Chop Wood, Carry Water 8/20
Kamala Harris, for the people!
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!
I don’t know about you, but I’m still buzzing from last night’s convention. WHAT A NIGHT! My God, whatever expectations I had—and they were high—were wildly surpassed—on day one! Everything, from the Soul Children of Chicago singing the National Anthem, to an emotional tribute to Jesse Jackson, to the massive union presence—and Shawn Fain’s “Trump is a Scab” tee-shirt, to the tears of Jasmine Crockett, the patriotism of Jamie Raskin, the majestic strength of Hilary Clinton, the staggering courage of Hadley Duvall, the brilliance of AOC, the fiery eloquence of Senator Warnock, and the absolutely magnificent speeches by first Jill, then Ashley, then President Biden…it was all just devastatingly good.
If for some reason you missed watching, I urge you to take the time to go back and view as much of it as you can. I had to attend a meeting during part of it—I’m catching up on those speeches this morning. Every single one of them is worth seeing. If you can only watch one thing, well, make it President Biden’s speech. It was momentous, powerful, and deeply moving. But watch Ashley’s introduction, too. And have a box of tissues available for all of it. I cried many, many times. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more proud to be a Democrat—or an American.
Shawn Fain summed up the theme of the first night perfectly:
“This election,” he declared, “comes down to one question: “Which side are you on?”
We know the choices:
There is the side of hatred, cruelty, and fear. The side that fights for the most privileged, and exploits everyone else. The side that wants to drag us backwards and keep us divided.
And there is the side of love, inclusion, and empathy for others. The side that wants a rising tide for lifting all boats. The side that wants to move forward, joyfully, together.
Last night was spectacular confirmation that we are not only on the latter team—and therefore on the right side—but we are on it with countless other brilliant patriots who deserve our fullest admiration and respect. They are the best and brightest of what America has to offer. Together we are unbeatable.
I feel a hope that is, honestly, all the more powerful for the grief that came before it. It’s a rich and poignant feeling, and I’m grateful to have lived long enough to feel it.
But it alone won’t win us the election, of course.
Our victory can only come from hard work. So let’s take this gratitude, this pride, and this sense of solidarity and channel it into action one more time.
P.S. — Our Chop Wood, Carry Statehouses Giving Circle MADE OUR 100K GOAL!! WOWOWOW! (Of course now I’ve upped the goal to 125K 😂) Thank you to everyone who helped us get there!
P.P.S. — Congress is out of session right now and no one is in DC, therefore no calls to reps again today.
Extra Credit ✅
Again, from Climate Action Now!
Solar balcony setups are making the rooftop solar revolution accessible for apartment-dwellers, and they’re already booming in Germany.
Tell your state leaders to support and incentivize balcony solar with one easy step—but be sure to personalize your letter!
Get Smart! 📚
BLACK MALE VOTER PROJECT ACTION UPDATE
Thursday, September 12, 2024 at 8:00 pm ET/ 5:00 pm Pacific
Despite the surge of enthusiasm, the margins for this election will be tight. To win it and protect democracy for the long haul, we must bring more Black men into the tent -- not just the voting booth, but the tent -- the dialog that shapes policies and programs to address people's real needs.
Black Male Voter Project engages Black men who tend not to vote because their communities have long been alienated by "politics as usual." These folks can only be moved by trusted messengers.
For this event, BMVP is honored to be joined by special guests Reed Galen, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib, who will share perspectives on Black men in politics and their role in the pro-democracy coalition. And of course you'll get the update from the folks at Black Male Voter Project about:
How they're reaching tens of thousands of Black men in battleground states
What they mean by "the cruel urgency" of these times
Why their work will be even more important after the election
Spread the Word! 📣
The Law and Order-themed ad that the DNC played last night is amazing. Please share!
Win Races—Fight Racism!
Donald Trump has once again made fomenting racial hatred the heart of his appeal, from questioning Kamala Harris’ identity to his central campaign promise of an inhumane and ruinous mass deportation plan. Defeating him is only part of the job – we as a nation also need to show we reject what he stands for.
Showing Up For Racial Justice is working to organize white voters against Trump’s racism in this election. We can join them to phonebank on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. [H/T
]Win Races—Write Postcards! 🗳
Markers For Democracy is writing for Maryland and the ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD.
Dana Schallheim is running for re-election against a Moms For Liberty candidate in a district that is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. Dana's re-election will depend on Democratic voters ALL turning out. In addition, Democratic voters in this district are needed to vote up-ballot to win an open and needed Congressional seat (MD-3) as well as the open Maryland Senate seat, where former Governor Hogan (R) must be defeated to hold the Senate.
Use your own postcards.
Get Addresses Here: Postcards For Democracy
Deadline: Write and hold to mail on Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
If the daily drumbeat of climate doom is getting you down, Climate Action Now’s Daily Dose of Climate Hope is your antidote! Every weekday, they blast a 1-2 punch of positivity into your inbox with (1) a quick positive action you can take on the CAN app or their website in just seconds, and (2) a Reason for Hope section that takes you on an illustrated tour of a trend, technology, or development that will lift your spirits. Sign up today! It's free, fast, and easy!
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN POJAZB to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
Yesterday we learned that Vice President Kamala Harris is calling for raising the corporate tax rate to 28%. As my representative I want you to know that I support this policy proposal and I expect you to as well.
To quote NBC, “if enacted, the policy would raise hundreds of billions of dollars, as the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has projected that 1 percentage point increases in the corporate rate corresponds to about $100 billion over a decade. It would also roll back a big part of former President Donald Trump’s signature legislation in 2017 as president, which slashed the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.” Good! Trump’s tax cuts added trillions to the national debt and did nothing to stimulate the economy. As for job creation? It plummeted under Trump. “Trickle down economics” is and always has been a disaster for our economy. It’s time to stop pretending otherwise.
We must, must, must start charging billionaires their fair share, and I support VP Harris’s plan to do so. I will be watching closely to make sure that the people who represent me feel the same way and vote accordingly. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
All I can say is, my (sometimes grumpy) father who kept telling me "I'm not gonna watch this whole thing Jules, I don't do these live rah rah rallys" surely DIDN'T change the channel the entire night until Bidens speech was over!! 👀😆 It was electrifying!
OMG. You nailed it. Last night was exhilarating! I'm not sure what my expectations were going on but they were surpassed. As you noted, there were so many highlights -- AOC, HRC, Senator Reverend Warnock (the passage about children had me on my feet in my kitchen), Shawn Fain, Jamie Raskin (his line about Trump's chameleon JD Vance was an instant classic), Jasmine Crockett, Hadley Duvall, Joe Biden. But also Mallory McMorrow, Steve Kerr and many others. It was like watching your team in the World Series and everyone is hitting it out of the park. But it was late for us east coasters and now I'm thinking I may need a nap before tonight. We had a live chat in our DNC Watch Party Slack Channel at Markers For Democracy and it was moving fast and furious. But mostly we were all so proud to be Democrats last night. At the beginning some of us were trying to write postcards while we watched but at some point we realized that we were too transfixed by the speeches.