Dear CCL volunteers, supporters and staff,

Yesterday was a frightening and heartbreaking day, as hundreds of our
fellow Americans desecrated our nation's Capitol. I imagine the images
hit close to home for you, as they did for me—we have walked those very
halls and felt the significance and privilege of being in the seat of
American democracy. Many of us have warm relationships with our members
of Congress and their staff, and we've been friendly with food service
workers, security guards and others whose paths we cross on Capitol
Hill. Knowing they were in harm's way made yesterday's events even more
painful.

If you need support to process the events and emotions of this week,
your Regional Coordinator

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may be holding "office hours" on Zoom. Please feel free to reach out to
them or to other CCL staff members as we navigate this together.

I am grateful that Congress finished its work last night and many
Republican members of Congress spoke out calling for an end to the mob
violence and lies about the election. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) called
yesterday's events an "insurrection," and warned, "Those who choose to
continue to support his [President Trump's] dangerous gambit by
objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will
forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against
our democracy." Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-16) in the House also
denounced the insurrection, saying, "What happened yesterday is a call
to accountability." Unfortunately, more than 100 other Republicans
ignored that call and chose to double down, continuing to object to
states' election certifications.

If your member of Congress is among the dissenters, I understand that
meeting with them face-to-face might feel impossible right now. From our
early days as an organization, our rule for citizen lobbyists was to
meet with members of Congress from a place of respect, gratitude, and
appreciation for their public service. If that's not something you can
do right now, it's okay to take a step back from lobbying. There are
other vital ways to build political will for climate solutions in your
communities, which may be a better fit for you right now.

But in my view, it's clear that American democracy needs more adults in
the room. What we do in CCL is model the behavior that we need
throughout our country: mutual respect, healthy dialogue, and faith in
the processes and institutions of our democracy. I invite you to
continue to be that example of democracy in action. If we continue to
work together—with each other, within our communities, and with
Congress—we can and will make positive change.

Mark Reynolds Executive Director Citizens' Climate Lobby

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