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Your weekly Indivisible Newsletter Indivisibles,
Let’s establish a few things:
It’s not just that Trump uses violent rhetoric -- it’s that he knows the consequences of that rhetoric and continues to employ it. On a charitable day, one might say he does so regardless of the consequences, but it is clear through his continued actions that violence is the intent.
So this weekend, when Trump decided to say “now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country; that’ll be the least of it,” there is no question that the impact of his statement is to foment plans for violence were he not reelected. A generous reading of the context of his statement could be that he was referring to the implosion of the American auto industry if he’s not reelected, but you don’t get generous readings when you have already incited insurrection without remorse.
This is a pattern. Trump says whatever benefits him or his organizations. Truth be damned. The safety of the American people means nothing. Trump’s desperate need for power is the only deciding factor in his actions.
When push comes to shove, his statements are an accurate representation of the violent narcissism that surrounds every aspect of his existence.
The Biden campaign responded to Trump’s bloodbath comments reminding us that, “he wants another January 6th, but the American people are going to give him another electoral defeat this November because they continue to reject his extremism, his affection for violence, and his thirst for revenge.”
Biden is rightly reminding us that Trump will go to the most extreme measures to get what he wants, and the American people must reject that for the good of us all. When there’s no end to the depravity, when rhetoric turns to authoritarianism, we’re left with a clear choice.
It’s Trump or democracy. It’s Trump or the country. It’s Trump or an end to the great American experiment. We know what we choose.
With that, here are your weekly to-dos:
Your 5 weekly to-dos
- Sign up to defend democracy from Trump with Project 2024: Majority Over MAGA. Our Project 2024 was made in direct opposition to Trump’s dangerous MAGA objectives. This new electoral program will ensure Indivisibles all across the country have the opportunity to make a difference in the highest-priority races this cycle and prevent a MAGA catastrophe from taking place. This will include tactics like phonebanking, postcarding, and direct-to-voter texting along with our groundbreaking community conversation strategy: Neighbor2Neighbor. Sign up to be the first to know when we launch our tools in your area.
- Call your senator and demand they protect in vitro fertilization (IVF) access nationwide. The MAGA agenda did not just stop at repealing Roe. They intend to ban contraception, IVF, gender-affirming care, marriage equality, and more. Sen. Tammy Duckworth has introduced the Access to Family Building Act, a bill that would enshrine access to IVF and related services as a federal right, protecting both would-be families and their medical providers. If your senator is a Democrat, call and make sure they are a cosponsor. If your senator is a Republican, tell them to put their money where their mouth is, pass this bill, and actually support families.
- If your representative is a Democrat, demand they oppose all extreme MAGA policy riders. Congress passed half of a government funding package last Friday, but the other half of the package faces a deadline of this Friday, March 22. House Republicans will not be able to pass anything without significant Democratic support. As the most extreme wing of the Republican party tries to hold everyone hostage and attach dangerous riders to funding the government, we must ensure Democrats stay in line and push them to sign a clean funding bill.
- If you have a Democratic senator (or two!), demand they oppose all extreme MAGA policy riders. What sort of things are those MAGA extremists trying to include in a government funding bill? Attacks on reproductive freedom, the LGBTQ+ community, and vulnerable asylum seekers; rollbacks of gun violence prevention policies; and more. We cannot allow our Democratic senators to give in to these extreme demands.
- Write a letter to the editor (LTE) about the MAGA plan to privatize Medicare. Trump intends to make Medicare Advantage the default program for all newly eligible Medicare participants. Medicare Advantage plans regularly deny coverage for essential care and patients covered by it are more likely to die in the month following major cancer surgeries than patients who have traditional Medicare. What does that mean: Republicans would put our lives in jeopardy to line the pockets of private investors. Write an LTE today to let people know about Trump’s latest threat.
P.S. We count on the small dollar donors to help fund this movement! If you're able, please pitch in today to support the grassroots organizing that powers our progressive wins.
Call for a Humanitarian Ceasefire
| **Content Warning: Talk about the current humanitarian crisis in Israel and Palestine. Jump to the line break if you need to avoid this topic.** |
Last month, President Biden issued a national security memorandum stating that any country that uses American weapons in armed conflict must provide the administration with “credible and reliable written assurances… that the recipient country will use any such defense articles in accordance with international humanitarian law.”
The memorandum, though not directly aimed at Israel, was a clear indication that the Biden administration would not allow Netanyahu’s military to use American weapons in potential war crimes going forward.
Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken received those written assurances from the Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and now has until March 25 to assess those assurances -- making the decision on whether American weapons will continue to be supplied to Israel.
As the Palestinian people face down Netanyahu’s continued insistence on a ground invasion in Rafah, 37 Members of Congress (MoCs) signed a letter to Biden stating that an invasion of Rafah would “likely contravene” the principles of the memorandum. We stand with the assessment of these MoCs and hope that more representatives join in the call for peace and accountability.
It is past time for a commitment to a humanitarian ceasefire, the return of the hostages, and unhindered access to aid for the Palestinian people.
IndivisiWin of the Week
Group Leader Yurie Hong of Indivisible Saint Peter/Greater Mankato is pictured at an event they co-hosted along with the Minnesota American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action (COPAL) to push awareness of the North Star Act -- a bill that would help protect immigrants in MN. Read more about the Minnesota event here.
Indivisible Civics
Register for our **RESCHEDULED** education series event -- Persuasion to Power: Know Your Audience with Loretta Ross this Wednesday, March 20 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Everyone we speak to, whether neighbor, friend, community member, or family, carries a slightly different set of values and expectations. In organizing conversations, it’s up to us to listen well and make strategic, thoughtful assessments of how to move our goals forward by taking into account the other person’s responses. We’ll learn from veteran activist Loretta Ross about how we can assess and adjust our communication approaches based on the person we’re talking to and how closely they already align with our goals.
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.
Spring is drawing ever closer and we can’t wait to be back on the pavement with you again working toward a greater democracy.
In solidarity,
Indivisible Team 
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