Chop Wood, Carry Water 9/27 🪓
Hi, all, and happy Wednesday!
I’m on an environmental polling webinar right now—having hopped off of a Supreme Court briefing that was simply too anxiety-producing to bear. All of that is to say that if I sound muddled, it’s because I am, as usual, doing two or three things at once, and already have more information in my head than I can functionally process. 🤯
I know this, though: good things are happening. Donald Trump got hit with a massive legal loss (Jay Kuo called it the “corporate death penalty”), Joe Biden received glowing reviews from UAW workers after his visit to the picket line, the WGA settlement is a giant win for writers, and Run For Something just announced a 50 State School Board Strategy! Phew! There’s more, but I’ll save the rest for “Extra! Extra!”
Of course there are trying things happening as well—all we need do is look at SCOTUS’s upcoming docket to know we have some big challenges ahead of us. But I do believe—heck, I know—that the “many will beat the money” every time—we need only organize, stay unified, and never, ever quit.
On that note, let’s get to work! So proud of you guys! Thanks for all you do.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I am calling to urge the Senator to support S. 2190, the Recovering Executive Compensation Obtained from Unaccountable Practices (RECOUP) Act and call for it to be voted on. This bill would allow regulators to recoup bank executives’ compensation from the two years preceding a bank failure. Twenty-one out of twenty-three Senators on the Senate Banking Committee recently voted to approve this bill. I’m glad it has bipartisan support. Let’s get it done!
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
[If Democrat]
I fully support the Democrats’ insistence on a "clean" Continuing Resolution without domestic-spending cuts or culture war poison pills. Please ask the Congressmember not to give in to Republican government-shutdown blackmail—even if it means a government shutdown. America does not surrender to violent terrorists, and we must not surrender to political terrorists. Thanks. [H/T]
[If GOP]
I am really frustrated with Republicans’ hostage taking on the budget. Their priorities are completely broken. We don’t want uncalled-for impeachments, we don’t want to defund Ukraine, we don’t want cuts to programs that help Americans, and we definitely don’t want culture war poison pills in our appropriations packages. Congress needs to pass a clean Continuing Resolution to keep the government open, then pass a clean budget. Every day this nonsense goes on is another day I will be donating to and volunteering for more Democratic candidates. Republicans are proving they can’t govern. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
President Biden's administration has proposed updates to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that would repair dangerous Trump-era weakening of NEPA regulations. The new rules have the opportunity to protect our climate and communities, while ensuring community input and involvement.
Comments on the draft rule end Friday, and fossil fuels and climate deniers are already trying to gut the rules before they're finalized.
They do provide a pre-written comment, but as always it’s best to modify it.
Extra Extra Credit! ✅✅
From Labor Lab, ways to support the UAW in their strike:
If you live in one of the cities where a plant is on strike, go to the picket line and show your support. Bring pizza, water, soda, and other snacks and refreshments.
Click here to sign their petition to the Big Three executives urging a fair settlement.
Call 1-318-300-1249 and leave a message for the Big 3 CEOs telling them that workers deserve the same 40% raise they got over the last four years.
Get Smart! 📚
This is SO COOL! The Environmental Voter Project has decided to put out a bunch of super short videos explaining how different voter turnout tactics work. Their first 7-minute video is about successful voter turnout messaging experiments—what’s worked recently and what hasn’t. It’s GREAT! Here it is!
Spread the Word! 📣
Y’all, Power the Polls just sent out an all-hands alert. They have an urgent need for poll workers in the following places. Can you please help spread the word?
Locations requesting poll worker recruitment support ASAP:
Allegheny County, PA
Duval County, FL
Orange County, FL
Palm Beach County, FL
Kentucky (statewide)
Tarrant County, TX
Let people know they can get paid to support democracy. Visit powerthepolls.org to sign up.
Give 💰!
If you live in Los Angeles please consider coming to see me at the best fundraiser ever—happening this Saturday evening in the Larchmont area. It’s called Ballots Over Broadway, and it’s a truly magical musical event that will raise money for two great organizations: Field Team Six and DemocraShe. The tickets get you drinks, desserts, and an absolutely breathtaking musical performance featuring Broadway stars. I go every year and it’s truly one of my favorite events ever—the singing is AMAZING.
RSVP and/or see who the performers are here. I’ll be there with the proverbial bells on!
Win Races! 🗳
Exciting! Piper Perabo will be joining the Environmental Voter Project today to kick off the first of three upcoming phone banks into Virginia! I believe she will be at all three!
The phonebanks are today, September 27, at 7pm ET / 4pm PT or on Wednesday, October 25, at 7pm ET / 4pm PT or on Mon, Nov 6, at 6pm EST / 3pm PST. I’ll be at today’s.
They have lots of other fun phone banks coming up this week and next week, too, including one on a weekend evening! They're calling Virginia voters on Thursday at 7pm EDT / 4pm PDT; Alaska voters on Saturday at 8:30pm EDT / 5:30pm PDT; and Suffolk County voters next Tuesday, October 3, at 12pm EDT / 9am PDT.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[H/T] [Text SIGN PBDQXU to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
For decades, there have been unsettling reports detailing an enormous amount of waste, cost overruns, and cases of financial mismanagement within the Pentagon. After 33 years of a congressional mandate, the Pentagon remains the only federal agency that cannot successfully pass an independent audit.
Every year, countless programs that help working-class families go underfunded as Congress tells people there isn't enough money in the budget. Meanwhile, Congress is on deck to hand the Pentagon nearly a trillion dollars in 2024 with little accountability for a track record of graft and greed.
I believe in the importance of transparency and accountability, especially when it comes to government resources. That’s why I’m writing to ask you to join a bipartisan group of senators to support and pass the Audit the Pentagon Act of 2023 (S. 2054).
By doing so, you’ll help send a clear, crucial message that financial accountability is not optional, but a mandatory duty.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Over the weekend, I had my 92-year-old dad writing for Blue Wave to VA, my 89-year-old mom writing for Environmental Voter Project to VA, and my mom's oldest and best friend writing to Ohio while I bounced around between Reclaim Our Vote to Virginia, VA and PA School Board, and a bunch of Suffolk County candidates! We wish we could help you with your cards!
See you at Ballots over Broadway