Chop Wood, Carry Water 3/13

Mar 13, 2023

Hi, all, and happy Monday!

Well, there’s apparently no such thing as a slow start to the week in today’s America.

Here’s what I’m going to say about Biden’s disastrous Willow decision, because I know it sickens many of you the way it does me:

First, it sucks. It really does. There is no way around the fact that this is a terrible decision, one that will have awful consequences if we’re not able to stop it in the courts.

Second: We must. Live. To. Fight. Another. Day.

Look—we have taken so many beatings over the last 7 years. Most of them were at the hands of Republicans, but some really tough losses—think the Freedom to Vote Act—were suffered at the hands of Democrats. Politicians will let us down. No individual lawmaker can—or will—avoid making terrible, shortsighted, jaw-droppingly stupid mistakes at least some of the time. Biden is clearly no exception to this rule.

But we have the power to keep fighting, and we must. It’s exhausting, yes. It’s debilitating. It’s infuriating. But it’s what we’re faced with, and we must show up for the battle. Biden has thrown the proverbial mud in our faces, but we must wipe it out of our eyes and keep trudging. Our very survival is at stake.

One more thing: we’ve encountered many devastating losses in the past and managed to make something good come of them. Remember when Roe was overturned? It was one of the worst days of many of our lives—and yet it later enabled us to win an election that otherwise might have cost us our democracy. So I’m not saying that bad decisions are at all good; I’m simply saying they can have unforeseen consequences that are.

I close with this: on the good days we chop wood and carry water. On the hard days we do the same. This is a lifelong project, and our moods can’t interfere with our determination. Today I’m mad and sad and a bit disheartened, but that won’t change a THING about what I do.

I hope you can say the same. For the only way we lose is if we stop trying.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

First, I’m calling to say that I’m angry and extremely disappointed at President Biden’s decision to approve the Willow Project in Alaska. I can’t say this more clearly: we are in a climate emergency and approving new drilling projects is insane. Please tell the Senator to pass along my strong disapproval of this decision and my demand that going forward we treat the climate crisis like the existential threat it is. Americans are sick of our politicians putting Big Oil and Gas above our lives. Thanks.

Also, the financial crisis we’re facing right now is the result of financial deregulation by shortsighted legislators caving to Wall Street lobbyists. Enough! Glass-Steagall must be reenacted, separating commercial from investment banking. There’s no good reason banks should be investing their depositors’ money for profit. Thanks. [H/T and more really good info on why this matters here.]

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

First, I’m calling to say that I’m angry and extremely disappointed at President Biden’s decision to approve the Willow Project in Alaska. I can’t say this more clearly: we are in a climate emergency and approving new drilling projects is insane. Please tell the Congressmember to pass along my strong disapproval of this decision and my demand that going forward we treat the climate crisis like the existential threat it is. Americans are sick of our politicians putting Big Oil and Gas above our lives. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

This action is bifurcated depending on whether you have Democratic or GOP House reps. Scroll down to find the appropriate instructions for each. [H/T Indivisible Team]

IF you have a GOP rep:

Please copy and paste the below script into your REPUBLICAN House member’s “Contact Me” webform—you’ll find it on their official website. Ideally personalize it a bit. This is very important, especially if you live in a district with one of the 18 Republicans who won House seats in districts Biden won. (If you do, please sign up to get notifications from Indivisible on their Unrepresentatives campaign—you can do so here.) And please share this action with anyone else you know in your district. [H/T Indivisible]

I’m a constituent writing to say that I see through the Republicans’ fake “debt prioritization" scheme. It’s nothing more than an attempt to “prioritize” payments to bond-holders like hedge funds, while devastating our economy and sending regular Americans to the back of the line for relief.
Congress needs to do its job and ensure that the United States fulfills its obligations to pay our debts. Even if this bogus Republican plan somehow passed, it would do NOTHING to lessen the impact of default on my town and the rest of America: Millions thrown out of work, our economy shattered, and skyrocketing interest rates that would drive up our everyday costs.
There’s an easy way to avoid all this: don’t go into default! Pay our bills, and prioritize our country’s economy rather than the well-being of rich bond-holders. And do it without changing eligibility or benefits for Social Security and Medicare. I expect you not to play games with your constituents’ lives or our country’s economy. We deserve representatives that do their job instead of taking hostages and making extreme demands. Thanks.

IF you have a DEM rep

Please copy and paste the below script into your Democratic House member’s “Contact Me” webform—you’ll find it on their official website. Ideally personalize it a bit.

I’m writing to ask the Representative to join the sign-on letter from Representatives Boyle, Kuster, and Jayapal calling for a clean vote to avoid the US defaulting on our debts, and to oppose negotiating any cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and other programs my community relies on.
The GOP has been plotting to cause economic chaos and gut programs like Social Security and Medicare for decades, but with the extremists currently in office, I’m more worried than ever. Democrats need to stand with President Biden in refusing to negotiate with these extremists over simply paying our bills - and promise no cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or other critical programs.
Will you join the letter from Reps. Boyle, Kuster, and Jayapal? The GOP’s default plan would be so dangerous - I’m looking for my representative to be a champion on this issue. Thanks.

Get Smart! 📚

Woot! Two of our favorites in one place! On Tue, March 14, from 7:30 – 9:00 PM ET please consider coming to:

The Rise of a Pro-Democracy Coalition: A Conversation Between Bill Kristol and Simon Rosenberg, Moderated by Robert Hubbell!

From the invite:

We hope you can join us for a lively conversation as our guest speakers discuss how we can make a coalition between Democrats and Never-Trumpers work for democracy.
Bill Kristol is Director of Defending Democracy Together and editor-at-large of The Bulwark. He was a founder of The Weekly Standard. Kristol served as chief of staff to Education Secretary William Bennett in the Reagan Administration and as chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle in the George H. W. Bush administration.
Simon Rosenberg is a political strategist and founder of New Democrat Network (NDN) and the New Policy Institute, a liberal think tank and advocacy organization based in DC. He is a veteran of two Presidential campaigns, including a senior role in the 1992 Clinton War Room. Subscribe to his YouTube channel. Sign up for the NDN Newsletter here.
Robert Hubbell is a retired lawyer who started an email newsletter in 2017, “Today’s Edition," which morphed into a Substack email with over 35,000 subscribers. Robert distills the news for his readers with a lawyerly point of view and a good dose of hope.

RSVP here.

Spread the Word! 📣

As you may have seen, on Friday there was a horrifying report in the Texas Tribune that three Texas women were sued for wrongful death after allegedly helping a friend obtain a medication abortion. The Texas Tribune reports that this is the first lawsuit of its kind. It’s REALLY important that we amplify the fact that this is happening. “Regular Americans” who don’t pay attention to politics need to understand that this is where Republicans’ abortion ban bills are ALL headed. So please don’t let them look away. You can use the below statement by Alexis McGill Johnson, the president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, as the basis for your own comments:

“This comes as no surprise, but is no less infuriating and alarming. This is the world politicians in Texas and across the country have created — one where people can face legal consequences simply for supporting someone’s decisions about their own body. Every person in this country should be terrified that this type of harassment can happen under state laws, blessed by the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs…fight back!

Give 💰!

If anyone is looking for a place to give to support the mostly poor farm workers who’ve just lost everything in the floods near Santa Cruz, my friend lives in the area and says this is the place Cabrillo College is recommending we give money to. If you haven’t heard about Pajaro, or the mostly Latino workers who live there, or the ruin it’s in you can do so here.

Please give if you can. This isn’t political; it is humanitarian.

Win Races—Call! 🗳

There's less than a month until the Wisconsin election. It's crunch time! Can you give an hour to support Judge Janet Protasiewicz? We must ensure that every Wisconsin Dem voter knows who she is and votes on April 4. Join NOPE in calling, with training provided before you start.

Mondays, 5:00-7:00 p.m. EST, with Swing Blue Alliance. Sign up here.
Thursdays, 7:00-9:00 p.m. EST, with Silver Spring Progressive Action. Sign up here.

Win Races—Postcard! ✍🏼

Blue Wave postcards is in Phase Two of their campaign: the Get Out The Vote (GOTV) portion.

They’re asking for more of your help - this phase is critical. Why? During the last Supreme Court opening in 2019, the Liberal candidate was projected to win, until - in the last weeks of the race - a huge infusion of dark money tipped the outcome. The GOP plastered the airwaves with radicalized, fear-mongering ads aimed at white voters.

The 2019 election came down to the conservative candidate winning by 5,981 votes or 0.5%. That translates into less than 1 vote per precinct. Agh! Let’s not let that happen again. Please order some GOTV cards from Blue Wave Postcards now! They have this great graphic on them 👇🏼.

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[to your Senators] [H/T] [Quick send text SIGN PSCIGN to 50409]

I’ve read that U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) have filed a bill that will ensure that medical records regarding abortion or pregnancy loss will remain private and can be released only with the patient’s consent.

I’d like you to co-sponsor S.323 – the Secure Access for Essential Reproductive (SAFER) Health Act. No one’s medical data should be accessible without their permission, ever. Especially not when it comes to their reproductive decisions. Will the Senator co-sponsor this bill?

OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess

Chop Wood, Carry Water