Chop Wood, Carry Water 3/21

Hi, all, and happy Monday!

Hope you had a great and restful weekend.

I did, but I did have one moment that unsettled me.

It was Saturday, and I’d gone to a get-together at a friend of mine’s. Because she likes to write postcards, and because I don’t see her in person often, I took the opportunity to bring her a packet of cards from our latest campaign into Georgia. As I handed them over a friend of hers asked what we were exchanging.

When I told her she said:

“Oh. Well my son told me we are going to get CREAMED in November. I mean, DESTROYED.”

That was all. She laughed and walked away.

Her son, mind you, is a teenager. Who, as far as I know, isn’t involved in politics in any way.

Sigh.

The interaction reminded me of the Shakespeare quote:

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”

People saying now that we’re going to lose in November are spreading “traitorous doubts.”

They’re also spreading misinformation.

It may be inadvertent, but they’re doing immense harm. We must stop saying we’re going to lose! There is NO REASON TO BELIEVE IT! Yet if we keep saying it it will become its own very effective form of voter suppression.

Don’t do the Republicans’ jobs for them.

Instead, repeat these facts:

Resdistricting didn’t hurt us. It may have even given us a slight advantage.

Republicans are running terrible, even insane candidates.

Democrats are running outstanding ones.

We have the opportunity to pick up FOUR Senate seats. This is not wishful thinking. This is empirical fact.

We have the opportunity to not just hold the House but expand our majority. Again, redistricting supports this fact.

Young people support Democratic candidates by about 70% to 30%. Four million of them who were not eligible to vote in 2020 will become eligible by November.

Democrats are the party fighting for climate action. Gun action. Minimum wage increases. Union protections. LGBTQ rights. Voting rights. Abortion rights. Anti-trust legislation. Common sense COVID protocols. These are HUGE issues for the great majority of voters. (Yes polling backs this up.)

Democrats have always stood against Putin. Republicans have enabled him to do what he’s doing—killing innocent Ukrainians by the thousands—with their votes, their words, and their actions.

Everyone keeps saying “Democrats don’t turn out for midterms.” This was patently false in 2018. Turnout was historic and incredible—almost 50%. About 60 MILLION people turned out to vote for Democrats in House elections that year. That is a CRAZY number. (Republicans got 45M in the 2010 wave Midterm.)

Those voters still exist. The great majority of them are still freaked out and galvanized. They know the stakes are even higher now.

So please, y’all. If you hear people say “we’re going to lose in November” find a nice way to push back.

We can NOT have Democrats “fearing to attempt.” But they will if they only ever hear doomsayers spreading disinformation about the Midterms.

THAT is how we’ll lose.

Otherwise? We can win. So let’s make sure we do that.

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

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

I know the confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson have started and I want to say she is fantastic and I strongly support her confirmation. I hope it goes through quickly.

Also, I’m wondering if the Senator has yet co-sponsored the Judiciary Act to expand the Supreme Court. If not, will they? Americans no longer trust the highest court in the land and they won’t until we rebalance it. The bill number is S. 1141. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

Hi, I’m calling once again to ask if the Congressmember has co-sponsored the Judiciary Act to expand the Supreme Court. If not, will they? Americans no longer trust the highest court in the land and they won’t until we rebalance it. The bill number is (HR 2584). Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

The list of companies still invested in Russia is dwindling, (we got Halliburton off! And Cargill! And LG!) but I’ve got a few more places for you to write!

✍🏼 Young Living. Maker of essential oils. Quick send an email here (please sign and personalize!) or write them at custserv@youngliving.com.

✍🏼  KOCH. One of my TikTok followers found email addresses for them!! Click to send email here. PLEASE PERSONALIZE. If you prefer to write your own from scratch the addresses are Allen.richardson@kochps.com and rob.carlton@kochps.com.

✍🏼 Business For Social Responsibility has several member orgs who are still in Russia. (AstraZeneca, Ball PNP Paribas, Rockwool Group and Subway) click to send this email telling them to put pressure on them to pull out! Or write them at media@bsr.org. PLEASE PERSONALIZE!! (also RT this if you can).

Get Smart! 📚

The folks at the Lincoln Project have started a new coalition called the Union. They describe it as “a pro-democracy coalition of grassroots supporters and organizations dedicated to defending our democracy from the Trumpist authoritarian movement.”

I have mixed feelings about the Lincoln Project, but they have a lot of money, connections and reach, and if they’ve decided to channel all of that into protecting our democracy I’m not going to argue with it. They’re having a live town hall tonight to introduce the project. It’s at 4 PM PDT / 7 PM EDT. Sign up here.

Help the 🌎!

Ahead of shareholder season, Stop the Money Pipeline is revamping their Text Action Team. Each week, between now and the end of May, they’ll text 1,000+ activists & ask them to make phone calls, send emails and generally help them make sure their targets are hearing from them every day.

To make this happen: they need your help! Can you join their volunteer team of texters? Once a week, they will ask you to use their texting app, ThruText, to send texts to 1,000+ activists who have opted-in to receive action alerts from them. You’ll be asking them to call CEOs & amplify key action moments.

They ran a similar texting program last year as part of the Deadline Glasgow campaign & were able to generate over 1,000 phone calls to their targets.

They’re hosting a zoom gathering to train volunteers on ThruText on Tuesday, March 22 at 5PT / 8ET. Sign up here.

Win Races! 🗳

Do you speak Spanish or know someone who does?

Alzando Nuestra Voz needs you to help get out the Latinx vote for Democratic candidates for state legislatures, Governor, and U.S. Congress and Senate. Phone banks are organized by volunteer powerhouse Please Don't Sit This One Out, which built a list of 500 callers in 2020 and is aiming to double that in 2022. They have identified 57 Congressional districts with at least 17% traditionally Democratic-leaning Hispanic voters. Phone banks will focus on "nested” districts, where efforts can help elect all levels of government at once. 

If you are not bilingual, but know people who might be able to support our efforts, please share the sign up link with them.

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

[to President Biden] [Quick send text SIGN PDACUS to 50409]

It’s time for the United States of America to step up to an international responsibility and assist with allowing Ukrainian Refugees to come to the United States:  especially those who have immediate family members living in the United States and those who have direct sponsors.  Despite a US announcement that they'd take in Ukrainian Refugees, there is currently no reasonable process for Ukrainians to apply for refugee status in the U.S. 

Europe has been stepping up and taking in refugees on a humanitarian basis for many years now, and are accepting Ukrainian Refugees with open arms.  Furthermore, we have a responsibility as it relates to the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, signed by Russia, The U.S., and UK as it relates to Ukraine.

Please, we have no time to waste. Create a process for Ukrainians to come to the US as refugees now! Thanks.

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

Talk tomorrow.

Jess