Tag Archives: Democratic

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Open Letter to the American People

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To the American People:

The midterm elections that just passed were not about political parties and partisan scorekeeping. They were about you: your families, your jobs, your economic security and your future.

The message that you sent to Washington is that you want Democrats, Republicans and Independents to work together to find the common ground needed for real solutions and real progress. Democrats agree. We understand the frustration felt by all Americans – especially our middle class. We heard you, loud and clear. We’re frustrated too and will continue to fight for what you demand and deserve.

Democrats will keep fighting to make sure that big banks, big oil, those who want to privatize Social Security and other powerful special interests are prevented from taking advantage of you. We also welcome every opportunity to work with our Republican colleagues as we know the challenges that lie ahead of us know no political affiliation.

And with Republicans securing more seats in both houses of Congress, it is imperative they take their responsibility to offer bipartisan solutions more seriously. Simply saying ‘no’ will do nothing to create more jobs and strengthen our economy.

You will hear many of the media pundits say this was a tough election for those on the ballot this year, but we know that is nothing compared to the fight that middle-class families are facing to stay in their homes, find good jobs and make ends meet.

The time for politics is now over. Democrats will spare no effort to get back to work immediately in order to restore the American Dream for you and your families.

Sincerely,

Harry Reid

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Recount Alert Updates: Good News



You never stopped fighting.

Your generosity and commitment helped us surpass our Voter Protection Efforts goal in time to get critical resources out to campaigns locked in too close-to-call races.

I’m pleased to report that two more seats were called for Democrats this week. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington are returning to Congress because you stood with us to make sure every vote was counted fairly and accurately.

But, there are still eight Democrats in the fight of their lives in too close-to-call races. In the early morning hours of the day after the Election, we dispatched legal teams and staff and have been rushing resources to their aides. But, the truth is that this may be a continuing timely and costly process, and we can’t leave these Democrats when they need us the most. We must raise an additional $100,000 by this Monday to keep up the fight.

Please rush a contribution of $5, $10 or more to help our Voter Protection efforts to keep the fight going. Your dollars to help us reach our goal by Monday will keep our teams on the ground able to stand their ground and protect our vote.

With eight races still too close to call, every dollar you contribute to our Voter Protection efforts is helping ensure we keep up the fight. We need to send more Democrats to Congress to stand with Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats in our 2012 fight, and to stand in the way of Republican plans to dismantle health care reform and Social Security.

Thank you for standing with us,

Jon Vogel
DCCC Executive Director

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End secret election spending now


 

“It’s time to end secret corporate political spending. Secret contributions hurt our democracy. Pass the DISCLOSE Act before the end of the year.”

Sign the petition

Spending on this year’s election didn’t just break records, it obliterated them. $4 billion in total.1

In the wake of Citizens United, corporations like ExxonMobil and AIG can give hundreds of millions of dollars to a shadowy front group to swing an election. And they can do so in 100% secrecy.

Imagine how this election could have changed if voters knew which corporations were supporting Republican candidates with anonymous attack ads against Democrats.

Earlier this year Congress nearly passed a bill—the DISCLOSE Act—that would force front groups to let voters know which corporations and CEOs are funding their political attacks.

The bill came up short because some Republican senators said they didn’t want to pass the common sense measure until after the election.2 Now that the election is over we have an opportunity to pass this bill, but it won’t happen unless we push hard on Congress to act before the end of the year.

Click here to tell Congress to pass the DISCLOSE Act and end secret political spending:

http://pol.moveon.org/discloseact?id=25122-9640874-Z.3dHpx&t=3

This bill won’t get corporate money out of politics, but if we know that a company is trying to buy an election, we can shame them and we can hold them accountable. We did it successfully with Target earlier this year when state laws forced the retailer to disclose that it had made a large donation to a far-right candidate for governor in Minnesota. MoveOn members and others launched a nationwide boycott that brand analysts said reduced Target’s favorable reputation by a third among customers in just ten days.3

We also know that disclosure can have a major effect in elections. In California this year, giant oil companies backed a ballot measure to repeal the state’s groundbreaking climate change law. But they couldn’t secretly funnel their money through front groups and voters overwhelmingly rejected the initiative in part because every ad has to mention the oil companies funding it by name.

The DISCLOSE Act isn’t perfect but it will at least let us follow the money. We still need to keep working to pass stronger legislation and overturn Citizens United, but ending the ability of corporations to buy elections in secret is an important and fundamental step for our democracy.

Please, click here to tell Congress to pass DISCLOSE before the end of the year:

http://pol.moveon.org/discloseact?id=25122-9640874-Z.3dHpx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Robin, Laura, Tim, and the rest of the team

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RE: Recount Alerts: Eight Outstanding


Midnight tonight marks a critical milestone in our unwavering campaign to move America forward.

That’s the deadline for sending urgently needed financial resources to the field to support eight Democrats in races that remain too close to call. The most important thing you can do right now to ensure we win these battleground races is help us raise the remaining $43,627 we need by tonight’s Voter Protection deadline.

In the early morning hours after Election Day, we sent staff and legal teams to help these members locked in battles but they need urgent resources to keep up the fight.

Contribute $5, $10 or more before Midnight Tonight to our Voter Protection efforts to help keep up the fight.

Stand Up for Democrats

I know I’ve asked a lot of you already. But what happens in these eight campaigns has enormous implications for the future. Having more Democrats in Congress will not only give us a head start on returning to the Majority in 2012, but it will also affect our ability to oppose the Republicans‘ radical plans for rolling back health care reform, dismantling the Department of Education and privatizing Social Security and Medicare.

Contribute $5, $10 or more before Midnight Tonight to our Voter Protection efforts to help keep up the fight.

Time and time again, you have refused to have your voices silenced by the special interests. Now we must reaffirm our commitment to ensure every vote is counted fairly and accurately.

Thank you,

Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House

P.S. There are only hours left before tonight’s Midnight deadline to send out money to our voter protection efforts. Please stand with me to make sure Republicans don’t repeat the questionable tactics they used in Florida in 2000. We need these eight Democrats in Congress. Contribute before Midnight Tonight to our Voter Protection efforts to help keep up the fight.

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You Did Make a Difference


Thank you for your incredible volunteer efforts throughout this campaign. Even though the media declared this election to be over months ago, you refused to give up. You fought hard until the very end — and I cannot thank you enough for all that you did.

There is no denying that your volunteer efforts still made a difference. It may be little solace right now, but without your efforts, the damage would have been significantly worse. It’s because of your phone calls and door knocks that many courageous Democrats won close races in battleground districts.

Update – Victory Declared in AZ-08!

On that note, it is my pleasure to share an update on one such race that was too close to call on Election Night — the race in AZ-08 has now been called for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She defeated one of the most extreme Republican candidates in America and it was her grassroots volunteers who made the difference.

That leaves approximately nine races which are now still too-close-to-call. But we are confident that when all the votes are counted, Democrats will win them all.

Thank you again for your amazing volunteer efforts in this campaign. You proved that no amount of special interest money can drown out the voices of grassroots Democrats.

Now is not the time to give up because we are disappointed or discouraged. As Chairman Van Hollen has said, “we may be bruised but our spirit will not be broken.”

Now is the time to remind ourselves that out of great adversity, great comebacks are born.

Jon Vogel
DCCC Executive Director

P.S. Our work in this campaign is not yet over. With approximately nine races that are still too close to call, we have lawyers and staff on the ground fighting hard for every vote and guarding against Republican dirty tricks. Please help us cover the cost of these expensive and important voter protection efforts so we can keep more Republican extremists out of Congress and be in a strong position to win back our House Majority in 2012.