Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/28
Be an attendee.
The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.
—Rabindranath Tagore
Hi, all, and happy Friday!
I’m multi-tasking, simultaneously writing this newsletter and listening to a Progressive Turnout webinar—recorded last night—featuring the incredible messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio. (If messaging is your thing, by the way, watch it. And then subscribe to her podcast, Words to Win By.)
This sort of multitasking is typical in my life right now. And yours, too, I’m sure. Writing and listening, walking and reading, watching the dog and feeding the kid, juggling inputs, “wearing many hats.” All while being exhausted by our current circumstances.
There’s a lot of information coming at us. A lot of asks. A lot of battling priorities. It’s all important, all worthwhile, all very, very tiring. But somehow we must find a way to keep activism in the mix.
Why do I say this now?
Yesterday I ran my first AZ phonebank, for which we had 30 RSVPs!
One person showed up.
As for the phonebank links I put in this newsletter? Almost no clicks. Ever. 😔
This is not said to depress or shame anyone—I RSVP for plenty of things I go on to miss, and I’m too busy for all kinds of stuff I get invited to—but I do want to make a gentle point:
Like it or not, history will not be made by good intentions. It won’t be made by thinking about doing something, someday. It’s not even enough to RSVP for the fight ahead.
We have to show up for it.
I know we are all depleted. Pulled in many directions. Tired of being tired.
But that’s when heroes do the work.
So let’s summon our inner reserve—that superhuman strength a parent, for example, finds when their child is pinned under a fallen structure—and show up to something election-related soon. Because all of the webinars in the world, all of the newsletters, all of the podcasts won’t save us if we don’t also actually talk to voters now.
That is where the rubber hits the road. It’s also where elections—ones with huge, life-altering, critical consequences—are won or lost.
We can do this, y’all.
Provided we do, indeed, do it.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
While extraordinary progress has been made with the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, more can, and should, be done. Families continue to face huge challenges, and the climate crisis is growing more dire. Our elected leaders need to come together with the President, reach consensus on a final package, and pass the Build Back Better Act into law. And please make sure the Child Tax Credit gets reinstated as part of that. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I want the Congressmember to co-sponsor and support HR 1579, the Ban Conflicted Trading Act. America is facing a crisis of faith in its political system and elected leaders. This bill would reassure us that members of Congress aren’t profiting off of insider trading. Thanks. [H/T]
Extra Credit
Send to President Biden via the White House web form [H/T]:
Today, more than 2,700 people are serving time in federal prison for nonviolent cannabis convictions.
On the campaign trail you pledged to decriminalize marijuana and release all incarcerated people serving time for cannabis convictions.
Pardoning thousands of people incarcerated for nonviolent cannabis convictions is something you can do with the stroke of a pen, without the need for congressional approval. I urge you to take action immediately to reunite thousands of incarcerated people with their families and allow them to begin contributing to society.
Win Races! 🗳
Speaking of showing up, here are two Saturday events very worth attending!
SATURDAY 1/29 AT NOON CT: Phonebank to register voters in IL, WI and Swing States! Signup link here.
SATURDAY 1/29 AT 4PM CT Help retire WI Sen. Ron Johnson! Phone Bank To Wisconsin Voters with Indivisible Illinois and WisDems. Signup link here.
Get Smart!
Do handwritten postcards and letters to voters affect election outcomes? The answer is: It depends! In an effort to promote a greater understanding of volunteer-written postcard and letter campaigns, I’m co-sponsoring a Groundhog Day webinar hosted by Swing Blue Alliance. They will reveal the results of their 2020 postcard campaigns and discuss what kinds of handwritten letter/postcard writing campaigns are likely to be effective in 2022.
You will receive a list of questions any volunteer should ask before selecting a hand-written postcard or letter-writing campaign.
Wed, Feb 2 at 7 - 8:30 pm ET
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)
[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [quick send text SIGN PDYBJY to 50409]
Between April 2020 and April 2021, at least 100,000 people died from a preventable overdose- the worst year in recorded history. Impacts from COVID-19, such as physical distancing and wide-ranging unemployment, have led to isolation, stress, and despair among many people, including people who use drugs. All of these factors are increasing overdose risk and we need Congress to take action now to reverse this trend.
They can do that by passing H.R.1384 / S.445, the bipartisan Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act of 2021 immediately. The MAT Act would eliminate the DATA 2000 WAIVER ("X Waiver") requirement that discourages healthcare practitioners from integrating treatment in their practices and perpetuates stigma in the medical community against people who would benefit from buprenorphine treatment.
Now is the time to invest in proven solutions - like accessible healthcare, lifesaving treatment, and harm reduction measures - to stop preventable overdose deaths. To effectively respond to the urgency of the overdose epidemic, we need to eliminate barriers that prevent healthcare practitioners from providing evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders.
Countless lives depend on your support of this life-saving legislation. We need our government to end the overdose crisis. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess
Jessica, I don't like phone banks because I don't answer my phone if number is unrecognized. Sorry folks don't always follow through on commitments. I would like to thank you for your daily posts and scripts. I send emails to 4 senators(one WV , one AZ and two in NC) each week sometimes more often, because of your call scripts and encouragement. I am also speaking Feb. 1st in a forum to our city council in regards to changes to city rules that will negatively affect neighborhoods. Lastly, I write post cards for abby the democrat for races around the country. I would not be doing all this without your daily encouragement and dedication. Thank you and keep it up!
Ok- calls made, resist bot done and sent to my kids to do, signed up for both phone banks as we will be snowed in ( may not be able to do it if I lose power however!!) am working on postcards as I write and have class for your webinar but will check it out! So will sign up for the link after ok? Heard about Center for Common Ground last night and the amazing work they do and got to listen to Eric Holder- Marilyn is correct- so many good things to be doing and listening to. We are here … hang in there- remember to do some self care too🥰