Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/3

Hi, all, and happy Monday night!

I know. Highly unusual to hear from me at this time of day. I forgot to tell you that I’m technically on vacation this week. Spring break! Can you believe it? Talk about crazy timing!

At the moment, in fact, I’m in the Catskills with 13 members of my family. It’s glorious. I truly wish we could have done it during a week not containing a critically important election and the first Presidential indictment in history, but I don’t make the school schedule. So here I am, fighting for a wifi signal while events transpire that will shape the course of history. Sigh.

All of this is to say that I offer you here a stripped down newsletter; it contains one critically important phonebank—I can’t describe how much it’s killing me to not be able to make calls into Wisconsin on Election Day!—a call into Tennessee that really can’t wait, and a Resistbot letter. I’ll be back with more later this week.

Or sooner. Because tomorrow’s going to be a HUGE day.

Whatever happens, remember our team is growing, strengthening, and gaining ingenuity. Their team is shrinking, getting more blind, and making fatal errors on a weekly basis.

So no matter how shrill they get, never forget that they’re tyrannizing their way into oblivion. With our help, of course.

Win Races—CALL WISCONSIN VOTERS! 🗳

ELECTION DAY!! TUESDAY APRIL 4th:

1. Let's Get Out the Vote (GOTV) on Election Day with Congressman Ted Lieu and GDHQ to Flip the Court on Saturday, April 4th at 8 am PT / 11 am ET  to phone bank! Congressman Ted Lieu has been a progressive voice in Congress since 2015. While in Congress, Representative Lieu has championed LGBTQ+ rights, cyber security, fighting climate change, and reforming our criminal justice system.

2. If you miss the above phonebank there’ll be shifts all day Tuesday — ELECTION DAY! with WisDems. Sign up here. EVERY VOTE WILL MATTER!

Call the Speaker of the Tennessee House

If you don’t know what’s happening in Tennessee you should. It’s shameful. Catch up on it here and then make this call.

 Call Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton at 615-741-2343 and say:

My name is _____I’m calling from _____. I know the Tennessee House is scheduled to vote Thursday on removing three Democratic members because they participated in a gun-violence protest on Thursday. Speaker Sexton is lying and saying that this peaceful protest carried out mostly by kids was equivalent to the January 6th insurrection. Shame on him. His behavior is anti-Democratic, dishonest, and reprehensible. His constituents deserve better. He should leave these representatives alone—in fact he should thank them for caring so deeply about their constituents—and get to work passing legislation that will actually help and protect the people he works for. Thanks.

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

[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [Quick send text SIGN PXIMKQ to 50409]

I am writing about the importance of protecting and strengthening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP provides many of our neighbors with vital food benefits to purchase groceries from food retailers. It serves people of all ages, staves off hunger and promotes well-being.

The pandemic Emergency Allotment ended this spring, reducing benefits by $95 a month on average in 17 million households in 35 states, leaving most recipients with only $6 per person per day. No person can eat three healthy meals each day for just $6. Low-income Americans are struggling with food prices due to inflation and an expensive housing market. They have few reserves to weather the SNAP benefit cut. Even before the SNAP benefit cut, food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens were reporting high demand for assistance. These emergency food providers cannot make up for the scope of this SNAP cut.

I ask you to safeguard SNAP from any further cuts or damaging changes in negotiations over the budget, the farm bill, or any other legislation. You should end the current 3-month time limits on SNAP for people without children, and firmly reject any proposal to expand this harsh restriction to others. Moreover, I urge Congress to support increasing SNAP benefit amounts, allow simplified qualifying for SNAP, and include Puerto Rico and other territories in the SNAP program. More adequate SNAP benefits can help our neighbors keep food on the table longer through a month. SNAP has been shown to improve student performance and allows families to maintain healthy diets, which in turn leads to long-term positive health outcomes. We should support this!

Please protect and expand SNAP benefits. Thanks.

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

Talk soon.

Jess