Hi, all, and happy Thursday.
I hope everyone is hanging in there. What a week. What a month. What a year. I could go on.
The good news is, this newsletter is getting loads of new subscribers every day! Whooo! Welcome to our little army, new folks!
Here at Chop Wood Carry Water we (that’s the royal we—I am the whole operation 😂) believe that many of us taking small actions consistently can make meaningful change. None of us can fix everything, but each of us can do a few little things every day—just as we spend a few minutes daily brushing our teeth—to bring and restore health to this ailing democracy.
I know things feel incredibly bad right now. But I remain of the conviction that this national nightmare will lead to needed and powerful transformation, if we work to make it so.
It’s our job not to quit before the miracle. And to remember that most “miracles” are actually the result of patient, painstaking, and persistent work.
That’s what we do here. Together, because doing it alone is no fun at all.
Remember—each of us is like a tiny drop of water. Alone we are quite inconsequential. But as an ever-growing collective?
We can—and will—carve stone.
🚨An Important Update on CO postcards 🚨
If you are one of the subscribers who is writing postcards to Colorado through me will you kindly read this? I have a very important update on that campaign. Thanks!
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First has the Senator signed onto Elizabeth Warren’s letter asking President Biden and Secretary Becerra to lower drug prices via Executive Order? If not I would like them to.
Second, I demand that the Senate pass gun legislation now, without any delay. Background checks, Red Flag laws, closing the Charleston Loophole, safe storage laws, an assault weapons ban—we will accept no less. If you guys can’t get it done by November we will vote out Senators who block such legislation and vote in those who will support it. We’re done with delays. Thank you.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I know that today the House Judiciary Committee is holding an emergency markup to consider the Protecting Our Kids Act, (HR 7910) a comprehensive package of gun violence prevention bills. Is the Congressmember on that committee?
[If yes on committee add:] I’m assuming they will vote in support? And co-sponsor the bill as well?
[If not on committee add:] Then I’d like them to urge their colleagues on the committee to pass it quickly. I also want them to co-sponsor the bill immediately and give it their wholehearted support when it comes to the floor for a vote. Which should happen as soon as humanly possible. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Let’s call Nancy Pelosi at (415) 556-4862 or (202) 225-4965 and say:
My name is ____ and I’m calling from [city, state.] I’m calling the Congressmember in her capacity as Speaker of the House to say that I know the House Judiciary Committee is holding an emergency markup to consider the Protecting Our Kids Act, (HR 7910) a comprehensive package of gun violence prevention bills. I want her to bring this bill to the floor for a vote the second it’s passed through committee. The moment is now. Congress needs to act. We’re tired of watching our children live in terror, if they’re lucky enough to live at all. Thanks.
Get Smart AND/Or Give 💰!
The officials who will be in charge of the 2024 election are on the ballot now.
👉🏼 The Secretaries of State elected this year will be running the 2024 presidential election and will either be someone working for fair elections or conspiracy theorists who believe in Trump’s Big Lie.
👉🏼 The largely ignored state supreme court races will determine the balance of the courts making decisions about our democracy in key battleground states.
👉🏼 And of course, state legislatures are critical.
Join two amazing groups: Focus for Democracy and Airlift for a special Zoom event featuring Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson. They’ll discuss metrics-based research on individual states and how best to support “down-ballot” but critically important races in them.
You will be asked to donate but giving isn’t required. Having said that, Airlift is on my list of most strategic places to give.
June 9, Thursday, 5 pm Pacific / 8 pm Eastern Register here.
Win Races! 🗳
I’ll be hosting my regular weekly phonebank into Arizona today, and I’d love to see some of you there. Remember, no gun legislation will get passed if we don’t hold ALL of our Senate seats and flip two more blue this November. Mark Kelly is one of our most vulnerable Senators. He needs our help!
We can DO THIS but only if we do the work now. Please come. I will train you!
3-5 PM PDT / 6-8 PM ET Register here.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)
[to your Senators] [H/T] [quick send text SIGN PMHRDR to 50409]
Each year, corporations get a tax deduction for hundreds of millions of dollars spent on blatant anti-union activities, such as hiring anti-union consultants, anti-union advertising, so-called “captive audience meetings,” and violations of the National Labor Relations Act.
I urge you to become a cosponsor of S 4192, the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act, to stop our taxpayer dollars from subsidizing this anti-worker behavior, much of which is illegal.
Thank you for fighting for the rights of working people across our state and country. This is really important to me.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess
Hello! On your strategic places to give page, under Candidates #3, you have
Jocelyn Benson erroneously running for ARIZONA Sec of State. She is the incumbent running again in MICHIGAN. I live in AZ, and our Democratic primary candidates (primary is in August) are Adrian Fontes and Reginald Bolding. I personally believe Reginald is a better candidate and will be pushing hard for him. I would love if you could endorse him prior to the primary. Either way, you’re absolutely right about how important it will be to get a Dem in as the next Secretary of State, especially in AZ where our Congress and Courts lean heavily to the right. Thanks for all you do, Jessica!!