Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/20

Hope is an action.

Hi, all, and happy Thursday.

I had to turn to Vaclav Havel last night. If you haven’t read his full reflections on hope, I recommend them highly. My husband sent them to me earlier this week; they turned out to be just the ticket for the hours after the filibuster vote failed.

Look: obviously we’re not the first to throw everything into a fight and lose. We have endless examples of excellent people working hard at noble efforts, but falling short. We know that oftentimes such early failures are followed by later successes. It’s just the way it goes. While a surprise victory last night would have been thrilling, we knew it wasn’t likely.

So it’s OK to mourn. It’s OK to rage. It’s OK to revenge-give (although PLEASE do so wisely—for my money the Wisconsin Democratic Party is the best place to start (read Chair Ben Wikler’s indispensable twitter thread from last night here.)

It’s OK to feel afraid.

History will judge us not by how we feel right now, but by what we do. So let’s feel what we need to feel, but also do what needs to be done.

We need more Senate seats. See the Extra Credit section to learn how to help.

We need to win Secretary of State seats. Go here to learn how to help.

We need good people running for every municipal and state-level seat imaginable. Go here to learn how to help.

In 2022, the governorships of the top six presidential battleground states (PA, NV, MI, WI, GA, AZ) are up and all six races are toss-ups. We need to win all of these seats. Find out why and—you guessed it--learn how to help here.

Finally, make sure you listen to Robert Hubbell’s interview with Melissa Walker on Saturday at 11AM PST. Melissa, whom I love, (and whose short YouTube video was the most popular part of my Activism 101 workshop 😂), runs the States Project (formerly Future Now). Walker will talk about how we can help stop Republicans’ attacks on our democracy through strengthening our presence in statehouses across the country. She’s really smart and really clear and what she has to say is critically important. You don’t want to miss it.

It’s a hard moment. But we are up to this. Good things don’t come easily, and a newly imagined, fully just, truly representative democracy is a very good thing.

So we will work. We will chop wood. We will carry water.

We will prevail.

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

[If Dem other than Manchin or Sinema] I want to thank the Senator for trying so hard to pass voting rights legislation. I am very disappointed that we didn’t succeed this time, but I appreciate how hard almost all of the Democrats worked to try. I won’t give up and I hope they won’t either. But for now I hope they’ll immediately start working on Build Back Better in whatever form they can get it passed. Americans haven’t stopped needing help, and our climate emergency hasn’t gone away. Thanks.

[If GOP or Manchinema] I want to say how colossally disappointed I am in the Senator for not supporting the Freedom to Vote: John R Lewis Act yesterday. S/he had the chance to be on the right side of history; s/he failed. I will do everything I can to make sure that my vote goes to a different candidate when they are next up for re-election. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

I’m glad that last week the Senate passed legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie. But while awarding Emmett with a medal is a nice gesture, passing HR 55, the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act would be even better. This bill would help ensure that what happened to Till will never happen to anyone again. Is the Congressmember yet a co-sponsor?

Also, is the Congressmember yet a co-sponsor of HR 748, Ethan’s Law? This is a common sense gun safe storage bill that currently has 186 co-sponsors. It needs 218 to get a vote. This is the first gun bill in a generation that has a real chance of becoming law. Please ask the Congressmember to fight for it.

Extra Credit

If we want to stop being obstructed by Manchin and Sinema we need at minimum two more Senate seats. Fortunately at least four—in WI, PA, NC and OH— are up for grabs in November. But only if we start organizing now.

Please commit to “adopting” one of these states. This means you will donate to candidates and/or good organizations there (if you can), and/or sign up to volunteer for them remotely. I’ll make it easy for you: sign up here and I will send you a list of ways to help in your state(s) of choice. I’ll also update you over the year with new opportunities when they arise.

This is absolutely critical. The midterms start now. We deny that fact at our peril.

Sign up for your state here (I’ve also included states with Senate seats we need to work to hold, and one state with a critical Gubernatorial race). I’ve even made a tinyurl for you to share on social: https://tinyurl.com/pickyourstate.

We need an army and we need it now. Let’s do this.

Win Races! 🗳

Can you help postcard for a runoff in Jacksonville, FL? 🌅

Democrat Tracye Polson is running for a city-wide place on the Jacksonville City Council.  Last month, the 4-way contest ended with no candidate receiving a majority. She is now in a runoff against a Republican for a February 22 election. 

It was already low turnout when it was a Special Election on its own last month.  Turnout will be as low if not lower next month.  This is where your postcards can boost a win! Can you find time to write 5 or 10?

Postcards to Voters makes it easy to request addresses (you have to provide your own cards):

• Text HELLO to (484) 275-2229

• CLICK HERE for SLACK to message Abby on Slack Messenger

• CLICK HERE for EMAIL to Abby or write to Request@AbbyAddresses.organd she will reply automatically

Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)

[to your Senators] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PWRPKC to 50409]

I am writing to urge you to pass S 2992, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act.

Big Tech companies, like Facebook, Amazon, and Google, eliminate their competition. These companies also have a history of putting profits above public safety.

I am concerned that as Big Tech companies expand their control of the market, they shape our lives. Big Tech companies force small businesses to use their platforms while also driving them out of existence. For example, Amazon has a history of both copying another business’s product and ranking its copycat higher than the original product in users’ search results, even if the original product is cheaper.

This is harmful for both small businesses and consumers; we should have other options that prioritize our livelihoods.

That’s why I’m calling on you to vote in favor of the American Innovation and Choice Act to limit Big Tech’s monopoly power. Now more than ever is the time to ensure that Big Tech is limited in their power. Please defend our livelihoods and protect the futures of your constituents. Thanks.

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OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk tomorrow.

Jess