Finish strong in Wisconsin, protect Obamacare, prepare for Trump’s arraignment, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
- By phone: (202) 224-3121
- By email: democracy.io
- By US mail: Representatives / Senators
- By fax: Representatives / Senators
- By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
- GET OUT THE VOTE IN WISCONSIN
We are in the final hours before polls close for a swing seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and money is pouring in from billionaires and forced birthers hoping to defeat Judge Janet Protasiewicz. No surprise: this election could decide the future of abortion rights in Wisconsin, whether or not the state will have fair maps in the next decade and even the 2024 presidential race. With that in mind, let’s do what we can to help get out the vote for Judge Janet, whether by a) phonebanking with the Wisconsin Democrats or Grassroots Dems HQ, b) texting with the Working Families Party, NextGen America or All On The Line Wisconsin, c) phonebanking and texting with the WI Human Rights Campaign, d) making calls to young voters with NextGen, or e) chipping in to help Judge Janet get her message out… even if it’s just for a half-hour today or tomorrow. - OBAMACARE IS UNDER ATTACK… AGAIN
Texas federal judge Reed O’Connor, who previously ruled to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, has now struck down the enforcement of a key piece of it: requiring most insurers to 100% cover certain preventive care. This decision could jeopardize preventive screenings for millions of Americans, placing at risk free coverage of mental health, cancer screenings, an HIV-prevention drug, and more. A long court battle looks likely, with extremist right-wing GOP megadonor Steven Hotze serving as plaintiff, and the outcome is unclear. In the meantime, states can enact their own laws to require coverage of preventive services without cost-sharing in certain insured groups, namely the individual and fully insured ones. At least 15 states already have such laws. We can check here to see if our state requires free preventative services, and, if so, for whom and how. If our state does not have this we can find some good suggestions from ACA activist Charles Gaba here and recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force here, then call our legislators to demand that they pass laws to keep vital preventative care services free. We can also tell our Members of Congress to pass laws protecting the ACA against these latest right-wing assaults, and make sure that we have a Senate and President that will appoint a federal judiciary not given to extremist rulings by registering to vote and getting election reminders.
- STOP A NATIONAL SPORTS BAN FOR TRANSGENDER GIRLS
Florida Republican Congressman Greg Steube has introduced House Bill HR 734, which would create a national ban for transgender girls competing on girls’ teams. This bill has passed through the US House Education and Workforce Committee and would amend Title IX. There are currently 18 states that have these bans already. Let’s let our MoC know this is a terrible and cruel overreach for an issue impacting a sliver of students who should be able to benefit from sports with their peers.
- STUDENT WALKOUTS FOR GUN CONTROL WEDNESDAY, INFORMATION SESSION TONIGHT
After the school shooting in Nashville was met with an effective shrug from state and national lawmakers both, activists are pushing back to let them know “we’re not gonna fix it” is not an answer. Students Demand Action has announced they will organize walkouts nationwide this Wednesday at 12pm local time. If we or students we know would like to participate, they are holding an information session TONIGHT at 8:30pm Eastern, and we can make a point of amplifying their voices on social media on Wednesday.
- HOW TO TALK ABOUT THE TRUMP INDICTMENT
“For 40 years, former President Donald Trump has navigated countless legal investigations without ever facing criminal charges.” Now that Trump has been indicted, it is important that we monitor our messaging. It is easy to be glib or sarcastic, but that will not serve us well. He may be facing justice, but we know that many of his followers are still in positions of power and there are others who want to be. For years, linguist George Lakoff has told us that Democrats and Republicans speak different languages. Along similar lines, Anat Shenker-Osorio from the Research Collaborative has put together around the Trump indictment to help us craft our responses. some messaging. Likewise, here’s a DemCast social media toolkit about the indictment with posts ready to go for almost any social media platform. They implement Anat’s ideas in their messaging. With this information, let’s be mindful of our own messaging. (h/t Jessica Cravenat Chop Wood, Carry Water)
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- NY (ALSO DC, LA): LET CAMERAS IN THE COURTROOM BEFORE THE TRUMP TRIAL
The spotlight on the legal proceedings against Donald Trump in Manhattan will be as bright as you can imagine. Yet at the moment, there is a huge obstacle in the way of that spotlight: New York is one of the only jurisdictions in the country that still bans cameras in the courtroom during trials. There is legislation before the state legislature that would change that: SB S160, introduced by State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal. Let’s contact Governor Hochul and our state legislators and urge them to pass this bill as quickly as possible so we can be assured the public can see the trial of Donald Trump for itself, and sign this petition from Democracy for America with the same demand. (We can also call for similar policies to be changed if we’re in the District of Columbia or Louisiana.)
