Chop Wood, Carry Water 2/28
Hi, all, and happy Wednesday!
Oof! I’m running late this morning this afternoon! So no pep talk today—just the actions.
Which, in turn, will bring you hope.
Which, in turn, will bring you pep.
So maybe this newsletter itself is the pep talk.
You tell me.
Let’s get to work!
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I want Congress to do its job and pass a clean government funding bill with no policy riders attached. Attacks on LGBTQ people, abortion rights, or immigrants are unacceptable; the Senator should oppose any budget that includes them. I also want funding for Ukraine approved. It’s time to stop messing around. Congress has a lot of work to do. The American people are tired of chaos, dysfunction, and political stunts. We want a functioning government that’s working for, not against, the American people. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I want Congress to do its job and pass a clean government funding bill with no policy riders attached. Attacks on LGBTQ people, abortion rights, or immigrants are unacceptable; the Congressmember should oppose any budget that includes them. I also want funding for Ukraine approved. It’s time to stop messing around. The House has a lot of work to do; they need to get this done and get on with the business of helping Americans. Thanks.
[If GOP add:]
One more thing: I want all the impeachments to stop. We have a lot of problems in this country but Hunter Biden isn’t one of them, and neither is Alexander Mayorkas. Russian infiltration of the Republican party is something I’d like to see addressed, as is the climate emergency, corporate price gouging, and our healthcare crisis, to name a few. We want Congress to prioritize things we care about—not what Donald Trump wants. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
From the folks at Third Way:
We wanted to make sure you saw two new and urgent items about No Labels.
First, they’ve now flipped the entire premise of their campaign. They’ve long pledged that they would proceed only if they had a clear “path to victory.” No Labels’ CEO Nancy Jacobson has now rescinded that pledge: “This organization is not in it to win it…This organization is in it to give people a choice.” This statement in The Atlantic makes it official: they will do this to be a spoiler with the aim of forcing a contingent election.
Second, they appear to have set a date to gather their delegates to rubber stamp their decision. NY Magazine reports that No Labels will convene 800 fully vetted delegates on Friday, March 8 to vote to ratify their spoiler strategy.
You can help us ensure that every political operative and handicapper knows that No Labels is not in it to win it by retweeting this thread from Matt and spreading the word to your network.
Get Smart! 📚
Please join the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center tomorrow, February 29 at 10:30AM ET for Appropriations, Resolutions, and Shut Downs: What’s It All Mean for the Federal Budget?
This webinar, featuring special guest House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, will break down why the federal budget is important and how it all works. We'll decode buzzwords, the connection between federal, state, and local budgets, the federal budget's impact on essential programs so many rely on, and much more. We'll also talk through how and why the budget process gets derailed, as well as ways to engage and resources to know. Register now!
(The Congressional Progressive Caucus Center has launched a sign-up portal to expand access to their Unrig the Rules updates! Highly recommend subscribing.)
Spread the Word! 📣
Are you on Facebook? Check out Jodi Carter’s page "A Biden a Day." Every day she posts a video or graphic lifting up our 46th president’s work. It’s there for all to share!
You can sign up for notifications and then repost. Go here to do so.
Give 💰!
Movement Voter Project featured me in its Donor Spotlight newsletter yesterday! When they talk about the 65K I’ve raised for them this year they mean the 65K we’ve raised for them! Because I didn’t do it alone. So this article is about YOU, too!
Check it out and please share.
Win Races—Georgia! 🗳
The Center For Common ground has kicked off their 2024 postcard campaign! Addresses are now available to write voters of color in Georgia for the upcoming congressional primaries.
To get going, reach out to your regional organizer. You can find their contact information, postcard guidelines, a short video, ordering info and more on their postcard page. You must order CFCG’s postcards—they are the only ones you can use for this campaign.
ALSO…Join Andrea Miller, the CFCG’s founder, this Thursday, February 29, for her first election update of the year! During this call, she will talk about the postcard campaigns and their general plan for getting out the vote for the congressional primaries in Georgia and Virginia with plenty of time for questions you may have.
Win Races—California!
Action Alert - In highly flippable CA-22, urgent help is needed by volunteers ASAP to prevent a potential Dem shutout in the March 5 primary.
California grassroots organizers are coordinating a time-sensitive effort to turn out likely voters for Rudy Salas in California’s 22nd Congressional District in the Central Valley This is a Biden +16 district that has been targeted as one of the six most competitive districts to flip in CA. Our help is crucial because there’s growing concern that this competitive race may end up with NO democrats on the ballot in November! This Linktree has a range of volunteer activities including phone, canvassing and texting hosted by various organizations. Out-of-staters are needed to phonebank in particular! In-state volunteers are needed to canvass if geographically feasible.
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
You may remember that a few weeks back I moderated a “Chocoholics Unite!” Action Party for the folks at Climate Action Now. It was really a fantastic and interesting event, and participants sent over 1,200 messages to advocate for sustainable chocolate production, and a total of 6,227 so far!
If you didn't make it to the party, you can watch the recording here and then take the actions we took!
How? If you are viewing this message on your phone, click on this link.
If you are viewing it on your computer, scan the following QR code with your phone's camera, click on the link that pops up, and it’ll take you to the right page:
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: POTUS ] [H/T
] [Text SIGN PPDVVC to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]In 2021, President Biden issued an executive order to promote access to voting. Among other things, the order required the heads of federal agencies to come up with strategic plans for promoting voter registration and voter participation, including by directing people to an improved vote.org.
In a February 20, 2024, letter to the U.S. General Services Administration more than a dozen senators requested an update on progress in implementing the executive order. And I agree with them—this needs to get done!
I want the administration to fully and swiftly implement the executive order. Specifically:
Please honor the senators’ request for the GSA’s implementation plans, including updates, timelines, and deadlines, and the date that the modernization of Vote.gov will be completed.
And please make sure, pursuant to the executive order, that federal agencies have increased access to information about voter registration and elections, maximized participation under the National Voter Registration Act, and designed recommendations to help maximize participation from various communities.
We must do all we can to protect Americans’ right to vote. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
The resistbot petition today first mentions vote.org, the vote.gov. I believe vote.gov is correct. Is this typo fixable?
Which raises the question - What does Nancy Jacobson really want? One does not reasonably go into an election, especially one like 2024, without some real-life goal. Money? Ideology? Power? Any ideas?