By CAP Action War Room

2016 Republican Hopefuls Head To The “Sheldon Adelson Primary” To Speak Before The GOP Megadonor

This weekend, 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls will head to Nevada to the Republican Jewish Coalition’s spring meeting – a confab that the media have widely taken to calling the “Sheldon Adelson Primary” because of the billionaire casino mogul’s connection to the group. At the meeting, the 2016 hopefuls will have a chance to parade before Adelson and each make the case for why they should be next to move into the White House. Ted Cruz and Rick Perry are making an appearance at the coalition’s meeting this year, while Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, and Marco Rubio, the current “clear front-runner” in the Adelson sweepstakes according to sources, have met with Adelson previously.

As explained in a new CAP Action issue brief, the 2016 contenders’ appearance at the “Sheldon Adelson Primary” is no small thing. In 2012, Adelson and his wife sent $98 million to conservative outside spending groups and candidates, and possibly another $45-$55 million to dark money spending groups. The Adelsons can be powerful friends to have: as the campaign of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich began to founder, an Adelson-funded super PAC “single-handedly kept Gingrich’s presidential bid alive,” before the Adelsons moved on and became some of the biggest contributors to outside spending groups supporting Mitt Romney’s bid.

While we don’t know exactly what the GOP hopefuls will say this weekend, we do know that they’re committed to policies that provide more for the wealthy few but make it harder for working families to get ahead. Four of the top 2016 candidates support tax policies that could result in huge tax savings for Adelson and his wife. Under Bush, the Adelsons could cut an estimated $139.7 million of his total tax bill; with tax plans supported by Cruz and Perry, the Adelsons could save $144.1 million and $141.9 million respectively.

However, each of these 2016 hopefuls has opposed the Affordable Care Act, a key protection for hundreds of thousands of working Nevadans. The law has helped more than 280,000 Nevadans get access to health coverage through the insurance marketplace and the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, leading the uninsured rate in the state to decline by 4.3 percentage points, from 20 to 15.7 percent.

BOTTOM LINE: 2016 GOP contenders are showering Sheldon Adelson with attention, who together with his wife spent anywhere from $100-150 million in the 2012 election. The GOP’s presidential hopefuls may frame their pitches to the mogul by pledging to grow our economy and attack inequality, but their records reveal their support for policies that will give Adelson and the wealthy few still more ways to avoid paying their fair share while dismantling supports for working families. They may promise Adelson a windfall, but the GOP hopefuls’ policies are a bad deal for everyone else.

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This year there is a critical Special Election in the 30th Legislative District that will have huge implications for our state. Representative Carol Gregory was appointed to the House of Representatives in January after being selected by the 30th District PCOs.

Now, Carol must fight to retain her seat this November, and she needs your help.

Carol’s race is the only legislative race in the state this year, which means the Republicans are focusing all of their energy on defeating her. The Democratic majority in the House hinges on Carol’s election in November.

Will you support Carol’s campaign and help us win this critical election and protect our state?

A former schoolteacher and current Federal Way School Board member, Carol Gregory is a born-and-raised Washingtonian. She has extensive experience in education, government, community leadership, and the Democratic Party. Her public service includes working as President of the Washington Education Association and in various government positions, including eight years in Governor Booth Gardner’s Administration. Carol has also specialized in workforce training and economic development, working for the Small Business Improvement Council and as a representative on the Seattle/King County Workforce Development Council.

Carol’s roots are deep in her community, and she is the right person to represent the 30th District. Even though her seat has been held by a Democrat for the past two years, many still consider the 30th to be a true swing district, and her Republican opponent can be expected to run an expensive campaign, as they seek to pick up this seat.

In short, the right wing is going to throw everything they have at Carol. And the only way to continue to strengthen our families and middle class and ensure we are building a better future for our kids is to elect Carol Gregory this November.

Please join me and show Carol she has grassroots support to fend off the Republican attacks and win in November.

Please click here to support Carol’s campaign with a gift of $100, $50, $25 or whatever you can afford today. Your early support will be key to Carol’s success in November, and she is grateful for contributions of any size.

Please pitch in today, and help us win this critical election. The fate of our state depends on it.

Thank you for standing up for our shared values,

Jaxon

P.S. Carol has just four days to raise money until she reports back to Olympia for the special legislative session.

Please make your contribution today, before the fundraising freeze kicks back in!

Yesterday, Congress introduced Trade Promotion Authority legislation, also known as TPA or “fast track” — a series of guidelines for trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership the Obama administration is currently working on.

When OFA supporters had the chance to ask one of the President’s closest advisors about the administration’s plans to pursue a progressive trade agreement, we heard a lot of questions about what it would look like, and ​on the process surrounding how it gets done.

Now that Congress has taken a step forward, it’s time for an update.

Let’s start with the basics: What’s the TPA?
Simply put, it’s how Congress sets the rules of the road for trade negotiations. They set guidelines that the President and the administration use to negotiate an agreement with other nations.

Trade agreements typically take years to negotiate, and though the TPA is often called “fast track,” that’s a bit of a misnomer. TPA is a bill like any other (it must go through both the Senate and the House, and then be signed by the President), and it’s just the first step in a months-long process of public and congressional review before any deal would be voted on. This has been the trade agreement process for decades. In fact, presidents on both sides of the aisle have been relying on Congress to pass versions of the TPA since 1974.

What happens after TPA?
The rules set by Congress through the TPA guide the framework for the final trade ​agreement — the President’s team will then negotiate the deal on the international stage according to the principles laid out, and if the bill released yesterday is passed, they will bring the finished deal to Congress for an up-or-down vote.

The good news is that this bill ensures progressive values, like enforceable labor and environment standards, will be part of the agreement — and that the entire process is transparent.

Why should people pay attention now?
It’s pretty important for working families and for the economy that we get this right. U.S. exports — supported by expanding trade — have contributed nearly a third of our economic growth in the recovery, supporting more than 11.7 million jobs according to the International Trade ​Administration​​, and almost 300,000 small and medium-sized businesses in every state according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative​.​

Trade agreements are also our best chance to set enforceable labor and environmental protections with new trading partners, instead of letting China set rules that put our workers at a disadvantage.

President Obama has been clear about one big part of this: We can’t repeat mistakes of the past, when workers weren’t well represented. As he said a few weeks ago, “past trade deals haven’t always lived up to the hype. That’s why I’ve made it clear that I won’t sign any agreement that doesn’t put American workers first.”

You can learn more about the President’s approach to crafting a progressive trade agreement, and the process behind the TPA in this blog from the White House:

barackobama.com

You probably have friends who have questions about this, too. Please forward this email along — and stay tuned. We’ll keep you updated on what happens from here.

Thanks — more soon,

Sara

Sara El-Amine
Executive Director
Organizing for Action