Chop Wood, Carry Water 7/9
We've got this!
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!
Good news: I’m finally Covid negative! This is a relief, as it means I can finally be around my family unmasked. I’m still quite wobbly, but I trust this will pass in the next few days. Until then please continue to forgive me if I’m slow to respond to emails and comments, or if you find more than the normal number of typos in the newsletter.
Now some good news that isn’t personal: the tide is clearly turning on Project 2025! After months of its remaining under the radar it seems the public is finally taking notice. It’s gotten so much negative attention that Trump is frantically trying to distance himself from it—largely unsuccessfully, I might add. Many of us, myself included, have been happy to come with receipts: Jay Kuo just posted a great piece debunking Trump’s claims of ignorance, as did Judd Legum, yesterday.
Folks, THIS is a moment we must seize. We have waited for months for Americans to wake up to the dangers of Trump’s agenda. They are waking up! Will we squander this opportunity by distracting ourselves with intraparty fighting? Or will we attack, attack, attack, while our enemy is weakened? I truly hope the latter. Because exposing Republicans’ plans should Trump win office is something we do have some actual control over. Let’s use it!
I’ll say it again: I will fight to the death to elect ANYONE who can stop Project 2025, and so, I suspect, will most Americans—once they learn about it.
As far as I’m concerned this is no longer an election about candidates. It’s about:
Project 2025
The Supreme Court
Democracy
Climate change (I just read that a second Trump administration would add an additional 4 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere by 2030 compared to a Biden administration, thereby basically finishing us)
Abortion rights.
This isn’t to oversimplify things, but rather to boil them down to their essence. There is only one candidate who will be on the right side of those five essential things.
It’s the DEMOCRATIC candidate.
(Fill in the blank. Imagine your face on this billboard. Whatever!)
I genuinely believe we’ve gotten to a point where whichever strong Democrat—and they’re all strong—ends up on the ticket will win. If we do our jobs right.
So let’s do that. This is an election about warring principles. About opposing ideologies. About freedom or captivity. About billionaires or the rest of us. About Christian Nationalism or religious pluralism. About literally surviving or literally perishing.
We are fighting for so. Much. More. Than. A. Candidate. Whomever sits at the head of our army, great. It’s the army that matters! WE are that army. I’m determined that we will win, regardless.
I’m assuming you’re with me on that.
Now let’s get to work one more time.
P.S. — You’ll notice this newsletter is a bit heavier than usual on electoral engagement opportunities. That’s because we are exactly 4 months out. It’s GO TIME.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’ve been sickened by the decisions issued by the Supreme Court in the last weeks of their term. It’s awful knowing that the far-right majority are being told how to rule by billionaires with extremist agendas. This could be fixed with a proper code of ethics, but the Supreme Court’s weak, voluntary “code of conduct” falls short of what we need.
Congress needs to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act and create the strongest possible code of conduct for our highest court. If it won’t, we will vote in a Congress who will. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’ve been sickened by the decisions issued by the Supreme Court in the last weeks of their term. It’s awful knowing that the far-right majority are being told how to rule by billionaires with extremist agendas. This could be fixed with a proper code of ethics, but the Supreme Court’s weak, voluntary “code of conduct” falls short of what we need.
Congress needs to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act and create the strongest possible code of conduct for our highest court. If it won’t, we will vote in a Congress who will. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
The Heritage Foundation is identified by the IRS as a tax-exempt organization. This seems crazy to me. They do have an “action” arm that supposedly does all of their political work, but it’s clear that no part of their organization is actually free of politics. So let’s report them to the IRS!
Print and fill out form 13909.
Some info you’ll need:
The Heritage Foundation’s address is: 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002.
Their tax ID/EIN is 23-7327730.
You can both name John P. Bakiel (VP of Finance) AND Kevin Roberts (President) if you like.
Say something like:
The Heritage Foundation clearly and overtly supports presidential candidate Donald Trump. This shows the organization is an ‘action organization’ and therefore violates the code allowing for tax exemption under 501(c)(3). This is fraudulent. Action must be taken.
Then email the form to eoclass@irs.gov, or snail mail to TEGE Referrals Group, 1100 Commerce Street, MC 4910 DAL, Dallas, TX 75242.
Get Smart! 📚
How To Reach Gen Z Swing Voters: A Discussion with the AMAZING Celinda Lake of Lake Research.
Join this webinar to learn what issues matter most to Gen Z voters; what kind of content best connects with them; and who are the best messengers.
Thursday, July 11 from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST
Register Here
Spread the Word! 📣
Post this on your social media (the easiest way is to download it here). You could add a caption like:
Have you heard of Project 2025? If not, please pay attention. This is Donald Trump’s plan for a second term, and he’s got all the people in place to execute it.
Check your voter registration. Talk to your friends and family. Find a way to help us win. It doesn’t matter who’s at the top of the ticket. THIS is what we need to beat.
Don’t believe me? Read it yourself at https://www.project2025.org/
Give 💰!
Join Force Multiplier TONIGHT on Zoom to meet three candidates who can help us regain a Democratic House majority.
Sue Altman (NJ 07) + Janelle Bynum (OR 05) + Derrick Tran (CA 45)
Tuesday, July 9, 7:00-8:00pm ET
REGISTER + DONATE TO THREE HOUSE CANDIDATES
Your donation will support the the campaigns of these three House candidates.
Sue Altman is challenging Tom Kean, Jr., a first-term Republican + son of a former New Jersey governor. Although New Jersey 07 became more Republican after redistricting, the seat is now rated a toss-up.
Janelle Bynum won four races for the state legislature by large margins. Her campaign against a first-term, well-funded MAGA incumbent is rated a toss-up. She has obtained important endorsements from Planned Parenthood, Emily's List, NOW + Moms Demand Action.
Derrick Tran is running against a first-term Trumper incumbent who voted against Biden’s American Rescue Plan + who joined in an amicus brief against Roe v. Wade. Tran’s Democratic voice will counter the views of such extremists.
Win Races—WRITE LETTERS! 🗳
Working America has an ambitious goal of writing one million letters to working Americans in swing states who will decide the presidential race. They have a great track record of actually changing electoral outcomes with these letters, and they’re easy to write!
WA has also created a new platform for “adopting” letters—even if you’ve written for them before you need to create a new account on it.
CLICK HERE to get started!
Win Races—CALL!
My friends, we must get on the phones. Even those of us who don’t like doing so. Postcards and letters are great, but they can’t have a discussion about Project 2025, the Supreme Court, or abortion rights. WE NEED TO BE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS!
Here are some upcoming opportunities. Please, let’s all take a shift!
Phone Bank into Montana for Jon Tester and MT Dems.
Make Calls with the Biden-Harris campaign into Arizona and Nevada.
Join the Ohio Democrats on Zoom to call voters for Senator Sherrod Brown and the Democratic ticket!
Thursdays and Saturdays call for Tammy Baldwin. Help us keep Wisconsin Blue in 2024 and beyond!
Bilingual Spanish Phone Bank for Rudy Salas in CA-22! One of our most flippable districts!
Ruben Gallego phone banks Monday-Thursday every week until the AZ primary. Sign up: HERE to call with Activate America on Zoom OR HERE to call on your own time.
Win Races Write Postcards!
Postcard Opportunity for North Carolina!
Pat Levitin, Chair of Women for Josh Stein, has created a postcard campaign to elect Attorney General Josh Stein to NC governor against MAGA extremist Mark Robinson.
If you can help and provide your own Vote-type postcards and stamps, please email Pat at patlevitin@gmail.com with your name, email and how many cards you can commit to writing. Pat will send you scripts, voter addresses in August and mail date of October 1. Out-of-state and in-state - men and women - all welcome.
If you have a group or you yourself can write 1000 or more she can send postcards for free, 2 sided with most of the information on them. She can also send you the design to print at home on card stock!
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: ] [H/T] [Text to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
No Resistbot today, sorry!
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Jessica, I'm so glad you are doing better. Keep getting that rest for a full recovery.
Great news about the tide finally turning on Project 2025. We need to keep pressure on news organizations to cover what's important. Here's what I wrote to my local newspaper, The Seattle Times:
Dear Seattle Times Editors,
Why are you not covering Project 2025 and the threat it and Trump pose to American democracy? Why is this not regular front page news? Where's the good investigative journalism that does a deep dive into this stuff?
The fact that Trump is now trying to distance himself from Project 2025 tells you just how toxic the plan is.
I'm the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and know too well what happens when a nation sleepwalks into authoritarianism. Please, take a stand for democracy and educate the public about what's at stake with Project 2025.
Sincerely,
Fran-Michelle Reichert
I heard something today that I did not know:
About 100 conservative thinkers/movers and shakers have put out what they intend to do about religion - the Christian Nationalist manifesto says that they will not interfere with the "private" practice of religion leaving open public interference.
Also, Sheldon Whitehouse made a referral to the Justice Department to investigate Clarence Thomas' financial disclosures by pointing out the laws for federal employees. (I think that is right).