Chop Wood, Carry Water 7/23
Let's gooooo!
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!
Harris for President!! It’s happening! Let’s gooooo!
Ok. That’s out of my system. Now I need to gush about you for a second.
Most days—at least when I think of it—I take a minute to review the stats on the previous day’s post. I’m particularly interested in what links got clicked—and how many times. That way I have a general sense of how many readers signed up for the events I posted about or gave to fundraisers I highlighted. I also check to see how many clicks there were on postcarding, letter writing, and phonebanking campaigns I posted.
Everything gets some clicks, generally—some a ton, some a more modest amount. Except for phonebanks. I’ve literally had days where not one person has clicked those links! And it’s rarely more than a few. It’s disappointing, but I’ve come to accept it.
But then yesterday it changed! I went to check my stats, and folks, there were a ton of phonebank link clicks! Like, so many! I can’t tell you how happy this made me! Now, I know those won’t all translate to actual participants, but if even half of them do I’ll feel like I did some good here.
I love postcarding. I love letter writing, too. But it’s important to remember that at some point someone needs to actually talk to voters. Because conversation, one voter to another, back and forth, is how we change hearts and minds. It’s how we turn a nonvoter into a voter. It’s how we flip an undecided person to a decided one. So many voters are checked out, low information, or both. They know so little about any election—that’s where we come in!
All of that is to say that seeing those clicks on the phonebank links made me feel very hopeful. Thank you to every one of you who got outside of your comfort zone and signed up.
And if talking to strangers will never be your thing? Don’t give it a second thought. There are so many other ways you can help! Talking to friends and family is just as important. Writing letters and sending postcards does move the needle. Texting, tabling at a voter registration event, giving money, or doing voter protection—all of it matters.
As VP Harris said in her remarkable campaign office speech yesterday—and you should really watch it if you haven’t—”One team, one fight.”
And it’s a fight we’re going to win.
P.S. — If anyone wants to come, I’m speaking for a lovely group called Seniors Taking Action on Zoom tomorrow morning, the 24th, at 8AM PT / 11AM ET. They don’t have an RSVP link but the link to actually hop on is here: Click to ZOOM
P.P.S.—Sincere apologies for the lack of a recorded version of the newsletter right now. Mike is out of town with Mj and I’m honestly just slammed. I promise it’ll return when Mike does—mid-August.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I want the Senator to oppose any Farm Bill — including the House Agriculture Committee’s Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2024 — which proposes cuts to SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. And I want him/her to oppose any House budget bill that comes to the Senate with anti-abortion or anti-LGBTQ poison pills. Nothing that guts climate funding either, please. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
[if GOP:]
I understand that the House Republican leadership is bringing up an “emergency” resolution condemning Kamala Harris’s “failure to secure the United States border.” I find this rich, considering that it’s Republicans who killed the border bill that had everything in it they said they wanted. It’s clear Republicans don’t actually care about solving the border. They are weaponizing the Federal government against Vice President Harris now that they know she’s running for President, because they don’t have any actual policy wins. We see it and we are not OK with it. Please stop with the political stunts and do your job. Thanks.
Get Smart! 📚
From CAP Action: The Supreme Court’s Presidential Immunity Case, the Threat to Democracy, and the Path Forward
July 25, 2024 from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm ET
Please join the Center for American Progress for a virtual event featuring distinguished panelists Akhil Amar, Tess Bridgeman, and Erwin Chemerinsky. They will address the threats the current Supreme Court and a future president could pose to the very foundation of American democracy, how this case lays the groundwork for radical Project 2025 agenda, and the scope of reform necessary to fend off this growing authoritarian movement.
Spread the Word! 📣
One of my subscribers shared this video with me. It was made before President Biden dropped out of the race, but it remains totally relevant and very, very helpful. Please watch, and please share!
Give 💰!
On Wednesday, July 24 at 7pm ET please join Downtown Nasty Women and The Wednesday Group for a Giving Circles Zoom Event with BEN WIKLER, Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party.
Ben has led the WisDems to a string of victories, including Wisconsin's defeat of Trump in 2020 through innovation, inclusion and partnerships. Drawing on Wikler's credo of Fight, Include, Respect, and Empower, the party has built a year-round professional team of diversity and talent, and mobilized tens of thousands of volunteers to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. We will be learning why it is so important that we are in WI to flip seats in the state chambers especially this year! DNW is a States Project founding giving circle and has been raising money for Michigan for our 7th year and are excited to begin work in Wisconsin. If you can’t make it, and you would like to support Wisconsin, you can contribute to the DNWGC for Wisconsin here.
RSVP HERE.to receive the Zoom link.
Win Races—KAMALA! 🗳
MANY HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT OPPORTUNITIES BELOW!
First off, SURJ is having a “White Women for Kamala” event on Wednesday, July 24 from 7 – 8pm EDT. If you fit the bill please consider attending!
Second, Indivisible has a “Call for Kamala! Rapid Response Phonebank” on Thursday!
Their description: We’re all in for Kamala Harris! Indivisibles are ready to put in the work to make the Vice President our next President. Join us to call swing state voters and build on the momentum of this Kamala-nomenon
Thursday 7/25 from 4-6pm ET / 1-3pm PT.
Register here
Finally, the Harris campaign has asked me to share this with you! ⬇️
We love the enthusiasm we are seeing and want you all to have the best resources you need to get involved with Harris for President.
To Volunteer: Sign up here.
100 Days Out Weekend of Action: Sign up here.
Win Races—Write Postcards!
Help a True Blue FL Democrat Therese Wakefield-Gamble win in FL State House District 14, Jacksonville, FL. Blue District 14 is currently represented by a DINO evangelist by trade who does not support abortion rights or focus on the needs of the district.
Already multi-degreed, a teacher & MBA with deep administrative experience, Therese is on a mission to bring education reform, health care, accessibility, public safety, economic growth and development to her district.
Whoever wins the primary will win the seat in November.
Write & mail postcards ASAP (mail deadline Aug 13) for the Aug. 20 primary. If you have an account, the program is on Postcards For Democracy. If you don't have an account, email Postcards@MarkersForDemocracy.organd tell them Jess sent you!
Chop Wood, Save the Earth! 🔥
On Wednesday, July 24, the Biden-Harris Administration will host the first-ever White House Summit on Environmental Justice in Action beginning at 11:00 AM ET/8:00 AM PT.
You can tune in via this link.
The Summit will highlight President Biden and Vice President Harris’ progress on advancing environmental justice, celebrate local efforts to create healthier communities, and catalyze further action to build a more equitable and just future. You will hear from community leaders, environmental justice advocates, senior Biden-Harris Administration officials, and more.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: your House reps] [H/T Healthcare Advocacy] [Text SIGN PPAYCU to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I am your constituent and I want you to know that the Supreme Court’s overturning the Chevron Deference is frightening. Now non scientists (judges) will get to make the decisions about what prescription drugs and vaccines are available to us instead of scientists and doctors. Judges will decide about pollution rules that were designed to protect our air, and water, health and the climate instead of the experts and scientists. HHS has relied on the Chevron Deference to make sure that providers were paid for treating patients in certain instances.
Overturning the Chevron Deference strips the EPA, HHS and the FDA of authority. Those agencies were established by Congress to help all the American people. I really need you to stand up, stand for principles and cosponsor and enact H.R.1507 - Stop Corporate Capture Act.. Here is a link to the bill, https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1507.
We sent you to Congress to protect us. This is a critical bill and it is needed to protect all of us now. Please get this to a floor vote and enact it ASAP. Thank you.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Off topic, but isn't it interesting that the guy who's supposedly not very sharp anymore seems to have played everybody, even while suffering from COVID?
Re: phone banking, I can't help feeling as if I would actually be a detriment to the cause. I am not a real phone person, sure, but I'm also just not great at talking about politics. I tend to have a "freeze" mentality when questioned. I have felt energized over the last week, and I still resisted that, however I did sign up for a training with Field Team 6, so we shall see. I still can't help but feel I'd do more harm than good in any "live" setting. Texting, postcards, ok. All in. But phones, eek. I will see how I feel after the training in August! I do know doing all I can has helped with anxiety.