#ACA


PBO&mom

Barack Obama and his MOM

Ted Cruz 21hr diatribe on the Flr of Congress  was an example of just how much misinformation there is out there about health reform — and we need to fight back with the truth.

The National Democratic Committee put together a beautiful new website that’s full of facts about how Obamacare is working across the country — including in Washington. Take a look, and share it with your friends and family:

ThisIsObamacare.com
Click on the learn more and find your State

Open enrollment in Obamacare’s exchanges have begun, so it’s never been more important to get the word out about the benefits of health reform.

So set the record straight on the misinformation about Obamacare — hold Ted Cruz and his Republican allies accountable:

Thanks,

Laura

Laura Santucci Acting Executive Director Democratic National Committee

NYC: Tickets $10 Available for The State of Female Justice in America


On Thursday, November 7,

join Laura Flanders (GRITtv), Catherine Albisa (National Economic & Social Rights Initiative), Kimberlé Crenshaw (Columbia Law School / UCLA Law School), Eve Ensler (V-Day), Monique Harden (Advocates for Environmental Human Rights in New Orleans), Donna Hylton (STEPS to End Family Violence), Saru Jayaraman (Restaurant Opportunities Centers United), and Sylvia McAdam (Idle No More) for this one-night-only panel discussion exploring why women experience economic, racial, and cultural violence; and ask ourselves what might real justice look like for women in America?

WHAT: THE STATE OF FEMALE JUSTICE IN AMERICA WHEN: Thursday, November 7, Doors: 7:30pm, Program: 8pm WHERE: Jerome Green Hall, Columbia Law School, 435 W 116 St, NYC TICKETS: $10 general admission* Purchase here > *Student tickets are available for free, please email rsvp@vday.org     click on the Poster —>

Why We Passed the Affordable Care Act in the First Place


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Why We Passed the Affordable Care Act in the First Place

Friends,

Earlier this week, President Obama joined Governor Deval Patrick in Boston to talk about why we passed the Affordable Care Act in the first place. The President believes that everyone should have access to quality, affordable health care, and no one should ever go broke just because they get sick.

On Wednesday, Vice President Biden and actress Mariska Hargitay, visited the National Domestic Violence Hotline Center in Austin, Texas in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please read below for more information and a powerful video from the Vice President’s trip.

And on Thursday, speaking to 1,000 business leader from nearly 60 countries at the Select USA Investment Summit, President Obama reminded us that “There’s no substitute for those three proud words: ‘Made in America.’” Read more about the President’s work to bring jobs to the United States through increased business investment here.

And in case you missed it, Sesame Street’s Elmo and Rosalita joined First Lady Michelle Obama to promote fresh food choices for kids here at the White House. Be sure to read below for more on their great visit.

Thank you for all that you do!

White House Council on Women & Girls

Why We Passed the Affordable Care Act in the First Place

Earlier this week, President Obama spoke at Faneuil Hall in Boston.

The state’s progressive vision of universal coverage and the conservative idea of market competition are what formed the blueprint for Obamacare: that everyone should have access to quality, affordable health care, and no one should ever go broke just because they get sick.

And we’re seeing the benefits of reform extended nationally: According to a new report this week, nearly half of single, uninsured Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 can get coverage for $50 or less, often lower than the cost of their cable bill. That comes on top of the new benefits — including free preventive services like mammograms, and a prohibition against denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Read the full post from Senior Advisor David Simas here and the President’s full remarkshere.

President Barack Obama delivers remarks regarding the Affordable Care Act, at Faneuil Hall in Boston, Mass., Oct. 30, 2013

President Barack Obama delivers remarks regarding the Affordable Care Act, at Faneuil Hall in Boston, Mass., Oct. 30, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

Vice President Biden Visits the National Domestic Violence Hotline

On Wednesday, Vice President Biden visited the National Domestic Violence Hotline to commemorate Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Vice President Biden created the National Domestic Violence Hotline in the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 (VAWA) and has long championed the cause of ending domestic violence. The Vice President was accompanied by actress Mariska Hargitay, a key advocate working against abuse. Together Vice President Biden and Mariska toured the Hotline, met with frontline advocates, and observed these life-saving services in action.

You can read more and watch a powerful video from the Vice President’s visit here.

Vice President Joe Biden and Mariska Hargitay watch as an advocate demonstrates the new web chat feature, at the National Domestic Violence Hotline

Vice President Joe Biden and Mariska Hargitay watch as an advocate demonstrates the new web chat feature, at the National Domestic Violence Hotline, in Austin, Texas, Oct. 30, 2013. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Elmo and Rosita Join First Lady Michelle Obama to Promote Fresh Food Choices for Kids

First Lady Michelle Obama was joined by Sesame Street’s Elmo and Rosita to announce that Sesame Workshop and the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) joined the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) in a two-year agreement to help promote fresh fruit and vegetable consumption to kids, making those healthy choices a little easier for busy parents and families to make.

Click here for more!

First Lady Michelle Obama, with Sesame Street Muppets Elmo and Rosita, makes a "Let's Move!" announcement about marketing healthier foods to children,

First Lady Michelle Obama, with Sesame Street Muppets Elmo and Rosita, makes a “Let’s Move!” announcement about marketing healthier foods to children, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Oct. 20, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Get Updates

End ENDA


AAUW Action Network
“Kimya has a master’s degree in social work and nearly two decades of experience in the field. She was the manager of a unit of a long-term care facility for sufferers of Alzheimer’s and dementia. She enjoyed her job, and was good at it, but suffered through nearly a year of threatening messages, vandalism to her car and slurs uttered in the halls. In 2003, she was fired, her supervisors telling her, “This would not be happening if you were not a lesbian.” Kimya sought out legal help, but quickly learned that nothing in Michigan law protected her from being fired because of her sexual orientation.”1

Michigan isn’t the only state where Kimya wouldn’t be protected from blatant discrimination – in 29 states total, there is no law which explicitly protects a gay, lesbian, or bisexual person from being fired just because of who they are, and the same is true in 33 states for transgender people. But on Monday, the Senate will vote to change that.

On Monday evening, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would provide explicit nationwide employment protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. We need this law. People in every state deserve equal protection under the law regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Take action today: Urge your senators to vote for ENDA!

Current federal law already prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, national origin, age, and disability – that’s why it’s illegal for an employer to fire a woman solely because of her gender or refuse to hire someone solely because of her age or religion, for example. However, there is no clear federal law barring workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

AAUW’s member-adopted Public Policy Program is clear: “AAUW opposes all forms of discrimination and supports constitutional protection for the civil rights of all individuals.” No one should be discriminated against in the workplace, and ENDA will protect that right to be free from discrimination at work.

ENDA is a bipartisan bill that would provide clarification that LGBT Americans have the same protections that have covered other classes of persons for decades. ENDA does not create, or imply, any rights for LGBT employees that every other employee doesn’t already have. Additionally, religious employers are completely exempted from the requirements of the bill, and other employers or employees who have religious objections are not forced to change their views or beliefs.

Hardworking Americans should not be kept from supporting their families and making a positive contribution to the economic life of our nation because of characteristics that have no bearing whatsoever on their ability to do a job. The time has long since come to end this injustice for LGBT Americans and pass ENDA.

This is our chance to make sure our senators stand up for civil rights. Take action before Monday’s vote: Urge your senators to pass ENDA!

1 Story provided by the Human Rights Campaign

about failed Promises


thefacesMy take on failed promises, past present and future, which is what we are all experiencing under the Republican controlled House of Representatives versus change to or redirection of promises that President Obama has had to make on numerous occasions. It is obvious the two situations are quite different. The first two years of the Obama Admin the RTP as we know was spent on the floor of Congress saying no, blocking, making the Democratic Party scale back or run away from legitimate bills that RTP attached felonious amendments to that no member of Congress could in good conscience vote for. Then came the campaign for the midterm election that if you know your history gets few voters out to vote though in what definitely is a first of many first in this Presidency, the midterms were important yet folks did the same ole same, some opted out on purpose and even more voted right of center on purpose. While most know the outcome of the midterm elections, I think that many people do not understand what truly happened. President Obama said he got a shellacked and would try to make a move to be more bipartisan, though senator McConnell said if he wants us to consider compromise he would have to do, say and act like we want him to, essentially bow down to the Republican Tea Party. For the last 4.5 years, Americans have been hearing Republicans say that we need to create jobs. Mr. Boehner and his comrades definitely used the jobs, jobs, jobs slogan to win the House or Representatives. Sadly, these carpetbaggers have been waving one hand in the air while using the other to attack, slash, cut, and burn every effort to get our economy back on track. It may sound dramatic, but it feels as if the Republican Tea Party has wanted to eliminate the middle and lower class since then Senator Barack Obama became President and now I certainly feel our country is at risk with reckless, seemingly uneducated Republican members of Congress.

Contrary to most if not all polls the anger or feelings of distrust and failed promises should be pointed at the way in which President’s govern? It was done poorly for eight years during the house of Bush, because when he took office there was a surplus… Question is, what did he do with it and how do we make sure this cannot happen again lest we talk about in times of American crisis both Political Parties and any entities involved must all come together to fix the issue … leaving ideology at the door!

… Community Organizer and Senator Obama watched from the sidelines, watched, heard, and knew the status quo had to change though we had no financial crisis to speak of things were not as they should be or more importantly not as they could be. The change we Americans need is one that moves all of us into the 21st Century. This effort to change has been misinterpreted in my opinion of one of socialism… folks have to know that our current system is outdated does not represent all of the people and if you are really listening. The Republicans want to go backward to a time when life was good but it was only good for the rich. Then Presidential candidate, Barack Obama had a plan for America. There were some financial issues are brewing, the house of Bush was focused only on the Iraq war, Obama’s ideas seemed far ahead of the other competitors. Americans saw and heard what he wanted to do and agreed, well at least 53% believed a change was needed in the way things are done on the Hill. However, change takes time maybe years.  If we had all participated, it could happen sooner with GOP co-operation but as the months passed by there were more rumblings of financial problems and then Senator Obama faced with lots of criticism became the main target and NOT our finances heading toward the ditch.  We voters heard or told to ask if Obama was an American, did he pal around with terrorists, could he bring in the vote of not only women but also white women and men on top of it all. I really feel people need to be reminded of when, what, where and who got us into an economic downward spiral. However, weeks went by more and more information is coming out, people notice that there were many layoffs happening, businesses closing up and some notice Bush is less available every day and while the backroom deals made by the house of Bush, McCain tells Americans that our economy is still sound and strong. In what seemed like only a month or few weeks before Americans had to vote for President of the United States. The House of Bush slowly opened the doors of pain and the possibility of our economic collapse. I still want to know why did they wait until the next administration was about to be put into place? Some say there is no such thing as a coincidence.

Wall Street, Main Street, AIG and a lot of Banks Crashed … with the house of Bush and Paulson making back room deals …

The day they swore in President Obama everyone knew there was quite a different Presidency he had walked into than most Presidents. This President has faced one crisis after another and contrary to what “the Media” wants us to feel or believe he has made failed and false promises. I do not believe he has made false promises, he has had to contemplate and change directions, he is still working for all Americans, and I am so proud to have voted for President Obama.

While the forces of the RTP say otherwise, we all need to understand the change, redirecting any and quite possibly all campaign promises if needed. Why? Because our lives have changed, they are more of a challenge now and the elements(theGOP) needed to create a better situation did not play by the rules choosing to sit on the sidelines. The banks flexed their muscles, lobbyists are stood in the way, Republicans/Conservatives cannot accept Obama as our President and have become more than just the party of no, some are trying to provoke fear and hate not bipartisanship, and I keep asking is socialist a code for the n word?

ConservaDems and definitely Republicans are not all in for the change the rest of us believed in want or voted for twice.  We need to tell members of  Congress! be outraged at the nonsense going on…We need to continue reforming that part of our economy monopolized by parts of Corporate America given the right to do so by folks on the Supreme Court. Vote out the TeaCarpetbaggers for a positive change.

While President Obama did promise change, he has kept over half of them, he also stated that he could not make changes alone … we all would have to participate. That comment is a hard reality given the crap that the Republican Tea Party keeps pulling out of somewhere disguised with them saying they are listening to what Americans want because Americans spoke thus the outcome of the midterm elections. Even if it were true, the promises the Republican Tea Party made before and have been making consistently are epic failures …like I said could put us at risk and as I finish a rant a rumor from twitter states Republicans might be considering a government shutdown. Republicans talk about not wanting big government but they do not deliver on their promise. In fact, they have been practicing failed promises and lies since the 112th Congress started. Mr. Boehner, Cantor and their comrades have failed to offer up a legitimate JOBS bill, failed to create a JOB and of course we can all debate whether that bush bonus giveaway has helped create, save and or stopped any outsourcing of jobs.

I ask the GOP, where and when are the JOBS among many other issues going to be brought to the floor of Congress! and the Epic Failure Promises describes the Republican Tea Party.