Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!
You’ll notice on your Senate scripts that the section expressing support for Ketanji Brown Jackson is there again. That’s no accident. That second ask is what I call a “tag.” It’s a short comment that we append to our other asks, and repeat daily until it’s been accomplished (or we fail.) You’ll have seen it before with the Build Back Better Act, the filibuster, voting rights, the ACA, and a million other things.
Why do we repeat the same ask over and over again? Because Congressional offices tally calls by the day, and by the numbers of calls. They do NOT tally them by who’s making them. In essence, then, every time you call it counts afresh. What we want are hundreds and hundreds of calls, every day, about our “big ticket items.”. We want Senators to feel the pressure to get them done, and quickly.
In the case of Judge Jackson we are also trying hard to swing a few Republican Senators, so keep it up! I know it feels repetitive, but that’s how we win!
Also, feel free to create your own “tag” and use it every time you call. I’ll often throw in a “We need action on the climate emergency!” just because I can. And because I care particularly about that.
And because I know that they will pass it on.
Remember my favorite African proverb: If you think you’re too small to make a difference you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito.
It’s true. And we’re all mosquitoes.
Speaking of which, wow do we have a lot going on right now. So let’s get to our buzzing.
Thanks, once again, for being the heroes—and fellow mosquitoes— in my life. 🥰
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I want the Senator to call on President Biden to declare a national climate emergency, using the powers given to him, including the Defense Production Act and the National Emergencies Act, to expedite our move to clean, renewable energy and end our dependence on oil and gas. Fossil fuels are destroying our planet, endangering our kids’ futures, and empowering dictators like Putin. We need to use the crisis in Ukraine to make things better, not worse. [H/T]
I also want the Senator to support Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I want the Congressmember to call on President Biden to declare a national climate emergency, using the powers given to him, including the Defense Production Act and the National Emergencies Act, to expedite our move to clean, renewable energy and end our dependence on oil and gas. Fossil fuels are destroying our planet, endangering our kids’ futures, and empowering dictators like Putin. We need to use the crisis in Ukraine to make things better, not worse. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Please make a quick call to block a terrible judicial nomination.
President Biden has nominated Jennifer Rearden for a federal judge position in New York. While most of his judicial nominations have been stellar, this one is a calamity. Rearden is opposed by every major environmental group in the country and was originally nominated by Trump (!!) We are asking Senator Dick Durbin—chair of the Judiciary Committee—to block her advancement.
Call 866-834-6590 (or 202.224.2152 or 312.353.4952 or 217.492.4062 or 309.786.5173)
Say:
“My name is ____ and I’m calling from ____. I’m calling the Senator in his capacity as chair of the Senate Judiciary committee to ask him to please not advance the nomination of Jennifer Rearden to be a federal judge. She is awful—bad for workers, bad for the disabled, and AWFUL on climate. Her law firm, which represents Big Oil and Gas, is notoriously dirty and has a history of suing environmental nonprofits. She’s a terrible choice and she must not be advanced. Democrats need to prove they care about climate and stop her now. Thanks.”
[More info here]
Bonus points: post the below on social. You can download the graphic here. (I also made a TikTok about it and posted it on IG —you can share that instead if you prefer.)
🚨SOS!🚨 An awful Trump nominee may be one of our next federal judges! Jennifer Rearden is a partner at a law firm that defends Big Oil & sues environmental nonprofits. The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote soon! ⏰
☎️Tell @SenatorDurbin not to advance Rearden's nomination.
Get Smart! 📚
You guys, tomorrow Mar 16, at 4 PM PDT/ 7:00 PM EDT Big Tent is having a speaker you DO NOT want to miss. It’s Daniel Squadron, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Future Now (now the States Project). The States Project focuses on winning state legislative majorities and working with them to achieve goals for the common good. He’s amazing and it’s going to be a great talk. I’ll be there—hope you can come!
Give 💰!
Care about Ukraine? A really straightforward and concrete way to help is by helping to fund Meduza, Russia's last independent news site. They've lost all 30K of their subscribers (it's essentially a crime in Russia to subscribe) but they're still reporting the truth at huge risk. Remember, Russian citizens are being DELUGED with misinformation about the war. Getting the truth to them is imperative.
Please consider giving. The only option is a monthly subscription, but you can cancel anytime. https://save.meduza.io/share
[And please consider posting all of the above on your social! Or you can RT me here]
Win Races! 🗳
Have postcards? Ready to write in order to help defend Mark Kelly’s Senate seat, fight for a Democratic representative in the newly redistricted AZ-1, and defend or flip other Arizona statewide seats?
In 2022, the Northeast AZ Native Democrats want to reach every Native Democratic voter on Navajo, Hopi, and White Mountain Apache lands in Northeast Arizona in order to do just that!
Please sign up to get a list of 25 voter addresses and a script to help them reach Native AZ voters. (Note: there is no meeting for this campaign—but you do need to pick a Friday from the list. You will receive your addresses and a script via email on the date you select.)
Sign up here.
P.S. If AZ is your thing I’ve got lots of ways to help win the state in this Adopt AZ document. If you want to be on the mailing list to get future updates and new AZ-related opportunities sign up here.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)
[To POTUS] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PINWHU to 50409]
Every month, 70 women are shot and killed in the U.S. by a current or former boyfriend or spouse. And America's weak gun laws make this deadly crisis even worse: Women in the United States are 28 times more likely to be murdered with guns than women in other high-income nations.
Current federal law prohibits convicted domestic abusers from having a gun if they are married to, live with, have children with, or are "similarly situated" to their victim. And that’s great! But the gun lobby has argued the law doesn’t include dating partners. That's left open a loophole that has become increasingly deadly: The share of homicides committed by dating partners has been increasing for three decades, and now women are as likely to be killed by dating partners as by spouses.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
You have been a champion for gun violence and domestic violence prevention for decades. You can take action. Please use an Executive Order to clarify that dating partners "similarly situated to a spouse" who have been convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic abuse are prohibited from purchasing or possessing guns. Thanks!
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess
No QuickSend info for the Resistbot to President re guns killing spouses?
Subscribed to meduza. Hope they can survive. Truth matters.