Finish the job

Written by: Linsey P on Feb 21, 2012 4:14 PM EST

A message from Nick Passanante:

Wisconsin is the battleground in the war on working families.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker and the right-wing state legislature have systematically attacked everything progressives have fought for -- they smashed unions, defunded Planned Parenthood, restricted voting rights and much, much more. What's worse -- they became the model for Republican governors and legislatures across the country.

Last year, we launched a massive recall campaign and beat two right-wing State Senators in deep red districts. This year, we're going to finish the job.

This summer's recall elections are our first chance to beat back the right-wing attacks on working families and send a message to Republicans everywhere -- attack the middle class and you lose.

Wisconsin is our first chance to fight back in the war on working families -- Please contribute $4 right now to the DFA Wisconsin recall campaign.

Republican Scott Walker and four of his right-wing State Senate cronies are on the ballot to be recalled and they're already raising big money for this summer's elections.

We can win these races with a people-powered campaign.

Last year, I spent over two months on the ground in Wisconsin, leading DFA's massive field program to knock on over 100,000 doors and make over 300,000 calls to voters across the state. I can tell you from experience that people-power is the only thing that can beat big corporate money like Scott Walker's -- it's the only thing that ever has.

Right now, we only need one more seat to take back the State Senate from Scott Walker's right-wing cronies. A win here -- recalling Scott Walker and taking back the WI Senate -- would be a huge boost to Democrats going into November. The progressive base would have all the momentum going into November and we could use it to reelect President Obama, elect Elizabeth Warren to the Senate, and take back the House from John Boehner's Tea Party majority.

Simply put, winning big in Wisconsin can help us win big in November. Please contribute $4 to DFA Wisconsin right now.

Late night Watercooler

Written by: DFA Community and you

DFA's home for a free form, open-ended discussion of what matters most to committed progressive activists.

What We're Reading: Things we LOVE edition

Written by: Linsey P on Feb 19, 2012 8:16 AM EST

This week’s What We’re Reading: Things we LOVE edition takes a different perspective on love by showing you the issues, organizations, and FCC regulations that DFA staff enjoy whole heartedly.    

Mia Moore, Chief of Staff
Pick of the Week:

“My husband's uncle shared this great article on the history of Planned Parenthood and the battle for women's health rights and I've found it very helpful in understanding the context in which we are working right now. Plus, I'm a nerdy fan of all kinds of historical trivia, no matter how obscure so I'm gobbling this all up this week.”

Birthright
By Jill Lepore

“Aside from its proximity to the site of the United States’ first birth-control clinic—opened in Brooklyn in 1916—the place is a typical Planned Parenthood clinic. Last year, seventeen thousand patients received medical care here. Two-thirds were insured by Medicaid, or paid reduced rates, or received free treatment. They were tested for S.T.I.s and U.T.I.s; they were prescribed birth-control pills and antibiotics; they were fitted for diaphragms and I.U.D.s and cervical caps; they learned how to check their breasts for lumps. They had pregnancy tests and Pap smears and abortions.”

Julielyn Gibbons,  Training Director
Pick of the Week:

“This is a great sign for us ladies in the world.  We can be smart and find satisfying, long-lasting relationships!  Watch out world - here we come!”

The M.R.S. and the Ph.D.
By Stephanie Coontz

“Is this really the fate facing educated heterosexual women: either no marriage at all or a marriage with more housework and less sex?  Nonsense.  That may have been the case in the past, but no longer.  For a woman seeking a satisfying relationship as well as a secure economic future, there has never been a better time to be or become highly educated.”

Monique Teal, Campaign Academy Organizer 
Pick of the Week:

“I think it’s really interesting how longstanding communities are using new technology to advance grassroots campaigns and one of our DFA members helped run the campaign!”

Breaking through a storied political culture
By Dane Strother

“The race to head the Cherokee Nation isn’t typically a contest favorable to the use of more traditional campaign techniques—new media, direct mail and phones. So the question for our team upon deciding to take on the challenge of unseating a 12-year incumbent this past year was whether modern campaign tactics could work in a storied and somewhat closed political culture...The short answer is yes.  But it meant breaking 30 years of tight control from an insular group, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, and nine month of focus on a project undertaken on a whim.”

Levana Layendecker, Communications Director 
Pick of the Week: 

“I’m tracking some of the big fights happening this year - this seems like one of the largest.”

Whose Wisconsin recall is it?
By Josh Eidelson

“Last winter, the three-week occupation of Wisconsin’s capitol brought into sharp relief what would become two of the year’s defining forces: Emboldened far-right state governments and emergent left populist movements.  After Walker successfully pushed through his “budget repair” bill to cripple public workers’ collective bargaining rights, much of the energy of the capitol occupation shifted to efforts to recall the bill’s midwives in the Senate.  Though they took place in Republican-leaning districts, last summer’s recall campaigns against six GOP senators were marked by fierce populism rather than cautious moderation.”

Emma Interlandi, Operations Manager
Pick of the Week: 

“Cable news channels have focused almost entirely on the religious and political aspects of contraception... how is this complete coverage?”

300 Reasons Why Contraception Is Not Being Discussed As A Women’s Health Issue
By Zachary Pleat, Leslie Rosenberg, & Kevin Zieber

“While ovarian cancer remains hard to detect despite being one of the "deadliest of cancers that affect the female reproductive system," contraception use is correlated with reduced risk of the disease. The American Cancer Society has estimated that "30,000 cases of ovarian cancer worldwide could be prevented each year" through contraception use alone.”

Sam Stelfox, Tech Department
Pick of the Week: 

“This is great news! If you want to receive annoying robocalls from telemarketers you will have to opt in. Federal Communications Commission rules now require that telemarketers get your consent before dialing your number. Telemarketers will also have to obtain consent even if they had previously 'done business with' the consumer on the receiving end of a call."

FCC Cracks Down on Robocalls
By Maya Jackson Randall

“The rules require telemarketers to obtain written consent before placing so-called robocalls, and telemarketers will no longer be able to make robocalls simply because a person previously had done business with that telemarketer.”

Win Big

Written by: Levana L on Feb 16, 2012 4:21 PM EST

A message from Jim Dean:

Last year, hundreds of thousands of teachers, nurses and regular, hard-working Americans took to the streets of Wisconsin to demand an end to right-wing Gov. Scott Walker's War on Working Families.

Wisconsin Democrats heard them loud and clear. All 14 State Senate Democrats left the state to stop the Republican legislature from jamming through a bill to smash unions and middle class families.

Then, a coalition of working people came together over the spring and summer to beat two State Senate Republicans in recall elections in deep red districts for their votes to kill unions. It was a huge blow to Wisconsin Republicans.

Now, it's time to finish the job.

Over one million Wisconsinites signed on to recall Scott Walker and four more Republican State Senators for pushing their outrageous right-wing agenda on Wisconsin -- smashing unions, defunding Planned Parenthood, pushing a harsh new voter ID law that hurts the poor and elderly, and so much more. These are just some of the things at stake. That's why we absolutely must win these recall elections.

Please contribute $4 right now to recall Scott Walker and his four cronies and stop their right-wing agenda once and for all.

We've seen Republicans push these sorts of extreme right-wing agendas at the state level all across the country -- Ohio, New Hampshire, Florida, Montana, and a dozen other states.

Wisconsin is our first chance to fight back. These recall elections are happening this summer -- not as part of the November elections.

A big win here this summer will be a shot in the arm to Democrats across the country. The progressive base will be fired up and we can keep the momentum going into November, reelecting President Obama, electing bold progressives like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to the Senate, and taking back the House from John Boehner and the Tea Partiers.

We have a chance to stop these right-wingers in Wisconsin right here, right now -- and to give progressives the momentum they need to win big in November.

But to win big, we must support the folks working on the ground in Wisconsin right now. Please contribute $4 to the Wisconsin Democratic Party right now.

Thank you for everything you do.

-Jim

Jim Dean, Chair
Democracy for America

24 hours to stop an environmental catastrophe

Written by: Linsey P on Feb 13, 2012 12:23 PM EST

A message from Kaili Lambe:

 

DFA Member -

We have 24 hours to stop the U.S. Senate from giving the green light to a project that would have a catastrophic impact on our climate.

You may have heard about the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline that would ship dirty tar sand oil from Canada to the Gulf right through America's agricultural heartland. Not only would this disastrous project jeopardize our water and land with the threat of leaks and spills -- it would also make our efforts to stabilize climate change virtually impossible.

Last month President Obama rejected construction of the pipeline, but many Senators are rushing to resurrect it in order to protect some of their biggest donors -- Big Oil. 

To stop them, we need a remarkable response. Democracy for America has joined with dozens of other organizations to collect and deliver 500,000 messages before tomorrow's vote.

Add your name now.

The petition says: "Senators: Block any efforts to revive the dangerous Keystone XL tar sands pipeline."

There is no way to build Keystone XL that does not accelerate production of the tar sands and contribute disastrous amounts of carbon to climate change. Only Big Oil would benefit from pipeline -- every single claim about the positive economic impact has been proven false by independent review.

For the next 24 hours, it's all hands on deck. 

Tomorrow we will deliver boxes upon boxes of signatures to the U.S. Senate. It will be a unified show of our power -- our voices against the money of Big Oil.

We don't have a second to lose. Can you sign the petition to the Senate right away and then share it with your friends?

Thanks for everything you've done already -- and everything you will do to make the next 24 hours a really big deal. 

Let's do this.

- Kaili

Kaili Lambe, Politcal Campaign Manger
Democracy for America

 

What We're Reading - Super Edition

Written by: Linsey P on Feb 10, 2012 3:20 PM EST

This week’s What We’re Reading: Super Edition takes a closer look at issues for one reason or another are SUPER important to DFA staff members.  These issues affect us all personally and many of them strike at the nerve of political outrage.  

Jim Dean,  Chair
Pick of the Week:

“File this under the Super Unbelievable category.  The story of a successful businessman who got ripped off by mortgage lenders, researched the problem and then went to Fannie, Freddie, and the big banks with the research, thinking that they would heed the warnings and take steps to avoid the meltdown.  All of this happened several years ago. The article is really a shameful indictment of corporate corruption.” 

A Mortgage Tornado Warning, Unheeded
By Gretchen Morgenson

“You might wonder why Mr. Lavalle didn’t speak up. But he did. For two years, he corresponded with Fannie executives and lawyers. Fannie later hired a Washington law firm to investigate his claims. In May 2006, that firm, using some of Mr. Lavalle’s research, issued a confidential, 147-page report corroborating many of his findings.”

Kate Lesniak,  Deputy Finance Director
Pick of the Week:

“Here is a look at why our current tax system in completely and utterly SUPER broken.”

The Zuckerberg Tax
By David Miller

“Our tax system is based on the concept of “realization.” Individuals are not taxed until they actually sell property and realize their gains. But this system makes less sense for the publicly traded stocks of the superwealthy. A drastic change is necessary to fix this fundamental flaw in our tax system and finally require people like Warren E. Buffett, Mr. Ellison and others to pay at least a little income tax on their unsold shares. The fix is called mark-to-market taxation.”

Monique Teal, Campaign Academy Organizer 
Pick of the Week:

“I'm SUPER angry at religious conservatives trying to co-opt my civil liberties. As someone who was born to a teenage mother, access to and use of birth control has nothing to do with my relationship to God and everything to do with freedom.”

Knocked Up: Republican Presidential Candidates’ Plan for American Women
By Adele M. Stan

“For the Republican base, with its antipathy to what it calls "Obamacare," the controversy over birth control is quite perfect. That base, as it exists today, is largely composed of the religious right, which stands in opposition to women's equality, and the Tea Party movement, which was organized by political operators in opposition to the healthcare reform legislation that became law in 2009 as the Affordable Care Act.” 

Laurie Childers, Accountant
Pick of the Week:

“This week am I am SUPER distressed over the escalation of bloodshed in Syria and am fearing war between Israel and Iran.  It is deeply frightening and I feel helpless to do anything about it.  On the good news side a home town girl (she went to high school just down the road) won a Golden Globe award this week.  She says in the interview that you can always tell Vermonters where ever she goes in the world.  "They have fresh air around them".  And Prop 8 in CA is nearly dead after  the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Yeah!  I can not stop governments from killing their own people, but I did find some good news to wake up for.”

Prop 8 unconstitutional: The sanctity of marriage equality
By Susan Brooks

“But I am wholly and completely persuaded that standing up for equality in marriage for LGBT people is a holy act, an act that is worthy of reverence. Sanctity in general means being in a state of being holy, and if there were ever an institution where holiness should apply, it is the right to be married to the person you love.”

Jase Roberts, Technology Director
Pick of the Week:

“I’m SUPER interested in watching how this whole debate unfolds and I’m glad that tech groups are becoming more active in political issues that effect the tech community.”

Coalition of tech, rights groups demand u-turn in copyright debate
By Stephen C. Webster

"Instead of finding new ways to punish copyright offenders, they urge lawmakers to back away from the issue entirely and think of ways that current copyright law can be amended to repair loopholes that sometimes allow content creators to abuse their rights. Some of those abuses have related to companies using the law to crush potential competitors, stifle scientific and digital security research, and censor journalists."

Levana Layendecker, Communications Director 
Pick of the Week: 

“Scott Brown was quoted saying ‘In Massachusetts we have such a strong demand for this because our family and cultural ties...This is kind of a no brainer.’ 

Hmm...If only there were other states that happen to border to the US where there are such strong ‘family and cultural ties’ that it would justify an easier path to citizenship.  Oh Wait!  I will be waiting for similar legislative proposals from Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.  #RepublicanHypocrisy101”

Sen. Brown: Irish immigration bill ‘about to pop’
By Hillary Chabot

“Brown filed the bill, which would boost the number of work visas per year for the Irish to 10,500, last year but struggled to get support. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) filed similar legislation but Republicans balked because it would allow a sort of, ‘backdoor amnesty. It wasn’t going anywhere,’ Brown said.”

It's GOTV time

Written by: Linsey P on Feb 9, 2012 2:25 PM EST

A message from Kaili Lambe:

Dear DFA Members:

 

Election day may be a little less than nine months away, but there's a very important vote for you to cast before this Tuesday, February 14th.

200 Democratic challengers are competing in our Grassroots All-Stars Contest and your favorite candidate needs your support in order to make it into the next round of the competition.

Vote for your Grassroots All-Star now.

The top ten candidates who have applied for a DFA endoresment will proceed to the final round after Tuesday. Just a few dozen votes separate some of the candidates currently in the top 25.

We rely on the input of DFA members like you to determine which candidates have the grassroots support it will take to win in November and build a more progressive Congress.

The winner of Grassroots All-Stars will automatically receive our biggest endorsement of the year -- and along with it our commitment to raise $20,000 for their campaign.

But they can't do it without you.

Who's your favorite Grassroots candidate?

Thanks for helping us find the best grassroots candidates in the country.

- Kaili

Kaili Lambe, Political Campaign Manager
Democracy for America

 

Electing a progressive majority starts now

Written by: Linsey P on Feb 8, 2012 10:29 AM EST

A message from Nick Passanante:

 

Dear DFA Member:

Ilya Sheyman is a grassroots leader and he needs our help. February 12th is the last day for Ilya's campaign to make ad buy decisions ahead of the Illinois primary and we need to make sure he has the resources to win.

Ilya is the progressive in IL-10, but in order to take on Tea Party Congressman Bob Dold in November, he has to beat faux Democrat Brad Schneider in the March primary.

Schneider has a history of supporting Republicans for Congress -- like Sen. Mark Kirk, who now holds President Obama's old Senate seat. Now, Schneider is pumping his own fortune into his campaign.

If we're going to take back the House with progressive fighters like Ilya, we need to have their backs in tough primary elections like this one.

Ilya has the support of progressive champions like Gov. Howard Dean and Alan Grayson. We need to have his back in this primary -- Please contribute $12 right now to elect a progressive to Congress.

Why is electing Ilya so important? Because he's one of us.

Ilya has worked with DFA members for years to elect progressive candidates and make change. Now, he's a candidate himself and he's running a grassroots campaign to win -- one fueled by volunteers and people-power, not big corporate money.

Gov. Dean always said that voting isn't enough. He said that progressives needed to contribute, volunteer, and run for office themselves if we were going to take this country back. When one of us, like Ilya, does that -- we need to have their back.

Please contribute $12 ahead of the February 12 deadline.

Thank you for everything you do.

-Nick

Nick Passanante, Deputy Political Director
Democracy for America

 

Give John Boehner the Boot

Written by: Linsey P on Feb 7, 2012 1:10 PM EST

We’re two months into the new year and political punditry is clashing with ordinary Americans.   If you were one of 111.3 million Americans who tuned in to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, two ads managed to stir up political controversy - Chrysler's ad highlighting the Auto industry’s revival narrated by Clint Eastwood and GOP candidate Pete Hoekstra xenophobic ad promoting blatant racism.

If these ads tell you anything about 2012 it’s that the stakes are high for both parties.  One thing remains perfectly clear - the winner of November’s election will be a direct result of the parties’ efforts to turn out their base.  Progressives - 2012 is not a year to sit on the sidelines. 

This weekend many headlines were made.  First, Mitt Romney won two consecutive GOP primaries with his strong showing in Nevada - essentially cinching up the Republican nomination.  But everywhere else the news remained poor for Mitt - the more Republican-identified voters see of Mitt, the less inclined they are to vote for him. Ladies and Gentlemen - it’s only February - potential voters have 9 more months left of the election cycle.  This is a clear indication of the frustration republicans face.  If the Republicans have difficulty turning out their base for the name at the top of the ticket - it is clear that every candidate below will have a hard time riding the coattails of a losing presidential nominee.  

Other positive news from this weekend includes the jobs report numbers that came out on Friday - pointing out that the economic struggles might lessen  and strong polling numbers that indicate President Obama has a clear lead over Mitt Romney.  President Obama even declared that he “deserves a second term.”  The reason? President Obama stated;

“When you and I sat down, we were losing 750,000 jobs a month. . . now we’re creating 250,000 jobs,” Obama said, referring to Friday’s job report which showed unemployment falling from 8.5 percent to 8.3 percent. “We’ve made progress. The key now is to make sure we don’t start turning in the wrong direction.”

If stronger economic prosperity isn’t enough to get you to commit to voting for a progressive ticket in November - then maybe this will help change your mind: The Republicans are concerned their control over the House could be lost.  Aaron Blake from the Washington Post states, “Given that we’ve seen three straight election cycles with at least 24 seats changing parties, is it really that outlandish to think a 25-seat GOP majority isn’t safe?”  

The answer - no, nothing this year is safe and that is why this election will come down to progressives like you.  If you can’t find motivation it vote this November, DFA has hundreds of progressive candidates to motivate liberal voters to turn out on November 6th.  While all the attention is being shown to the candidates at the top of the ticket - the true power players in Washington - Congress need to be shaken up.  And that’s just what these candidates will do.

Imagine - candidates who represent the 99 percent and have stood alongside the occupy movement.  It seems incredible that voters in California can vote for an American Hero and Astronaut to join the ranks of the Congress.  And, progressive candidates of every shape, size, gender, race, and religion all are asking for your help - by voting them into the top 10 for DFA’s sixth annual Grassroots All-Star.

DFA's Grassroots All-Star contest is simple, fun and promotes non-incumbent endorsements for the U.S. House of Representatives. The goal is to identify the progressive challenger with the most broad-based support from our members nationwide. The winner earns the title of Grassroots All-Star, bringing media exposure and increased grassroots resources to the campaign. This fast-track endorsement is chosen directly by DFA members and others in the progressive grassroots community through two rounds of voting.

This week is the final full week of voting with the first round ending on Tuesday, February 14th.  

Democracy for America is calling on you - get involved by voting to elect the best slate of progressive candidates we’ve seen in years.  It is time to elect true progressives to seats all across the country and instill honest progressive voices back into the House of Representatives. Lets give John Boehner the boot - vote for the next Grassroots All-Star today. 

Deliver for Bernie

Written by: Linsey P on Feb 6, 2012 11:13 AM EST

A message from Jay Henderson:

Thank you again for joining the campaign to overturn Citizens United. With your help, we have gathered over 100,000 signatures. 

Just as we saw a grassroots movement rise up to stop SOPA/PIPA, ordinary people across the country are joining together against Citizens United. There are simply too many issues at stake in 2012 for our democracy to be bought by the highest bidder. Stephen Colbert has done an excellent job educating the public about the absurdity of this ruling.

Now is the time to take action.

Senator Sanders proposed a powerful constitutional amendment to reset the scales of power and give voice back to the people. He needs your help to gather allies in the Senate. 

Sign up to deliver the Citizens United constitutional amendment petition to your Senator.

We will provide you with all the petition signatures from your state and work to coordinate your action with any other interested DFA members in your area. 

Join the movement to overturn Citizens United. Deliver Bernie Sanders' petition.

We know that the people united will defeat Citizens United.

Thank you for all that you do.

-Jay

Jay Henderson, Political Campaign Manager
Democracy for America 

I Stand with Planned Parenthood

Written by: Levana L on Feb 3, 2012 2:29 PM EST

A message from Gov. Howard Dean:

DFA Member -

Hundreds of thousands of women, men and young people rely on Planned Parenthood for preventative healthcare every single year.

As a doctor, and a former board member of Planned Parenthood of New England, I know just how important Planned Parenthood's healthcare services are -- especially to those who couldn't otherwise afford them. That's why I was outraged by the Komen Foundation's decision earlier this week to cease their funding of breast cancer screenings for 750,000 women a year. They may be changing that decision today, but that doesn't mean Planned Parenthood and the hundreds of thousands who rely on their services are safe from future attacks.

Access to affordable healthcare is a basic human right -- one that conservative Republicans will do anything they can to take away. And that's why it's so important for us to stand with Planned Parenthood now -- because this isn't just a war on women -- it's an assault on healthcare for all Americans.

Join me in contributing $12 to Planned Parenthood's Action Fund to prepare for future attacks?

The Komen Foundation may have backed down, but that doesn't mean that conservatives won't be emboldened in their vendetta against Planned Parenthood. Republicans like Congressman Cliff Stearns will continue to hold phony investigations and pressure others to cease funding preventative care.

With millions of us standing together, right wing attacks will not succeed in taking down Planned Parenthood.

I stand with Planned Parenthood now and in the future -- no matter what conservatives throw at us. Will you join me by contributing $12 to Planned Parenthood's Action Fund right now?

The right wing specializes in demonizing and tearing down progressive organizations one by one. But Komen reversing their decision today shows that when millions stand strong and fight back, we win.

I stand with Planned Parenthood. Join me in making sure it will be around to provide healthcare services for generations to come.

Thank you for everything you're doing to move America forward.

- Howard

Gov. Howard Dean, M.D.
Founder, Democracy for America