Okay, here's what we're going to do.
Pick a candidate. Go hard. Flip seats. ✅
A lot of Americans are going to die because of this brutal budget megabill that Republicans in Congress just passed. Many millions will lose health care, and many will go hungry. There will be so much more pollution. We will be at so much more risk from climate change. So many more abductions by ICE. So much destruction of our public lands and waters. It’s a sledgehammer to the clean energy sector. It endangers every single one of us.
There are too many abhorrent elements to list. (Here’s a summary.) But suffice it to say this is the most cruel and repugnant piece of legislation our nation has ever passed. July 3rd, 2025 is a disgusting inflection point for the USA.
As the saying goes, when people show us who they are, believe them. Project 2025 was the showing. And now so much of it is law. I’m nauseated. I don’t have the adjectives or metaphors to describe the horrors of it. (We need poets.)
Getting it right just got so much harder. But we are not quitters.
So, what now?
Harness your rage and heartbreak and:
Never let the Republicans live this down. They are utterly selling out their constituents and bankrupting our nation to give tax cuts to billionaires. Hold them accountable for this evil, evil shit.
Choose a Congressional campaign to help win. Get behind a candidate whose values are humane and whose platform focuses on climate solutions. Go hard. Flip seats. WIN. Secure a Democratic majority in Congress so we can undo as much of the coming damage as possible.
Choose a local campaign to help win. Implementation is local, on climate solutions and beyond. Seats on town councils, utility commissions, school boards, mayors, etc. are easier to win than national ones and will bring you closer to your community. And goodness are we going to need that community.
Be a good friend and neighbor. All the sweetness we can find. All the generosity we can muster. We are in this together.
Do not give up. The midterms are right around the corner. And who is in office changes the landscape of what is possible. The future is not yet written.
Some races I’ll be supporting:
MAINE: My new home state. (I moved here in part because it’s a swing state. I mean… if a million progressives moved to “red states” Congress would be resoundingly run by Democrats. Farmer/scholar Brian Donahue makes a compelling case for this.)
In the Democratic primary, I’m supporting HANNAH PINGREE for Governor! She’s been Maine’s Speaker of the House, chaired her local school board, and led the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. She’s an ace on climate policy, and impressively effective at gathering bipartisan support and getting shit done. (Also: I'll support anyone decent who runs against Sen. Susan Collins — she stinks.)
NEW YORK CITY: My hometown. ZOHRAN MAMDANI for Mayor! He’s the best choice on climate – and many other things. I’m sure you’ve already seen heaps of press about him, but check out his climate platform. (Also, I hope he adopts Brad Lander’s extremely legit climate proposals.)
IOWA: Sen. Joni Earnst, who championed DOGE’s destruction of the executive branch of government, has got to go. ZACH WAHLS for Senate! He’s a true public servant. And if anyone can flip this seat (which is key to flipping the Senate), it’s him. Plus, he’s married to a friend of mine, so I can personally vouch for him as an excellent human.
Smash those buttons 👆🏽 to volunteer and donate.
PLUS: I’ll continue volunteering with Environmental Voter Project (getting environmentalists to show up to vote) and Lead Locally (supporting down ballot climate candidates).
Environmental Voter works on increasing turnout in *every* election. So if you are looking for something to do NOW, sign up to join their next phone bank on July 8th ☎️ hosted by
— calling voters in Georgia for the Public Service Commission runoff. Then, there are multiple phone banks a week for various races, thereafter and indefinitely.Okay, that’s what I’m going to do. You too? (Say yes.)
Sending love and tenacity 🩵
ayana
Yes, Active Hope! Joanna Macy, “If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear.”
Moving to Maine to help flip the switch! Thx for once again walking the talk and inspiring the rest of us to pick something and go forward heart & soul.