Chop Wood, Carry Water 11/30
Time is a Gift Too
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!
I am the rare person in your inbox not asking you for money today! 😂
But I will ask you for something perhaps more precious: your time.
Time to make a few calls. Time to send a Resistbot. Time to share with others how high the stakes are for our country right now.
It’s harder than whipping out a credit card, but oh, so necessary. So this “Giving Tuesday” consider what a gift your time is to this work.
And give a little extra.
Me? I offer myself as your activism “matching fund.” I’ll give the same as you. Always. But especially today.
So let’s go make this the best—and most successful—”Giving (Time) Tuesday” ever.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
[If Dem:] I am asking the Senator to prioritize passing the Build Back Better Act immediately—we need every provision in the House version desperately. And please keep the provision promising permanent protections for millions of immigrants who call America home and live in constant fear of deportation and family separation.
Once BBB is passed Democrats need to pass voting rights. I know a recess is scheduled, but you cannot go on vacation when our democracy is in flames. Stay in DC until the Freedom to Vote Act is passed, even if you have to abolish the filibuster to do it. Please.
[If GOP]
I’m calling to say that I’m deeply frustrated that the Senator isn’t supporting the Build Back Better Act, which contains loads of provisions that will help me and my family, and is fully paid for, unlike Republicans’ recent tax cuts for the rich. I’m also upset that Republicans are blocking popular voting rights legislation—it’s obvious our democracy is hanging by a thread, and the Senator’s decision to stand by and watch it die is a complete abdication of his/her oath of office.
Finally, I know Republicans just filibustered the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) after demanding for weeks that Majority Leader Schumer bring it to the floor for a vote and after insisting on 17 amendments. This is unacceptable. The GOP just sent a clear message that they don’t support our troops. I’ll be sure to spread the word.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I know the vote on the 2022 budget appropriations bill is quickly approaching, and I’m calling to urge the Congressmember’s support for including the $6 million in funding for Postal Banking pilot programs championed by their colleagues in the House and Senate.
[optional add:] 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 desserts” and become a critical tool for families struggling to make ends meet while also providing critical revenue for the USPS.
I’m counting on the Congressmember’s support for Postal Banking and I will be watching to see how you vote. [H/T and accompanying petition]
Extra Credit
On Twitter? How about Facebook or Instagram? Please use this awesome social media toolkit to demand that the Senate stay in session until the Freedom to Vote Act is passed.
Call Chuck Schumer AGAIN!
Let’s call Chuck Schumer at (212) 486-4430 or (518) 431-4070 or (202) 224-6542 and say:
I’m calling the Senator in his capacity as Senate Majority Leader to say that I want him to bring the Build Back Better Act up for a vote as soon as humanly possible, then immediately move on to the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This isn’t the time for vacation. We’re in a crisis. All of this legislation needs to pass immediately—before anyone goes on break. Thanks.
Give Time to Save Democracy! ☎️
Worried about voting rights? We all are, and with good reason. But Joan’s Democracy Cafe is DOING something about it—calling voters in AZ and WV every Tuesday and Thursday from 3-6 EST to ask them to call Sinema or Manchin about the Freedom to Vote Act. JDC does a great training, and offers support the whole time. You’ll be on a dialer, so your phone number will never come into it. More info to prepare for a shift here.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)
[to your Senators] [H/T] [Quick Send: SIGN PHPIQU to 50409]
On November 22, more than 150 political scientists signed an open letter to Congress warning that the opportunity to save our democracy is closing, and imploring it to pass the Freedom to Vote Act.
“If Congress fails to pass the Freedom to Vote Act,” the scholars wrote, “American democracy will be at critical risk. Not only could this failure undermine the minimum condition for electoral democracy—free and fair elections—but it would in turn likely result in an extended period of minority rule, which a majority of the country would reject as undemocratic and illegitimate. This would have grave consequences not only for our democracy, but for political order, economic prosperity, and the national security of the United States as well.”
I stand with these scholars in asking that you cancel recess and pass this legislation before it’s too late. This is my top priority for, as Heather Cox Richardson says, “Federal protection of our voting rights underpins everything else.”
Protect our freedom to vote while you still can. Pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act before the New Year. Please. If Democrats have to they should reform the filibuster and get it done. If the extremists take over we will all—no matter our party—rue the day we didn’t act.
Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess