Tag Archives: Congress

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Support Darcy Bruner … Jim Dean from … DFA


Washington DC is broken.

Washington state needs a representative who knows what it takes to fix the system and bring jobs back home. Darcy Burner is an engineer by training and a politician by necessity. She’ll work to get government working for all of us again — not just Wall Street.

In 2009, Darcy became the first President and Executive Director of ProgressiveCongress.org, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. that works with the Congressional Progressive Caucus on public health, civil rights, education, environmental sustainability and economic opportunity. She is one of the progressive movement’s strongest allies.

With the overwhelming support of DFA members across the district, I am honored to announce Democacy for America’s endorsement of Darcy Burner for Congress.

Help send a true progressive to Congress by signing up to volunteer for Darcy Burner.

Help send a true progress to Congress by contributing $3 to Darcy Burner’s campaign.

Since we first endorsed Darcy Burner in 2006, she has work relentlessly to advance the progressive movement both in WA and in DC. Now, we need a progressive champion like Darcy inside Congress, someone with the tenacity and energy to bring real reforms.

We ask you to support Darcy with your vote, with your time and with your resources.

-Jim

Jim Dean, Chair
Democracy for America

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James Kvaal – Policy Director, BarackObama.com


Here’s something that President Obama laid out in his State of the Union that I think deserves special attention:

 Recent news reports have raised questions about whether members of Congress are profiting from inside information about the very businesses they’re supposed to be regulating — information about pending legislation that could move markets and generate investor profits.

The President offered one simple fix: End insider trading by members of Congress, extending the rules that apply to anyone else whose jobs give them access to sensitive information about businesses.

If you think this simple effort at good government should be a priority during this campaign, it’s up to you to speak out. Say you support the President and spread the word:

http://barackobama.com/Ban-Insider-Trading

 Thanks,

 James

James Kvaal
National Policy Director
Obama for America

 P.S. — Here’s the full quote from the State of the Union:

“Send me a bill that bans insider trading by members of Congress; I will sign it tomorrow. Let’s limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. Let’s make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can’t lobby Congress, and vice versa — an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.”

~ my 2cents ...

TGIF &some News


Just another rant …

Ten months into President Obama taking office I watched heard and read several comments about President Obama. Reports of folks feeling the President, having taken a great first step toward change just had not gone far enough to sedate or fulfill the promises he made to special interest groups during his campaign. I was very surprised at the astounding lack of patience, suddenly realized President Obama would be held at a different standard and that the odd negative comments which were becoming bold, louder and more frequent …were actually coming from people left of center.

Change takes time

Now, I can’t speak for anyone else but history tells us that Africans and their descendants, which covers so many countries because we all know most were rounded up and shipped out for labour know struggle like nobody’s business. Yes, others have suffered in the timeline of slave life but how many can offer up a story of Black slaves laying the foundation or buildings free for more years than anyone wants to admit to and some in the southern states are trying to eliminate from history books. Yes, there have been some improvements made but Black People still suffer from higher rates of arrest, incarceration, pregnancy  unemployment  and still fighting for 21st Century civil rights. Yet, even with all the hurdles blocking some aspects of progress for African Americans and decades of Caucasian Presidents. A man with a funny name and big ears who also happens to be bi-racial gains steam in Illinois, gets spotted for potential,  becomes a US Senator and while in the Senate works for the people then is tapped to be a part of the Convention  blowing everyone away with an  awesome speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention.  Yes, a lot happened before 53% of Americans voted for a Black Man for the first time but shocking (sarcasm), we also found after governing for a little over ten months that discrimination is alive and well. It was odd to see some our own run hold grudges and ignore what voters needed them to do … govern let alone support the first black President. It became clear that more Blacks definitely had the President’s back, 53% had patience but was growing thin listening to folks in the media giving viewers subliminal messages that we should expect President Obama to govern with a hammer, use his power and get their issues passed quickly. I have said it before … here is when schoolhouse rock comes to mind … and I sing it every time I hear those who think they voted for a King or Dictator. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to hear people who seem smart, use great verbiage, can recite a law or two not to mention wonderful knowledge congressional protocol and dangle their degrees when necessary yet, they forget that Congress creates debates and votes yea or nay to ALL Federal laws of the land. Ok, a chill of states’ rights came over me

Change takes time …

especially when the gauntlet of obstruction was laid down … say day 1 after taking office and three years later Teapublicans are still stating that their main job is to make sure the President Obama is a one term President, not to get Americans back to work, not to pass bills that will move us forward.

Change takes a Congress that will compromise and cooperate with President Obama unlike the first 2yrs when members of Congress seemingly left our President to save their congressional seats … I get that but they also stopped working for We the People and allowed the Teapublicans into Congress

Change takes time … but

The Democratic Party had problems to overcome and clearly, the 2010 exposed those cracks

I have to say seeing members of Congress and the professional left seemingly lose common sense and some seemed to have lost their minds was very disturbing then now it just irritates me that they feel perfectly ok with blaming President Obama for what should get done in Congress.  It took decades of bad behavior that set up the possibility for a big recession.  The notion that our economic collapse could be rectified in 1-2 years still boggles my mind yet the professional left pushed, complained and whined for that list of demands or mandates that have never been President and should watch that schoolhouse rock video more than once or take a civics class. What they should be doing is pressing their representatives in Congress to do their jobs , uh create a law for the good of all Americans not just a select few instead of whining and sitting on the side lines after giving money. I say be proactive not reactive. Yes, giving money is definitely necessary but giving money is not the end of any political campaign or a move toward change we can ALL believe in. It is only a start. It is obvious that money and 53% voted, helped get Barack Obama into office, but the work of Governing is troublesome. When we have people like Mitch McConnell telling Americans he has one job and it is to make President Obama a one term President instead of doing the Peoples Business we all have wonder how much progress can even be imagined let alone be accomplished at all.  The party of NO has filibustered progress in both Chambers of Congress more than any other, refuses to think about their fellow Americans with 15miilion people still unemployed yet, Indies and some special interest groups like the list below still have issues with the President Obama.

Yes, hold the President accountable but do not sit on the sidelines and demand change if you are not helping the President achieve a win for all Americans.

In 2009, we heard   …

**Environmentalist… like Phil Radford, exec director/Greenpeace USA stated among other things,” Obama is missing in action” as it relates to global warming …in an article written by Bryan Walsh from Time Magazine…

**Gay/Lesbian leaders… are starting to make comments about Obama not going far enough on don’t ask/don’t tell but today he announced he will enact federal benefits for same sex couples …moving too slow? Too little too late? come on… People of colour know what being impatient means …

**Health-care liberals… are impatient and talking about how they put Obama in office and threatening a change in 2012 …

**Wall Street … flexed their muscles to show Obama who really is in charge of the market … but bad behavior needs to be regulated

**Hispanics … are upset

It is time for them to help President Obama

Yes, change will happen and contrary to how folks feel we are going in the right direction but President cannot do it all, we need to call, write and march to let Congress know what We the People voted for …

A change we can believe in

Other News …

President Obama and Vice President Biden at House Democratic Retreat

Pres. Obama Discusses College Costs

Sec. Panetta Presents Defense Dept. FY 2013 Budget

DNI Director Clapper Gives Keynote on Information Sharing at CSIS

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The President Said It. Now, Tell Congress to Do It … Joan Entmacher, National Women’s Law Center


Tell Congress: Make Millionaires and Corporations Pay Their Fair Share

In his State of the Union address, President Obama emphasized a vital point: that unfair, and even counter-productive, tax breaks for corporations and the very wealthy shortchange needed investments for women and their families.

Instead of showering tax breaks on the wealthy, the oil and gas industry and on corporations that ship American jobs overseas, Congress needs to:

Protect vital programs: Women and their families depend on federal programs to protect their health, get quality child care, attend college, and meet their basic needs during difficult times and as they age. We need to protect vital programs like Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, child care, Head Start, and Food Stamps (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

Create jobs: Unemployment remains painfully high, and while job growth has started to pick up, millions of women and men are still struggling to find jobs. We must extend federal emergency unemployment benefits to help people who are hurting now and invest in programs that put women and men back to work.

Middle-class and low-income families have already sacrificed enough. Budget deals have already scheduled $2 trillion in cuts to federal programs over the next decade that are important to everyday Americans. But they don’t touch a penny of the tax breaks enjoyed by millionaire CEOs and booming industries like Big Oil. Congress should close tax loopholes and require millionaires, billionaires and large corporations to contribute to getting our economy back on track.

Tell your Members of Congress to make millionaires and corporations pay their fair share, to protect vital programs and to create jobs for the millions of struggling Americans who need them.

        
Thank you for your help today, and for everything you do to help women and their families.

Sincerely,

 Joan Entmacher
Vice President, Family Economic Security
National Women’s Law Center