Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/26

That's how democracy works.

Jan 26, 2024

Hi, all, and happy Friday!

I’ll start with some fantastic news—I’d heard rumblings of it since Wednesday but wanted to wait until it was official: The Biden Administration has announced that it is temporarily pausing decisions on exports of Liquefied Natural Gas while it reviews the environmental impacts of such exports. Since we know those impacts are catastrophic for our climate, there’s good reason to believe that this pause will be permanent—as long as we keep pushing and re-elect President Biden. Trump, needless to say, will reverse this decision immediately.

You can read the White House’s Fact Sheet about this announcement—which also contains a super-helpful and comprehensive list of President Biden’s top environmental accomplishments since coming into office—here. But suffice it to say that climate activists are elated. We all should be! We should also take a moment to acknowledge the hard work of organizations like Third Act, Sierra Club, Stand Earth, and many more. Not to mention the countless citizen activists whose names we’ll never know! There has been massive and persistent organizing going on for years around this issue. It didn’t happen by accident.

When we organize we win!

Speaking of organizing, I wanted to address a reader question I received last night. I get some form of this same question quite frequently, so I figured lots of you would be interested in the answer. The reader wrote:

I wonder what you would say to those of us who live in blue states about the call in messages you always send. I’m represented by Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkely who are often in the lead on the kinds of legislation we want to see. What good does it do to call them, when I already know they agree?

Here’s the thing: Lawmakers are like the rest of us—they like to be thanked when they do something good. So if for no other reason than that we should call our Democratic lawmakers to thank them when they’re on the right side of an issue.

But we do it for more reasons that that.

We do it to urge them to keep going on whatever it is they’re doing, too. Because remember, even the most highly staffed lawmakers have to prioritize what they focus on. No one has time to do everything. Our Democratic lawmakers are going to put more time and resources into some efforts than others; what they’re hearing about from constituents will affect what they choose to prioritize.

Finally, remember that our representatives use the number of calls they’re getting on an issue to bolster their arguments to other lawmakers. THEY ARE ALL PAYING ATTENTION! Getting 10 calls about an a bill isn’t worth mentioning. Getting 1000 calls about it is significant. Other lawmakers will think so, too. It shows that voters are engaged, and attentive. It makes everyone in Congress stand up and take notice.

So yes, call your Democratic representatives. Even if they’re “perfect.” Thank them. Encourage them. Steer them.

Let them know you’re watching. That’s how democracy works.

One last small thing: A different reader wrote me in response to my list of Substack “luminaries” yesterday to remind me that I missed one:

Joyce Vance

of Civil Discourse. Doh! Of course! I read Joyce religiously. Of course there are more good political authors than I can acknowledge in any one list, but she certainly deserves to be included in the top category. Thanks for the reminder.

Now let’s get to work!

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

No call for our Dem reps today. I ran out of time.

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

[If your rep is GOP]

I’m calling because I just heard that Mitch McConnell is ending border negotiations because Donald Trump told him to. Mike Johnson has said that he would kill a border bill in the House for the same reason. I’m furious about this. Republicans have been saying forever that the situation at the border is a crisis. But Democrats have just offered them basically everything they wanted and they’re saying no? To please a traitor and a crook who wants to be President so he can stay out of jail? Unacceptable. Republicans don’t want to solve problems–they want to make them so they have something to run on in November. It’s cynical, it’s destructive, and I will remember it when I vote. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

No call for our Dem reps today. I ran out of time.

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

[If your rep is GOP]

Extra Credit ✅

With President Biden’s remarkable announcement on an LNG export pause it’s a good moment to turn up the heat to stop the expansion of gas exports once and for all!

Let’s use the Sierra Club’s tool to send such a message to the Biden admin here—don’t forget to personalize!

Get Smart! 📚

California Indivisibles are hosting the iconic organizer (and Janes co-founder) Heather Booth for the second event in their new Speakers Series. In a very exciting development, Heather was recently appointed to be the Progressive Outreach Director for the Biden-Harris campaign! I’m on calls with Heather twice a week and I assure you she is REMARKABLE. I feel honored to know her.

Sometimes referred to as "the most influential person you have never heard of," Heather has helped transform the American political landscape - from her early involvement in both civil rights and abortion rights through her campaign for marriage equality.

I promise you she will inspire the heck out of you.

Tuesday, January 30 from 5 – 6pm PST. Sign up here.

Spread the Word! 📣

Please share this article on your social media!

US growth shatters expectations, boosting Biden’s economic pitch

You can add some of the below:

Yesterday, new data showed three years in a row of strong economic growth under President Biden.
- The economy grew 3.1% last year—beating forecasts of a recession and stronger than during the Trump administration.
- 2.7 million jobs created last year, for a total of 14.3 million jobs created under President Biden.
- Personal finances are strong, with consumer spending and wages up over the last year.
- Manufacturing is booming: highest manufacturing construction investment on record.
- Inflation continues to fall.
While experts predicted a recession, President Biden helped grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up—and Americans are feeling the results:
- Consumer sentiment surged 29% in the last two months—the biggest two-month jump in more than 30 years.

Give 💰!

Friendly reminder, I am working on a 20K matching campaign to the Movement Voter Project. Your money will be SO WELL SPENT if you give.

MVP vets and then funds the most effective grassroots organizing groups working on the ground in swing (and other) states. In short, they are funding today’s Stacey Abrams, everywhere. If we want youth turnout, BIPOC turnout, and a growing progressive electorate then funding MVP is how we best get it. They’re absolutely amazing. See their 2024 plan here—your donations will go towards executing it.

Donate to my matching fund campaign HERE! And if someone you know is asking “where should I give?” Tell them HERE!

Win Races! 🗳

This week, Swing Left announced its strategy for the 2024 election. They're focused on 12 Super States which will be critical to winning back the House, defending the narrow Democratic majority in the Senate, reelecting Biden-Harris, and building Democratic power in the states.

They plan to double down on supporting and building local grassroots groups, which will be key to our wins this year and for years to come. As part of that strategy, Swing Left has launched Team Up. Maybe you've written letters, made calls, or even donated before, but you want to go deeper. Team Up will match you with other local co-leaders, build your skills at an in-person kickoff training, and provide ongoing support so together you can build a new grassroots group in your community and expand your impact.

Apply here to join the Team Up program by February 15.

Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥

Do you know where your bank is investing your money? Whether you know it or not, if you live in the United States your bank could be using as much as 30% of your hard-earned money to fund fossil fuels and other polluting industries. To learn more and take action, check out Project Drawdown’s report Saving (for) the Planet.

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

[To: ] [H/T] [Text SIGN PSGVAI to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

Recent polling by Feeding America shows that 7 in 10 likely voters, with bipartisan support, want the federal government to do more to address food insecurity. Eighty-five percent of likely voters support increasing funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and 80% agree it’s possible to invest in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) while addressing other national priorities.

You have an opportunity to help families and individuals access the food we all need to thrive by strengthening TEFAP and SNAP provisions in the next farm bill. This includes:

- Doubling mandatory annual funding for TEFAP food purchases to help people facing hunger and support the U.S. agricultural economy.

- Increasing annual funding for TEFAP storage and distribution to $200 million to help food banks offset the rising costs of storing, transporting and distributing nutritious foods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

- Ensuring SNAP’s purchasing power aligns with rising grocery prices and provides adequate support during tough economic times.

- Improving SNAP access for older adults, college students, veterans, working families, residents and other people who do not qualify for or are unable to participate in SNAP due to eligibility and enrollment barriers.

- Improving assistance to individuals seeking employment by supporting effective state employment and job training programs and ensuring people have access to SNAP benefits as they find work.

I support all of this. It’s important. We all do better when every American can thrive. Please make sure these priorities are met in the Farm Bill. Thanks.

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

Talk soon.

Jess

Chop Wood, Carry Water