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Beth Kephart's avatar

Because I have grown so furious with Fetterman, one of my two foolish senators, my notes are starting to look like this. It's getting personal, because it is:

Dear John Fetterman.

Please. Please. You said that you went to Mar-a-Lago and found Trump to be "cordial and kind." How does that even begin to square with his deportation of LEGAL immigrants in degrading you-can't-go to-the-bathroom-while-stuck-on-a-plane fashion? Are you so easily duped? Do you believe what you are saying? Do you not care, at all, what is happening to this country?

Please show us that YOU are kind by not allowing Kennedy, who has already killed dozens with his anti-vaccine policy and will kill millions more. Please show us that YOU are being smart by not putting a Russian spy in charge of our national security. Please show us that YOU care by not allowing Trump to strip all hard working people of benefits they have earned or of rights that live in the constitution.

Please wake up. Every time I send a note to your office, I get, two weeks later, some email that has NOTHING to do with my note. NOTHING. I send a note about Hegseth and I get a letter about gun control. Etc.

You have to do better than this.

Millions of Pennsylvanians — many of them Republicans at this point — want you to end your love affair with Trump and do the work you were hired to do.

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Lynell(VA by way of MD&DC)'s avatar

Thank you, Beth. I live in Virginia but spent tons of time and $$ supporting getting Fetterman elected. What we're seeing from him now is mind-boggling.

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MLRGRMI's avatar

The most basic “mind-shift” needed right now is to realize that WE are not entitled to Democracy. I am done with operating from that naive premise. I WANT to live in a Democracy. So I must WORK to make that happen, to make that birth into existence. The New-Deal-American Era we grew up in is over. It has died from power-mongering, Planter-Class Supremacists out maneuverings engaged voters who felt entitled to democracy, and a whole bunch of eligible voters who lost their faith in America a long time ago, and were content to watch porn and cat videos while the barricades are breached. We are left needing to craft in-real-time fighting responses to a firehose of shit. For many of us now, We either prove we are capable of crafting a democracy to wrench away from the grip of the oligarchs, or we die trying. We are not the first group of humans to need to fight like hell to preserve the Light of Democracy. If we are strong-hearted, we won’t be the last. Pushing back on duplicitous members of congress we worked to get in office is going to be a daily job.

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Beth Kephart's avatar

I mean who the HELL is he right now? What was he talking about on the View? I call and yell into the phone every day. I send these letters. Is he listening? Thank you for helping to get the D elected. But — we have to be heard by him now. Just finished my sweep of letters today, including a very loud one to Jeffries.

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Katherine's avatar

I think it may have something to do with the stroke. Cause he's different.

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Beth Kephart's avatar

There were parts of his past that worried me when he ran (which is why, in the primary, I voted for Malcolm). AT LEAST my most recent note to him got a note that was SOMEWHAT relevant to my own letters to his office. Though it was so generic, it would have worked for anything.

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Jess Craven's avatar

Love this!

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maggie towne's avatar

I think he’s been paid off and/or asshole threatened his family perhaps… He is a lightweight. He is a fuck up. I am so glad I don’t live in Pennsylvania anymore.

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Susan's avatar

Katie Britt, yes that Katie, is a personal friend of his. She visited and helped him when he was hospitalized. Meanwhile I am just a PA voter who supported his campaign. I have a maga congressman Kelly, Senator Casey is gone, and I thought well at least we still have Fetterman. I think that assessment may be wrong.

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Beth Kephart's avatar

it can be so dispiriting. at least he seemed to wake up after the Kennedy bit....

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Beth Kephart's avatar

My husband keeps asking about blackmail. Is he being blackmailed? How else would you explain this shift?

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maggie towne's avatar

Gotcha

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maggie towne's avatar

Yeah, I don’t know, but the man is kind of pathetic when I saw what he was wearing to the inauguration, his usual giant hoodie with his shorts on come on give me a break Fetterman since his stroke something went wrong in his brain?

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Beth Kephart's avatar

For the record I did not vote for him in the primary. But then our other choice was Oz. We had to elect him.

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krishere's avatar

Shared your letter on Facebook with this statement: “Perhaps some of you can modify and use parts of this letter as a phone call script and email content.” I am urging everyone to share their stuff, regardless of which state they’re in.

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Sarah C.'s avatar

Download the free app ‘5 calls’ to easily reach out to representatives and tell them how you feel. The app has all the phone numbers for each state and even scripts to read if you need guidance. It’s helped people make over 4 million calls. Put your unhappiness into action! Please share the word.

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Susan's avatar

I sent two letters via email to his office regarding Kennedy and all I got was a standard thank you for contacting me, I rely on my constituents to let me know what they think - type of emailed response.

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Dianne Chrestopoulos's avatar

I called 4 senators yesterday - the 2 idiots from TX and Schumer and Jeffries and will call again today. Thank you for your call to action, I am trying to get the few Dems who live around me here in red, red E TX to get on the phone and make the calls. It's so easy to do, we all have to oppose and work forward.

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Jess Craven's avatar

We sure do.

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Stephen Sepaniak's avatar

Jess (and others), does leaving voicemail have the same effect as talking to a staffer? Those calls still get tallied, right?

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Sarah C.'s avatar

Maybe suggest they download the free app ‘5 calls’ to easily reach out to representatives and tell them how they feel. The app has all the phone numbers for each state and even scripts to read if you need guidance. It’s helped people make over 4 million calls. Put your unhappiness into action! Please share the word.

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Gini Maddocks's avatar

I am at my wit's end--and without your guidance, I'd be much worse. Hiding my head won't work; howling at the moon, won't either. Thank you for making it easy to find my senator and DO SOMETHING--anything. God help us all.

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Trina's avatar

Thank you so much, Jess! Will continue my daily emailing and calling. Will add those specific ideas from Invisible, and include the ones the House can use in calls to my Congressman.

Years ago I remember thinking that I wanted to become more politically active when I retired. Wow, I certainly never imagined that it would involve this kind of politics

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Jess Craven's avatar

Careful what you wish for! 😉

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Trina's avatar

Got through to a live person in Sen. Padilla's office. Asked her for a rundown on all his cabinet votes. Stated very clearly that going forward, I expect every single one of those confirmation votes to be a No.

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Sarah C.'s avatar

Download the free app ‘5 calls’ to easily reach out to representatives and tell them how you feel. The app has all the phone numbers for each state and even scripts to read if you need guidance. It’s helped people make over 4 million calls. Put your unhappiness into action! Please share the word.

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Suzanne Whitaker's avatar

Thanks, Jess. I watched your youtube yesterday as well as Caroline Kennedy’s. Thanks for being a strong voice in all of this. …a little story: When I had my son 27 years ago I needed to address the vaccine mandate. My sister was an anti-vaxxer at the time and encouraged me to look into it. I trusted my pediatrician, and I asked him his thoughts on vaccinations. He said this: “I have been on many missions in third world countries and I see what happens when children are not vaccinated. Yes, get the vaccines.” He knew from firsthand experience. I trust that.

Fast forward to last year or so. My son did not ever get the Covid vaccine because he listens to crazy sh*t that told him not to. He was delayed on his trip to Japan for 48 hours because he wasn’t vaccinated. I’m happy that’s the worst thing that happened. He is a strong young man. But the young babies and children of Samoa did not fare as well. Parents listened to crazy sh*t from an unqualified source whose ego has him go on shows like Joe Rogan spouting total BS. My son thinks he is great and wouldn’t mind looking/feeling like him in his 70s.

I’m so angry that this disinformation on so very many important things has taken over the minds of so many gullible people and has pitted us all against each other. I long for a fact-based world and a universal agreement on facts that govern people’s actions for the better and for the realization that this affects us all! (Sorry so long)

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Jess Craven's avatar

I hear you. It’s devastating to see facts fall by the wayside. I pray we get them back.

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Suzanne Whitaker's avatar

Me too. Thanks. 💕

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Bob Morgan's avatar

Yes, Jess! The world is still a beautiful place, and despite the ugliness that has revisited 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, so is America. Here's Ray Charles singing about it: https://www.google.com/search?q=ray+charles+america+the+beautiful&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#ebo=0

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Merrill's avatar

Hey Jess

How about a letter to Democratic House members demanding they start an Impeachment hearing IMMEDIATELY!

We need to push back now!

Also a letter to Schumer telling him to organize it..

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Sarah C.'s avatar

Download the free app ‘5 calls’ to easily reach out to representatives and tell them how you feel. The app has all the phone numbers for each state and even scripts to read if you need guidance. It’s helped people make over 4 million calls. Put your unhappiness into action! Please share the word.

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Jude Johnson's avatar

Called and/or emailed Gallego and Kelly every day so far. Love the Indivisible script!

Signed up for training on resisting ICE raids next week.

I quoted your links on contacting Senators and Reps in my "Resistance" Substack yesterday as well as the Women's March info. https://judeaz.substack.com/p/resistance

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Sarah C.'s avatar

It makes it even easier if you download the free app ‘5 calls’ to easily reach out to representatives and tell them how you feel. The app has all the phone numbers for each state and even scripts to read if you need guidance. It’s helped people make over 4 million calls. Put your unhappiness into action! Please share the word.

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Eileen G's avatar

Thank you Jess for steering the ship through this seemingly unending storm. I appreciate the actions we can all take. I don’t hesitate to make phone calls now to call my senators and representatives. It’s like a muscle that is strengthened. The more you do it, the easier it gets.

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Suzanne Pouliot's avatar

I just contacted the two senators from PA and expressed my outrage and concerns about RFK Jr. becoming head of Health Agency. Thanks for posting your video about the measles epidemic in Samoa

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Lorraine Tilbury's avatar

I used the 5 calls app to call my NC Senators & House rep to oppose R Kennedy Jr & the OMB finding freeze. Thanks for the great scripts!

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Mary Moore's avatar

I called my Dem senators (from MD), using your suggested requests. I also urged them to do what they can to find and support new leadership for the Democrats in the Senate. Schumer and Durbin are timid patsies and need to be replaced ASAP. I suggested Van Hollen himself along with perhaps Corey Booker, Elizabeth Warren, or Chris Dodds.

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foreign affairs fed's avatar

Hi all -- when calling in about the budget freezes, can you please include the foreign aid pause in your asks??

The State Department and USAID have been ordered to stop work on all foreign aid so they can review for "policy alignment with the new admin" despite the money already being appropriated by Congress. It's the same situation as the domestic funding freeze, but I don't think many Americans are aware of that.

There is vital work to be done abroad that we cannot do due to this unconstitutional pause!

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Lynell(VA by way of MD&DC)'s avatar

Gosh, faf, I can't find it but am sure I saw foreign aid being part of the push-back on what the executive branch is trying to do. Thank you.

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foreign affairs fed's avatar

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/us/politics/trump-rubio-foreign-aid.html

"The officials say the groups must freeze nearly all programs that have received any of the $70 billion of annual aid budget approved by Congress through bipartisan negotiations. They include programs that provide medicine, shelter and clean water in dire conditions and often make the difference between life and death."

If it has already been approved by Congress, the Executive Branch doesn't just get to say nope we don't like this. It's the same tactic!

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foreign affairs fed's avatar

SPOX is about to put out a note about "how much money the pause has saved the US"... what a joke!!

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Cheryl Johnson's avatar

What is SPOX?

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foreign affairs fed's avatar

The spokesperson. Sorry I'm usually pretty well trained about spelling out acronyms!!

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Virginia Kelly's avatar

Thank you. Practical advice about action to take is particularly welcome at the moment, as many of us begin to feel overwhelmed.

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Jess Craven's avatar

💯

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Berto's avatar

Thank you Jess!!! Getting to work on it right now

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Jess Craven's avatar

Thanks!

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Joanne E.'s avatar

Thanks Jess!

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