Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/22
With love as our guide
Hi, all, and happy Wednesday!
I was listening to a Pod Save America episode this morning in which Biden’s Morehouse speech was discussed at some length. One of the hosts mentioned that Biden had spent a lot of time during the speech telling the graduates about his early history—in particular, about the loss of his wife and daughter in a car accident right after he was elected to the Senate.
I knew about the accident, of course, but because the podcast hosts said that Biden went into great detail about it I decided to look it up to see what I didn’t remember.
Here’s what I found: Biden was thirty when it happened. He’d just been elected as the junior Senator from Delaware. He’d been interviewing staffers for his new role when he got the call. His wife Neilia had been out buying a Christmas tree with their three young kids. They’d all been driving home, and were hit by a truck at an intersection. Neilia and their daughter, Naomi, who was just over one year old, perished instantly. The boys, Beau and Hunter, survived, but were badly injured.
President Biden considered stepping down after the accident, but decided to stay on and serve. He did so while simultaneously grieving and raising two young, also grieving boys. In order to give them security and consistency he took the train back to Delaware every night after work to read to them and put them to bed.
Eventually he remarried and had another daughter. The kids grew up. His son Hunter developed a drug and alcohol problem, but Biden never wavered in his love and support. Beau entered the armed services, served with distinction, and then died of glioblastoma at 45. President Biden was tempted to resign from office again then, but Beau’s dying plea was that he not do so.
It was because of this dying plea—and the Charlottesville march—that Joe Biden decided to run for President.
I repeat this story because it is so foundational to who President Biden is. It speaks of staggering loss. It speaks of love. It speaks of character. It speaks of family, dedication, commitment, and strength. It speaks of compassion. All are things that MUST be present in the person who leads this nation. They must. All are present, in spades, in Joe Biden.
None, not even love, is present in his opponent. Think about that. Trump couldn’t get a single family member to show up at his trial until the press drew attention to their absence. He is essentially alone in the world. He has no obvious love for anyone. He is beloved by none. It’s not clear he even knows what the feeling is.
This alone makes him unfit for office. Because love—of country, of family, of principles, of Americans—is necessary to do the job. Without it the presidency becomes no more than a huge lever of power, to be wielded selfishly, cruelly, and carelessly at will. That is how Trump treated it once; he will do so again.
We can’t have it. We must aspire to better. We must fight for love at all costs, not just in ourselves, but in our countrymen and in our leaders.
That’s why I’ll keep chopping wood and carrying water. Because the cause is worth it. And so are the people we’re fighting for.
I hope you’ll join me. Because together, with love as our guide, we’re unstoppable.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling to ask the Senator to introduce legislation that would pause and fix Louis DeJoy’s disastrous ten-year plan for the USPS. There are three bills in the House the Senate should also introduce. They are HR 8000 the “Timely Mail Delivery and Postal Services Protection” Act, HR 8045 the “Postal Operations Stay Timely and Local” Act, and H.R.8040 “To limit the closure or consolidation of any United States Postal Service processing and distribution center in Postal Service regions that have failed to meet certain delivery standards, and for other purposes.”
I am really unhappy about what’s going on with the Postal Service, and what I’d really like is for DeJoy to be fired. Barring that, the passage of these three bills would be a good start. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, I’m calling to ask the Congressmember to co-sponsor legislation that would pause and fix Louis DeJoy’s disastrous ten-year plan for the USPS. There are three bills; they are: HR 8000 the “Timely Mail Delivery and Postal Services Protection” Act, HR 8045 the “Postal Operations Stay Timely and Local” Act, and H.R.8040 “To limit the closure or consolidation of any United States Postal Service processing and distribution center in Postal Service regions that have failed to meet certain delivery standards, and for other purposes.” Will the Congressmember support all three?
Also, I understand that Congressman Steve Cohen just introduced a resolution of censure against U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito. I expect the Congressmember to support it. Please let me know if s/he will. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
[H/T subscriber Colleen McGloughlin]
If you haven’t yet registered your judicial complaint concerning Aileen Cannon in the FL stolen documents case, here’s a YouTube that will guide you through the process. It’s really pretty easy, but it helps to have the step-by-step guide for the correct case number, specific court, and address. Directions start at 13 minutes if you don’t want to listen to the whole thing.
And here’s the link to find the form.
Extra Extra Credit ✅✅
I just signed the petition "Demand the Kansas City Chiefs Dismiss Harrison Butker for Discriminatory Remarks." Their goal is to reach 300,000 signatures.
Join me? And please share!
Get Smart! 📚
With immigration ranking in the top three issues for voters, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune have convened a panel of experts to discuss how immigration is shaping the election and the extent to which President Joe Biden’s immigration policies have exacerbated or alleviated the crisis. Should be really interesting and informative.
The Border and the Election
Wednesday, May 29
2-3 p.m. Eastern time
Spread the Word! 📣
Please share Brave New Films’ new video, “Trump Crime Wave.” SO GOOD.
Need a caption to go with it? How about:
Trump constantly fear-mongers about a crime wave in major cities that doesn't exist—in fact, violent crime has dropped precipitously under Biden.
Trump’s claims are nothing but projection, meant to distract from the REAL crime wave associated with him and his cronies.
#TrumpCrimeWave.
Win Races! 🗳
Blue Wave Postcards has launched their third and final Arizona Voter Registration postcard campaign. In this campaign, the script will focus on the stark choices facing voters - choices that will disproportionately affect new majority voters.
Please order Arizona Postcards here. You do have to buy them, but they come with address labels. I have a postcarding hub on my front steps and my writers love these cards—they’re very easy to write!
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
Follow This is a climate NGO I adore. It unites responsible shareholders to ask for climate action. They change the system from within. Learn what they do in this one-minute video and then, if you can, make a donation here. This is one of my FAVORITE climate orgs to give to.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN PEDOCL to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I’m writing as your constituent today to ask that you vote NO on the Congressional Review Act resolution that would repeal the SEC’s new rule “The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors.”
Many investors want better information on how climate change and the transition to a cleaner economy will impact their retirement savings, and this rule will provide a bare minimum of that information.
If Congress passes the Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution, the SEC could even be prohibited from issuing substantially similar rules. This means the agency wouldn’t be able to improve these disclosures over time, for example by including emissions that occur throughout a company’s value chain like a bank’s lending to the fossil fuel industry—even if investors want and need the information.
Sticking our heads in the sand on this issue won’t make it go away – so I ask that you take the side of hardworking retirement savers over the fossil fuel interests, and vote down this bill. Thank you.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Joe Biden's loss was staggering enough after the accident, but given Beau's death and Hunter's problems, one could say he lost his entire first family. Clearly, he's a deeper, better person for it, but what a loss. Thank you for the reminder.
Jess, your dedication amazes me. I am trying to do my part but can’t quite summon the energy I had back in the day. So glad you youngsters are getting it done!