Chop Wood, Carry Water 12/9
Building that wall...of noise.
Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
I’m multitasking like crazy right now—on my Progressive Mobilization call, writing this, making TikToks of myself calling the White House…all with one hand! ✋🏼 So pardon me for any disjointedness.
In lieu of an articulate message I offer you this timely quote from Dan Rather;
“Victory and justice are never assured. We cannot always count on happy endings. But successes are possible. Perseverance is necessary. And even when the future seems bleak, we should not succumb to pessimism.”
— Steady 12/7
I love Rather. He is what I call a “hope-maker,” (along with Robert Hubbell, Heather Cox Richardson, Marc Elias, Deirdre Helmsetter, and a few more.) We need more of them. He wrote the above about living through Pearl Harbor, but it may as well be about now. It’s worth reading the whole piece if you can.
I also wanted to answer a question from a reader. She asked:
“What are your thoughts about calling senators/ representatives from states where you do not live? I live in the progressive state of Massachusetts and they are all on board.”
My answer is this: What I've been given to understand by Indivisible leaders and others is that calling representatives that are not ours, while sometimes satisfying, is almost never effective. (An exception to this is if they chair a committee, or lead a delegation, like Senator Schumer or Nancy Pelosi.) If we can't vote for them they genuinely do not care about—or in most cases even record— what we say. So it’s best if we stick to our own.
Occasionally, however, we do get the chance to call voters in key states and patch them through to their lawmakers. This can be really effective! It just so happens that there is such an opportunity in today’s newsletter; take it if you feel frustrated by your lack of “juicy” representatives.
OK. We are being told right now on my call that both Build Back Better and the Freedom to Vote Act are still very much in play. The former should be voted on in the next week to 10 days. The latter may take a bit longer, but it is far from dead and we should keep up the pressure. I know it's frustrating, but this is what making sausage looks like.
Our job?
Keep building that wall of noise. So let’s do that.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
[to Democrats only] First, I know the White House is hosting a virtual Summit for Democracy that is focussing on challenges and opportunities facing democracies. But meanwhile here at home our democracy is hanging by a thread. The President and the Senate need to turn all of their attention to passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act now. Before the new year. There is no time to wait, and the real, existential threat to our democracy posed by the Republican Party can’t be overstated.
[to all:] I’m frustrated to hear that a defense budget was passed that was even more than the president asked for and is multiple times more expensive than the Build Back Better Act. When is Congress going to start prioritizing the American people over bloated military packages? I want the Senate to pass the Build Back Better Act now and I expect the Senator to support it in its fullest form.
One more thing: I support the nomination by President Biden of Gigi Sohn for the FCC. I hope the Senator will, too. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I want to Congressmember to vote yes on H.R. 5314 the Protecting Our Democracy Act today.
Also, I strongly support the Postal Service Reform Act (H.R. 3076), which would repeal the pre-funding mandate and enact critical reforms, like protecting six-day delivery, adding cost-saving Medicare integration for future postal retirees, and increasing transparency in Postal Service management. Thanks!
Extra Credit
Call the White House. I know. Again. But this matters. 202-456-1111. The lines are open till 3 PM Eastern time today. Please call. [if you get this too late or if you can't get through please send this as a resistbot by texting SIGN PGAOEB to 50409]
I know the White House is hosting a virtual Summit for Democracy right now that is focussing on challenges and opportunities facing other democracies. But meanwhile here at home our democracy is hanging by a thread. The President and the Senate Democrats need to turn all of their attention to reforming the filibuster and passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act now. Before the new year. There is no time to wait, and the real, existential threat to our democracy posed by the Republican Party can’t be overstated. Thanks.
Extra EXTRA Credit
One week after COP26 President Biden and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland hosted the largest oil & gas offshore lease sale in US history: 80 million acres of public waters for drilling. This is a violation of the climate and environmental justice promises President Biden made during his campaign.
Thankfully it's not too late to stop the sale!
Let’s call the Department of Interior at 866-834-8040 and urge President Biden and Secretary Haaland to reverse the sale. Say:
"My name is ___, and I live in _____, I am calling to urge President Biden and Secretary Haaland to stop lease sale 257 in the Gulf of Mexico. This was an illegal sale, and this Administration has the authority to stop it before it is finalized on January 1st. It’s time for the administration to keep their campaign promises and stand up for environmental justice. Thank you."
Get on the Phones! ☎️
Frustrated that you don't live in a state where your calls make a difference? Want to stick it to Kirsten Sinema? Join The Declaration for American Democracy and Common Cause for a phone bank into AZ today! Featured speaker is American labor leader and co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association, Dolores Huerta!
You'll be calling Arizona voters and asking them to call their Senators in support of the Freedom to Vote Act, the largest civil rights bill in a generation. The Freedom to Vote Act will revolutionize voting across the country and guarantee basic standards for every voter, from California to Alabama.
Sign up here. Today from 5:30-8 EST.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)
[to your Senators] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PMBTGJ to 50409]
I'm sick of expensive, volatile fossil fuel prices—and it’s clear that the solution is to pass the Build Back Better Act with its full suite of clean energy investments.
Wind and solar energy are the world's cheapest electricity, and they're only getting cheaper. The Build Back Better Act's clean energy investments will save utility companies and customers across the country $9 billion each year by 2030.
Clean energy is cheap energy. I need the Senator to pass the Build Back Better Act and lower my energy costs by investing in clean energy.
Thank you for your time and attention to this very important matter.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess