Chop Wood, Carry Water 6/13
We've got this.
Hi, all, and happy Friday.
Welp. Every time we think it’s gotten as ugly as it’s going to get…it gets a bit uglier. Yesterday, as you know, Kristi Noem’s security officers tackled and handcuffed a U.S. Senator—California’s Alex Padilla— for simply asking a question. It’s berserk and completely unprecedented — at least in this country. Add to this the continued military presence in my city, the ongoing Republican deliberations on a bill that will literally kill 50,000 Americans a year, and everything else happening, and it’s easy to feel like we’re going nuts. But we’re not.
They are.
Never forget, folks, that Republicans are the ones who’ve lost their minds—and moral compasses. We are on the right side, here, and on the moral side as well. History will bear this out, and the time will come when everyone will try to pretend that they always stood where we do now. No matter. We are here, actually here, doing the work. Feel proud of that. It’s a very big deal.
Look, it’s horribly difficult, and scary, and exhausting, to fight fascism. I wish we were in a different timeline—one, for example, where I wasn’t receiving frightened texts from Latina neighbors asking “If you have a work permit do they still take you?”
Yes, I literally got that text this morning.
It’s outrageous and it’s insane. But we will not let them win. So let’s keeping summoning our inner defiance, and let’s keep fighting. Because I think we can now truly say, with no hyperbole, that “if you wonder what you would have done when the Nazis started their reign of terror, you’re doing it now.”
Thank God we’re on the right side of that equation. Let’s stay there.
One last thing: please remember that Trump’s poll ratings are plummeting. He’s dropped six points on immigration in the last two weeks alone! CNN’s Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten called his numbers, just this morning, “awful, awful, awful.”
As Political Wire’s Taegan Goddard wrote yesterday:
President Trump is trying to flex power by deploying federalized National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles — but a new Quinnipiac poll underscores just how little support he actually commands…
Trump continues to govern through disruption, manufacturing chaos to mask his weaknesses.
But the polling makes clear: he’s not leading from a position of strength.
He’s a weak president trying to consolidate power — and weak presidents can be stopped.
Weak. Presidents. Can. Be. Stopped.
We’ve got this, folks. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.
Let’s get to work.
P.S. — I had a great talk with Rep. John Larson on Wednesday. If you want to hear what he has to say about the Supreme Court’s ruling on DOGE and our Social Security data you can watch the 20 minute conversation here. I promise I’ll have a script about his bill up soon.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I understand that the House passed the rescission package yesterday that defunds PBS and some foreign aid. Shame on them. I expect the Senator to vote no. I care about Public Broadcasting [include personal reason here]. These funds were already allocated and should be paid out. If we can afford 140M for an unnecessary military invasion of Los Angeles we can keep funding PBS.
Second, I am appalled by the assault on Senator Padilla yesterday. What the heck is happening in our country? This is not a dictatorship! We don’t assault Senators for asking a question. Congress needs to condemn these actions and demand a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the role of Secretary Noem and the security personnel involved. Will the Senator call for this?
[If yes thank. If no add:]
The silence of lawmakers in the face of these authoritarian tactics is unacceptable and threatens the freedom of all Americans. The Senator needs to speak out against these abuses of power or resign. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I am appalled by the assault on Senator Padilla yesterday. What the heck is happening in our country? This is not a dictatorship! We don’t assault Senators for asking a question. Congress needs to condemn these actions and demand a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the role of Secretary Noem and the security personnel involved. Will the Congressmember call for this?
[If yes thank. If no add:]
The silence of lawmakers in the face of these authoritarian tactics is unacceptable and threatens the freedom of all Americans. The Congressmember needs to speak out against these abuses of power or resign. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Let’s call Senator Thune in his capacity as Senate Majority leader. (202) 224-2321 or (605) 225-8823 or (605) 334-9596 or (605) 348-7551.
We can say something like:
My name is ______. I’m calling Senator Thune in his capacity as Senate Majority leader. I am outraged by the treatment of Senator Padilla yesterday by Kristi Noem’s staff. Tackling and assaulting a U.S. Senator for asking a question is totally uncalled for, horrifying, and not who we are as a country.
I want the Senator to demand an immediate apology from Ms. Noem and her staff, and request an immediate end to the inflammatory rhetoric about what is happening in LA and elsewhere around the country. Enough is enough. He needs to speak out for what’s right, for the rule of law, and in support of the people he’s supposed to represent. Thanks.
[H/T reader Cathy C.]
Extra Extra Credit ✅ ✅
Fox News is spreading rampant misinformation about what’s happening in our country right now. They also have advertisers, and it’s time they heard that we are upset with them for paying money to an organization who is trying to dismantle our democracy.
Here is a list of companies that support FOX News: GlaxoSmithKline, Liberty Mutual, General Motors, Procter & Gamble, Intuit, NortonLifeLock, Nestle, Kraft Heinz, Progressive, Charles Schwab, Toyota, and Subaru.
Click here to send their CEOs an email—ideally personalized—demanding they divorce their corporations from an organization that is dedicated to destroying our democracy.
Get Smart! 📚
The pathway to successful resistance cannot be paved by protest alone. We must rest, we must expand our shared community, and, most importantly, we must continue to learn and grow.
That’s why Indivisible is bringing you a new speaker series, Solidarity in Action: Training for Systemic Change and Allyship beginning on Tuesday, June 24 at 4pm ET/1pm PT with special guest Heather McGhee.
Heather McGhee is the New York Times bestselling author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. A graduate of Yale and the University of California Berkeley School of Law, Heather has testified in Congress, drafted legislation, and developed strategies for organizations and campaigns that won changes to improve the lives of millions. She is the former president of Demos and the current board president of Color of Change and is working to design and promote solutions to inequality in America.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
DemCast has put together a great social media toolkit amplifying the attack on Senator Padilla. Please, please, share even just one video. It takes about two minutes and America really needs to see what’s happening.
Get in the Streets! 🪧
THIS IS IT! Tomorrow is the day! Please take some time to use Indivisible’s simple No Kings social media toolkit to promote tomorrow’s protests! Remember, there could be tens of thousands of Americans only waking up today to how bad the situation is. They may go to a march if they know about it!
So let’s make sure they do.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: ] [H/T] [Text SIGN PWUYLR to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)
I’m writing out of enormous alarm that the Trump administration is collecting our personal information and giving Palantir our tax dollars for a dangerous WH surveillance project.
Palantir’s founder, Peter Thiel, is a billionaire Trump mega-donor. Palantir has received at least $113 million from the federal government since Trump took office in January. Fears are growing that Trump and Palantir are compiling a master list of personal information on Americans that could give Trump “untold surveillance power.”
Government officials say Palantir’s tech could easily merge information from different government agencies — giving Trump a coordinated set of personal data on everyone in America. The data could include hundreds of data points on citizens and others through government databases, including their bank account numbers, the amount of their student debt, their medical claims, and any disability status.
Elon Musk’s DOGE chose Palantir for this anti-democratic undertaking, giving fellow Trump mega-donor Thiel a windfall of cash.
If our elected leaders stand by and do nothing, they will allow the White House to amass unprecedented power and a detailed look into our individual lives. Trump would have all the information he needs to threaten, persecute, attack, and punish all of his political enemies.
Congress must stop Trump and Palantir’s attack on our private data now!
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Thank you for another great post!
Tomorrow I am a first-time peacekeeper for a No Kings protest, wish me luck!
I called John Thune’s office and told the staffer that if he allows one Senator to be assaulted, then being a Senator doesn’t mean anything anymore, for any of them, including for Thune. If he stays silent then he’s staffers don’t owe him respect. This goes for any Republican Senators who are too afraid to speak out.