exception. Enough is enough. Thanks. [H/T]
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’d like the Congressmember to co-sponsor and vocally support two bills that will protect and strengthen Indigenous rights. They are the Advancing Tribal Parity on Public Land Act (H.R. 8108) and the Tribal Cultural Areas Protection Act (H.R. 8109). We need new and updated laws that reflect the ongoing climate crisis and increase protection for federal lands that contain Tribal cultural sites. Please ask the Congressmember to make every effort to get these bills through Congress during the lame duck session. Thanks. [H/T and more info]
Extra Credit ✅
Please sign this petition urging the FDA to approve a life-saving drug called NurOwn for ALS patients. This is important to everyone in the ALS community—it should be to all of us.
Get Smart! 📚
Next Monday, November 28th, 2:30-4 PM, All in for North Carolina will hold their Election Review and Analysis meeting. From them:
We have a spectacular group to discuss and analyze the election results and to learn as much as we can about what we can all do better, how we can be more effective, in electing Democrats in North Carolina.
Jillian Johnson, NC Movement Voter Project advisor and Durham City Councilmember, will moderate two panels:.
The elected officials panel will feature: State Senator Jay Chaudhuri, Democratic Whip, Mary Wills Bode, Senator-Elect in District 18 and founder of Team4NC, and Ricky Hurtado, State Rep District 63 – who was the first elected Latino in the state House in 2020. Ricky’s win in 2020, and his sad loss in 2022, were the closest in the entire state.
The organization leaders panel will feature young leaders of three groups AINFNC actively supported this year:
Dreama Caldwell, Down Home NC, whose work was probably decisive in the narrowest win by a Democrat for state legislature this year; Marcus Bass, Advance Carolina, a pre-eminent group among Black urban and rural North Carolinians; and Theo Luebke, Carolina Federation, one of the most strategic groups in the state.
We hope you will want to join this thoughtful, informative session. We’re pretty sure that lessons we’ll hear about will apply to many states.
Many of you gave to either Cheri Beasley or to Dream Caldwell’s organization (or both), and I’d assume most of you care about wining in NC. So please consider attending what’s sure to be a great event!
Win in Georgia—Give 💰! 🍑
I’m going to put out one more desperate call for donations to the Georgia Alliance For Progress. They are working to fund the best grassroots orgs in Georgia—specifically their canvassing programs— and they are still woefully underfunded. You can give here, and please feel free to share the link with friends and family who want to give. Thanks!
Win in Georgia—research! 🍑
VoPro Pros needs help gathering the information voters need for EV and Ballot drop-off. If you are interested in gathering essential data fill out this form and the GA team will get back to you.
Win in Georgia—text! 🍑
SURJ is holding a Georgia voter contact phonebank on Wednesday, 11/23 from 6-9et/3-6pt. Training will be provided first.
Or join a TEXT PARTY to reach Georgia voters virtually with the Georgia Working Families Party and BlackPAC
Saturday, November 26 at 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Win in Georgia—phone! 🍑
Joan’s Democracy Cafe, my favorite ever guided phonebank group, is meeting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, including this week, to call voters in GA. There’s a full training first for those who need it.
3-5:30pm PT /6-8:30pm ET
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)
[to your DEMOCRATIC reps only. Send this manually, by texting either “Senate” or “House” to 50409, then copying and pasting the below as the body of your letter. If you have one Dem Senator and one GOP Senator Resistbot offers the choice to send only to the Democrat Senator. Please do so. Alternatively you can send the below through your reps’ official websites—just search for the “Contact Us” page, then copy and paste.]
I’m writing to ask you to do two critical things while Democrats still control both houses of Congress: raise the debt ceiling using reconciliation so that it cannot be taken hostage in the next Congress, and commit to passing as much good legislation as possible before the end of December.
Leaving the debt ceiling untouched until the next Congress is not merely a recipe for disaster, but for unprecedented catastrophe. Republicans are committed to taking it hostage in the next Congress and using it to secure their long-held ambition of gutting Social Security and Medicare.
Democrats must therefore remove the weapon now, while they have the power to do so. Please use reconciliation to lift the debt ceiling so that it will not be a danger during the next two years (at a minimum; I would prefer to see it taken off the table permanently).
Next: When Republicans take over the House in January, it will become impossible to pass nearly all meaningful legislation. It is therefore critical that both houses of Congress work unceasingly between now and December 31st. That means seven days a week and the shortest possible holiday breaks. This is our last chance for the foreseeable future to get anything accomplished. Please don’t waste this opportunity. Please pass an appropriations omnibus (removing the shutdown hostage danger), plus important legislation such as the Expanded Child Tax Credit and legislation protecting DACA, reforming the Electoral Count Act, ending partisan gerrymandering, capping insulin prices, and expanding Medicare to include hearing aids, vision, and dental. We should also expand the Equal Rights Act to include the LGBTQ community.
You have accomplished more in this Congress than many expected. I applaud and thank you for that critical work. We are now asking you to finish strong by safeguarding our country as we head into another dark period where Republicans are empowered to sow chaos. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess
Your child's age is part of that grand period of questioning and personal exploration that is adolescence. Many teens, and "tweens", are just not willing to overlook any part of themselves. I see that as healthy.
I wish MJ, and all of you, a Happy and Healing Thanksgiving!
Just off the Force Multiplier / Senate Circle Zoom webinar with Senators Amy Klobuchar and Sherrod Brown in support of Rev. Warnock. So wonderfully inspiring!
And more, it was awesome to see 'Chop Wood, Carry Water' high on the list of sponsors of the event! Thank you for this, Jess. And for so much more!