Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called the GOP opposition to Adegbile “an affront to what it means to live in America.”

Tell the Senate to confirm Debo Adegbile’s nomination to lead the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division when Harry Reid calls for another vote.

In a startling and disappointing vote, seven Democrats joined Senate Republicans to block the confirmation of Debo Adegbile, a voting rights legal expert, to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.¹

Pointing to Adegbile’s participation while working for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the filing of a “friend of court” legal brief — along with hundreds of other attorneys — asking that a Pennsylvania Appeals Court commute Mumia Abu-Jamal’s death sentence to life in prison, Republicans embarked on an all-out smear campaign designed to distract from Adegbile’s strong record of defending the freedom to vote.²

There’s still a chance to make this right. At the last moment, Senator Harry Reid cast a procedural ‘no’ vote, leaving the door open for another vote to confirm Adegbile.³

Join us in demanding that Senator Reid call for another vote and for the seven Democratic senators who opposed to reconsider Adegbile’s confirmation. We only need three Senators to change their votes.⁴ It only takes a moment.

The seven Democrats siding with the Republicans were Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mark Pryor (D-AR), John Walsh (D-MT), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Chris Coons (D-DE). In a statement, President Obama called the 47-52 vote “a travesty based on wildly unfair character attacks against a good and qualified public servant.”⁵

By all accounts, Debo Adegbile is the ideal candidate for a role at the head of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. He is one of the nation’s top civil rights attorneys and the leading expert on voting rights. He has defended the Voting Rights Act before the Supreme Court twice — the first time, successfully — and he was the only Black attorney to argue before the Supreme Court last term.⁶ At a time when right wing legislators across the country are waging all-out war on the right to vote for Black folks, women, the elderly, students, and any other demographic group that might be inclined to vote Democratic, an appointment like Adegbile’s would ensure that there was someone in the Justice Department who knows what’s at stake and will take a principled stand to defend the rights we all cherish, including the freedom to vote.

Join us in demanding another vote on Debo Adegbile’s confirmation. And when you are done, please ask your friends and family to do the same.

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, Arisha, Matt, Aimée, and the rest of the ColorOfChange team March 6th, 2014

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way.

References

1. “Democrats help block Obama’s DOJ pick,” Politico, 3-5-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3347?t=7&akid=3324.1689899.HV9wvE

2. “The Ugly Campaign To Punish A Civil Rights Lawyer Because He Helped Save A Man From Execution,” ThinkProgress, 2-10-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3348?t=9&akid=3324.1689899.HV9wvE

3. “Senate rejects Obama appointment of Debo Adegbile to top civil rights post,” Washington Post, 3-5-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3349?t=11&akid=3324.1689899.HV9wvE

4. “Senate Goes ‘Nuclear,’ Changes Nominee Filibuster Rules,” ABC News, 11-21-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3355?t=13&akid=3324.1689899.HV9wvE

5.”Obama Condemns the Senate for Blocking Confirmation of Voting Rights Advocate Adegbile,” PoliticsUSA, 3-5-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3350?t=15&akid=3324.1689899.HV9wvE

6. “Justice’s Civil Rights nominee has resume that includes ‘Sesame Street’ and voting rights,” Washington Post, 12-31-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3351?t=17&akid=3324.1689899.HV9wvE

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

New York Is One Step Closer to Paid Family Leave Insurance!

03/07/2014 Nativegrl77

Dear Friend,

The New York State Assembly voted 89-44 in favor of the Paid Family Leave Insurance Act!

This legislation, written by A Better Balance, would provide workers in New York State with up to 12 weeks of paid family leave (funded through small employee payroll deductions) to bond with a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or address certain needs related to a family member’s military service or deployment. The paid family leave insurance program would be administered through New York’s long-standing Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program, a state system that is already familiar to businesses in New York.

There is an urgent need for paid family leave in New York and around the country. Many of you have shared your stories with us regarding the struggle to balance work with a new child’s arrival or a family member’s illness. “It is horrible that the U.S. is significantly behind the rest of the WORLD with maternity leave,” Maria wrote to us. “I am a single mom and had complications before and after pregnancy. I used my entire life savings & had to go into my 401(k) to survive. Let’s make it right.” Richard wrote about the challenges of eldercare: “My mom died from cancer in 2010 and I could not keep up with my bills. I took the last month of her life off so I could be with her and I nearly went bankrupt. While I was dealing with grieving her death, I was struggling financially; the stress was horrible.” In addition to motivating our work, these stories have been incredibly helpful to our advocacy efforts; stories are crucial to educating public officials about the need for paid family leave.

Now we must work together to advance paid family leave insurance legislation in the New York State Senate, so that no workers are forced to make the painful sacrifices described above by Maria and Richard.

If you have a few minutes, here is how you can get involved:

Share your story! As we continue the fight for paid family leave, both in New York and in states around the country, your voice remains critically important. If you have a story that you would be willing to share about the importance of paid family leave, please contact us at info@abetterbalance.org.
Help with our business outreach! We are incredibly grateful for the leadership of Tom Nides (Managing Director & Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley) and Cynthia DiBartolo (CEO of Tigress Financial Partners LLC and Chairperson of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce), two business leaders who support a paid family leave insurance program in New York. We are currently organizing in the business community to increase support for paid family leave. If you have suggestions for business owners—large or small—in New York who may be supportive, please send their names and contact information to rsica@abetterbalance.org.
Stay engaged on social media! For our latest updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter .

As always, thank you for your support.

Sherry, Dina, Phoebe, Jared, Elizabeth, Liz, Risha, & Rachel

Donate now to A Better Balance. Together we can improve the lives of families across the country.

Black History

the Senate CONGRESS 3/7 the House

03/07/2014 Nativegrl77

The Senate stands adjourned until 4:00pm on Monday, March 10, 2014.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

At 5:00pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #563, Carolyn B. McHugh, of Utah, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit with the time until 5:30pm equally divided and controlled in the usual form.

At 5:30pm, there will be 2 roll call votes:

– Motion to invoke cloture on the McHugh nomination and

– Passage of S.1917, the Victims Protection Act of 2014.

If cloture is invoked on the McHugh nomination, the time during the vote on passage of S.1917 will count post-cloture on the McHugh nomination.

As a reminder to all Senators, on Thursday, March 6^th, cloture was filed on the following nominations in the following order. The corresponding post-cloture debate time in is parentheses following each nominee.

– Executive Calendar #563, Carolyn B. McHugh, of Utah, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit (30 hours)

– Executive Calendar #577, Matthew Frederick Leitman, of Michigan, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan (2 hours, equally divided)

– Executive Calendar #578, Judith Ellen Levy, of Michigan, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan (2 hours, equally divided)

– Executive Calendar #579, Laurie J. Michelson, of Michigan, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan (2 hours, equally divided) and

– Executive Calendar #580, Linda Vivienne Parker, of Michigan, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan (2 hours, equally divided).

When cloture is filed sequentially on several items, the Senate will consider one motion at a time. If cloture is not invoked or upon disposition of the nomination, the Senate would immediately proceed to the cloture vote on the next nomination listed. If cloture is invoked on a nomination, the corresponding amount of debate time will occur prior to a vote on confirmation of the nomination.

======================================

Last Floor Action:3/6
4:39:08 P.M. – The House adjourned
pursuant to a previous special order.

The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on March 10, 2014.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

A New Tool For Fighting Right-Wing Lies

03/06/2014 Nativegrl77

For most of us, conservative misinformation is part of everyday life. A relative worries about Obamacare “death panels.” A coworker is certain that scientists manipulate data to support climate change. A friend posts on Facebook that more guns mean less crime.

Too often, we let lies stick around just because it’s tough to correct the record in mid-conversation. But what if it were easy?

Media Matters is excited to introduce Mythopedia, a new tool for fighting back against right-wing misinformation: http://mythopedia.mediamatters.org/

Mythopedia is the dictionary of conservative lies. It’s a simple factchecker that fits in your pocket and even responds to voice commands. We’ve seeded it with 400 common myths — and we want you to tell us what to add next.

Check out how Mythopedia works in this short video:

With the truth at your fingertips, it’s easy to call out right-wing lies wherever they appear. Try Mythopedia today: http://mythopedia.mediamatters.org/

Best,

Cynthia Padera Campaigns Manager Media Matters for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

How veterans are treated by their nation

03/06/2014 Nativegrl77

George Washington once said that, “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.”

I was reminded of that quote last week after the filibuster of legislation to provide veterans more access to health care and tuition assistance, while restoring the cost of living adjustment for military retirees.
Senator McConnell and his Republican caucus halted the bill because of an increasingly partisan disagreement over diplomacy vs. sanctions in Iran: no sanctions, no increased care for our veterans from their perspective.
I think this is the wrong approach. The same Congress that approved our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has a responsibility to recognize that the costs of those wars continues long after the troops return home.
Join me and over 400,000 veterans, military family members, and VoteVets.org supporters and send your Senators a message that you expect them to pass the Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act.
Whether it’s Syria, Iran, or the shocking crisis unfolding in Ukraine, Republicans have developed a horrible habit of reflexively using national security in a completely partisan attempt to score political points.
It’s terribly disappointing, and it’s one of the reasons I am happy to partner with VoteVets.org on this important issue. It seems that all too often, the voices of those who bear the disproportionate burden of keeping our country safe are forgotten once their service is complete.
That’s not right.
Join me and write a letter to your Senators telling them to pass the Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay and Restoration Act.
http://action.votevets.org/veteran-benefits
The American Legion believes this legislation should pass cleanly and the American public agrees. Let’s put partisanship aside and provide for the veterans who risk so much for the country we all love.
I’ll be in touch,
Chris Murphy Senator, Connecticut