Chop Wood, Carry Water 3/11
In the long game together.
Hi, all, and happy Monday!
Hope you were able to get some rest this weekend. Me—well, sort of? I’m working six day weeks right now, but there’s a good reason for it: I’m going to the Netherlands (and briefly Paris) for ten days with Mike and Mj on March 22, so I’ll likely be pausing— mostly—the newsletter during that time. You constantly remind me to practice self-care; taking a short vacation now that Super Tuesday is behind us and before campaign season has fully heated up seems like a form of that, no? Mj has never been to Europe, and neither Mike nor I have been there in decades, so we’re pretty excited.
I also look forward to experiencing the feeling of freedom from gun violence I get when I leave the U.S. It’s sad, but true.
Speaking of gun violence, we’ve got some calls on that today! Because our situation is bad, but it’s not hopeless. We know this because just the small number of policy changes the Biden administration has made have brought gun violence down significantly! Good gun laws work!
So let’s keep pushing for them, knowing that this, like so many other of our policy goals, is a long game.
And there’s no one I’d rather be in it with than you.
P.S. — Friendly reminder that I’ll be co-hosting a Markers For Democracy event tonight featuring Anderson Clayton, the dynamic young Chair of the NC Dems, and Simon Rosenberg. Should be great. Register here.
P.P.S. — I accidentally linked to the 2023 version of the SOTU on Friday. Sorry about that. The correct link is here.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
I’m calling to ask the Senator to co-sponsor S.2048, the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). This legislation will ensure that the survivors of gun violence will be allowed to have their day in court and the gun manufacturers, sellers and interest groups are not shielded from liability when they act with negligence and disregard for public safety. President Biden has called on Congress to repeal PLCAA numerous times. Please get it done. Thanks!
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
Two things:
First, I know the House is voting immanently on H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. I oppose this bill. No matter how well-intentioned, it’s an affront to the First Amendment. Also, until Congress is ready to deal with the ubiquitous issues around internet privacy a bill that targets only one platform is inappropriate and misleading. Please oppose it.
Also, please ask the Congressmember to support H.R.4184, the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). This legislation will ensure that the survivors of gun violence will be allowed to have their day in court and the gun manufacturers, sellers and interest groups are not shielded from liability when they act with negligence and disregard for public safety. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
According to Punchbowl, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA.) has been pushing a bipartisan Ukraine discharge petition to restart U.S. aid to Ukraine. The petition is eligible to get signatures. But Fitzpatrick hasn’t “turned on” the resolution yet, meaning no one can sign onto it. Let’s call Rep. Fitzpatrick and urge him to take the next step. And no, normally I don’t recommend calling representatives who aren’t ours, but this situation affects all of us. So…
Call Rep. Fitzpatrick at (202) 225-4276 or (215) 579-8102 and say something like:
My name is ______ and I’m calling to ask Rep. Fitzpatrick to “turn on” the discharge petition to restart U.S. aid to Ukraine right away. The stakes are sky high — failing to pass this aid will endanger our NATO allies, the democratic world order, and eventually our own troops. History is watching. Please ask Rep. Fitzpatrick to activate the discharge petition now. Thanks.
Get Smart 📚
Republicans think they can get away with saying they support IVF while voting against it. Tonight, from 7-8 PM ET, a grassroots campaign is launching to make sure they don’t get away with it. Join Red, Wine and Blue’s Emergency Troublemaker Training to learn what’s happening, what’s at stake, and what you can do about it!
Oh, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth will be there!
Spread the Word! 📣
Please post this new Biden ad on your socials. It’s really good. Such an easy way to help get President Biden’s message out!
Give 💰!
Join the States Project on Tuesday, 3/12 at 8PM ET / 5PM PT for a special conversation about their work this year in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania!
Win Races! 🗳
On Tuesday, March 12 at 12:00pm ET, Big Tent USA is hosting a Zoom event to launch their 2024 letter writing partnership with Vote Forward. BigTent's letter-writing goal for 2024 is a Big Send of 100K letters to voters!
At this launch event you will hear from Catherine Vaughan, Emily Wasserman, and Nia Bentall from Vote Forward. They will do a presentation that dives into the impact of letter-writing, and explores its effectiveness in making a difference in elections.
If you are not sure what letter-writing entails- check out Big Tent’s slide presentation here. On Tuesday they will have live letter writing, with letters to voters in Georgia, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Even if you can't make the zoom but want to request letters use this Link and they will email them to you!
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
A new search engine that helps protect animals and biodiversity just launched in the US. KARMA has a unique business model. Like other search engines, it earns revenue from sponsored links. Unlike other search engines, though, it donates 100% of its proceeds to two organizations working to protect animals and biodiversity around the world, Humane Society International and Re:wild. And it just became available to use in the U.S. last week.
KARMA launched in France in 2022, and has since had more than 150,000 mobile app and browser downloads. The recent North America debut is expected to bring in $100 million for the charity partners over the next three years — explore the site. [H/T Nice News]
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: your HOUSE rep] [H/T] [Text SIGN POABIK to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
As your constituent, I'm writing to ask that you co-sponsor H.R. 1478, the Federal Firearms Licensee Act.
This is a groundbreaking gun safety bill that will help keep guns off our streets by providing law enforcement with the tools necessary to crack down on gun trafficking and the rogue gun sellers that perpetuate it.
The laws that govern gun dealers are outdated—and that's what makes them dangerous. By modernizing and strengthening the federal laws that gun dealers must follow, this legislation will ensure that gun sales are done responsibly, securely, and safely, and that the dealers who fail to do so are held accountable.
Please co-sponsor the Federal Firearms Licensee Act to make sure gun dealers are required to do their part to stop this deadly crisis.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Just finished the list from today and always feel like I accomplished something. Yet you do all the heavy lifting! So thrilled for your well-deserved and earned break- enjoy every second! and thank you as always.
When you call Cong Fitzpatrick’s office to leave a message, press 1 as a constituent. If you press 2, or disconnects you. I called again and passed along the discharge petition message to the young man who answered the phone.