Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/18
Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
It feels like Groundhog day, alas, as we are once again in crisis mode around a last-minute debt ceiling deal. Both the Republicans’ desire to kill the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate provisions and Joe Manchin’s desire for more fossil fuel extraction are in play. I’m hearing different things from different insiders, none of whom want to be quoted directly, but what we do know for sure is that Biden does seem to be negotiating on the debt ceiling—AGH!—and climate progress is, one way or the other, on the chopping block.
It’s frustrating, and enraging, and disappointing, but there’s no time to get bogged down in that right now. We need to take quick, forceful, and urgent action. We can stop this, and we must.
We are also, incidentally, still hearing about movement on Mark DeSaulnier’s discharge petition, which would raise the debt ceiling with no strings attached. It would need five Republican votes to succeed, and apparently is still a (distant) option as well.
There’s a lot going on, in other words, and a lot of balls in the air. But we knew it would be like this. Let’s breathe, take meaningful actions, and get through it.
On that note, below are actions devoted almost exclusively to this situation. Please take them, and please share them widely. I also made a TikTok about it. If you find it easier to share video content you can find it here on TikTok or here on IG. There is also a social media toolkit here which you can use if you’re on twitter—I am not.
On a more hopeful note, last night’s Blue Tennessee event was the most inspiring gathering I’ve attended in some time. If you missed it I will post the recording as soon as I get it—I highly urge you to watch it. The problems in states like Tennessee are grave, but the strategy to fix them is clear and extremely doable! And the folks on the job already are extraordinary!
With them—and you—at our side we cannot help but prevail.
A correction!
Yesterday I wrote:
And, in a race to which I apparently wasn’t paying enough attention, Yemi Mobolade, a Nigerian immigrant and businessman with no political experience, will be the first elected Black mayor of Colorado Springs after he defeated Republican Wayne Williams last night! HUGE!¹
A reader wrote in:
I do have a nit-pick about your describing the Nigerian as someone with no political experience. He was on the City Council. He served as Colorado Springs small business development administrator. He was also the vice president of business retention and expansion for the Colorado Springs Chamber and Economic Development Corporation. I consider those roles as 'political'.... but perhaps you do not.
Oops! I absolutely do consider those roles to be political. Unfortunately I copied the original sentence from the news article I linked to. (That’s why I footnoted the sentence). I trusted their reporting, but I obviously should not have. My bad for not checking their work. Always backfires. Thanks to the reader who caught the error!
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I’m concerned about the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act (S. 1281).
Our public lands are important spaces to protect for the environment, wildlife, and Americans’ enjoyment. It shouldn’t be easy for mining companies to claim land rights and start destroying these lands for their own profit. I want the Senator to oppose this bill.
Second, I want the Senator to say no to any deal that expedites fossil fuel production or rolls back climate provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. Climate change is an urgent crisis and I expect my lawmakers to act like it. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling to ask the Congressmember to say no to any deal that expedites fossil fuel production or rolls back climate provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. Climate change is an urgent crisis and I expect my lawmakers to act like it. That means prioritizing the transition to clean energy and away from fossil fuels.
[If GOP add:] Please sign on to Mark DeSaulnier’s discharge petition and vote to pay our debts, no strings attached! Defaulting isn’t an option, and neither is going backwards on climate. Thanks.
[If Democrat add] Please support passing Mark DeSaulnier’s discharge petition to pay our debts, no strings attached! Defaulting isn’t an option, and neither is going backwards on climate. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
In case you haven’t done so yet, I highly encourage you to download and start using the Climate Action Now app. It’s a wonder—so well designed and curated, so ingenious—I’m constantly impressed by it. Whoever is choosing the actions is extremely plugged in, too, to what’s happening with climate policy on both a national and state level.
The app makes it absurdly easy to take 5 meaningful, effective actions each day to help push climate action on both a state and national level. These 5 actions take—seriously—about a minute to complete.
With Republicans gunning so hard to roll back the minimal climate progress we’ve made, we need more folks taking these actions daily.
Download the app here. And tell a friend!
Get Smart! 📚
In its next term, the Supreme Court will consider a new case that challenges our ability to keep guns out of the hands of people who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders.
Join the Demand Justice leadership on Wednesday, May 24th at 2:30pm ET, in a conversation with experts from Giffords Law Center, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Brady: United Against Gun Violence to hear why gun violence prevention is so important, what the Supreme Court might do in these cases, and how you can make your voice heard.
Check Out the Data! 📖
Movement Labs, a fantastic texting organization, just released the results of their Contest Every Race campaign last year, and they are IMPRESSIVE! Read about what they accomplished here, and then sign up to send text messages with this wonderful organization!
Give 💰!
Some folks had trouble with the link to the North Carolina fundraiser in yesterday’s newsletter. Here it is again, and thanks to those of you who were able to access it and make a donation! See you on Tuesday night!
Win Races! 🗳
I’m feeling so much better from my cold that I signed up for TWO phonebanking shifts today. The first is the Sister District phonebank into Virginia I mentioned yesterday—it’s at 1PM PT / 4 PM ET, and the second is an Environmental Voter Project phonebank into the same state at 3PM PT / 6PM ET! Join me? Here’s the link to sign up for that one.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
]to all 3 Reps] [H/T Climate Action Now App] [Quick send: text SIGN PUBHYZ to 50409 or share here.]
I'm writing as someone who is deeply concerned about the climate crisis and supports a swift transition to green energy.
Everyday Americans like me do NOT support the House's proposed rollbacks to the Inflation Reduction Act. The truth is that none of the House Republicans’ demands are popular among the American people.
In a recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll, not a single one of the proposed cuts polled above 36%: Republicans must stop insisting on cutbacks that Americans don't want, and Democrats must stop even considering agreeing to such cutbacks.
No matter their color, their party, or their zip code, Americans are unified in wanting climate action and a transition to clean energy NOW. Please work with your colleagues across the aisle to pass a clean debt ceiling right away.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Biden has done a stupendous job putting NATO back together, building alliances to off set China's expansionist impulses, utterly exposing Republicans at the State of the Union, passing historic legislation in his first two years with a tied Senate...
Let's give him the benefit of the doubt on the politics of the debt ceiling. I believe he's positioned himself to win no matter what.
If he caves on some lesser issues to get a deal, he looks like a reasonable, bi-partisan leader.
If Democrats need to go constitutional to pay our debts and protect the economy, he looks like a great leader facing a MAGA self inflicted crisis.
This week's wide spread Democratic election victories, and especially in Jacksonville, show that moderate Americans are fed up with MAGA theatrics. We need these moderates, both independents and Republicans, to bury the MAGA movement in 2024. ✌️
Thanks...keep the faith...Biden is both a moderate and a progressive at heart. In our diverse, partisan landscape, l think he'll get us as far as we can go on adoptable policies..