Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/18

Flexing our power.

Hi, all, and happy Thursday!

Instead of writing an opening today I want to feature some of you. Because YOU, my friends, are amazing.

Every day I get countless comments or emails from readers. Some ask questions, others offer grammatical notes, and still others tell me of their small victories—the ways they are getting involved and finding their power. It is these last comments I love the most. I try to respond to every one, but I also want to share that joy and excitement with you. So here are just a couple of them—I’ll post more in future newsletters.

Here’s a recent comment from a subscriber named Bev:

I just got a call from Ashley Cossins in Missouri - from her personal cell phone- thanking me for my donation. I told her I saw the article about her on Jessica’s Substack and she was delighted to know where the flurry of small contributions originated. This group is truly a strong community to uplift and support… we were both moved to tears realizing the power to connect… I am so glad she felt less isolated out in a corner of MO and wanted to share how much we matter.

Wow! Talk about the power of the many! YOU GUYS DID THAT!

And here’s another one that came in as an email from a subscriber named Anne:

So I took your advice, thank you, and began calling Senators and reps after hours. But then got braver and am now calling during the day. It's not scary at all! Several times I've gotten the same person, and one remembered me! It's all very civil and easy. No one is asking me a tough question. If this little old lady can do it, anyone can!!!

Amazing, Anne! She went on to say:

Last night I finally got trained to get signatures to get abortion rights on the ballot here in Missouri,  yay! And I've been filling out and mailing Blue Wave Postcards like a maniac…Let me add that I had been a very complacent voter until 2020 at which point I began to awaken. But my total involvement was a vote and a few yard signs. How things have changed!

Just remarkable.

And you know what? I think we’ve all changed, for the better. We’re living through a hard chapter of history, but it’s also given us a unique opportunity to find and flex our power. Millions of us are doing just that, and, in the process, connecting to a large, incredible community doing the same!

It’s beautiful, and I’m thankful to be a part of it.

It’s also why we’ll win. I’m so proud of you guys.

Now let’s get to work.

P.S. — Hope to see a lot of you at the Civics Center fundraiser with Simon Rosenberg this afternoon/evening!

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I want the Senator to support S. 173 Ethan’s Law, which would simply require firearms to be securely stored when youth are present. There is wide bipartisan agreement on safe storage—I’m happy to send the Senator the data. Americans of every stripe support it—Republicans, Democrats, gun owners, non gun owners. The fact that this bill doesn’t have more co-sponsors upsets me. Congress should be able to pass laws that Americans like and that keep us safe. This law would check both boxes. Please get it done. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

First, please support aid for Ukraine when it comes up for a vote. This is so important to me.

Second, I want the Congressmember to support H.R. 660, Ethan’s Law, which would simply require firearms to be securely stored when youth are present. There is wide bipartisan agreement on safe storage—I’m happy to send the Congressmember the data. Americans of every stripe support it—Republicans, Democrats, gun owners, non gun owners. The fact that this bill doesn’t have more co-sponsors upsets me. Congress should be able to pass laws that Americans like and that keep us safe. This law would check both boxes. Please get it done. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

Please consider posting a plea to friends and family to call their House reps in support of Ukraine aid today. Congress is voting on it tomorrow! If it’s helpful I made a TikTok asking for such calls and explaining why they matter. It’s here.

Or you can just post Razom’s call tool on social media with a short message like:

We need Congress to pass aid to Ukraine. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it'll prevent our getting dragged into a ground conflict with Russia. The entire democratic world order is on the line. Please use the below call tool to contact your House rep in support of this funding. It takes 2 minutes, they tell you exactly what to say, and it’s the least we can do to help the people of Ukraine!

https://bit.ly/4aQscgQ

Get Smart! 📚

This is an event I am very, very honored to be included in.

Power in the House! kickoff featuring Katie Porter, Ben Wikler, & Jess Craven

Wednesday, April 24 from 7 – 8:30pm PDT

Join the California Grassroots Alliance kickoff event celebrating the launch of their campaign to sweep California’s six purple Congressional districts and take back the House. Featuring:

• Representative Katie Porter, CA-47

• Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin

• Jessica Craven, activist, publisher of Chop Wood, Carry Water

Alliance leaders will share their roadmap for getting the job done together, take a peek at tools to help us along the way, and ask you to join us, because the road to the House majority runs through California. Let’s hit the road!

Register here

Spread the Word! 📣

This excellent and succinct

Jason Sattler

piece explains the “MAGA Moral Hierarchy” and why it guarantees that Evangelicals will NEVER stop supporting Trump.

FrameLab

is so, so good. For messaging it’s a must-read.

Anti-Christian sells Bible for 60 bucks

Give 💰!

Needing to feel hopeful and looking for strategic, evidence-based ways to invest your money this election? Join the fabulous and super smart folks at Flip the Vote for their April Open House Party 4/25 at 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET.

You'll learn how you can have the biggest impact this cycle and build community power for years to come. 

Register here.

Win Races! 🗳

Check and see if Indivisible’s Neighbor2Neighbor is available in your area.

Last week, Indivisible opened pre-registration for their highly effective community conversation program Neighbor2Neighbor. This is an AMAZING program that allows us to talk to our left-leaning neighbors about the election. I’ve done it. It’s easy! And it is the single most effective form of voter turnout I know of. (Indivisible’s numbers prove it.)

Check and see if Neighbor2Neighbor is available in your area and, if it is, please pre-register today.

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

[To: all three reps] [H/T Indivisible Team] [Text SIGN PINHHO to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

As a concerned constituent, I’m emailing to urge you to cosponsor H.R. 7056 / S. 3612 the Access to Family Building Act and demand it receive a vote.

The Alabama court ruling on IVF shows we need federal protection for the right to access IVF and other services that help people start or grow a family. The Access to Family Building Act would do that and protect families and doctors from criminalization. Will you sign onto this bill and publicly call for a vote on it? I will only support lawmakers that actively fight for reproductive freedom.

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

Talk soon.

Jess