Chop Wood, Carry Water 9/6

Many hands make light work!

So many dreams at first seem impossible. And then they seem improbable. And then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.
— Christopher Reeve

Art by Emily Perelman via Amplifier

Good morning and happy Tuesday.

I hope you all had a superb holiday weekend.

Speaking of weekends, I got an email on Friday from one of my subscribers, Sherry F., that absolutely made mine. She said:

I just finished an initial training for the DNC National Voter Assistance Hotline. It’s absolutely awesome. Once I’m vetted (a process that could take up to a week) and fully trained, I’ll sign up for 3-hour shifts answering questions from voters all over the country. The resources they’ll put in my hands to get every question right are breathtaking. As they say, every call is a vote. I’ve been Jewish all my life but I think my real religion is voting. And I found out about them through you.

This is the kind of message that sends me into transports of joy. Sherry may be just one reader, but she found a way to help that suits her perfectly! And look how happy it’s making her!

But it’s not just about happiness. This email also delighted me because I know that, as I say in my Activism 101 workshops, if all of us just “bring our drop” to this effort we will win.

What do I mean by “our drop?”

Consider: One drop of water can be brushed away in an instant.

But when you put enough drops together, in the same place, at the same time? They’ll carve stone.

THAT is what we need to do in November. And we can, if everyone brings their drop.

So I’m thrilled that Sherry found the drop that suits her! I hope that you, too, are finding yours via the many activities I recommend each week. If you are, please feel free to share about it in the comments section so we can be inspired by each other.

This is how we win. Many hands, many jobs, many drops…

Big flood.

P.S. Friendly reminder that tomorrow night Focus for Democracy will be showcasing Working America, the non-union community affiliate of the AFL-CIO. If you don’t know of them, you should! They can get us a LOT of votes! If you haven’t already registered you still can. Do so here.

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

I’m calling to say, again, that I support S. 736, the Assault Weapons Ban Act that already passed in the House. I want to know whether or not the Senator will co-sponsor it. [Optional add:] May I have an answer in writing? This bill is a top priority for me.

[If you’re interested in more information about this bill please consider signing up for the Newton Alliance’s Lunch & Learn myth busting session on the assault weapons ban this Thursday, September 8th at 1pm ET. Great speakers! RSVP HERE]

Extra Credit ✅

Let’s call Nancy Pelosi at (202) 225-4965 or (415) 556-4862 and say:

My name is _______ and I’m calling from [city, state]. I’m calling Congressmember Pelosi in her capacity as Speaker of the House. I was alarmed to learn that the recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act was accompanied by a second "side deal" that would radically weaken environmental safeguards that protect wildlife and human communities from the impacts of energy development.

I am writing to ask that she do everything in her power to ensure that this second "side deal" bill doesn’t come to the floor.

We are in the midst of a global extinction crisis. It is exceptionally irresponsible to put already-imperiled species at risk in order to access dirty fossil fuels. As for fast-tracking oil and gas drilling permits, which this side deal also does, this will ensure that we can’t meet our climate goals. It’s insanity. Please do not allow this bill to receive a vote. Thanks.

Get Smart! 📚

Y’all, you know I’m obsessed with Red, Wine and Blue (check out their clip from Good Morning America)—so I agreed to moderate this event. Come join me!

Flip North Carolina with Red Wine and Blue - Thursday, September 8, 8pm ET/5pm PT

Come meet Katie Paris, founder of Red Wine and Blue, and help channel the power of suburban women to win in North Carolina.

Red Wine and Blue's organizers are not political professionals. They are moms who live in the hotly contested communities they are organizing. They are the secret ingredient to reaching beyond the choir and engaging the voters we need to elect Cheri Beasley in November.

Register for the zoom.

Give 💰

One of my readers, Patsy W., made a list of the Secretary of State races that most need money and why it matters. I’ve turned it into a google doc and given it a tinyurl so it’s easier to share.

Please give if you can, and share for sure! This is SOOO important. The tinyurl is: https://tinyurl.com/bluesosfunds

Also consider posting this on social media:

Perhaps the most important--& underfunded--races of the cycle are for Secretary of State in key swing states.

Here's a list of:

🔥The top 5 most critical races

🔥Info about the GOP candidate

🔥Links to give $ to the Dem candidate.

Pls give & share

https://tinyurl.com/bluesosfunds

Win Races! 🗳

Vote Riders has another letter writing event on Thursday, from 7-8 ET!

Every letter you’ll send will deliver essential information and assistance to the voters most likely to be disenfranchised by voter ID laws. You’ll have a choice of writing into Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Texas, or Wisconsin.

Register here.

Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)

[to your HOUSE rep] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PTARTW to 50409]

As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to provide voters with privacy protections online by supporting HR 8152, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act.

I believe that we need privacy protections for everyone.

The bill has strong data minimization principles, an individual private right of action, strong civil rights protections, and would give consumers significantly more control than they have today over how their data is collected, used, and shared.

The ADPPA made it out of the House Energy & Commerce Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support, and could be the last chance to pass a comprehensive privacy bill for over a decade.

I hope you will join me in supporting this legislation. Please let me know if you will. Thanks.

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OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk tomorrow.

Jess