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Tweet at your Republicans in Congress as well… #PASSTHEBILL #theAmericansJOBSACT

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Democrats in the Senate tried to pass a simple piece of President Obama’s jobs plan that shouldn’t be controversial: provide money to prevent further layoffs of teachers, cops, and firefighters at the local level, and pay for it by taxing the income of millionaires an extra 0.5%.

This morning a lot of media outlets reported that the Senate “rejected” or “voted down” this proposal.

But that’s not what happened. The measure didn’t come to an actual vote.

That’s because every single Republican senator filibustered the bill — meaning they wouldn’t even let an up-or-down vote happen. Republicans have unilaterally decided not to allow even that simple majority vote on anything that might help the economy before the next election.

To be clear: This bill would have created jobs, and both parties have supported similar measures in the past.

But, sadly, some in the Congress do not feel any responsibility to act. As someone who has spent a lot of time working in and with the Senate, I can tell you that it’s a particularly low moment for the legislative branch of our government.

It doesn’t need to be this way. That’s why the President and our campaign are focused on fixing what’s broken in Washington. Right now, that means we’re going to keep the pressure on Congress to act, until every single piece of the President’s jobs plan — the parts to help veterans find jobs and get small businesses hiring more people — gets a vote.

So please, reach out and keep reaching out to Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, and ask him to give each piece of the American  Jobs Act a fair vote.

You can reach his office at (202) 224-2541.

Call now — then let us know how it went.

If you’re on Twitter, be sure to tweet at your Republicans in Congress as well.

We’ll have more on this soon.

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

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mild Monday &Some News


just another rant … not just mine

A comment came in to respond to an article i posted written by Cecil re: McConnell & his Party. I admit i am very cynical about the majority of us being fixated on or off of FOX news  enough to assimilate info and or fact check enough to have opinions or make informed decisions – the mid-terms were a great example of how FOX  helped create , push and elect a group of extreme conservatives whose agenda is to take their country back    https://justanother2cents.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/what-im-reading-guy-cecil-13/

HER:Tired of snarky McConnell comments.  The majority of us are not fixed to FOX news, can assimilate information and fact check before forming opinions.  Fact: Congress has used the filibuster to stall progress now more than at any other time in history.  If Obama could make strides here/without Congress/as he has in war policy….people would be back to work!  Nov. 2010 GOP newbies, worst mistake ever…………vote!

ME: Actually, I am in total agreement with your facts about Congress, the filibuster and the new low Teapublicans have shown Americans because they have decided to use the filibuster more than any other time in history to stall progress and defeat a President. I am not so sure that was the primary reason for the act of a filibuster. It is not protecting the American People at all and those Senators who are abusing the spirit of the filibuster should be held accountable.  I am an Obama supporter.  I get divided government but what we see going on in Congress led by Teapublicans is beyond anything We the People should accept and or allow. I have not lost the audacity of hope and or change. In my opinion, we need a Congress that functions For the People& By the People and works with the President of the United States not a Congress that filibusters at the expense of ALL the People. We also need our center left people to open their eyes. I want them to take a hard look at how Teapublicans have chosen to control the House of Representatives. I need them to compare and contrast just what President Obama has done given he became the captain of ship already sinking, has tried to be bipartisan as any President should but given the cold shoulder by an extremely conservative group of people who say they want smaller Government but ask them about social issues and they freak out. I believe this group I call Teapublicans if given the opportunity with or without McConnell want to make President Obama a one-term President.  I believe the Midterm elections were no fluke and indeed FOX had a lot to with it. I feel their scare tactics have always been directed to targeted people like the poor working class, older people, those on the edge of equaility and those against immigration under any circumstance. The info coming from FOX was scary enough that our Older people voted right of center, some gays voted right of center in protest and even more decided to stay home which was pushed by both sides of the political meme. Yes, i too am tired of the silly, offensive and questionable McConnell comments but they are getting airtime on both conservative and liberal media. It is my hope that with proper vetting the truth backed with a whole lot of facts will be brought forth over the next few months with an overwhelming number of people voting for President Obama2012 and sanity prevails.

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GOP candidates in Iowa over the weekend

Monitors Discuss Global Financial Regulation

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AFL – CIO


400,000 JOBS

 
President
Obama has called on the Senate to pass the Teachers and First
Responders Back to Work Act. This bill would create or protect nearly
400,000 education jobs while preventing the layoffs of thousands of
police officers and firefighters.Tell your senators to pass the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act now.

There were 51 senators who supported the American Jobs Act last week—a majority. It should have passed the Senate.

But even as outrage against an economy stacked against the 99 percent
spreads like wildfire across America, Congress continues to fail
workers, again and again. Last week Senate Republicans blocked
progress for workers with procedural maneuvers—and prevented the
American Jobs Act from getting a vote at all, in spite of majority
support.

This shows just how powerful the 1 percent is—the richest Americans want
tax cuts for themselves at all costs, even if it means cutting vital
public services for the rest of us.

But President Obama hasn’t given up on jobs. And neither have we.
He’s called on the Senate to pass pieces of the American Jobs Act. The
first piece is the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, which
would create or protect nearly 400,000 education jobs while preventing
the layoffs of thousands of police officers and firefighters.(1)

Tell your senators to pass the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act now.

Most of us can’t afford to replace police on the beat with our own
private security guards—and who wants to live in the kind of society
where we would need to? The vast majority of us rely on the government
to provide education for our kids. And all of us—even the top 1
percent—need firefighters if our homes are burning.

What doesn’t Congress get? What’s so controversial about the
Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act? Republicans have
supported bills like this in the past. This bill should have
overwhelming bipartisan support.

Let’s make sure every senator knows we won’t let favored treatment for the 1 percent—like sweetheart tax breaks for Wall Street
bankers—cut teachers, police and firefighters from our communities.
Working families have far more votes than millionaires and we deserve
and rightfully demand a society that works for the 99 percent.

Tell
your senators: Let’s get this done. It’s time to get America back to
work, starting with our teachers, firefighters and police officers.

In Solidarity,

Manny Herrmann

Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO

(1) http://democrats.senate.gov/2011/10/17/fact-sheet-teachers-and-first-responders-back-to-work-act
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Tell Congress: Start Creating Jobs, Not Cutting Them …Joan Entmacher, National Women’s Law Center


It’s about jobs. You know that the most urgent deficit facing this country is the jobs deficit. It’s time for Congress to do its job and pass a plan that creates jobs for the millions of Americans who are desperately looking for work.

We expect the Senate to vote tonight on whether to allow debate to begin on President Obama’s jobs plan. It couldn’t be more timely or important. Last week, we got some news about the job market, and it’s not a pretty picture. Women gained just 4,000 of the 103,000 jobs created last month. The main reason? Cuts in funding for public services are disproportionately eliminating jobs held by women. Since the recession officially ended in June 2009, women have actually lost jobs and their unemployment rate has risen.

President Obama has introduced a plan, the American Jobs Act, to put women and men back to work. Yet some Senators may block the plan from even being considered!

You can help. Tell Congress it is time to stop cutting jobs and start creating them! Please call 1-888-659-9401 TODAY and ask your Senators to support the American Jobs Act.

Please call 1-888-659-9401 today. When connected to your Senators’ offices, please tell them:Your name, where you are from, and that you are a constituent.
That millions of Americans are desperately looking for work and need Congress to act quickly on the American Jobs Act.
That you support paying for the Act’s investments in job creation by making millionaires pay their fair share of taxes and oppose paying for them with further cuts in funding for public services that will destroy more jobs and create greater hardship.
Once you place your call, please call back to be connected to the office of your other Senator.

The American Jobs Act would keep teachers and first responders on the job, invest in rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, provide job training, create incentives to hire the long-term unemployed, provide subsidized employment for disadvantaged workers, extend emergency unemployment benefits, and prohibit discrimination against jobless workers. And it fully funds these urgently needed measures in a progressive way, by levying a surtax on incomes above $1 million.

Please call 1-888-659-9401 today and ask your Senators to support the American Jobs Act. Tell them Americans can’t afford to wait any longer.

Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Joan Entmacher
Vice President, Family Economic Security
National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Please help us continue to advocate for policies that protect and improve economic security for women and their families by making a generous donation today.