Chop Wood, Carry Water 7/6
Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
Welcome to my new subscribers! I’m grateful and honored that you’re here, and that this list is growing like gangbusters during a time of unprecedented upheaval. The fact that so many of you want to throw your lot in with our beleaguered democracy gives me great hope, indeed. Thank you for your patriotism!
I thought I’d take this opportunity to address a couple of common questions about what we’re doing here; (there are more in this CWCW FAQs document.)
The first one, which I just received from a reader again this week, is: “Do our calls or emails really make a difference?”
Here’s a version of how I always respond:
It very much depends on the representative—there are probably a few who are utterly unmoved by ANY constituent pressure. But I think they’re few and far between. I read an article last year about Cyndi Lummis, the Republican Senator from Wyoming, and how she ended up supporting Biden’s bipartisan gun bill because she got SO MANY supportive calls from constituents that she couldn’t ignore them. She said the calls changed her vote. And Democratic lawmakers definitely listen to us—except, perhaps for Sinema or Manchin. Even those who aren’t interested in our opinions, though, need and deserve an earful so they don’t become even worse. Every one of these lawmakers needs voters in order to get their job back. None of them can afford to ignore us completely.
That’s my two cents, but it’s been confirmed by every lawmaker I’ve ever spoken with.
Hope this helps any of you who might have the same question.
The other question I got this week is: “What does H/T mean?”
Yes! You’ll see that in the newsletter regularly. It stands for “hat tip,” and it basically means that I got the script or action item—either entirely or partially—from the source I linked to.
And one last question I get constantly: “Which kind of communication to our reps is most effective?” My answer:
I always tell my readers that the more direct a communication is the more effective it is. In-person office visits or town halls are the most powerful. Phone calls are next. Then emails. Resistbot “petition” letters are fine, but when one lawmaker gets lots of the same letter they’re going to weigh it a lot less. There are tons of folks who want to do only the quickest actions, so I started making the Resistbots into a letter you could send with a quick code. Better, though, is to cut and paste the letter into a word processing doc, edit it to make it personal, and then send it to your reps through their email form (via their official website) or using Resistbot’s “manual” method of writing your representatives.
OK, I hope all of this helps. Now let’s get to work. I’ll be back with my usual “pep talk” tomorrow.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling because, as the Senator probably knows, the long Fourth of July weekend was full of gun violence that killed at least 15 people and wounded more than 50 others. I’m wondering whether the Senator is yet a co-sponsor on S. 25, the Assault Weapons Ban Act, S. 494 the Background Checks Expansion Act, and S.173 Ethan’s Law. [If yes thank. If no add:] How can s/he possibly justify that at this point? How much more bloodshed is it going to take? Please ask him/her to co-sponsor these bills right away or lose my support permanently.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling because, as the Congressmember probably knows, the long Fourth of July weekend was full of gun violence that killed at least 15 people and wounded more than 50 others. I’m wondering whether the Congressmember is yet a co-sponsor on HR 698 the Assault Weapons Ban Act, HR 715 the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and HR 660 Ethan’s Law. [If yes thank. If no add:] How can s/he possibly justify that at this point? How much more bloodshed is it going to take? Please ask him/her to co-sponsor these bills right away or lose my support permanently.
Extra Credit ✅
Read this short Op-Ed about how Southern Senators are using blue slips to block qualified and racially diverse judicial nominees. Then let’s call Dick Durbin at (202) 224-2152 or (312) 353-4952 or (618) 351-1122 or (217) 492-4062 or (309) 786-5173 and say:
My name is ______ and I’m calling Senator Durbin in his capacity as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I understand that Southern Republican senators are using the blue slip to prevent President Biden from appointing judges in states with the most need for civil rights protections. This is unacceptable. Senator Durbin needs to play hardball and get rid of blue slips! They’re a relic of our racist past; they need to go. Thanks.
Get Smart! 📚
Want a deep, wonky, data-rich dive into what the 2022 Midterms portend, and what trends, if any, will continue in 2024? The Catalist team has answers! They are experts at voter file analysis, including detailed demographic and vote choice breakdowns. With an in-depth analysis of the 2022 election using some unique tools, Catalist staff have looked at voting patterns and trends across the country.
Join PSG Consulting this Monday, July 10th, at Noon, Eastern, along with Catalist Senior Advisor Haris Aqeel and Catalist's Director of Analytics, Hillary Anderson to hear their unique analysis of the 2022 elections and their assessments about what we can expect in 2024. Should be super fun!
Where Food Meets Politics? 🍲
Want to support aspiring Americans? In need of new dinner recipes? I’m helping United We Dream promote their new immigrant youth cook-off series on YouTube. Why? Because anything that humanizes immigrants and lets average Americans learn more about their culture is critical in a moment when the right is doing the opposite.
Also I love food. 😁
Sign up here to get notified of new episodes and receive a great recipe every week!
Give 💰!
The States Project just announced that they are matching donations to Virginia Giving Circles up to 1K. Some of you remember that I happen to have such a Giving Circle—it’s called “Chop Wood, Carry Statehouses.”
If you can, please consider donating here. I’d love to get that 1K match and much more, as my ultimate goal is 20K.
Oh, and this is a very helpful PDF, put together by the States Project, of every competitive VA district and who’s running in it. They will be helping all of them win!
Win Races! 🗳
Y’all, in case you missed the awesome Sherrod Brown Zoom yesterday, the “No on Issue 1” campaign in Ohio is in full swing! If you’re in Ohio there are a load of canvasses this weekend as part of their weekend of action. You can find one near you here.
As for the rest of us, let’s sign up for a phonebank shift. Just one! If everyone on this list did one shift we’d destroy the Republicans in this special election. Let’s do that! Sign up using this Mobilize link!
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[to all 3 reps] [H/T—I basically edited this piece and made it into a Resistbot] [Quick send: text SIGN PGZAFG to 50409]
Most people assume lead in fuel was banned decades ago. But while Congress banned the potent neurotoxin in automotive gasoline, ending one of the largest U.S. public health emergencies in history, they exempted the country’s fleet of 170,000 piston-engine aircraft to allow time to find an alternative to lead, an octane booster for small aircraft. It underestimated the delay’s health implications.
At least 16 million people — and 3 million children — live within a kilometer of the country’s general aviation airports, where these small planes take off and land. Many of these people are dosed with small but meaningful amounts of lead from aviation exhaust. Researchers have even tracked the lead in children’s blood rising and falling along with the frequency of nearby small-aircraft flights.
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration finally approved an unleaded alternative. But I understand that Congress could push its use out to 2030, and possibly much longer. Language recently inserted into the FAA’s reauthorization bill, if passed, could force airports to carry leaded fuel indefinitely. That would halt or even reverse efforts by airports, especially those in California, to go lead free.
This will force communities to endure lead exposure with no end in sight, which could have serious public health ramifications. There is no safe level of lead exposure, especially for children.
Please make sure that this language is removed from the FAA reauthorization bill. Mandate the use of unleaded fuel for piston-engine planes instead! Our children need clean air. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Holy cow, I had conversations with aides of Bennet, Hickenlooper, DeGette, AND Durbin. Was not expecting to talk to anyone! Thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you.
Thank you so much for all the opportunities to help Ohio defeat the anti-democracy Issue One on August 8, 2023! This is another critical off cycle election that has huge ramifications not just in Ohio but everywhere - for the 2024 Senate election, for abortion rights referendum in 2023 and minimum wage referendum likely in 2024. I am hoping folks will pour their energy into the last month of this special election like we all did in Wisconsin and make it a bell weather for a better future!