Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/31

Art by Koy Suntichotinun via Amplifier Art.

Hi, all, and happy Tuesday.

I hope everyone got some rest this weekend. I must confess, I’d forgotten it was Memorial Day weekend until it was almost upon me. Like many Americans, I felt far from celebratory, but did enjoy the extra time with family and close friends. If there’s one thing all of this carnage is reminding me to do, it is to embrace those dear to me and enjoy every second I have with them. So I did.

But I also canvassed for Eunisses Hernandez and phonebanked a bit for Jessica Cisneros. Because doing something is how I cope.

If it’s how you cope, too, you came to the right place! Let’s do do do, so we can win, win, win.

There’s literally no other option.

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

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

I’m incredibly frustrated that the Senate went on recess while Americans are still reeling from Ulvade and the other devastating mass shootings that happened last week. Not to mention the dozens—literally—that have happened since. Gun violence in our country is out of control, and only strong gun laws will begin to address it. The Senate needs to come back from recess and pass HR 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, and H.R. 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021. That’s just a start. We also need to renew the Assault Weapons Ban that expired in 2004. It’s clear that until we do we will continue to see mass casualty events that destroy lives and terrify the populace. We can’t keep living like this. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

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

Is the Congressmember a co-sponsor on HR 1808, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2021?

[If yes]: Thank you. Please ask them to push its passage with all of their might.

[If no:] I want them to co-sponsor it right away. This can’t be about politics. This is about human lives. American lives. Children’s lives. We don’t need weapons of war on our streets. It’s been a catastrophe for our citizens. Ulvade was the final straw. Get this done or we will vote you out. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

OK! I have some NRA-related actions for you.

✍🏼 First, Cloudflare helps the NRA run its websites. The emails for their decision makers are: sisasi@cloudflare.com, jake@cloudflare.com, patrick@cloudflare.com, matthew@cloudflare.com. Let’s send all of them an email and encourage them to sever ties with the NRA.

And yes, I made a click-to-send email for those of you who like those. Go here to send! (Don’t forget to personalize and sign!)

✍🏼 Second, GoDaddy also helps the NRA run its websites. The emails for them are: abhutani@godaddy.com, rchen@godaddy.com, fhoward@godaddy.com, agoldman@godaddy.com, pnicks@godaddy.com, hchen@godaddy.com. Let’s send all of them an email and encourage them to sever ties with the NRA.

Click-to-send here. (Don’t forget to personalize and sign!)

✍🏼 Paypal helps the NRA accept donations. Their CEO Dan Schulman’s email is dan.schulman@paypal.com. Let’s write to him and demand they stop.

Click-to-send here. (Don’t forget to personalize and sign!)

Get Smart! 📚

This Thursday at 5pm PT/8pm ET please join Reclaim Our Vote’s Founding Board Member Andrea Miller for an update on their current get out the vote campaigns for the upcoming summer primaries in Virginia, Florida and Arizona and for a discussion on their strategy for the fall midterms.

Primary elections are SO important for ensuring strong turnout in the fall. When someone votes in a primary elections, they are 85-90% more likely to vote in a general election!

In the face of even more barriers to the ballot box, we need all hands on deck to ensure strong voter turnout. Come learn more about how you can help ROV get out the vote by phone banking, post carding, texting and more.

Register here!

Register Voters! ✅

It’s high school graduation season! Please remember when you send celebratory cards to send the graduate an invitation to register as well!

Use Third Act’s awesome print-at-home insert that includes a QR Code for registering to vote online (38 states allow online registration). There’s space to write your own personal well-wishes and to share why voting is so important to you.

I just did this yesterday and it felt really good. I’m sending more cards today. Let’s do this!

Also…post the below on your social!

Did you know that there is NO FORMAL PROCESS for asking young folks to register to vote? Sure, some are asked when they get a driver's license, but many young people don't drive!

That's where high school graduations come in! 🧑🏽‍🎓

When you send celebratory cards PLEASE send the graduate the below invitation to register to vote as well!

Use Third Act's awesome print-at-home insert that includes a QR Code for registering to vote online (38 states allow online registration). There’s space to write your own personal well-wishes and to share why voting is so important to you.

https://thirdact.org/senior-to-senior-graduation-voter-registration-card/

Win Races! 🗳

Y’all, there’s a Nevada-related textbank today that I just learned badly needs more volunteers! Can you help?

It’s from 4-5 PM PT / 7-8 PM ET, (they also have shifts on Monday, June 6 and Monday, June 13). You can sign up HERE.

You’ll be reaching out to midterm-skipping and newly registered Democrats urging them to vote in Nevada’s primary coming up on June 14th. With the U.S. Senate seat and three U.S. House seats in Nevada considered “toss ups”, boosting Democratic turnout throughout the state is critically important.

I hope you can join. This matters.

[P.S. If winning in Nevada is your jam, be sure to sign up for Chop Wood, Carry Nevada, my weekly(ish) Nevada-related newsletter!]

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

[to President Biden] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PRQOXW to 50409]

President Biden, I’m writing as someone who voted for you. I’m a supporter.

Having said that, I am deeply frustrated and disappointed that, after promising you would ban new oil and gas leasing on public lands, you are literally issuing an average of 10 leasing permits PER DAY. That is atrocious.

Nearly 25% of US climate emissions stem from fossil fuel extraction on our public lands — and your actions are opening the door for Big Oil to spew even more methane and drive us to climate catastrophe.

Turning over more public lands to Big Oil will not lower gas prices or alleviate suffering in Ukraine. It WILL lock us into decades of fossil fuels that our climate cannot afford.

Upping the number of climate-destroying emissions from our public lands is not what I’d call climate leadership, but climate leadership is what you promised. To have any shot at combatting climate catastrophe, you must follow through on your promise to ban new leasing. No new drilling, President Biden, please. Our children are counting on you, and so am I. Thanks.

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

Talk tomorrow.

Jess