Chop Wood, Carry Water 8/23

A New Way Forward!

Photo from Todd Heisler of The New York Times.

Hi, all, and happy Friday!

First of all, sorry this is so late—as some of you likely know Substack was down for a good part of the morning. It also explains the truncated nature of the newsletter.

Second, congratulations to all of us on a wildly successful convention! It was a powerful, historic, and impactful event. Emotional in all the right places, ebullient in others, and highly informative throughout. Press coverage has been very strong, and the reviews have been generally stellar. We should all be very happy and proud. I suspect most of us are.

I am aware that there are some who are disappointed that issues close to their hearts got short shrift at the convention. And I get that. Were there things I would have done differently? Sure, a couple. But ultimately I am cognizant of a few things:

First, a convention of this sort is not for people like me. I am already sold. So, likely, are you. A convention—ministerial purposes aside—is a giant infomercial for the candidates. And in this case that was especially important, as most Americans, until now, were completely unfamiliar with Harris and Walz. I think it’s safe to say that that is no longer the case. So in that sense the convention did exactly what it needed to do—and brilliantly. It humanized Harris and Walz, familiarized less politically tuned-in Americans with their stories, and showed them to be capable and strong leaders who would do our country proud as President and Vice President.

Again, that was its main purpose! In that sense, mission accomplished—brilliantly!

But the convention did more: it also showcased the massive talent of the Democratic bench, the brilliance of our lawmakers, and the broad scope and diversity of our supporters. Even better, it was fun! It was entertaining. It was moving. It was, dare I say it, cool. These are all crucial components for a winning campaign.

So while I might have liked to see a couple of issues—issues that are important to me—given more time, I also know that this convention had to win over skeptical voting blocs—blocs of which I am not a member. I won’t pretend to understand the thinking behind every decision. I’m not a political strategist. I’m an activist, and overall I suspect this convention will make my job—and ours—much, much easier. That job, of course, is to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz—and Democrats up and down the ballot—to preserve our democracy for the next generation and help move our country forward. Period!

Folks, we know Harris’s and Walz’s track records. We know who they are and what they have prioritized thus far. I am confident that they will continue to show the compassion, fairness, and morality that they have shown all along—even if I occasionally disagree with their individual decisions. That is the best we can hope for from any politician.

Ok. Enough on that. Because I have some great news!

In my Thursday newsletter I mentioned that critical grassroots and downballot groups like Movement Voter Project, Run For Something, and the States Project are, ironically, raising less money in the past month thanks to donors focusing on the Harris-Walz campaign.

A distressed but motivated reader contacted me in response with an offer to match the next $10,000 that CWCW readers give to both Run For Something and the States Project, and the next $20,000 to Movement Voter Project. That would turn our $40,000 into $80,000 total for these great organizations--WOWOW! Can we make it happen? I hope so!

So here we go! You can give here to Run For Something. Give here for the States Project. And give here for the Movement Voter Project.

And please, send the above links to friends and family who may have cash to spare. This. Is. Important! These three organizations are pivotal not just to electing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, but to holding the U.S. Senate, flipping the House, holding and/or flipping state legislatures, winning school board and election clerk races, and generally insuring that the electoral map is saturated with BLUE after November 5.

OK, all. Let the above spectacular picture from last night motivate you. We are working to ensure that that child—and millions like her—wake up on November 6 to the news that Kamala Harris is her next President.

What a goal! Let’s get to it!

Extra Credit ✅

WISN-Milwaukee talkshow host Jay Weber posted a genuinely abhorrent tweet about Tim Walz’s son Gus after his emotional response to his dad’s speech. If you want to see it it’s here—trigger warning: deeply vile stuff. Thanks to content creator @wordclown for amplifying it.

This is Weber’s station’s phone number, if anyone is interested in calling. 414-545-8900. WISN is an IHeartRadio affiliate. I called and pressed 2 for press, then left a voicemail saying that, until they fired Jay Weber I would be seeking out every advertiser on iHeartRadio and boycotting them. Feel free to do the same!

I also contacted Affiliate Relations at this form.

I simply said:

Jay Weber, a talkshow host on your affiliate station WISN in Milwaukee, posted an absolutely vile and discriminatory comment about Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz’s neurodivergent son yesterday. I’m writing to find out whether he represents the views of iHeartRadio. Assuming he does not, I’d like to know when he’ll be fired. Until he is I’ll be boycotting your stations and your advertisers. I will be informing them of this fact as well. Thanks.

iHeart is owned by the Florida News Network, so that’s the name you’ll see after you submit your letter.

Get Smart! 📚

Care about flipping the House? Join Swing Blue Alliance this Saturday for their monthly 30-minute Frontline Update!

Each of these meetings features an in-depth look at a key activism topic or one of their focus states: Pennsylvania, New York, Arizona, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. And this Saturday they are thrilled to announce that Josh Riley, New York Democrat and candidate for Congress, will be making a special guest appearance.

Josh is fighting to reclaim a key seat in New York’s 19th District—one of the critical battlegrounds in the race to flip the House in 2024. He'll share his unique insights on what’s at stake and how grassroots action like ours can make the difference.

Sign up now to discover how Swing Blue is working to elect Democrats across the ballot. Stay afterward for Q&A, breakout sessions, and discussions.

Saturday, August 24 10-10:30 AM ET.

Register here.

Give 💰!

North Carolina is now polling as TIED! Whoa!

Please come to our fundraiser for Mecklenberg County, NC, “Accelerate the Blue Wave,” on August 26 at 8:00 PM ET! It will feature a dynamic roster: 

• Rep. Jeff Jackson, a sitting congressman who is running for state attorney general who is crazy popular on social media;

• Anderson Clayton, NC Democratic Party Chair who was last seen answering the roll call vote for NC at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday evening by shouting “We represent a new South!”;

• Drew Kromer, Mecklenburg County’s Democratic Chair and a key player in AINC’s origin story;

• Jessica Craven, activist and author of the wildly popular blog “Chop Wood, Carry Water.” (Me.)

Win Races! 🗳

Blue Wave Postcards just launched an Ohio postcarding campaign! These cards are super easy—you just write one line and they come with stick-on address labels!

Ohio needs our help for a few reasons: 

🇺🇸 Fair maps! Ohio's population is almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. However, because of extreme gerrymandering, the state legislature has Republican supermajorities in both chambers. Ohioans are getting a Citizens Not Politicians amendment on the ballot in November, creating a new citizens redistricting commission to create fair maps.

🇺🇸 The US Senate and House majorities are hanging in the balance. In addition, there are state house and senate elections, as well as three Ohio State Supreme Court elections in November.

Please order Ohio Postcards here.

Win Races—Voter Protection!

My School Votes is teaming up with VoteRiders to bring you an incredible session on civics, voting rights, and voter ID requirements. Join them on Tuesday, September 3rd, from 7–8 PM ET to learn ways to make a real impact this November. 

Did you know that more Americans than ever before are living in states with confusing voter ID laws? With 38 states implementing these laws, millions of votes are at risk. Join My School Votes and Vote Riders to learn about the resources and free help available to ensure every eligible voter can cast a ballot that counts. RSVP today!

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

[To: all three reps] [H/T Alan Unell’s Healthcare Advocacy newsletter] [Text SIGN PXOJBO to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

I am your constituent and I want you to know that a significant majority of voters in battleground states favor Universal Healthcare, lowering drug prices and having a system with no medical debt. Here is a link to the survey results for you and your office to review,https://www.filesforprogress.org/datasets/2024/8/dfp-battleground-issues-crosstabs.pdf. 

I expect you to take this to heart and act accordingly. HR 3421, the vastly improved Medicare for All Act covers us all cradle to grave, lowers prescription costs by negotiating all drug prices and will have no medical debt. The 2020 CBO analysis found it would save a minimum of $400 billion each and every year, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56811.

We sent you to Congress to help us. Your constituents want this and I want you to support Universal Healthcare, like HR 3421, and get it to a vote. If you want to keep getting elected listen to your constituents.

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

Talk soon.

Jess