Chop Wood, Carry Water 11/9
Polls matter. YOU matter more.
Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
Hope you’re all still basking in the joy of our “romp” on Tuesday night. I know I am—I even took a nap yesterday! This is unprecedented for me during the work week. I’d been phonebanking for about 12 hours a week, though, and I think all the “stranger contact” finally wore this extroverted introvert out.
Anyway, if you’re not done celebrating the States Project is doing a quick toast on Zoom tonight at 5PM PT / 8PM ET—since they were so instrumental in bringing about our Virginia victories this should be a lot of fun. (You can say that you’re part of the Chop Wood, Carry Statehouses Giving Circle on the RSVP form.)
I think it’s really important to savor these victories, friends. We worked really, really hard for them. Yes, abortion is a hot topic. Yes, lots of the Republicans running were extreme MAGAs. Yes, anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ policies are losers at the ballot box.
And and and…the hidden factor is still us. Without a strong field game—and that includes a massive number of seasoned, talented, dedicated volunteers—Democrats still won’t turn out winning coalitions of voters. Without postcarders and phonebankers and doorknockers and letter writers Democrats won’t turn out those voters. Without generous donations to the organizations doing smart, local organizing work Democrats won’t turn out those voters.
But we have all of that. Because we have you.
The news won’t talk about you; the pundits won’t laud you—even some politicians will be oblivious to how many people outside of their own districts helped lift them to victory.
But we don’t care. We’re not doing this for credit. We’re not doing this for coverage. We’re doing it to stop MAGA, regain our freedoms, and improve Americans’ lives.
On all fronts we were almost entirely successful on Tuesday.
I want to clarify one last thing: in yesterday’s email I told you to “forget the polls.” That’s not because I think they’re wrong—they’re often not. It’s because a) the polls can’t factor us in—and we are, again, a significant factor in elections, and b) right or wrong, we simply have no control over them. What we can control is what we DO. And when we do what we do…we seem to win. Over and over again.
So let’s keep doing that.
On that note, I’ve got some good actions for you below. The 2023 elections may be over, after all, but our work goes on.
So much love to each of you—it’s because of you that we’ll keep winning.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling about the spending packages Congress is currently negotiating. I understand that Republicans want to underinvest in critical programs that keep the American people safe and keep our economy growing. I oppose this. If we don’t have enough resources to pay for what Americans need, it is because Republicans are fighting to let those who should be paying the most break the law and get out of paying their fair share of taxes. So I oppose cutting programs—we should be heavily funding the IRS and raising taxes on the wealthiest instead. Thanks.
[H/T to Antonia Scatton, whose post on how to talk about spending is a MUST-READ!]
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling about the spending packages Congress is currently negotiating. I understand that Republicans want to underinvest in critical programs that keep the American people safe and keep our economy growing. I oppose this. If we don’t have enough resources to pay for what Americans need, it is because Republicans are fighting to let those who should be paying the most break the law and get out of paying their fair share of taxes. So I oppose cutting programs—we should be heavily funding the IRS and raising taxes on the wealthiest instead. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Ugh. This kind of thing really gets my goat. A transgender boy in Sherman, Texas has just been dropped from his lead role in the high school performance of the musical Oklahoma! because of a “new policy” that actors and actresses can “only play a role that was the same gender they were assigned at birth.” Twenty other kids were affected by this new policy as well—they were playing roles that had been written for someone of the opposite gender. The kids are devastated—especially Max, the trans boy.
Please sign and share this petition demanding that the school give Max his role back.
Also, according to Max’s dad the Sherman Independent School District said the performance of “Oklahoma!” will be under review and has been postponed to Jan. 15, 2024. They also said in a statement: "There is no policy on how students are assigned to roles."
Good. Then I think an outcry is in order. Their number is (903) 891-6400 and their email address is sisdinfo@shermanisd.net.
You can say something like:
I find it appalling that a trans child, Max Hightower, has been prevented from starring in his high school musical because of a so-called “new policy” that says that kids can now only play a role that was the same gender they were assigned at birth. This makes absolutely no sense—actors have been playing roles that don’t conform with their assigned sex at birth since theater began. Shakespearean actors did it routinely. Classical Greeks did as well.
Not to mention that Max is a boy. Period. So this should be a non-issue.
Here’s my real question: Why is the Sherman School District politicizing something as innocent as a high school play? Let these kids have their childhood! Let them have fun! Let them have their roles back.
Otherwise stop pretending that your district is there to help kids—because what you’re doing is harming them, and terribly. Thanks.
Or use my click-to-send email here. Just click and it’ll populate an email in your default program (unless you have a VPN). Personalize, sign, then send!
P.S. Thanks to the subscriber who brought this to my attention!
Get Smart! 📚
I urge you to read Movement Voter Project’s elections recap. So much great stuff in there I didn’t know! Fantastic! (Don’t forget to attend their debrief today at 11AM PT /2 PM ET. It’s going to be great!)
Spread the Word! 📣
Please consider posting the below on your social media. The childcare emergency is real, it’s coming, and we need to raise the alarm. (Also, please consider signing the petition!)
🚨🚨ACTION ALERT 🚨🚨 Stabilization dollars that saved the child care industry during the pandemic have expired. Families need emergency child care funding NOW! Sign @MomsRising’s petition asking Congress to pass #16BillionforChildcare! https://action.momsrising.org/sign/Child_Care_Stabilization_Funding/?source=toolkit.mr #SaveChildCare
Moms Rising has a toolkit with other ways to held spread the word here.
Give 💰!
Please join featured guest Trae Crowder and rural firebrand Jessica Piper TODAY at 4PM PT / 7PM ET for a special fundraiser to launch Blue Tennessee! 🙌🏼
Blue Tennessee would join Blue Ohio, Blue Missouri, and Blue Texas as projects of Every State Blue, an organization that creates communities to support the downballot Democratic nominees running in some of the reddest districts in the country. We need that in Tennessee!
In 2022, 49 of 99 Tennessee state house districts went uncontested by Democrats. Running a Democratic nominee in every district increases turnout, activates local Democrats, and significantly helps the top of the ticket -- it can swing statewide and federal elections! It’s hard to recruit candidates in the reddest parts of the state – but Blue Tennessee would show potential nominees that there’s a community of people ready and willing to help. Join the event – and/or help us make Blue Tennessee a reality by pledging your support here.
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
Please share this video widely. It’s important that people understand just how terrible Mike Johnson is on climate.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[Text SIGN PJLDJO to 50409 to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I am your constituent and I urge you to expand the Child Tax Credit to make it fully available to all low-income children. There are currently 19 million children excluded from the full credit because their parents don’t earn enough. With House and Senate negotiators working to finalize a tax package, expanding the CTC for the lowest income families currently left out of the full benefit must be your top priority — not more tax breaks for businesses. And, I believe proposals to expand the CTC that would do little or nothing to reduce child poverty should be rejected.
When the Child Tax Credit was expanded in 2021, child poverty fell by 46%, with Black and Hispanic child poverty falling dramatically in each community. The Child Tax Credit alone lifted 716,000 Black children and 1.2 million Hispanic children out of poverty.
But in the year after the monthly CTC payments stopped, the number of poor children soared, from 4 million to 9 million. Had the expanded CTC continued in 2022, 3 million fewer children would have been poor. One painful result: 2 million more people with children reported sometimes or often not having enough to eat, compared to the summer when the CTC payments were being delivered.
Currently about one-fourth of all children — 19 million children in all — are in families with incomes too low to receive the full CTC. A parent with two children needs to make over $27,900 in order to receive the full CTC — i.e. they’d need to work full time at twice the current federal minimum wage to get the full CTC. Many parents and caregivers cannot work full time because they have important responsibilities in their families and communities — caring for children and elders, supporting neighbors, volunteering at community organizations — or have chronic health conditions or disabilities themselves.
Ultimately all families should receive the full CTC, regardless of parents’ work status, and that monthly delivery of the CTC can give parents and caregivers not only the peace of mind that they will be able to pay their bills and put food on the table month to month, but also provide consistent support that families can rely on.
Expanding the CTC isn’t just the morally right thing to do, it’s popular across every demographic. 82% of voters support an expanded CTC — including 77% of Republicans. Congress’ job is to carry out the will of the people. It’s obvious that the people want an end to child poverty. I believe all low-income families should receive the full CTC, regardless of parents’ work status.
With tax negotiations happening now, I’m counting on you to prioritize children and families in our tax code. No tax breaks for businesses should be considered without the urgently needed expansion of the Child Tax Credit for the 19 million currently left out. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Thank you. For your newsletter, for giving everyone an answer to the question “What can I do? I can’t do anything about it” except wring one’s hands and be in despair about the state of the union. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for being a champion for human rights. Thank you.
It would be really more accurate if we stopped referring to opposite genders. This is because we are not opposites. Of course our potential roles in reproduction developed to "fit" together, but we are all members of the same species. We are not opposite. There is a lot of overlap between women and men, because, again, we are all the same species. Thus we may be different, and of different sexes. Continuing to use 'opposite' helps to maintain the gender silos, with the expectation that we shouldn't appear to be "like' the other sex in any way. This expectation can be used to shame people who don't fit the gender role expectations.