Join a Recess Resistance Meeting THIS WEEK

Your Members of Congress (MOCs) are back in their home districts this week to meet with their constituents - something that's typically done via large public meetings called townhalls.

Your job this week is to show up. If you disagree with how our MOC's have been representing you, you need to hold them accountable. And if you think your MOC's have been doing a good job, you need to show your support to provide political cover for them.

Please watch this short, sweet video by Robert Reich about why townhall meetings are so important.



Unfortunately, many members of Congress - primarily Republicans - are opting out of townhall meetings because they can't take the heat of an engaged (and enraged) citizenry.

Just look at the awesome job Utahans did with Rep. Jason Chaffetz (a genuine "swamp creature" who is still vowing to investigate Hillary's emails in his role as Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform but seems unconcerned about looking into Trump's ties to Russia and massive conflicts of interest...) at a recent townhall. I've watched this a few times when I'm feeling down and it never fails to cheer me up :)


Here are your marching orders:

1.  Read through the Indivisible guide to Recess Resistance - it's got all the information you could possibly need.

2a. If your members of Congress are actually holding townhall meetings, go to one! Check the listings at the Town Hall project as well as at the Resistance Recess listings by MoveOn to see what's happening If you like what your member has been doing, show your support by bringing a sign and speaking up. If you disagree with what your member is doing, show your disapproval by bringing a sign and speaking up against their actions/votes.

2b. If your members of Congress are too cowardly to hold a townhall meeting, you need to go to whatever alternate meeting or protest is planned (find one here) to highlight the fact that they're not willing to meet with their constituents. You can print out a life-sized picture of your Congressperson's face and glue it to a piece of cardboard with a little handle (or go the full cardboard cut out route if time and funds allow)!

3. Record whatever happens at the meeting. Take lots of pictures of the crowd and of yourself and your friends posing with that cardboard cut out of your member of Congress. Try out Facebook live or just take a regular old video.

4. Share your photos, videos and quotes on social media using the hashtag #resistancerecess and #resisttrump along with whatever specific hashtags might be relevant for your members of Congress.

5. Tweet and email your photos and quotes to local reporters, newspapers and news sites.

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For example, we're dealing with a no-show here in NY's 19th congressional district -- our first-term Republican Congressman, John Faso refuses to participate in public meetings or to post his schedule.

So we're having a townhall meeting without him (although he's cordially invited - we really would prefer for him to participate) and inviting the press.

Yesterday, I ordered a life-sized cardboard cut out of Where's Waldo with Faso's face (thanks again for the photoshop help, Phil!) so that people can pose with it for photos. Then they can post them to social media using hashtags like #WheresJohnFaso and #NotSoFaso It's the next best thing to actually being able to meet with him.