Tag Archives: Democratic

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Burberry commits to Detox its clothes

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Thanks to thousands of actions taken by people like you, Burberry has committed to Detox its clothes of hazardous chemicals. This is great news for the environment and future generations.
Over the past two weeks the brand’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels have been flooded with messages from people all over the world, calling on Burberry to get rid of the toxic Little Monsters and Detox now.
With your help, we have proven that when people speak out, big brands listen. Burberry is the 19th fashion company to commit to Detox, raising the bar for the rest of the luxury sector and proving that beautiful fashion doesn’t have to cost the earth.
Burberry commits to DetoxTogether we are revolutionising the fashion industry.                      Check out what made this victory possible and then share the story with your friends.
Let’s make sure this toxic nightmare has a happy ending.
Thanks!
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A message from Gov.Inslee

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SeattleNighttime3   

We weathered the storm

Watching the news on Tue‌sday nig‌ht, it would’ve been easy to get discouraged.

Republicans scored major upsets all over the country and took the majority in the U.S. Senate.

But here in the state of Washington, Democrats held back the wave that overwhelmed the rest of the country.

We’re still holding control of the state House as the final votes are counted, and in the state Senate, the status quo was maintained. We reelected every one of our Democratic members of Congress and made history by passing background checks on all gun sales. And we picked up wins in county elections.

Wherever we can, my Democratic colleagues and I will work with the Republicans to find real solutions to the problems our state faces to build a working Washington. If they’re willing, we’ll work with them to fully fund our schools, to repair our unsafe roads and bridges, to create new jobs, to find a solution to our climate crisis, and to build a working Washington that is prepared for a clean energy future.

I will continue fighting to push the state forward, and I’m certainly not willing to let anyone take our state backwards.

With your help, we will continue to make progress for the people of Washington.

I’m proud to stand with you. Thank you for standing with me.

Very truly yours,

Jay Inslee

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The Other 47 Percent


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A Closer Look At Tuesday’s Races Show Structural, But Also Strategic, Challenges

There’s no denying that Tuesday was a bad day for Democrats. On the morning after the election, we detailed a number of key issues at play in the race and a silver lining. Now, a closer analysis reveals that while structural obstacles were certainly a big reason for GOP gains, they were not the only reason. Public opinion and demography experts Ruy Teixeira and John Halpin explain in a new Center for American Progress issue brief that deep voter pessimism and a lack of an economic agenda from Democrats also contributed to the voting outcomes. This provides an important lesson in the path forward.

The Structural Challenge: Democrats were hurt by the fact that states holding Senate elections this year were disproportionately small and conservative. With over two-thirds of the states having elections in 2014, one might expect that about two-thirds of the voting eligible population voted in the races that determined control of the Senate. But these 34 states had just 53 percent of the total United States voting population. That’s right: 47 percent of the country does not live in the states that just determined the new Senate majority.

The political make-up of the voters in 2014 Senate states leaned Republican as well, as this graphic spells out:

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The Strategic Challenge: But these structural challenges don’t explain everything. Comparing the 2014 Senate state with the same states in 2012, Democrats did do worse this year. Mitt Romney’s margin of victory in these states was 2.4 percent in 2012. This year, the margin of victory for all Republican Senate candidates in 2014 was 4.3 percent. That is a 1.9 percent shift more Republican. And in governor’s races, which actually took place in states that leaned blue, Democrats did even worse: in 2012 Obama won these states by a margin of 3.9 percent, while Democratic candidates lost in those states this year by 5.5 percent. That’s 9.4 percent of voters — equivalent to 7 million votes — going toward the GOP.

In their new analysis, Teixeira and Halpin offer a critical evaluation and explanation of why this could be. After going through the exit polls and breaking down how different key constituencies voted, they conclude that “the path forward for Democrats seems straight.”

In order to maximize support among core constituencies and reach further into the Republican hold on white voters, they must develop and promote a sharp vision of economic equality and greater opportunity for those left out of the recovery. An agenda of job creation and investment; higher wages for workers; greater equality for women; college affordability and student-debt reduction; and strong family policies through paid leave, expanded child care support, and universal pre-K can attract a sizable chunk of the white working class, particularly among women and Millennials, and appeal to base voters who are economically pressed.

BOTTOM LINE: Structural challenges made this year a difficult one for Democrats. But strategic challenges connecting with voters anxious about their economic circumstances also offer lessons and provide a path forward going into 2016. Economic opportunity for all Americans, not just the wealthy few, is a message that resonates with voters. Now candidates and elected officials need to advocate for the progressive policies to make that a reality.

 

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Problems At The Polls


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State Laws And Election Administration Errors Causing Problems On Election Day

***The polls are set to close in a few hours. If you have yet to vote, what are you waiting for? Vote! Click here to get all the information you need when you go to the polls. A number of state laws have changed and may have altered the required documents you need to cast a ballot.***

Throughout the course of Election Day, ThinkProgress has been reporting on the ground from seven states across the country. They have gone beyond the horserace to uncover how the election process is going for voters. And they are finding numerous problems, whether the result of new state voter suppression laws, election administration issues, or something else. Here are a few (and check out the liveblog for more):

  • North Carolina’s New Election Restrictions Are Turning Away Voters: At two polling places south of the city center, voters are turning up in steady numbers throughout the morning. But many of them aren’t casting ballots: they are being turned away because they aren’t at their correct precinct.
  • Georgia Voter Redirected To Polling Place 35 Miles Away: Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office failed to process tens of thousands of voter registration cards — mostly in heavily African-American counties — before the election, and it’s causing confusion at the polls. Karl Ragland and his wife moved to Atlanta from Covington, Ga., earlier in the year and submitted a change of address form to the Board of Elections. But when they showed up at their new polling place in Atlanta, they learned that the form had never been processed. Karl now has to drive 35 miles to Covington to vote, causing him to miss up to two hours of work. “I am going to vote today,” Karl said.
  • Texas Voting Restrictions Sow Confusion At The Polls: At a polling site in Third Ward, a historically African American neighborhood in Houston, two voters have been turned away for lacking a photo ID. One had simply left it at home, and would have to make an additional trip to the polls. The other had to cast a provisional ballot, which has a much lower chance of being counted.
  • More Than 21,000 Kansans Could Be Blocked From Voting On Election Day: Tens of thousands of Kansans who registered to vote may find themselves ineligible on Tuesday as a result of a new law that “requires people registering to vote for the first time to provide proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport,” the Wichita Eagle reported on Friday. As of Oct. 31, 21,473 registered voters had not sent in documentation showing that they are American citizens.
  • Atlanta Voters Are Being Required To Pay To Park: In one of Atlanta’s largest voting precincts, voters are complaining about being required to pay as they leave the parking lot next to Georgia Tech’s student center polling site, even though signs advertised free parking on Election Day. Advocates say that requiring people to pay extra fees during the process of voting essentially amounts to a poll tax.
  • Miami Man Waited More Than 4 Hours To Vote After Poll Workers Refused To Allow Address Change: Florida law allows voters to change their address at the polls on Election Day. But because poll workers have not been adequately trained on Florida’s Electronic Voter Identification System (EVID), some voters who have recently moved are having problems casting ballots in their new precincts. Opa-Locka resident Eugene Gonzalez arrived at his polling location at 8:30 this morning, but did not cast his ballot until 1 pm because poll workers mistakenly told him that he needed to vote in Broward County, where he lived previously and was still registered.
  • Alabama Voters With Public Housing, Shelter IDs Are Being Turned Away: At least three Alabama citizens apparently have been denied their right to vote thanks to the state’s voter ID law, a last-minute decision by the state that public housing and shelter ID’s are not valid proof of identity.
  • Longtime Voter Removed From Voter Rolls In Ohio: Jamil Smith, a producer for MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry show, reported on Twitter this morning that his father encountered a serious problem attempting to vote: “My father, who has voted in every election as long as he can remember, tells me his name wasn’t on the rolls this morning. He lives in Ohio.” It’s unclear how Smith’s father’s name was removed from the voter rolls, but Ohio was one of several states that signed onto a voter purge scheme devised by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) that developed a lost of voters under consideration for purging by simply finding people who share the same first and last name as a voter in another state.

BOTTOM LINE: These problems at the polls are just a few extremely concerning examples that should be immediately corrected — and could be illegal or unconstitutional. In response to this and other anecdotal evidence of barriers to voting, the Center for American Progress has issued letters to Secretaries of State in Kansas, North Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia, urging them to take “immediate action” to rectify these concerns. Voting is a fundamental deomcratic right, and it should be free, fair, and accessible to all citizens.

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What’s life got to do with it?
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The key to the survival of our species is found in the Amazon rainforest. Yet this magnificent, biodiverse environment, holding half of the remaining tropical rainforest on our planet, depends upon your commitment and action in order to survive.

Indigenous communities, rainforest stewards for uncounted generations, speak for and defend the Amazon. One out of every ten animal species lives in this region, and a full third of all plant species on the planet. We must never forget that the Amazon’s fate parallels that of the global climate, for if left intact it will stem climate chaos, helping us to avoid the tipping point of catastrophe.

For almost two decades Amazon Watch has worked tirelessly to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of indigenous peoples. For almost two decades Amazon Watch has worked tirelessly to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of indigenous peoples. Our work, like our supporters, grows stronger each year and together we’ve already protected millions of acres of pristine rainforest. These efforts are effective because we leverage our strengths and partnerships to strategically focus on the the most crucial areas. We can’t be everywhere and we can’t do it alone, but with your support we’ll have the resources necessary to win more important victories.

Let us show you how. Heading into the final weeks of 2014, we will bring you closer to our work and the elements of the Amazon so precious for our survival. Please make a gift today and demonstrate your commitment to the Amazon and its peoples, and to all life.

With gratitude,


Branden Barber
Engagement Director