Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/9

Hi, all, and happy Tuesday.

I’m listening to Simon Rosenberg as I write, so pardon any typos in advance.

Yesterday evening one of my activist friends sent me a text saying “Rachel Maddow is terrifying tonight!! 😥😥”

I’d been relaxing after an end-of-day walk. Reading the text I felt my blood pressure surge. I didn’t immediately respond—I was trying to wind down!

Two more texts soon followed, each more fearful than the one before: America is overrun with Nazis! Armed Nazis! White, male, armed Nazis! Many exclamation points.

So much for my evening decompression!

Look, y’all. I don’t mean to minimize this person’s fear. Quite the contrary. It was very justified and very real. So real that it transmitted to me powerfully via three short text messages. It changed my mood in a split second. Fear is a powerful thing—more easily shared, alas, than its opposite.

And THIS is why I don’t watch cable news. It’s why I’m off twitter. It’s why I avoid “doom scrolling” at all costs. It’s why, in fact, I have a zero tolerance policy towards media of any kind that makes me feel despair.

Because I—and we, friends—can NOT afford it. Despair is an enemy to progress, a ruiner of motivation and a fouler of energy. Are we living in scary times? YES. Does staring at scary things, worrying over them, and repeating them to others make me more able to control them?

An emphatic no.

So yes, I’m sure Rachel Maddow was frightening last night. There’s nothing wrong with that; there is value to understanding what the threat is. I hope, though, that she closed her segment by reminding people that we can fix this, and that getting involved in bolstering our democracy is imperative. I hope she urged her viewers to join a youth voter registration drive, or to sign up for a phonebank into Pennsylvania, or to run for office themselves. Because generating fear without offering a solution may be good for clicks and shares, but it’s not great for either our mental health or our democracy.

The point is this: there are lots of folks sharing the problem. It can become deeply wearying and very, very stressful. Please know when to turn the TV—or the TikTok, or the iPhone—off and prioritize mental health.

And please balance your media diet with plenty of sources also offering solutions. Your wellbeing will improve. And so, by extension, will your friends’, your family’s, and, in the end, your country’s. 💙

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

It’s unacceptable that Chief Justice Roberts declined his recent invitation to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding ethics violations amongst his justices. The grave and widespread nature of the corruption that’s coming to light demands that he come testify. If he refuses to do so voluntarily then Chairman Durbin needs to subpoena him—I’d like the Senator to push him to do so. Americans want action. Chief Justice Roberts needs to come testify, Clarence Thomas should resign, and the Supreme Court needs ethics reform. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I’m calling because I’m furious that the Republicans are holding our economy hostage. We need a clean debt ceiling increase and we need it now.

[If GOP add:] Republicans need to stop pretending they care about the deficit. It’s gone up under every Republican president and down under every Democratic president. If they really wanted to do something about debt they wouldn’t be cutting billionaire’s taxes. It’s clear this whole crisis has been created to harm Joe Biden, and that’s outrageous. Because guess who it’ll really harm? Americans like me. Raise the debt ceiling now or lose your seat next year. Thanks.

[If Democrat add:] Please ask the Congressmember to stay strong and refuse to negotiate with Republican terrorists. No cuts. No rollbacks of climate legislation. Nothing less than a clean debt ceiling increase. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

By now, you've probably heard about Jordan Neely, the unhoused man who was put in a chokehold and killed by a fellow passenger on a New York City subway. Neely's only crime? Yelling about being "fed up and hungry." It's been days since Neely's brutal killing, and charges still haven't been filed.

Neely's death comes at a time of aggressive policing of unhoused people in the city, at the direction of NYC Mayor Eric Adams. Advocates for unhoused people in the city point to the uptick in dehumanizing policies and treatment contributing to the city's "deputized" citizens.

Please sign this petition to demand Mayor Eric Adams work with advocates for people experiencing homelessness and mental illness to restructure current policies! It will actually be sent to him—I checked.

And please call DA Bragg at 212-335-9000 and ask him to charge Daniel Penny for Neely’s murder. I said:

I’m calling because I know DA Bragg is weighing whether or not to charge Daniel Penny in the murder of Jordan Neely. The answer is yes. Penny must be charged. Neely was a man with mental illness who was acting erratically but harming no one–he did not deserve to die. This was murder pure and simple. We will be expecting the charge. Thanks.

Extra Extra Credit—help out a great org! ✅✅

Grassroots Dems HQ, a wonderful group that I often partner with on phonebanks, is nominated for a Powerful Idea Award for their Youth Organize for Democracy Program. In the spirit of democracy, this award will be decided by a popular vote  If they win the award they will receive a grant from GAIN Power to onboard more youth into their next cohort this election cycle. Please consider voting for them? I know for a fact they will make excellent use of this money.

Link to vote.

They are in the Organizing category under the name Grassroots Dem HQ. 

If you need additional instructions, you can find them here.

Get Smart! 📚

On Tuesday, May 16th at 12:00pm ET, Ballotpedia is coming to BigTent! Geoff Pally, Editor in Chief, and Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures will join them.

They will discuss ballot measures, why they’re important, and trends they are seeing around the country. Ballotpedia is a non-partisan digital encyclopedia of American politics and the nation’s premier resource for unbiased information on elections, politics, and policy. 

Register here.

Spread the Word! 📣

Debt Limit Daily Talking Points from the White House:

1. The US is not a deadbeat nation. Congress has worked to prevent default 78 times since 1960, including 3 times under Trump.

2. The president will tell congressional leaders at the White House this week that they must act quickly to avoid default without conditions, and discuss a separate process on budget and appropriations.

3. The president has laid out a plan to grow the economy and cut the deficit by nearly $3 trillion over 10 years, including by cutting wasteful spending on Big Pharma and Big Oil.

4. House Republicans’ bill could potentially force cuts to veterans’ care, Meals on Wheels, food safety inspections, education, food assistance, health care and Medicaid, and border security. All while supporting additional tax cuts for billionaires and profitable corporations.

Win Races! 🗳

Promote the Vote PA will be making calls to voters in HD163 now through Election Day!

The Special Election on May 16th will decide whether Dems keep our one-seat majority in the PA House and the stakes could not be higher. Abortion access and voting rights are on the line! Sign up to help Promote The Vote with these important calls to registered Dems. Whatever time you can spare goes a long way! 

Training & support provided on Zoom during every phone bank. All are welcome. Groups encouraged! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!       

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

[To all 3 reps] [Thanks to Alan Unell for creating this!] [Quick send: Text Sign PODISN to 50409]

I am your constituent. In just the past week, the bodies of dead mothers have been rolled off of the surviving children they protected from AR15 bullets in not one but two mass shootings. This Mother’s Day, mothers across the country don’t want cards or flowers. They want a Federal Assault Weapons Ban. I want you to cosponsor and actively push to get an assault weapons ban in place.

I also want you to cosponsor and pass Ethan’s law which demands that weapons be safely stored to protect children

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

Talk soon.

Jess