Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/21

You're the light.

Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!

Every time the stakes seem as high as they can go, they get a bit higher, don’t they? Yesterday, as I’m sure you’re aware, Trump’s campaign posted a video promising a “unified Reich” if he was elected. Literally. His team took the video down after several hours, but the damage had been done. And I mean the damage to us, of course— for Trump the video did exactly what it was meant to do. It was a dog whistle, pure and simple, and utterly intentional. Once the words had been put out there the video could, of course, be taken down; the internet doesn’t require the original post for its message to be spread.

Trump is telling his followers in every way he can that he’s willing to go all the way. He’s telling us, too. We should take him at his word.

The good news is it hasn’t happened yet. And, despite what anyone tells you, it absolutely doesn’t have to. Trump is entirely beatable. Republicans are entirely beatable. The billionaires are entirely beatable. They have money. They have evil. They have greed.

But they simply don’t have you. And you, us, we, are a power that is both unquantifiable and unstoppable.

Don’t forget it. Ever. We’ve got this.

Now let’s get to work.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I’m upset that the Senate is failing to hold MAGA justices accountable for their corruption and bias. The Supreme Court’s public approval has approached record lows. No one trusts it anymore. And for good reason. The court’s refusal to police itself—and its willingness to allow a few justices to trample on its reputation— demands that Congress step up and take strong action to enforce judicial ethics and require justices to recuse themselves when they have or appear to have clear conflicts of interest.

Please ask the Senator to call on Senator Durbin to hold hearings on Thomas and Alito’s corruption, please ask him/her to push for court reform, and in general please ask him/her to treat this situation with the urgency it requires. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I understand that House Republicans have released their version of the Farm Bill and that it has cuts to SNAP as well as to climate-focused funding. There is wide opposition to the bill from people working in the nutrition and hunger fields, as well as from climate advocates. I want the Congressmember to oppose it. Please ask him/her to support Senator Debbie Stabenow’s version instead.

[If Democrat add:] Also, Henry Cuellar must be forced to resign. The Democratic Party needs to be free of corruption if we are to win and keep the voters’ trust. I’m asking the Congressmember to publicly demand Cuellar’s resignation. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

Let’s send this letter—ideally personalized—to the Justice Department using this form. I chose as my subject “Message to the Attorney General.” Don’t forget to hit REVIEW and then SUBMIT after you write! [H/T]

Last year, U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry was convicted of first degree murder -- and sentenced to 25 years in prison -- by a unanimous Texas jury for shooting and killing Black Lives Matter protester Garrett Foster. Perry drove his vehicle into a crowd of protestors during a rally in 2020 and then fired five shots through his driver side window when Foster approached the vehicle.

Now, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has pardoned the convicted vigilante in a shocking, disgusting, and dangerous assault of the rule of law, the right to protest, and the safety of anyone who dares to challenge the extreme policies of the right-wing.

The Department of Justice can restore the rule of law and use the power of the federal government to effectively overturn Abbott’s pardon by federally prosecuting Daniel Perry. The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld an exception to the Fifth Amendment's ban on "double jeopardy," allowing a state and the federal government to each prosecute an individual for the same action if that action violates both state and federal laws.

Vigilante justice has no place in a country of laws. The safety and rights of all Americans are at stake. I’m writing to ask you to take action and prosecute this convicted vigilante immediately. Thanks.

Get Smart! 📚

🚨 I recommend this event highly!🚨

Mike Lux, political consultant and founder of American Family Voices, and Anthony Flaccavento, co-founder of Rural Urban Bridge Initiative, will be holding a national discussion tomorrow at 1 PM ET on Preserving Democracy, Rebuilding Economies and Winning Back Rural Voters in 2024. 

Here is a link to the flyer and registration page.

This will be an insightful and practical workshop—Mike is one of my favorite people and SUCH a smart guy. You will want to be there! 

Spread the Word! 📣

This is an excellent new NYT Op-Ed about SCOTUS and the need for more accountability for them. I’ve provided a gift link so you can share it widely on social media, perhaps with this quote:

“[Alito and Thomas] are making a mockery of their obligation to at least appear neutral and independent...They are saying, in effect, that they don’t care if any of this bothers you. To go by recent polls showing that this court’s public approval has approached record lows, it bothers many millions of Americans. And yet no one in Washington seems willing to act."

Give 💰!

There's lots of buzz about North Carolina for the 2024 elections. Come hear why as Airlift presents "North Carolina: Turning Purple to Blue," featuring the dynamic new NC Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton, at 26 the youngest Democratic party chair ever.  You'll also hear from Airlift Partners Down Home NC and Carolina Federation about how we can help keep the governorship Blue, break the GOP supermajority in the state legislature, and add North Carolina's electoral votes to keep Joe Biden in the White House.

Join them online, Thursday, May 23, 5:00 PT / 8:00 ET by signing up here.

Although this is a fundraiser, you need not make a donation to attend.

Win Races! 🗳

Swing Left's “Team Up” training program brings together a core team of new co-leaders to start a Swing Left group in their community to defend democracy and defeat MAGA extremism by winning elections for Democrats in the most competitive races. 

Maybe you've written letters, made calls, or even donated before, but you want to go deeper. Team Up will match you with other local co-leaders, build your skills, and provide you ongoing support so together you can build a new grassroots group in your community and expand your impact.  

Applications for Swing Left's Team Up program are due on Wednesday, May 22 to participate in local trainings in Orange County and Chicagoland on June 1 or in Westchester County, NY on June 8. There’s also a hybrid option that participants can join from anywhere on Saturday, June 8 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific / 1:00 p.m. Eastern. 

You can apply to join the Team Up program, by May 22, here.

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

[To: all 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN PSXRLP to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

I am your constituent and I am urging you to vote to end the statutorily required “Unfunded Priorities List” (UPL) from the Department of Defense, and to reject increased spending included in this year’s list.

Defense military contractors have a long history of price-gouging. Management of Pentagon expenditures is so bad that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has had the DoD on its high-risk list for financial mismanagement since 1990.

The billions of dollars spent on UPLs do not make us safer, and former and current Defense Secretaries (Secretaries Gates and Austin) have opposed them. What will make us safer is to instead invest those billions of dollars in programs such as Head Start, SNAP, Medicaid, clean energy, and housing programs.

Every dollar that goes to wasteful defense spending is a dollar that is not going to critical programs to assist people and families -- many of which are chronically underfunded.

Please, rein in wasteful Pentagon spending and end the DoD’s required Unfunded Priorities List. The Streamline Pentagon Spending Act (H.R.4740/S.5255 in the last Congress) is a bipartisan bill that would repeal the annual mandate for these wish lists. This bill is a crucial step toward accountability, transparency, and peace and I urge you to support this legislation. And, I strongly urge you to support any amendments to defense legislation to end the UPLs and reject funding from the current list as you’re negotiating the FY2025 budget.

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

Talk soon.

Jess