Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/28
Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
There’s actually been a decent amount of good news this week. I’m glad of it. It’s sorely needed! We’ve been through an especially rough patch—which in most ways continues, of course—but little glimmers of hope are peeking through everywhere.
I’ll list all of them in this weekend’s “Extra! Extra!” of course, but I did want to flag one happy item for you now: we just learned this morning that a few environmental groups and 16 Democratic AGs are suing the USPS to stop their purchase of 160K new gas-powered, low mileage, non-union-made trucks. Bravo!
This is probably our best chance to stop this dastardly plan, so I’m delighted to see it.
It’s also another excellent reminder that electing Democratic Attorneys General is so, so important. Let’s try to throw a little money at the Democratic Attorneys General Association if we can. Their members do a yeoman’s work protecting Americans when legislative means won’t prevail.
Having said that, lawsuits can’t stop everything, so let’s get to work calling our reps and doing voter outreach to help flip (or hold) seats! All of it matters!
And all of you matter. So very, very much. Never forget it.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m very glad to hear that the House just passed the ‘‘Asset Seizure for Ukraine Reconstruction Act,” a bipartisan bill that will allow us to seize any property valued over $2 million – including luxury villas, yachts, and airplanes – from Russian oligarchs and then use it to benefit the Ukrainian people. Now a bipartisan group of Senators have introduced a companion bill in the Senate—it’s as yet unnumbered but has the same name. I want the Senator support it. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling with a specific, but very important request today. I’d like the Congressmember to sign on to Rep. Don Beyer’s letter requesting funding for Hate Crimes Prevention in FY23’s appropriations bill. The letter is written to the House Appropriations Committee Chair Cartwright and Ranking Member Aderholt, asking them to move through the Committee the request to step up our hate crime prevention response in the Fiscal Year 2023 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. Will the Congressmember become a signatory to this letter?
I’d also like him/her to support Hate Crimes Prevention funding when it is brought to the House for a Floor Vote. This really matters. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
The Union has a great action for us today:
We already know that Toyota is back to funding politicians who voted to overturn President Biden's election. Let’s call our local Toyota dealership and let them know that Corporate's sponsorship of anti-democratic forces will not stand.
Find your local dealer here: https://www.toyota.com/dealers/
And here's what you can say:
My name is ______, I’m calling from (city, state). Im calling because I’m really disappointed that Toyota has broken its pledge to uphold democracy and not fund representatives that voted to overturn the election after the riot on the capital January 6, 2021. Just this March, Toyota funded five of them. Toyota’s funding of these five insurrectionists goes completely against upholding democratic values. If Toyota values democratic values as I do, they will stop funding any more members that voted to overturn the 2020 election. In the meantime I will encourage friends and family to shop elsewhere. Thanks.
Get Smart! 📚
Re-posting, because this is a really special and important event.
If the right wing keeps its power in this year's midterms in states like Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania — ground zero for Trump’s anti-democratic efforts in 2020 — state lawmakers could hand him the presidency in 2024.
WE CAN STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING! WE CAN TAKE BACK THE STATES!
Learn how at this Sunday’s Focus for Democracy Zoom —an introduction and analysis of The States Project explained by its founder, DANIEL SQUADRON, who is smart, savvy, organized, and laser-focused at the most granular level. His goals and targets are reasonable and achievable.
This meeting is not only about giving: it’s about understanding the danger, realizing the impact of state legislatures, learning about the cost-effective possibilities to thwart Trump’s latest power grab.
SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2022, 8:00 PM Eastern time; 5PM Pacific.
To register click here and a Zoom link will be emailed to you.
Win Races! 🗳
Y’all, come phonebank with me into Arizona today! This is easy work, and it matters! We’re calling Democratics who aren’t great at voting in non-Presidential elections and reminding them how important it is to change that this November.
We want Mark Kelly to keep his seat, right? We want a Democrat to win the Governorship? The Secretary of State race?
We need to make that happen.
3-5 PM PDT. Sign up here. I will train you!
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)
[to your Senators] [Quick send: SIGN PQWNJE to 50409]
I strongly believe that no child should go hungry. It is unacceptable that throughout the course of the pandemic, fourteen million children went hungry every day.
That is why I want the Senator to cosponsor the bipartisan “Summer Meals Act of 2021,” (S. 1170) introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). This bill would increase access to and improve the efficiency of the summer meals programs. It would reduce the Summer Food Service Program eligibility threshold from 50% to 40%, so that communities with significant numbers of low-income children could receive meals and continue learning throughout the summer.
I’d also like them to cosponsor the “Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021” (S. 1530), introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). This bill would permanently provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all school children regardless of income, eliminate school meal debt, and strengthen local economies by incentivizing local food procurement.
Finally, please co-sponsor the “Hunger-Free Summer for Kids Act of 2021” (S. 2005), which would modify existing child nutrition programs to make them more efficient, flexible, and better equipped to reach children in need during the summer months. Additionally, this bill would give states alternatives to reach hungry children in communities without a centralized feeding site during the summer.
Also? We need the Expanded Child Tax Credit back. Please fight for that every day. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess