Dear MoveOn member,
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)—an annual gathering of some of the most influential far-right politicians that helped launch people like Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and Matt Gaetz onto the national stage—just went full dictatorship.
The first speaker kicked off the very first day with, "Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn't get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this, right here."1
Andra, the crowd went wild.2
The 2024 election is not about Democrat vs. Republican or conservative vs. progressive. CPAC made clear this election is about democracy and freedom vs. authoritarianism and Christian nationalism. Their vision of the United States isn't one we want to live in, which is why MoveOn has committed to a $32 million election plan with proven methods to save our democracy from MAGA dictators.
MoveOn is actively changing the narrative, educating 11 million surge voters—those leaning Democrat but who may not vote without a bit of a push—about the risks of a MAGA presidency and the personal freedoms that are at stake for all of us. The New York Times has said that surge voters will make or break this election, so we're talking to those voters right now.3 Effective organizing is incredibly time- and work-intensive. And that work absolutely needs your support for the long haul.
Will you help fight Trump and the MAGA Republican agenda by starting a $5 monthly donation to MoveOn today?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
CPAC proved that MAGA Republicans aren't even trying to hide their authoritarian aims anymore. Aside from several legislators and governors—and, of course Trump himself—speakers included former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and conservative activist Jack Posobiec. Representative Matt Gaetz gave a talk he called "Burning Down the House" about remaking the nation.4
A featured keynote was given by El Salvador's dictator (he calls himself that!), Nayib Bukele. Bukele, who is known for mass arrests of tens of thousands of his people and threatening his own legislature with military force, spoke about how the U.S. needs to "purge its courts" and defeat the "dark forces conspiring against Trump."5,6
Of course, Trump himself spoke, in probably the most outlandish, lie-filled speech yet (and that's saying something!). He said that if he isn't elected, all social services will "collapse," there will be "constant blackouts," and terrorists will roam our streets. But if he is elected, crime in major cities will be a thing of the past and we will all be "richer than ever before." He even called himself a "political dissident"!7
It would be almost laughable—if so many people didn't believe him.
Polls show more people believe Trump would handle the economy, security, and crime better than President Joe Biden.8 We know different—the fact is that President Biden has strengthened the economy and increased jobs, as opposed to Trump's massive tax cut for the ultra wealthy, and that Republicans have actually caused border security issues.9
This widespread disinformation is why it's simply not enough to launch a get-out-the-vote program in August like conventional wisdom says to do. Instead, voters need a comprehensive outreach and education program, which is exactly what MoveOn is doing with 11 million voters we've identified as most likely to go to the polls for President Biden with a little help from us.
Will you donate $5 a month to help defeat MAGA authoritarianism in November?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
We know we've been talking a lot about our election program recently, Andra. But that's because we fully believe it is the key to success.
It's not just a pipe dream. We saw our tactics succeed in 2022, stopping the much-predicted red wave. We saw our work turn out 50,000 voters who might not have gone to the polls otherwise. The New York Times reported that the unlikely voters who did turn out made the difference in 2022.10 And we have hard data showing that our vote tripling method increases turnout five times more than traditional methods.
These turnout methods work, but only if we can afford to sustain our effort all the way through November. We're talking directly to voters, starting right now. But to keep going, we need you to help us out. Can we count on you?
Please, if you are able, will you start a $5 monthly donation to MoveOn today to invest in our work to save democracy from Trump?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Mohammad, Evelyn, Melissa, Erica, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "MAGA Republican Pledges 'End of Democracy' to Rabid Cheers at CPAC," The New Republic, February 23, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/187751?t=8&akid=376408%2E53570607%2ES_iRCW
2. Ibid.
3. "They Could Decide the 2024 Election. If They Vote." The New York Times, February 26, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/187753?t=10&akid=376408%2E53570607%2ES_iRCW
4. "CPAC schedule 2024: Who is speaking," The Gazette, February 22, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/187754?t=12&akid=376408%2E53570607%2ES_iRCW
5. "'Coolest dictator' to 'philosopher king,' Nayib Bukele's path to reelection in El Salvador," AP News, February 5, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/187755?t=14&akid=376408%2E53570607%2ES_iRCW
6. "Republicans clapped when 'coolest dictator' defended Trump. Somehow that makes sense." USA Today, February 25, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/187756?t=16&akid=376408%2E53570607%2ES_iRCW
7. "At CPAC, Trump Invokes Clashing Visions of America's Future," The New York Times, February 24, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/187757?t=18&akid=376408%2E53570607%2ES_iRCW
8. "Poll: 20-point deficit on handling economy highlights Biden's struggles against Trump," NBC News, February 4, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/187758?t=20&akid=376408%2E53570607%2ES_iRCW
9. "At CPAC, Trump Invokes Clashing Visions of America's Future," The New York Times, February 24, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/187757?t=22&akid=376408%2E53570607%2ES_iRCW
10. "They Could Decide the 2024 Election. If They Vote." The New York Times, February 26, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/187753?t=24&akid=376408%2E53570607%2ES_iRCW
Want to support MoveOn's work? The MAGA movement's book bans have forced teachers and librarians across the country to remove books from their shelves and censor what young people can learn. MoveOn is fighting back, including by filling a "Banned Bookmobile" with books that the far right has banned and driving it to key cities and towns to raise the visibility of book bans, hand out banned books for free, and bring people together to stop censorship. To keep up the fight against book bans and the MAGA politicians who support them, we need your help.
Will you start a monthly gift to power and sustain MoveOn's critical work?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
PAID FOR BY MOVEON POLITICAL ACTION, https://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. MoveOn Political Action - PO Box 96142, Washington, D.C. 20090-6142.
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