The current senator, Tom Harkin, will retire this year and U.S.Congressman Bruce Braley is running on the Democratic ticket for the seat. He currently represents the 1st district in Iowa, having been elected to that seat in 2006. This is what the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has to say about the race: "Braley’s opponent, state Sen. Joni Ernst, is the Sarah Palin of Iowa who would bring more gridlock and dysfunction to Washington. When you peel back Ernst’s unusual ads, you find a rigid, ideological partisan with an agenda that is bought and paid for by outside special interests and out of step with Iowans. Ernst supports privatizing Social Security, ending Medicare as we know it, denying reproductive choices even in cases of rape and incest, and eliminating the federal minimum wage. A recent Quinnipiac poll shows Braley leading Ernst 44-40 and holding a double digit lead with women. Braley raised over $1 million in the first quarter of 2014." http://www.dscc.org/races/iowa
Braley spoke this week to a gathering of supporters at the Iowa State fair. The newspaper report was mostly positive. You can read it here: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/elections/2014/08/07/iowa-state-fair-soapbox-bruce-braley/13725135/ As the article states, Braley points out the contract between his stance on issues and his opponent's which are mostly Tea Party approved.
You can find more information about Braley at Project Vote Smart:
http://votesmart.org/candidate/57382/bruce-braley#.U-PWcPRDuSo
and at govtrack.us :https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/bruce_braley/412208
Also, as usual, Ballotpedia has a great page of information about Braley: http://ballotpedia.org/Bruce_Braley
If you'd like to volunteer to help with the Braley campaign, please go to his website for the latest information: http://www.brucebraley.com Want to help change the world? Start today. Help GOTV for Democrats for November.
https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark
Friday, August 8, 2014
Thursday, August 7, 2014
The Minnesota Primary is Tuesday and Al Franken has an Opponent
First term Senator Al Franken is up for reelection this year. He has a primary opponent and a strong GOP challenger in the November general election. The outlook for Franken is pretty good. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has this information about him: "Senator Al Franken has spent his first term working in a bipartisan way to improve the lives of Minnesota families. He quickly built a reputation in Washington as a hardworking, effective legislator who is willing to work with anyone to deliver for his state. He has been a champion for veterans, health care reform, and Minnesota’s small businesses and middle class. Republicans will try to challenge Senator Franken, but polls show him well-positioned for reelection. Minnesota has trended more Democratic with both Senator Klobuchar and President Obama winning the state by wide margins in 2012." http://www.dscc.org/races/minnesota
That sounds very positive. Also, Ballotpedia has this: "Incumbent Al Franken holds what will most likely be a safe Democratic seat.The Cook Political Report rates this race as "Likely Democratic," which the website defines as seats that are "not considered competitive at this point but have the potential to become engaged." http://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_elections_in_Minnesota,_2014
The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently had an article comparing the fund raising of both Franken and his most likely GOP opponent, Mike McFadden. It seems that both men are adept at raking in the campaign contributions. The paper calls the race, "A Top Dollar Show." http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/269635201.html
Franken's Democratic opponent in Tuesday's primary is Sandra Henningsgard. I was not able to find much information on this candidate. Project Vote Smart only had her contact information:
http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/152769/sandra-henningsgard#.U-PKY_RDuSo and Ballotpedia, usually as wealth of information only had this: http://ballotpedia.org/Sandra_Henningsgard Other sources also came up empty.
However, if you'd like more information on Senator Franken, Ballotpedia has an exhaustive list of resources: http://ballotpedia.org/Al_Franken
If you remember, it was Franken's contested election in 2008 that kept the Democrats in the Senate from having a filibuster proof majority for so many months. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/court-rules-franken-has-won-senate-seat/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
So when people talk about Democrats having the Senate, remind them how long it was before we actually had 60 votes. Do what you can, where you can, whenever you can to Get Out The Vote and vote for Democrats. https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark
That sounds very positive. Also, Ballotpedia has this: "Incumbent Al Franken holds what will most likely be a safe Democratic seat.The Cook Political Report rates this race as "Likely Democratic," which the website defines as seats that are "not considered competitive at this point but have the potential to become engaged." http://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_elections_in_Minnesota,_2014
The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently had an article comparing the fund raising of both Franken and his most likely GOP opponent, Mike McFadden. It seems that both men are adept at raking in the campaign contributions. The paper calls the race, "A Top Dollar Show." http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/269635201.html
Franken's Democratic opponent in Tuesday's primary is Sandra Henningsgard. I was not able to find much information on this candidate. Project Vote Smart only had her contact information:
http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/152769/sandra-henningsgard#.U-PKY_RDuSo and Ballotpedia, usually as wealth of information only had this: http://ballotpedia.org/Sandra_Henningsgard Other sources also came up empty.
However, if you'd like more information on Senator Franken, Ballotpedia has an exhaustive list of resources: http://ballotpedia.org/Al_Franken
If you remember, it was Franken's contested election in 2008 that kept the Democrats in the Senate from having a filibuster proof majority for so many months. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/court-rules-franken-has-won-senate-seat/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
So when people talk about Democrats having the Senate, remind them how long it was before we actually had 60 votes. Do what you can, where you can, whenever you can to Get Out The Vote and vote for Democrats. https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Rep. Gary Peters is the Democratic Candidate for Senate from Michigan
Tuesday was Michigan's Primary Election. Rep. Gary Peters was unopposed on the Democratic Primary ballot to run for Carl Levin's Senate seat. As in many midterm primaries, the voter turn out was low. Less than 19% of registered voters came out for this election. http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/08/michigan_2014_primary_six_big.html
So what do we know about Representative Gary Peters? Well, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has this about him on their site: "Peters has the right background as a businessman, veteran, and proven independent voice for Michigan middle class families and small businesses to carry on Senator Carl Levin’s legacy in the U.S. Senate. Peters knows what it takes to win tough races and is a strong campaigner. He was the first Democrat to hold a swing district in Michigan in more than a century in 2008, held the seat in 2010, and won a difficult primary to represent a minority majority district after redistricting." http://www.dscc.org/races/michigan
His opponent in November will be former Republican National Committeewoman Terri Lynn Land. According to the DSCC site: "Land backs the Koch agenda that’s good for billionaires like the Kochs but hurts Michigan’s middle class. She supports ending guaranteed benefits like Medicare and Social Security while giving tax breaks to billionaires, opposes equal pay, and supports the "Akin" plank that restricts access to women's health care and bans abortion without exceptions." So obviously, we Democrats and any other Liberals who oppose the KOCH agenda need to do our part to support Peters in his bid for the Michigan Senate seat. Remember, you don't have to live in Michigan to work for his campaign. You can sign up to help through the DSCC site or go directly to his campaign site: http://www.petersformichigan.com/landing/e140207/?subsource=splash
If you are interested in learning more about Peters, please check out the Ballotpedia information here: http://ballotpedia.org/Gary_Peters This site has a most exhaustive listing of information about Peters and also has updated news articles related to his campaign. The Ballotpedia editors update the information frequently so it is a great reference.
Time to get in action. If not this campaign, then chose another, but, do something to help #GOTV this November and elect Democrats to the Senate.
https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark #PDMFNB @PDMFNB
So what do we know about Representative Gary Peters? Well, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has this about him on their site: "Peters has the right background as a businessman, veteran, and proven independent voice for Michigan middle class families and small businesses to carry on Senator Carl Levin’s legacy in the U.S. Senate. Peters knows what it takes to win tough races and is a strong campaigner. He was the first Democrat to hold a swing district in Michigan in more than a century in 2008, held the seat in 2010, and won a difficult primary to represent a minority majority district after redistricting." http://www.dscc.org/races/michigan
His opponent in November will be former Republican National Committeewoman Terri Lynn Land. According to the DSCC site: "Land backs the Koch agenda that’s good for billionaires like the Kochs but hurts Michigan’s middle class. She supports ending guaranteed benefits like Medicare and Social Security while giving tax breaks to billionaires, opposes equal pay, and supports the "Akin" plank that restricts access to women's health care and bans abortion without exceptions." So obviously, we Democrats and any other Liberals who oppose the KOCH agenda need to do our part to support Peters in his bid for the Michigan Senate seat. Remember, you don't have to live in Michigan to work for his campaign. You can sign up to help through the DSCC site or go directly to his campaign site: http://www.petersformichigan.com/landing/e140207/?subsource=splash
If you are interested in learning more about Peters, please check out the Ballotpedia information here: http://ballotpedia.org/Gary_Peters This site has a most exhaustive listing of information about Peters and also has updated news articles related to his campaign. The Ballotpedia editors update the information frequently so it is a great reference.
Time to get in action. If not this campaign, then chose another, but, do something to help #GOTV this November and elect Democrats to the Senate.
https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark #PDMFNB @PDMFNB
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Will We Democrats Give the GOP a Chance to Win the Senate?
That is the question some of us are asking. Will Democrats perform as they usually do in midterm elections and sit out the November 4 general election? I guess that remains to be seen. What do know is this: IT MUST NOT HAPPEN! Sorry to shout, but, I REALLY MEAN IT! We have been posting many ways a concerned citizen can get involved. We have shared the information, now, we wait to see if Democrats and other concerned citizens answer the call to action. Yesterday, I mentioned the Democratic Senatorial Campaign (DSCC) Website. http://www.dscc.org/actioncenter You can go here: http://www.dscc.org/races select a state and sign up to help. It is all set up and ready for you to take action. At a minimum, you can tweet or post on Facebook about the race. You can also enter your email to get future calls to action. You can click the read more link to learn what the DSCC has to say about that state's race. Also check this one: http://www.dscc.org/content/2014-candidates
Here's an example of what you will find. Let's look at the Kentucky Senate Race: "Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is running one of the most successful, disciplined campaigns in the country while enthusiasm for defeating McConnell is off the charts. Grimes recently traveled across Kentucky on a 50-county, 10-day jobs tour, meeting thousands of Kentuckians."
The site also gives information about her likely opponent: " Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is the face of Washington’s dysfunction and is in the weakest position he has ever faced in his nearly 40 years in politics. McConnell has an embarrassing record of championing gridlock and obstruction in Washington and putting special interests ahead of Kentuckians. McConnell has already spent nearly $12 million on his reelection campaign, yet he has failed to move his numbers one bit. McConnell remains the most unpopular Senator in the entire country, and the latest Bluegrass poll shows that only 29% of Kentuckians have a favorable view of him.On the campaign trail, McConnell looks as bad has his approval numbers. He became Kentucky’s own Sharron Angle by declaring it’s “not my job” to bring local jobs to Kentucky. Twenty recent polls have shown Grimes tied or ahead of Mitch McConnell. In the first quarter, Grimes outraised Mitch McConnell again, hauling in $2.7 million and has raised more than $8 million overall."
Here's what Ballotpedia has to say about the Democratic candidate: http://ballotpedia.org/Alison_Lundergan_Grimes
From now until the November election, the polls will come and go, Nate Silver (http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/republican-gop-senate-forecast/) will share his analysis of them, but what happens on election day will make the difference. Democrats and other concerned citizens will determine that day whether our country will go forward or go back to old, failed GOP policies.
Please get involved and help in any way you can. https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark #PDMFNB @PDMFNB
Here's an example of what you will find. Let's look at the Kentucky Senate Race: "Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is running one of the most successful, disciplined campaigns in the country while enthusiasm for defeating McConnell is off the charts. Grimes recently traveled across Kentucky on a 50-county, 10-day jobs tour, meeting thousands of Kentuckians."
The site also gives information about her likely opponent: " Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is the face of Washington’s dysfunction and is in the weakest position he has ever faced in his nearly 40 years in politics. McConnell has an embarrassing record of championing gridlock and obstruction in Washington and putting special interests ahead of Kentuckians. McConnell has already spent nearly $12 million on his reelection campaign, yet he has failed to move his numbers one bit. McConnell remains the most unpopular Senator in the entire country, and the latest Bluegrass poll shows that only 29% of Kentuckians have a favorable view of him.On the campaign trail, McConnell looks as bad has his approval numbers. He became Kentucky’s own Sharron Angle by declaring it’s “not my job” to bring local jobs to Kentucky. Twenty recent polls have shown Grimes tied or ahead of Mitch McConnell. In the first quarter, Grimes outraised Mitch McConnell again, hauling in $2.7 million and has raised more than $8 million overall."
Here's what Ballotpedia has to say about the Democratic candidate: http://ballotpedia.org/Alison_Lundergan_Grimes
From now until the November election, the polls will come and go, Nate Silver (http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/republican-gop-senate-forecast/) will share his analysis of them, but what happens on election day will make the difference. Democrats and other concerned citizens will determine that day whether our country will go forward or go back to old, failed GOP policies.
Please get involved and help in any way you can. https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark #PDMFNB @PDMFNB
Monday, August 4, 2014
The 2014 Senate Races
Many of the professional political writers have suggested that the Senate is a toss-up this year. 33 Senate seats are up for regular election and three more will be filled in special elections. All 36 elections will take place on November 4. The 2014 elections will be the 100th anniversary of direct elections for the Senate. Originally, Senators were selected by state legislatures. The ratification of the 17th amendment changed the process.
At this point, six senators have announced retirements and four have resigned early. This means that in January, there will be at least 10 new Senators. Several models of prediction have given the Republicans a strong chance of taking over the majority in the Senate. I hope you know what this means. If Republicans control both the Senate and the House of Representatives, they will most likely try to impeach President Obama. In addition, their agenda will systematically hand over much of our government to corporations. We know this because we have already seen it happening in states that have legislatures in GOP control.
There are less than 100 days until November 4. So what can we do to prevent this disaster? Republicans only need to pick up six seats that are currently held by Democrats to gain a majority. Of course, they also have to retain the ones they now hold. We can and indeed, must, work our butts off to stop them. First, make sure you are registered, then contact your local Democratic party and volunteer to work on a phone bank or help with canvassing neighborhoods. We can also write letters to the editor in support of Democratic candidates. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ( www.dscc.org ) has an action center. You can go there and simply click on the links to take action.
You can learn more about individual Senatorial races and the candidates at that site. I will also be covering more of the races in this blog. Do NOT let the main stream media discourage you from taking action. If we all vote and do our part to encourage others to vote, we can prevent Republicans from gaining seats this year.
https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark #PDMFNB @PDMFNB
At this point, six senators have announced retirements and four have resigned early. This means that in January, there will be at least 10 new Senators. Several models of prediction have given the Republicans a strong chance of taking over the majority in the Senate. I hope you know what this means. If Republicans control both the Senate and the House of Representatives, they will most likely try to impeach President Obama. In addition, their agenda will systematically hand over much of our government to corporations. We know this because we have already seen it happening in states that have legislatures in GOP control.
There are less than 100 days until November 4. So what can we do to prevent this disaster? Republicans only need to pick up six seats that are currently held by Democrats to gain a majority. Of course, they also have to retain the ones they now hold. We can and indeed, must, work our butts off to stop them. First, make sure you are registered, then contact your local Democratic party and volunteer to work on a phone bank or help with canvassing neighborhoods. We can also write letters to the editor in support of Democratic candidates. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ( www.dscc.org ) has an action center. You can go there and simply click on the links to take action.
You can learn more about individual Senatorial races and the candidates at that site. I will also be covering more of the races in this blog. Do NOT let the main stream media discourage you from taking action. If we all vote and do our part to encourage others to vote, we can prevent Republicans from gaining seats this year.
https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark #PDMFNB @PDMFNB
Sunday, August 3, 2014
What the Heck is Fancy Farm?
You may have seen or read something over the weekend about Fancy Farm Picnic and wondered what it was all about. First of all, it is a fund raiser picnic in Western Kentucky. They've been having it for 134 years! It is a big deal for Kentucky politicians and made National news last year when Alison Lundergan Grimes spoke so passionately about why Mitch McConnell was bad for Kentucky and bad for the Senate. For more information about the entire event, see: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/08/01/why-a-picnic-with-thousands-of-pounds-of-barbecue-is-kind-of-politically-important-explained/ This article explains why a southern style picnic has become such a big event.
On Saturday at this year's event, Grimes again spoke with passion about why voters should elect her. She even called the event, McConnell's retirement party. In case you missed the event, which was aired on C-span, here is a link to YouTube for videos of the speakers: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMS9W56UOPGW2fXUQpX9xJqX4787zpj0S
So why should Democrats care about a picnic in Kentucky? Well, for one thing, it is political theater at its best. Both Democrats and Republicans come to the event prepared to go all out in support of their candidate. When Grimes spoke, her supporters chanted, "Don't Care!" whenever she referenced Washington DC. It was obviously well-planned and effective in driving home her message that the GOP in DC really "Don't Care!" For more on Grimes' speech, see:
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/08/02/blistering-speech-alison-lundergan-grimes-eviscerates-mitch-mcconnell-fancy-farm.html
Before the Fancy Farms Picnic, pundits were leaning towards the Republican, McConnell, to win in November. It will be interesting to watch this race as we move closer to November 4. Only 92 more days to go. Will you vote? Are you sure you are registered and have the proper ID? Do you know where your polling place is located this year? Can you vote early in your state? What can you do to help #GOTV this year? For answers to those questions, please check out the previous posts on this page.
https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark #PDMFNB @PDMFNB
On Saturday at this year's event, Grimes again spoke with passion about why voters should elect her. She even called the event, McConnell's retirement party. In case you missed the event, which was aired on C-span, here is a link to YouTube for videos of the speakers: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMS9W56UOPGW2fXUQpX9xJqX4787zpj0S
So why should Democrats care about a picnic in Kentucky? Well, for one thing, it is political theater at its best. Both Democrats and Republicans come to the event prepared to go all out in support of their candidate. When Grimes spoke, her supporters chanted, "Don't Care!" whenever she referenced Washington DC. It was obviously well-planned and effective in driving home her message that the GOP in DC really "Don't Care!" For more on Grimes' speech, see:
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/08/02/blistering-speech-alison-lundergan-grimes-eviscerates-mitch-mcconnell-fancy-farm.html
Before the Fancy Farms Picnic, pundits were leaning towards the Republican, McConnell, to win in November. It will be interesting to watch this race as we move closer to November 4. Only 92 more days to go. Will you vote? Are you sure you are registered and have the proper ID? Do you know where your polling place is located this year? Can you vote early in your state? What can you do to help #GOTV this year? For answers to those questions, please check out the previous posts on this page.
https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark #PDMFNB @PDMFNB
Friday, August 1, 2014
Where Do You Get Your Information?
We all need to do our own homework when it comes to elections. There's too much inaccurate information being promoted by politicians and super PAC's. If you are relying on mainstream media to keep yourself informed this election season, please think again. Who owns them? What agenda are they promoting this week? Follow the money! The political ads are bought and paid for by PAC's whose only agenda is to smear the other guy and convince the viewer to vote for their candidate. I am afraid we will all have to rely on other sources for accurate and valid information.
One source that I often use is Ballotpedia, "an interactive almanac of US politics." http://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page There is so much information available on this site that I cannot begin to tell you what they have for you. You will need to go there and check it out for yourself.
Can you trust the information on the site? According to their site: "Ballotpedia is published on a wiki platform, meaning any registered user is welcome to add knowledge and improve our content. Every submission to Ballotpedia is fact-checked and curated by our professional editing staff. All Ballotpedia content must be neutral, accurate, and verifiable. Ballotpedia currently has 516,946 articles and 9,133 registered users."
Ballotpedia claims to be: "Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Burns Institute, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The Lucy Burns Institute is funded entirely by private contributions, and does not receive government funding. Ballotpedia's sister site is Judgepedia, an online encyclopedia of American courts and judges."
"Since Ballotpedia's founding in 2007, we’ve received over 350 million page views. Our work has been referenced in over 5,000 media outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal,Washington Post, and Politico."
Okay, given that information, I am inclined to give some credence to information from that site. Of course there are other sites on the web with useful information, too. The point that I am trying to make here in this post is that we all must actively seek out accurate information. The days of relying on our TV news to tell us the facts are behind us. So, please take some time this week and check out Ballotpedia. It will be worth your effort.
You can also find Ballotpedia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ballotpedia?fref=ts
One source that I often use is Ballotpedia, "an interactive almanac of US politics." http://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page There is so much information available on this site that I cannot begin to tell you what they have for you. You will need to go there and check it out for yourself.
Can you trust the information on the site? According to their site: "Ballotpedia is published on a wiki platform, meaning any registered user is welcome to add knowledge and improve our content. Every submission to Ballotpedia is fact-checked and curated by our professional editing staff. All Ballotpedia content must be neutral, accurate, and verifiable. Ballotpedia currently has 516,946 articles and 9,133 registered users."
Ballotpedia claims to be: "Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Burns Institute, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The Lucy Burns Institute is funded entirely by private contributions, and does not receive government funding. Ballotpedia's sister site is Judgepedia, an online encyclopedia of American courts and judges."
"Since Ballotpedia's founding in 2007, we’ve received over 350 million page views. Our work has been referenced in over 5,000 media outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal,Washington Post, and Politico."
Okay, given that information, I am inclined to give some credence to information from that site. Of course there are other sites on the web with useful information, too. The point that I am trying to make here in this post is that we all must actively seek out accurate information. The days of relying on our TV news to tell us the facts are behind us. So, please take some time this week and check out Ballotpedia. It will be worth your effort.
You can also find Ballotpedia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ballotpedia?fref=ts
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