Tag Archives: councilman

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Messing with the wrong people

09/26/2010 Nativegrl77

Watch the Video then Send To A Friend ***

Bob Woodward’s new book, “Obama’s War,” comes out tomorrow, and leaked excerpts show just how hard some military leaders are fighting to stop a withdrawal from Afghanistan. Late last year, as President Obama struggled to pin the military down into an airtight exit strategy, General Petraeus said:

“[The administration] is ****ing with the wrong guy.”

It’s clear Petraeus and his subordinates want to ignore the July 2011 deadline to start withdrawing troops. A colonel briefing reporters at the Pentagon this week even told them that, “No one said that we were withdrawing in July 2011.”

Military officials need to understand that it’s not up to them when we leave Afghanistan. Ultimately, that’s up to us, the American people, and we’re sick and tired of this war that’s not making us safer and that’s not worth the cost. General Petraeus is the one messing with the wrong people–the 57 percent of Americans who oppose the war.

The publicity around Woodward’s book gives us a new opportunity to get people’s attention about how the military is undermining the Commander-in-Chief and working to extend the war. Our new video exposes their effort, but we need your help to get it in front of people.

Send our latest video to as many people as you can, and share it on your Facebook wall. With your help, we can keep the warmongers on the defensive and end this war.

Sincerely,

Derrick Crowe, Robert Greenwald
and the Brave New Foundation team

Donate today to help bring an end to this atrocious war that’s not making us any safer.

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Al Franken speaks …listen

09/25/2010 Nativegrl77

Sen. Al Franken just sent us a video and asked us to pass it on to you. He wanted to thank PCCC members for (successfully!) creating momentum around Elizabeth Warren’s candidacy to lead the creation of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Sen. Franken also invites folks to tell Elizabeth Warren what consumer issues her bureau should focus on first. Check out the video and give Warren your feedback here!

We’ll deliver your priorities for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau when we bring Elizabeth Warren all of your wonderful congratulations!

— Julia Rosen, Stephanie Taylor, Forrest Brown, Michael Snook, and the PCCC team

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Here is your AFSCME Federal Legislative Report

09/25/2010 Nativegrl77

Welcome to the AFSCME Federal Legislative Report which is produced by the Legislation Department weekly when Congress is in session. We hope you find this report as valuable as we do in keeping up to date on significant action by the U.S. Congress affecting AFSCME members. We know when we work together as a team we accomplish more for AFSCME members across the country.

Gerald W. McEntee, President
Lee A. Saunders, Secretary-Treasurer

AFSCME LEGISLATIVE REPORT
SEPTEMBER 24, 2010

To view on the AFSCME website, click here

In this issue:

Republican House Members Release “Pledge” to Return to Failed Policies
Senate Takes Up Campaign Finance Legislation – Again
Democrats Vote to Protect Labor Elections Rules
Republicans Block Repeal to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
Congress Fails to Approve Multiyear FAA Bill

Republican House Members Release “Pledge” to Return to Failed Policies

On Thursday, House Republicans unveiled their pre-election campaign document, “A Pledge to America,” which is modeled after Newt Gingrich‘s 1994’s Contract with America. For the most part, it is set of warmed over, failed ideas aimed at voters for the midterm elections in November.

The document’s jobs and economy section calls for more tax cuts for millionaires and businesses by retaining all of the Bush tax cuts, rejecting President Obama’s plan to eliminate tax cuts for those earning above $250,000 to capture $830 billion in revenues. It calls for slashing spending by cutting the federal budget back to 2008 spending levels, which would mean a 21 percent reduction in yearly-appropriated programs including more than $8 billion in cuts in K-12 education and significant reductions for Head Start, child care, public safety, unemployment insurance and Employment Services, transportation, and other vital public services that AFSCME members provide. House Republicans also support canceling unspent Recovery Act funds, including the increased federal Medicaid match (FMAP) that now is available to states through June 30, 2011 and cannot be drawn down by states any faster than quarterly.

Not surprisingly, the document calls for a repeal of health care reform, putting insurance companies back in control. This would result in ending safeguards against skyrocketing premium increases, increasing the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, abandoning initiatives to improve health care, and ensuring that the ranks of the uninsured continue to grow. Instead, the House Republicans offer a litany of retread, failed ideas including expanding health savings accounts, allowing individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines, and medical malpractice reform.

The “Pledge” takes a swipe at the Employee Free Choice Act, stating: “We will fight for the rights of workers and oppose ‘card check’ schemes that put union bosses before individuals’ right to a secret ballot.” It requires that all federal legislation cite the constitutional authority upon which the bill is justified (another jab at health reform), makes it easier to strip spending out of appropriations bills, and proposes increased spending for national security, including fully funding missile defense.

The plan has been roundly criticized by the White House and congressional Democrats as “nothing more than a repackaging of the same failed special interest policies that caused this recession: cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires; cut rules for big corporations and special interests and leave the middle class to fend for itself” and “giv[ing] insurance companies control over Americans’ health care.

Rather than charting a new course, it is a continuation of the failed Bush economic policies. Interestingly, the plan says little about Social Security and Medicare, including Republicans’ privatization schemes, probably in recognition that this is a political third rail.
(Fran Bernstein- fbernstein@afscme.org)

Senate Takes Up Campaign Finance Legislation – Again

Thursday, Senate Democrats took another shot at moving their flawed version of the DISCLOSE Act (S. 3628) campaign finance legislation aimed at addressing the U.S. Supreme Court‘s decision in the Citizen’s United case. Fortunately, the bill failed to garner the 60 votes needed to begin debate. The vote was 59 to 39, with all Republicans opposing the bill and all Democrats supporting it.

While AFSCME supports reasonable requirements for disclosures and disclaimers of the Union’s political and advocacy activities, we were forced to oppose the Senate bill due to extraordinarily burdensome requirements it would impose on AFSCME affiliates.

Unlike the House bill, the Senate bill creates substantial burdens for AFSCME affiliates for the mere act of transferring membership dues to AFSCME. While the bill does not require local unions and state affiliates to make reports to the Federal Election Commission, the bill does require AFSCME to report on revenues received by affiliates and to do so within a 24-hour deadline. In order for AFSCME to make these reports, it would be necessary for affiliates to provide information on its revenue sources during the previous year and to do so quickly enough for AFSCME to meet the 24-hour deadline. The bill includes civil and criminal penalties for violating the reporting requirements

The House previously approved its version of the DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 5175). It does not create burdensome requirements for AFSCME affiliates.
(Barbara Coufal- bcoufal@afscme.org)

Democrats Vote to Protect Labor Election Rules

Senate Democrats defeated a resolution of disapproval that proposed rejecting the National Mediation Board’s (NMB) amended election rules for airline and rail union elections. The resolution would have overturned revised union election procedures recently issued by the NMB under the Railway Labor Act (RLA). The new rule makes clear that representation elections under the RLA will be decided based on whether a majority of the votes cast are for or against the union. Under the previous NMB rule, all workers who did not cast a ballot were counted as voting against the union. The changes, which went into effect on July 1, advanced a simple democratic proposition: the majority opinion of workers who participate should decide the election.

The challenge to the National Mediation Board’s updated union election procedures was led by Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) in an attempt to undo reforms that are giving tens of thousands of airline and rail workers the hope of a union fighting for them for improved wages and retirement security. Earlier in the day, President Obama issued a statement that he would veto the resolution if it passed.
(Cynthia Bradley- cbradley@afscme.org)

Republicans Block Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

This week, Senate Republicans blocked an attempt to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy that prohibits gays and lesbians from openly serving in the U.S. military. By a vote of 56-43 Democrats lost an attempt to have a vote on the Defense Authorization Act, which contains language repealing DADT. The Democrats fell below the 60 votes needed to proceed. The Arkansas Democrats, Sens. Blanche L. Lincoln and Mark Pryor, sided with all 40 Republicans present in opposing debate.
(Cynthia Bradley- cbradley@afscme.org)

Congress Fails to Approve Multiyear FAA Bill

On September 23, the House and Senate both passed clean extensions for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through the end of the calendar year. This action sends a clear signal that approving a multiyear reauthorization of the FAA bill will not happen before Congress adjourns in October.
(Cynthia Bradley- cbradley@afscme.org)

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a message from Nancy Pelsosi FW: Barack Obama’s Urgent Message

09/25/2010 Nativegrl77

On Wednesday, President Obama issued an urgent call to action for Democratic supporters nationwide: $1 million in grassroots dollars before Thursday’s final and most important quarterly reporting deadline. The amount of money we have in the bank as of midnight on the 30th will be used to judge our chances of winning tight races and retaining our Majority. This is also one of the last times to effectively expand advertising time in districts.

There has never been a more critical time to give. If we don’t want to see what we have worked so hard for come undone, we must stand united. Time is running out and I need your support now more than ever. Please contribute $5, $10 or more today and our matching program will be an unprecedented triple match by a group of committed Democrats.

Thank you as always for standing with us.

Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House

————————————————————————————
From: Barack Obama
Sent: Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010 10:42am
To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Subject: The Choice
————————————————————————————

Friend —

In the coming weeks, Americans will make a critical choice. Do we continue moving our country forward? Or do we bring back the very same ideas that devastated the middle class and resulted in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression?

There is no doubt that Democrats can retain our Majority in the House of Representatives in the same way that we won in 2008 — by going block by block, house by house, voter by voter.

September 30th marks the final FEC quarterly fundraising deadline of this election, making this the most important deadline we have ever faced. Your support by Midnight on September 30th will decide how strong our voter contact team is, how far they can extend their reach, and how many Democratic voters they can get to the polls.

Contribute before the crucial Midnight September 30th FEC deadline to fund our get-out-the-vote effort and ensure that I keep my great Democratic Partners in the House. Your gift today will be matched by a group of generous Democrats.

The challenges we face as a nation are too great to go back to the same old Republican ideas that got us into this mess in the first place. We simply cannot give the keys to the car back to the very same folks whose ideas led to the worst economy since the 1930s.

Since taking office, I have been fortunate to have extraordinary partners in the House like Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues who have fought to move our country in a New Direction. They have put our recovery on track, fought Republican attempts to privatize Social Security, and heroically taken on the powerful special interests. Now they need your help.

When my own campaign for this office began, we weren’t given much of a chance by the pollsters or the pundits. You proved them wrong through your belief that 2008 had to be different. Now I need you to do it again for my great Democratic allies in the House.

We simply cannot afford to spend the next two years wishing we had done more in this final push to keep the House in Democratic hands.

This is our moment to retain a Democratic House so we can continue working to create millions of jobs, strengthen our middle class, and make this economy work for every American.

Thank you.

Barack Obama

P.S. Every dollar you give will help decide how strong our voter contact team is, how far they can extend their reach, and how many Democratic voters they can get to the polls. Contribute today and your gift will be matched by a group of generous Democrats.

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Hollering …

09/24/2010 Nativegrl77

Back in Tennessee there’s an old saying: When you have the facts on your side, argue the facts. When you have the law on your side, argue the law. When you have neither, holler.

Remember, Republicans orchestrated a takeover of Congress in 1994 with the same strategy of obstructionism and nay-saying that they’re using now. They can only do it again if we let them. I’m totally dedicated to supporting President Obama and our Democrats in Congress at this critical time.

I hope I can count on you to do the same. Please let me hear from you before the September 30th deadline.

Sincerely,

Al Gore
Al Gore