WILL CONGRESS REIN IN PRESIDENTIAL ABUSES AND PREVENT FUTURE COUPS?
Congress must act quickly to restore checks and balances and prevent Trump from becoming America’s first dictator.
QUICK READ: “Trumpism with or without Trump remains a peril, because his unprecedented appetite for authoritarianism has spread to his followers. . . .The continued viability of the United States as a constitutional republic requires both that seditionists be brought to justice and that we. . .repair the weaknesses in our system that they exposed.” Laurence Tribe, Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard University
TAKE ACTION NOW:
BACKGROUND
Trump’s presidency, which shredded the constraints on the exercise of presidential authority, exposed the frailty of our system of checks and balances.
He continued to trample on the Constitution after his loss:
using all the levers of government to pressure state and local officials, Congresspeople, and Pence to declare him the winner
sending insurrectionists into the Capitol to prevent certification
refusing to concede and continuing to maintain he won the election.
Insurrectionists are being prosecuted, but Trump and his minions, who incited insurrection and created a seditious conspiracy, still walk free, and Congress has done nothing to prevent future assaults on our democracy.
The just-introduced Protecting Our Democracy Act, which strengthens checks on the presidency, reclaims the authority of Congress, and constrains any president seeking to exploit his position for personal or political gain, is a good first step.
Bills are also being drafted to reform the Electoral Count Act Trump attempted to use to limit partisan interference in presidential vote tallying.
While Trump’s no longer president, he’s left behind a detailed road map for unscrupulous, aspiring dictators to follow. Congress must act quickly to restore the guardrails he demolished so our democracy will never again be placed in peril.
ACTION One: Call the Senate.
Script for Oregon Senators
SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753
My name is [--] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Congress must act quickly to restore checks and balances and prevent Trump from becoming America’s first dictator. Thank you for co-sponsoring S.2921, the Protecting Our Democracy Act. Please also:
- Convince your colleagues of the urgent need for this legislation and and for reforming the vague, outdated Electoral Count Act
- Ask the Attorney General to criminally prosecute Trump and all those involved in his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election
SEN. WYDEN: Portland office: 503-326-7525 | D.C. office: 202-224-5244
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Congress must act quickly to restore checks and balances and prevent Trump from becoming America’s first dictator. Thank you for co-sponsoring S.2921, the Protecting Our Democracy Act. Please also:
- Convince your colleagues of the urgent need for this legislation and and for reforming the vague, outdated Electoral Count Act
- Ask the Attorney General to criminally prosecute Trump and all those involved in his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election
Script for Republican Senators
D.C switchboard: 202-224-3121
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], [state], [zip code].
Congress must act quickly to restore checks and balances and prevent Trump from becoming America’s first dictator. Thank you for co-sponsoring S.2921, the Protecting Our Democracy Act. Please also: Convince your colleagues of the urgent need for this legislation and and for reforming the vague, outdated Electoral Count Act Ask the Attorney General to criminally prosecute Trump and all those involved in his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election
ACTION TWO: Call the House.
Script for Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)
Oregon office: 503-469-6010 | DC office: 202-225-0855
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Congress must act quickly to restore checks and balances and prevent Trump from becoming America’s first dictator. Thank you for co-sponsoring S.2921, the Protecting Our Democracy Act. Please also:
- Convince your colleagues of the urgent need for this legislation and and for reforming the vague, outdated Electoral Count Act
- Ask the Attorney General to criminally prosecute Trump and all those involved in his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election
Script for Cliff Bentz (OR-02)
Medford office: 541-776-4646 | DC office: 202-225-6730
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Congress must act quickly to restore Constitutional checks and balances and prevent a future would-be dictator stealing an election. Supporting the Protecting Our Democracy Act and reforming the Electoral Count Act is not a partisan issue.
Script for Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
Oregon office: 503-231-2300 | DC office: 202-225-4811
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Congress must act quickly to restore checks and balances and prevent Trump from becoming America’s first dictator. Thank you for co-sponsoring S.2921, the Protecting Our Democracy Act. Please also:
- Convince your colleagues of the urgent need for this legislation and and for reforming the vague, outdated Electoral Count Act
- Ask the Attorney General to criminally prosecute Trump and all those involved in his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election
Script for Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
Eugene office: 541-465-6732 | DC office: 202-225-6416
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Congress must act quickly to restore checks and balances and prevent Trump from becoming America’s first dictator. Thank you for co-sponsoring S.2921, the Protecting Our Democracy Act. Please also:
- Convince your colleagues of the urgent need for this legislation and and for reforming the vague, outdated Electoral Count Act
- Ask the Attorney General to criminally prosecute Trump and all those involved in his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election
Script for Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Salem office: 503-588-9100 | DC office: 202-225-5711
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Congress must act quickly to restore checks and balances and prevent Trump from becoming America’s first dictator. Please co-sponsor HR.5314, the Protecting Our Democracy Act, and work for its quick passage. Please also:
- Convince colleagues of the need to reform the vague, outdated Electoral Count Act
- Ask the Attorney General to criminally prosecute Trump and all those involved in his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election
Action 3:
Other opportunities for action include:
WRITE LETTERS AND POSTCARDS IN GOOD COMPANY,
FRIDAY, OCT. 15, 4:00pm: https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/274619/
PHONEBANK TO ENCOURAGE VIRGINIANS TO VOTE
SATURDAY, OCT. 16, 12:00 noon-2:00pm: https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/410893/
Further Reading:
Opinion: Our constitutional crisis is already here
How to prevent the legal strategy that nearly undid the last election from ending democracy
How to protect our democracy from the next Trump
Here’s what Congress can do to keep the next Trump from stealing an election
The Obscure Law That Enabled Trump’ s Subversion of the Electoral College
Trump Tried To Use This Law To Overturn His Loss, But Now Congress Could Change It
House Democrats introduced the ‘Protecting Our Democracy Act’
