Hi, all, and happy Monday.
I hope you had a restful and restorative long weekend. I did, including going to LACMA to see a Black Portraiture exhibit and the astonishing Obama portraits—truly an amazing one-two punch. If you happen to live in Los Angeles I can’t recommend these shows highly enough.
Anyway—and as I feel like I say all too frequently—it’s going to be an eventful week. Build Back Better should be receiving a vote in the Senate, the FY22 budget has to be finalized, the Supreme Court will be ruling on Roe v Wade…just a few small things. 🤯
Our job? To breathe; take action; then amplify that action. Repeat.
Remember, if you’re a subscriber of any duration you’ve decided not to live in the “doom and gloom” paradigm, but rather in the idea that “Hope is an action.” Congratulations. It’s folks like you who will save the country. The cynics and portenders of doom most assuredly will not. (If you’re a paid subscriber and received “Extra Extra” this weekend be sure to read the Teri Kanefield piece on cynicism. SO GOOD!)
OK, my dear friends. Thank you for all you do. Thank you for who you are. YOU have chosen to use your life to better this small rock we call home.
Because of you we will win.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling to say that I want the Senate to quickly pass the Build Back Better Act in its strongest possible form. [Optional add—pick your favorites] I want them to make sure it includes four weeks of Paid Family Leave, all of the climate provisions, the provisions protecting undocumented people, the Child Tax Credit Extension, the provision enabling Medicare to negotiate drug prices, the Medicaid expansion, and the hearing coverage for Medicare. Oh, and please keep all of the tax increases on rich people and corporations and the increased funding for IRS enforcement, too.
[If centrist Dem or GOP add:]
This bill will help Americans a ton, at a fraction of the cost of what we spend on the military every year. I expect it to pass with the Senator’s strong support. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I know that several House representatives have just introduced H Con Res 60, the “End the Pandemic Now” resolution. It provides a roadmap for how to get vaccines and treatment produced in sufficient supply around the world to shut down the endless variant cycle and end the pandemic. I’d like the Congressmember to co-sponsor it right away. The more co-sponsors it has the more seriously President Biden will take the recommendations in it. Thanks. [H/T]
Extra Credit
Please send this letter to President Biden through the official White House contact page or via Resistbot (text SIGN PFBBGX to 50409).
[text adapted from a letter to President Biden from Senators Baldwin, Brown, Sanders and Warren.]
I’m writing to ask your Administration to push for a waiver of international intellectual property (IP) rules at the World Trade Organization to boost production of COVID-19 vaccines for the developing world.
This waiver is vital to boosting production of vaccines in low-income countries where only 5 percent of people are vaccinated. Higher vaccination rates in these countries would not only save lives, but reduce the likelihood of new variants that could jeopardize progress on the pandemic. Since the Administration’s May announcement of support for a vaccine patent waiver, little progress has been made. The WTO Ministerial Conference presents a crucial opportunity to get a deal.
The United States and European Union nations have provided billions to pharmaceutical companies for the development and distribution of the most effective vaccines. Despite this public investment, the intellectual property is now privately held, pitting pharmaceutical profits against public health interests. If the TRIPS rules remain in force as an obstacle to public health, even in the face of a global pandemic that has claimed more than five million lives, then such rules are clearly ill-conceived. The fallout from a failure to provide a waiver could deliver a possibly fatal blow to the WTO’s credibility.
By securing a waiver agreement at the WTO Ministerial, your Administration can demonstrate real and impactful American global leadership. If the Ministerial Conference cannot deliver a solution, the WTO—and the wealthy nations blocking the waiver—will continue to lose credibility with the developing world. I urge you to seize this opportunity to engage actively and productively at the WTO deliver on your promise to defeat the pandemic. Thanks.
Chop Wood, Give 💰
So here’s a truly worthy cause. Haeden Wright is the wife and mother who, for almost 9 months, has been running the strike pantry for the Warrior Met strikers in Alabama. (This strike is getting precious little attention but I did a TikTok about it you can watch here.) Anyway, Haeden just had to have an emergency surgery. Because this is America, she has to meet a high deductible and co-pay, and because her husband has been on strike for 9 months they have no savings. She is suddenly unable to cover utilities, childcare and more. This woman has been working so hard to help keep strikers’ families fed and clothed. If you have any cash to send her way her Venmo is below. The last 4 of her phone number is 5439.
Get on the Phones! ☎️
There are important municipal runoff elections in Georgia tomorrow and Democrats are worried about turnout. Municipal races may not seem critical, but remember, voting begets more voting—if we want folks to vote in the midterms we need to get them voting in every other election leading up to them, too.
I’ve signed up to make GOTV calls with Fair Fight today at 2PM PST. We are not calling about any candidates or political parties, but rather to make sure these voters know that tomorrow is Election Day. (Preview the script here.)
Are you free to join me? Let’s get every voter out we can now, so that 2022 is filled with victories for us. Use this link to sign up.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)
[to all 3 reps] [H/T Save the USPS Coalition] [Quick Send: text SIGN PDMTGB to 50409]
The vote on the 2022 budget appropriations bill is quickly approaching. I’m writing to urge support for including the $6 million in funding for Postal Banking pilot programs championed by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Bernie Sanders and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bill Pascrell, and Marcy Kaptur.
Millions of Americans don’t have access to safe low cost banking services and are forced to pay high fees to access their own money, further cementing economic inequality in rural and urban communities nationwide. With local postal branches in every zip code, postal banking will overcome the impact of “banking deserts” and become a critical tool for families struggling to make ends meet while also providing critical revenue for the USPS.
I’m counting on your support for Postal Banking and I will be watching to see how you vote. Thanks!
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess