WEEK IN REVIEW
Senate Democratic leaders invite President Obama and Vice President Biden to
Capitol Hill the week of July 5 to move deficit-reduction talks forward.
Democratic leaders say progress will depend on Republicans‘ willingness to end
tax breaks for the wealthy.
Senate Democrats ask Republicans to stop protecting frivolous tax breaks for the wealthy, such as loopholes for corporate jet owners, and work with Democrats to reduce the deficit
Budget negotiations in Washington are at a critical point.
Republicans who want to slash programs for low-income people while rejecting any revenue increases are threatening to refuse to raise the debt ceiling — which must happen to avoid a fiscal crisis — unless they get their way.
President Obama needs to hear that women and families are counting on him to protect programs for low-income people.
You can help! Call 1-888-245-0215 to be connected to the White House comment line. In your message:State your name, where you’re from, and if you’re affiliated with a service provider or work with low-income people (though that is not necessary to call).
Then say: “Please tell the President and the Vice President to hold firm and insist that any deficit-reduction plan must protect programs for low-income people and not increase poverty. Women and their families shouldn’t bear the brunt of deficit reduction through cuts to critical programs like Medicaid, food stamps, child care and Head Start, and Pell grants. Increased revenues from those with the greatest ability to pay must be a major part of any deficit-reduction plan.”
Unless programs for low-income people are protected in the budget negotiations, women and their families will bear the brunt of deficit reduction. Women are more likely than men to be poor at all stages of their lives and their families disproportionately rely on programs designed to help low-income people. Maintaining and strengthening programs like Medicaid, food stamps, child care assistance, Head Start, and Pell grants protects vulnerable women and families today — and expands their opportunities for a better life.
Please ask President Obama and Vice President Biden to demand fair change in the budget negotiations. Dial 1-888-245-0215 today!
Sincerely,
Joan Entmacher
Vice President, Family Economic Security
National Women’s Law Center
Judy Waxman
Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights
National Women’s Law Center
P.S. Please spread the word by forwarding this message to friends, family and colleagues.
Im writing to you from Manchester, New Hampshire, where last night I witnessed a spectacle that every single Obama supporter needs to hear about.
The major GOP presidential candidates debated for the first time and made one thing very clear: They have no agenda but to take down President Obama.
They even nodded along when one called the Obama administration a “destructive force,” and they said nothing when another said the President has “embraced our enemies.”
Last night was a wake-up call to anyone who thinks they can sit tight while the Republicans battle each other for the nomination: The campaign to defeat Barack Obama and roll back his entire record is well underway. And that’s the one thing on which all of their potential candidates agree.
It was seven against one. Since the President won’t be speaking for himself at one of these debates until next year, our best response is to show the Republicans that when they attack Barack Obama, it only makes us fight back harder.
www.democrats.org <<< Check out the Website
Fundamentally, last night’s debate was about which of their candidates would turn back the clock the farthest.
They came out for re-fighting the battles they lost on Wall Street reform and the health care law. They backed reinstating “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
They even talked about abolishing the Environmental Protection Agency — and phasing out Social Security and Medicare.
They actually spent time debating whether they think Sarah Palin would have made a better vice president than Joe Biden (spoiler alert: They still think so!).
But the words “education” and “middle class” were never uttered even once.
If you were watching at home, you might have thought it was a re-run from four or eight years ago.
Most of these people are full-time candidates with nothing to lose and nothing to do but keep pushing to take us back to the failed policies of the past. Help fight back with a donation today:
First, Senate Republicans voted to kill Medicare. Now, Republican leader Mitch McConnell is holding Medicare hostage, saying the GOP will refuse to lift the debt ceiling – endangering our economy – unless Democrats support the GOP Medicare Plan. The GOP plan isn’t to reform the system – it’s to end Medicare as we know it. Period.
Senate Democrats have said the GOP plan to end Medicare is off the table. But they need your support to stand strong in the face of sustained GOP attacks. Will you sign our petition to show Democrats that you stand with them in defending Medicare? We need 100,000 Democrats to sign it so GOP leaders know we have an online army behind us.
Tell Republicans that the GOP plan to end Medicare is off the table! go to: www.dscc.org and sign the petition
Millions of Americans count on Medicare for their health coverage, and millions more expect to rely on it in the future. Help us send a strong signal to Republicans that we won’t allow them to destroy our social contract.
Guy Cecil
Some Inconvenient Truths About the National Debt
Jun 1, 2011 | By ThinkProgress War Room
How’d We Get Here?
As we draw closer to August 2, the drop-dead date by which the nation’s debt ceiling must be raised or the U.S. will risk economic calamity by defaulting on its obligations, Republicans continue to play political games with the economy. Last night, House Republicans staged a political stunt by bringing a $2.4 trillion increase in the nation’s borrowing limit that was not paired with any spending cuts up for a vote. Republicans designed the measure to fail (as it did, with the Democratic leadership also calling for a ‘no’ vote in protest) to try and gain political leverage over President Obama and the Democrats in the ongoing budget negotiations being led by Vice President Biden. Also tucked into this measure was poison pill language blaming President Obama for the nation’s fiscal woes. Since the GOP continues to have collective amnesia about how we got into this mess in the first place, here’s a handy chart from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP):
As our friends at CBPP note, “without the economic downturn and the fiscal policies of the [Bush] Administration, the budget would be roughly in balance over the next decade.”
Where the GOP Wants to Take Us: More Tax Cuts for the Wealthy & Big Oil, Less Health Care for Grandma
In order to raise the debt ceiling to pay for the debts we’ve already incurred as a result of these Bush-era policies, Republicans are demanding that the president accept elements of their disastrous — and extremely unpopular — budget plan, which includes:
A permanent extension of the Bush tax cuts, which (along with two wars) make up almost half of the debt we’ll owe by 2019 under current policies
A new tax cut for the wealthy that would lower the top rate by almost one-third
A new tax cut for corporations — including Big Oil
Ending Medicare as we know it and slashing Medicaid
A hidden tax increase on the middle class
Missing from the GOP plan? Any new revenue for the government or any serious deficit reduction over the next decade.
Evening Briefing: Important Stories That You May Have Missed
Voters in several states have buyer’s remorse.
South Africa’s Zuma fails to persuade Qaddafi to step down.
The House GOP prefers to keep campaign finance disclosure opaque.
Texas redistricting is underway and it isn’t pretty.
Forcing “forcible” out of federal rape policy.
Matt Drudge’s disgusting race war awareness campaign.
Supposed-Libertarian Rand Paul (R-KY) wants to imprison people who attend “radical political speeches.”
Which major corporations are making huge profits but pay negative tax rates?
News You Can Use: Get Your Go-Bag Ready — Hurricane Season Starts Today
After a spring filled with record floods and killer tornadoes fueled by an ever-warming planet, today marks the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. Scientists predict that this season there will be 18 named storms, including 3-6 major hurricanes. The La Niña effect, which helped steer storms away from the U.S. last year, is expected to ebb by June or July, increasing the likelihood of a major hurricane hitting the U.S during the peak of the season in late August and September. Meanwhile, the GOP’s proposed budget for next year cuts disaster preparedness funding by $1.5 billion.
Lie of the Day: Palin’s Magical Mystery Tour Marches On–Complete With a $7 TRILLION Lie on Fox News
In between saying how much she “loves the smell of emissions,” playing hide-and-go-seek with the media, and eating dinner with Donald Trump, Sarah Palin sat down with Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren. As is customary for Palin’s appearances on Fox, her interview included a ‘pants on fire’ lie about President Obama. She claimed that the president has increased the national debt by “more than all other presidents combined.” As ThinkProgress’ Judd Legum notes: “this is flatly false,” as the debt was $10.6 trillion when Obama came into office and has increased by $3.7 trillion since then — mostly due to Bush-era policies, as noted above. That leaves Palin’s accounting off by a mere $7 TRILLION. Check out the video:
Be a Seed for Change 
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