Hi, all, and happy Friday!
My kid is designing our family crest for a history class assignment. It’s only in the beginning stages, but the concept is beautiful—they’ve got crows on each side—the smartest birds—and an eye pierced by a sword (it’s not as gory as it sounds).
But it’s the motto on the ribbon beneath the crest that I love the most. It says:
Don’t try to bend a stubborn heart.
The quote, it turns out, is from Sappho—Mj has been reading her poetry. I’m not sure what it’s doing on our family crest, but I do love the line. I told my husband it was going to be my new response when people asked me how to get through to Trump voters.
Because, of course, we can’t.
The good news is we don’t need to “bend stubborn hearts” like theirs to save our country. We don’t need to to win elections, either. We simply need to awaken those un-stubborn hearts that are scared, angry, or anxious, but doing little about it. It’s our job to help them understand that only by engaging can we save this country. Only by voting can we dislodge the sickness eating away at our democracy. It is only by taking action that we can fan the flames of hope that are now mere embers in so many of us.
Our hearts can stubbornly focus on this. And they should.
So let’s recruit more people to get involved in this work, and leave the stubborn hearts of hate to grow more and more brittle…until they shatter, turn to dust, and blow away.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling because I know the Senate just held a third confirmation hearing for Gigi Sohn, Biden’s terrific nominee for a position on the FCC board. I’m wondering what the holdup is in getting her confirmed? She is overwhelmingly qualified and completely dedicated to fighting for the public interest. The American people need the FCC to get to work. Please ask the Senator to do everything in his/her power to hasten Sohn’s confirmation. Thanks.
[If Democrat add:] Also, please ask them to quickly confirm President Biden’s judicial nominees and continue to fill all judicial vacancies as fast as possible. Time is of the essence. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’d like the Congressmember to vote to cut funding for ICE and CBP in Fiscal Year 2024. Anyone working along the border will tell you that these agencies are wildly overfunded. Their agents are cruel and abusive, their policies ineffective. Throwing more money at them rewards bad performance and does nothing to solve out border problem.
[If Democrat add:] This is a way to meaningfully reduce harm to aspiring Americans and their communities. Please do it. Thanks. [H/T]
[If GOP add:] The GOP is looking for places to make budget cuts. This is a great one. So stop threatening to tank our economy by refusing to raise the debt ceiling and fight to trim the CPB and ICE budget instead. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
The Lever continued its excellent derailment-related reporting this morning with a piece revealing that President Biden and the DOJ are siding with Norfolk Southern in a lawsuit currently before SCOTUS. If Norfolk Southern wins the suit it could make it harder for people like the residents of East Palestine to sue them for damages. Gross. Let’s reach out to the DOJ and to POTUS.
The DOJ comment line is 202-353-1555 or you can write them here. Say something like (I borrowed this text from the Lever article):
I understand that the DOJ is siding with Norfolk Southern, the railroad giant behind the Ohio train derailment disaster, in a Supreme Court case that could help the company block future lawsuits, including from victims of the recent derailment. This is unacceptable. Norfolk Southern is asking the Supreme Court to overturn Pennsylvania law and restrict where corporations can be sued, upending centuries of precedent. Why would the U.S. government come out in favor of such a thing? To protect interstate commerce and our “trade interests?” Since when are such interests more important than the American people’s? Please withdraw your supporting brief and stop putting corporations over people! Thanks.
You can send an almost identical letter to President Biden via Resistbot by texting SIGN PXTHMG to 50409.
Get Smart! 📚
Simon Rosenberg and NDN just dropped a new and fresh recording of With Democrats Things Get Better. You can find it here.
If you’ve never seen With Dems I highly recommend it. It's a 30 minute deep dive on Biden, Dems and the economy - essential material for the current economic debate. You can learn more about the big arguments behind With Dems here.
Spread the Word! 📣
BREAKING: Pence, Haley Double Down on Cutting Social Security and Medicare:
Just a week after Republicans falsely claimed at the State of the Union there wasn’t any Republican plan to cut Social Security and Medicare, Mike Pence and Nikki Haley, both angling for the 2024 GOP nomination, embraced wholesale replacing or cutting Social Security and Medicare. Already, cutting Social Security and Medicare is becoming a key litmus test as 2024 GOP hopefuls race for the MAGA base. Read more from the DNC War Room.
Give 💰!
[H/T Abortion Every Day—subscribe, trust me!!]
The amazing folks running the abortion subreddit (read this great New York Magazine profile of them here) need our help. The activists at the Abortion Squad are answering questions morning, noon and night about abortion—helping link women up with resources, letting them know about their rights and care in their areas, and just generally spreading accurate information and feminist good will. But they’re doing it as volunteers on their own time and dime.
Let’s show them that we appreciate all of the hard work helping the women who need it most by donating whatever we can. This the kind of innovative and on-the-ground activism we’re always talking about wanting to see more of: So let’s put our money where our mouths are! Donate here!
Win Races! 🗳
Did you know that Indivisible Marin has phonebanks into Wisconsin on Saturdays?
Saturdays 9:30 AM—11AM PT: Sign up here.
So does Grassroots Dems!
Saturdays 10Am-12PM PT Sign up here.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To President Biden] [H/T Sierra Club] [Quick send text SIGN PHJTWD to 50409]
I write to respectfully request that you immediately nominate a fifth commissioner to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
A deadlocked FERC could slow down key reforms on electricity transmission and gas infrastructure, and even enable projects and policies that hinder climate progress.
FERC is considering important rules and infrastructure projects across the energy sector. We’re at a critical juncture where we are confronting the climate crisis, dealing with increased energy costs, and creating the roadmap for a clean energy future. We cannot afford deadlock and inaction at FERC. We need five FERC Commissioners. It’s time to take action. Please nominate a climate, environmental justice, and clean energy champion as the fifth FERC Commissioner. Thank you for your consideration.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Words of wisdom & encouragement. A forest of ([Bannon-like] 's#@t' flooding the zone') seems to have perpetually concealed the right tree! Thank you
Jessica did you listen to Sisters in Law this Saturday? They talk about the way Texas organizes the federal judges and how it could be changed. Do you know if anyone has a campaign that is writing to the Chief federal judge in Texas to as to change so the judges rotate like most of the other states?