Dear MoveOn member,
It's time to take the impeachment fight to the Republicans in Congress and demand they put our country over their party—or face their outraged constituents.
That's why MoveOn is launching a series of hard-hitting ads and local actions in key states to get key Republican senators and House members on their heels, starting during the congressional recess that's happening right now and continuing throughout the upcoming weeks and months of the impeachment fight.
We need the funds to buy very visible ads and hire staff on the ground to pull off media-grabbing events that will drive local news coverage. And at the same time, we need to keep pressure on Democrats—to keep them strong through the congressional recess and as we barrel toward an actual impeachment vote—which means we have to have the resources to run multiple projects at once.
This is going to be a long battle. We can win if we are outspent. But winning will still cost millions. And that is why we need you, John.
Will you chip in $3 a week so MoveOn can bring the impeachment fight to key states and districts, forcing Republicans to choose between loyalty to their constituents and loyalty to Trump, while we also build up public pressure for Democrats to act swiftly and decisively in the House? (MoveOn will bill your weekly donation once a month starting today and will contact you shortly after Donald Trump is no longer president to see if you want to modify or cancel your weekly donation.)
Yes, I'll chip in weekly to help hold Republicans' feet to the fire to impeach and convict Trump.
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
Just think about how Mitch McConnell was pummeled by critiques of his obstruction of two election protection bills. He hated the moniker "Moscow Mitch" so much that he lashed out against it ... and ultimately gave in and held a vote on one of the bills.
That will pale in comparison to the pressure McConnell—and other Republicans up for re-election in 2020—should feel now. Because when the House impeaches Trump—yes, we believe it's "when," not "if," in part because of the nonstop organizing and advocacy by MoveOn members like you and our allies across the country—it will be on the Senate to hold a trial to convict Trump and remove him from office.
The conventional wisdom has been that Senate Republicans would acquit Trump. But increasingly, they know they're putting their own jobs at risk as Trump's house of cards begins to collapse. House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler stated, "I think the bottom is falling out so fast that there is a reasonable chance the Senate will in fact convict."1
And, for the first time, a majority of Americans now support impeaching Trump and removing him from office.2 Republican senators are looking at the same numbers we are and eventually will see that their continued blind fealty to Trump is a risk to their political futures.
So that's why we're coming down hard on Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Martha McSally of Arizona, and more—including Mitch McConnell himself—so that they have to face tough questions, constituent backlash, and negative press in their home states.
But to do it we will need a consistent flow of funds to ensure we can run these campaigns without sacrificing any of the other critical work MoveOn is focused on. Will you chip in $3 a week to help hold Republicans accountable, impeach Trump in the House and convict him in the Senate? (MoveOn will bill your weekly donation once a month starting today and will contact you shortly after Donald Trump is no longer president to see if you want to modify or cancel your weekly donation.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
Trump enablers announced a $10 million television ad buy on top of running more than 1,800 Facebook ads peddling his Orwellian narrative on impeachment—seen by 16-18 million people—in the past seven days alone.3,4
Stunningly, due in part to the right-wing media's false and misleading advertising and in part to an increasingly polarized America, a majority of Republican voters don't believe that Trump discussed Biden with Ukraine's president, despite Trump actually admitting it.5 And while a majority of Americans favor impeachment, only 17% of Fox viewers share that view—a reminder of the impact that Fox and Trump's megaphones (and a lack of agreement about basic facts or reality) have in rallying a right-wing base.6
We have to fight back against Trump’s media narrative, as Trump and his administration desperately try to shift the blame, distract the media, and peddle conspiracy theories to confuse everyone else. We have to counter this onslaught with compelling, fact-based videos that cut through the noise, with ads in targeted states and congressional districts, with op-eds, and more.
Finally, we can't relent on Democrats. It was our persistent grassroots pressure, including a hugely successful Impeachment August, that won us growing Democratic support, then a majority, then a nearly unanimous Democratic caucus. But it's imperative they don't back down. So we're ramping up campaigns to make sure they know that we expect a vote on actual articles of impeachment without delay—and that if they stand strong, MoveOn members will have their backs for as long as it takes.
Will you chip in $3 a week and help make it all possible? (MoveOn will bill your weekly donation once a month starting today and will contact you shortly after Donald Trump is no longer president to see if you want to modify or cancel your weekly donation.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
In 1974, it was after the House drafted articles of impeachment that Nixon, confronted with the reality that the Senate wouldn't acquit him and that Republicans were abandoning him, resigned rather than face impeachment.
We can't know how this story will play out, but we know that shifting popular opinion can play an enormous role—and that we can't let Republicans off the hook.
Thanks for all you do.
–David, Michael, Erica, Katie, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. Tweet by ActTV, September 30, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/99967?t=8&akid=247421%2E40999114%2EYMnfpq
2. "Perilous times for Trump: By 45%-38%, Americans support impeaching him over Ukraine allegations, poll finds," USA Today, October 3, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/99968?t=10&akid=247421%2E40999114%2EYMnfpq
3. "Trump attacks whistleblower as some Republicans seek more strategic response," Portland Press Herald, October 1, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/100126?t=12&akid=247421%2E40999114%2EYMnfpq
4. "Trump is using Facebook to run thousands of ads about impeachment," CNN, September 30, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/100076?t=14&akid=247421%2E40999114%2EYMnfpq
5. "Poll: Only 4 in 10 Republicans think Trump mentioned Biden on Ukraine call even though he acknowledged doing so," USA Today, October 1, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/100078?t=16&akid=247421%2E40999114%2EYMnfpq
6. "New poll: Fox’s audience is accepting its impeachment spin," Media Matters, October 3, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/100127?t=18&akid=247421%2E40999114%2EYMnfpq
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