Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/18
Democracy is rising.
Hi, all, and happy Friday!
My God. We did it again. We made it through another week. What an accomplishment. I’m incredibly proud of us.
While we’re still in horrifying territory, I do feel we’re seeing some real reasons for hope. Universities are banding together to resist the Trump regime’s attacks, Federalist Society judges are eviscerating Trump in their rulings, Senator Van Hollen went to El Salvador and got in to see Kilmar Abrego Garcia (Cory Booker has announced he’ll go next), David Brooks has joined the Resistance, plans for protests across America tomorrow seem to be ramping up, and the economy continues to do poorly. As bad as the latter is for all of us it seems to be a necessary prerequisite for (at least some) Trump voters’ to wake up. Across America we seem to be seeing the beginnings of what Ruth Ben-Ghiat calls “Autocratic Backfire.”
Will it happen fast enough? Will it be fierce enough to make MAGA change course? Will we be able to staunch the bleeding? That remains to be seen, and is, to a large degree, up to us and millions more like us. Will we get out in the streets tomorrow in numbers so large that the corporate media has to take notice? Will we keep blowing up our lawmakers’ phone lines? Will we continue to boycott Target, Tesla, Amazon, and any other business that caves to the Trump administration? Will we sign a General Strike card and be ready to go when the moment comes?
I hope and believe that we will.
In other great news—and it’s news directly related to you, my friends—at least twelve Republican members of Congress have signed a letter to Speaker Johnson opposing significant cuts to Medicaid. They are feeling the heat, and it’s heat YOU have created! Fantastic. This doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods, of course—these lawmakers claim they’re still determined to cut “waste, fraud and abuse” from Medicaid’s budget; with Republicans that often translates into “anything we don’t want to fund.” Still, we know that they know this is an extremely vulnerable issue for them, and we won’t stop reminding them of it.
In other words, what we’re doing is working. Now it’s time to double down.
I know you’re tired, and I want to thank you for continuing to show up anyway. That’s what true heroism is, in the end. It’s not having endless energy for a bruising fight—it’s knowing the bruising fight is critically important and finding the energy when it seems there can’t possibly be any more.
You, my friends, are heroes.
And if you still haven’t found your protest for tomorrow, by the way, try the 50501 website, the Tesla Takedown site, or ask an active friend what they’ve got planned. I’ve been invited to attend a pro-democracy rally in Beverly Hills, so I’m going there. It’s from 12-2PM at Beverly Gardens Park (9439 Santa Monica Boulevard between Beverly Dr. and Canon Dr.). Join me there if you’re in Los Angeles!
I don’t think it matters too much where we go—I think the important thing is that we DO go if we possibly can. So let me know what you’re doing in the comments!
And now let’s go take some pro-democracy action.
P.S. — My interview with Rep. Larson yesterday was incredibly fun and, I think, quite informative. If you want to watch it you can do so here on my Substack for video content or here on YouTube.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) and House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling because I read that Trump wants to eliminate Head Start and I’m furious about it. This program helps kids succeed; it also helps working parents stay in their jobs. It should be fully funded, not eliminated. And Congress needs to make sure that funding gets spent.
Please ask the Senator/Congressmember to oppose any spending bills that cut or get rid of Head Start. And use your authority to stop the federal worker purge and funding freezes from sabotaging the program.
Also, bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia home! If Trump keeps defying court orders he should be impeached and removed. Congress needs to take its power back and rein him in. Thanks.
[P.S. — Thanks to Rogan’s List for the Head Start script. They’ve also written a Resistbot letter about it. Send it by texting SIGN PEZVKT to 50409]
Extra Credit ✅
put out a great document in light of new reporting that the Trump admin is coming after LIHEAP—the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. It contains a Resistbot letter you can send, and also an excellent call script.
Please take a moment to read the doc and take an action. At the very least send the Resistbot. Better yet use their suggested text to send a personalized email through your lawmakers’ official websites. Best of all—make the call! The script is really good!
Say Thanks! 🙏🏼
Let’s contact Senator Van Hollen to thank him for going to El Salvador and fighting for Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s release.
Some office numbers are (202) 224-4654 or (667) 212-4610 or (301) 545-1500 or (410) 221-2074. We can also try emailing him here but I think you need a Maryland address. You can also send him a thank you card at: 730 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510.
You can say something like:
I want to thank the Senator for traveling to El Salvador and visiting Kilmar Abrego Garcia. I am horrified by what’s happening to him—and to countless others like him—and we need this kind of action to draw attention to it. I will never forget what the Senator has done this week; he will go down in history as a man of enormous courage and patriotism. Thanks.
But obviously your own words are ideal.
Get Smart! 📚
The House has passed the dangerous SAVE Act, but the fight isn’t over. It’s time to move together.
Join Defending American Democracy for a national movement call to break down what’s at stake, connect the dots between federal and state-level threats, and ignite collective action as we shift our focus to the Senate. This is a moment for grassroots leaders, organizers, and advocates nationwide to unite in solidarity, sharpen our messaging, and launch coordinated voter education and resistance efforts.
We’ll hear updates from policy experts and frontline organizers, and we’ll leave with the tools, strategy, and hope needed to take bold action in defense of our democracy.
This is more than a briefing, it’s a call to rise. Together, we’ll build power, protect the vote, and shape the future.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
Mike Podhorzer did a a live discussion on Fascism and the English Language with Anat Shenker-Osorio this week. They discussed how to talk about this hostile takeover of our government in a way that exposes the motivations of those behind it, communicates exactly what’s at stake, and generates the sustained resistance from civil society that we know is necessary to defeat fascism.
You can watch the full discussion here. I learned a lot and I suspect you will, too. And if you don’t have the 45 minutes, the Fascism and the English language doc is here.
Give 💰!
There’s a special election coming up in Minnesota on April 29. The author below makes a case for why we should be donating to the Democratic candidate in this deeply red district. Intriguing!
Help Kilmar!
MoveOn is hosting a phonebank on Tuesday to ask their members to call their reps about Kilmar Abrego Garcia. You’ll be calling fellow progressives! It’ll be easy and it’s so important. Sign up here.
MoveOn is also launching Stop the abductions, demand justice for Klimar events during recess (next Thursday through Saturday). Sign up to host one at MoveOn.org/JusticeForKilmar. Next week I’ll post the map of events so you can attend one.
Grab Your Wallet! 💳
I had a great meeting with the folks at General Strike US yesterday. I really, really encourage us all to sign a strike card and be ready to follow through if and when the time comes. This is a decentralized effort, so the list of demands is still being formed, but the numbers of signed strike cards needs to go way, way up if we’re to gain any traction. Please ask your friends and family to sign as well. Thanks!
Win Races! 🗳
Activate America is launching FIVE new postcarding campaigns in Arizona and Pennsylvania, all focused on the House Republican vote to gut Medicaid by up to $880 billion.
Interested? Sign up HERE.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T Coleman R.] [Text SIGN PZMZQY to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
The administration's proposed cuts to public broadcasting are a direct attack on the free press and access to vital information for all Americans. These draconian cuts of $1.1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would cripple local NPR and PBS stations across the country, threatening their ability to provide critical news coverage, educational programming, and emergency alerts to communities. This is especially concerning for rural areas where public media outlets are often the only source of local journalism and information.
The minuscule federal funding for public broadcasting, amounting to less than 1/100th of the federal budget, delivers an immense public good by sustaining a robust nationwide network of over 1,000 local radio stations and 336 television stations. These stations are a lifeline for millions, offering trustworthy reporting, thought-provoking discussions, and enriching cultural content that commercial media frequently neglects. At a time when local journalism is in crisis and media consolidation threatens diverse voices, preserving robust public broadcasting is paramount to a healthy democracy.
I urge you to forcefully reject any efforts to undermine NPR, PBS, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting through devastating funding cuts. Protecting this vital public resource must be a top priority to uphold the free flow of information and ensure all Americans have access to high-quality educational and journalistic programming, regardless of location or income level.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Sorry everyone! The Reistbot code is PZMZQY! My bad.
Thank you for sharing my petition about NPR and PBS! Resist On!