Call Your Senators on Build Back Better NOW
Gov. Hochul Heard From Us on Monday
Congratulations to Indivisible NY State groups who showed up in a big way for the rescheduled Zoom with Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday night. We had 500 activists on the call, and the Governor knew it. As she has in the past when we met with Sen. Schumer, Sarah Reeske prepared Indivisibles from all over the state to ask their questions and hold our elected officials' feet to the fire. When they meet with us, they know they are talking to the people who knock the doors, make the calls, and mobilize the New Yorkers for progressive action.
While we didn't have time for all the questions (IMV member Dr. Emmie Pizarro didn't get to ask about the NY Health Act, unfortunately), Gov. Hochul spoke for some time about environmental issues. She also committed to getting the three voting rights propositions back on the ballot and increasing the number of refugees and immigrants entering the state. This is just the beginning, and we will get answers from her staff on the questions that she didn't have time to hear.
Please remember to make your climate calls today, and start with the Governor so she knows we are tracking her real actions, not just her words, on the CCIA.
Dems Deliver: Meet the Candidates Event
IMV played a critical role in the last two Congressional race cycles, and you bet that we’ll be there for the 2022 midterms! Together with our friends from around the district, we made a difference. The path to keeping the House runs through New York where we need to maximize every possible win for Democratic members of Congress to combat the gerrymandering happening in states like GA, TX, OH, etc. NY22 and NY24 will be prime flippable targets after redistricting. While we don’t know what our districts will look like yet, we do know that we can’t let a single day go to waste preparing for the 2022 midterms!
You’re invited to the “Dems Deliver: Meet the Candidates” virtual forum on Tuesday, December 14th at 7-8:30pm. Register here. This event is hosted by the Madison County Democratic Committee, co-sponsored by ours and many others, and moderated by Anthony Brindisi. We’ll hear from 5 candidates eager to represent NY22 and NY24 in Congress. Come ready to learn more about them and what all of us can do together to help win in November 2022!
IMV December Meeting
Our next monthly meeting will be on Sunday, Dec. 12 from 3:00-4:30 pm on Zoom. Here's the link. We'll meet Seneca, new Citizen Action organizer, and Josh Riley, who will be challenging Claudia Tenney for NY22. Bill Thickstun will also share his election data analysis. We look forward to seeing everyone!
Indivisible National: Reeling from Attack on Reproductive Choice
Here's the latest from Ezra, Leah, and the rest of the Indivisible staff in Washington:
"We are still reeling from the Supreme Court’s oral arguments this week on Mississippi’s draconian abortion law. The contributions from Trump’s SCOTUS appointments served as clear proof that the radical conservative supermajority on the bench is set on gutting Roe v. Wade and extinguishing the constitutional right to abortion. We can no longer rely on the Supreme Court to be fair arbiters of justice on this issue and many others, and it’s more urgent than ever that we unrig our courts. Read this explainer on fixing the Supreme Court -- and share it with everyone you know who wants to preserve Roe v. Wade.
Congress is now running out of time to complete many must-pass pieces of legislation, and we cannot let them go home until they check our priorities off their to-do list -- from passing the Build Back Better Act to finally passing democracy reform legislation. We’ve outlined below everything you need to take action this month, including calling on the Senate to pass the Women's Health Protection Act and defend abortion access at the federal level.
Here are your top actions for the week ahead:
Call your senators and demand they pass BBB as quickly as possible! The House did its job and passed the Build Back Better Act (BBB). Now it is time for the Senate to do its job and pass BBB this week. With just a few weeks left before Congress recesses for the holidays, it is urgent that you call your senators and tell them how important it is that we pass an inclusive recovery bill that works for everyone ASAP.
Call your senators and demand they fix the filibuster and move quickly to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Sen. Schumer and other Democratic senators have agreed to move forward with democracy reform, even without Republican support for the bill. Call your senators and let them know you stand with Sen. Schumer, and you want them to adjust the filibuster now to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act before they leave town for the holidays.
Call your senators and tell them to pass the Women's Health Protection Act, including fixing the filibuster to do it. The radical conservative supermajority installed by Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump is set on gutting Roe v. Wade and extinguishing the constitutional right to abortion. Democrats have the votes to pass this bill, if they muster the will. We can't let them off the hook."
We also heard on the Indivisible National Activist Call last night (if you missed it see the calendar below to register for the Jan. 6th call) all about the significant accomplishments in Congress this year. We got all five big pieces in the Build Back Better (please read the BBB Explainer!) bill that progressives demanded, and that includes money for climate, health care, and the care economy. We just need to put it over the finish line. Mary Small, Indivisible's expert on the Hill, reported that there is more behind the scenes talk about procedural reform (filibuster!) than there has ever been, and that can lay the groundwork for the absolutely essential democracy reforms we need to see happen.
Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in a deficit mindset about what has been accomplished this year, but in reality, there have been many successes. Indivisible's summer Deadline for Democracy campaign saw more than 400 events across the country, more than any other effort in Indivisible's history--and people said we'd fade away when Trump was out of the White House! Let's keep going, and not give up.
Please be sure to make your phone calls this week, and show up on Dec. 12th for our IMV Zoom and Dec. 14th to meet 2022 congressional candidates. Together, taking action, we are strong.
Follow us on Twitter using @indivisiblemv and of course our Facebook page and IMV Activism Group.
