Weekly Steps of Activism

The election of Donald Trump as the next President of the United States is a scary and horrific thing for many of us. He and his cabinet, full of unqualified and unsuitable candidates, threaten civil rights, voter rights, health care, public education, social security, the first amendment, foreign relations, free press, and the values of most good and decent people everywhere. We must resist his actions to destroy the fabric of democracy and the security of our citizens. In an effort to do that, each week I share some acts of resistance and steps of activism you can take. Here are this week’s:

First, some good news! As most of you have probably heard, just hours before the evacuation notice for the main protest camp at Standing Rock was to take effect, the Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for the Dakota Access Pipeline to drill under the Missouri River – halting the pipeline construction. This isn’t directly related to our incoming administration, but it does speak to the power of peaceful protests and acts of resistance (including hundreds of thousands of calls to the Department of Justice, President Obama, the Governor and senators of ND, the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, and the ND National Guard, to name a few). These phone calls and acts of resistance make a difference! They are not in vain.

This week one of the most important ways we can help the cause of #StoppingTrump is by supporting Foster Campbell who may be able to flip the final senate seat to the Democrat side and add one more very important brick in the wall against Trump’s agenda. The election is three days away and you can still donate here and spread the word on social media.

Next important is fighting for the slim — very slim — shot we have of persuading the electors from the electoral college to NOT vote for Trump when they’re asked to place their votes on December 19th. There is no federal law binding electors to the results in their states, and state-level guidelines governing electors vary. We need 37 of the Republican electors to change their vote from Trump to someone else (ideally Hillary, but since they’re Republicans, that’s a SUPER long shot. Kasich is a better bet, and I’ll take him over Trump any day because at least he’s not fucking insane). One Republican elector has already said he won’t be voting Trump, so that’s 36 more to go. (IF — and it’s a huge if — 37 Republicans decide not to vote for Trump and he does not have the 270 electoral votes to win the presidency, the vote then gets sent to the House of Representatives to elect a president. The House is Republican, so the likelihood of them NOT voting for Trump is pretty close to zero. But! In an election that has been completely unprecedented, #AnythingCanHappen. It’s worth a try to convince the electors, which you can do by sending a letter to them here.

Two calls you can make right now:

Call your representatives (find them here) and ask them to support bill 6340, Rep. Katherine Clark’s Presidential Accountability Act, which addresses the president-elect’s conflicts of interest (of which there are MANY). You can use this script: “I’m — —-, a constituent calling about H.R. 6340, Rep. Katherine Clark’s Presidential Accountability Act. Please ask to support this resolution. The American people deserve a President who does not have any actual or perceived conflicts of interest in his financial dealings.”

Before you call, you can check here to see if your representative is one of the 70 co-sponsors of the bill (mine is!), and call and express thanks for supporting the bill.

Finally, if you live in Ohio, there’s an important issue that needs your attention. The legislature has passed a dangerous anti-choice bill (The Heartbeat Bill–read about it here). All that’s left is for the governor to sign it. Take some time to call Gov. Kasich today at 614-644-4357 OR (614) 466-3555. Script: “I’m —- —–. I want Gov. Kasich to refuse to sign the Heartbeat Bill. I won’t support a governor who infringes on a woman’s constitutional right to make her own medical decisions. The bill is part of an agenda to eliminate abortion rights altogether. The bill does not include any exclusions for victims of rape or incest.”

Fight on!