Citizen Action Weekend; Friday, July 1st – Monday, July 4th
Supreme Court’s Abortion Ruling A Betrayal of Democracy
The only way to restore women’s constitutional rights is to restore true democracy, starting at the ballot box.
The Supreme Court’s Dobbs Decision is yet another blow to the shaky foundations of American democracy as shocking as the revelations of the January 6th Committee.
Right-wing extremists, funded by billionaires and our largest corporations, have seized control of the Republican Party and are using it as an instrument to systematically undermine our democratic institutions. Donald Trump is the first president in American history to resist the peaceful transfer of power after losing an election. Although Trump’s 2020 coup failed, he and his Senate allies succeeded in packing the Supreme Court with ideological hacks willing to legislate from the bench. Although the GOP has only won the popular vote for president once in the last thirty years, they have a 6-3 majority on the court willing to impose a tyranny of the minority.
“These extremist politicians masquerading as judges, without regard for public opinion or settled legal precedent, have set equality back over half a century and imposed their will over the most personal choices of every woman of childbearing age,” said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. “If this extremest court is allowed to get away with its assault on women’s autonomy, no rights will be safe. In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas proposed reconsidering the cases which protect marriage equality, access to contraceptives, and intimate relations between LGBTQ people. Unless they are stopped by the defenders of democracy, the assault on women’s rights will be only the beginning.”
Here in Wisconsin, the Dobbs decision sets women’s equality back over 170 years, turning the clock back to a pre-Civil War criminal abortion law which was passed before women even had the right to vote and when slavery was still the law of the land. This archaic law is being held in place by a gerrymandered GOP majority in the Legislature, that with the assistance of the same Supreme Court which overturned Roe vs. Wade has a guaranteed super majority regardless of how the people of Wisconsin vote in November.
In the face of a tyrannical minority that is willing to seize every ounce of power within their grasp, the only way to restore democratic rule is to lean into our power. First, we need leaders who support women’s reproductive rights to be willing to use all the power at their disposal. It is a great first step that Governor Tony Evers has committed to grant clemency to anyone convicted under Wisconsin archiac abortion law, and that Attorney General Josh Kaul has promised not to enforce the law. We need equal courage from Congress and the White House in the coming weeks.
“The only solution to the tyranny of the minority is for the majority to use the electoral process to reclaim democratic rule,” said Kraig. “The most immediate way to address this dangerous decision is to elect a Congressional majority in November willing to use its power to codify Roe v. Wade. But that will only be a temporary solution. Make no mistake, this rogue Supreme Court can be counted on to revoke such a law. The only way to control it is to elect Senators and Members of Congress willing to end the filibuster, unpack the Supreme Court by adding actual judges, and use the power the Constitution provides Congress to limit the court’s jurisdiction. These steps may seem radical to some, but in fact they are fully authorized under our Constitution, which does not limit the number of justices to nine, and gives Congress power over the court’s jurisdiction. These are protections against a wayward Supreme Court that the framers added as a check on judicial tyranny.”
“American corporations and billionaires, beneficiaries of an economy they rigged against working people, are major actors in the attack on democracy. They funnel millions into GOP campaigns to aid their own selfish interests. Corporate titans such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Wisconsin Manufactures and Commerce developed and funded the strategy to pack the Supreme Court and the Wisconsin Supreme Court,” Kraig continued. “The Supreme Court’s decision in the infamous Citizen United case has given the super rich and the biggest corporations an outsized influence in our elections, and they have used it to fund a radical party that is bent on ending America’s experiment in multiracial democracy. A new majority in Congress must adopt a robust definition of democratic restoration which checks the judicial tyranny of the Supreme Court and addresses through transformational reforms economic inequality, tax fairness, and the corrupt system for financing political campaigns. Only then will our rights be safe.”
Citizen Action hires Priscilla Rose Bort as new Movement Politics Director!
Citizen Action is thrilled to announce the hiring of Priscilla Rose Bort as the new Movement Politics Director to lead our political work. Priscilla Rose joins us from the Wisconsin Working Families Party.
Priscilla Rose is passionate about working with anyone who is looking to find their place in the world, and in movement politics. She wants to change the status quo of Wisconsin politics by working with BIPOC candidates, getting them across the Election Day finish line and beyond.
She grew up in West Allis and currently lives in Milwaukee, and is the daughter of a single mother union employee. Just this May she earned her Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University!
She got her start in the gun control movement, eventually volunteering with Mandela Barnes for Lt. Gov and found her love of movement politics while working at the Wisconsin Working Families Party. She is deeply excited about joining Citizen Action of Wisconsin as the Movement Politics Director, and cannot wait to build with the entire CAW team and the co-op members, and continue to do the thing she truly loves to do: recruit and encourage candidates of all kinds who want to change the way politics looks in Wisconsin.
Citizen Action Healthcare for All Co-op attends the Democratic Convention in La Crosse
Karen Kirsch, the healthcare organizer and Dr. Lynn Carey recently spent the weekend talking to Democrats about healthcare. They had so many great conversations and our pragmatic but ambitious plan to improve our healthcare system was warmly embraced. If you are interested in helping Karen table at a few summer events, please email her at [email protected]
Take Action in support of Wisconsin’s Climate & Jobs Package
The Climate & Jobs Package is the first comprehensive legislation ever introduced in Wisconsin or in the Upper Midwest to actually meet the international climate targets needed to avert catastrophic climate change. The plan also leans into the opportunity to use a greenhouse gas transition to create a fair economy that offers real economic opportunity to every Wisconsinite in every region of our state. The legislation is a good way to meet Governor Evers’ bold Clean Energy Plan, which provides a framework for planning a meaningful climate response.
WATCH new Mandela Barnes for U.S. Senate TV Ad
Volunteer to make calls for Mandela Barnes with Citizen Action and People’s Action.
The Healthcare Co-op shows up for Women’s rights
Women’s reproductive care is healthcare. We heard you. Members of Citizen Action and the Healthcare co-op got together to attend some suburban rallies about the repeal of the Roe decision. The event was coordinated with Planned Parenthood. What is unique is that we took to the suburbs of Milwaukee.
The response was strong and we even garnered a little press attention. Keep an eye on your email as Karen will soon be coordinating another outing so you won’t have to attend a rally alone. Activism is better with friends!
Join The Sierra Club & Citizen Action for an important documentary about the Plastic Crisis
Humanity has created over 8,000,000 tons of plastic. Only 10% of that plastic has been recycled. That’s why July is recognized as Plastics Free Month!
Citizen Action of Wisconsin and the Coulee Region Sierra Club are hosting a very special free screening and discussion about the documentary “The Story of Plastic”.
In order to watch and join you will need to first register HERE. Then you can watch the film on your own time (you will be given a link to the free screener. Then on July 19th at 7:00 PM we will be hosting a very special Zoom conference to discuss the film and plan our actions to tackle the plastics crisis.
Sign up NOW to join the conversation and help ramp up the fight against plastics pollution!
Come join our Friends at the Crawford Stewardship Project THIS FRIDAY, July 1st, 5pm, for a night of fun, music and water protection!
LOVE THE LAND, Crawford Stewardship Project’s annual summer party, is Friday, July 1st, 5pm – Midnight. There will be music from multiple genres, fun, fellowship and a chance to get involved in protecting our planet! You can even stop by the Citizen Action booth on site
Attend Citizen Action Driftless Coop “Summer Party” in La Crosse July 16th.
Saturday, July 16, 2022 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM CT
Join your fellow progressive activists for our annual, summer fundraising party! This is your chance to party with other progressive leaders and activists, hang out and enjoy the beach vibe and free beverages, learn more about our movement and enjoy a summer afternoon in beautiful La Crosse Wisconsin! Invite your progressive friends to come so that we can bring them into our activism as well.
One of our very own member leaders will be hosting this event at their house! To protect their home the address will be sent out after you RSVP. RSVP IS NEEDED IN ORDER TO ATTEND. Beverages will be on the house. Please bring a dish to pass, consider vegan choices. Dress is beachwear. This is going to be a family friendly event so bring the little ones…it’s never too soon to teach your children how to fight for a better tomorrow!
There is a suggested donation of $25. Your donation will help us fund Driftless progressive victories in November!
There will be a major announcement about the future of the Driftless Co-op. You are not going to want to miss this!
Join a Citizen Action Organizing Cooperative during our July membership drive.
Listen to “Insurrection against Roe” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We discuss a post Roe America and its connection to the insurrection. Governor Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul go on the offensive and file lawsuit challenging Wisconsin’s 1849 law banning abortions, calling it unenforceable. We review the historic and eye-popping details of Tuesday’s January 6th hearing testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a key staffer to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board called for the defeat of Ron Johnson following his connection to the January 6th insurrection. The State Supreme Court says a Walker appointed DNR appointee can stay beyond his term and disgraced Michael Gableman sued for the 4th time for failing to keep public records. We discuss how our elections are too dominated by horse race and faux scandal media and encourage you to get involved and volunteer with Citizen Action to make calls for Mandela Barnes for U.S. Senate every Wednesday, 5-8pm. RSVP HERE!
LISTEN to the show!
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