Dear MoveOn member,
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives reinstated a mask mandate in an effort to protect members of Congress and staff due to the rise in COVID case numbers and the spread of the delta variant.1 On that same day, Representative Lauren Boebert joined two dozen other Republicans in openly defying the order. She even threw a mask offered to her in the face of a staffer.2
That move came just days after Boebert called health care workers doing outreach to under-vaccinated communities in her district "needle Nazis" and flippantly referred to the life-saving vaccines as "Fauci ouchies."3
Boebert might think it's funny to joke about the pandemic or might think she can score political points by being antisemitic and spreading conspiracy theories, but here is the harsh truth: People in her district are dying. A local hospital there just had to reopen their COVID unit because of the sharp rise in cases, and the hospital's self-identified conservative Republican CEO said plainly: "I'm embarrassed that she is my representative."4
As COVID-19 cases across the country have begun to rise, threatening a new deadly wave, we should all be embarrassed and infuriated that Republican elected officials are callously spreading lies and putting our health and our lives at risk. The GOP is proving once again that they do not deserve an ounce of power in our government, and we need to do everything we can to make sure they do not get it.
If the GOP takes control of the House next year, Trump acolyte Kevin McCarthy would become the speaker of the House, and far-right extremists like Lauren Boebert will run the agenda. We cannot let that happen. Will you chip in $5 a month to power MoveOn's midterm election campaigns and ensure that we can beat back the deadly threat of the GOP?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Make no mistake: Boebert's extremism is not the fringe; it is the dominant view of Donald Trump's Republican Party.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Friday that he would sign an executive order banning schools and local businesses from requiring masks, even while the state is becoming the epicenter of new cases.5
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson—who has publicly refused to get vaccinated—made the outrageous claim that children wearing masks could "do more harm than good."6
Kevin McCarthy took to the floor of the House this week to complain about the mask mandate and mock Democrats who were wearing masks to protect their families and friends.7
These people do not have the common sense to protect themselves and their own families, in what world should they be allowed to make decisions that impact all of us?
We need to defeat these dangerous extremists and elect real leaders who believe in science, believe in facts, and don't take their cues from a disgruntled narcissist holed up in Mar-a-Lago.
But it is going to take a monumental effort to beat back the machine that is the Republican Party and their megadonors—and we cannot wait to start building the infrastructure we will need to win in 2022. Will you help out by chipping in $5 a month, John?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Kelly, Bekir, Chrissy, Olga, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "'I'm embarrassed': Constituents react to Boebert defying rules," CNN, July 30, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/154922?t=6&akid=303163%2E40999114%2EpkRamO
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to issue executive order banning mask mandates in schools," Yahoo! News, July 30, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/154923?t=8&akid=303163%2E40999114%2EpkRamO
6. "Ron Johnson criticizes new CDC guidance, questions effectiveness of masks despite research showing they reduce COVID spread," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 28, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/154924?t=10&akid=303163%2E40999114%2EpkRamO
7. "Pelosi: To say not wearing a mask is based on science is not wise," CNN, July 28, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/154925?t=12&akid=303163%2E40999114%2EpkRamO
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