Chop Wood, Carry Water 6/1

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Hi, all, and happy Thursday!

And a very happy Pride month to all of my LGBTQIA+ readers and their loved ones! Pride is a big deal in our house; if it’s one in your house, too, congratulations! I thank my lucky stars every day to have the incredible queer kid that I do, and feel so fortunate to get to understand Pride in a whole new way through their eyes. No one has taught me more, and no one has given me more reason to be hopeful—and determined—about our future.

Speaking of which, that future just got a little more stable with the bipartisan passage of the debt ceiling bill. I’m beyond disappointed about the Mountain Valley Pipeline add-on, (more on that below—we’re still trying to stop it in the Senate), but that and the work requirements on SNAP aside we did well; Biden has, once again, come out on top. I told you not to underestimate him, didn’t I?

Whom we appear to have overestimated, meanwhile, is the Freedom Caucus. They folded like origami ducks! While they may make gestures at removing Kevin McCarthy they’ll not follow through—they’ve shown their true colors and are, as the saying goes, all “sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

The above holds true for all bullies; we should remember it in the months to come. Republicans make fierce sounds; their bluster can be convincing. But more often than not when pressed into battle they fight badly, retreat swiftly, and capitulate on all the wrong terms.

This is one of the many reasons we are going to defeat them.

You, my friends, are another. Be proud of that.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

Make this call as early as possible today please!

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

I’m calling to ask the Senator to support Senator Kaine’s amendment to remove the Mountain Valley Pipeline approval from the Fiscal Responsibility Act. We need to aggressively address the climate crisis; this doesn’t include passing a bill that reduces environmental protections, greenlights a new fossil fuel project and limits judicial review on it. There’s still time for amendments—please do all you can to ensure Senator Kaine’s amendment passes. Thanks. [H/T]

Extra Credit ✅

Let’s call Chuck Schumer ASAP at ‭(212) 486-4430‬ or ‭(518) 431-4070‬ or ‭(202) 224-6542‬ or ‭(914) 734-1532‬ or ‭(631) 753-0978‬:

Say:

My name is _____ and I’m calling the Senator in his capacity as Majority Leader to ask him to support Senator Kaine’s amendment to strip out approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. I just learned that NextEra Energy, the company behind the pipeline, has given $302,000 in donations to Majority Leader Schumer. It’s a terrible look that he is now working to give their polluting project unfettered approval. I’d like to remind him that he works for us, not Big Oil and Gas. If Democrats are to have any credibility they need to do better on climate. Please ask him to fight to strip Mountain Valley Pipeline approval from the bill. And while he’s at it he needs to stop taking money from Big Oil and Gas. Thanks.

Get Smart! 📚

This sounds AMAZING!

Moms Rising Teach-In: The Hidden History of the Second Amendment and What Came After. Thursday, June 8 from 8:30 – 10pm EDT

The national debate about gun violence and gun policy reform rests on an understanding of the Second Amendment shaped by the NRA and other pro-gun extremists. Their definition asserts that the right to bear arms is – and always has been – a bedrock Constitutional right that guarantees freedom.

But what if the NRA’s interpretation of the Second Amendment is historically wrong? How has the NRA’s version fed a gun violence epidemic that threatens and terrifies everyone, with disproportionate impacts on communities of color and other vulnerable communities? And how is the NRA’s Second Amendment increasingly infringing on other fundamental rights like free speech and safety?

Other topics to be covered include:

• The impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Heller decision on gun violence rates and on vulnerable communities

• The unfolding impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bruen decision

• How 2A is increasingly infringing on other foundational constitutional rights

Register here.

Spread the Word! 📣

Under the failed leadership of Ron DeSantis, Floridians have been struck by some of the fastest rising housing costs in the country, skyrocketing property insurance rates, and exorbitant health care costs. Share this article widely!

Give 💰!

Join Flip the Vote for a lively political Trivia Night and fundraiser co-hosted by Jon Lovett, former Obama speechwriter, co-founder of Crooked Media, co-host of Pod Save America, and host of Lovett or Leave It. It’s on June 5 at 5:30 pm PT/ 7:30 pm CT/ 8:30 pm ET.

FTV is raising money for grassroots work in swing states. Their first phase is AZ, NC, NV, PA, and WI. They plan to add more states and groups as they hit their fundraising goals.

During the event you'll answer fun trivia questions, hear Jon Lovett crack some jokes, and get a sneak peak at Flip the Vote's fundraising plan for the presidential cycle. Meanwhile, read up on their strategy to help you maximize the impact of your political investments.

REGISTER HERE

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

[to your Senators] [H/T] {quick send: text SIGN PTJIOS to 50409 or share here.

I'm writing to ask you to support critical amendments to the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” that passed the House on May 31, and to pass a clean, or clean-er, debt ceiling bill.

As you know, negotiations between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy have resulted in a debt ceiling bill called the “Fiscal Responsibility Act.” Unfortunately, the legislative text released over the weekend forces completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, guts core environmental protections like NEPA, hamstrings agencies, shrinks social safety nets, and harms communities.

Exempting the Mountain Valley Pipeline from the law and judicial due process, in particular, is an extraordinary and unconscionable poison pill. Senator Kaine of Virginia has already offered to introduce an amendment to remove this unnecessary piece of the bill. Where possible, other Senators are expected to introduce amendments to protect core environmental protections, social safety nets, and restore needed funding to agencies like the IRS.

I'm asking you to support these efforts, and to support amendments that will clean up the dirty, cruel, and unnecessary parts of the bill. Nobody wants a default, but there's no reason the bill can't be amended and improved by the Senate before final passage.

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

Talk soon.

Jess