Chop Wood, Carry Water 3/22

Still on an upswing.

Mar 22, 2024

Hi, all, and happy Friday!

It’s almost midnight; we’re on a plane in Boston, sitting on the runway, delayed, waiting to take off for the second leg of our flight to Amsterdam. It’s been a long day. But I’ve had a lot of time to catch up on reading and to clean out my email inbox; in the process I’ve caught bits of encouraging news as it’s come in:

Trump is desperate for money. (This is, of course, also very dangerous, but it’s better than his being flush with cash).

His former underlings are lining up against him.

Democrats blocked nearly every Republican “poison pill” across the six budget bills, got those Afghan refugees numbers increased, and got more funding for child care. Boom!

The impeachment hearing yesterday went very, very badly for Republicans.

The RNC is in a shambles.

Biden is gathering endorsements, gaining supporters and, most importantly, still working to deliver for the American people—whether they like him or not. And this is the mark of a great leader, right? He shows no scorn for those who demean him. He’s not interested in “sticking it” to people who put him down. He displays no peevishness. Demands no retribution. Makes no demands for attention or glory.

He just. Keeps. Delivering.

Our job? To keep reminding America of the fact, while simultaneously taking every chance we can to make sure they know just how ruinous another Trump presidency would be.

We’re made for this!

And so we will continue delivering in our own way for our country.

Now let’s get to work!

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I’m calling because I know the Senate is going to be considering three new FERC nominees in the upcoming weeks. Please ask the Senator to be sure these candidates commit to weighing climate, environmental justice, health, and consumer cost impacts heavily in any decision they make. Also, please make sure the confirmation process moves swiftly. FERC urgently needs a full Commission so it can shape the future of the grid to provide the affordable, reliable and clean power America deserves. Thanks. [H/T]

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I am alarmed at the budget released this week by the Republican Study Committee. It contains multiple attacks on Social Security and Medicare. It would cut Social Security by $1.5 TRILLION, revoke Medicare’s power to negotiate lower prices on prescription drugs, and accelerate the privatization of Medicare. Does the Congressmember support these provisions?

[If no, doesn’t support, add:] Good. Thank him/her for being a fighter for the programs Americans rely on. We’ve got his/her back as s/he keeps working to protect them. Thanks.

[If yes, does support, add:] I find that outrageous. The Congressmember should be pushing to raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations in order to expand these programs—not trying to defund them. Please tell them I will remember their position when I vote.

Extra Credit ✅

Please post this information everywhere you can on social media. It’s vital that Americans know about Joe Biden’s incredible climate announcement this week:

The Biden-Harris Administration just announced the strongest-ever pollution standards for cars! They position U.S. companies and workers to lead the clean vehicle future, protect public health, address the climate crisis, and save drivers money. These final standards will expand consumer choice in clean vehicles and build on historic progress in U.S. auto manufacturing under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
These standards will avoid more than 7 billion tons of carbon emissions and provide nearly $100 billion of annual net benefits to society, including $13 billion of annual public health benefits due to improved air quality, and $62 billion in reduced annual fuel costs and maintenance and repair costs for drivers. Additionally, once fully phased in, the standards willsave the average American driver an estimated $6,000 in reduced fuel and maintenance over the life of a vehicle.

Adding some additional articles and resources here:

Get Smart & Save the Planet 🔥

I’m moderating a great event shortly after I return from my trip. It’s a food waste action party with the folks at Climate Action Now on April 4 at 7PM ET.

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 30% of food is wasted globally across the entire supply chain. Wasted food alone accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the emissions of the aviation and shipping sectors combined. Why? Food waste ends up in landfills where it decomposes and produces vast quantities of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Join Climate Action Now and their panel of experts from Harvard, Food Recovery Network, and ReFED, the one-stop shopping location to get a clear view of the food waste problem, date labels, and other solutions. They will have plenty of actions for you to take on the Climate Action Now app to advocate for effective public policy.

Hope to see some of you there! Register here.

Spread the Word! 📣

Help Recruit New Activists!

For the first time, there is an easy way to find a pro-democracy activist group in any state! The national Grassroots Directory has just been launched and is online HERE! But, every activist organization needs to be registered with the Directory, in order to be found by would-be activists who want to contribute to our work! If you belong to one or more activist organizations, take this opportunity to help recruit new activists! Register your group(s)!

Give 💰!

Galvanize Action, the only national organization developing messages proven to move moderate white women in swing states towards progress, has been selected by Focus for Democracy to be featured next Tuesday, March 26 at 5pm PDT/8pm EDT.

Focus for Democracy rigorously evaluates and selects a few groups who they determine are the best places to donate for democracy. If you value rigorous research and evaluation into where best to give, please register by clicking on this link.

Win Races! 🗳

Join the Bay Area Coalition for their 2024 Phone Banks to the California Central Valley to elect Adam Gray in CA 13 and Rudy Salas in CA 22 with the California Democratic Party. They will also call into the swing states of Nevada and Arizona with their coordinated state campaigns. And they will offer phone banks to elect Democratic state legislatures in AZ and NV with Sister District. They will also join their partners Center for Common Ground and Northeast AZ Native Democrats to make calls to voters in key locations.

BAC Phone Banks are held every Wednesday from 5-7 pm PT until election day November 5, 2024.

RSVP today and invite a friend to join you!

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

[to all 3 reps] [H/T

Heather Cox Richardson

] [Quick send text SIGN PLZGOB to 50409]

This week the Institute for the Study of War, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group, assessed that “[s]everal Russian financial, economic, and military indicators suggest that Russia is preparing for a large-scale conventional conflict with NATO, not imminently but likely on a shorter timeline than what some Western analysts have initially posited,” within a matter of years.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is fiddling—aware of the increasing danger but unwilling to lift a finger to stop Putin’s advances.

The level of exasperation I and millions of other Americans feel at Congress’s refusal to give Ukraine the weaponry it needs to prevail against Russia is absolutely indescribable. If American soldiers end up fighting Russia in a ground war their lives will be on the conscience of every single member of Congress who blocked or refused to support this aid to Ukraine NOW.

Get the Ukraine funding done before you go on recess. This delay is inexcusable. Russia must be stopped—either Ukrainian soldiers will do it or ours will have to.

Don’t let it be the latter. Thanks.

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

Talk soon.

Jess

Chop Wood, Carry Water