Chop Wood, Carry Water 7/12

Jul 12, 2022

To have courage for whatever comes in life — everything lies in that.
Teresa of Ávila

Hi, all, and happy Tuesday.

I’m watching the January 6th hearing, so I’ll make this brief.

“To have courage for whatever comes in life.” Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

None of us chose to live in this moment—perhaps none of us would have chosen it. But here we are. How will we meet it?

Will history say that we fought? That we sweated and pushed ourselves and met the moment with fierceness and determination?

Or will it record that decent Americans folded? Looked the other way, shrugged their shoulders, opined that fighting fascism was too hard, or not necessary, or not going to make a difference?

I know what it’ll record about me.

And since you’re here, I know what it’ll record about you, too.

Thank you for that. I am in awe of your courage, your steadfastness, and your persistence.

With you at our sides, we will win.

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

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

First, I want the Senator to co-sponsor S 1141, the Judiciary Act of 2021, Sen. Markey’s bill to expand the Supreme Court by four seats. Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have stacked the bench with extremists who are beholden to special interests and the GOP. As a result, I have lost confidence that the Supreme Court is a fair arbiter of justice in this country, that will uphold my constitutional rights. Will the Senator co-sponsor this legislation? [H/T]

Also, I’m glad the President signed a bipartisan gun bill into law yesterday, but we need so much more. Among other things, I still want the Senate to pass an assault weapons ban. Let’s not wait til the next mass shooting. Get this done, please. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

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

I’m calling to ask the Congressmember’s position on HR 7482, the Treat Long COVID Act, introduced by Congresswoman Pressley. [Insert your own personal stake, if you have one – including friends and family that have been impacted.] We already know that between 5 and 30 million Americans have Long COVID and the burden is only going to get larger with time. Yet this bill only has 35 co-sponsors. Please make sure the Congressmember is one of them. [H/T]

Also, I’m glad the President signed a bipartisan gun bill into law yesterday, but we need so much more. Among other things, I still want the House to pass an assault weapons ban. Let’s not wait til the next mass shooting. Get this done, please. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

Make sure to use Demcast’s excellent social media toolkit to post about the hearings today! They’ll be updating it in real time.

Get Smart! 📚

Sign up to support court expansion at Indivisible’s new resource, Four More. They've launched a new website about the need for court expansion with their partners at Stand Up America, Take Back the Court, and Demand Justice. We can't let the Supreme Court steal anymore of our rights. Visit Four More to learn more about expansion and how to get involved.

Fight for Reproductive Freedom in KS!

On August 2nd Kansas voters will vote on a Constitutional Amendment that will pave the way to ban abortion in their state. (If you want more info, I did a TikTok about it, which you can watch here.)

Please sign up to phone bank with Trust Women and Trust Us Justice Fund. You will call voters in Kansas and spread the word about defeating the anti-abortion ballot measure in the August 2nd primary election. If the ballot measure passes it would pave the way to a total ban on abortions in Kansas. You can find more information about the ballot measure here. You will be trained on the phone bank Zoom call. [H/T Big Tent]

Win Races! 🗳

I’d like to offer you a very special chance to hear directly from Ohio U.S. Senate candidate Tim Ryan of Ohio, via Zoom, at 5:30 p.m. EDT TODAY. Afterwards there will be a phonebank to call OH voters about his race. I’ve signed up to be there! Join me!

Ryan will speak about how his years of fighting for working families in the U.S. House will continue in the U.S. Senate.

Even if you haven’t yet participated in making political phone calls or it has been a while, take heart! The group holding this event, Together We Elect, will provide comprehensive training for those who want to play this vital role in helping Ohio Dems win in November.

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

[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN POWRRM to 50409]

I'm writing as your constituent, and someone who is desperately worried about the climate emergency. As you know, for 18 months Congress has been debating a major package of clean energy tax credits, to be passed via the budget reconciliation package. This includes a long term extension of the solar ITC, direct pay, adding storage to the ITC, manufacturing credits, and more. I'm writing to encourage you to get this deal done, this month, before the August recess. Solar jobs are American jobs, and investing in our clean energy future is our best shot at creating lasting economic prosperity for future generations and meaningfully addressing the climate crisis. Now is the time for Congress to act. Don't miss the opportunity to invest in a clean energy future *and* help save our kids. Thanks.

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

Talk tomorrow.

Jess

Chop Wood, Carry Water