Chop Wood, Carry Water 12/4

Without you we're nothing.

Hi, all, and happy Monday!

Hope you had a restful and pleasant weekend. Mine was only one day—I really need an assistant—but boy was that day nice! I was able to finish a beautiful novel, take Mj Christmas shopping, make scones, and help decorate our tree! It was quite restorative—it’s amazing what 24 hours can do.

Speaking of nice things, I want to thank you all again for helping us reach—and surpass!—our 10K match goal for the Movement Voter Project. We’re actually at $18,412, plus the match, now, so $28,412 all told! WOW!

It’s a huge deal—MVP is funding exactly the kind of grassroots organizing we’re going to need to win next year, and they need this money now! (Actually yesterday.) I truly believe if they were fully funded we’d win most elections hands down, so this contribution means a lot. Thank you again. Also thanks, of course, to my generous match donor. I was so excited when he approached me about this venture, and boy did it pay off!

If anyone reading this ever wants to provide a match donation for one of my “power trio”—the Movement Voter Project, the States Project, or Run For Something—let me know and we’ll raise some money together! I fully and wholly believe in these three organizations. They are doing indispensable work. Work that no one else is doing as well, or at all. Work that will save us. I’ll throw down for them any time.

You, too, are doing indispensable work, of course. Without you we’re nothing. You’re the secret weapon that’ll help us save democracy, restore fairness, and build this country back into something better than it’s been.

Knowing that, raise your head a bit higher.

Then let’s get to work one more time.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I want Congress to approve aid for Ukraine. Allowing Russia to win this war would be disastrous for American interests. Also, I’d like the Senator to support S.Res.72, the Ukrainian Genocide Resolution. Russia is attempting genocide in Ukraine—legal experts around the world agree. Recognizing this atrocity signals to Russia that it will be held accountable and that Ukrainians will find justice.

I also want him/her to support S. Res 158, the Forced Transfer of Children Resolution. Russia has kidnapped tens of thousands of Ukrainian children, detaining them in a network of dozens of camps across occupied territory, Russia, and Belarus. Congress must condemn this crime against humanity. Thanks. [H/T and more info]

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I want Congress to approve aid for Ukraine. Allowing Russia to win this war would be disastrous for American interests. Also, I want the Congressmember to support H.Res.154, the Ukrainian Genocide Resolution. Russia is attempting genocide in Ukraine—legal experts around the world agree. Recognizing this atrocity signals to Russia that it will be held accountable and that Ukrainians will find justice.

I also want him/her to support H.Res.149, the Forced Transfer of Children Resolution. Russia has kidnapped tens of thousands of Ukrainian children, detaining them in a network of dozens of camps across occupied territory, Russia, and Belarus. Congress must condemn this crime against humanity. Thanks. [H/T and more info]

Extra Credit ✅

[H/T Americans of Conscience Checklist]

For years, federal contract call center workers who work at Maximus have been fighting for a living wage, affordable healthcare and a right to organize together without fear of retaliation or intimidation. Although the Biden Administration has the power to raise pay and hold Maximus accountable to its responsibilities as a federal contractor, it has not done so.

Let’s contact the Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights at 800-368-1019 or by email at OCRMail@hhs.gov to protest the treatment of Maximus workers. (I also made a click-to-send which will auto-populate the below email in your default program provided you don’t use a VPN. Click here to use it.) Either way, don’t forget to personalize and sign the email!

Script:

I’m contacting you from [STATE] to express my solidarity with the call center workers at Maximus who are demanding bathroom breaks and the right to organize. These workers help millions of Americans find affordable healthcare through the ACA and Medicare, but can’t access affordable healthcare for themselves. I’m calling on the HHS to investigate Maximus for racial disparities in promotions and to require $25/hour wages with adequate health benefits.

Get Smart! 📚

I think the below piece presents an important perspective—one that’s missing from a lot of our current dialogue. It summarizes a lot of what I’ve been wrestling with recently. At the end it suggests three organizations to support if you want an end to ALL violence in Israel and Gaza. I knew about Win Without War, and am newly acquainted with—and heartened by the existence of— Standing Together. I hadn’t heard of American Friends of the Parents Circle, which supports Palestinian and Israeli bereaved families working for peace, but I will check them out.

As war rages, where is the US peace movement?

Spread the Word! 📣

We just got some fascinating and really important new data on messaging about climate! Semafor has a piece on it. From them:

Most people aren’t persuaded to support climate policies because of messaging focused on their potential to create green jobs. That benefit feels distant and vague. And messaging focused on “phasing out” fossil fuels — a key demand of activists at COP28 — and to “keep fossil fuels in the ground” also don’t resonate…by far the most effective way to change a person’s mind to support climate policies is to focus on the “urgent need to protect the next generation.”

“Climate needs a ‘why,’ and the data says the dominant ‘why’ is to protect our children,” Marshall said. “We’re under-messaging the big ‘why,’ and over-messaging the green jobs.”

Fascinating and so useful!

Give 💰!

Friendly reminder that TOMORROW is our big Zoom fundraiser for the North Carolina Democratic Party and the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party! We’ll be hearing from Senator Raphael Warnock, Anderson Taylor, (the 🔥 new chair of the NC Dems), and Drew Kromer, the chair of the Mecklenburg County Dem Party. We’ve been working on this fundraiser for a couple of months now and it’s going to be a great program. Our goal is to raise 150K—we’re at 120K right now so I feel cautiously optimistic we’ll get there.

The event is at 7:30 PM ET. Give any amount to attend! You can do so here. And please invite a friend!

Win Races! 🗳

The Environmental Voter Project’s next postcarding campaign has launched! It’s to mobilize environmental voters in the March 5th North Carolina state primary. These are great campaigns; the social pressure script is super short AND they send you the cards! If you haven't yet written postcards with EVP, please consider joining one of the following orientations (all postcard-writers must attend an orientation):

Dec. 14, 8pm ET / 5pm PT Postcarding Orientation

Jan. 3, 12pm ET / 9am PT Postcarding Orientation

Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥

I posted this beautiful article about climate hope a week or so ago, but some people could read it because it was behind a paywall. This one isn’t, so enjoy!

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

[to all 3 reps] [Most of the below cribbed from this excellent J Street statement] [Text SIGN PTLGCB to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

While I fully support Israel’s right to bring Hamas terrorists to justice, free the remaining hostages, and protect Israeli citizens, I am extremely concerned about the fate of Gazan civilians, including those displaced from the north, as the fighting moves south. We’ve already had a sickening number of civilian deaths. No more!

I know the Senate is likely to consider – as early as this week – the President’s comprehensive request for supplemental aid to Israel. This aid can’t be a ‘blank check’ for Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Congress and the president should ensure that:

• All necessary mechanisms are in place and enforced to ensure US security assistance is delivered and used in compliance with both domestic and international law.

• No aid is diverted to enable settler violence or further steps that permanently deepen the occupation of the West Bank. This must stop!

• Plans for the next phase of military operations will be highly targeted and provide maximum protections for civilians from potential harm.

• The delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza will be greatly increased and expedited.

• We insist on an Israeli commitment to ending the occupation of Palestinian territory in a defined and reasonable time following the end of hostilities.

There is no path to resolution of this conflict if Hamas retains the operational control of Gaza that made its brutal October 7 attack possible. But the path to a better future will also be out of reach if the US sets no guardrails for the Israeli government’s military campaign and provides its assistance in the form of a blank check. No more civilian deaths! Not one! Thank you.

---

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

Talk soon.

Jess