Chop Wood, Carry Water 8/12
Swing for the bleachers!
Hi, all, and happy Monday!
We’re back! Hope you enjoyed your short break from this newsletter as much as I enjoyed taking a short break. Having said that, I missed you.
It was hard to stay off of my phone last week, I must confess. I didn’t succeed entirely, but I was mostly able to unplug and enjoy my family (all 17 of them!), the beach, good food, long bike rides, and the gorgeous Maritime scenery. I even got to have dinner with two subscribers who spend every summer right up the road from my mother and stepfather’s house. It was a lovely time.
But now I’m ready to get back to work. I hope you are, too! We have 90-odd days to talk to every voter, register every young person, and bolster every mobilization effort we can. The good news is we are starting from a position of strength. The Harris-Walz team is on fire! They are raising stupendous amounts of money, drawing huge crowds, winning over undecided voters, and trending steadily upwards in the polls. Volunteers, as I mentioned in my video from yesterday, are signing up in droves! These are all incredible signs.
Our opponent, meanwhile, is flailing. Mightily. He’s giving insane press conferences, refusing to visit swing states, and claiming that Harris’s rally crowds are AI-generated. It’s pathetic, it’s sad, and it’s not a winning formula.
Of course we’ll take nothing for granted—are you kidding? This team was ready to work its heart out for a proverbial “ham sandwich” at the top of the ticket, and now we’ve got the complete opposite—a dream team! I know each of you will give your all doing the work to get them—and everyone below them on the ballot—elected. I know you already are.
So let’s go even further. Let’s make sure that we don’t just win. Let’s swing for the bleachers and see if we can hit a home run. A historic victory. A landslide. A rout.
That’s what I’m going for. I very much hope you’ll join me. Because it can be done.
Now let’s get to work!
P.S. — Thanks to those who wished Mike and me a happy anniversary yesterday. I wasn’t aware he’d snuck that fact into the voiceover version of the newsletter, but he did. We both appreciate your well wishes.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’d like the Congressmember to co-sponsor three gun violence prevention bills I care about a lot. They are H.R.4184, the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act, H.R. 6618, the America’s Regional Monitoring of Arms Sales Act of 2023, and H.R. 8427, the Stop Arming Cartels Act of 2024. The last two deal with the problem of firearms that originate in the United States being used for violence and crime in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Here’s an excellent and important action from the wonderful
, which is back after a brief hiatus:STOP THE GEORGIA VOTER CANCELLATION PORTAL: The NAACP is raising alarms against the launch of an on-line system in Georgia that allows anyone to cancel someone else’s voter registration as long as they have that person’s date of birth, drivers’ license number, or social security number. While this is supposed to be used for people who are deceased or who have moved out of state, the lack of accountability in the system can easily lead to the disenfranchisement of voters, and while misuse of the system is a felony, there’s a strong likelihood that disenfranchisement cases will not get resolved until after the election. Let’s join the NAACP’s call and ask the DOJ via this simple on-line messaging form to investigate and shut down this portal ASAP, and to reverse any cancellations that were done through the portal site. If we live in Georgia, we should also contact Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger and our local election officials to demand that they use their influence to shut it down.
The note I wrote to the DOJ said (and please personalize if you use):
I am really worried about the new on-line system in Georgia that allows anyone to cancel someone else’s voter registration as long as they have that person’s date of birth, drivers’ license number, or social security number. The lack of accountability in the system can easily lead to the disenfranchisement of voters, and while misuse of the system is a felony, there’s a strong likelihood that disenfranchisement cases will not get resolved until after the election. Please investigate and shut down this portal ASAP, and reverse any cancellations that were done through the portal site. This is a civil rights issue for the voters who stand to be disenfranchised! Thanks!
Get Smart #1! 📚
Join the team at Activate America for the second webinar in their excellent state series. This session focuses on Arizona and Nevada, and it takes place on Tuesday, August 13, at 5 PM Pacific / 8 PM Eastern. You will be joined by special guest Heath Butram, Program Director for America Votes Arizona, for on-the ground insight into the Grand Canyon State.
Arizona and Nevada are both hugely important states. They’re both in play in the presidential election, they are home to FIVE competitive House races, and it’s hard to see Democrats holding onto the Senate without winning both Arizona and Nevada. WHICH WE CAN!
Come find out how you can help! Sign up HERE.
Get Smart #2! 📚
Join Big Tent on Tuesday, August 13th at 12:00 PM ET as they welcome Sarah Jaynes, Executive Director of Rural Democracy Initiative and the spectacular Jess Piper, Executive Director of Blue Missouri. Their conversation will focus on rural America and what they are feeling about the November elections.
The Rural Democracy Initiative is driving a growing array of organizing efforts in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Montana, and Arizona, where new work is underway to engage rural voters, speak to their concerns, and otherwise show up in places that many Democrats have written off. Their investments target civic infrastructure in small towns and cities to influence public sentiment, electoral outcomes, and redistricting procedures. Their main goal is to provide support for rural working people, therefore transforming the landscape of rural America for future generations.
Spread the Word! 📣
Just got this from a reader and must share! Such a great idea. Please consider joining her effort!
On Monday, a couple of friends and I launched a "100 Reasons to Vote for Kamala Harris" project to educate voters about Kamala Harris' career. Each day we are posting a new social media graphic with a different reason to vote for Harris for the 100 days leading up to Election Day.
Our ask of participants in this project is that they post the designated graphic with the hashtag #100ReasonsToVoteHarris2024 to their social media accounts (FB, Threads, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok....) each day. We’ll email a week's worth of graphics on Sundays to those who sign up to participate. We have also created a companion spreadsheet so that participants are able to cite the source data included in our posts if they choose.
People can join by emailing 100ReasonsToVoteHarris2024@gmail.com with the subject line "Yes 100 Reasons" and we'll add them to our email group.
We are hoping to engage people from all over the country in this effort and we welcome more people to join at any time between now and Election Day – the more, the merrier!
Give 💰!
Oath has identified seven candidates running in critical state Supreme Court races that could determine court majorities in four states this year:
Jerry Lynch (MT), Katherine Bidegaray (MT), Kyra Harris Bolden (MI), Kimberly Ann Thomas (MI), Allison Riggs (NC), Michael Donnelly (OH), Melody Stewart (OH).
These races could be decided by less than 2% like Kyra Harris Bolden's was in Michigan in 2022. Every dollar donated and every vote cast will impact decades to come. Let’s throw some money their way!
Win Races—Knock on Doors! 🚪
Interested in learning more about knocking on doors for this election?
The Progressive Turnout Project’s “Give A Week to Save Democracy” event tomorrow has added a new and amazing speaker—Ben Wikler, Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party! It’s at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.
From them:
The single most effective way to help Democrats win in November is to knock doors and talk to potential voters in swing states. Leading grassroots organizations from across the country will join us to host a YouTube Live event to encourage volunteers to step up in a big way.
We'll be joined by special guests, Anderson Clayton, North Carolina Democratic Party Chair (at 26, the youngest party chair in the nation) Ben Wikler, Chair of the WI Dem Party, and Lavora Barnes, Michigan Democratic Party Chair since 2019.
Progressive Turnout Project's flexible paid door-knocking program is perfect for folks who are able to travel to a swing state and help on the ground for days, a week or longer. You can make $250 per day to offset your travel expenses. And we'll share other ways people can make a difference.
Win Races—Make Calls! ☎️
Nevada and Arizona are two states we absolutely must win, friends! Vote Save America is partnering with the Democratic parties in both states to run weekly phonebanks, and they need volunteers! Full training provided!
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
Nathaniel Stinnett of the Environmental Voter Project gave a TED talk last month about EVP's cutting-edge voter turnout work, and some of the counterintuitive ways they've found to get millions of first-time climate voters to the polls (I mentioned their recent successes in Arizona in yesterday’s “Extra! Extra!” newsletter.)
TED just published the 11 min talk! It’s here! Let’s all give it a listen and share it with folks who care about climate action!
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN PUKGHL to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I am writing to express my deep concern over the recent bills introduced by House Republicans that threaten to undermine the Internal Revenue Service's ability to enforce tax laws and eliminate the successful Direct File program.
The proposed $2 billion cut to IRS enforcement would severely hamper the agency's ability to ensure tax compliance, particularly among wealthy individuals and corporations. This cut comes when enhanced IRS enforcement efforts have yielded significant results: in less than a year, the IRS collected over $1 billion in back taxes from millionaires.
Furthermore, the bill aimed at blocking the IRS from fully implementing Direct File is a direct attack on a program that has already demonstrated its value to American taxpayers. In its pilot year, Direct File helped 140,000 taxpayers file their taxes online for free, receiving more than $90 million in refunds and saving an estimated $5.6 million in tax preparation fees.
These bills, if passed, would cripple the IRS's ability to go after wealthy tax evaders and eliminate a free, online tax filing option that has a 90% user satisfaction rate, costing taxpayers billions in unnecessary fees and missed refunds.
I urge you to oppose these harmful bills and instead support maintaining or increasing current IRS funding levels to ensure effective tax enforcement. We need to expand and fully implement the Direct File program to provide free online tax filing options for all Americans, ensuring that our tax system works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.
Our tax system should be fair, efficient, and accessible to all. The bills introduced in the House move us in the opposite direction, favoring wealthy tax evaders and corporate interests over ordinary Americans.
I call on you to pass IRS funding bills that don't attack Direct File or cut the IRS's ability to enforce our tax laws. Your leadership on this issue is crucial for maintaining the integrity of our tax system and ensuring fiscal responsibility.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.
~ Edward Everett Hale
I pick up voter registration cards at the library in Texas and offer them to folks in the grocery store , on my walks …whenever I am out. When someone says yes I ask if they want some for their friends and family.