December 15, 2023
Ukraine funding as a standalone option, GOP’s infatuation with Orban, help flip CA-41, and more!
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Contact all members of Congress:
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: democracy.io
By US mail: Representatives / Senators
By fax: Representatives / Senators
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Contact White House or other federal agencies:
CLARIFICATION ON YESTERDAY’S POST REGARDING AID TO THE UKRAINE
When we called on our readers to express their support for the Ukraine yesterday, in no way did we mean to imply that we thought it was ok for Congress to trade away asylum rights to negotiate a deal. Our post on Wednesday, along with this important piece from Heather Cox Richardson outlines the unjust and draconian anti-immigrant policies being discussed, some of which are in violation of international law. When speaking to our MoCs, let’s make it perfectly clear that we want aid to the Ukraine to be considered as a standalone option and we are against any deal that would make it harder for vulnerable families to get asylum.
THE GOP’S ATTRACTION TO ORBAN AND HUNGARY
Hungary's ultra-conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been the darling of the GOP far-right for ages and his harsh policies on immigrants, transgender people, voting rights and other issues have encouraged U.S. conservatives to push for similar laws. He and Trump have long admired each other and they both appear to kowtow to Putin. All three want us out of Ukraine so Russia can take over. Orban met with some of our legislators this week encouraging them to halt funding for Ukraine. The GOP is taking a page from Orban’s playbook for the 2024 election, seeming to take their lead from his harmful model of "Christian Democracy". Let’s tell our MoCs just what we think of this chummy relationship and their plans.
RECRUIT VOLUNTEER LEADERS TO FLIP CA-41 AND TAKE BACK THE HOUSE
It’s time to take back the House and the sooner we start, the better. We can begin by helping the Grassroots Democrats HQ and the Riverside County Democratic Party flip CA-41 Blue! The seat, rated a toss-up by Cook Political Report is now held by Republican Ken Calvert, who only beat his Dem opponent by 4 points last time, in his closest race in a decade. If we mobilize and organize our Democratic voters early enough, we can win this race and help take back the House! On Wednesday December 20, from 5-7pm, PST, we can phone bank to find volunteers to become CA-41 precinct captains and neighborhood leaders. We can sign up here to start turning the House Blue!
FIXING SSI SO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CAN SAVE
The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, a part of Social Security that provides cash payments to people with disabilities to ensure they don’t live in poverty, has long been burdened by outdated rules that did not adjustment for inflation and forced recipients to live in poverty to continue qualifying. Right now, the asset limit to qualify is just $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for couples. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) are leading the way on a bipartisan effort to bring those numbers more in line with modern realities, raising the limits to $10,000 and $20,000 respectively: the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act (S.2767/H.R.5408). Let’s reach out to our members of Congress, either directly or using this tool, and urge them to support this legislation and make it a priority, and to continue working on making SSI work for people with disabilities by eliminating the marriage penalty.
TELL HHS AND PHARMACIES: DON’T SHARE OUR MEDICAL RECORDS WITHOUT A WARRANT
A recent Congressional hearing revealed that major pharmacies, pharmacy chains, like Walgreens Boots Alliance, CVS, Walmart, Rite Aid, Kroger, Cigna, Optum Rx, and Amazon Pharmacy, have provided Americans' prescription records to law enforcement without requiring a warrant. This is especially troubling after the Dobbs decision, which ended the constitutional right to an abortion. Since then, several states have indicated a desire to make birth control illegal as well. This means that people now filling routine prescriptions to ensure their health could unknowingly be at risk for prosecution since, despite most Americans' expectations of privacy, current policies allow pharmacy staff members to hand over our medical records without the need for a warrant. CEO of these pharmacies need to hear from us:
Amazon: Andy Jassy - email: andy@amazon.com
Cigna: David Cordani - email: david.cordani@cigna.com
CVS: Karen Lynch. Email - Karen.Lynch@CVSHealth.com
Kroger: Rodney McMullen - email: Rodney.McMullen@kroger.com
Optum Rx: Patrick Conway - email: patrick.conway@optum.com
Rite Aid: Jessica Kazmaier - email: jkazmaier@riteaid.com
Walgreens: John Standley - email: john.standley@walgreens.com
Walmart: Doug McMillon - email: Doug.McMillon@walmart.com
We can use this email list to contact pharmacy CEOs and demand that they at least proactively notify customers, publish transparency reports on law enforcement requests, and adopt a warrant requirement similar to the tech industries. We can also call the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 1-877-696-6775 and demand they strengthen Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules for pharmacies.
A CALL TO ACTION!
Many Democrats and moderate Republicans and Independents “say that” Liar, Fraud, Con Trump has absolutely no chance of ever again being elected President of our country. While “I hope” that’s the case, we, most unfortunately, are living in “crazy times”…..when an extremist (MAGA Republican) minority, since it holds the majority of the seats in the House, has ample power to block President Biden’s agenda and to hold back the progress our country needs to make. Powering Liar, Fraud, Con Trump and MAGA Republicans extremists are alt-right “news” sites, such as Fox (Faux) News (the only media company ever to be forced to pay almost $800 million because it knowingly and repeatedly promoted lies about the Nov 2020 election.)
We MUST not only “dump Trump” a second time, we MUST also render MAGA Republican extremists powerless. We MUST keep the Senate BLUE and MUST take back control of the House. WE. MUST. DO. THIS. TO. PRESERVE and PROTECT. OUR. DEMOCRACY.
In order to get this done, WE (and I’m referring to Democrats, moderate Republicans and Independents) MUST make sure that all citizens are fully aware of all of the issues our country faces and the importance of registering to vote and getting out to vote. To accomplish the latter, we MUST be proactive and we must be very vocal.
My suggestions:
• Citizens who feel as I do should organize rallies in their cities. BIDEN / AMERICAN DEMOCRACY RALLIES. At least one rally per city, per month, beginning in January 2024 and continuing until just before the Nov 2024 elections. We must build a crescendo where the size of the rally-crowds grow to hundreds of thousands of people. This is absolutely essential in swing-states.
• The citizens who speak at these rallies MUST have their talking points organized and on-point. The same exact speeches must be given in each and every city where rallies are held. Pound home the points over and over and over again. There should be at least a dozen different speakers at each rally, different speakers to handle each different talking point. Heather Cox Richardson is one of the most gifted authors on Planet Earth. Her past and current posts on “Letters from an American” could and should be used as a guide to the talking points for each speech.
• At each rally, tables should be set up to hand out information about registering to vote (where and how). And, would it not be a good idea for volunteer networks to form to offer driving-assistance to take those who do not have their own transportation to voter registration offices?
Some of my suggestions for the “talking points” for speeches at the rallies: (this is just my quick attempt to sort out the issues; I’m certain this list is not all-inclusive; how about suggesting talking points I’ve failed to include?!)
• Fraud Trump’s most significant lies and cons. Fraud Trump’s failures. Fraud Trump’s indictments. Fraud Trump’s support of Putin. Putin’s support of Fraud Trump. Fraud Trump’s wealth generated by Putin-guided Russian Oligarchs and Russian Mobsters laundering money in Trump condo projects. Fraud Trump’s most significant anti-democracy actions and threats. Fraud Trump’s grant of pardons to people who committed crimes against the American People. Fraud Trump’s threat to weaponize the U.S. Department of Justice against his enemies and against the free press.
• The illegitimate U.S. Supreme Court. At least two SC Justices are on the take. At least two SC Justices are blatant liars. (Explain!)
• A woman’s right to choose. Women did not achieve the right to vote until 1920, 144 years AFTER the signing of the Declaration of Independence (an astounding fact). With the SC’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, women all over the country are now threatened with the loss of the right to choose what to do with their own bodies. Men have no place in this decision. (During the speech, it would be a great idea to project on a giant screen the video made by Hadley Duvall, the courageous young lady in Kentucky whose video helped propel Governor Andy Beshear to re-election.)
• MAGA Republican extremists’ past and continuing attempts to suppress the vote of non-white citizens. (This is disgusting and disgraceful!)
• MAGA Republican extremists’ past and continuing attempts to gerrymander congressional voting districts so that a “minority” of a state’s population ends up being the majority rule. (In American Democracy, this is unconscionable!)
• The importance of funding Ukraine’s war against Russia’s illegal and unconscionable invasion of Ukraine. (This is, most definitely, an American security issue.)
• The importance of NATO to American security interests (and how Trump tried to undermine NATO and, therefore, threaten America’s security interests.)
• President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s accomplishments as the leader of our country (list them out, one by one.) Include in this speech that “inflation does not happen on day one, inflation is caused by a myriad of converting factors over an extended period of time. For example, the inflation the U.S. experienced after the Covid-19 pandemic was, in large part, caused by Fraud Trump’s huge tax cuts in early 2017, tax cuts that mostly benefited very wealthy people.) Include in this speech President Biden’s support for Unions. (Unions built the middle-class in the U.S.A.)
We are most fortunate that President Biden, a true American Patriot and a great and visionary leader, won the Presidency in 2020. We need to do everything in our power to ensure that Liar, Fraud, Con, Coward, Traitor Trump, America’s Presidential Accident and Disgrace, does not prevail in his attempt to win re-election and demolish what’s left of America’s Democracy! We also need to sweep out of office Trump’s disgusting and disgraceful MAGA Republican extremist enablers!
Restore and Protect Women’s Rights!
Defend and Preserve Democracy!
VOTE ONLY for DEMOCRATS!
BIDEN 2024!