Lobby Democrats in Congress to write a joint House/Senate "Letter to America"

[pat_k]

The following is from a recent Hopium Chronicles entry from Simon Rosenberg. The entire post is, IMO, an absolute must read (link below), but I want to call out the part I think must be front and center of our efforts: Lobbying for a joint Democratic House/Senate Letter to America.

Excerpt from Simon's post:

There is a desperate need for Democrats in Congress to open a Second Front and pen A Letter to America that borrows from the Declaration of Independence and clearly, simply makes the case for why what Trump and Musk are doing is an unprecedented, illegal attack on our Constitutional order. This has to be job 1. I’ve written extensively about the need for this letter, and the need as our Founders put it to “let Facts be submitted to a candid world.” Here is how I wrote about it recently:

There needs to be a clear statement from half the Congress that they believe that what Trump is doing is unconstitutional, illegal, wrong and an extraordinary betrayal of our Constitutional order and all of us.

This “letter to America” can become the rallying cry for all of our work together. It can become the amicus brief in every court challenge to Trump. It can become a clear statement to the world that American patriots are fighting this historical betrayal of our democracy but also of freedom loving people throughout the world. The people of America and the world need to hear from Democrats and other leaders of this pro-democracy movement that they understand the stakes of the fight we are in and are willing to leave it all on the line for the most important force for freedom humanity has ever seen. The absence of this clear, simple statement from our Congressional leaders is unacceptable and dangerous, and it is why I believe this “Letter to America” remains our very first ask of all of Congressional representatives.

In additional to your own Democratic members of the House and Senate (if you have any) lobby the Democratic Leadership in FAXes (if they accept faxes), emails, calls, and snail mail specifically directed at their title role. Not just asking them to do this but asking if specific steps are being taken and if so, what steps. And follow up, and follow up....

And if you have the wherewithal, work with groups you are involved with to get petitions going and pull together a few people, contact the elected's scheduler and try to set up a meeting. Ask to meet with the member. If not that, chief of staff or communications. If not that, take whoever the hell they are willing to give you a meeting with. And if you can't travel to an office, ask about doing a Zoom meeting.

If you don't have others to band with, try to set up a meeting on your own as a representative of yourself, or to deliver a petition, or to deliver letters you have collected from others. The kind of back and forth dialog that is only really possible face-to-face, where you can ask pointed questions about why this isn't in the works, or if it is in the works, why does there seem to be no sense of urgency, is incredibly powerful.

House
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (Dem Leader)
Rep. Joe Neguse (Dem Assistant Leader)
Rep. Katherine Clark (Dem Whip)
Rep. Pete Aguilar (Caucus Chair)

Senate
Sen. Chuck Schumer (Dem Leader)
Sen. Richard Durbin (Dem. Whip)
Sen. Cory Booker (Chair of Strategic Communications Committee)
Sen. Mark Warner and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Dem. Vice Chairs)


https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/old-dogs-and-new-tricks-a-letter

[Srkdqltr]

1. letter??? how 19th century. We need across all media press conferences.. To the point . People on talk shows.

There needs to be a media blitz from all Dems who can appeal to the media.. call in... talk... to the point. Each one singerly ... many together .. plain speaking down to earth. On evening news.. youtube. Go out and talk.

[pat_k]

2. And such a letter would drive a unified message in a media blitz. Plain language.

Remember the power of the Contract on America?

Documents have power.

And documents that state plain truths (unlike the Contract) have Greater power.

I firmly believe that this sort of Letter to America (or whatever the heck they call it) has serious potential to be the same sort of game changer for turning back the tide, reclaiming TRUE patriotism, and ushering a national renewal of faith in the power of our founding principles.

We are not going to defeat the insanity overnight. But we desperately need something with serious potential to spark the sort of massive shift we need in the years ahead.

I highly recommend Dana Millbank's The Destructionists: The Twenty-Five Year Crack-Up of the Republican Party.

In 1994, more than 300 Republicans under the command of obstructionist and rabble-rouser Congressman Newt Gingrich stood outside the U.S. Capitol to sign the Contract with America and put bipartisanship on notice. Twenty-five years later, on January 6, 2021, a bloodthirsty mob incited by President Trump invaded the Capitol.

Dana Milbank sees a clear line from the Contract with America to the coup attempt. In the quarter century in between, Americans have witnessed the crackup of the party of Lincoln and Reagan, to its current iteration as a haven for white supremacists, political violence, conspiracy theories and authoritarianism.

[red dog 1]

3. Kick!

Also, go to the DNC website:

CONTACT US
"We want to hear from you! Please submit your questions and comments about the Democratic Party below."
https://democrats.org/contact-us/

(Name, email address & zip code required - You do not have to give them your physical/mailing address or phone #)

[pat_k]

4. Yes!

Perhaps many are too young to remember how the Christian Nationalist, White Supremist, Homophobic, Transphobic, Misogynist wing of the Republican Party kicked off their takeover with the Contract on America (I won't call it by its actual name).

Documents can be powerful things, and as I replied to another post, the horrors unfolding are so egregious they actually present an opportunity to put the plain truth before the American people, concisely and simply, and reclaim TRUE patriotism and reassert the values and founding principles that have helped steer every decent thing we have accomplished as a nation and enabled the forging of a western alliance committed to promoting and defending the four freedoms. It's about time we get loud and proud about the fact that it was the Democratic Party that has been the force driving us in the right direction, toward a more perfect union. Should we, could we have accomplished more? Certainly, but for too long too many of us have focused solely on failures and too few have been out there taking pride in our successes.

That must end, and I firmly believe that a Congress unified behind a clear statement of values and declaration of the crimes against those values could spark a virtuous cycle of hope and action that will sweep the insane monster the Republican Party has morphed into into the dustbin of history.

It took them 30 years from the Contract on America to create that Frankenstein's monster. It may take that long to defeat the insanity, but frankly, I don't think so. They have an unbelievable noise machine, but we can get noisy too. And Reality and Truth have power.

[prodigitalson]

5. Or a telegram

[pat_k]

6. ???

I presume your point is that a "Letter" is too old school. Of course, it's the content, not the form, that matters. They can call it whatever the heck they like.

What matters using it to specify and condemn Trump's crimes and reassert our fundamental values -- reclaim patriotism. And using it in a media blitz, starting with a united Democratic Congress on the capitol steps. They don't have to duplicate Newt's mass signing event for his contract on America, but make it an event with comms strategy to follow in place.