Tag Archives: Mitt Romney

from Jason Rosenbaum and dscc.org

01/30/2012 Nativegrl77

– The next 24 hours will determine our nation’s political path: We either re-elect President Obama. Or President Gingrich or President Romney destroy working families and hand everything to the top 1%.

I really need you to take a look at this spreadsheet. Our make-or-break FEC deadline is 24 hours from now, and we’re still $255,000 short. This is the first deadline since the GOP presidential contest turned from circus to serious. Whether or not we hit this goal will determine who wins: President Obama, or a radical Republican.

Reach this goal, and we have a fighting chance to keep President Obama in office and prevent a total GOP takeover. Fall short, and President Gingrich or President Romney will be calling the shots before a Republican Congress a year from now.

Can you chip in $5 now?

We can’t get there without your help – 90% of our donations come from grassroots supporters. Thanks in advance.

Jason

Jason Rosenbaum
DSCC Director of Online Communications

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Pop quiz … by Brad Woodhouse

01/26/2012 Nativegrl77

Pop quiz. Which of the following excuses has Mitt used as he’s tried to release as little of his tax returns as possible?

A. I’m waiting until I’m elected president
B. My accountant isn’t available to release them
C. It’s not about my tax rate, it’s about the tax rate of the American people
D. “I want to make sure I beat Barack Obama”

If you guessed all of the above, you’re correct. Yesterday, Mitt dropped the excuses long enough to release one year’s worth. One year.

And he chose to release his tax returns on the same day President Obama gave the State of the Union and made the case for the Buffett Rule, which asks millionaires like Mitt to pay their fair share. The choice in this election couldn’t be clearer.

We think everyone should pay their fair share, including Mitt, and we don’t buy that one year of returns tells the whole story. It’s time for him to level with the American people.

Sign the petition to tell Mitt to release the rest of his tax returns.

http://my.democrats.org/No-More-Excuses

You see, Mitt doesn’t think there’s a problem with what he pays, despite the fact that his disclosure yesterday revealed a previously hidden Swiss bank account that was shut down in 2010 after an adviser reportedly realized it was politically problematic.

Between the old Swiss bank account, the Cayman Islands investments, and other tax-minimizing tactics, he paid just 13.9 percent on the $22 million he made in 2010 — about half the rate most middle-class Americans pay. And under the tax plan he’d put in place as president, he’d pay even less.

But here’s the thing: We still don’t know what tax rate he’s paid in past years, or if he’s used tax loopholes that are only for the very wealthy, because he won’t share any more of his returns.

When Mitt’s own father, George Romney, ran for president in 1967, he released 12 years of returns, saying “One year could be a fluke, perhaps done for show.”

American voters deserve to know how he makes his money, where he invests it, and the larger story that tells about his values.

Tell Mitt it’s time to step up and release the rest of his tax returns:

http://my.democrats.org/No-More-Excuses

Thanks,

Brad

Brad Woodhouse
Communications Director
Democratic National Committee

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

See both ads for yourself … by Jim Messina, BarackObama.com

01/20/2012 Nativegrl77

We’ve talked a lot about super PACs, other outside groups, and the hundreds of millions of dollars they’re going to spend attacking us.
It’s started.
Right now, the outside group Americans for Prosperity is pouring millions of dollars into a false ad trying to tear down President Obama’s record.

We’re not going to react every single time an unaccountable outside group decides to trash the President on TV. But this one gave us the opportunity to show exactly how much the President has done for energy in this country: increasing domestic production — including renewable energy sources — across the board, saving consumers money, and decreasing our dependence on foreign oil.
See both ads for yourself. Then, if you can, chip in $5 or more to help us fight back.

It wasn’t part of our plan to run a big ad in January of 2012, but this is the new reality we’re operating in.
They’re relying on a handful of millionaires — we’re relying on you.
Please pitch in to help us fight back today:
Thanks,
Messina
Jim Messina Campaign Manager Obama for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Corporations are people, my friend …Rainforest Action Network

01/19/2012 Nativegrl77

“Corporations are people, my friend.”

Take a guess. Is this:

A. a line from eerie new sci-fi flick starring Christopher Walken
B. a statement by Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney
C. a typical morning self-affirmation by oil & gas industry CEOs

The answer is B. Mitt Romney made this statement with a straight face in front of both public and press at the Iowa State Fair last year. And if you’ve heard about the infamous Citizens United ruling, then you know that the U.S. Supreme Court agrees.

Do you think that “corporate personhood” is best kept in the world of science fiction? Ready to fight back? Good. So are we! Join us this week on the anniversary of Citizen’s United in letting corporations and their political allies know that democracy is for the people. Real people. We The People.

Understanding Citizen’s United

Trying to understand the many frustrating complexities of “corporate personhood” and its role in the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling could drive some people to want to just crack a beer and watch Simpsons reruns all night long. Do not fear. We’ve got a cartoon here (from the brilliant people who brought you The Story of Stuff) that makes understanding Citizens United a snap.

Take Action on the Anniversary of Citizen’s United

This Friday and Saturday, you will have a historic opportunity to challenge corporate power on the anniversary of Citizen’s United. Join us in the streets at events in San Francisco and Minneapolis or find an action in your town!

January 20 Join RAN at Occupy Wall Street West in San Francisco
January 21 Join RAN in the Twin Cities
Find an Action in Your Town

President Obama Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline

Great news! President Obama has just rejected the Keystone XL pipeline. Thanks to all of you who were part of the grassroots opposition to this massive pipeline. Against huge threats from Big Oil, President Obama stepped up to defend the health of the American people and our climate. Join us in thanking the president and encouraging him to continue the fight for our green energy future.

Levi’s Takes a Stand for Rainforests

RAN is pleased to announce that denim giant Levi Strauss & Co. has implemented a new paper policy in its operations around the globe. This makes Levi’s the latest company in an ever-growing list of major corporate customers to exclude supplier Asia Pulp & Paper for its human rights abuses and blatant rainforest destruction. Kudos to Levi’s for taking a strong stand to protect forests in Indonesia and around the world.

Bankrupting America on Tumblr

From fees to foreclosures to coal financing, Bank of America has got zero love these days. In fact, we thought BoA deserved its own shiny new website to track the vast amounts of ire it’s garnering from people across the country, so RAN and The New Bottom Line are bringing you Bankrupting America on Tumblr. This blog features BoA’s foibles, follies, and clever pushback from people who’ve had enough (like the activists who modified every BoA ATM screen in San Francisco in a single night). If you’ve got a juicy video, photo, news story or personal account about Bank of America, we want to hear about it. Submit your story today!

Great Moments in Stupid Chevron PR

Now that Chevron has been found guilty—again —for intentionally dumping a massive amount of toxic oil waste in the Ecuadorean Amazon, the company has become particularly desperate to explain why it refuses to take responsibility. We’ve remixed some of the most ridiculous excuses Chevron spokespeople have made over the years into a magnum opus of Great Moments in Stupid Chevron PR. Check out the video, then submit your own brilliant ideas for Chevron’s next stupid excuse!

Field Report: The High Stakes of Palm Oil

To understand how palm oil—an ingredient in more than 50% of household products in the U.S.—really affects the people, ecosystems, and animals on the ground in Indonesia, read this latest field report from RAN forest campaigners Lafcadio Cortesi and Ashley Schaeffer. These two traveled deep into the jungles of Borneo to document the tragic impacts of palm oil plantation expansion on some of the most beautiful primary rainforests in the world.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Sign our petition. It says: “I like leaders who hire people.” … AFL – CIO

01/18/2012 Nativegrl77

Former corporate raider and presidential hopeful Mitt Romneyrecently said “I like being able to fire people”—and his record as a corporate raider backs that up.He supports laws that attack workers’ rights and make it easier to fire people.Sign our petition. It says: “I like leaders who hire people.”

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney—who killed thousands of jobs as a corporate raider—recently said he “likes being able to fire people.”

Romney’s record as a corporate raider backs up his words: He supports laws that attack workers’ rights and make it easier to fire people. Laws like the so-called “right to work” bill being considered in Indiana that targets collective bargaining, robbing workers of union protection.

If Indiana’s so-called “right to work” bill passes, the state’s unions no longer will stand between corporate raiders like Mitt Romney and many of the workers they like to fire to boost short-term profits. And it will become much harder for everyday workers to improve their wages, benefits and retirement security.

If you agree with the AFL-CIO that our leaders need to work together on an agenda that actually creates jobs—and stop following the lead of corporate raiders like Mitt Romney—add your name to our “I like leaders who hire people” petition.

In 2011, we saw the beginnings of a new democratic movement for economic justice. We had the most solidarity I’ve seen at any time during my career in the labor movement. We shifted the debate. And we’ll keep doing it.

But to translate this movement into lasting change, politics matter. Not just who we elect for president, but our choices at the state and local levels, too.

America wants to work—and it is politics as usual, not economic obstacles, standing in the way of putting people back to work. That’s why we’re promoting a job-creating agenda in statehouses around the country this year, focusing on priorities like:

Making sure state tax dollars are used to keep jobs in that state and in America.
Buying state-made and American-made goods—so we create jobs in our communities and in America.
Stopping corporate tax loopholes and tax breaks for millionaires—so our states no longer are starved of the revenue they need for critical services.

Please make sure your lawmakers—from the statehouse to the White House—know where you stand. Add your name to our “I like leaders who hire people” petition.

Even though ruthless, corporate-backed attacks on workers continue, make no mistake: Our message—the message of the 99%—is taking root. Many politicians haven’t caught up yet. But they will. They’ll have to. Because people all across the country are saying our economy and our democracy are out of balance. They’re saying it’s time to create jobs for every person who wants to work—jobs that can support our families and that can support our dreams.

Sign the “I like leaders who hire people” petition. Make sure our leaders know you expect them to build a better America—and drop the attacks on working families.

Thank you for all the work you do.

In Solidarity,

Richard L. Trumka
President, AFL-CIO