The Courage to Fight Back

If Elon Musk had asked you what you did last week to stop the MAGA madness, what would you have said? Here are some inspiring examples of those with the courage to fight back that caught our attention:

·       Maine’s Governor, Janet Mills, steadfastly declared, “No President — Republican or Democrat — can withhold Federal funding authorized and appropriated by Congress and paid for by Maine taxpayers in an attempt to coerce someone into compliance with his will.” She added that “[i]n America, the President is neither a King nor a dictator, as much as this one tries to act like it ….”

·       After being fired from her job at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, agency lawyer Hanna Hickman told ABC News that the terminated employees would fight in court, warning Elon Musk and the President that they had “picked the wrong bunch of lawyers to mess with.”

·       Debra Norris of Huntsville, Texas, demanded to know at a town hall meeting with Representative Pete Sessions, “When are you going to wrest control back from the executive and stop hurting your constituents?”

·       Five Justice Department lawyers, including acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia, resigned over the dismissal of a criminal prosecution of NY Mayor Eric Adams. The lead prosecutor’s resignation letter addressed the corrupt deal between the Trump administration and Adams stating, “any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens ….”

·       Over 20 civil servants resigned from DOGE saying they would rather resign than dismantle critical public services.

Of course, few of us are in the position to fight back in such dramatic ways. But there still is plenty that we can do.

Tell Congress To Do Its Job

The Constitution envisions a system of checks and balances where each branch of the government serves as a check on the others. Congress is failing to do its job – a failure of Constitutional proportions.

·       Ask two of your friends who are Republicans to tell their representatives that they disapprove of what the MAGA Republicans are doing. Make it easy for them by providing the contact information for their Member of the House HERE and their Senator HERE. 

·       While you’re at it, call your own representatives – Democrat or Republican. Congress must hear that we are waiting for them to do their jobs. Congressional staff tally only whether a caller supports or opposes an issue, regardless of whether the call is before or after business hours. You don’t need a lengthy policy argument.

Don’t Let the Far Right Regain Control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court

Republicans are seeking to regain the ideological balance on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in a special April 1 election. Elon Musk alone has contributed over $2 million to defeat her. Don’t let them succeed.

·       CONTRIBUTE  to  Susan Crawford’s campaign. She would be a very capable, liberal justice who will end gerrymandering and maintain abortion rights in this perennial battleground state. We need to give Crawford the resources to win.

·       Write postcards to Wisconsin voters. Wisconsin elections are always tight and off-cycle elections have low voter turnout. We need to remind Wisconsin voters that they need to show up on Election Day. Contact Nancy Chasen (nhc2@mac.com) if you want to help.

·       Telephone voters in Wisconsin. Work with WisDems, the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, to talk directly to voters. Training is provided – all you need is a telephone and computer. Sign up HERE

Support Voting Rights

Congressional Republicans want to thrust a dagger through the heart of the Voting Rights Act. The cynically named SAVE Act would require a birth certificate, passport or other citizenship document to register or re-register to vote (for example, if you change your address). Such a requirement would put an end to registration by mail, voter registration drives, online voter registration, and automatic voter registration. Their goal is clear: erect barriers to voting, especially for those who don’t readily have such documentation at hand (estimated to be 21 million people). Learn more HERE.

·       Call, email or write your elected representatives as soon possible and tell them to oppose this bill.  You can find the contact information for your Member of the House HERE and your Senator HERE. 

If the press reports are accurate, the “resistance” is picking up steam. This is the time to engage. We will continue to identify opportunities for you. Doing something every week is critical. We need to resist and rebuild.