Let us go forward with fear and courage and rage to save the world. ~Grace Paley
Your third-grade self once said during history class “If I had been alive then, I would have saved them.”
And do you know what? You would have.
Do you know how I know?
Because of what you’re doing right now.
You know that I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that decisions made in the next 72 hours will determine the fate of millions of people. And you already know that those decisions will directly impact our lives – and not only our physical and emotional health. They will directly impact our checking accounts, our retirement savings – and our decisions about whether and when we change jobs. They’ll impact our elderly parents, our children, our neighbors…
It’s overwhelming.
And Lordy (to use a Comey-ism), I know we’re exhausted and weary from fighting ALL OF THE THINGS. Next week we’re going to talk about self-care and what that means and how important it is. I promise.
But right now? Right now I need you to stop reading this and pick up your telephone. Call your Senators. Send them a fax with ResistBot. Tweet to them (Twitter accounts for Senators can be found here.). Facebook them. Right now, we need to push harder than we’ve pushed yet.
When you were in third grade and you knew that you’d be one of the helpers, you were right.
And now is when we prove that to ourselves.
I’ll see you on the other side, friend.
Actions
Tuesday: Call. And Then Call Again.
First, you might see that the healthcare bill is being referred to as the BCRA. That stands for the Better Care Reconciliation Act. So don’t be confused – it’s just a different acronym.
Second, please call your Senators. First, call their D.C. office. Then call their district office. I know it feels sometimes like it doesn’t matter – but it does. Susan Collins and Dean Heller have pledged to voting against the BCRA. They wouldn’t have done so unless they felt like their constituents were supporting – if not forcing – that decision. Help your GOP Senators defect – give them the excuse they need by supplying the tens of thousands of telephone calls against the BCRA!
NOTE: Although I’m just including this as an action for Tuesday, it’s really an action all week long. While you’re sipping your morning coffee covfefe, just give them a quick ring and say good morning. Don’t have time during the day? Call them after hours and leave a voicemail, or use Stance – a new app that lets you record a voicemail that they will deliver to your MOC. I’m telling you – the resistance is wired!
Script GOP: Hi, my name is ___ and I’m a constituent at (zip code). I’m calling to ask Senator ____ to vote against the BCRA. I’m particularly concerned about (cuts to medicaid, return of pre-existing condition/lifetime and annual benefit caps, not requiring coverage for essential benefits, refusing to reimburse Planned Parenthood for healthcare services, higher premiums and age taxes, coverage losses for veterans, the impact on rural America and rural hospitals, the impact on our economy and on healthcare jobs – there’s too much to list!). I urge Senator ____ to listen to his/her constituents and vote no on this bill that will wreak havoc on our state and our nation. Thanks for your time, and have a good day.
Script DEM: Hi, my name is ___ and I’m a constituent at (zip code). I’m calling to thank Senator ____ for staying strong in the fight against the BCRA. I’m particularly concerned about (riff from above) and I’d like to know if there’s anything that I can do to help Senator ___ fight this terrible bill. [Pause for response.] I expect Senator ___ to do whatever he/she can to fight this bill, and I want her/him to know that I’ll have her/his back. Thanks for your time, and have a good day.
Wednesday: Tailor Your Tweets to Protest Trump AND the BCRA!
On June 28, the Tweeto-In-Chief will have his first campaign fundraiser (nope, not a typo). Tickets are a grand $35,000 per person. So, following @Public_Citizen’s lead, let’s draw attention to the stark contrast of the world of the haves, and the world of the have-nots.
Here’s what you can do.
Use the sample Tweets and the chart below, to tailor your message to your own Senator. Like this:
Feel free to retweet this verbatim if you’re in Missouri. If not, I hope I’ve made it easy enough to substitute your Senator’s handle and your state’s info. Save the chart and the invitation image, then include them as images on your Tweet. Voila!
Internet protest is pretty rad, isn’t it?
Here are sample Tweets from @Public_Citizen:
And below you’ll find the handy-dandy chart I used in the tweet above. Full credit to the Center for American Progress for creating this wonderful state-by-state BHCA analysis showing the number of people who will lose health insurance – AND how many millionaires will benefit – AND how much of a tax break those people will get if the BHCA passes.
Voila! So there you have it – a little quick internet protest for your lunchtime break.
Thursday: Continue the Fight at TrumpCareTen
You’ve likely already heard about TrumpCare Ten – the project targeting ten states with Senators that have been identified as being more likely to defect. Dean Heller and Susan Collins are both GOP Senators that are on this list – and both have already pledged to vote no on the AHCA! This week, they’re going to post different call scripts for folks in those ten states – and they’ve got great “click to tweet” Twitter images for you to use. (Just scroll all the way down.)
Friday: Celebrate or Call the House (Nah, man – we can’t think negatively like that.)
Reports suggest that the AHCA/BCRA vote will take place on Thursday. So by Friday we should be celebrating the results of our resistance! As part of your celebration, take five minutes and call a fellow resister that you haven’t been in touch with for a few weeks. This really isn’t an empty suggestion – part of self-care is remaining connected to people who can validate your feelings and hold you accountable when you’re not caring for yourself. Nurturing those relationships is really important. So reach out!
Now, if the vote goes wonky, our focus needs to switch to the House right away.
Go here to find a list of how your Representative voted on the AHCA.
Then go here for a list of some of the challengers to current GOP Representatives.
When you call your GOP Representative, now you’ll have a name to use when you say “If Representative ____ votes against his/her constituents and in favor of the BCRA, I will be sure to support _____ to take over his/her seat and actually protect the citizens of ____.”
Thank you for reading. Thank you for writing. I read and respond to every e-mail. We’re in this together.
If you want one more quick action, send this pep talk to a friend or two!
If you’d like to sign up to get this pep talk and action list in your in-box each week, you can do that here!
Lastly, if you’d like to support this work, you can become a Patreon patron here.
Small Deeds Done 