Chop Wood, Carry Water 2/29
A clarifying moment.
(Watch this new video from @BidenHarrisHQ and be sure to follow them on all social! They’re making amazing content!)
Hi, all, and happy Thursday.
Well, yesterday was a bear, wasn’t it? I don’t know about you, but the Supreme Court’s decision to hear—and greatly delay—Donald Trump’s preposterous immunity case was a real gut punch. I’m not someone who’s ever believed that the courts were coming to save us, but it does feel unbelievably unfair—and disheartening and enraging—to see Trump receive every conceivable break in the world from courts that are clearly compromised and broken beyond repair.
So yeah, my first response was depression, I’ll admit.
But this morning I woke up strangely energized. Because if this week has done anything—between the IVF ruling, the Nex Benedict case, and the SCOTUS ruling—it’s woken a whole bunch of Americans up to the frightful danger in which we find ourselves. We really are fighting a well-funded Christian Nationalist cabal which has captured our courts, co-opted one of our political parties, and laid plans for a theocracy in Trump’s second term. They do want a full abortion ban. They do plan on coming after contraception. They will try to ban gay marriage and gender affirming care. They are, indeed, against IVF, surrogacy, and even egg or sperm donation. (Read this. It’ll totally blow your mind.) They do, in truth, oppose ALL exceptions for abortion laws, and they are primarying Republicans who try to include them in their legislation.
I could go on, but I don’t need to. You know the deal. These are the people running SCOTUS, the GOP, and Trump. Americans are waking up to it. Good. We still have time to stop them.
And stop them we must.
The feeling I experienced upon awakening, then, was a healthy one in such a situation: defiance. I hope you’re feeling it, too. You should! This is no time to throw up our hands and say “It’s too much!” It’s no time to plan our move to another country—after all, the movement we’re fighting is worldwide. It’s no time to sink into apathy or cynicism.
It’s time to double down on everything we’re doing. To get busier. Louder. More determined. More insistent. To remember that they are scary but they are a minority, too. Their ideology is deeply, deeply unpopular. The vast majority of Americans want nothing to do with it.
On that note, it’s also time to recruit more of that “vast majority” to our fight. Tell your friends and family they’re needed. Tell them they can join my “adopt a state” program here, or sign up for this newsletter, or join Swing Left (don’t forget, their national mobilization call is tonight!), or watch my strategic giving webinar and then give to one of our SMART target orgs, or work on fixing the Supreme Court, or simply start writing postcards. Or all of it! But make sure they know that we need them now!
Our job is to harness the energies of every concerned American we can—to make sure they vote, raise their voices, and use their hands to help us build a real democracy. We can do this by both raising the alarm about what we face if Trump wins and reminding voters of what more we can do if we win.
Let’s make sure Americans understand, in other words, that, as Movement Voter Project’s Executive Director wrote in his wonderful February Newsletter, “we can have nice things. But we have to fight for them.”
So let’s go do that. Have faith, my friends. We’re in it to win it, and win it we will.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I understand that yesterday Senator Duckworth tried to bring up S. 3612 “the Access to Family Building Act” to pass it via Unanimous Consent, but that Senator Hyde-Smith blocked it, arguing that it violates religious freedoms? I also see that it has no Republican co-sponsors? This is madness. I support this bill and want the Senate to pass it now. Will the Senator fight to do just that?
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, I understand that yesterday Senator Duckworth tried to bring up the Senate version of “the Access to Family Building Act”—it’s HR 7056 in the House—to pass it via Unanimous Consent, but that Senator Hyde-Smith blocked it? I also see that it has no Republican co-sponsors in the House or Senate? (It had one in the House, but she withdrew it!) This is madness. Why are Republicans saying they support IVF but blocking this bill? I support it and want the House to pass it now. Will the Congressmember fight to do just that? Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Americans United For the Separation of Church and State has a new petition demanding that Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt fire School Superintendent Ryan Walters, who recently was revealed to have ties to a seriously awful right wing influencer. Like, this guy has NO BUSINESS being near public education.
**Also, if anyone has time to do a bit of research into what big companies are based in Oklahoma I’m thinking the threat of a boycott could help. I just don’t have the time to track that info down. Please message me if you do.
Get Smart! 📚
Don’t you wish there was a database where you could search Biden administration investments? THERE IS!
Explore CAP Action’s Biden Administration Investment Tracker to see the impacts of the administration’s legislation—including new jobs, better infrastructure, and more.
And if you want to be kept up to date when new Biden Administration projects are announced you can sign up to receive an alert here.
Spread the Word! 📣
The DNC is asking us the amplify the below:
Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans Block IVF Protections
Yesterday, Senate Republicans blocked a commonsense bill that would have guaranteed every American the right to access in vitro fertilization services and the ability to choose when to start and grow their families.
It’s simple: If Donald Trump supported IVF, he would demand Republicans protect access to it – but he hasn't.
Right now, families across Alabama can’t access IVF treatments because a ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court ripped away access to IVF, preventing loving couples from growing their families.
What is happening right now is only possible because Donald Trump intentionally appointed three Supreme Court justices who would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade – and other states could follow.
And if Trump is reelected, it will only get worse:
He has called for punishment for women who get abortions.
He’s supporting a national abortion ban.
His allies have plans to ban abortion nationwide if he’s elected – with or without the help of Congress.
And a new piece this week detailed his allies’ comprehensive strategy to rip away access to reproductive health care, including restricting access to contraception.
There is no question that reproductive freedom is on the ballot in November, and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the only candidates who stand up for women’s rights to make their own health care decisions.
This @BidenHarrisHQ TikTok, which I also posted above, is also excellent.
Give 💰!
🚨 Important fundraiser alert! 🚨
All In North Carolina is raising funds to support a serious and ambitious program to dramatically increase turnout in the state, particularly in Mecklenburg County. I am deeply invested in this effort, as I think we can win NC if we do it right.
You can donate any amount and you’ll be invited to an event taking place next Wednesday, March 6 at 7:30 pm ET, featuring terrific North Carolina organizers and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. I’m co-hosting the event, and, along with Robert Hubble, trying to raise 15K towards a 600K goal! WOW!
The event should be great—I’ll be moderating—but just giving is fine, too. I’ve got a GOOD feeling about North Carolina this year, folks. Because of YOU! Please give if you can. If you want to come to the event without giving email me and I’ll get you sorted.
Win Races—POSTCARD! 🗳
From Markers For Democracy:
Baldwinsville, NY is in CD-22, one of the NY Congressional Districts we want to flip to retake the House in 2024. Two or three Republican families have dominated the Baldwinsville village government for decades. By not publicizing March village elections, they have kept turnout low, discouraged opposition & consequently incumbents frequently run unopposed. In a village with 5,200 registered voters, typically 200 voters show up to elect the mayor and trustees.
When the Baldwinsville Board of Trustees refused to put a referendum to move elections to November on the ballot (discussed was the value of low voter turnout & instead added to the ballot a referendum moving local elections to June!), local Democrats spearheaded a volunteer effort, passed petitions, and collected 297 signatures to put a Village Referendum to move Village elections to November on the ballot.
We're writing postcards to remind Baldwinsville that Village elections are March 19th & there is an important referendum on the ballot. If you don't have an account on Postcards For Democracy, email us at Postcards@MarkersForDemocracy.org & let us know how you learned about us.
Win Races—Text 💻
One of my readers sent me this great list of places she knows of that do texting campaigns. Such a good resource to have if texting is your jam!
https://volunteer.movementlabs.com/trainings/get-started-texting
https://whenweallvote.org/texting/
https://organizing.nextgenamerica.org/text/
https://action.aclu.org/rapidresponsetextbank
https://events.democrats.org/event/597288/
Also Commit to Democracy is having a textbank on March 3rd to get out the vote for the California primaries. Sign up here.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: the Supreme Court] [H/T Joyce Vance, from whom I borrowed liberally for this letter] [Text SIGN PRWOYC to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I’m writing to express my horror and disappointment in your decision to first delay, then hear Donald Trump’s absurd Presidential immunity case. It’s a major disappointment for people who believe justice can be done and presidents are not above the law.
This is not about politics. This is not about using a criminal prosecution in an unfair way against a candidate for office. This is about seeking justice and accountability, the core functions of our criminal justice system.
This isn't a hard case. The substantive argument Trump makes—that presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for anything they do in office and more specifically, for trying to steal an election—is a loser and everyone knows it. If it’s not, to quote Joyce Vance, “our claim to be a democracy is no longer viable.”
But it’s becoming increasingly apparent that several justices on your court don’t care.
If it is true—and it is—that “justice delayed is justice denied,” then this Supreme Court has denied U.S. citizens justice in the most important court case we’ve ever seen.
We will remember it. So will history.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
You are a national treasure, Jess!
Jess, this biggest name company in OK ( and there are not too many, other than oil companies! ) is Hobby Lobby. And that would be a GREAT place to do a boycott. They fancy themselves as a company with religious values; well, let's see if they would back that up. Or, would they condone bullying which leads to death - of a child. I'm in!