Chop Wood, Carry Water 8/28
Every moment is an organizing opportunity!
Hi, all, and happy Wednesday!
There’s lots of good news bubbling up today!
Many of you will have already heard from
, or —all of whom wrote about it in the last 24 hours—that we are seeing some very promising new voter registration numbers. Tom Bonier from TargetSmart, our go-to guy on this subject, posted an update on X that should put a smile on all of our faces.He said:
The Harris Effect - in the 13 states that have updated voter files since July 21st, we are seeing incredible surges in voter registration relative to the same time period in 2020, driven by women, voters of color, and young voters.
Young Black women are leading the way, seeing their registration almost triple, relative to the same point in 2020. Young Hispanic women aren't far behind, with a 150% increase in registration. Black women overall have almost doubled their registration numbers from 2020.
These changes are, unsurprisingly, substantially to the benefit of Democrats. Democratic registration has increased by over 50%, as compared to only 7% for Republicans. These new registrants are modeled as +20 pts Dem, as compared to +6 during the same week in 2020.
Sweet! But there’s more! Trump's advantage over Kamala Harris on the economy and crime is eroding among U.S. voters, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Good! Trump was terrible on both, and will be worse still in a second term! It’s about time that voters started to realize it.
And more: The Swifties for Kamala call last night had over 34K people on it and raised about 122K. According to a post on their Threads account, “More than 14,000 Swifties last night registered to vote, checked their voter registration, or encouraged their friend to vote.” They’ve even created a tool that gives anyone who signs up a personalized link to register people to vote. Each registration (or registration check) gives the link’s owner a better chance at winning four tickets to a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto. I know I’m in!
There’s more! Historic numbers of people have signed up to help the campaign – nearly 200,000 new volunteer shifts since the Monday of the Democratic National Convention. Donations continue to skyrocket. And the polls are moving in our direction: According to the Cook Political Report Minnesota, New Hampshire, and the Washington governor’s race have gone from leaning Democratic to likely Democratic wins; the North Carolina governor’s race has gone from Toss Up to Lean Democratic; North Carolina has gone from Lean Republican to Toss Up.
Does all of this mean we can rest? Au contraire! It means Trump and his team are going to work harder than ever to grab their advantage back. We must use every ounce of our energy, determination, and patriotism between now and November 5 to register and turn out EVERY VOTER WE CAN. Remember, we still have to contend with voter apathy, rampant mis- and disinformation, Israel/Palestine divisions, and Third party challengers, among other obstacles to success. This election is still in jump-ball territory.
But I happen to know we jump higher than anyone.
So let’s get back to work one more time, knowing that this is our race to lose—and we intend to do just the opposite.
P.S. — One of my subscribers has a podcast called New Faces of Democracy. She recently interviewed Drew Kromer of the Mecklenberg County Dems. I highly recommend listening to the episode—as I mentioned yesterday, Drew makes an unbelievably compelling case for how his county can help us win big in November.
P.P.S. — Since I’m including so many extra electoral opportunities these days, and since Congress is still out of session, this newsletter once again has no direct calls to your reps. Sorry!
Extra Credit ✅
Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Youth are asking us to join them in calling the White House to Shut Down the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Climate hawks already know all about this climate-wrecking pipeline, but now the Biden-Harris Administration has an opportunity to do the right thing by immediately shutting down the DAPL and revoking its permits.
Call 202-456-1111 & tell President Biden to Shut Down DAPL!
Not sure what to say? Try something like:
Hi, my name is ____, I live _____. I want President Biden and VP Harris to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline and choose No Action Alternative 2 from the EIS. I care about climate change, Indigenous sovereignty, and clean water [add anything additional you want here]. Thank you.
If the WH switchboard is closed for the day you can either set an alarm to call tomorrow or send the above message—personalized, of course— through the White House contact form.
Get Smart! 📚
Women Wednesdays for Harris is happening tonight, as it does weekly. But I wanted to put in a special plug for tonight’s event as my friend Samara Bay, author of
, will be on it teaching participants how to use storytelling to help move voters.Samara is a brilliant and ebullient human being — you don’t want to miss her! Plus storytelling is the most powerful tool we have! And look who else will be on the call! One wow after another!
Please consider signing up. It’s tonight from 8:30-9:30 ET.
Spread the Word! 📣
The Lincoln Project is out with a truly chilling new abortion ad. Please share. (And yes, this is totally possible.)
Win Races—do Voter Protection!
[H/T Small Deeds Done]
Right now all eyes are on voter protection, with Donald Trump saying outright that he doesn't think he needs any more votes – he just needs to "keep Democrats from cheating." That's got everyone's dander up, because it reinforces that election challenges are going to be a main strategy for the Republican party this year.
If this is a galvanizing issue for you, it's a good use of your time to reach out to the Harris/Walz campaign to volunteer for voter protection. You can do that here.
And if you’d like to volunteer for the DNC National Voter Assistance Hotline, fill out this form.
Win Races—learn to phonebank! 🗳
PHONEBANK 101 TRAINING
First-time phonebankers, join the DCCC’s optional phonebank 101 training led by amazing volunteer leaders to prepare for your first phonebank!
Tuesday and Thursday, at 6pm EST /4pm PST
Win Races—Textbank!
Throughout September, in partnership with the Turnout Education Fund, Activate America volunteers will be texting voters in Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to encourage them to participate in voting by mail.
The voters you’ll be reaching are Black, Indigenous, or people of color who do not consistently vote. With a vote-by-mail ballot in hand, there are fewer opportunities for long lines, bad weather, health, or other disruptions to prevent them from voting.
Interested? Sign up HERE.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN PAZKSB to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
The years since the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, commonly known as the 2018 Farm Bill, was signed into law have been among the most tumultuous in our nation’s history. Amid an increasingly disruptive and changing climate and the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in the illness and death of thousands of food workers, we also witnessed historic investments in the agricultural economy from the Inflation Reduction Act to the American Rescue Plan Act, and a long-overdue racial justice reckoning. These events conspired to thoroughly unveil the fragility of our farm and food system – impacting everything from the food and nutrition security of millions to the livelihoods of farmers, ranchers, food and farm workers, and countless others.
The next farm bill should begin to address the needs of the modern food and farm system by reflecting these changes in society and across our food, farm, and rural communities.
It must invest in all farmers and ranchers, strengthen our food system, build a fair and accessible farm safety net, improve climate resilience, and meaningfully support workers and the next generation of farmers. It must make meaningful progress against food insecurity and hunger - protecting and strengthening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - while simultaneously supporting nutrition and access to healthy food. The next farm bill must uphold expert advice and existing processes for updating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and school meal nutrition standards. It must make long overdue investments in the food and farm workers who keep our food supply chains secure, vibrant, and resilient. And it must invest strongly in agricultural research and conservation programming.
The next farm bill has an opportunity to double down on the historic climate investments from the Inflation Reduction Act.
Finally, a new farm bill must prioritize investments that support individuals and communities who historically have been and, in some cases, continue to be underserved by current federal food and farm policy.
Every successful farm bill has been built on the foundation of bipartisanship and the active engagement of the various stakeholder communities, and the next farm bill should be no different. Please pass a farm bill that builds a brighter future for all.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Thank you for the link to the Lincoln Project video. That was intense.
Thank you for including the interview with Drew Kromer of the Mecklenberg County Dems. Such specific and actionable ideas about how to help turn North Carolina blue!!