It didn’t just happen. We fought for it. And we won.

In the middle of this holiday season, we wanted to share what happened—and celebrate—with you.

Just weeks ago, an anti-refugee backlash had enormous momentum. Donald Trump and other Republican presidential candidates were shamelessly stoking fears and scapegoating refugees in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. Dozens of governors declared Syrian refugees weren’t welcome in their states.

Congressional offices were “hearing more on this refugee issue than they have heard on any other issue in the last eight years, more than Obamacare, more than anything,” according to insiders quoted by Politico.² The U.S. House quickly passed a draconian bill, with a veto-proof majority, to effectively stop Syrian resettlement programs.

Everyone thought the anti-refugee bill would sail through the Senate. Or if it didn’t, then surely it would be attached to the must-pass spending bill, as conservatives were demanding. Either way, thousands of Syrian families would find their hope of safety suddenly disappear.

But something happened that Washington wasn’t counting on: our community stood up.

We signed and delivered hundreds of thousands of petition signatures. We flooded Congress with phone calls—at least 25,000 calls from MoveOn members alone. We marched in the streets at dozens of vigils and rallies with “Refugees Welcome” signs held high. We conducted polling research showing that Democrats can confidently stand with refugees. We used social media to share more than 150 digital posters celebrating legislators who did the right thing—and calling out those who caved in the face of fear.

And we welcomed refugee families into our homes for Thanksgiving-themed dinners. I hosted one at my home—where newcomers to America broke bread with civic leaders, my family members, and our member of Congress, Representative Jan Schakowsky.

Through all of this work, we gained momentum in our work to defend America’s highest ideals. First, the Senate refused to pass the terrible House bill. Then, when Republicans tried to tuck the anti-refugee measures into a big, must-pass spending bill, we kept fighting back—and by the time House Speaker Paul Ryan counted his votes, so many representatives had changed their position that he had to abandon the effort.

There is so much more we can—and must—do to tackle one of the greatest global migration and refugee crises since World War II. But last week marked an important victory in turning back some very dark impulses in American politics.

As many of us prepare to spend holidays with family, we also remember that there are many people who have no home to turn to, including more than four million Syrian refugees—half of whom are children—and millions more around the world.³ Over the past month, we have taken small steps to help these families. In the new year, with new resolve, let’s continue to work to live up to the essential values proclaimed on the Statue of Liberty: “Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

The post VICTORY: Anti-Refugee Measure Defeated in Congress appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The senseless massacres in Paris—and the bombings in Beirut the day before—have sent the world into mourning.

The killings triggered a flood of solidarity, compassion, and calls for accountability—but also the risk of an unreasoned backlash that will compound the tragedy. Hate cannot defeat hate.

Will you add your name to our open letter expressing our grief and compassion for the victims and impacted communities, and calling for justice rather than vengeance? Click here to add your name.

We’ll join with a global coalition to put our message in a full-page ad in the French newspaper Le Monde—and we’ll also display the signatures online. 

The draft open letter says:

Click here to add your name to our open letter in Le Monde—and help make sure that the victims’ families, and the impacted communities—feel the kind of compassion Americans experienced after 9/11.

Paris is, tragically, not alone in suffering. A double suicide bombing in Beirut, Lebanon on Thursday killed at least 40 people. Turkey, Iraq, Kenya, and other countries around the globe have experienced similar horrors this year. Every one of those victims deserves to be mourned.

And now, there’s reason to fear that Paris will become a kind of tipping point—that these latest attacks will push the global community further into mutual suspicion and perpetual retaliation.

Those responsible for these violent acts must be held accountable. But we can’t forget how 9/11 was used to justify the war in Iraq, and that ISIS’s own origins trace to a U.S-run Iraqi prison. It is precisely in moments like this one that we must be on guard against a rush to war.

France has already initiated military action against targets in Syria, with U.S. help.⁴ Anti-Muslim, anti-refugee rhetoric is flaring up in the U.S. and around the world. And we’re already seeing right-wing hawks and neoconservatives in the United States—including those who pushed us to war after 9/11—pushing for reckless military action and taking an even more cruel line towards desperate Syrian refugee families.

MoveOn will need to be a voice for justice, and against vengeance and xenophobia. Our first act is to join together and send all the victims’ communities a message of love and compassion during this difficult time.

The post LEARN MORE: MoveOn Members Are Sending Communities of Recent ISIS Attacks a Message of Love and Compassion appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The post MoveOn.org Reacts to the Tragic Church Shooting in South Carolina appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

MoveOn members across the country have weighed in with thoughts on what’s happening in Iraq. There are varying opinions on different aspects of this crisis, but there are some common threads. Our hearts break for the people of Iraq who are living through this conflict. We know there are no simple solutions. And we’re united in our opposition to America sliding down the slippery slope to another war in Iraq.

As we all try to make sense of the events that are unfolding, here are eight things that you should know about the Iraq crisis.

Please read on and then share the list on Facebook, Twitter, or by emailing your friends. It’s vital that we engage the country in a conversation about the U.S. role in Iraq.

8 Things to Know about the Iraq Crisis

1. Right-wing war hawks are pushing for another full-blown war in Iraq.

Senator John McCain, Senator Lindsey Graham, other Republicans in Congress, and right-wing figures—who blindly led America into invading and occupying Iraq—are now demanding more military action that could drag us back into full-scale war in the region.^3,4,5

2. The slippery slope is real.

Mission creep can too easily occur—along with unintended consequences and new problems created by the use of U.S. military force.^6,7 History shows us that many big wars start out looking small, including the Korean War and the Vietnam War.⁸ And we are now dealing with a prime example of unintended consequences: Bush’s war of choice and military occupation of Iraq set the stage for Iraq’s troubles today, including the rise of ISIS.^9,10,11,12

3. Voters elected President Obama to end the Iraq war that George W. Bush recklessly started.

President Obama’s opposition to the Iraq war before it began and his pledge to end it—as part of the contrast between him and those who pushed for war—were key to his success in both the Democratic primary election and the general election in 2008.¹³ He continues to pledge that he “will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq.”^14,15

4. Ultimately, Iraq’s problems can be solved only by an Iraqi-led political solution.

President Obama has said that there is no military solution to the crisis in Iraq and that there can only be “an Iraqi solution.”¹⁶ As this explainer lays out:

“ISIS isn’t just a terrorist group rampaging through Iraq (though they definitely are that). It’s in many ways an expression of the Sunni Muslim minority’s anger at the Shia-dominated government. . . Some Sunni grievances get to more fundamental issues within the Iraqi state itself, beyond what even a better government could easily fix.”¹⁷

These are not problems that more U.S. bombings can solve. That’s why experts are saying that “any lasting solution has to be regional in nature and must address the political interests of all the major factions in an equitable and inclusive manner.”¹⁸

5. Members of Congress, including Democratic lawmakers, are insisting that the president come to Congress for authorization.

MoveOn members have long opposed endless war in Iraq. Earlier this summer, before the current bombing strikes began, MoveOn members made more than 15,000 calls to lawmakers, urging them to oppose U.S. military intervention in Iraq. In July, the House of Representatives listened to them and the rest of the American people to require, by a bipartisan vote of 370-40, the president to seek congressional authorization before deploying or maintaining a sustained combat role in Iraq.¹⁹ Congress should continue to assert its authority under the Constitution to authorize and oversee U.S. commitments to open-ended war overseas.

6. The Middle East is a complicated place where U.S. military intervention has a troubling track record.

The Middle East has many armed actors whose motivations often compete with each other and conflict with American values, and U.S. military intervention there has a track record of often making things worse.^20,21 One tragic absurdity of this moment is that the U.S. military is now using U.S. equipment to bomb U.S. weapons wielded by enemies the U.S. didn’t intend to arm against the U.S. and U.S. allies.²² That’s a good reason to be concerned about the U.S. arming rebels in nearby Syria, which experts say wouldn’t have stopped the rise of ISIS anyway.²³ Experts further warn that U.S. military force in the region only tends to create more problems, including the risk of terrorist retaliation.²⁴

7. Military action could lead to even more innocent civilians getting caught in the crossfire and suffering.

The Iraq war that Bush started didn’t just cost America the lives of nearly 4,500 service members, plus $2 trillion according to modest estimates.^25,26,27 Approximately 500,000 Iraqi civilians also died in the armed conflict—possibly more.²⁸ In the current conflict, ISIS militants are persecuting various minority populations of Iraq, such as the Yazidis who had fled to Mount Sinjar.²⁹ Escalating military action, including drone strikes, risks catching more civilians in the crossfire.³⁰

8. Opposing endless war isn’t the same as being an isolationist. The Iraq crisis, including the humanitarian disaster, demands an international, diplomatic response.

We have options to support the people of Iraq, as well as tackle this crisis in a way that reflects America’s best interests and 21st century realities. For one, the U.S. can work through the United Nations and other multilateral organizations to support a major global diplomatic initiative.³¹ In the face of the current crisis, the Friends Committee on National Legislation also recommends a number of steps instead of U.S. bombings, such as working with other nations through the United Nations to organize humanitarian evacuations of stranded and trapped civilians, pressing for and upholding an arms embargo in Iraq and Syria, engaging with the UN to reinvigorate efforts for a lasting political solution for Iraq and Syria, and increasing humanitarian aid.^32,33

It’s critically important that we engage the nation in conversation and debate to avoid endless war in Iraq. Can you share this “8 Things to Know about the Iraq Crisis” list with your family and friends? Use the links at the top and bottom of this page.

Sources:

1. “Iraq Airstrikes May Continue for Months, Obama Says,” The New York Times, August 9, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/world/middleeast/iraq.html

2. “Despite U.S. Claims, Yazidis Say Crisis Is Not Over,” The New York Times, August 14, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/world/middleeast/iraq-yazidis-obama-sinjar-crisis.html

3. “Republicans Want More US Military Action in Iraq,” Military.com, August 8, 2014

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/08/08/republicans-want-more-us-military-action-in-iraq.html

4. “Neocons to Obama: No half-measures,” Politico, August 8, 2014

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/conservatives-obama-iraq-airstrikes-109861.html

5. “Where Are The Media’s Iraq War Boosters 10 Years Later?,” Media Matters, March 19, 2013

http://mediamatters.org/research/2013/03/19/where-are-the-medias-iraq-war-boosters-10-years/193117

6. “Intentions and Opposite Results in Iraq,” The New York Times, December 4, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/books/05book.html

7. “The Slippery Slope of U.S. Intervention,” Foreign Policy, August 11, 2014

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/08/11/the_slippery_slope_of_us_intervention_iraq_islamic_state_humanitarian_intervention

8. “Can Obama avoid mission creep in Iraq?,” CNN, June 19, 2014

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/19/opinion/zelizer-mission-creep/

9. “U.S. Actions in Iraq Fueled Rise of a Rebel,” The New York Times, August 10, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/11/world/middleeast/us-actions-in-iraq-fueled-rise-of-a-rebel.html

10. “Fareed Zakaria: Who lost Iraq? The Iraqis did, with an assist from George W. Bush,” Washington Post, June 12, 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-who-lost-iraq-the-iraqis-did-with-an-assist-from-george-w-bush/2014/06/12/35c5a418-f25c-11e3-914c-1fbd0614e2d4_story.html

11. “Iraq’s crisis: Don’t forget the 2003 U.S. invasion,” Washington Post, June 16, 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/06/16/iraqs-crisis-dont-forget-the-2003-u-s-invasion/

12. “ISIS Atrocities in Iraq Represent the Catastrophic Failure of Bush Doctrine and Neoconservative Foreign Policy,” Huffington Post, August 8, 2014

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/h-a-goodman/isis-atrocities-in-iraq-r_b_5661346.html

13. “Five Reasons Why Obama Won the ’08 Election,” About News, accessed August 13, 2014

http://usliberals.about.com/od/obamavsmccainin08/a/ObamaWin_4.htm

14. “Obama: US won’t get dragged into war,” The Hill, June 13, 2014

http://thehill.com/policy/international/209305-obama-insists-us-wont-get-dragged-back-into-iraq

15. “Obama, With Reluctance, Returns to Action in Iraq,” The New York Times, August 7, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/08/world/middleeast/a-return-to-action.html

16. “Obama: ‘There Is No American Military Solution To The Larger Crisis In Iraq’,” Huffington Post, August 11, 2014

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/11/obama-iraq_n_5669474.html

17. “The chaos in Baghdad explains why Obama isn’t trying to destroy ISIS,” Vox, August 10, 2014

http://www.vox.com/2014/8/9/5983249/iraq-obama-isis-strategy

18. “Diplomacy Not More Arms Needed in Iraq and Syria,” Win Without War, June 19, 2014

http://winwithoutwar.org/cortright-iraq/

19. “House Votes For Checks On Obama’s Iraq War Powers,” Huffington Post, July 25, 2014

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/25/house-iraq-resolution_n_5621060.html

20. “The Middle East Friendship Chart,” Slate, July 17, 2014

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_world_/2014/07/17/the_middle_east_friendship_chart.html

21. “Failed Interventions and What They Teach,” Speech by Former Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr., USFS (Ret.), October 21, 2010

http://chasfreeman.net/failed-interventions-and-what-they-teach/

22. “The US bombing its own guns perfectly sums up America’s total failure in Iraq,” Vox, August 8, 2014

http://www.vox.com/2014/8/8/5982501/the-us-is-now-bombing-its-own-military-equipment-in-iraq

23. “Why arming Syria’s rebels wouldn’t have stopped ISIS,” Vox, August 13, 2014

http://www.vox.com/2014/8/13/5995793/arming-rebels-isis-political-science

24. “Experts Warn of Terrorism Blowback From Iraq Air Strikes,” Time Magazine, August 10, 2014

http://time.com/3096348/isis-iraq-barack-obama-blowback/

25. “Casualties in Iraq,” Antiwar.com, accessed August 13, 2014

http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/

26. “Iraq war costs U.S. more than $2 trillion: study,” Reuters, March 14, 2013

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/14/us-iraq-war-anniversary-idUSBRE92D0PG20130314

27. “The Iraq War Could Cost More Than $6 Trillion,” Business Insider, March 14, 2013

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-the-iraq-war-cost-2-trillion-2013-3

28. “Iraq Death Toll Reaches 500,000 Since Start Of U.S.-Led Invasion, New Study Says,” Huffington Post, October 15, 2013

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/15/iraq-death-toll_n_4102855.html

29. “Islamic State Killed 500 Yazidis, Buried Some Victims Alive,” Huffington Post, August 10, 2014

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/10/yazidis-islamic-state-massacre_n_5665655.html

30. “The Case Against Drone Strikes on People Who Only ‘Act’ Like Terrorists,” The Atlantic, August 19, 2013

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/08/the-case-against-drone-strikes-on-people-who-only-act-like-terrorists/278744/

31. “Diplomacy Not More Arms Needed in Iraq and Syria,” Win Without War, June 19, 2014

http://winwithoutwar.org/cortright-iraq/

32. “Five Ways the U.S. Can Help Stop the Killing in Iraq,” Friends Committee on National Legislation, accessed August 13, 2014

http://fcnl.org/issues/iraq/crisis_in_iraq/

33. “Responding to the Crisis in Iraq — Without Bombs,” Friends Committee on National Legislation, August 13, 2014

http://fcnl.org/issues/iraq/responding_to_the_crisis_in_iraq_without_bombs/

The post 8 things to know about the Iraq crisis appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The post Amplify the powerful message of a bereaved father appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

Remember, Rep. Stockman is the guy who said President Obama’s support of marriage equality is ‘setting up for a dictatorship,’ that the GM bailout brought ‘fascism’ to America, and that the President’s birth certificate may be ‘fraudulent.’ Nothing he says can be taken seriously.

Let’s set the record straight:

MoveOn members join all people around in the world in condemning the terrorist group Boko Haram and praying for the speedy return of the girls who have been kidnapped.

In regards to the petition Rep. Stockman is referring to, MoveOn runs an open petition platform, meaning that anyone can start a MoveOn petition about anything. Thousands of petitions are created every month, and popular petitions frequently garner hundreds of thousands of signatures. The petition in question was created years ago, earned only about a hundred signatures, and was just brought to the attention of MoveOn staff yesterday, after years of being inactive, at which point we promptly reviewed the petition and removed it from our site.

Any attempt to portray a years-old petition created by one individual that gained only about a hundred signatures as representing the views of MoveOn and its 8 million members as a whole is dishonest, false, and offensive.

The post Statement in response to Rep. Stockman’s bogus “MoveOn supports terrorists” attack appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

 MoveOn is refusing the take down the billboard, and is instead doubling down on the campaign by releasing a new TV ad that holds Gov. Jindal accountable for opposing Medicaid expansion and rejecting more than a billion dollars a year in federal funds for the program. A five-figure media buy, funded by MoveOn members, will put the TV ad on broadcast and cable channels in the Baton Rouge market this week, including WAFB, WVLA, WBRZ, and WGMB.

The post MoveOn Doubles Down on Medicaid Expansion Campaign in Louisiana with New TV Ad appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The post VIDEO: Will CBS News Tell the Truth About Obamacare? appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The post Thank You for an AWESOME 2013! appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

It started in the immediate aftermath of the decision. Within minutes, the NAACP launched a petition calling on the Department of Justice to open a civil rights case against Zimmerman. To date, more than 600,000 MoveOn members have signed, despite the largest attack ever on our website by malicious hackers. With those signatures and others gathered by the NAACP, more than 1 million people have added their names.

But that was just a preview of the action that was coming.

Last Tuesday, a youth-led activist group known as the Dream Defenders began a peaceful occupation of the Florida Capitol, what they called “Takeover Tuesday.” They’re still in the Capitol today, demanding that the governor call a special legislative session to pass “Trayvon’s Law,” which would address “stand your ground” vigilantism, racial profiling, and the school-to-prison pipeline. 28,000 MoveOn members have joined in calling for the law, and some have even joined the occupation.

This was all happening on the ground in Florida, the birthplace of the deadly legislation known as “stand your ground”—or, more accurately, “shoot first.” But on the Internet, a larger conversation was brewing about race in America, after a couple of friends started a blog called WeAreNotTrayvon that went viral. They provided a space for thousands of people to share their personal stories of race, privilege, and struggle. And when responses to the blog became so overwhelming that two people couldn’t possibly keep up, a group of MoveOn volunteers helped keep the momentum growing.

Then, this past Saturday, a massive day of rallies and vigils was orchestrated by the National Action Network and supported by MoveOn members. From New York to Los Angeles, and from Miami to Detroit, more than 7,500 MoveOn members joined tens of thousands of other progressives and faith leaders—and even Beyoncé and Jay-Z—in support of Trayvon Martin’s family, and in a resounding call for justice.

Coming just weeks after the Supreme Court dealt a serious blow to voting rights, and as the Republican House threatens the potential for immigration reform, this moment gave glimpses of a new civil rights movement.

But we’ve been around long enough to know that this energy could disappear with the next big media story—before we’ve even had a chance to take on the laws, policies, and mindsets that brought us here. Challenging those three things is something that has to happen at every level of government and society. That’s why right now is the time to launch a campaign in your community or state about a progressive issue that matters to you.

Chances are high that you live in a state that is either actively considering or has already enacted a “shoot first” law that needs to be overturned.¹ Maybe you’re ready to launch a statewide campaign, knowing that other MoveOn members will be here to support you. Or maybe the threat of austerity and slashing budgets is putting your local school district in jeopardy, and you need a base of fellow residents to help show your outrage and disapproval.

If there’s one thing this past week displayed, it is that millions of MoveOn members are as devoted as ever to the fight for justice. And that members are ready to help each other when it’s time to campaign for a progressive future.

Click here to start your campaign today and work with other MoveOn members who’ll help you win.

Sources:

1. “Does Your State Have A Shoot First Law?” Second Chance on Shoot First, accessed July 24, 2013
http://secondchancecampaign.org/laws/

The post A New Movement Moment; 7,500 MoveOn Members Take Part in Day of Action for Trayvon Martin’s Family appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

Over the weekend, someone unleashed millions of artificial requests at our servers, preventing legitimate traffic from getting through, and temporarily shutting down our website. It’s what’s called a Denial of Service Attack, and this was the largest one we’ve ever faced. Over 15 years, through wars and heated elections, we’ve never seen anything like this.

It was the equivalent of someone firing a shot-gun through our window—clearly aimed to intimidate us and interrupt our work. Tens of of thousands of MoveOn members and other visitors were unable to organize on our site—sign petitions, plan events, run campaigns—for hours as our ace tech team raced to fight the attack and get the site back up.

We’re back up and running with new defense measure in place, but while this was the biggest attack we’ve faced, it won’t be the last. We must quickly beef up our defenses so MoveOn members can keep running campaigns that speak truth to power without fear.

Will you chip in $5 today to help make sure MoveOn is on and strong enough to withstand the next attack when it comes?

Yes, I’ll chip in to defend against anonymous attackers trying to shut MoveOn down.

While we were under attack, MoveOn staff couldn’t access some of our most essential tech tools. Over 45,000 MoveOn members were unable to reach their petition signers and campaign data. Over 300 groups met this weekend to kick off a massive anti-fracking campaign—and all those groups were briefly locked out of our systems.

Paralyzing MoveOn for a few hours was a big blow. Taking us out for a day would be a disaster. Our 8 million members are everywhere, fighting bravely to change this country, working on timely campaigns—they can’t wait for the tools and back-up we provide. We need to be ready for the next attack—and we will be.

With your support, we will recover the costs of the extra tech time we already put in to recover from this most recent attack; acquire new tools that’ll help us recover more quickly next time this happens; and continue to invest in best-in-class technology to power our campaigns.

Will you help us protect ourselves from future malicious attacks and continue to invest in powerful tools that are changing the country?

Yes, I can chip in $5 to defend against anonymous attackers and keep vital campaigns going in the face of intimidation and sabotage.

Thanks for all you do.

The post Unknown attackers tried to shut down MoveOn’s site last weekend. appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.