meet Wendy Davis …


and NOT Greg Abbott …

Texas is home to millions of hardworking people of all backgrounds. Every Texan deserves an economy that will provide a quality education, good paying jobs, adequate infrastructure, and is equipped to move our great state into the future.

I’m the only candidate in this race with a vision for an economy that works for all hardworking Texans regardless of where you are from or what you look like. My plan focuses on:

  • Creating good paying jobs for Texans;
  • Investing more in schools so children are better prepared for the future;
  • Making smart decisions on transportation and water;
  • Enacting equal pay for equal work;
  • Cracking down on payday lending;
  • Closing the loopholes that cost taxpayers – like tax breaks for country clubs.

Greg Abbott has a plan too, a plan that benefits his insider allies and not hardworking Texans. We are fighting for something bigger — an economy in which all hardworking Texans have the opportunity to thrive.

7/23 Below is some great information from Wendy and a Call to help make sure she WINS TEXAS … Contribute!

Texas is a big state. There are over 13 million registered voters, representing every perspective you can think of — and we’re registering new voters every day. Our democracy is better when all of those voices are heard.

This morning, on a call with Democratic allies and our volunteers across the state, our campaign unveiled our Voter Protection Program for the fall. We’re going to fight to make sure every eligible Texan has access to the polls. It includes four major priorities:

  • Make Registering Easy: It’s critical our volunteers are trained in voter registration rules so they can efficiently help voters get registered.
  • Educate Voters: Our communications efforts — on the air, on the ground, and online — are top-notch. We’re going to use that network to make sure every voter knows how to successfully cast a ballot.
  • Promote Early Voting: Early voting in Texas starts in less than 90 days. For any Texan able to do so, we want them to vote early. In October, we will launch a statewide Election Protection Hotline to monitor irregularities in in-person early voting and will place well-trained volunteers at the polls.
  • Protecting the Vote on Election Day: From having volunteers at the polls to answer questions to setting up command centers across the state, we’re planning a massive Election Day operation to ensure voters can make their voices heard.

But in order to run our program effectively and make sure every vote counts, we need your help to fund these grassroots efforts. Help us reach our $350,000 goal before July ends. Contribute $5.

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Texans have a clear choice in the race for the next governor.

We can elect someone who supports policies that favor political insiders at the expense of hardworking Texans and their families.

Or we can elect someone who fights for all Texans — regardless of their age, race or gender.

We can elect someone who believes that politics as usual works just fine in order to move Texas forward.

Or we can elect someone who knows that for Texas to lead in the future, we need to make sure all our kids get a 21st century education and we have an economy built for the jobs of tomorrow.

This is the choice. This is the contrast between my opponent, Greg Abbott, and me.

While Abbott has spent his entire political career looking out for political insiders, I’ve spent my career in public service fighting for hardworking Texans and their families.

There’s no better example than our views on education policy.

I launched my campaign talking about education because of the critical difference it made to my family and me.

That’s why I’ve provided specific proposals to ensure every Texas child has the chance to succeed in a 21st century economy. My “Great Schools: Great Texas” proposes:

  • Full day pre-K education to every eligible child in Texas
  • Incentives to recruit and retain the next generation of great teachers
  • Expanded college opportunities for Texas high school students
  • Less standardized testing and more teaching with the resources needed to do it

Meanwhile, Abbott offered up a pre-K proposal that picks and chooses winners and losers. His plan could force 4-year-olds to take standardized tests that determine whether they get the rug yanked out from under them by starving their pre-K classroom of critical resources. There is no clearer proof of how misguided Abbott’s views on education are than this proposal.

I fought to prevent more than $5 billion in cuts to our public schools that led to school closings, teacher layoffs and overcrowded classrooms.

However, instead of joining the nearly 600 Texas school districts that went to court to stop it, Abbott fought them in their lawsuit every step of the way.

However, education is just one clear example of the differences between us.

Equal pay for equal work: Abbott says he will veto common-sense legislation that ensures women are paid as much as men for doing the same work. I will sign that legislation the minute it lands on my desk.

Texas border communities: Abbott demeaned them as the “third world.” I will work with local leaders to make sure their voice is heard and work together to improve education, build up their infrastructure and attract the kind of businesses they need in a 21st century economy.

Veterans: Abbott has accepted almost $200,000 from the payday lending industry and stood by while they preyed on Texas’ men and women in uniform. I worked to crack down on abusive payday lending practices and to limit the outrageous interest rates charged to U.S. military members and their families.

These are just some clear early examples that demonstrate Abbott is just not working for you. And it demonstrates a disturbing pattern of working for insiders at the expense of Texas families. Texas deserves a governor who fights for all hardworking Texans — not just the special interests.

That’s why I’m running.

But that wasn’t always my intention. As a 19-year-old single mom working two jobs, it was hard to imagine going to college, rising to the top of my class at Texas Christian University and earning a chance to attend a prestigious Ivy League law school. I didn’t dream of serving on the Fort Worth City Council or in the state Senate. And I certainly didn’t imagine running for governor.

I just wanted to make ends meet and make a better life for my daughter Amber and me. But I was able to achieve those things through hard work and sacrifice along with a healthy dose of help from family and friends.

That’s why I believe in the promise of Texas — a promise rooted in the belief that if you work hard, where you start in life shouldn’t determine how far you can go.

As governor, that’s one promise I will always fight to make sure we keep.

Thanks,

Wendy

Resource: Wendy’s website

Vote for Shenna Bellows … #Midterm2014Matters


Republican Senator Susan Collins has a dirty secret.

Collins voted to shut down the government over Obamacare. Twice. She voted against raising the minimum wage and the Paycheck Fairness Act but supports building the Keystone XL Pipeline and spying on Americans without a warrant.

Sen. Collins likes to pretend that she’s an old-school moderate, but one look at her actual voting record tells a different story. When the stakes are high, the dirty secret is, Susan Collins votes with the Tea Party every single time.

Here’s the thing: This November, we can defeat Senator Collins — and help save the Senate from GOP control.

Enter Shenna Bellows, the former director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, who is running to unseat Collins this November. Shenna has deep Maine roots and a long history of fighting for justice, and she’s been proud to fight alongside progressives like Elizabeth Warren on issues of economic security.

Shenna Bellows is the perfect candidate to finally get rid of Susan Collins and save the Senate from GOP control — that’s why Democracy for America endorsed her and why we’re excited to share with you the fantastic new 30-second ad Shenna is now airing in Maine.

Click here to watch Shenna’s inspiring new TV ad, then pitch in $3 to help this Elizabeth Warren Democrat defeat Susan Collins and save the Senate.


Susan Collins has consistently missed the mark when it comes to the greatest challenge of our time: income inequality. She was instrumental in killing a federal minimum wage hike and she has been a consistent opponent of expanding the right to collectively bargain.

That’s why Shenna Bellows is the perfect antidote to Collins’ bland, pro-corporate Republicanism.

Recently, Salon called Shenna “America’s most progressive Senate nominee” — and her positions back that statement up, from supporting higher wages and getting money out of politics to cracking down on big banks.

That’s why Shenna reminds us of Elizabeth Warren — and why we need your support to get her elected. Check out her excellent ad and donate $3 to keep it on the air.

Thanks for helping us send more true progressives to Washington.

– Charles

Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director
Democracy for America

Vote YES for Paid Sick Time Tomorrow and Help to Spread the Word!


A Better Balance The Work and Family Legal Center
VOTE “YES” FOR PAID SICK TIME IN MASSACHUSETTS, OAKLAND (CA), AND TRENTON AND MONTCLAIR (NJ) — AND HELP SPREAD THE WORD
Dear Friend,
Paid sick time is on the ballot tomorrow statewide in Massachusetts and in the cities of Oakland (California), Trenton (New Jersey), and Montclair (New Jersey). We need your help to add Massachusetts and these 3 cities to the growing list of places that guarantee workers time off when they or their family members are sick. Tomorrow, if you live in one of these places, please VOTE YES in favor of paid sick time.  If you have friends and family there, let them know this important question is on their ballot and urge them to VOTE YES!! 
Read more about Paid Sick Leave
MASSACHUSETTS:  Yes on 4!
Voters will have the opportunity tomorrow to make Massachusetts the third state in the country to guarantee paid sick time. A Better Balance helped to draft this initiative, which has been endorsed by The Boston Globe, major Massachusetts hospitals, the State’s Roman Catholic bishops, and more than 250 community organizations, unions, and businesses. To learn more, check out www.yeson4ma.org, and use #YesOn4MA on Facebook and Twitter to help spread the word. With your help, we can provide a significant benefit to the nearly 1 million workers in Massachusetts who lack paid sick time.
Read more about Paid Sick Leave
Oakland: Yes on FF!
Tomorrow, voters in Oakland will have the opportunity to improve labor standards in the city through Measure FF. In addition to providing a right to paid sick time for workers in Oakland, Measure FF will also raise the minimum wage in the city to $12.25 an hour (with future cost of living increases) and protect hospitality workers from wage theft. To learn more, check out http://www.liftupoakland.org/.
Read more about Paid Sick Leave
Trenton and Montclair, NJ: Yes to Paid Sick Time!
Six cities in NJ have already passed paid sick time laws. Tomorrow, we are hoping to bring the number to 8 with Trenton and Montclair. A Better Balance has been providing extensive legal support to the New Jersey campaign, and look forward to continuing to build momentum for a statewide paid sick time law. Click here and here to learn more about the NJ campaigns.
If you live in Massachusetts, Oakland, Trenton, or Montclair, please remember to vote yes for paid sick time tomorrow. Even if you live elsewhere, we need your help spreading the word! At the bottom of this email, you can share this message by email or on social media.
Thanks for all you do to support our work.
The A Better Balance Team,
Sherry, Dina, Phoebe, Jared, Elizabeth, Risha, Morenike, Rachel, Jake & Molly

Election Day


Vote on November 4th

Today, make sure all your friends, family, and neighbors know how important this is by sharing this graphic on Facebook, on Twitter, or by forwarding this email.

The issues at stake tomorrow are very, very real. Compared to their male counterparts, women in the United States:

  • Are typically paid less
  • Are more likely to work in minimum wage and low-wage jobs
  • Have fewer opportunities to advance in their careers
  • Are more likely to go without the health care they need
  • Are more likely to be primary caregivers for children but often lack the affordable and high-quality child care they need to work and support their families?
  • Are more likely to live in poverty.

There’s one way to make a difference. VOTE.

Because when women vote, leaders listen.

Sincerely,
Emily J. Martin
Vice President and General Counsel
National Women’s Law Center