Chop Wood, Carry Water 3/8
A triumph!
Hi, all, and happy Friday!
Sorry this is so late. I’ve been feverishly making content about President Biden’s amazing speech last night. (Also about Katie Britt’s deeply odd and unsettling response. OMG!!!)
I have to admit: I couldn’t watch the State of the Union as it aired. True, I had plans I couldn’t change, but even if I’d been home I likely would have skipped watching it live out of sheer nerves. I’m ashamed to admit it: I underestimated Joe Biden once again. I was worried he might fumble the ball. I needn’t have been. He absolutely knocked it out of the park! (Yup. I just switched sports metaphors mid-stream.)
If you haven’t yet watched the speech I urge you to do so as soon as you can. This is more than a throwaway suggestion—it’s a vehement call to action I truly hope you’ll take. Doing so will energize, inform, and inspire you, I promise!
If you feel unclear about what the Biden administration has accomplished in the last 3 years watch the speech. If you’re not sure what President Biden’s agenda is for his next term watch the speech.
If you have any doubt as to whether he can handle another four years in office? Watch. The. Speech.
You can view it here. And please, encourage your friends and family to make the time as well. This State of the Union was historic; Biden’s delivery was masterful, and his energy and strength were undeniable.
It was a very, very good night for our party. We—not just Joe Biden—came across as hopeful, patriotic, compassionate, funny, strong, filled with ideas, and clear about how to attain a better future.
Republicans, on the other hand, came across—if only by implication—as unpatriotic, untrustworthy, beholden to billionaires, and hopelessly out of ideas. The fact that they put their rebuttal-giver, the youngest female Senator in history, in her kitchen for her speech was more proof of exactly how backwards they are.
Look. It’s been a brutal few weeks. Last night we got a break—and a big one. But it didn’t happen by luck. It happened because Joe Biden is, in fact, a good, decent, smart, shrewd man and a very adept politician who just reminded us why we elected him and why we should be thrilled to have him as a candidate again.
Enjoy the ride, folks. I suspect we’re officially on the upswing.
Either way, let’s get to work one more time.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I want the Senate to pass the Child Tax Credit expansion bill they’ve been sitting on for a month. Why are they delaying on a bill that will help lift half a million children out of poverty? It’s shameful.
Also, we need Ukraine funding. Immediately. I’m appalled that it’s taking so long. Congress needs to get it done now. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I understand that the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a bipartisan bill yesterday, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, that could ban TikTok in the United States by making it possible for the President to designate it as a national security threat. I oppose this bill. It’s absurd to target one social media platform when foreign governments are active on all of our social media networks. If Congress really cares about adversarial countries influencing and spying on our citizens it should immediately pass strong internet privacy protections. Then it should launch investigations into the Republican members of Congress who’ve spent years spreading Russian disinformation to score political points. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
The civil war in Sudan is now, according to UNICEF, “the world’s largest child displacement crisis.” Around 3 million children have been displaced in the country since the outbreak of the war about 300 days ago. Starvation is looming for many of them. It’s getting really, really bad.
With so many Americans deeply focussed on international affairs I thought for sure that when I did a Resistbot letter about this crisis in my Chop Wood, Carry the World newsletter—one simply asking our government to provide aid—it would get tons of senders. Instead it got the fewest sends of almost any letter I’ve ever done. Yikes!
So I’m posting it here, and asking you to for help. These kids deserve our attention and concern, too. Please take a look at the letter and, if you like it, send it by texting SIGN PIVZZM to 50409.
Get Smart! 📚
Want to have some fun? Take my “Biden Accomplishment Quiz!” Then share it! It’s an easy way to test your knowledge AND share some of the incredible stuff Joe Biden has done!
Spread the Word! 📣
It’s International Women’s Day! Please share this terrific and funny new pro-choice voter registration video from Annie Spiegelman.
Give 💰!
Please join Markers For Democracy and others for a virtual event in support of the North Carolina Democratic Party with Chair Anderson Clayton. She’ll be introduced by our own Simon Rosenberg!
Monday, March 11th, 2024 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm ET
To make a donation before, during or after the event, please use this link.
Sign up for the event itself here.
Win Races—ALABAMA! 🗳
On March 26th in Alabama there's a very special Special Election! Democrat Marilyn Lands is running to challenge the dangerous no-exceptions abortion ban, where a court’s extremist IVF ruling now further limits women’s freedoms. This is a winnable seat! The race vividly pits women’s lives and freedoms against MAGA political and judicial power.
Sign up to make calls here! Or donate here!
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T the Bulwark] [Text SIGN PULLUP to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I’m writing to ask Congress to immediately authorize at least 20,000 more Afghan Special Immigrant Visas as part of the must-pass spending bills being worked on right now.
America’s messy exit from Afghanistan in 2021 created an urgent moral need: Ensuring that we were not abandoning the Afghan allies who had helped U.S. forces during the two-decade war to slaughter at the hands of the triumphant Taliban. The Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, which Congress enacted under the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009, provides a path to the United States for Afghans who worked with the U.S. government for at least one year.
But the program has a hard statutory cap. Congress has authorized the issuance of 38,500 visas; of those, only 8,000 slots remain. Yet 130,000 applications still need to be processed, and more applications come in daily. At the current pace, the government estimates that limit will be hit by August. Given the gridlocked state of Congress, the pending round of must-pass spending legislation may prove the only viable vehicle to raise that cap in time. Please use it!
The Biden-Harris administration has repeatedly requested Congress authorize 20,000 more Afghan SIVs to stand with those who stood alongside our troops, diplomats, and development professionals during 20 years of war in Afghanistan. We are on track to use all remaining visa numbers this Fiscal Year and need Congress to act.
The SIV program enjoys 89 percent support from the American public, and 75 percent of Republicans support it. More importantly, it’s the right thing to do. Please listen to Americans across political parties and authorize these additional visas now!
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Here's the thing: President Joe Biden gave a master class on how to face down critics at the SOTU. Was it technically perfect? No. But it was emotionally, physically, energetically and content perfect. Part of the President's charm is his open humanity and accessibility. He was fired up. He demonstrated his capability and amazing capacity to govern in a hostile environment. I. WAS. SO. PROUD. Thank you, Prez Joe.
I was excited to watch it live--and it lived up to my expectations. We've seen Joe Biden in action before, and he's still got it!