Support Minority Candidates for Congressional Internships

February 11, 2022January 16, 2021 otycd

Support minority candidates for Congressional internships.

Do you remember this infamous #SpeakerSelfie photo taken by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, of him and his Capitol Hill interns?

If not, click through to this Time magazine piece to see it (you’ll have to scroll down a little):

http://time.com/4410815/paul-ryan-intern-selfie/

Thousands of people instantly spotted what was wrong with this picture. Virtually everyone in it is white.

At least a few Democrats have managed to pick a more diverse group of Congressional interns, as shown in rebuttal photos by House Rep Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Democrat from Texas, and House Rep Xavier Becerra, Democrat of California.

Click this CNN link and scroll down to see the rebuttal photos:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/21/politics/dc-intern-selfie/index.html

…but the #SpeakerSelfie controversy sheds light on a bigger, thornier problem.

If you want a career in politics, you need a Congressional internship. But these internships, by their nature, tend to shut out anyone who’s working class or poor.

The positions are paid in academic credit–not dollars. Interns are responsible for wrangling their own lodgings, business attire, transportation, and food.

Together, these costs, which can easily run into the four-figure or even the low five-figure range, pose a formidable barrier to entry to candidates from low-income families. And as you well know, many low-income families happen to be non-white as well.

A lack of money closes the avenues to the halls of power, which in turn stops talented working-class and poor people from rising through the political ranks.

You can do something about that.

First, check the web sites of your MoCs. Do their sites say anything about how they choose their interns? If so, do the pages on interns include an explicit statement that commits the MoCs to selecting a diverse group of candidates?

If your MoCs’ websites say nothing about diversity among their interns, or say nothing about interns at all, call their offices and ask how they handle this issue. If they don’t give you a satisfactory answer, call and write periodically until they finally do.

Another option is to donate to Congressional intern scholarship programs.

Congressional Interns chosen by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CFBC) receive a stipend worth $3,000 as well as local dorm housing. Read more about the program at the link below:

http://www.cbcfinc.org/internships/

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute gives its Congressional interns a stipend ($3,750 for spring and fall, and $2,500 for summer), all-expenses-paid housing, domestic round-trip transportation to Washington, D.C., and other benefits. Read more about the program at the link below:

http://chci.org/programs/internships/Eligibility_and_Program_Details/

Donate to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and specify that the funds are for its Congressional internship program:

http://www.cbcfinc.org/donation-form/

Donate to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and specify that the funds are for its Congressional internship program:

https://chci.org/donate/

Read more about what Congressional interns face:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/opinion-here-s-why-there-s-little-diversity-among-congressional-n611731

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/how-congress-gets-away-not-paying-its-interns/329629/

Read about the #SpeakerSelfie controversy and responses to it:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/18/paul-ryan-intern-selfie-capitol-hill-diversity

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/07/20/the-story-behind-congresss-dueling-intern-selfies/?utm_term=.1c1861452221

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/21/politics/dc-intern-selfie/

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Follow the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on Twitter:

@CBCFInc

Like the CBCF page on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CBCFInc

Follow the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute on Twitter:

@CHCI

Like the CHCI page on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CHCIDC?ref=mf

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Tell Your MoCs to Make Trump Keep Watch on Homegrown White Terrorists

April 9, 2018March 31, 2018 otycd

This OTYCD entry originally posted in February 2017.

Call your members of Congress and ask them to make sure the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program keeps monitoring and prosecuting homegrown white terrorists.

Last month, the Trump administration announced plans to narrow the focus of a government anti-terrorism program run by the Department of Homeland Security.

The CVE covers homegrown terrorist threats as well as those hatched abroad. Trump and his minions floated the notion of changing the program’s name to “Countering Radical Islamic Extremism” and focusing it on Muslim terrorists–seemingly redirecting the program from stopping Neo-Nazis and white supremacists. White racist groups exist, and they and their members have been plotting and committing terrorist acts. The most infamous recent atrocity on American soil was Dylann Roof’s murder of nine worshippers at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015.

Limiting the CVE to Islamic terrorists is a bad idea. Wittingly or not, Trump’s racist statements and his failure to quickly and strenuously condemn incidents such as the Quebec mosque shooting in January, where a young white man killed six, have emboldened racists. Signaling that the federal government no longer sees attacking non-whites and non-Christians as terrorism will only encourage the sicker individuals among them to lash out.

Important note: Does your House rep sit on the House Homeland Security Committee? Do you have a senator on the Senate Committee for Homeland Security & Government Affairs? Then it’s that much more important for you to call about this issue. Check the committee rosters before calling:

House Homeland Security Committee:

https://homeland.house.gov/full_committee/

Senate Committee for Homeland Security & Government Affairs:

https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/about

Sample script: “Hello, I am (Firstname Lastname, from town, zip code). I am calling to ask (House Rep/Senator Lastname) to push back against the Trump administration’s plan to narrow the focus of the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Violent Extremism program. Trump evidently wants to change it to focus exclusively on what he calls “radical Islamic extremism.” Doing so would send a signal to the would-be Dylann Roofs of the world that they can attack non-white, non-Christian people and the federal government will look the other way. We need to focus on stopping and prosecuting terrorists regardless of what motivates them. Attacks by white racists can do as much damage, or more, as attacks by Muslims.”

Read an Independent article on the planned changes to the CVE:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-cut-white-supremacism-countering-violent-extremism-programme-neo-nazi-counter-extremism-a7558796.html

Read the Department of Homeland Security’s main landing page for the CVE program, while it still reflects its broader focus:

https://www.dhs.gov/countering-violent-extremism

Read about the suspect in the Quebec mosque shooting:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-city-mosque-attack-alexandre-bissonnette-1.3958559

Read about Dylann Roof’s attack on the Charleston church and his subsequent death penalty sentence:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/18/for-charlestons-emanuel-a-m-e-church-one-of-the-oldest-in-america-shooting-is-another-painful-chapter-in-long-history/?utm_term=.7c53fb65a5ab

Subscribe to One Thing You Can Do by clicking the button on the upper right of the page. And tell your friends about the blog!

Call Your Members of Congress · Fighting Bigotry, Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, Transphobia... · Separation of Church and State · Uncategorized

Tell Your MoCs to Keep Church and State Separate By Leaving the Johnson Amendment Alone (GOP Tax Bill Update–Good News)

April 1, 2018March 18, 2018 otycd

This OTYCD entry originally posted in June 2017.

Tell your members of Congress to reject any efforts to destroy or rewrite the Johnson Amendment, a restriction that affirms the separation of church and state.

GOP tax bill update: Congressional Republicans included language that would lift the Johnson Amendment in the GOP tax bill. When you call to ask your MoCs to vote against the tax bill, please ask them to fight to remove the language and preserve the Johnson Amendment. See our updates on fighting the GOP tax bill for a script for calling your MoCs.

Update to the update: Democrats succeeded in removing the language from the GOP tax bill that repeals the Johnson Amendment. Read more here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/12/14/in-small-win-for-democrats-the-final-tax-bill-wont-include-a-provision-to-allow-churches-to-endorse-political-candidates/?utm_term=.a274d9645ca0

Original text follows.

Many people have wondered why so many evangelical Christians embraced candidate Donald Trump so heartily. Here’s your answer: He promised to gut the Johnson Amendment. Sponsored by then-Senator Lyndon Johnson and passed in 1954, it curtails the ability of tax-exempt organizations–churches included–to speak out on political issues.

According to the IRS web site, the Johnson Amendment says that tax-exempt organizations “are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.”

To be clear: A pastor is in fact free to stand up at his megachurch pulpit today and endorse a specific candidate for public office during an election cycle. But he would put his megachurch’s tax-exempt status at risk if he did so.

Killing the Johnson amendment would embolden that pastor to endorse candidates by name to his congregants without fear of the IRS coming down on him. Mega-churches could in essence choose to become political super PACs, and all that that implies. It’d be the second coming of Citizens United, and we’re only sort-of joking when we say that.

If you value the separation of church and state, you want the Johnson Amendment to stay in place and untouched.

Important: Do you live in a part of the country that is dominated by evangelical right-wing Christianity? Then it’s extra-important for you to call your members of Congress and speak in favor of retaining the Johnson Amendment.

Sample script: “Hello, I am (Firstname Lastname, from town, zip code), and I am calling to ask Senator/House Rep (Lastname) to fight any attempts to destroy or rewrite the Johnson Amendment. The law prevents tax-exempt organizations from endorsing political candidates. If it is removed, it would inject politics into the religious sphere in a way never before seen. Church and state should stay separate, for the good of both. Please retain the Johnson Amendment in its current form. Thank you.”

Read the tax code language that governs political expressions by tax-exempt organizations:

https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/the-restriction-of-political-campaign-intervention-by-section-501-c-3-tax-exempt-organizations

Read an NPR brief on what the Johnson Amendment is, and isn’t:

http://www.npr.org/2017/02/03/513187940/the-johnson-amendment-in-five-questions-and-answers

Read about how Trump pleased the evangelical right by pledging to scrub the Johnson Amendment:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/08/how-trump-is-trying-to-put-more-money-in-politics/493823/

Read a Nonprofit Quarterly editorial speaking against the repeal of the Johnson Amendment:

https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2017/02/06/losing-johnson-amendment-destroy-unique-political-role-nonprofits/

Read about how the National Coalition of Nonprofits has launched a campaign to resist any changes to the Johnson Amendment:

https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2017/03/02/national-coalition-nonprofits-launches-campaign-oppose-repeal-johnson-amendment/

Read about a poll by Independent Sector, a champion of nonprofits, that shows a majority of voters support preserving the Johnson Amendment:

http://www.independentsector.org/news-post/national-poll-johnson-amendment/

Read an Atlantic piece from a rabbi who urges keeping the Johnson Amendment as is:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/a-rabbi-defends-the-johnson-amendment/516981/

Call Your Members of Congress · Stand Up for Civilization · Use Your Power, Recruit Friends

Call your MoCs and Tell Them to Protect the National Endowment for the Arts

March 17, 2018February 10, 2018 otycd

This OTYCD entry originally posted in March 2017.

Call your members of Congress and tell them to defend the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) from any attempts to defund or abolish it.

When Republicans gain control of the government, a few rusty old issues always come up. Abolishing the NEA is one of them.

Republicans inevitably claim that they want to kill the NEA to save money, but it only receives $148 million, which represents 0.004 percent of the federal budget.

We citizens get a lot for that meager sum. The arts stimulate the economy and have proven critical to reviving ailing cities and towns.

The NEA also does something that few outside the museum world appreciate: It backs indemnity agreements that allow U.S. museums to arrange for loans of art for exhibitions that they otherwise could not afford to insure. Remember the last blockbuster museum show you loved that had oodles of priceless canvases from Europe, or sculptures from Asia? If the NEA disappears, so do exhibitions like those.

The NEA does a lot of good with a small budget. It also represents a fundamental commitment to the arts and humanities that any nation must honor if it thinks of itself as civilized. French-born composer Edgard Varèse put his finger on it when he said, “Art is the highest expression and not a luxury–Where are the Egyptian bankers today? And Egyptian art survives.”

We know the Egyptians through their art. We know the Neanderthals through the images that they inscribed on the walls of caves. Art is how we speak to generations yet unborn. Art is what those generations will think of when they think of America. That’s why we need the NEA, and that is why we will always need the NEA. Don’t let Trump and Paul Ryan and his ilk kill it.

Sample script: “I am (Firstname Lastname, from town, zip code). I am asking (Senator/Representative Lastname) to fight against any attempt by the Trump administration to cripple or kill the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA is one of the best bargains in the entire federal government. It helps museums arrange blockbuster shows by backing indemnity agreements that allow for loans of priceless art. If we lost the NEA, we would all feel it, and we would feel it deeply.”

Call Your Members of Congress · Ethics · Russian Scandal, Emoluments Clause · Stand Up for Norms · Use Your Power, Recruit Friends

Tell Your MoCs You Want Jeff Sessions to Resign

July 5, 2017June 25, 2017 otycd

UPDATE: We first published this post months ago, when the news of Sessions’s problematic statements under oath broke. We’re putting this post back in heavy rotation now that we know Sessions was involved in the firing of FBI director James Comes, which appears to be a violation of his promise to recuse himself from matters touching on Trump’s ties to Russia.

Scroll down for an updated sample script to use when calling your senators to ask for the resignation of U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions.

Call your members of Congress and say that you want Jeff Sessions to resign over statements he made during his Senate confirmation hearings that could constitute perjury.

A previous blog post asked you to call your members of Congress and demand that Sessions recuse himself from any investigations arising from the Russia scandals. On March 2, Sessions finally agreed to that–but that was pretty much because news broke that he gave answers during his January Senate confirmation hearings that could constitute perjury.

During the hearings, Senator Al Franken asked Sessions, under oath, what he would do if “there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign.”

Sessions responded: “I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and I didn’t have —did not have communications with the Russians, and I’m unable to comment on it.”

The Washington Post reported on March 1 that Sessions had in fact spoken with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak in July 2016 and again in September 2016.

Republicans, or at least those who have ventured to speak on the topic, are calling it a “grave omission” or calling for Sessions to “clarify his testimony.” They are not using the p-word. It can be argued that what Sessions said was highly misleading, but not severe enough to qualify as perjury. Even still, it still looks bad enough that Sessions should resign. Unlike the statements that Bill Clinton made under oath about Monica Lewinsky, Sessions’s statements under oath about whether or not he had contact with Russian officials is a serious matter of national importance.

Important note: Is your house rep part of the House Judiciary Committee? Is one of your senators on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary? Then it’s extra-important for you to call. Check these links before dialing.

House Judiciary Committee:

https://judiciary.house.gov/subcommittee/full-committee/

Senate Committee on the Judiciary:

https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/members

Special note if one of your senators is Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon: Call and thank him for demanding that Sessions resign for disobeying his recusal in helping to fire Comey. See more in the link below:

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332767-dem-senator-calls-on-sessions-to-resign-amid-comey-firing

Sample script, updated as of May 10: “I’m (Firstname Lastname, from town, zip code). I’m calling to ask (Representative/Senator Lastname) to ask you to demand that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions resign over his involvement in the firing of FBI director James Comey. After the Washington Post showed that Sessions had made problematic statements during his cabinet confirmation hearings about his contacts with Russians, Sessions agreed to recuse himself from matters related to Trump and Russia. His involvement in Comey’s firing flouts his promise to recuse himself. In showing Comey the door, he proves that he is not fit to hold the office of U.S. Attorney General. Please demand that he leave his post.”

Here are some more links about Jeff Sessions and his involvement in the Comey firing:

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332671-dem-senator-sessions-recommendation-to-fire-comey-a-complete-betrayal

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332651-sessions-was-told-to-find-reasons-to-fire-comey-reports

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/5/10/15610862/sessions-rosenstein-comey-justice-fbi

http://reason.com/blog/2017/05/10/jeff-sessions-defense-of-james-comey-con

Original Sample script: “I’m (Firstname Lastname, from town, zip code). I’m calling to ask (Representative/Senator Lastname) to ask you to demand that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions resign over statements he made during his Senate confirmation hearings that have since proven false. While under oath, he stated that he did not have communications with the Russians, but the Washington Post has since proven that he spoke with the country’s ambassador in July and September. Even if his statement doesn’t technically rise to the level of perjury, which is debatable, he should go. We can’t have an attorney general who is clouded by credible accusations of perjury.”

Read the WaPo story that confirmed that Sessions had spoken twice with the Russian ambassador, though he had made claims to the contrary under oath:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/sessions-spoke-twice-with-russian-ambassador-during-trumps-presidential-campaign-justice-officials-say/2017/03/01/77205eda-feac-11e6-99b4-9e613afeb09f_story.html?tid=pm_pop&utm_term=.f0bd6863a631

See this handy New York Times timeline, which contains the Franken-Sessions exchange cited above:

Read this eye-opening New York Times op-ed from a former ethics adviser to President George W. Bush:

Another NYT story on how Republicans now agree Sessions should recuse himself, but can’t bring themselves to say he perjured himself during his Senate confirmation hearing testimony:

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Meet Your Senators at July 4 Events and Make Sure They Know What You Think About the AHCA

July 4, 2017July 1, 2017 otycd

Find out which public events your town hall-avoiding senators and house reps will attend during the July 4 recess, and show up with protest signs.

Since Trump took office, GOP Congresspeople have largely been the very picture of cowardice, refusing to hold town hall meetings or otherwise face their constituents, who are understandably eager to give them an earful about the horrible bills that Trump wants them to pass.

As per the recent pattern, many have failed to schedule town hall events and similar forums over the July 4 recess.

But you know where they will be? At July 4 events, such as parades, fireworks displays, baseball games, and the like.

Check your senators’ websites. Find out where they will be over the July 4 recess. Have your anti-AHCA, anti-Kris Kobach voter suppression efforts, pro Trump-Russia, investigation, pro-town hall meeting signs at the ready.

Do not let them go anywhere without being met by their own citizens protesting the vile things that Trump and his ilk are getting up to.

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UPDATED: Meet a Family Who Will Suffer if the Republicans Destroy Obamacare. Then Recruit Your Red State Friends to Call Their Senators and Oppose Trumpcare With You

June 19, 2017June 18, 2017 otycd

UPDATED FOR INSPIRATION: On the off-chance that you don’t know anyone who will be directly and catastrophically affected if the ACA is repealed and replaced, please read this post by Hugo award-winning editor and podcaster Lynne M. Thomas, whose daughter, Caitlin, has Aicardi Syndrome. Thomas lays out just how her family would suffer if Obamacare is destroyed. Please read this and hold the Thomases in mind when you make your calls–especially if your senator is Mitch McConnell.

Read An Open Letter to Mitch McConnell and the GOP, by Lynne M. Thomas:

An Open Letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell and the GOP

IMPORTANT RED ALERT UPDATE for June 2017. Mitch McConnell has invoked Rule 14, which fast-tracks the AHCA in the Senate. Their aim is to pass something before the July 4 recess. The best time to stop this wretched bill is now. If it gets back to the house, something like it gets passed.

We know you’ve called your reps over and over on this, and this isn’t the first time we’ve asked you to take to the phone.But you now need to call your Senators, daily, AND urge your red state friends to call their Republican senators, daily, on this, through the end of June. The AHCA is literally life and death for many. Please make this effort.

IMPORTANT RED ALERT UPDATE May 26. Ok all, see this May 25 tweet from Topher Spiro, who writes often on health care issues and tweets as @TopherSpiro:

INTEL: Several GOP Senators have privately said this recess is the test – if they get blowback at home, they’ll tell McConnell it’s over.

We know you’ve called your reps over and over on this. Now it’s time to call your Senators, daily, AND urge your red state friends to call their Republican senators, daily, on this. The AHCA is literally life and death for many. Please make this effort.

Pull out your address book. Identify how many friends you have in red states. Recruit them to call their members of Congress.

In the past, OTYCD has asked you to call friends and family in red states to urge their Republican MoCs to vote against cabinet nominees and legislation. Today, we’re asking you to take some time to sit with your address book, identify who your friends are in red states, and see who among them you can call, email, or nudge on social media to push back against nasty things the Republicans are trying to do.

Living in a solidly blue state is a double-edged sword. Your MoCs agree with you, but it’s the Republicans who own everything at the moment. Republican MoCs in other districts and states won’t listen to you (and rightly so) because they need to concentrate on their own constituents.

The next-best thing you can do, once you’ve done what you can do directly, is urge friends in red states to call their MoCs and speak out.

So, step one: Pull out your address book, or Christmas card list, or whatever database or master list you keep of friends and their contact info. Ideally, this info includes street addresses.

Step two: Identify who lives in red states.

Step three: Rank the red staters in order of how strong your relationship is.

Step four: Now, think. Who have you talked about politics with on this list? How did it go? Reshuffle the list to move those who share your politics, and those who may not share your politics but who seem sane and like to talk politics with you, toward the top of the list.

Those with strong bonds and who share your politics should be on top, followed by those with strong bonds who show an interest in politics, but who might not always agree with you 100 percent. Then come the people with more distant relationships but who share your politics, followed by more distant relationships with politically aware people who seem sane.

Also, be alert to sharp exceptions. You might have someone in your orbit who’s largely apolitical except on a specific issue that damn near consumes them. Many mothers of school-age kids who didn’t care about politics or were only mildly interested got pretty damn interested right quick when Betsy DeVos was nominated to run the department of education.

Sift these single-issue red state folks out and rank them below the broader-interest folks. If you agree with their outlook on their single issue, make a point of engaging with them on that issue alone and sharing action items that would interest them.

Step five: Look at the first group–the people you have strong bonds with and who you share the same political outlook with. How often are you talking to them? Can you invest more time in them? These are the people you want to cultivate first.

And when we say ‘invest more time in them,’ we mean overall. Do NOT make it all about politics! Work on maintaining and strengthening your bond first and foremost. Use the 80/20 rule that social media mavens tout: For every action that serves your goals (in this case, urging your friend to call their Republican MoCs), perform at least four other actions that have nothing to do with your goals. (Bonus points if most or all are in service of your friend. At least half of the four should be.)

Once you feel like you have things humming along with the first group (and take as much time as you need to reach that point–never rush it!), then turn to the second group: the people you have strong bonds with, but who you don’t really talk politics with.

In the course of strengthening and maintaining your bonds with them, try dropping mentions of how you feel about something that the Republicans are trying to do. Don’t be angry, do be factual, and make it clear that you are stating an opinion.

Pay attention to how they react. Stick to the 80/20 rule. Keep watching how they react. If they show a pattern of changing the subject, showing annoyance, or actively shutting down, lay off for a few months and try again. If they ultimately ask you to quit it forever, then quit it forever. It’s more important to show that you’re able to listen to them and honor their requests.

If they show a pattern of reacting positively or even neutrally, stay alert to political events that are happening locally that they might like, and encourage them to go. Maybe it’s a Town Hall meeting with an MoC. Maybe it’s a protest. Maybe it’s giving them a ride to the polls. Think about what they would like best, tell them about it, and if you live close enough, offer to go with them.

Future posts will elaborate on cultivating the more distant red state friends and family on your list. But overall, remember:

Friendship comes first. If you wouldn’t want to invest time in this person if they lived in a blue state, then don’t bother. Just don’t. Don’t treat fellow human beings like a 10-point buck you’re dying to bag and mount on your wall. People can smell that crap a mile away.

Remember the 80/20 rule. For every time you talk about politics or ask them to do something political, you should be doing at least four other things that aren’t about politics, and at least two of those four should be things your friend enjoys.

If they complain that you’re talking about politics too much, back off. Again, see points one and two above. Don’t completely stop talking about politics, mind you, if talking politics is part of who you are. But listen to your friend, give it a rest for a time, and keep your talk to venting rather than you asking them to do something.

This is soft activism, and no form of activism yields results overnight. This is gardening. This is exercise. It takes time. Remind yourself that it takes time, and that it may not pay off as spectacularly as you hope it will. But you will have succeeded in deepening a relationship with another person who you care about, and you will have gotten them to think about and care about making a difference. That’s worth it. That’s always worth it.

Call Your House Rep · Call Your Members of Congress · Call Your Senators · Ethics · Russian Scandal, Emoluments Clause

Keep Pushing for an Independent Investigation of the #TrumpRussia Scandal and Ask Your Senators to Refuse to Confirm a New FBI Director Until That Happens

May 18, 2017May 13, 2017 otycd

Keep calling your members of Congress to demand an independent investigation of Trump’s ties to Russia, and in particular, demand that your senators refuse to confirm the next FBI director until that investigation is launched.

Yes, we’ve written about this before, and we’ve carouseled this post a lot, but the craziness that went down with Comey’s May 9 firing has convinced us that we have to put this post up every weekday (when Congressional offices are open) until we actually get a goddamn independent investigation. We haven’t done this in the short history of this blog, but it’s that important.

**UPDATE to the update: And since we set up these daily posts, Senator Mitch McConnell has moved to squelch Congressional interest in an independent investigation of #TrumpRussia. Quelle surprise, no? (No.)

So it’s that much more important to call your MoCs every goddamn day until Congress relents and does what’s needed: launch a prope r investigation already. The Republicans control everything, and they’re showing no interest in doing the right thing. We will have to call and tell them to do their jobs, every day, until they step up and do them.

In case you need cites on McConnell, see this link:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/10/mitch-mcconnell-just-shut-down-any-hopes-democrats-had-of-an-independent-russia-investigation/?tid=pm_politics_pop&utm_term=.3a8cfb0add43

At least some Democratic senators are doing whatever they can to slow things down and generally grind the gears of Congress to a halt. If your senators are among them, call and tell them you support what they are doing.

Overarching reminder: ONLY CALL YOUR OWN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. Leave outsider MoCs’ lines free for their own constituents. Fight your urge to call MoCs who don’t rep you by urging your friends in other states and districts to call their MoCs.

Ok, back to the first update:

The scandal over Trump and his campaign’s ties to Russia gets weirder and more disturbing by the day. America needs an independent investigation into the matter–not one that can be manipulated, sidelined, and suffocated by Republicans who want to put party over country.

Every new little odd turn in this story gives you an opening to call your MoCs to repeat your request.

On May 9, Trump went full Nixon, firing FBI director James Comey, evidently at the suggestion of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

We need an independent investigation of #TrumpRussia. We needed it months ago. We need it, we need it, we need it. Call.

Sample script: “I am (Firstname Lastname, from town, zip code). I am calling yet again to ask Senator/House Rep (Lastname) to support efforts to launch an independent investigation into Trump and the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.

<Here, you mention the most recent event that gives you an opening to call. Maybe it’s Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee asking Nunes to step down. Maybe it’s Ryan defending Nunes. Maybe it’s Michael Flynn trying to seek immunity. Maybe it’s Trump firing FBI director James Comes. Plug in whatever’s freshest.>

It is eminently, grotesquely clear that any Congressional investigation that Republicans can control will be compromised and suspect. Please do what you can to help us all learn the truth, which we need to learn in full, however startling or painful it might be. Thank you for listening.”

We also have a special script just for your senators, seeing as they will confirm the next FBI director. But before you call, check and see if either of your senators is on the Senate Judiciary Committee. It’s extra-important for you to call if they are:

https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/members

Special script for your Senators: “I am (Firstname Lastname, from town, zip code). I am calling yet again to ask Senator/House Rep (Lastname) to support efforts to launch an independent investigation into Trump and the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. The firing of James Comes as FBI director leaves the post open for Trump to nominate and confirm a new director. I am asking you to withhold your support for any FBI director nominee, no matter how excellent, unless Congress first sets up an independent investigation of the ever-growing Trump-Russia scandal.

Call Your House Rep · Call Your Members of Congress · Call Your Senators · Russian Scandal, Emoluments Clause · Use Your Power, Recruit Friends

Keep Pushing for an Independent Investigation Into the #TrumpRussia Scandal

May 17, 2017May 13, 2017 otycd

Keep calling your members of Congress to demand an independent investigation of Trump’s ties to Russia.

The scandal over Trump and his campaign’s ties to Russia gets weirder and more disturbing by the day. The bizarre actions of Devin Nunes, chair of the House Intelligence Committee who was also on the Trump transition team, underline the fact that America needs an independent investigation into the matter–not one that can be manipulated, sidelined, and suffocated by Republicans who want to put party over country.

Every new little odd turn in this story gives you an opening to call your MoCs to repeat your request. Nunes brings information to the president instead of his Congressional committee members? Call. Speaker Ryan inexplicably defends Nunes and says he doesn’t need to recuse himself? Call, and call Speaker Ryan if you are his constituent and give him an earful. (Or two. He has two ears, after all.) Nunes FINALLY steps down from chairing anything to do with the Russia scandal? Call, and say you want to see more like this. The Nunes substitutes prove as feckless as Nunes? Call, call, call.

Sample script: “I am (Firstname Lastname, from town, zip code). I am calling to ask Senator/House Rep (Lastname) to support efforts to launch an independent investigation into Trump and the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.

Read the National Review’s article calling for Devin Nunes to step down from the House Intelligence Committee:

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/446179/devin-nunes-trump-surveillance-campaign-investigation-house-intel-committee-russia

Read about House Democrats asking Nunes to step down from the Russia investigation:

Read about Ryan’s rebuff of calls for Nunes to recuse himself from the investigation:

http://www.businessinsider.com/paul-ryan-devin-nunes-trump-russia-investigation-2017-3

Read about Michael Flynn’s attempts to seek immunity in exchange for his testimony:

And read about why Flynn might want immunity:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/03/31/why-michael-flynn-may-be-seeking-immunity/?utm_term=.8db0910a2cc5

Action Alerts

BONUS: If You’re Affected by #StellaBlizzard, Dial Your MoCs’ Washington, D.C. Offices

March 14, 2017April 8, 2017 otycd

Bonus post: If you live in the area affected by the March 14 blizzard, and you want to call your members of Congress to oppose the GOP health care bill, dial their Washington D.C. offices first. They may have closed their district (home state) offices due to the storm.

This is per Emily Ellsworth, author of Call the Halls.

Follow her on Twitter:

@editoremilye

One Thing You Can Do

How you can push back against Trump and Trumpism, day by day.

Tag: MoCs