Resistance Recess

by MoveOn.org Friday, Feb. 17, 2017 at 10:21 PM
marc1seed@yahoo.com

I wanted to share this MoveOn email. Resistance must be our response to the one-hour press conference and the "fine-tuned machine" where 3 billion live on a day and 6 million children die before their fifth birthday!

Katharine Werner, MoveOn.org Civic Action moveon-help@list.moveon.org>

To Marc Batko

Today at 11:02 AM

Next week is the first congressional recess of Donald Trump’s presidency—and for many of us, it will be the first opportunity to speak directly with our members of Congress.

Dear MoveOn member,

Next week is the first congressional recess of Donald Trump’s presidency—and for many of us, it will be the first opportunity to speak directly with our members of Congress.

That’s why MoveOn, Daily Kos, Indivisible, and other groups across the progressive movement are launching a huge effort called the Resistance Recess. Together, we will make sure that members of Congress and the media hear that Americans won't tolerate the Trump Republican agenda, including attacks on our health care.

Here’s how it will work:

We will show up at our elected officials’ events, town halls, and other public appearances to demand answers to the questions that we, their constituents, deserve to have answered—from whether our members of Congress will pledge to protect and improve our health care (instead of stripping it from millions of Americans) to how they will stop the unconstitutional actions of the White House.

We will make it clear to Republicans that the Trump administration’s dangerous policies are completely unacceptable—and that we won't let these attacks on health care, our communities, and our democracy occur unanswered. If Republicans put themselves on the wrong side of history, we will hold them accountable.

We will make it clear to Democrats that progressives demand full-on resistance to Trump's agenda. That means fighting for an immediate, independent investigation into Trump's ties to Russia, rejecting his Supreme Court nominee, working to overturn his racist and xenophobic attacks on immigrants, and using every available tool to block his toxic agenda that would bankrupt our nation and divide our communities for the benefit of billionaires and corporations. Although some Democrats are starting to stand up, we need all Democrats to catch up to the resistance in the streets and do their part in this unprecedented moment.

And if lawmakers refuse to hold public events for their constituents, we will hold our own. Some lawmakers are trying to wiggle out of holding town halls or other public appearances. When that happens, we will hold "constituent town halls" to highlight to the public and the media the lawmakers who won't even meet with their constituents.

We need you next week! Are you in? Will you participate in a Resistance Recess action near you?

Click here to find your local Resistance Recess event and RSVP.

Since the election, we've seen a beautiful and powerful surge of grassroots energy. Every week, we've seen rallies across the country pushing back on Trump's nominees and the Republican agenda, demanding that Democrats show spine, and defending frontline communities.

We know that our efforts are working. Democrats have begun to stand up, working to block the members of Trump's #SwampCabinet. Republicans have started to abandon their own plans to take away health care from tens of millions of Americans. And now officials in both parties are recognizing the dangerous and potentially unconstitutional actions of Trump and his team with regard to national security.

But we need to keep the pressure on. Next week's recess is our biggest opportunity yet to make sure that Republicans who side with Trump are held accountable and that Democrats understand that using every single tool at their disposal to block Trump’s toxic agenda is not just justified, but absolutely necessary for our democracy—and our most cherished values—to survive the Trump era.

Click here to find your Resistance Recess event and RSVP.

Thanks for all you do.

—Katharine, Gabriela, Manny, Victoria, and the rest of the team

P.S. What if there's no event hosted by your lawmakers listed on the site? First, call your representative's and/or senators' district and D.C. offices—and see if they are planning on holding a public town hall or office hours. Then:

If YES, they say that they are holding a town hall or office hours, submit the event here, and we will invite other constituents to join you.

If you discover that your members of Congress are NOT hosting a town hall within a reasonable distance from you, you can host a constituent town hall—an event that constituents hold to have their voices heard and highlight their lawmakers' lack of a formal town hall. A constituent town hall is a great way to get media attention and highlight that your lawmaker is avoiding constituents during the congressional recess!

How do you plan one?

Find a location—such as a library, event space, or even outside a member of Congress’ district office—and pick a time and date.

Invite your member of Congress.

Click here to post your event on ResistanceRecess.com, and MoveOn and partner groups will invite fellow constituents.

Put together an agenda and let the media know.

Check our materials page for all the guides and information you need to plan an event.

Have an awesome event!

P.P.S. This Sunday, MoveOn, Indivisible, Working Families Party, People's Action, and the Center for Popular Democracy will host a Ready to Resist Emergency Conference Call to help prepare for the recess. Click here to RSVP.

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 ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?

Original: Resistance Recess