Friends, I’ve personally talked to most of you, and you’ve agreed to make a few phone calls each week to keep the resistance going. Please confirm that you want to be on this list, and send me names of others in OH-2 who want to be included.

I am following the Indivisible Guide, written by former congressional staffers and focused on tactics the Tea Party used to great success with relatively few people. It’s a collection of Best Practices, highlighting what grabs the attention of senators and congresspeople, and what is a waste of time. 

It’s important to call elected officials who already support our issues. The calls matter to them too. This week’s suggested calls: 

Monday, January 23:

  • – Urge Portman and Brown to oppose the confirmation of Rex Tillerson to Secretary of State.

Tuesday, January 24: 

  • – Urge Portman and Brown to oppose the confirmation of Jeff Sessions for Attorney General. 
  • – Urge Portman and Brown to oppose the confirmation of Rep. Tom Price for HHS Secretary.
  • – The confirmation of Betsy DeVos is delayed, but still, urge Portman & Brown to vote NO.  
  • – Tell Brad Wenstrup to vote NO on HR7, Yes for Woman’s Healthcare

Rob Portman: 513-684-3265

Sherrod Brown:  513-684-1021

Brad Wenstrup: 513-474-7777

Phone calls matter. Petitions, emails and Facebook likes do not. Phone calls to local offices are important. Local offices generally have fewer staff people, so they really feel it when we call. Also, we are more likely to talk to the same local staffers over time. It matters that they know us, know we are right here and know we are not going away.

Showing up, in person, REALLY matters. I will send event info as it happens.

Showing up with facts REALLY REALLY matters. I was at the Wenstup coffee in Williamsburg, Ohio on Jan. 16. (eastern Clermont County). We overwhelmed Wenstrup supporters, which was great. But what so impressed me was the number of people who knew the facts. I heard dozens of people politely and respectfully correct Rep. Wenstrup’s many misstatements (alternative facts) about the ACA, Medicaid, Planned Parenthood etc. You could see his body language and demeanor change as he went from table to table. He was clearly not used to being around informed voters. It looked like he didn’t know what hit him. We made the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC that night.

Background info: 

Rex Tillerson: As long-time CEO of ExxonMobil, Tillerson flouted U.S. foreign policy and befriended anti-democratic leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin. Unsurprisingly he expressed skepticism about the dangers of climate change during his confirmation hearing.

Jeff Sessions: If confirmed, Sessions will be in charge of enforcing civil rights law and protections, despite having been rejected from a federal judgeship in 1986 after former colleagues testified about his history of racist remarks. Sessions has regularly opposed civil rights legislation and he has extreme anti-immigration views.

Tom Price: Rep. Price is a radical conservative who wants to destroy the Affordable Care Act, eviscerate anti-poverty efforts, and undermine women’s health, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ rights. There are also unanswered ethical questions about profits Price has made trading health care stocks during his time in Congress where he worked on health care legislation.

Betsy DeVos: Trump’s controversial and unqualified nominee to be Secretary of Education, millionaire Betsy DeVos, was supposed to get a vote on Tuesday, the 24th. But in the wake of her poor performance in Congress last week and release of a report on her ethical conflicts, Committee Chairman Grassley has delayed that vote until January 31st.

HR7: You would think, in the wake of Saturday’s monumental Women’s March that Congress might show some respect for women’s rights. You’d be wrong. Instead, on Tuesday, January 24th, the House has scheduled a vote onHR 7. This unnecessary and intrusive legislation meddles with the private insurance marketplace and attacks women’s reproductive rights. It’s not the first time Republicans have tried to pass this anti-woman bill. 

 Questions & Suggestions welcome!