Tag Archives: Patty Murray

to Senate: Vacation can wait


Human Rights Campaign

Tell your senators: Our troops are more important than a holiday vacation.

It takes two minutes. It’s their job to take your call – and you could help make history.

Unless we speak out right now, the Senate could put their holiday vacations before fairness and national security.

A group of pro-equality senators is calling on the Senate to stay in session until “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed. But too many others want to go home before the holidays instead of staying to finish the job.

So now, it’s up to us. We’ve got to pressure wavering senators and give those supporting repeal the public backing they need to keep the Senate in business.

We can’t let the Senate close up shop without repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” But we’re running out of time – please call your senators now.

It only takes two minutes to call your senator‘s office and every senator has staff on hand to answer the phones and speak to constituents. Call your senators now:

Sen. Patty Murray at (202) 224-2621 and Sen. Maria Cantwell at (202) 224-3441.

If you don’t get through right away, try again – the phones may be overwhelmed by hateful calls from right-wing activists, but it’s crucial that your voice is heard.

  1. Call one senator’s office, and tell the staff person who answers where you live so they know you’re a real constituent.
  2. Tell them you want the senator to support staying in session for as long as it takes to pass the defense bill, which includes repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” this year – and that you’ll remember how they vote when they’re next up for election.
       

    • If your senator is opposed to repeal, remind them that the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff believe that if the Senate fails to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” it would leave the military at the mercy of the courts – and potentially in a state of great confusion from the law being suddenly struck down.
    •  

  • Thank them, hang up, and make your second call to the other senator.
  • Click here to let us know you made a call – we use this information to guide our lobbying efforts, so please don’t skip it.
  • You’re not done: Save the Congressional Switchboard number – (202) 224-3121 – in your cell phone right now. Then hand it to a friend, then a co-worker, and ask them to make two calls. While you’re at it, tell your family and your Facebook friends to call as well.

    We need as many calls as possible in order to make repeal happen in 2010.

    The time for debate is over. Let’s end the discrimination and prejudice once and for all.

    I’ll be making calls too,

    Eric Alva
    Joe Solmonese
    President

    P.S. Years of work, thousands of volunteer hours, hundreds of thousands of phone calls, emails, lobby visits and town halls come down to this. Please call now, and tell everyone you know to call!

    Support the Disclose Act


     

    Can you call Sens. Cantwell and Murray? Tell them: “Secret corporate political spending hurts our democracy. Support passing the DISCLOSE Act before the end of the year.”

    Senator Maria Cantwell
    Phone: 202-224-3441

    Senator Patty Murray
    Phone: 202-224-2621


    Report your call

    Dear MoveOn member, We just witnessed an election bought and paid for by corporate front groups and secret donors, and we have exactly 63 days to do something about it.A bill in the Senate would force the high rollers behind the millions in attack ads to come out of the shadows. If we know who they are we can hold them accountable for trying to buy elections for the Republicans who support their pro-Wall Street, pro-oil company agenda.

    This is our last best chance to put some rules back into our election process before newly elected Republicans take office and kill any hope of campaign reform in January. We must start to put democracy back in the hands of the American people.

    Can you call Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray and say:

    “Secret corporate political spending hurts our democracy. Support passing the DISCLOSE Act before the end of the year.”

    Senator Maria Cantwell
    Phone: 202-224-3441

    Senator Patty Murray
    Phone: 202-224-2621

    Then, please report your call by clicking here:

    http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSWA_2.FSWA_1&cp_id=1486&id=25239-17809870-h5gB.Dx&t=2

    Earlier this year the DISCLOSE Act came up one vote short. Several Republicans have said they support the principle of transparency but didn’t want it to take effect until after the election.

    That means right now we have an opportunity to get that final vote—but we need to convince the Democrats to bring up the bill before the end of the year and put pressure on the potential Republican supporters to stand by their claims.

    A coalition of organizations is backing a new push for the DISCLOSE Act launching today to support a final vote for this common-sense measure. By adding our voices today, we can help make sure the Senate seizes on the opportunity to hold corporations and CEOs accountable for their attempts to buy our elections.

    Can you call today?

    Senator Maria Cantwell
    Phone: 202-224-3441

    Senator Patty Murray
    Phone: 202-224-2621

    And then report your call here: http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSWA_2.FSWA_1&cp_id=1486&id=25239-17809870-h5gB.Dx&t=3

    Thanks for all you do.

    –-Ilyse, Robin, Joan, Milan, and the rest of the team

    Want to support our work? We’re entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

     

    URGENT: Calls needed on DADT now!


    Human Rights Campaign


    URGENT: Our moment on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is NOW!

    The Senate must take action before they leave – and anti-equality lawmakers take office.

    Tell your senators to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” this week.

    Call now: Sen. Maria Cantwell at (202) 224-3441 and Sen. Patty Murray at (202) 224-2621

    The push to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has reached a fever pitch. And this week could make or break it.

    Years of work could boil down to what happens this week. The Senate’s “lame duck” session begins today – our last, best hope to end the discrimination this year.

    When the new Congress shows up in January, the House will be under staunchly anti-LGBT leadership. We have no time to waste.

    Today, as we launch full-page newspaper ads across the country, we need tens of thousands of supporters to back up those ads by joining HRC and the Courage Campaign to call on every single senator to end the discrimination NOW!

    Call both your senators now – Sen. Maria Cantwell at (202) 224-3441 and Sen. Patty Murray at (202) 224-2621 – and tell them “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” must end BEFORE you leave and the new Congress takes over.

    The last time the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” came up for a vote in the Senate, Sen. John McCain led Republicans in a filibuster of the national defense spending bill that contains the repeal. They blocked it from an up-or-down vote – even though nearly 8 in 10 Americans now favor repealing the law.

    Watch a message from Joe SolmoneseBefore time runs out, we need Senate Democrats to bring the defense bill to the floor and we need Republicans to stop threatening to derail the entire thing – including critical military equipment and pay raises – just to keep this discriminatory law on the books.

    Is it just me, or is it completely absurd that Senate Republicans would hold troops’ funding hostage, just so they can ensure that lesbian and gay soldiers have to keep lying or be fired?

    The ads we’re launching today call out this hypocrisy for what it is: bigotry masked as patriotism.

    It’s critical that every single senator hears from us today. Even if your senators are already with us on this issue they need to know that their constituents have their backs as they stand up for what’s right.

    And no matter where your senators stand, speaking out today sends a bold message: It’s going to take a lot more than a few anti-gay leaders in Congress to make us give up this fight. As long as injustice is written into our laws, we will not rest.

    Join HRC and the Courage Campaign: call Sen. Maria Cantwell at (202) 224-3441 and Sen. Patty Murray at (202) 224-2621 and tell them to act this week. Click here to let us know that you made the call.

    Momentum for repeal is high. President Obama has called on the Senate to act during this short session – an important first step of the many needed for him to fulfill the pledge he made in the State of the Union to end this law. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and military chaplains are also speaking out.

    Still, repealing this law is no easy task. But if brave men and women are willing to risk their lives while hiding who they are, we must be unafraid to fail – and always, unceasingly, unafraid to fight.

    Never giving up,

    Joe Solmonese
    Joe Solmonese
    President

    tempest Tuesday &some News


    Today … President Obama is in Indonesia but will be cutting the visit short due to Volcanic Ash –

    When will RTP constituents get it -it was Republicans who had absolutely no control fiscally, engaged in big govt by waging 2wars, 2tax giveaways to the rich without paying for them btw, the last guy permitted mass amounts of deregulation in nearly every sector of business which brought our economy to its knees – Republicans say they are fiscally responsible but what President Obama walked into  does not sound like responsible behavior and it continues with tantrums about wanting to extend the Bush giveaways permanently without paying for them -and on whose backs?

    Though we have pulled out most of our troops in Iraq there are over fifty-thousand serving on behalf of all Americans, we have Corporations in the private and or public sector who  are not hiring enough to get us out of this recession, or have changed the rules by limiting the work available, Democrats just got voted out of being the majority in the House but still control the Senate and we have a Democratic President. We have far too many public servants with personal agendas, Tea Party or Teabaggers, who were only a small group a while ago have been able to put a few in the US Congress after the midterm elections. I am not pleased but the current rhetoric or exchanges among themselves is encouraging because it is clear that jobs and or our economy was a distraction used by the RTP and what won them the House. While we are all watching, waiting the truth is going to unfold and folks  who voted them into office will finally see the ugly RTP agenda which is that they are going after President Obama instead of creating jobs or a better economy. We all know this group has very extreme ideas about what they will do when on the floor of Congress and while the voters decided to send a message to the folks on Capitol Hill i am still confused about what voting against your best interest does for anyone but make things even worse. I am upset about it and as a democrat i think people need to take control over their own ability to get good information and dissect it to make intelligent choices. The loss of the House, the things we all wanted as dems, libs and or progressives has been put at risk by all the anger votes made. I want to believe people truly had no idea what was at stake and treated the midterms as the no big deal state based elections. The only problem is only 4.7% of Blacks voted plus women and lgbt voters deciding to lean right is one of the most confusing moves by people who need support from the govt and only time will tell how much we all will suffer or for how long.

    If the lean to the right was a tantrum because your group or issue did not get voted on yet or was passed but was not what you wanted that is childish behavior. I would also say people need to stop whining and understand the governing process because if not we all will suffer for it. I cannot ask enough how selfish could someone be to hold their vote hostage or vote right of center just because they are angry is not only offensive but makes me wonder how American is that. It is when Democrats are not united or in solidarity do we lose and only then is when i wish the Democratic Party was more like the RTP in so far as the group mentally they maintain until now did not wane no matter what glitches or tweaks that may be needed. The RTP knows if they can get a bill passed it can be manipulated maybe democratic constituents do not know this –

    I will never understand anyone willing to vote against his or her best interests.

    It is obvious that our economy was in much worse shape then what we thought maybe worse off than what the last guy told the Obama Administration before leaving never to look back again. . Certainly, it was unprecedented and while it is obvious they were flying by the seat of their pants trying to fix the core of the problem it seemed like there were several branches that if tweaked the wrong way could be big trouble. The Party of No has managed to stifle progress in Congress yet folks continued to hold the Obama Administrations feet to the fire and not the Republicans. In my opinion, Americans have been too impatient, are swayed by “the Media” definitely uninformed and maybe did not care about the facts because of their own status in the world. It is unacceptable to think twenty months is long enough to fix anything as big as the US economy, which reached out globally. That coupled with the overt effort on the part of  i guess the Heritage Foundation, the chamber of commerce, big business and Republicans all decided to stop progress by any means necessary. Who knew that we have a group of people willing to throw Americans from all stages of life under the bus to gain back their country in an effort though the 2008 elections were legal done correctly and 53% of the population voted for Barack H. Obama. If anyone has been watching all the issues being juggled by President Obama which have been many and include jobs, pirates, terrorists, 2Wars, exiting a war, dadt, immigration, racism, signing over 200 bills that definitely will make positive changes to all our lives. The legislation that could have pushed us into the 21st Century probably will likely to be a memory if democrats continue to split off instead of unifying as a group to get things done during the lame duck session.  It is also upon democratic constituents to participate by calling your member of Congress to let them know what is important call the Republicans to tell them you are an American and while they have fooled some we all are watching as they abandon the peoples business for tearing apart our government.

    Is it just me or have democrats in Congress left the messaging up to the President… oh we have some Representatives like  Patty Murray, Debbie Wasserman Shultz, Alan Grayson, Anthony Weiner, Sheila Lee Jackson, James Clyburn, Keith Ellison , Jim McDermott, Stabenow and McCaskil others but we need more of them getting on the air and touting the legislation as being absolutely positive things for Americans.  The Democratic Party needs to meet and decide what direction they want to go; our President needs to tell them what he wants done and they all need to get on the same page and get it done. The fact that this President did not write the HCR bill himself or let the House  write, create and pass bills, which is their jobs upset folks on the left because it was not single payer pouted and voted for Republican is beyond me. The midterms confirmed how uninformed most of the public is on what it takes to get a bill on the floor of Congress let alone passed and made a law. Again, I may not have been completely satisfied with the legislation but the alternative was much worse and knowing that legislation can be tweaked made it tolerable for me.

    Twenty months ago there was a bipartisan agreement to bailout the big banks and since then they turned their backs on President Obama and while apologizing in public they promptly began giving huge bonus’s to their people, have continued to flex their muscles and refuse to lend money to the everyday people that hire folks, insurance companies are inserting millions to fight HCR for all, credit card companies are bashing people with fees, our Supreme Court has caused a problem for our Democracy, reports of at least 12 terrorist  attacks have been waged on the US, republicans have held up the Presidents nominees for his cabinet and recently, we came close to having several planes bombed.  I am sure i forgot something but this President has been busy and is making sweeping changes to a system that was broken. I believe we were in a perfect position to make the changes we voted for and needed but maybe the Obama Admin and the Democrats in Congress did not have a strategy, had idea what was in store for the midterms and had no back up plan or understood how serious that waterloo comment was. Those of us sitting back waiting for change need to become more engaged by making our voices heard in support of this President’s efforts to move Americans into the 21st Century. If you think any President can get legislation passed without the help of their base you are sadly mistaken. The tent of Democrats is huge and though HCR for example was not popular it needed to be dealt with will save money, create more jobs and discrimination based on pre-existing conditions got knocked out, kids in college don’t have to worry about insurance and while there are no death panels in the bill Republicans might create an environment similar by privatizing healthcare, medicare/caid and social security if given the opportunity. The midterm elections had so much at stake but folks voted in anger as Republicans said this that and the other about being fiscally responsible only to get on camera after taking over the House that they are if you pay attention listening are not just going after the President say they can get things done if President Obama does what that want which continues the irrational, uncompromising loud defiant obstructionist behavior Republicans have resorted to for 20 months and begs democrats to rise up against.

    Other News …

    G20 begins Nov. 12th

    The WH does not support stripping out DADT out of defense bill

    Missile launched  off Coast of Cali -a mystery

    GM lays off Mr Goodwrench

    Amazon comes to Seattle with 10,000 jobs?

    New Chevy Volt on sale in Seattle next Fall

    President Obama will meet with new congressional members Nov.18th

    CDC:59.1 million lacked ins in 2009 -outrageous

    Seattle bank fees are the highest in the country 2.60 while the average is 2.33

    11thousand cribs made in China sold at JCP 2003-2007 models have rail hardware prob

    Tony Hayward admits they were unprepared to deal with the BP oil spill

    CSPAN …


    State Department Press Briefing State Department Press Briefing
    Monday
    Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) Heritage Foundation Speech Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) Heritage Foundation Speech
    Monday
    Pres. Obama Address to India's Parliament Pres. Obama Address to India’s Parliament
    Monday
    Defense Department Briefing on Iraq Defense Department Briefing on Iraq
    Monday
    Weekly Addresses Weekly Addresses
    Saturday
    Supreme Court Oral Argument:  Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Supreme Court Oral Argument: Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants
    Friday
    Fed Chair Bernanke Q&A with Jacksonville University Students on Monetary Policy Fed Chair Bernanke Q&A with Jacksonville University Students on Monetary Policy
    Friday
    Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Jobs Report Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Jobs Report
    Friday
    Georgetown University Review of 2010 Midterm Elections Georgetown University Review of 2010 Midterm Elections
    Friday
    Weekly Standard Review of 2010 Midterm Elections Weekly Standard Review of 2010 Midterm Elections
    Friday

    Election update …Seattle -a message from Adam


     

    Volunteers needed in Seattle: 1116
    Volunteers signed up so far: 568
    Hey,
    I spent all night going over the latest numbers from across the country, and I wanted to fill you in on what we’re seeing with just 5 days left.
    You’ve probably heard about some very scary polls. When you ask voters generically which party they’re going to vote for, Democrats are down by about 8 points. And it’s true that we’re playing defense for about 100 seats across the country.
    But beneath the surface, when you look at specific races, we’re seeing that many of them are still quite fluid. Sure, some Democrats are losing ground, but others are surging in the polls, and there are some candidates who now seem more likely to win than they did a week or two ago (like Michael Bennet in Colorado, Patty Murray in Washington, and Ann Kuster in New Hampshire).
    So it’s time to concentrate on the places where we can make the most difference.

    We’ve decided to target 59 key races, including Patty Murray‘s, where we have reason to believe a flood of grassroots volunteers in the final push could make a real difference. And in those places, our volunteer numbers have been steadily climbing—we turned out about 20% more people last week than the week before, and we’re getting amazing feedback from targeted campaigns about how MoveOn volunteers are making a big impact in reaching out to voters.
    Nevertheless, we’re still far short of our overall goals. In Seattle alone, we’re counting on 1116 volunteers, and so far we’ve only signed up 568. So our numbers need to improve dramatically over the next couple of days, in order for candidates like Patty Murray to run an effective voter turnout operation that can overcome the national trend.

    So consider this a personal request: Will you sign up to volunteer for Patty Murray in Seattle?

    Yes, I’ll sign up to volunteer.

    Sorry, I can’t.

    Thanks for all you do.–Adam