Hi, all, and happy Friday!
A long-time subscriber wrote me yesterday asking for clarification on what to do with the Resistbot letters I give you. It turns out she was skipping them because she thought she had to re-type them word by word into her phone! Heavens, no!
Let’s review the steps:
Highlight the entire Resistbot letter and hit COMMAND C (or copy).
In a new window, open your message app, Facebook messenger or twitter DMs.
Send a message to Resistbot at 50409 (or on FB or twitter at @Resistbot) saying SENATE (if the message is to your Senators), HOUSE (if it’s to your House rep), CONGRESS (if it’s to all 3 reps) or PRESIDENT (if it’s to POTUS).
When asked what you’d like to say, paste the copied message from this newsletter into the message field and hit send. Follow that with a separate message saying DONE.
When Resistbot asks if you are ready to send your message say yes or SEND.
You’re done! The whole process should take about 5-10 seconds.
Hope that clears up any confusion.
OK, have a great weekend, y’all, but first PLEASE make these calls. There’s a lot of incredibly important stuff happening. The next two weeks are pretty much as critical as it gets; we need to be loud, unrelenting, and forceful as hell to get our whole agenda through.
P.S. I got a 10 out of 11 on this week’s news quiz. Feeling pretty self satisfied 😉. Want to try to beat me?
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I support the Freedom to Vote Act and want it to be passed immediately. There is no time to wait--our democracy hangs in the balance.
[If Dem:] Also, I’m super frustrated to hear that a few Congressmembers are blocking the lowering of prescription drug prices and the closing of the stepped-up basis loophole in the budget package. We need the money these provisions would raise to pay for the critical climate provisions in the bill. I’m sure the Senator is seeing the same news reports I am--we have NO TIME to waste and what we’re doing isn’t close to enough. If we want to avoid climate catastrophe we MUST go big and make billionaires and big corporations foot the bill. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
[NB: if your House Rep is one of the 9 obstructing progress see the separate script below!]
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I want the Representative to fight to pass an inclusive recovery through reconciliation, before voting on the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
We urgently need a recovery bill that lowers prescription drug prices for all Americans, expands Medicare, provides a path to citizenship, and includes generational investments in climate, housing, and the care economy - all while making the ultra rich and big corporations pay their fair share. This cannot take a back seat to an inadequate bipartisan bill.
Will [Representative] commit to passing an inclusive reconciliation bill before voting on the bipartisan infrastructure package? We need the full recovery agenda, and I’ll be watching to ensure they are fighting for it. [H/T]
A Special Script For Obstructionist Democrats!
🚨 Please use this script if your member of Congress is: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Rep. Vincente Gonzalez (TX-15), Rep. Filemon Vela (TX-34), Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02), Rep. Ed Case (HI-01), Rep. Kurt Schrader (OR-05), Rep. Jim Costa (CA-16), Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-07), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (FL-07). 🚨
Hello, I’m a constituent from [part of state] and I’m furious that [Representative] has threatened to undermine the budget reconciliation bill currently being written.
There’s no excuse for risking urgent proposals like lowering drug prices, strengthening Medicare, universal child care, and climate action. Instead of political stunts, I expect them to support the Democratic agenda.
Will [Representative] stop obstructing the budget reconciliation bill, rather than continuing their divisive actions? I’m disappointed with the position they have taken so far and will be watching to see if they change course. [H/T]
Extra Credit
Ugh this makes me mad. Rep. Scott Peters is a member of leadership as Vice Chair of the DCCC, the campaign committee in charge of helping Democrats keep the majority in the U.S. House.
He’s also the #1 recipient of donations from pharmaceutical corporations in the House this year.
That might explain why he and two of his Democratic colleagues teamed up with all of the Republicans on the House Energy & Commerce Committee to defeat a much-needed measure to reduce drug prices in the Build Back Better Act.
Can you personalize and sign this letter to the DCCC telling Peters he needs to step down as Vice Chair? And maybe RT this?
Finally, if Scott Peters, Kurt Schrader of Oregon or Kathleen Rice of New York are your reps, READ THIS, then call and give them hell. Seriously.
Extra Extra Credit
Let’s call Nancy Pelosi at (415) 556-4862 or (202) 225-4965 and say:
“My name is _____; my zip code is _____. I’m calling the Congresswoman in her capacity as Speaker of the House to ask her to please make sure she includes a provision that closes the Billionaires Loophole--otherwise known as the stepped-up basis loophole--in the reconciliation package, so that billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk will have to pay more taxes. Heidi Heitkamp called this loophole "one of the biggest scams in the history of forever." It’s got to go. Thanks.”
Get Out Your Pretty Pens! ✒️
So exciting! There’s FINALLY a postcard program focused on climate! 🌍
This one is designed to make sure progressive voters who care about climate change turn out in local elections this November in some key cities with relevant climate policy at stake.
If you’ve written for Postcards to Swing States you’ll recognize the setup and the message (it’s the “Social Pressure” one that seems a bit pushy but is WILDLY effective at turning voters out.)
Their goal is to write 400,000 postcards; they will start shipping cards next week. The first mailing deadlines are in mid-October.
Would you be willing to write some? The sign-up form is accessible from the website.
Get on the Phones! ☎️
Who here thinks banning books about diversity, equity, and inclusion is a BAD thing for schools?
If your answer is YES, then I have the phone bank for you!
Join Turn PA Blue on Tuesday, 9/21, to make calls for the Democratic Central York School Board candidates. This race is off the charts crazy; it's been making national news. The ban is disgusting, and clearly racially charged. We need to elect different people come November 2.
Training provided at 5:30, and then you'll dial until 7. Hope you can join!
Sign up here.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)
[to all 3 reps] [H/T]
Congress has spent months crafting a budget bill that would invest hundreds of billions of dollars to address climate change, while Hurricane Ida, devastating wildfires, record-breaking heat waves, torrential rains, and other climate events have caused immeasurable loss of life and destruction across the country. No corner of the country is immune to the climate crisis and we need to make big investments now to address climate change and avoid even more costly climate events in the future.
The proposed $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill is the bare minimum needed to adequately address the interconnected crises of climate change, economic insecurity, racial injustice, and public health. It includes critical investments in renewable energy, expanding and electrifying public transit, replacing lead pipes, retrofitting homes and schools, establishing a Civilian Climate Corps, and shoring up the care economy, while centering equity and the creation of family-sustaining jobs in all of these investments.
Please pass the full $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package alongside the bipartisan infrastructure bill. To honor this two-track strategy, the reconciliation bill needs to move in tandem with the bipartisan bill, not afterwards. It would be unacceptable to build bridges and roads while failing to prepare for the ravages of climate change or its impact on our health and economic security.
It's time to stop passing the buck to future generations. Let’s invest in bold and equitable climate action now to better prepare us for future climate threats and avoid the need for even more costly investments in the future.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess