Jan. 20, 2012
Over the past year, GOP-controlled state houses have been passing Voter ID laws, making it harder for many people, including America‘s seniors, to vote. Alliance for Retired Americans President Barbara Easterling says this is an outrage: “Our generation, like those who came before us, fought and died for the right to vote. We must never let politicians take this away.”
Read more important news of the day on the issues working families care about. |
BREAKING: Tea Party candidate Rob Cornilles just took thousands of dollars from the Koch Brothers‘ business PAC — “KOCHPAC” — in the Oregon Special Election.
We knew it would come to this. Voters in Oregon’s vote by mail only election have already started to receive ballots and sure enough Washington Republicans have swooped in with a television ad buy distorting Democrat Suzanne Bonamici’s record with half-truths, mistruths and lies.
Now we’ve learned her Republican opponent Rob Cornilles has received thousands of dollars from the billionaire Koch Brothers’ business PAC. This Oregon special election race is in its final throes and we need to have Suzanne’s back.
Be part of our people-powered movement and fight back. Help us raise $30,000 for Suzanne by Monday’s media buy deadline for her immediate rapid response operation.
A generous contribution to Suzanne will be put to work immediately to secure a Democratic victory in this district. A gift of even just $5 would go a long way, but gifts at the $25, or $50 level or even a $100 or more level are urgently needed now.
Don’t let Washington Republicans get the last word. Help Suzanne fight back and get her positive message out and deliver home another Democratic victory.
Onward to victory,
Robby
Robby Mook
DCCC Executive Director
I knew when I came on as Sherrod’s campaign manager that this would be a tough fight. And, believe me – it’s not easy to plan a winning campaign when you’re facing a larger special interest spending gap than any other Democrat in the country.
But there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. The nearly $3,000,000 worth of attack ads Karl Rove and his pals have thrown at us already tell me that I’m working for the right guy – a true progressive who represents a real danger to the special interests’ monopoly on political power.
And small-dollar contributions from thousands of progressives like you tell me that we can win, no matter what the special interests have in store.
Like you, I’ve watched these powerful interests conspire to paralyze our government and hurt our middle class. I’ve watched them smear progressives and try to buy elections. I’ve watched them lie about our agenda and hide their own.
And let me tell you: It’s a privilege to be able to fight against them every single day on this campaign. Sherrod says he takes Karl Rove’s onslaught of attacks as a badge of honor. And none of us here at the campaign are afraid of a tough fight.
There’s no one I’d rather be working for than Sherrod Brown. And I’m incredibly proud to be part of a campaign where we don’t back off our progressive values and we don’t back down when we’re attacked. But it’s your support that makes it all possible. And I hope you’re ready for this fight.
Please click here to give now!
Thanks for making this all possible.
Sarah Benzing Campaign Manager Friends of Sherrod Brown
As you may know, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has decided not to bring the PROTECT IP Act (the Senate’s version of SOPA) up for a vote next week. And since I’ve heard from many of you about this issue, I wanted to take a moment to share why I support copyright protection legislation – as well as why I believe holding off on this bill is the right thing to do.
As someone who has worked hard to protect net neutrality, I understand as well as anyone the importance of keeping the Internet free from undue corporate influence. There are millions of Americans who rely on a free and open Internet to learn, communicate with friends and family, and do business.
At the same time, there are millions of Americans whose livelihoods rely on strong protections for intellectual property: middle-class workers – most of them union workers – in all 50 states, thousands of them here in Minnesota, working in a variety of industries from film production to publishing to software development.
If we don’t protect our intellectual property, international criminals – as well as legitimate businesses like payment processors and ad networks – will continue to profit dishonestly from the work these Americans are doing every day. And that puts these millions of jobs at serious risk.
That’s reason enough to act. But these criminals are also putting Minnesota families in danger by flooding our nation with counterfeit products – not just bootleg movies and software, but phony medications and knockoff equipment for first responders.
We cannot simply shrug off the threat of online piracy. We cannot do nothing.
I have supported the approach Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy has taken in crafting legislation to respond to the threat of online piracy – and I appreciate his leadership on this important issue.
But I’ve also been listening carefully to the debate – and to the many Minnesotans who have told me via email, Facebook, Twitter, and good old fashioned phone calls that they are worried about what this bill would mean for the future of the Internet.
Frankly, there is a lot of misinformation floating around out there: If this bill really did some of the things people have heard it would do (like shutting down YouTube), I would never have supported it.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take seriously the concerns people have shared. And if holding off on this legislation gives us an opportunity to take a step back and try to bring everybody back to the table, I think it’s the right thing to do. This is a difficult issue, and also an important one. It’s worth getting this right.
I strongly believe that we need to protect intellectual property – and protect the free and open Internet. I think most people, even those who have expressed concern about this particular bill, agree. And it’s my hope that we can now build a stronger consensus around how to accomplish these two important goals.
Thanks for reading. And for those of you who have written to me about this issue (even if it was an angry letter), thanks for being honest with me. I’ll always return the favor.
Al
Be a Seed for Change 
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