For the love of all that is holy and good, #StopBannon’s appointment

Here are some practical steps to fight against normalizing bigotry and hate.

Image from Getty via Gizmodo

Those are headlines from Breitbart News. Stephen K. Bannon is the executive chairman. He is also the racist hate-monger that Trump recently announced as his chief strategist and senior counsel. This cannot stand.

Check out these general tips on how to talk to your legislators from experienced congressional staffer, Emily Ellsworth. Bannon’s appointment is not to a Cabinet seat that needs approval, but we can still demand that our members of congress express their disgust.

Below are some actions you can take right now to advance the ideals of liberty and justice for all in America.

***EDIT: The only call tool you will need for the next four years courtesy of cayden and 18MR.org: ***

http://action.18mr.org/bannon/

From Cayden via Facebook, “With one click you will receive a phone call that will walk you through every step of the way to speak with both your Senators and your Representative. Click. Call. Share.”

As more appointments are announced, Cayden and 18MR.org will be porting this again and again.

Call your Senators and Representatives today to let them know that you want them to publicly denounce Steve Bannon’s appointment.

Find phone numbers for your Senators: http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact

Find phone numbers for your House Representatives: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Sample scripts you can use to make the call:

For Democratic Senators and Representatives:

• “Hello, my name is [your name]. I am a constituent, living in [address, district]. I am horrified at the news of Trump appointing Steve Bannon, a white supremacist, as one of his closest advisors. Please publicly condemn this appointment”
• “Hello, I am your constituent from [your location] and I was wondering when [legislator’s name] was planning on releasing a statement condemning Steve Bannon, the white supremacist who Donald Trump has appointed as his chief strategist.” (from @foundbysara)
• “Does [legislator’s name] agree with Harry Reid that Bannon’s appointment sends a dangerous signal that white supremacists “will be represented at the highest levels” in Trump’s administration? If so, please publicly condemn this appointment immediately.”
• “I am frightened by this as a [woman, as a Jewish person, as a Muslim person, as a black person, a queer person, etc.] American and I am asking [legislator’s name] to speak out against this appointment immediately, to make it clear that this is not acceptable. Can [legislator’s name] commit to standing with Harry Reid and speaking out publicly?”
• If the person responds that the representative has no intention of condemning Bannon, say, “I will call back tomorrow.” And call back tomorrow.

For Republican Senators and Representatives:

• “Hello, my name is [your name]. I am a constituent, living in [address, district]. I am horrified at the news of Trump appointing Steve Bannon, a white supremacist, as one of his closest advisors.”
• “How does [legislator’s name] feel about this appointment? Does this appointment represent his/her views? I am frightened by this [woman, as a Jewish person, as a Muslim person, as a black person, a queer person, etc.] and I am asking [legislator’s name] to speak out against this appointment immediately, to make it clear that this is not OK with mainstream Republicans.”
• “I believe that Bannon’s appointment sends a dangerous signal that white supremacists will be represented at the highest levels in Trump’s administration. Can [legislator’s name] commit to speaking out publicly against this appointment?”
• If the person responds that the representative has no intention of condemning Bannon, say, “I will call back tomorrow.” And call back tomorrow.

Other actions you can take:

1. Call Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s office and demand that he denounce Bannon’s appointment, using the Republican script above without stating that you are a constituent (unless you are).
   Paul Ryan: (202) 225–3031 x6.
   If he’s no longer taking voicemails, you can email him.
2. Sign this Southern Poverty Law Center petition.
3. Call out and push back on the media when they report the Bannon appointment as a straight news story or refer to him as a “Breitbart executive” or a “provocateur,” but don’t call him what he is: a white supremacist, anti-semite, misogynist. Don’t let them normalize.
4. Where protests are ongoing, make this the focus, with signs, chants, etc. Next week we can turn out attention to other things. But for now let’s focus like a laser on this.
5. Let’s get religious groups on board; maybe even mainstream business groups, like the Chamber of Commerce (202) 659–6000. Contact other people of influence — College presidents, high-profile coaches and anyone else who has a public megaphone.
6. Stop using “alt-right.” Polished, educated white nationalism trying to go mainstream is still white nationalism.

If you have other recommended actions or call scripts, please add them as comments. I’ll add them to the list.

For more information on why it’s so important to fight this appointment, check out this piece from Just Security. (Thanks for the link, Katherine Maher.)