Dear MoveOn member,
On Tuesday, more than 15,000 MoveOn members and allies gathered at 200 events across the country to send a clear message to Democrats and Republicans alike: Stop Trump's #SwampCabinet of bigots and billionaires.
The office building in Springfield, Massachusetts, where Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey have their offices, had never seen such a big crowd. Senator Cruz's office in Texas called the police to disperse the crowd. And New Yorkers flooded the entire block outside of Senators Chuck Schumer's and Kirsten Gillibrand's office building, with hundreds standing in the driving rain for an hour.
But each day brings a new wave of gut-wrenching developments—an expected ban on refugees and Muslim immigrants, the reopening of CIA "dark sites" that had been used for torture, a push for both the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, the authorization of a border wall, gag orders on scientists at federal agencies, attacks on the press.
That's why we're committing to going back to Senate offices next Tuesday and in the weeks and months ahead to let Republicans know they'll be held accountable and put Democrats on notice that they need to stand up and resist.
But 60,000 people joined our emergency call on Sunday night to plan the events, when we had budgeted for 1,000 people—and we weren't going to turn anyone away. Now we have to make up that budget shortfall AND raise money to support this growing movement with more calls, more actions, and more investment. Which is why I'm writing with a personal request:
Can you chip in $3 to help MoveOn build the Trump resistance in the days and weeks ahead?
Yes, I'll chip in to help grow the resistance.
We know that members of Congress hear us. Democrats voted in unison against Rex Tillerson in committee and successfully delayed the confirmation of Jeff Sessions for attorney general. And we're seeing impact on policy as well: Republicans are about to miss their own deadline again for a plan to take health care away from tens of millions of Americans, because pressure from their voters is helping drive deeper the fracture points between them. But we all know this won't be enough.
We need sustained action on an unprecedented scale to stop the Trump Republican agenda, defend frontline communities, rebuild progressive power, and keep our constitutional democracy intact.
Here's some of what that looks like:
- Participating and holding #ResistTrumpTuesdays, as we did this week and as we'll continue to do in the weeks and months ahead, with our allies at the Working Families Party, People's Action, and other partners.
- Flooding phone lines of Congress. MoveOn members made more than 15,000 calls to defend health care this week. As was reported in an Arizona paper, MoveOn members actually filled up the voicemails and overwhelmed the offices of both Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake.1
- Confronting our elected officials at every public event. One Republican congressman literally slipped out of an event early, out a back door, to avoid coming face to face with passionate constituents who were begging him not to take away their health care.2 We have a plan to similarly turn up the heat on key members of Congress in the upcoming February recess.
- Turning out in force, in D.C. and everywhere, so the media and public know and see the majority will not be silent. We stood shoulder to shoulder with millions during the Women's March last weekend; we stood with Michael Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Cher, and a host of civic and grassroots leaders in New York last week; and we joined with Planned Parenthood to deliver a petition against the corrupt and anti-health care nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Price.
- Cutting through the administration's lies using our own megaphone of social media, breakthrough videos, and community meetings, and by defending the free press that's under attack by this administration.
- And so much more. We're standing together from within, across, and alongside frontline communities—including Muslims, immigrants, refugees, and others. And we're defending the principles of our diverse democracy in the face of Trump's attacks.
Last Sunday, more than 60,000 MoveOn members and allies joined an emergency call, and we're hosting another this week, as we prepare for another round of national actions next Tuesday. But all of this takes resources to allow us to escalate our work. Will you chip in $3 today?
Yes, I'll chip in to help resist Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress.
Thanks for all you do.
—Victoria, Katie, Justin, Chris, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Trying to get a message to Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake? Good luck," The Arizona Republic, January 24, 2017
http://act.moveon.org/go/7814?t=4&akid=176979.10220574.x5m5Rv
2. "GOP Congressman Leaves Meeting Early After Constituents Want to Talk Obamacare Repeal," Time, January 15, 2017
http://act.moveon.org/go/7819?t=6&akid=176979.10220574.x5m5Rv
Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?
Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.
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