Chop Wood, Carry Water 12/16

Hi, all, and happy Friday!

Good news! Last night, Joe Manchin’s Dirty Deal failed on the Senate floor, 47-47 (60 votes needed for passage). Nice job, y’all! This is not to say, of course, that it’s dead forever—Manchin tried to attach it to the NDAA, and that’s what failed. He will likely try to get it into the omnibus bill that’s still being negotiated, but it’s becoming increasingly likely that he won’t find the votes. Still, if your Senator is any of the below, please make sure to call them and thank them for blocking it.

Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Bob Menendez and Cory Booker of New Jersey, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Tim Kaine of Virginia.

I am deeply annoyed to see neither of my California Senators on this list, and I’ll be calling to tell them so. Feel free to do the same if you have a Democratic Senator who didn’t stand up to fossil fuel interests.

In any event, we are a mighty force when we join together to fight bad bills. Be proud of it! Our planet and our children’s futures are at stake—we will not “go gently into that good night.” Nor should we.

Speaking of which, we’ve got calls to make! Let’s get to work!

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I want the Senator to support S. 2372, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2022, and make sure it’s included in the Omnibus bill currently being negotiated. With the climate crisis already happening, this level of conservation funding is critical.

I also want the Senate to use this lame duck period to pass popular bipartisan bills like S. 445 the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, S. 4431 the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, S.4573, the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, S. 736 the Assault Weapons Ban Act, and legislation to protect DACA recipients and protect voting rights! Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I am calling to encourage the Representative to include HR 7666, the Restoring Hope Act, in the year-end omnibus. This bill reauthorizes and expands programs, grants, and activities that focus on mental and behavioral health. It also expands access to opioid addiction treatment and prevention, and includes funding to support new mothers across our country. We need it!

I also want him/her to support H.R. 7647, the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act, to establish a binding code of conduct for Supreme Court justices, the only judges in the U.S. who currently lack one. Thanks. [H/T]

Extra Credit ✅

Use the Sierra Club’s easy tool to make a comment to the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades!

This action is a little different than just signing a petition because the National Park Service only accepts comments that are directly submitted via their web form. But you can start by going to the above link for more information about the issue, talking points, and easy instructions on how to submit the comments yourself. Then please fill out their form to tell them that you took action!

The whole thing took me about two minutes.

Get Smart! 📚

Some articles recommended by Simon Rosenberg—they sound fascinating!

This new CNN piece by Ron Brownstein does a good job at explaining what the strong D performances in the battlegrounds may mean for the 2024 Presidential race, and it is not good news for the Rs. Greg Sargent has an extended interview with Simon about this strong D performance and what it means for 2024 in The Washington Post, Ron Brownstein has another must read piece about all this in The Atlantic and David Lauter dives into the growing importance of Arizona and Georgia in this smart LA Times piece.

Also…

This is a bit far in the future but I want to flag it because it sounds amazing and important.

The Decoded Video of Jan. 6th: A study in antisemitism and fascist propaganda

Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, 4 pm PT/7 pm ET

Yale Professor Jason Stanley, scholar of fascist propaganda and the author of How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them will analyze the video shown at Trump’s rally for soon-to-be-insurrectionists as a case study of the link between fascism and antisemitism. Professor Stanley's analysis of the video's haunting images will lay bare the roots of the recent eruption of antisemitism among right-wing extremists and how it can be countered. 

More information here.  Register here. 

Spread the Word! 📣

STAT OF THE DAY

97 — The number of Article III judges President Biden and Senate Democrats have confirmed over the last two years, including a Supreme Court justice, 28 circuit court judges and 68 district court judges – 67% of whom are people of color. Help us uplift this story on President Biden’s historic appointments.

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[H/T] [Quick send text SIGN PYLSUN to 50409]

I’m writing to ask the Senate to confirm Gigi Sohn to the FCC now.

Gigi Sohn is exactly the kind of advocate American consumers need on the FCC. For three decades, she has worked across the country to defend and preserve the fundamental competition and innovation policies that have made broadband access more universal, competitive, affordable, open and protective of user privacy.

As a constituent, I urge your support for Gigi Sohn's nomination, and ask you to do all you can to confirm her without further delay. Thanks.

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

Talk soon.

Jess