Hi, all, and happy Wednesday.
So much news! Me, I’m gloating excessively over Steve Bannon’s pending indictment—oh, to be a fly on the wall of that perp walk—and tearing my hair out about the nuclear secrets Trump stole. And don’t even get me started on the single judge standing between him and justice. Foul!
I’m sure we all feel the same.
But none of it matters as far as our actions go, right? As I say here all the time: We act on the good days; we act on the bad ones. We act when things feel like they’re going our way; we act when hope feels utterly lost. We act during the crazy news cycles; we act when things are (relatively) calm.
Why? Because it works.
As Jane Austen said, “A vast deal may be done by those who dare to act.”
Notice she didn’t say “by those who dare to agonize.”
(Nor would she have said “by those who dare to watch MSNBC” or “by those who dare to doomscroll on twitter.”)
A vast deal may be done by those who dare to act. So let’s make sure we do so.
Because a vast deal needs to be done indeed. And we’re going to help, one small action at a time.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling to urge the Senator to support the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, S. 2074. [Optional add:] This bipartisan legislation would remove the federal rules established by the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 that require health care practitioners to obtain a waiver from the DEA before prescribing buprenorphine to treat overdoses. This bill will save lives—it’s a no brainer! [H/T]
[If you have a GOP Senator, or if your Senator is Mark Warner, Kyrsten Sinema, or Mark Kelly, please add:]
Also, I saw the Senator celebrating workers and Labor over the weekend – but see that s/he is not listed as a cosponsor of the PRO Act. Does the Senator support the Act? I strongly encourage the Senator to reconsider, and to co-sponsor and support this important legislation. Thanks. [H/T]
Extra Credit ✅
Call Speaker Pelosi’s office (yes, two days in a row! On different bills!) at (202) 225-4965 or (415) 556-4862.
Say:
Hi, this is [NAME] from [City/Town, State]. I am calling the Congresswoman in her capacity as Speaker of the House to urge her to bring the American Data Privacy and Protection Act to the House floor for a vote. We need comprehensive privacy protections for consumers so we can stop Big Tech’s harmful data practices. Thanks!
Extra Extra Credit ✅✅
Supermajority and Rock the Vote have teamed up to gather commitments from voters—especially female-identifying, but all are welcome—to vote on November 8th. It sounds silly, but when we commit to doing something we are more likely to follow through. Also, in so doing you’ll be signed up to receive important voting information as the elections draw near. Plus Supermajority is doing AWESOME work offering ways for members to help us win. You will receive those as well.
I offer this action because this election is ABOUT women. It’s our moment to collectively roar.
Please consider taking the pledge here.
Get Smart! 📚
12,000,000. That’s the number of environmentalists who don't vote in federal elections. The fate of current and future climate legislation may well depend on how many of those voters turn out on November 8, 2022.
Nathaniel Stinnett knows better than anyone how to get them to vote. His innovative nonprofit, the Environmental Voter Project, has helped turn 1,030,912 non-voting and seldom-voting environmentalists into consistent super-voters.
Join the folks from Climate Action Now to learn how he does it, and how we can help him make a difference in the upcoming election.
Tomorrow, Thursday, September 8, 4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET (yes, right before the Red, Wine and Blue event—sorry!)
Give 💰!
Thank you again to those of you who gave to Mary Peltola before her wonderful win in the special election. Because we need her to win again in November, Senate Circle is hosting her again TONIGHT and also in October. I know some of you weren't able to make the August Zoom or might just want to see her again. Either way, they'd be delighted to have you.
If you'd like to join tonight, please register for the Zoom here (apologies for the late notice). Alaska's State Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins will introduce Representative-Elect Peltola and provide some background on Alaska politics.
Wednesday, September 7th, at 7:00 PM Eastern Time /3:00 PM Alaska Time
Win Races! 🗳
Do you identify as female? Do you want to talk to women voters about the issues that matter to them? Do you want to stop Republican extremists up and down the ballot in a critical battleground state?
I have a special phonebank just for you.
Every Wednesday Turn PA Blue & the PA House Democrats have a deep canvassing phonebank called Women to Women. You’ll be connecting with women voters across Pennsylvania to hear what issues matter most to them as they think about the crucial November election. You'll be trained to use proven techniques, like active listening and storytelling, to bridge divides and move our communities forward.
Content note: These conversations may include a discussion of abortion and other sensitive issues.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)
[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PDBNLO to 50409]
I was alarmed to learn that the recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) may be 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 you do everything in your power to ensure that this second "side deal" bill fails.
I am specifically concerned that the application of the Endangered Species Act will be reduced or eliminated on projects on the millions of acres of land and sea that the IRA will make available to extractive industries. 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–or even green energy–and I urge that you strike any language from the side deal that weakens this law.
The Endangered Species Act is our country's most powerful and successful conservation safeguard. It has been more than 99 percent successful at preventing extinction since its creation in 1973. However, it only works when we let it.
This side deal does the opposite. Its damaging impacts would extend even further and curtail enforcement of vital and effective safeguards provided by the National Environmental Policy Act and Clean Water Act, jeopardizing communities near and far.
Please reject this side deal in its entirety. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess
Be good to regularly write or call Kevin McCarthy’s office. I fell like he’s lost his bearings. A regular plea to be honest and to do the right thing for the country would appear to be warranted. He’s lost in the Trump swamp.