Happy Tuesday, Activists!
We hope your week is off to a good start.
As you know, President Biden made a promise about two years ago that he would nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, and with Justice Breyer’s recent retirement announcement, he can now make good on his promise. He confirmed he would do just that over the weekend, but we need to follow up and make sure he does it.
Call Senator Casey – Phila office 215-405-9660; D.C. 202-224-6324; email link.
Tell him that when the current balance on the Supreme Court is 6-3 in conservatives’ favor we can’t afford to lose another seat.
And we need to ensure he moves quickly in this process. Remember it took just eight days for Trump to nominate Amy Coney Barrett, and we cannot risk any delays or setbacks.
Call the White House – The comment line is 202-456-1111 (open Tuesday–Thursday, 11:00– am to 3:00 pm Eastern). Email the White House at www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
Tell the President that there is so much at stake here, and we need to make sure that Justice Breyer’s legacy is upheld through his replacement. Biden must nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court as soon as possible.
OUR 35 DOORS PROJECT – COME TO TRAINING THIS THURSDAY!
Want to save democracy?! Then our 35 Doors Project is a really powerful tool for you to get out the vote. Our Neighborhood Leaders are reaching out to their neighbors all over the city and talking to them about elections. And we need more of you!
For all the info you need, come to our next 35 Doors Training this Thursday, February 3, at 6:30 pm and we’ll answer your questions and give you the tools for success. Sign up here.
And more --
1. Check out our website page devoted to our 35 Doors Project, see some of our neighborhood leaders in action, and read all about why this is such a successful program.
2. Check out our 35 Doors videos – here’s the long one and here’s the short one.
3. Finally, did you ever consider becoming a Committee Person? By joining our 35 Doors Project you’ll get a head start. You’ll be trained in how to do that job and you'll be meeting the very neighbors who will be voting for you when you run.
KEEP AN EYE ON THIS STATE LEGISLATIVE ISSUE Constitutional Amendments If you’ve been following the Pennsylvania legislature, you know that the Republicans have been preferring to circumvent the governor’s veto pen in favor of the ballot. They are passing bills to put constitutional amendments on the ballot for us to vote on. Recall that in last year’s primary election we voted on whether to restrict the governor’s emergency powers – in a pandemic no less. Last week they did it again with a bill that would amend the state constitution to prohibit abortions. These Republicans aren’t happy legislating through our three branches of government, so they are going around it over and over again. Read the recent history in our prior newsletter. While once hardly ever used, there are now numerous such bills: “Since the latest two-year session began in January 2021, Democratic and Republican legislators have proposed more than 70 changes to the state constitution.” Some of these proposals are still early in a fairly long pipeline, so we have time to work against them. Amending the constitution requires the bill to pass in both chambers of the General Assembly two sessions in a row before it goes to the voters. If passed, it may be subject to lawsuits but after that it becomes part of the constitution. And the governor is not involved in this process at all. What you can do now – Call legislative leadership to register your opposition to HB 38 and HB 2207. You can leave a voicemail if you don’t get a live person answering. You can use the short scripts below. Call Speaker Brian Cutler: 717-783-6424 Call House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff: 717-783-1918 Script idea: I'm calling Representative [____] in his role as [Speaker] [Majority Leader] to ask him to oppose two bills: HB 38 and HB 2207. These bills are bad for PA voters and our democracy, and they must not take them up for a vote.
Call your State Representative and give them the same message. Find your State House Representative here.
THIS WEEK'S MESSAGING See our full Messaging explainer from a recent newsletter here. Use these short, strategic talking points when you’re talking to friends, family, and neighbors and in your social media networks. Simply copy and paste them into your feeds. We need to promote Biden's amazing list of accomplishments as much as possible! You can check out last week's list too.
For Facebook, Twitter, and personal conversations: Remember #OneYearAgo – The previous admin was destroying our public lands to extract dirty fuels. Today – Thanks to President Biden, we’ve rejoined the Paris Agreement, doubled electric vehicle sales in a year, and have deployed more wind and solar energy than ever before. Remember #OneYearAgo – We experienced record-level unemployment. Today – Thanks to President Biden, we’ve added 6.4 million new good-paying jobs, breaking all records! Remember #OneYearAgo – Lines for food banks stretched miles long. Today – Thanks to President Biden, millions of children have been lifted out of poverty.
POSTCARDS!
Write to Philly Voters
More democracy-saving happening here! We are writing to every voter in Philadelphia who does not usually vote in midterm elections, to secure Democratic victories for the open U.S. Senate and PA Governor seats.
Here’s how it works –
The handwritten script is short plus you’ll also write the address. We recommend you order enough cards to write over the next month. Then we’ll have updated cards.
The packet you receive will include the postcards and the list of addresses. We’ll email you all the instructions and the script. Please order your postcards in multiples of 50.
We ask that you donate $7.00 per set of 50 postcards to cover our costs at this link. But don’t let the donation stop you from signing up. On the other hand, if you can, please consider chipping in a little extra to cover the cost for those who cannot.
Here’s how to sign up –
Email us at this link to tell us how many postcards you want.
Purchase your 40-cent postcard stamps online at this link or at your local post office.
Donate $7.00 per set of 50 postcards at this link. (Plus an extra $5.00 if we are shipping to you.)
Here’s how to receive your postcards –
If you are in the Philadelphia area, we will deliver them to you or you can pick them up.
If you are outside the Philadelphia area, we can ship them to you. Please add $5.00 to your donation for shipping costs.
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