Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/24
Hi, all, and happy Friday!
So yeah, it’s been a terrible week. I do want to remind you of one thing, though: we are all still here. WE MADE IT THROUGH week one! Great job!
Not only that, but subscriptions to this newsletter are skyrocketing. And it’s not just mine. Other political authors and creators I know tell me that people are tuning in—not out!—in higher and higher numbers. So yeah, this is bad, but tons of us are ready to fight, and more will join us as the outrages continue to pile up.
Remember, as you talk to friends and family about what’s happening, to underscore the theme of everything, the idée fixe, if you will, that makes it all make sense: Trump and his GOP enablers are enriching themselves and their cronies on our backs, and they’re trying to distract us with culture wars and “flooding the zone” so we don’t notice. It’s Robin Hood in reverse with chaos thrown in for cover. All of Trump’s policies are about enriching himself and the special interests that bought his election—not us. His energy policies will enrich the fossil fuel industry. His deportation policies will enrich the private prison industry. His healthcare policies? Cha-ching for Big Pharma and Big Insurance. His tech policies? A windfall for Bezos, Musk, Zuck, and more.
I could go on, and I will for four years. You should, too. Draw the line for anyone not paying attention. Make it super clear, and then keep hammering it home: This is robber barons helping other robber barons, period. Their flagrant self-enrichment will come at our expense, pure and simple. It’s abuse of power and abuse of office. A giant scam, and we’re the rubes.
Will this make Americans angry when they come to understand it? I sure hope so! We’ve got to channel our inner defiance now and fight back. I refuse to give up what’s mine so Elon Musk can buy another yacht. You should too.
I love you. This sucks, but we’re together, and more are joining our movement all the time.
Hang in there. We’ve got this.
Let’s get to work.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
[If GOP say:]
I know the vote is coming up soon, so I’m calling again to say that Pete Hegseth is absolutely unfit to be defense secretary. Just this week, his former sister-in-law warned senators about his abusive behavior toward his ex-wife — causing her to fear for her safety. Even Republican senators are questioning his viability. He is also extremely unpopular among the American people—in fact only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of his nomination. He can’t do the job he’s nominated for and his failure to succeed will have fatal consequences for our service members. He must be blocked. Thanks.
[If Democrat say:]
I want the Senator to vote no on the awful anti-trans bill Republicans recently passed in the House—the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025. I expect my Senator to stand up fearlessly and relentlessly for trans Americans—in fact I expect all Democrats to do so. We didn’t elect Democrats to be mini-MAGAs—we elected them to fight back against Republicans’ cruel and hateful agenda. Please do so. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’ve learned that Republicans plan on cutting programs Americans count on, like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Veterans’ healthcare, SNAP, and housing assistance, in order to pay for Trump’s tax cuts. I want the Congressmember to fight this tooth and nail. To rob from the poor to give to the rich is the sickest thing I can imagine, and yet that’s exactly what Republicans want to do. Oppose this plan fullthroatedly, please. Remember, you work for us. Not them. [For more details read this Americans For Tax Fairness thread]
[To GOP reps add:]
Please know that any Congressmember who supports these cuts will lose their seat in 2026. I promise it. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Trump is lashing out wildly at the bishop who directly called on him to show mercy to immigrants and LGBTQ+ people this week. Let’s show her some love. The wonderful
has made a list of the ways we can do so.From them:
On Tuesday at the inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington DC, the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal bishop of Washington, made a direct appeal to President Trump and asked him to have mercy on LGBTQ+ people and undocumented migrant workers. This clip shows her speaking as well as the reactions of some of the attendees. After the fact, Trump called her “nasty” and Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) called for her to be deported. Let’s take a moment to send her a postcard of thanks for her bravery and conviction: 1) Washington National Cathedral, P.O. Box 98283, Washington, DC 20090-8283. We can also express our gratitude by phone at (202) 537-6200 or via email at info@cathedral.org. We can watch her sermon here and share it on social media to get it wider reach, and consider buying her book, How We Learn To Be Brave.
Get Smart! 📚
Join the Congressional Caucus Center for their upcoming briefing on January 30th at 3:00PM ET “The Bottom Line: What the Tax Debate Means for You.”
You’ll hear from:
Special Guest Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
David Kass, Executive Director, Americans for Tax Fairness
Erich Pica, President, Friends of the Earth
Amirah Sequeira, National Government Relations Director, National Nurses United
Register here by January 29 to save your spot for this critical conversation!
Give 💰!
Want to help another place trying to recover from the Altadena fires?
Every year I order oranges and grapefruits from a place called The Altadena Nursery Co-op. It’s a sweet little school that is mostly parent-run, and they do citrus sales to raise money for their program. Sadly, their little community has been hit hard by the fires. Five families and one teacher have lost homes; many others are facing displacement. The school itself is closed while they deal with wind damage and ash cleanup.
If you are able, please consider making a 100% tax deductible donation to the Altadena Nursery School General Fund. You can also order fruit and have it delivered to a local food bank.
You can donate or order fruit here. They’ll ask which family to credit with your donation—I do the Jonason family but any is fine.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all three reps] [H/T
] [Text SIGN PJIXGI to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]Mass deportation will have immense costs for our friends and family, our communities and our economy. As advocates are now admitting, it will also have a huge price tag just to execute. The White House has suggested they’ll need more than $86 billion in appropriations just to start, and the American Immigration Council has estimated taxpayers will need to spend almost a trillion dollars over the next decade to complete their round-ups – much of which will go to mass detention camps 24 times as large as what we have now. This will be a human rights disaster, and at a time when some in our government are insisting we cannot afford to fully fund Medicaid or feed the hungry it is an unacceptable use of our limited resources. Please oppose every single penny requested in appropriations for mass deportation and the detention camp archipelago.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Wrote to the National Cathedral and have already ordered Budde’s book. She was the bright light in this awful week.
Someone reminded me that instead of saying ‘Trump rolled back DEI’ we could say ‘Trump began the resegregation of ….’ NASA, etc.). I thought I’d pass that on.
I’m so frustrated and angry. I cannot leave a message for Ruben Gallego. The voicemail box is full and I get the same message when I call the local Arizona phone number. I went ahead and voiced my frustration through his official email contact regarding both the inability to leave a voicemail as well as requesting a no vote on the terrible anti-transgender bill.