Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/26

Hi, all! Happy Tuesday!

I’m bowled over—I was absolutely deluged with requests for postcard packets yesterday! WOW! All of the PA postcards are spoken for, and many of you were even willing to take cards from my next campaign, which is for Colorado through the Environmental Voter Project and has a “mail on” date of June 6th.

I have a BIG trip to the post office coming up today. 😂

Your enthusiastic response got me wondering if I’m not giving you enough postcarding opportunities! So here is a link to my Activism 101 document. If you scroll down past the Adopt-a-State section you will see a whole section devoted solely to postcarding. There are many, many places you can sign up with right away. Some will send you the cards, in other cases you will have to order your own (they are easy to purchase—I shop for mine here.) In all cases they will provide you with addresses and a script. And in all cases they need more volunteers NOW!

One more thing: I only have the funds to do all of this shipping because of your generous support. So thank you to those of you who are paid subscribers. You not only help me keep the lights on, but allow me to lay out cash for efforts like this, which would otherwise be financially impracticible.

If you’re not paying for this newsletter and can afford to do so please consider upgrading to a paid plan so that I can continue to offer occasional “perks” like this! (You’ll also receive a happy-making newsletter, “Extra! Extra!” on Sundays.) And if you are a founding member approaching your year anniversary please consider re-upping. I literally can’t do this without all of you.

Speaking of which, it’s been delightful to have brief email exchanges with so many of you in the last day or two. What a wonderful, intelligent, thoughtful group! I am honored to be in your midst. I’m inspired by what you have done, are doing, and—most importantly—will do next!

On that note, let’s get to work!

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

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

Elon Musk’s pending takeover of twitter provides yet another confirmation that Congress needs to treat the big online platforms like the social utilities they are, and regulate them. A first step would be to pass S 2992, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. But we need to do more. Please ask the Congressmember to take a look at the “Digital Services Act” that just passed in the EU. It’s a comprehensive new law requiring big online platforms, including social-media companies, to police hate speech and disinformation more effectively. It’s a perfect roadmap for legislation we should pass here. This is really important to our democracy. Thanks. [H/T]

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

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

Elon Musk’s pending takeover of twitter provides yet another confirmation that Congress needs to treat the big online platforms like the social utilities they are, and regulate them. A first step would be to pass HR 3816, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. But we need to do more. Please ask the Congressmember to take a look at the “Digital Services Act” that just passed in the EU. It’s a comprehensive new law requiring big online platforms, including social-media companies, to police hate speech and disinformation more effectively. It’s a perfect roadmap for legislation we should pass here. This is really important to our democracy. Thanks. [H/T]

Extra Credit ✅

Will you please submit a public comment here and tell the EPA to regulate heavy trucks? The comment is pre-written, but if you personalize it they are more likely to count it.

Heavy-duty trucks are regulated separately from passenger vehicles and have much lower emission standards. Commercial heavy-duty trucks alone are responsible for 24% of carbon emissions in the United States.

Trucking electrification is not just a viable and desired alternative to fossil fuels. Pollution, specifically truck-based pollution, is a racial justice issue in an era where Black, Latino, and marginalized communities are buckling under the weight of inordinate pollution.

The EPA will take your public comment until May 13. Thanks!

Get Smart! 📚

Marie Yovanovitch, former Ambassador to Ukraine and author of the best-selling memoir, Lessons from the Edge, is joining Big Tent USA next Thursday May 5th at 6:30 pm ET. 

Moderated by Mila Atmos, producer and host of 'Future Hindsight,’ Yovanovitch will discuss her role in the first impeachment of former President Trump, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and how disinformation continues to threaten democracies around the globe.

Also? They are giving away 100 free copies of Marie Yovanovitch's new book, Lessons from the Edge, to the first 100 registrants who opt in!

Register here.

Give 💰!

Sorry to bring up money twice in the same edition, but I am actually co-hosting a fundraiser this weekend, and I wanted to invite you and/or see if anyone might make a donation to the wonderful organization involved.

It’s on Sunday, May 1st at 4:30 PM outdoors at a beautiful home on the West Side of LA. We are raising money for the Grassroots Dems HQ—the org that hosts the AZ phonebank I run on Thursdays (and many, many others), provides a ton of my postcards, and runs canvasses all over SoCal. They do amazing work 365 days a year—even when most folks are taking a break—engaging voters so that we can win elections that will make or break our democracy.

If you happen to be in Los Angeles and can afford a ticket there’s a pretty cool list of speakers—including Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Mike Levin. It should be a lovely event, and I will be there (a little late, as I have an Activism 101 right before it).

If you’re not in L.A. and you feel like supporting this great organization, you can simply make a donation.

Donate/buy tickets using my designated link here. Thanks!

Win Races 🗳

Like text banking? Want to register voters? Good! On Thursday and Friday of this week, Field Team Six is texting unregistered likely Democrats across Pennsylvania! The Keystone State is one of our best opportunities to pick up a Senate seat, and we need to work to elect a Democratic Governor and state assembly. 

Can you join them and help reach new Democrats in Pennsylvania?

Both shifts are from 10am PT - 1pm PT (1pm ET - 4pm ET). Register here.

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

[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [quick send text SIGN PDDEZO to 50409]

I’m frustrated that Big Oil is making historic profits off of the war in Ukraine.

Gas prices have gone through the roof in the wake of the Russian invasion. And those profits are going directly into oil companies' pockets. By the end of the year, experts estimate that American oil companies will pull in windfall gains from the war in Ukraine to the tune of $126 BILLION. It’s disgusting. They don't deserve this money. No company deserves to profit from tragedy—especially oil companies at a time of economic and climate crisis.

We need a windfall profits tax on Big Oil.

Fortunately, Rep. Ro Khanna and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse have introduced just such a bill, the Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax, (HR 7061 / S 3082). It would essentially tax oil companies for 50% of their windfall profits, and give the money back to consumers.

This is a no-brainer. I want you to co-sponsor it and support it vocally.

If passed, this legislation could be the first step to ending polluter welfare and holding oil companies accountable for their destructive, damaging behavior.

If not passed, we will remember it in November. American taxpayers are tired of paying Oil Executives’ multi-million-dollar bonuses. Make it stop. Thanks.

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

Talk tomorrow.

Jess