Chop Wood, Carry Water 6/27

Big news day.

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Hi, all, and happy Thursday!

It’s a big news day. For one thing, the debates are tonight. I, for one, am excited and cautiously optimistic that it’ll be a good night for President Biden and a bad one for his opponent. I plan to watch, and hope many of you will, too. The stakes feel painfully high, but I trust Joe Biden will rise to the occasion.

This morning also brought a barrage of Supreme Court decisions; as expected, they weren’t great, although the Moyle case, about the Emergency Medical Treatment Act and abortion access, came in slightly less awful—for now—than it could have. The gist: women with emergency medical conditions in Idaho should now be able to receive the care they need before they’re about to die, but only temporarily, and only if healthcare providers there aren’t too scared to provide it. The latter, by the way, is a huge “if.”

My understanding, furthermore, is that this “decision” wasn’t a decision at all. What the court did, essentially, was say “Shucks, we shouldn’t have interfered before the Ninth Circuit ruled. Let’s send it back to them.” The fact that they shouldn’t have interfered was blindingly obvious to anyone capable of sentient thought; the court knew it; they simply didn’t expect the blowback they got from taking the case and, in so doing, blocking access to lifesaving care for six months.

Let’s be clear about what’s really happening: The MAGA majority is using delay as a tactic to push the terrible decision they are likely to make past the November elections. They will wait for the Ninth Circuit to decide, then, when the case is appealed up to their court again next year, they can rule against gravely ill pregnant people without fearing it’ll hurt Trump’s electoral chances. Cynical beyond belief.

Remember, to quote Planned Parenthood:

The U.S. Supreme Court had the opportunity to be clear that this federal law requires emergency care for pregnant people, including abortion, in every state—regardless of a state’s abortion ban—and they chose not to. As a result, the health and lives of pregnant people across the country will continue to be at risk. 

There were other decisions, and none of them, to my knowledge, were good. Particularly unfortunate was the Court’s decision in SEC v. Jarkesy, which justices “designed to go far beyond the parameters of the SEC case that was in front of them,” according to United for Democracy’s Stasha Rhodes.

She added:

“Justice Sotomayor put it best in her dissent: ‘Make no mistake, today’s decision is a power grab.’  The MAGA supermajority on the Supreme Court just grabbed power away from the only federal agency tasked with preventing financial fraud and manipulation — jeopardizing Americans’ retirement, disability insurance, mortgages, auto loans, and more, all to rewrite the rules to benefit the ultra-rich and huge corporations at the expense of the American people.

Coupled with decisions that undermine the EPA’s ability to regulate pollution and keep access to lifesaving abortion care in jeopardy, the Court has continued to concentrate more and more power in their own hands, so that politicians in robes with lifetime appointments are increasingly giving themselves the power to make final decisions on everything from reproductive rights to voting rights to education and our environment, without the expertise or qualifications to do so. 

Exactly. The water-carrying SCOTUS is doing on behalf of billionaires and corporations is breathtaking, the greed fueling their decisions palpable.

Lest I be accused of “boo-hooing” again, however, (as I was by a commenter earlier this week), I will remind you that we are not powerless, and I’m not in any way crying “woe is me!” In fact, I’m more fired up than ever. Why? Because these decisions will, eventually, be righted, and this court’s unchecked power isn’t a foregone conclusion. It can be fixed.

We can, must, and will hold the Senate, flip the House, and re-elect Joe Biden this November so that we can not only codify abortion rights at last, but also start to repair this broken and deeply corrupt court. It is the thing that motivates me most on a daily basis. I hope it will do the same for you.

If it doesn’t, let this be your incentive: the next president will almost certainly get to appoint 1-3 more Supreme Court justices.

EVERYTHING depends on who wins this November. Tell a friend!

P.S. — I leave for DC on a red-eye tonight. This is so I can attend a couple of important and exciting events: first, the POWER BACK TO THE PEOPLE RALLY in front of SCOTUS tomorrow at 9:30 AM ET, and then the Women’s Summit in Tyson’s this weekend! If you’re in the area please come meet me at either or both!

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I want the Senator to push Leader Schumer to bring the Child Tax Credit bill up for a vote. Congress has a unique opportunity to address hunger among households with children and improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of millions in our nation. Please take it. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I know the House is still working on the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget and Appropriations packages. I’m asking them to keep support for SNAP and other nutritional programs strong in these bills. These programs are a critical support for tens of millions of households — including individuals of all ages — by helping them put food on the table during times of need. Also, investing in hunger prevention and relief makes good fiscal sense. Please keep the federal nutritional funding in with no cuts. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

Let’s call Chuck Schumer and demand he bring the Child Tax Credit bill up for a vote. We can reach him at any of these office numbers: ‭(212) 486-4430‬ or ‭(518) 431-4070‬ or ‭(202) 224-6542‬ or ‭(914) 734-1532‬.

We can say:

I’m calling Senator Schumer in his capacity as Senate majority Leader to ask him to bring the package to expand the child tax credit up for a vote. If successful, the legislation is projected to lift about half a million children above the poverty line while making at least 5 million less poor. That’s huge! If the vote fails, Democrats can at least lay the blame on Republicans for blocking a massively popular and well-proven policy tool. Around 75 percent of voters support the child tax credit. Please call the vote! Thanks.

Get Smart! 📚

Today, with voters increasingly tuning into the stakes of this election, the Biden Harris campaign is launching a full effort to underscore the threat of Project 2025 with a new website landing page laying out just how extreme and unpopular Trump’s second term playbook is. The web address, so you can share it with friends and family, is https://joebiden.com/project2025/. Please take a few minutes to check it out!

Reminder: Donald Trump’s Project 2025 playbook is both extreme and unpopular.

• Threatening reproductive freedom nationwide – including IVF and Birth Control

• Banning abortion nationwide – with or without Congress

• Slashing Social Security

• Carrying out mass deportations and building migrant detention camps

• Weaponizing the DOJ to get revenge on Trump’s political opponents

• Blocking student debt cancellation

• Providing handouts to the ultra-wealthy paid for by working families

Spread the Word! 📣

I’ve got two ways you can help with messaging on the debate tonight:

• During the debate, DemCast will be deploying a massive social media rapid response effort. Sign up to join their Zoom and you will receive real-time content to amplify across social media, to meet the moment and spread the Biden-Harris message.

• Or sign up with Team Biden Harris to receive dynamic social media content, rapid response updates, and opportunities to engage with our community during and after the debate. Explore sample content and messaging to share during the debate. Join Reach to receive content to share on your social media platforms and with friends and family.

Give 💰!

Sister District has announced their second wave of endorsed candidates for 2024! These progressive candidates are running for strategically chosen state legislative seats in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia and Wisconsin! Support the entire candidate slate through the link here.

Sister District is one of the organizations I list on my smart donations page—they’re vetted, terrific, and I vouch for their extraordinary effectiveness with my whole heart.

Win Races! 🗳

It's the perfect season to write postcards with friends. Postcards to Swing States’ volunteers have ordered 10 MILLION free postcards since May 1, but we need all hands on deck to reach their goal of 26 million postcards. Can anyone sign up for some free postcards? Do so here.

Want to browse your other postcarding options? Here’s my google doc containing every postcarding and letter writing campaign I know of—I update it regularly.

And don’t forget postcard stamp prices are going up AGAIN on July 14. Order before then if you need to stock up! The easiest way to do so is through USPS.com. Also, don't fall for scams that offer big discounts on stamps— those are counterfeit! There are no "bulk discounts" on stamps.   

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

[To: your HOUSE rep] [H/T] [Text SIGN PECMXO to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

As your constituent, I am urging you to reject the cuts to public education that are included in the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill for FY2025.

Public education is the bedrock of our society, but―if those pushing to slash education funding have their way―it risks crumbling to pieces while exacerbating racial and economic inequality.

The House Education Appropriation bill will cut education spending by at least 13% below the current FY2024 level, including slashing Title 1 funding to support schools serving children in low-income families by 25%. The bill also eliminates the English Language Acquisition program and cuts funds for college work study in half.

I am strongly urging you to reject these proposed education cuts and instead fund investments in our students and other critical programs―and work to pass bipartisan spending bills that invest in our communities.

Please keep me informed about your position on this proposed bill and your efforts to invest in our children’s future. Thank you.

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

Talk soon.

Jess