Chop Wood, Carry Water 7/7

Jul 07, 2023

Hi, all, and happy Friday!

We made it through another week!

We’ve also gotten another solid jobs report, a new, un-Musked social media platform (find me there at @jesscraven101), and a new set of initiatives to reduce health care costs. All in all the last 24 hours haven’t been awful.

Truth be told, a lot of great stuff happened this week; you can look forward to yet another long list of wins in “Extra! Extra!” on Sunday. I say this not to minimize the simultaneously occurring awful news—after all, it’s everywhere—but to remind you that our brains are hard wired to look for threats—it’s a survival mechanism. In this day and age, however, emotional survival, as well as the survival of our stamina, depends upon our also searching out good news. We must train our minds to seek out and dwell upon positive developments. The stress, otherwise, will overcome us.

So. Times are tough. And we are making progress.

Your presence here ensures that we will continue to.

Thanks for that, and have a wonderful weekend.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I’m calling to ask the Senator to oppose S. 822, which would end the military’s policy of providing paid leave and covering travel for service members’ abortions and fertility treatments.1 I also want the Senator to pressure Senator Tuberville to end his dangerous blockade of military promotions over Biden’s military abortion policy. He’s putting our national security at risk. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I want the representative to vote NO on the tax cuts passed by the House Ways and Means Committee on June 13, which would cost U.S. taxpayers $1.1 trillion if made permanent. Instead of giving more tax handouts to the rich and corporations, Congress should be helping working families by expanding the Child Tax Credit and enacting the Billionaire Minimum Income Tax proposed by President Biden. I’ll be watching this vote closely. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

If you know anyone who’s upset about the Supreme Court please feel free to send them this resource document with ways they can help with court reform. Oh, and here’s my TikTok about it (which Robert Hubbell also very kindly posted in his latest newsletter.) Please share either or both—we need more Americans pushing for this!

Get Smart! 📚

On Wednesday, July 12 at 7:00 PM ET Big Tent USA is hosting David Pepper, who’ll be speaking about his new book, Saving Democracy: The User’s Manual For Every American. The book provides a framework for all pro-democracy activists to better understand the steps to save our democracy. As Pepper notes, “we are seeing ever-growing awareness about the threat to democracy, as well as emerging and successful best practices of how to fight back.” This book provides us the path to a more secure and vibrant democracy. I’ve read a good chunk of it—it’s wonderful!

Spread the Word! 📣

Here’s some messaging guidance/ talking points on the new jobs report, courtesy of DemCast.

Chop Wood, Save the Planet! 🔥

A few weeks ago, when I sent out my special “Chop Wood, Save the Planet” edition, one of you wrote to tell me about CREW—it stands for Carbon Reduction For Earth Wellbeing. CREW holds free workshops that run weekly for a month in which they teach regular people what they can do to help with the climate crisis. They have a few coming up. I haven’t yet attended one, but the reader who recommended them thought very highly of them. You can read more about them here.

Upcoming CREW Sessions (they run weekly for a month from the starting date)

Win Races! 🗳

The Blue Wave Postcard Movement just launched their Get Out The Vote campaign for Ohio’s August Special Election in partnership with a group called One Fair Wage. One Fair Wage is collecting petition signatures in Ohio to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot to raise the minimum wage to $15 plus tips.

You’ll be sending postcards to voters who have signed the One Fair Wage petition to let them know that they need to vote NO on Issue 1 in August, so that the minimum wage increase can get on the ballot and pass.

You do need to pay for the postcards but then you’ll receive everything you need—cards, addresses, and a script. Sign up here.

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

It’s Friday! No Resistbot today!

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

Talk Monday.

Jess

Chop Wood, Carry Water