Indivisibles,

Despite members of their own party admitting that they had no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of President Biden, House Republicans voted to launch a formal impeachment inquiry into Biden last week. This is the 101-level MAGA Republican playbook -- distract from the real issues affecting Americans through political theater, block any progress, and minimize their reckless improprieties through both sides-ism.

Republicans in the Senate are running a different play with the same results: Senate Republicans are playing hardball on providing support for Ukraine by insisting on extreme immigration policies that would bring back Trump-era cruelty against immigrants in ALL of our communities. (Unfortunately, some Democrats are thinking of caving to these demands.) 

What do these two things have in common? They both benefit Trump.

Any situation that paints Democrats as just as immoral as Trump (regardless of validity) adds to Trump’s attempted character defense in the eyes of winnable voters. And, if Dems capitulate to Republican extremism on the border, Trump can paint it as the Democrats’ policy while positioning his extremism as bipartisan.

This moment is the foundation of the work we do here at Indivisible.

We cannot allow our representatives to take horrific deals based on political expediency. We cannot allow them to help Trump implement his cruel border policies. With Republicans standing firm on a sham impeachment and cruel policies, Democrats have to be able to stand firm on what is right -- the fair, humane, and respectful treatment of immigrants. 

It is on us to make sure that our elected representatives know that we will not support mass deportation without a hearing, a dramatic increase in the incarceration of asylum seekers (including families), and a return to Trump’s signature Title 42.

With that, here are your weekly to-dos:

 Your 5 weekly to-dos 

1. If you have a Democratic Senator, call and demand they reject Trump-era immigration policies. The Senate is still in session this week looking for a path forward. We have to make sure Democrats stand firm and refuse to give in to Trump era demands. Senate Dems have the power, we can’t let them capitulate to Republican extremism at the expense of the most vulnerable. Make your calls today.
2. If you have a Republican Member of Congress (MoC), write a letter to the editor (LTE) demanding that they denounce Trump’s threats to the Affordable Care Act. In 2017, our collective efforts, town halls, and constituent pressure made the difference in ensuring the ACA was here to stay. With Trump, once again, putting our health care in his sights, make sure your representatives know that they must publicly oppose taking away healthcare from millions of Americans.
3. If you have a Democratic MoC, write an LTE about Trump’s threat to repeal the ACA. We need to make sure every American knows that he’s planning to strip away healthcare from millions of people. This is a direct attack on the health and safety of the people alongside what would have a devastating impact on our economy. Make sure your community knows what’s at stake next November.
4. Write an LTE on Trump’s dangerous positions on abortion. Trump is once again trying to lie to the American people and position himself as moderate on abortion. Let’s be clear -- Trump is no moderate. It was his SCOTUS nominations that sealed the deal on overturning Roe. He can’t go back now and scrub his legacy for votes now that he knows abortion is one of the most mobilizing issues of our time. We know where he stands, make sure your neighbors do too.  
5. Write an (LTE) warning your community that No Labels is a threat to our democracy. No Labels is planning to run a spoiler candidate in the 2024 presidential election in order to deny any candidate the 270 electoral votes needed to be elected. That would send the decision about our next president to the MAGA-controlled House of Representatives and clear the way for a second Trump presidency. Make sure your community knows just how dangerous No Labels’ plan would be for our democracy.

Our $250k end of year goal!

At the start of the month, we set out a goal to raise $250,000 by the end of the year. As of today, we're well over halfway to our goal, but December 31 is coming up fast. 

If you're ready to help us hit our target, you can click here to chip in! 

Grassroots fundraising is a big part of how we can continue having organizers around the country supporting Indivisible groups. It's how we flipped the Supreme Court in Wisconsin and passed a reproductive rights constitutional amendment in Ohio. But as the year comes to a close, we're facing a real fundraising shortfall -- just as we're gearing up for 2024. 

You can help us close the gap by pitching in today! Your contribution will help pay for organizing and election work in key states and districts next year to take back the House, hold the Senate, replace Kyrsten Sinema with Ruben Gallego, and defeat Trump. And as a reminder, if you chip in to help us reach our goal, we won't send you any more fundraising asks through the end of the year. Enjoy your hot chocolate by the fire. Take a break. Recharge your batteries. And get ready to make 2024 MAGA’s final year of relevance in American politics!

Call for a Humanitarian Ceasefire

This week saw more bleak moments in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza including three Israeli hostages being killed by the IDF as they attempted to surrender and regain their freedom. 

Roughly 129 hostages remain in captivity of the over 200 taken on October 7, along with the 1200 Israeli, American, and foreign citizens murdered on that horrific day. To lose three more due to the IDF’s actions is that much more devastating. 

There is no resolution to this through violence that doesn’t continue to cost more innocent lives.

More than 19,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, including at least 7,729 children. Those numbers do not include the more than 52,000 wounded, or the countless innocent Palestinians surviving without access to food, clean water, or safe accommodations. 

In light of the deteriorating situation, there is growing momentum for scrutiny of Netanyahu’s government’s handling of this crisis including a new amendment from Sen. Chris Van Hollen and 12 other senators that would require that weapons received by any country under the proposed national security supplemental are used in accordance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict.

Simultaneously, hundreds of US synagogues received bomb threats this weekend, in ever increasing instances of antisemitism spanning the globe. The humanitarian crisis is increasing ugliness across the globe for both the Jewish and Palestinian populations. 

In looking for pathways to peace, it is on each of us to fight back against any instance of islamophobia or antisemitism we see. Peace does not come through accepting more hate.

We must ensure all hostages are released, which is best achieved through diplomacy. We must also urge a halt in the violence, to uphold our obligations to international law and ensure that no more innocent people become victims of this crisis. 

A permanent ceasefire is the first step. 

• Call your representative and urge them to support a humanitarian ceasefire publicly, use their position to push for an end to hostilities, deliver urgently needed humanitarian assistance, and ensure that all hostages are released.
• Call both of your senators now and ask them to do the same.
• Email your MoCs and tell them that the bombing has to stop. This crisis is a challenge to our humanity. It is hard to witness brutal acts of violence and not believe that violent retaliation is the only response. But we must eschew those instincts and find a pathway to peace.

Indivisible Project: Holiday Wish List

Happy Ho-ho-holidays from Indivisible. We’ve only asked for a few presents this year, and you can help us check one item off of our wish list.

Donald Trump took our courts and drove them so far to the right that it’s now impossible to not identify the Supreme Court as an arm of the MAGA Republican Party. Whether it's blatant corruption from MAGA justices, overturning affirmative action, permitting businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people, or the continuing reverberations across the nation of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe, this transparently Republican Supreme Court has chipped away at the rights of Americans while showing no accountability themselves.

Just this morning, ProPublica released a report detailing the lengths Republican Members of Congress and donors have gone to appease Clarence Thomas’s greed. Nevermind that SCOTUS salaries are far more than the median American worker ($60,070) or those MoCs themselves ($174,000), $274,200 is not nearly enough for Clarence Thomas to be satisfied -- I guess that justifies the unreported lavish trips, gifts, and the debt forgiveness he’s received during his tenure.

And it doesn’t end with SCOTUS -- Republicans in the Senate have been using an archaic rule known as “blue slips” to block the confirmations of pro-democracy judges. They’re hoping that if they stall long enough, they can appoint MAGA judges to the bench instead. 

All we want for the holidays is for our senators to act now to protect democracy and restore legitimacy to our judicial system.

If you have Democratic senators:

And, if you have Republican senators:

Restoring legitimacy back to our courts is crucial to ensuring that the American people don’t continue to be the victims of a dangerous slide towards fascism. True checks and balances are a cornerstone of a free and representative democracy; we must do everything in our power to prevent the judiciary from continuing to be an arm of the most extreme wings of the Republican party. Send your emails now!

 IndivisiWin of the Week 

Indivisible Georgia Coalition’s statewide steering committee got to meet with organizer Abby to get dinner and reflect on the political state of play now and as we move into 2024.

Follow us on Facebook, Mastodon, Threads, and Instagram to keep up on the latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to our text messaging program, where we send rapid response actions a few times a month.

This will be our last Newsletter until the new year. We hope all Indivisibles get some time to relax, reflect, and refresh themselves for a big year ahead! We can’t wait to get back to the work with you in 2024.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team