From Feminist News on IG
Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
What a week. Good Lord.
I didn’t watch Trump’s speech last night—I can rarely stand to hear his voice—but I’ve read enough about it to know that it was an unmitigated disaster. From what I understand he shouted for 22 minutes about how great the economy is and, of course, how great he is. He blamed President Biden for anything wrong in the country, bragged about his mass deportation program, and sang the praises of tariffs. Talk about tone deaf!
Americans, of course, feel exactly the opposite! They hate the economy (and squarely blame Trump for it), despise his tariffs, oppose Trump’s immigration tactics, and very much dislike him. No matter. Trump lives in a narcissistic bubble in which everything he does is perfect and everything his perceived enemies do is garbage. It’s sad, petty, and infantile. But it is who he is. That’s why he announced today, for example, that he’s renaming the Kennedy Center the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” (JFK is turning in his grave.) It’s why he put immature and frankly embarrassing plaques under Obama’s and Biden’s portraits in the White House. It’s why he does pretty much anything.
It’s painful to be held hostage by an ignorant infant tyrant—a puerile, squalling, ugly, vindictive clown—but for today we are. All we can do is to continue to push back on every one of his actions, raise the volume of calls to our reps, and continue to highlight Democrats’ efforts to protect Americans from his attacks.
I know we’re all exhausted, but we must continue on. Things are shifting in our favor—just look at the discharge petition triumph yesterday! Democrats were able to bring ACA premium tax credit extensions back from the dead! That’s because they’ve got the popular wind at their backs AND because four Republicans were willing to buck Mike Johnson (and Trump) to add their names to the petition. This wouldn’t have happened without our pressure, our calls, and our relentless advocacy.
Will the vote for a clean, three-year extension pass in January? Unlikely. But will a compromise vote on something that could help Americans afford their healthcare happen? Yes. And it’ll be because of a) your hard work and b) Republicans’ shifting understanding of how much power Trump has.
OK, all. Lots of calls to make today and lots to do, so no more talk. It’s time for action!
But first, give the Gift of Knowledge! 🎁
You’ll notice that I linked to Ground News a few times above. That’s because I continue to love and use their site daily. In fact, my husband and I gave a Ground gift subscription to my sister-in-law for Christmas!
If you’re looking for a gift for the news-hungry person in your life, please consider a Ground News gift subscription! I partner with them because I believe strongly in media literacy and I think they provide it.
You can get 40% off of a Vantage subscription with this link.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I’m furious that the House passed Marjorie Taylor Greene’s anti-trans bill yesterday. I expect the Senator to vote no. Attacks on trans youth are cowardly and cruel and I won’t support any lawmaker who participates in them.
Also, I know the House passed a bill that would take healthcare away from 100,000 Americans, while meanwhile blocking a vote on the Democrats’ discharge petition, which would have immediately extended the ACA tax credits. I expect the Senator to fight to support those tax subsidies as soon as recess is over. Americans simply can’t afford these healthcare costs. Also? We need Medicare For All. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
[Look up how your rep voted on the anti-trans bill here]
[If they supported]: I’m calling to say how appalled I am that the Congressmember voted for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s anti-trans bill yesterday. It’s a vicious, ignorant and hateful piece of legislation. I won’t support lawmakers who attack the trans community; the Congressmember has lost my vote.
[If they opposed] I’m calling to thank the Congressmember for voting no on Marjorie Taylor Greene’s anti-trans bill yesterday. I’m upset that it passed, but grateful that my lawmaker opposed it.
[Add to all]
I understand that the HHS is now saying it will revoke funding from hospitals offering gender transition care to young people. This is awful. The attacks on the trans community from the Trump administration are despicable. They must stop. Please ask the lawmaker to do everything they can to get the HHS to reverse this decision. Thanks.
Also, I want my Representative to oppose Medicare’s new AI prior authorization pilot, known as WISeR. Traditional Medicare shouldn’t adopt insurance-style denials that delay or block care for seniors.
Extra Credit ✅
If you haven’t yet heard about WISeR, Medicare’s new AI prior authorization pilot, you can read about it here. The pilot will be rolled out in Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington.
Let’s take the author’s suggestion and, if we live in one of the pilot states, call our governors. Governors don’t control Medicare policy, but they do have influence. When federal changes threaten access to care for seniors in their state, governors can raise concerns with CMS and Congress.
Suggested message:
My name is _____ and I’m a constituent from [zip.] I’m concerned about Medicare’s new AI prior authorization pilot and the risk of delayed or denied care for seniors here. I’m asking the Governor to raise these concerns with CMS and our congressional delegation.
Governor’s office phone numbers:
Arizona: 602-542-4331
New Jersey: 609-292-6000
Ohio: 614-466-3555
Oklahoma: 405-521-2342
Texas: 512-463-2000
Washington: 360-902-4111
Get Smart! 📚
Navigator Research just dropped a report covering the latest views of Trump and his administration’s actions over the last year. Great stuff!
BIG TAKEAWAYS:
Americans remain highly negative on the President’s economic management, with 61% disapproving of his handling of inflation and the cost of living.
There is a massive, 42-point, disconnect between Americans’ priorities and perceived government focus.
14% of Trump voters now say they regret their vote, largely because of his handling of the economy.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
Defend America Action released a great fact check on Trump’s deranged speech last night. It’s got responses to all of his lies…with receipts. Please use, and please share! Again, you can find it here.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: YOUR STATE REPS] [H/T] [Text SIGN PWBGRC to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)
I am writing to urge you, as a state legislator, to speak out publicly and take concrete action against the Trump Department of Justice’s expanding lawsuits seeking unredacted voter registration data from the states.The DOJ has now sued at least eighteen states—including Massachusetts and Nevada—for refusing to turn over voter rolls containing highly sensitive personal information. These demands go far beyond what is publicly available and include home addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. This effort represents an unprecedented federal intrusion into state-run elections and a serious threat to voter privacy.
[The letter is a bit long. You can read the rest here.]
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
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