Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/15
Hi, all, and happy Monday!
Hope your weekend was outstanding. I spent mine mostly in bed—this cold is a beast! I thought I was beginning to improve on Saturday but found myself down for the count again yesterday. Thanks to the many of you who’ve sent well wishes—I promise I am, in fact, resting—sometimes—and eating lots of soup. Today I feel much better; I think I’m well on my way to a full recovery.
Which is why I’ll be making calls into Pennsylvania later today. There are critical elections there tomorrow. Hope some of you will join me!
Plenty of time to rest, in other words, when democracy is safe.
Until then let’s get to work.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I want the Senator to vote only for a clean debt ceiling increase. Default is not an option—it would cause Social Security checks to be delayed and collapse the economy, costing millions of jobs and wiping out many people’s retirement savings. The House Republicans’ bill with draconian cuts would do equal damage to Americans and the economy. It would also repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, which is the only thing standing between us and climate catastrophe. It cannot pass.
Please raise the debt ceiling with no strings attached and THEN work on a budget that keeps climate funding intact and can win bipartisan support. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
Talking Points Memo just published an article revealing that Representative Paul Gosar’s digital director, Wade Searle, is a prominent follower of Nick Fuentes and the Groyper movement. Gosar’s ties to Fuentes and right-wing extremists are well-documented, and now we know they extend to putting a neo-Nazi on the federal payroll. I want the Congressmember to publicly condemn Gosar’s continued employment of a white supremacist; Searle should be fired. I also want the Congressmember to support a censure of Gosar for his continued support of these extremists and also push for him to be removed from his committee assignments, in particular the Oversight Committee, where he serves on the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border and Foreign Affairs. Thanks. [H/T
]Extra Credit ✅
Below is an updated list of the House and Senate holdouts on S.25 / H.R.698 the Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2023. If your lawmaker is on one of these spreadsheets I urge you to append an ask for them to co-sponsor this bill to EVERY call you make to them.
Even if one of these isn’t your representative please call or email at least one of them anyway. The Newton Alliance doesn’t care if you’re a constituent or not—they just want folks calling these lawmakers and asking them to co-sponsor this bill.
You can say something like:
I’m extremely disappointed to see that _____ isn’t yet co-sponsoring the Assault Weapons Ban Act. A recent Fox News poll shows that 61% of Americans want such a ban. [Insert personal reasons for wanting it here]. I expect to see the Senator/Congressmember sign on to this bill or I will make sure to support their opponent when they next come up for re-election. Thanks.
Get Smart! 📚
On May 16th and 23rd please join the Sierra Club for a training on how to write an effective public comment!
Meaningful public comments are hugely important to getting good environmental rules passed, and Sierra Club will be going over how to write the most impactful comment and how to use your public narrative to influence our federal government and your community.
On May 16th they'll do a policy overview and public narrative training, then they'll come back on May 23rd to help you submit comments and brainstorm ways to get your friends and family involved. They’ll also go over what else Sierra Club is working on this Spring and Summer to protect lands, water, and wildlife.
May 16th and 23rd, 5PM PT / 8 PM ET
Spread the Word! 📣
Yesterday in “Extra! Extra!” I neglected to attach the actual Op-Ed President Biden wrote about gun violence and the new actions he’s taking to address it. It’s here. Please read it and share the contents with friends and family. Remember, if folks don’t hear about wonderful things like this it’s almost like they didn’t happen.
Give 💰!
The more I hear about big PACs the less I trust them. In most cases the bulk of the money they raise goes not towards candidates, but their own costs. It’s a bit of a scam.
I continue to turn, instead, towards funding grassroots organizations either directly or via groups that vet and disperse money to them; I hope lots of you will do the same. Here’s a great fund doing just that!
Since 2019, NOPE Neighbors, an all-volunteer-run group, has directed $1.6 million to organizing groups in battleground states, primarily via their Organize for Democracy ActBlue slate. This slate includes an organizing group in each of their targeted states and Virginia. The link remains the same, but the groups have changed as they strategically target resources. You can see the current Organize for Democracy slate here. I can vouch for every one of these groups—they’re the cream of the crop.
Please consider becoming a Democracy Sustainer (monthly donor) to NOPE’s excellent fund if you can. Your money couldn’t be better spent, and all Democracy Sustainers will have the opportunity to attend the May 23 program with Rep. Jamie Raskin (at which I’ll also be speaking); details will follow.
Win Races! 🗳
The Philadelphia Mayor’s primary tomorrow is going to be VERY close and it’s critical that our progressive candidate win. Please come phonebank for Helen Gym with me TODAY. The training time is at 2:00PM ET and the phonebank will run until 8:30PM ET so you can hop on any time. Sign up here.
Also, at 2PM PT I’m going to hop on to make calls once more into HD 163 for Heather Boyd. If we lose this seat we lose the PA House! Nooooo! Sign up here to help us make calls.
And tomorrow, Election Day, please sign up for a last-minute ballot chase phonebank from 4 - 5pm EST here.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[to all 3 reps] [H/T Climate Hawks Vote]
[Quick send text SIGN PYJZYH to 50409 or share: https://resist.bot/petitions/PYJZYH]
I am deeply concerned about the new “Building American Energy Security Act of 2023” released by Senator Joe Manchin and the “RESTART Act” released by Senator Shelley Moore Capito that would attempt to gut critical environmental protections, hamstring agency review of energy projects and fast-track unnecessary projects like the destructive Mountain Valley Pipeline.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline has already lost several of its permits multiple times in court, but Manchin’s bill attempts to push it through anyway. Construction of the pipeline has already caused harm to drinking water, farms, and waterways in West Virginia and Virginia, where it has been cited for hundreds of violations. The project has an unacceptable impact on communities, and Congress should not bend federal law to favor this harmful and unnecessary project.
Importantly, the project is not necessary for grid reliability or national security. According to the Energy Information Administration, demand for natural gas is stagnant and not expected to increase, and the region has adequate pipeline capacity. The pipeline can’t transport carbon or hydrogen, so it won’t help with new advanced energy projects either.
The bill also attempts to limit state authority under the Clean Water Act, require federal agencies to rush review of new fossil fuel projects, and limit — or even avoid — review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The suggested measures would truncate timelines available for agencies to review permits, limiting their ability to thoroughly vet projects.
Weakening the Clean Water Act and public participation in decision-making will not help advance renewable energy projects, and the bill does not include adequate provisions to help build transmission infrastructure, offshore wind, and other renewable energy technologies.
If implemented, the measures in this bill would endanger our air and water, and they would erode transparency and public participation in critical review processes. Please oppose this fossil fuel industry bill and any legislative approach that puts people’s health and safety at risk. Thanks!
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Hi Jess! Great as always!
Ok I am a mom like you, in NC who is NOT very connected or tech savvy. I like many have just recently been made aware of the inside assault on our democracy.
I LOVE your content here, and wonder is there a way through Substack to organize State Sub-CWCW substacks.... eventually 50+ (DC and territories even maybe a oversees absentee)
of YOUR type content that is specific to the issues of that state for example???
Like under your CWCW can there be baby cwcw’s? That maybe fans like me could contribute to with guidance? Or more likely you know people who you already could collaborate with in purple swing states like mine that could steer it ?
It just would be cool to pull up National CWCW check off daily list, then scroll to state NC (example) and do that check list.
Food for thought. I just think what you have here is crucial for all pro-democracy lovers for the next 10 years +
Thanks for what you do
I am not but I made calls for him so I am really feeling burned for the people of AZ!