Saturday, March 28, 2015

Elizabeth Warren (I'm in!)

I'm writing to you because I want Elizabeth Warren to run for President, and I'm asking you to join me.
Dear MoveOn member,

I'm Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard professor and the founder of MAYDAY Super PAC—the "SuperPAC to end all SuperPACs"—which many MoveOn members helped launch. I'm writing to you because I want Elizabeth Warren to run for President, and I'm asking you to join me.

The biggest problems we face—a rigged economy, climate change, the engulfing corruption of our political system by big money—have something in common: If we don't tackle them soon, we won't get another chance. 

It keeps me up at night. 

But what wakes me up in the morning is another thought: We really do have a chance to win in 2016. If we can elect leaders with the courage and independence to tackle the hard stuff—and build the mega-movement necessary to make sure they actually do it—we could see the kind of progressive sea change that brought the Gilded Age to an end more than a century ago.

But honestly? The only way I see this working is if Senator Elizabeth Warren runs for president.

That's why—as my next big project—I've joined the Run Warren Run campaign. I'll be giving a major speech in New York on April 20 to lay out the case. But right now, today, I'm asking for your help to supercharge this effort—before conventional wisdom congeals and everyone decides that the 2016 primaries are already over.

Can you chip in $3 to help fund the Run Warren Run campaign?

Yes, I'll chip in and help convince Elizabeth Warren to run for president.

Look: From everything I know, running for president is really, really hard. Most sane people would hate doing it. So I completely understand why my friend and former colleague has, to date, not shown any interest in doing so. 

It's just that the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that she should reconsider. 

We're now facing the prospect of no vigorous Democratic primary, potentially a primary season without even a single debate, generating a nominee who has not had to enlist the support of a genuine grassroots base. That's dangerous—not just for Democrats, but for our democracy. 

Elizabeth Warren would change all of that. Not just because she'd guarantee a primary where every candidate has to take a stand. But because she (and, I believe, she alone) would galvanize the kind of movement that we'll need if the next President of the United States is to have a prayer of tackling the hardest, most urgent crises of our time. 

The Run Warren Run campaign is doing something extraordinary: By organizing on the ground in the early primary states, it's keeping open the possibility of a Warren candidacy, in a moment when the primary is supposedly sewn up—and in the process forcing issues like economic inequality and political corruption to the center of the debate. But it can only keep going with our support. 

Can you chip in $3?

Yes, I'll chip in, and help the campaign to draft Elizabeth Warren keep going and growing.

I don't pretend to know whether Elizabeth Warren will ultimately decide to run. But I do know this: There's always been one thing, and one thing only, that could convince her to take on a challenge. Not money. Not power. Just one thing: the realization that her jumping into the fray was necessary to make a difference.

This is one of those moments. And the more of us that raise our hands and say we're ready to fight by her side, the more clear it will become to her that she has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fight the central battles of our nation. Not alone. With a movement. That's our role: to show her how much energy is waiting to be unleashed if she enters the race. 

Can you chip in $3 to help with this campaign?

Yes, I'll chip in.

Thanks for all you do.

–Lawrence Lessig

Lawrence Lessig is a professor at Harvard Law School and the founder of MAYDAY Super PAC, which fights to get big money out of politics. 

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 28, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Write a letter to the editor?

This is big: The Boston Globe became the first newspaper to endorse the Run Warren Run effort. Now let's get more papers on board.
Run Warren   Run

Dear MoveOn member,

This past Sunday, The Boston Globe surprised almost everyone by publishing a full-page, full-throated, editorial in which it joined the call for Elizabeth Warren to run for president.1

This was a huge announcement. The Globe's endorsement dominated political news coverage, from CNN to The Washington Post to MSNBC, and has upended conventional wisdom about what the Democratic primary might end up looking like.

But as The Nation's Washington correspondent, John Nichols, explained, this is exactly how draft campaigns work. Here's what he wrote on Monday:

The first element of a movement to draft a candidate for the presidency—and, make no mistake, a serious effort to draft Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren into the race for the 2016 Democratic nomination is now afoot—involves popular mobilization. Grassroots activists have to get engaged in the development of a campaign that tells a reluctant candidate that there really is a base of support out there in first-caucus and first-primary states—and across the country. This has happened, as an increasingly ambitious "Run Warren Run" movement has taken shape in Iowa, New Hampshire and other states.

The second element is trickier. To the grassroots mobilization must be added a measure of elite opinion that might tip a reluctant prospect (as Warren surely is) toward serious consideration of a candidacy. ... And now The Boston Globe has provided formal confirmation of the enthusiasm.2

The Boston Globe editorial shows how we can translate grassroots energy into elite opinion. But let's not stop with The Boston Globe. Letters to the editor are the first step in showing editorial boards across the country that there's a groundswell of support for the newspaper to take a position.

Can you write a letter to the editor of your local paper right now?

Our simple online tools make it easy to submit your letter to one or more of your local papers. All you need to do is say, in your own words, why you think Elizabeth Warren joining the presidential race is so important.

Our Run Warren Run campaign undeniably has momentum, from hundreds of thousands of activists across the country to field offices in New Hampshire and Iowa to a growing shift in what media and political elites are thinking.

Let's keep that momentum going by getting more newspapers to showcase the Run Warren Run effort.

Click here to submit your letter to the editor now.

Thanks for all you do.

–Mark, Stephen, Ben O., Maria, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Democrats need Elizabeth Warren's voice in 2016 presidential race," The Boston Globe, March 22, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303679&id=110394-10220574-EM1mRPx&t=3

2. "The 'Draft Elizabeth Warren' Campaign Gets a Big Boost from 'The Boston Globe,'" The Nation, March 23, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303680&id=110394-10220574-EM1mRPx&t=4

Like us on Facebook Watch our video Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram

We're part of a growing grassroots movement to convince Senator Warren to run for president. Help build the momentum—start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 27, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Sign the petition: Obama, you can strike a blow vs. Citizens United

President Obama has the power to take on money in politics. Ask him to take action today.
Dear MoveOn member,

The New York Times just reported that "President Obama Could Unmask Big Political Donors."1 As the report explains, the president has a real opportunity to make progress on the fight to get money out of politics—and it doesn't require anything from Congress. 

But to make it happen, we need to show the president how important this issue is to all of us.

The action we need is an executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose their political spending. If they are going to take taxpayer dollars and then pour corporate cash into candidate campaigns and shadowy organizations, we deserve to know.

With a stroke of his pen, President Obama could strike a blow against the destructive impact of Citizens United.

This is so important that we're joining a campaign led by Public Citizen to reach 500,000 signatures by April 2, which will be a national day of action on money and politics. Together, MoveOn, Democracy for America, Daily Kos, CREDO, and other allies can hit this goal. You can help by signing onto Public Citizen's petition, addressed to the president, which says:

Take a bite out of Citizens United by issuing an executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose their political spending. The American people have the right to know what corporations with lucrative, taxpayer-funded government contracts are spending to influence elections.

How significant could this change be? Significant enough that it's attracting powerful enemies. The chief lobbyist of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—which represents some of the country's biggest corporations—vowed that, in regards to this executive order, "We will fight it through any means necessary."2

If it's scaring them, that's because it's meant to. Requiring disclosure would put corporations on notice. Their contributions to right-wing think tanks and grassroots groups would no longer be hidden from the public. And who knows what we might find out in terms of the pay-to-play politics of government contracts?

But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce isn't going to make this easy, and President Obama is feeling pressure to continue with business as usual. That's why he needs to hear from us. "Business as usual" is unacceptable. Our system is broken. And if the president can take some measures to reduce the power of corporations, increase transparency, and tackle money in politics head-on, then he has a responsibility to do so.

The time is now—and our allies are planning a massive signature delivery to the White House, a signal that Americans are ready for action.

Click here to add your name to this petition—and give the president the momentum to take on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Citizens United.

Thanks!

–Jo, Justin K., Josh, Erica, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "President Obama Could Unmask Big Political Donors," The New York Times, March 23, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303668&id=110320-10220574-b3UW62x&t=1

2. "Dark Money Casts a Sinister Shadow Across the Land," The Huffington Post, March 2, 2015     
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303655&id=110320-10220574-b3UW62x&t=2

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 25, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Have an idea for a petition?

Do you have an idea for a petition? Help change the world and start your own MoveOn petition today.

Dear MoveOn member,

Ever heard Margaret Mead's famous saying? "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

That's the story of MoveOn. In 1998, when a Republican Congress was focusing all its efforts on impeaching President Clinton, two people with no political experience started a simple online petition: "Censure President Clinton and Move On to Pressing Issues Facing the Nation."

They shared their petition with their friends, and within days they had hundreds of thousands of signatures. Today, MoveOn has over 8 million members—mostly folks who got involved by signing an online petition, and have stayed active in helping to fight for a progressive America.

That's why we launched MoveOn Petitions where you can start your own online petition and invite your friends to sign it. We'll send the most popular petitions to other MoveOn members to help build support for your cause.

It's easy to get started—just click here.

Thanks!

–Milan, Corinne, Maria, Ben, and the rest of the team

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 25, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Tomorrow in Manhasset: Free Screening of "Genetic Roulette"

 
☆You're Invited!
     Free Screening of "Genetic Roulette"
Host: Lisa Oldendorp

Where: Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock
48 Shelter Rock Road, Manhasset, NY 11030 

When: Tuesday, March 24, 7 p.m. 

What: Join us for a free screening of the award-winning documentary "Genetic Roulette," which reveals the health hazards of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and how companies like Monsanto are trying to force their GMO foods on U.S. consumers. Our allies from Food & Water Watch will be on hand to explain how we can fight back by working to pass a New York GMO labeling law! Will you join us?

Yes, I'll be there!
 

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 23, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

BREAKING: Boston Globe calls for Warren to run

It's a potentially game-changing development—and comes on the heels of four months of powerful organizing by MoveOn members and allies as part of our Run Warren Run campaign.
Run Warren Run

Dear MoveOn member,

Today, the editorial board at the Boston Globe, one of the nation's largest newspapers and the leading publication in Elizabeth Warren's home state of Massachusetts, called on Senator Warren to run for president.

It's a potentially game-changing development—and comes on the heels of four months of powerful organizing by MoveOn members and allies as part of our Run Warren Run campaign.

Take a look at this excerpt from their piece, then click here to read the entire article:

Some of Warren's admirers feel she'd be better off fighting for those causes in the Senate—but her opportunities to enact reforms there are shrinking, which should make a presidential run more attractive. As a member of the minority party in the Senate, her effectiveness is now much more limited than when she first won election, since Republicans control the legislative agenda. Democrats face an uphill challenge to reclaim the Senate in 2016 and face even slimmer prospects in the House. For the foreseeable future, the best pathway Warren and other Democrats have for implementing their agenda runs through the White House.

A presidential campaign would test Warren as never before. Her views on foreign policy are not fully formed. And on many other important issues—climate change, gun control, civil rights—Warren could struggle to articulate clear differences between herself and Clinton. That's a risk she should be willing to take.

If Warren runs, some Massachusetts voters are bound to see it as abandoning the state that sent her to the Senate—but that shouldn't discourage her either. Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry pursued their presidential ambitions without suffering much of a backlash at home. If Warren runs with conviction, and can clearly articulate voter unease with the widening divide between the 1 percent and the struggles of middle-class Americans, her candidacy will be welcomed.

Click here to read the entire editorial and then share with your friends today.

From rallying more than 310,000 supporters, to building a larger campaign infrastructure in Iowa than any expected candidate, to creating growing consensus that tackling income inequality should be central to this coming presidential election, MoveOn members have been setting the conversation and creating the space for a transformative presidential candidacy from Elizabeth Warren.

Share this article with a friend today!

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilya, Jadzia, Ben W., Brian, and the rest of the team

P.S. Here's a look at the Ideas and Opinions section of today's Boston Globe:

Like us on Facebook Watch our video Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram

We're part of a growing grassroots movement to convince Senator Warren to run for president. Help build the momentum—start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 22, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Tell Anheuser-Busch: Support clean water

Thousands of MoveOn members across the country have fought for clean and safe drinking water—from banning fracking to stopping dangerous oil pipelines. Now, the federal government is considering revising the Clean Water Act to better protect our water supply, and many major industries that use water—like breweries—are on board.

But the largest American brewery, Anheuser-Busch, has not yet given public support to, and may actively be working against, reform.1 For this revision to be enacted, we need to show that there's broad support from both industry and individuals. Can you stand with our friends at Environment America and tell Anheuser-Busch to put the health of its communities above their short-term profits and publicly support clean water?


Dear MoveOn member,

I'm Russell Bassett of the organization Environment America, and I started a petition to the president and vice president for corporate affairs and communications of Anheuser-Busch, which says:

Clean, abundant water is crucial for our survival—and beer making. That's why many breweries are supporting the proposed federal rule designed to restore protections to our streams and drinking water. As the nation's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch has a big stake in ensuring our waters are protected.

Anheuser-Busch has not publicly supported the clean water rule, and there is even evidence to suggest the company is working to block it.1 Anheuser-Busch makes a product beloved by millions that depends on clean water. Please make a clear and public statement in support of the Waters of the U.S. rule.

Loopholes have been carved into the Clean Water Act that leave more than half our nation's streams and the drinking water of 117 million Americans at risk for pollution. Thankfully, the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers have proposed a rule to restore these protections, which has broad public support.2

Understanding that great beer takes great water, many of the nation's breweries have come out in support of the clean water rule.3 Noticeably absent from those supporting the rule making is the nation's largest beer company, Anheuser-Busch.

On its website, the company claims, "Water is a key ingredient in the brewing of all our beers and vital to life on the planet." That's exactly why everyone—including Anheuser-Busch—needs the clean water rule to pass.

You can’t make good beer with bad water, and Anheuser-Busch—which operates a dozen breweries in the United States—relies heavily on clean water to make its popular products. Please tell Anheuser-Busch to make a clear and public statement in support of the clean water rule.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks!

–Russell

Sources:

1. "You can't make good beer with bad water," Environment America, March 10, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303612&id=110130-10220574-9_D_D_x&t=2

2. "Clean Water Act; Definitions: Waters of the United States," Regulations.gov, accessed March 11, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303480&id=110130-10220574-9_D_D_x&t=3

3. "Comment submitted by Rene Greff, Owner, Ann Arbor Brewing Company, et al.," Regulations.gov, accessed March 11, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303481&id=110130-10220574-9_D_D_x&t=4

This petition was created on MoveOn's online petition site, where anyone can start their own online petitions. Environment America didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 21, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Ferguson

Dogs have been set on kids as young as 14, who were later not even charged with a crime. People have been thrown into crippling financial debt for low-level citations while high-ranking officials engaged in the worst forms of nepotism and cronyism to shirk their own speeding tickets.
Dear MoveOn member,

We just got an urgent request from some friends in Ferguson, Missouri.

Here's the quick backstory: You probably heard that the Department of Justice recently issued an unprecedented report exposing leaders in Ferguson for grave violations of the civil rights of Black residents. Six community officials—including the chief of police—have been forced from their posts.1

Now, a major election is coming up in Ferguson. And a group of Ferguson community leaders is coming together to launch a bold new organization that can run candidates and help translate movement energy into political power in the final weeks and days before Election Day. 

But Ferguson's elections are in less than a month—which means this effort needs to get going NOW. And whether this gets off the ground is up to us—MoveOn members. This effort will only succeed if organizers can raise $50,000 by Friday.

Can you chip in $3 now and help community leaders in Ferguson make lasting political change?

Yes, I'll chip in.

In Ferguson, a city that's two-thirds African American, nearly all elected officials and police officers are white.

Black residents have been routinely harassed and detained by police without provocation. Dogs have been set on kids as young as 14, who were later not even charged with a crime.2 People have been thrown into crippling financial debt for low-level citations while high-ranking officials engaged in the worst forms of nepotism and cronyism to shirk their own speeding tickets.3

It will be a huge undertaking to make the kinds of structural and leadership changes needed to address these issues that are affecting Ferguson—and many of our communities. But that change begins by having an impact on local elections and electing leadership who will be responsive to communities of color. And what better place is there to start than Ferguson, Missouri? 

Can you chip in $3 right now? This effort can only succeed if we can raise $50,000 by Friday.

Yes, I'll chip in and help create lasting political change in Ferguson.

Organizations like Ground Level Support, the Organization for Black Struggle, and Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment have been working day in and day out to ensure that the community in Ferguson—the place that raised the #BlackLivesMatter movement to an international stage—rebuilds into a stronger, safer community. Now, these organizations are asking for our help to join with a respected independent group, Working Families, and take their work to the next level.

With your support, these groups will build a political organization with a power that matches the incredible wave of community organizing that's risen since Michael Brown's death. Organizers will harness this momentum to elect new leadership in a shockingly segregated city, create powerful constituent blocs to advocate for commonsense reforms, and demand leadership that represents the people of Ferguson.

This is the next step that some key local organizers in Ferguson want to take—and they've asked for our help. This is an opportunity to turn the national attention on Ferguson into meaningful action that will improve the lives of local residents while serving as a model for community empowerment that could be echoed and adopted throughout the country. But, because MoveOn is member-funded, we can only help out if enough of us chip in.

Can you chip in $3 to support this important project?

Yes, I'll chip in.

We need to make sure that in Ferguson, resignations in the wake of the Department of Justice report are just the beginning.

The officials who committed grave injustices against the people of Ferguson must be held accountable for the lives they altered and ruined. New leadership needs to be elected so Ferguson can rebuild and start again.

The world is watching what happens next in Ferguson—and organizers in Ferguson know what happens in their community has the potential to spur people all over the country to change unjust systems and build communities based on justice and dignity for all of us.

To get started, they need your support. I just chipped in—will you?

Yes, I'll chip in and help create lasting political change in Ferguson.

 Thanks for all you do.

–Corinne, Victoria, Josh, Joan, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Ferguson Police Routinely Violate Rights of Blacks, Justice Dept. Finds," The New York Times, March 3, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303476&id=110009-10220574-IktRSbx&t=1

2. "Here's How Ferguson Police Use Dogs On Town Residents," BuzzFeed News, March 4, 2015 
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303538&id=110009-10220574-IktRSbx&t=2

3. "Ferguson judge behind aggressive fines policy owes $170,000 in unpaid taxes," The Guardian, March 6, 2015 
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303541&id=110009-10220574-IktRSbx&t=3

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 19, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Voicemails FR test

Run Warren Run

Dear MoveOn member,

For the past three months, voters all over the country—311,465 and counting—have been making the case to the nation, to the media, to political leaders, and to Elizabeth Warren herself, that there's a surging grassroots movement ready for the day Senator Warren announces a run for president.

Getting Elizabeth Warren to hear the real voices of those asking her to run for president has been a key goal throughout the Run Warren Run campaign—it's what convinced her to run for Senate in 2012! So a couple of weeks ago, we set up a site called Voicemails for Warren and asked supporters leave messages telling Elizabeth Warren why they want to see her in the race.

Some of the voicemails these members left for Warren are incredible—so full of heart, and need, and desire for a political leader with the will to try to restore their opportunity.

More than 500 voters left messages for Sen. Warren and we've put together some of the most moving voicemails with photos of our best moments of the campaign so far for a look at the heart of Run Warren Run—the MoveOn members and others urging Sen. Warren to get in the race.

Will you take a listen to this selection of Voicemails for Warren—and then, if you can, chip in $3 to keep this campaign going?

Voicemails for Warren compilation

Together, we've hosted hundreds of cozy house parties—and stood roadside in 20 degree weather getting drivers to honk and wave as they pass by. We've built a grassroots network in Iowa and New Hampshire that's unrivaled by any of the expected candidates. We've gained the support of politicians, community leaders, media personalities, and more.

And what's best—with our allies at Democracy for America, Ready for Warren, the Working Families Party, and a growing number of supporters—MoveOn members are making Elizabeth Warren and the issues she champions a must-mention in any serious conversation about the race for president.

We can't slow down now. Will you listen to these voicemails for Elizabeth Warren and then, if you can, chip in $3 to help with our campaign?

Thanks for all you do.

–Mark, Stephen, Ben O., Maria, and the rest of the team

Like us on Facebook Watch our video Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram

We're part of a growing grassroots movement to convince Senator Warren to run for president. Help build the momentum—start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 18, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Last chance: Call ICE TODAY to stand with Pastor Max

Dear MoveOn member,

Tomorrow, beloved pastor and community member Max Villatoro could be deported, even though he poses no threat to American security.

That's why last week, MoveOn members and our friends at America's Voice made hundreds of phone calls and delivered more than 20,000 signatures to the ICE regional headquarters in Omaha, NE demanding Max's release. News outlets from the Omaha World Herald to The Washington Times to Daily Kos covered this event and the great outpouring of support for Max.

But the fight isn't over yet: Max may be deported tomorrow. There's still time to call ICE headquarters today at 202-732-3000 and demand that Max be released. If you didn't call before, or even if you did, please call ICE headquarters now. Here's what our ally Matt Hildreth from America's Voice has to say:

ICE wants to deport Max despite the fact that he is a pastor with four U.S. citizen children.

We've been working hard with advocates in Iowa, where Max has been living for the last two decades, to stop his deportation, but now we need your help!

Earlier today, we learned that Max was moved to another ICE facility, where he is awaiting deportation. It's still not clear what ICE is planning to do with Max, but we know that the decision on his case is imminent.

Will you call ICE and ask that Max be released immediately?

This latest development comes after we delivered over 25,000 petition signatures to ICE demanding Max's release. Yet, despite all this, ICE is still determined to take Max away from his wife and children.

We are asking for your support right now, as Max and his family need it more than ever. Call ICE right now and tell them not to deport Pastor Max Villatoro.

Dial 202-732-3000 and leave a message with the receptionist.

Here's what to say once you're connected:

"Hi. My name is ________, and I'm calling to ask that ICE stop the deportation of Max Villatoro (A# 094-338-085). Max serves as a pastor at his church in Iowa City, has four U.S. citizen children, and has been an exemplary servant leader in his community for the past 20 years.

There are clear factors in Max's case indicating that he is not a threat to national security, border security, or public safety, and should not therefore be an enforcement priority. We ask that Max be considered for relief under ICE's prosecutorial discretion guidelines.

Thanks!"

Thanks for all of your support!

Thanks for all you do.

–Maria, Milan, Bobby, Manny, and the rest of the team 

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 16, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Add your name: Thank the FCC for voting for Net Neutrality

Dear MoveOn member,

The FCC just released the full text of the historic Net Neutrality rules that MoveOn members like you have fought for for nearly a decade, and they confirm that we've won a huge victory—and that Comcast, Verizon, and their friends in Congress continue to lie.

Click here to thank the FCC for protecting the open Internet!

Now, Republicans in Congress are putting the three FCC commissioners who stood with us and voted for an open Internet through the ringer—with not one, not two, but three hearings this week on the new Net Neutrality rules. And two more hearings the week after.

We need to let the FCC commissioners who did the right thing know that we've got their back—that Internet users everywhere appreciate what they've done to stand with us, and that they've got our support as they approach the gauntlet.

Will you add your name to the thank-you note to the three FCC commissioners who voted for Net Neutrality—Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel?

We'll deliver your signatures this week as these hearings get underway, so that the the FCC, members of Congress, and the media know that these historic Net Neutrality rules are here to stay.


Our friends at Fight for the Future put together this easy-to-read summary of the contents of the FCC Net Neutrality rules that was so helpful we wanted to pass it along:
You can read them in full here—but since it's 313 pages (of fiery, Comcast-slaying justice), we wanted to give you a quick rundown of what the rules do and don't do. But don't stop reading after the summary, because Comcast is already on the attack and there's more to do right now.
  • ISPs and their friends in government can't block you from visiting a website. So you can visit any site that you want.
  • They can't slow down access to websites. So the sites you want to visit will come to you as quickly as the sites Comcast wishes you were visiting.
  • They can't speed up or make certain websites load faster. This is absolutely critical, because if they could speed up certain sites, that functionally means slowing down other sites.
  • They can't get between you and any content, application, service, or anything else that you want to access online. That is explicitly one of the rules. Just in case the other rules don't cover something.
  • There are no new taxes or fees anywhere in the rules, and there's nothing limiting investment. At all. Period.

All of that is to say two simple, wonderful words: we won. And not only that, we won because of the work of people like you. Activism is mentioned time and again in the rules, and there's barely an article written that doesn't talk about it.

(Thanks, Fight for the Future, for that great summary!)

Help defend the victory that you made possible by thanking the three FCC commissioners who voted for Net Neutrality as they come under attack by Big Cable and their allies in Congress.

Thanks for all you do.

–Maria, Victoria, Jadzia, Milan, and the rest of the team

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 15, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Add your name re: Obama's big student debt news

The president announced a Student Aid Bill of Rights. Will you sign on to show your support for this bold initiative to make college more affordable and reduce the burden of student debt?
Dear MoveOn member,

Last week, President Obama announced significant changes that will affect millions of Americans currently carrying student loan debt, and the millions more who will rely on financial aid to attend college.1 

The Student Aid Bill of Rights he outlined in last week's speech could change the ability of all Americans to afford higher education. It would make substantive moves to improve college affordability, increase students' access to financial aid resources, ensure a new approach to debt repayment, and guarantee borrowers fair treatment from lenders.

MoveOn members have long championed making higher education—a key to economic advancement—accessible for all Americans and making student debt repayment less of a crippling burden on our economy. This is the next fight in our ongoing work on this issue.

The president—and the media—need to hear from us as we show our support for this bold initiative. Can you sign on today to a petition launched by our allies at Student Debt Crisis? It says:

We support President Obama's proposal for a bill of rights for all student loan borrowers. E​very borrower deserves access to the resources they need to pay for college, the ability to choose a repayment program that works for them, and the right to reliable information about their loans. We pledge to stand with the president and hardworking student loan borrowers across the country.

The Student Aid Bill of Rights outlines commonsense steps to expanding higher education to more Americans and reducing the negative impact of student debt on generations of Americans—but they'll only happen if President Obama has the public support to put new policies into practice.

This proposal is in the news—which is why we need to act now and share with the media just how many Americans support the Student Aid Bill of Rights.

Click here to sign the petition right now, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks for all you do.

–Maria, Justin K., Jadzia, Milan, and the rest of the team

Source:

1. "FACT SHEET: A Student Aid Bill of Rights: Taking Action to Ensure Strong Consumer Protections for Student Loan Borrowers," The White House, March 10, 2015
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/10/fact-sheet-student-aid-bill-rights-taking-action-ensure-strong-consumer-

This petition was created on MoveOn's online petition site, where anyone can start their own online petitions. Student Debt Crisis didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 14, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Call Sen. Gillibrand now: Don't risk war with Iran

Can you call Sen. Gillibrand now? Tell her: "Don't join Republicans to sabotage President Obama's diplomatic efforts. Reject any legislation that threatens diplomacy with Iran." 

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Phone: (202) 224-4451

Report Your Call!
Dear New York MoveOn member,

Will your senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, join Republicans to sabotage President Obama's diplomatic negotiations with Iran—and put us on a path to war?

It sounds crazy, but it's not. Some Democrats have already joined with Republicans to undermine diplomacy.1 We need your help to make sure Sen. Gillibrand doesn't become one of them.

Can you grab your phone right now and call Sen. Gillibrand? Say something like "Don't join Republicans to sabotage President Obama's diplomatic efforts. Reject any legislation that threatens diplomacy with Iran."

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Phone: (202) 224-4451

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSNY_2&cp_id=2201&id=109742-10220574-2TTPhdx&t=2

The stakes could not be higher.

Following the dangerous and reckless letter that 47 Senate Republicans sent to Iranian leadership in an effort to undermine diplomatic efforts, we must do everything we can to ensure our country avoids another costly war.

There are two dangerous pieces of legislation in the Senate, one backed by Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the other introduced by Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Both bills are favored by the same right-wing Republicans who got us into the war with Iraq. Both have Democratic co-sponsors already. Both could scuttle diplomacy by driving Iran away from the negotiating table.

As we've seen in the last two weeks, Republicans in the Senate will stop at nothing to undermine the peace process—but they can't get the votes to do it it without Democratic senators like Sen. Gillibrand. That's why raising your voice now is crucial.

Please call Sen. Gillibrand right now and say something like this: "Don't join the Republicans who are sabotaging President Obama's diplomatic efforts. We must let diplomacy with Iran work. I urge the senator to oppose both the Menendez-Kirk bill (Senate Bill 269) and the Corker-Graham bill (Senate Bill 615)."

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Phone: (202) 224-4451

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSNY_2&cp_id=2201&id=109742-10220574-2TTPhdx&t=3

In recent months, MoveOn members have made more than 10,000 phone calls, and well over 100,000 members have signed petitions supporting diplomacy with Iran. Now, we're rushing to get TV ads on the air. Our activism is working. Momentum for peace and diplomacy is building.

In the wake of this week's open letter from Republican senators to Iran, some Republicans admitted they were "caught off guard by the backlash," and Senator John McCain suggested the Senate Republicans should have "had more discussion about it."2 Our work now is to prevent the Menendez-Kirk and Corker-Graham proposals from being framed as sane alternatives to the brazen letter signed by 47 Republicans.

The open letter aimed to sabotage diplomacy with Iran. That's exactly what Menedez-Kirk and Corker-Graham will do as well. We need Senate Democrats to stay away from them.

Sen. Gillibrand needs to hear loud and clear: Let President Obama's diplomacy work. No rush to war.

Thanks for all you do.

–Jo, Manny, Erica, Anna, and the rest of the team 

Sources:

1. "Irate Democrats Denounce G.O.P. on Iran Letter," The New York Times, March 10, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303430&id=109742-10220574-2TTPhdx&t=4

2. "Iran letter blowback startles GOP," Politico, March 11, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303466&id=109742-10220574-2TTPhdx&t=5

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 13, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

47 "Traitors"

A letter sent by 47 senators is a purely partisan, extreme, and unprecedented act, meant to embarrass the president and drive a hard-right foreign policy agenda.
Dear MoveOn member,

What's the word for American citizens who undermine the diplomatic efforts of the American president by communicating directly with a foreign government?

"Traitors," according to the New York Daily News—referring to the 47 Republican senators who signed a letter to the Iranian government with the goal of derailing sensitive and potentially historic nuclear negotiations.1

Our team is working around the clock organizing a response to this purely partisan, extreme, and unprecedented act. We're in the final stages of producing a hard-hitting television ad that calls Republicans out. Now, we need to decide how big we can go. 

Please click here—right now—and make the most generous contribution you can to help us hold these 47 Republicans accountable, and make sure no Democrat joins them in undermining the president and risking a war.

The Republicans have tried every desperate measure to foil these talks. 

They invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an avowed opponent of diplomacy with Iran, to address Congress—breaking American diplomatic protocol by not informing the White House or State Department of the invitation until it was already arranged.2 

After Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech, they attempted to rush through legislation that would have taken diplomacy out of the hands of the president and sabotaged diplomatic talks.3

And now this: a letter signed by 47 Republican senators, including several presidential hopefuls. It's a disrespectful, dangerous, and reckless display meant to embarrass the president in front of the whole world and drive a hard-right foreign policy agenda.

Since Republicans invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to come to Washington and undermine President Obama, we've raised over $250,000 to fight back, hold Republicans accountable, and make sure not a single Democrat joins them in blowing up the president's diplomatic efforts and putting us on a path to war.

Will you help us reach $350,000 so we can send the strongest possible message that
 President Obama—not Speaker John Boehner, Senator Mitch McConnell, Prime Minister Netanyahu, or anyone else—is in charge of U.S. diplomacy?

Yes, I'll make an emergency contribution to help get the president's back, hold Republicans accountable, and prevent another catastrophic war in the Middle East.

If you're on Twitter, you've probably seen the hashtag #47Traitors used to describe this outrageous situation. We hear the anger many Americans are voicing. This makes us want to shout in disgust as well. We have to make sure these 47 Republicans don't win. If they do, the cost could be war.

But it's just as important to channel our energy at this moment into something productive: preserving the historic negotiations and creating the opportunity for peace with Iran.

The Republicans have overstepped, and the American people know it. Our ad will push back against this extreme behavior, remind conservative Democrats that they have a responsibility to back the president, and create the room for diplomacy to have a shot.

Will you help us push back—in the strongest possible terms—against these shameless efforts to blow up American diplomacy?

Jo, Robert, Erica, Ilya and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "NY Daily News Blasts GOP Senators Over Iran Letter, Calling Them 'Traitors,'" The Huffington Post, March 10, 2015 
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303422&id=109704-10220574-yrGtJgx&t=1

2. "White House: Boehner Invite to Netanyahu Breach of Protocol," The New York Times, January 21, 2015 
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303423&id=109704-10220574-yrGtJgx&t=2

3. "Democrats upset McConnell wants to fast-track Iran bill," CNN, March 4, 2015 

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.


This email was sent to eddie alfaro on March 12, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.