Chop Wood, Carry Water 8/3
Hi, all, and happy Wednesday!
It’s a happy day indeed! Forced-birthers just took a drubbing in Kansas, Pat Cipolone has been subpoenaed, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court beat back Republican attempts to take voting by mail away from millions, the Honoring Our PACT Act passed and Republicans were deeply humiliated in the process…just really, really good stuff.
I have to be honest—as an organizer yesterday’s win in Kansas didn’t surprise me at all. What surprises me, actually, is the pundits’ shock at the results. As someone who phonebanks regularly I feel no shock at all. People—especially women—are very, very angry. They are very motivated to vote. They will turn out over this.
Also? In an almost too-good-to-be-true rebuttal to the idiotic Times Op-Ed of two days ago we saw what organizing—literally phonebanking, postcarding and door knocking—can do. Which is make us win by a mile.
I hope this will finally persuade everyone to stop arguing about whether or not we know how to do this. We do.
The only question is, will we? Will we sign up for the phone banks? Will we get out of our comfort zones and canvass? Will we write more postcards than we reasonably feel we can? Will we act? Will we ORGANIZE?
If yes, then last night’s victory is simply a small taste of what’s to come.
One more thing about the Op-Ed: I read many good responses to it yesterday—Robert Hubbell had a great one, of course—but I wanted to pass along something one of my readers posted in the comments—more proof that some groups have gotten huge results from postcarding:
“In 2020 volunteers for the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats sent over 18,000 postcards to voters on the Navajo, Hopi and White Mountain Apache Nations. That means volunteers sent postcards to EVERY Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) voter, explaining to them how to make sure their vote counted. Their work paid off. We had a 300% increase in mail in ballots in 2020 over 2016 and yet only a tiny increase in ballots that needed corrections. We know this project increased the number of votes counted on tribal land and extended Biden’s victory in Arizona.”
This is just one of many anecdotal tales of postcards making a difference. (Also, this program still needs writers!) I’ve heard similar stories from many, many other organizers, including from Andrea Miller, who runs the Center For Common Ground. She says:
Sending postcards to targeted populations with the right message and voter information can dramatically increase turnout as evidenced by the 2021 Petersburg 43% turnout among Black voters; we did better with the voters who only got a postcard than we did with voters who received postcards, texts and phone calls (their turnout was 40%).
Writing postcards is very effective if you have an informational message and are writing to voters that are not ever contacted by candidates or parties (BIPOC voters who are 0 for 3 or 1 for 3). Parties often don't contact BIPOC voters because they are low-income and won't be donors. We contact individual communities and have them tell us what is important in their community and that is the message that we put on the postcard.
Again, the proof is in the pudding. Organizers know what works, and, when done correctly, postcards work. Phonebanking works. Letters, too. Canvassing works especially well.
What we did in Kansas worked—last night is proof.
What we did in 2018 worked.
What we did in 2020 worked.
What we do in 2022 will work as well. We simply need to do it. Naysayers be damned.
Hope is an action.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I understand that Senators Kaine, Murkowski, Sinema, & Collins have just introduced new legislation to codify Roe v Wade and protect access to contraception. It’s called The Reproductive Freedom For All Act and I want the Senator to co-sponsor it. While it doesn’t go as far as I’d like, it is an excellent first step and should be passed immediately.
Second, has the Senator yet co-sponsored S 3802, the Big Oil Windfall Profits Act, to hold Big Oil accountable for their blatant price-gouging and profiteering and send some of that money back to the American people? I certainly hope so. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling to ask if the Congressmember has yet co-sponsored HR 7061, the Big Oil Windfall Profits Act, which will hold Big Oil accountable for their blatant price-gouging and profiteering and send some of that money back to the American people. If not why not?
Extra Credit ✅
OK, here’s the final letter in reaction to the recent Judd Legum article about the five giant corporations who have made large contributions to anti-abortion politicians even after they knew Roe v Wade would be overturned. We’ve written to CVS, AT&T, Cigna, and Ford already. Now let’s do Wells Fargo .
You can either:
✍🏼 Compose your own email and send it to cscharf@hotmail.com, briane.smith@wellsfargo.com, and patter@wellsfargo.com. I’ve put a copy of the letter I used here. Feel free to copy, personalize, sign and send.
Or
✍🏼 Use my click-to-send email tool (this is easier). It will autopopulate a pre-written email in your mail program which you can adapt as wanted. Please change the subject line, add a few sentences, sign your name and city, and generally personalize it so they know real people are writing.
Get Smart! 📚
Today, August 3 from 6:00-7:00 pm ET/ 3:00-4:00 pm PT, the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition is partnering with URGE and Planned Parenthood Action Fund to host a Realizing American Democracy Town Hall on Reproductive Justice.
This virtual event will include a panel conversation featuring partners working on the intersections between reproductive justice and democracy.
RSVP here to join us on today, August 3 from 6:00-7:00 PM ET/3:00-4:00 PM PT.
You’ll hear from movement leaders on the importance of access to reproductive health care as we grapple with the disastrous Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. This panel will connect reproductive justice with the health of our democracy, and will explore how we can move forward to ensure that we can maintain our fundamental right to control our own bodies. Hope some of you can attend!
Win Races! 🗳
The bad news: Trump-backed Blake Masters is projected to win the Arizona GOP primary to face Senator Mark Kelly.
Masters had the backing of Donald Trump and tech billionaire Peter Thiel and supports a nationwide abortion ban. The contest will be competitive in November.
The good news: we can beat him, as well as the other election deniers running up and down the ballot. Please, find a way to help us win in my “Adopt AZ” document. There are postcarding, letter writing, phone banking and donation opportunities. And please share it with concerned friends and family.
Resistbot is taking a vacation today. 😉
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess
YOU are amazing. And apparently tireless. I am so thankful for your inspirations, drive, unfailing energy to move us to act. Bravo.
Today I received my first edition of Chop Wood, Carry Water. I called my Senators, my Rep, and used your tool to scold Wells Fargo. You make it SO easy to take actions that matter. 🙏 Thank you, Jessica!