Hi, all, and happy Friday!
There’s a lot going on. There’s always a lot going on. It can be overwhelming, dispiriting, downright anxiety-provoking.
How do we cope?
We chop wood and carry water. We can’t control the future, but we can control what we do right now. We can take the “next right action.” We can do the basics.
This is both a way to survive difficult times and a way to ensure progress. The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. Here, we take that step.
We won’t get to our destination now. But we will arrive there eventually…if we keep moving.
If we don’t, it is guaranteed that we won’t.
So I know. What’s ahead of us can feel scary. But in this day we’re OK. We have agency. We have tools. We have our voices. We have a chance to use them.
Let’s not squander it.
P.S. — I got 8 out of 11 on the news quiz. It seems I’ll never crack this score. (Football wardrobes? Really?) How about you?
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I support the healthcare provisions in the Build Back Better package--specifically, lowering prescription drug prices, lowering ACA premiums, closing the Medicaid coverage gap, investing in Medicaid home and community-based care services, and fixing the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) system. Please ask the Senator to make sure all of this stays in the bill as they negotiate its provisions. [H/T]
Second, I support the EQUITY Act. Our LGBTQ+ friends and family deserve equal protections.
Finally, we MUST pass legislation to protect our voting rights — it’s my top priority; I want the Senator to prioritize this as well. I know Joe Manchin has finalized a bill similar to the For the People Act; I want the Senator to support it. [If Democrat add:] And for God’s sake, Democrats need to abolish the filibuster while they still can. Thanks. [Excellent update on where this fight stands now here]
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I support the healthcare provisions in the Build Back Better package--specifically, lowering prescription drug prices, lowering ACA premiums, closing the Medicaid coverage gap, investing in Medicaid home and community-based care services, and fixing the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) system. Please ask the Senator to make sure all of this stays in the bill as they negotiate its provisions. [H/T]
Extra Credit
Postcards to Swing States volunteers have written 27 million postcards since early 2020, and they’re doing another round now for the November elections is NJ and VA (my postcarding hub is about to start work on 2000 of them)! You can sign up to write postcards for this campaign here (it’s free!) .
Also, Postcards to Swing States is ready to finally share results from their randomized controlled experiments in 2020! I’m excited to hear the results!
Join them Wed. 9/29 at 8pm ET for this live event. They’ll compare turnout methods, including knocking doors, postcards, and texting. RSVP here.
Get on the Phones! ☎️
OK, it’s the last weekend to phonebank for the Recall, and although polls are showing us in good shape, polls have been wrong REPEATEDLY in the last few years.
I am co-hosting a phonebank today, canvassing in Santa Clarita tomorrow, and then co-hosting phonebanks all day Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. THAT’s how much I trust the polls.
Join me?
Today’s phonebank is from 3-5. Sign up here. You can also use the link to sign up for lots of other ones over the next four days, most of which I’ll be at, God help me. 😂
Tomorrow’s canvass is here. Apparently the GOP had a canvass, too, last week, at this same location, and twice as many of them turned out as did for our side. Not OK!
You can sign up to phonebank with Gavin Newsom himself and NARAL tomorrow at 10 AM PDT here.
Activate America’s California Recall portal has door-to-door canvassing opportunities throughout California and phone banking from anywhere! Due to overwhelming popularity, they’ve even added some phone banking shifts:
Friday, September 10th, from Noon-2 PM
Sunday, September 12th, from 1-3 PM
Monday, September 13th, from 5:30-8:30 PM
Please don’t let the polls make you complacent. This election can’t even be close, or the GOP will scream “voter fraud” and make us miserable for years. Please help if you can.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)
[to your Senators] [H/T]
Farmers and rural communities are attempting to recover from the ongoing impacts of Covid-19, which has hit smaller-scale producers particularly hard. Many producers have accumulated crushing debt from lost markets, disrupted value chains, and the expenses associated with pivoting to new customers and marketing strategies to keep their operations afloat. All of this has strained producers' already stretched budgets.
That’s why I’m calling on you to co-sponsor Senator Gillibrand's farmer debt forgiveness bill S.2023, the Relief for America’s Small Farmers Act. If you have already co-sponsored this bill, thank you.
The Relief for America's Small Farms Act forgives USDA FSA direct loan debt up to $250,000 for farmers with adjusted gross income up to $300,000 for the past five years. Forgiveness of FSA direct loan debt includes direct farm ownership loans, direct farm operating loans, and emergency loans. This bill ensures that farmers who receive forgiveness or write-downs under this legislation maintain their ability to borrow from FSA in the future, and it eliminates tax liability for the forgiven loans.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess