Tea party Republicans have held our government hostage for four days. During that time, more than 800,000 government employees have been unable to work1, 3,200 children have been locked out of Head Start, 2 and 401 national parks have been closed to the public.3
MoveOn members all over the country are directly feeling the impact of the shutdown: Glenda H.'s small business is experiencing massive slowdown because of the sudden inability to work on federal contracts. Andrew D. was forced to cancel a reunion at Zion National Park with his sick brother—it's been years since they've seen each other.
But it gets worse, because this shutdown may not be the end of tea party Republican hostage taking. In less than two weeks, we're going to hit the debt ceiling, further threatening the livelihoods of people all over the country and the nation's long-term economic stability.
Democratic members of Congress have a crucial role to play in standing up to the tea party hostage taking—and those of us who live in their districts can help fight back by sharing and drawing attention of the human cost of the shutdown so the media and other constituents know what's at stake. Will you start a petition to Rep. Meeks today sharing your personal story of how the tea party Republican shutdown has impacted you?
Tea party Republican antics have touched us all, whether you or someone you know has been furloughed because of the shutdown or you are just been fed up with the state of politics in this country. Helping people understand the human toll of this political showmanship is a necessary step to fighting back against the immense damage tea party Republicans are doing to our country.
Sharing your story and calling on Rep. Meeks to stand strong against tea party Republicans is easy—the petition is a great vehicle for that. And we'll help you along every step of the way. Every one of us has a story to tell, and together we can start taking back the national narrative from the tea party, which has dominated it for far too long.
We know that winning against the tea party Republicans, and their 1% backers, is going to extend beyond the government shutdown and debt ceiling fight. But a big step in this fight is putting real people and their personal stories at the forefront of the conversation to help bring home the point of just how dangerous extremist Republicans really are, and give Democrats another reason to hold the line, demand a vote to end the shutdown, without stipulations.
Thanks for all you do.
–Mark, Maria, Stefanie, Alejandro, and the rest of the teamSources:
1. "Federal Government Begins First Shutdown in 17 Years," Time Swampland, October 1, 2013
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=293957&id=75833-10220574-acyEBtx&t=3
2. "Shutdown Closes 3,200 Preschoolers' Head Start Programs," The Wall Street Journal, October 2, 2013
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=294108&id=75833-10220574-acyEBtx&t=4
3. "National Parks: Shutting Down America's Best Idea," National Geographic, October 2, 2013
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=294089&id=75833-10220574-acyEBtx&t=5
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