Friday, July 30, 2010

Don't let it happen again

 
Can you organize a Fight Washington Corruption event outside Rep. Carolyn McCarthy's office in Garden City on Tuesday, August 10? Let's tell Congress it's time to end corporate control of our democracy.

Click Here



Pledge Delivery Success!

On Thursday, MoveOn members delivered hundreds of thousands of Fight Washington Corruption pledge signatures to the district offices of 213 members of Congress.

In New York, Leonard G. and Elizabeth G. joined with other MoveOn members to deliver over 1,200 local signatures to Rep. Tim Bishop's office—and he signed the pledge the same day! 
Dear MoveOn member,

In one week, members of Congress will head home to spend August listening to constituents.

Remember last year when that happened? The voices of ordinary Americans were drowned out by a vocal minority of Tea Partiers who spread lies about "death panels" and the President's birth certificate. This August has got to be different.

We're hoping to organize hundreds of Fight Washington Corruption gatherings on Tuesday, August 10—just days after Congress arrives home for the recess—to make sure that this time, grassroots progressives are heard loud and clear from the beginning. We'll urge our members of Congress to sign our pledge to end corporate control of our democracy.

We've got over 100 events set up, but there's still no event in your area. Can you host one outside Rep. Carolyn McCarthy's office in Garden City on Tuesday, August 10? To get started click below.

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89731&office_id=2040&id=22167-10220574-GrrKG3x&t=3

The events will happen outside congressional offices and our event organizing guide and online tool make them very easy to pull off. Here's what you'll have to do as a host:

  1. Pick a time during the day and register it in our online tool—we recommend noon locally, when lots of folks have a lunch break. Once it's posted online, other MoveOn members can find the event and sign up.
  2. Call a couple reporters to let them know the event is happening—or ask one of your attendees to make the call.
  3. Print out materials, show up a few minutes early, and read a statement at the event.
We've already found the local office for you and will email other MoveOn members in your area to invite them to attend. We'll provide the signs you can print and we'll give you tips on reaching out to the media. And we'll give you a script that you can use to run the entire event. All you have to do is post the event and follow our step-by-step guide.

Can you host one at Rep. Carolyn McCarthy's office in Garden City on Tuesday, August 10? The timing of the gatherings is critical and together we can tell Congress it's time to fight for the Other 98% of us without corporate lobbyists in Washington, D.C. 

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89731&office_id=2040&id=22167-10220574-GrrKG3x&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Duncan, Jeff, Marika, 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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 30, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

NPR vs. Fox

Will you sign the petition to the board of the White House Correspondents' Association? Click here to get started: 
"Give Helen Thomas' former briefing room seat to NPR, which has provided public interest coverage for decades—not Fox, which is a right-wing propaganda tool, not a legitimate news organization."

Sign the petition

Dear MoveOn member,

As early as Sunday, the White House Correspondents' Association will decide which news organization will be awarded a recently-vacated front-row center seat in the White House briefing room.

The contenders? National Public Radio, Bloomberg News—and Fox.

Yes, Fox—which we all know is actually a tool in the right-wing propaganda machine, not a legitimate news organization. They simply don't deserve the best seat in the White House briefing room—a seat held for years by journalist Helen Thomas until she retired recently.

So we're joining our friends at CREDO Action to petition the Correspondents' Association to award the seat to a real, public news organization: NPR.

Can you sign the petition today? Tell the Correspondents' Association to give the best seat in the briefing room to NPR, not Fox.

http://pol.moveon.org/nprvsfox/?id=22144-10220574-C9OP.Ix&t=3

The petition says, "Give Helen Thomas' former briefing room seat to NPR, which has provided public interest coverage for decades—not Fox, which is a right-wing propaganda tool, not a legitimate news organization."

Then, please forward this email to your friends and post on Facebook and Twitter so we can spread the news faster. Already 140,000 people have signed onto this call through CREDO Action. Help us get up to 250,000 before the meeting on Sunday!

Winning this seat would give Fox legitimacy it simply doesn't deserve—not after years of race-baiting, smears against progressives and Democrats, and spreading right-wing propaganda 24/7.

So instead we're calling on the Association to award the seat to one of our nation's premiere news organizations, which has served the public for years and currently reaches an audience of 27 million.

Will you sign the petition today? Just click here: 

http://pol.moveon.org/nprvsfox/?id=22144-10220574-C9OP.Ix&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Kat, Marika, Jeff, Duncan, 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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 29, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Tell Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand: Don't Let Wall Street Win

Can you call Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand? Tell them that voters support Elizabeth Warren for head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and that we're counting on them to stand up to Wall Street. 

Senator Charles Schumer
Phone: 202-224-6542

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Phone: 202-224-4451


Report your call
Dear MoveOn member,

Support is growing to nominate Elizabeth Warren to become the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the new agency created by the financial reform bill dedicated to protecting consumers.  This weekend Senator Al Franken told progressives he would fight for her1, and The New York Times endorsed her as well, saying:

"The banks don't oppose Ms. Warren because she doesn't get it. They oppose her because she does."2

But we have to keep the momentum going. The next week could decide whether she's seen as a serious candidate or not. Senator Tom Harkin is circulating a letter of support for Warren,3 but he needs more senators to sign on to put Warren over the top.

Can you call Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and tell them to sign on to Sen. Harkin's letter? Tell Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand that voters support Elizabeth Warren to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and that we're counting on them to stand strong against Wall Street. 

Here's where to call:

Senator Charles Schumer
Phone: 202-224-6542

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Phone: 202-224-4451

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSNY_1.FSNY_2&cp_id=1417&id=22072-10220574-dhYGx0x&t=2

Elizabeth Warren is a Harvard law professor, and a tough consumer advocate, and the idea for CFPB was hers to begin with.

Here's more from The New York Times explaining why her nomination is so important:

Ms. Warren—a bankruptcy expert at Harvard Law School, an Oklahoma native whose father was bilked of his savings by a business partner—developed the idea for the bureau in a 2007 article. Since then, as head of the panel that monitors the bank bailouts, she has become one of the nation's most prominent consumer advocates.

There are other candidates, of course. What Mr. Obama needs to recognize is that this particular job, at this particular time, is about more than competence. As the reform bill went through Congress, the banks were unrelenting in trying to kill or weaken the bureau. Having failed, they want influence in selecting its director.

Why are the banks opposed to Warren? Because they want to write the rules that Warren would help craft. Here's a quote from one of her appearances on The Daily Show:

"We're about to write the last chapter in the saga. The question is, are we going to have another boom and bust world, is it going to be that the CEOs on Wall Street write all the rules, or, are we going to say 'No, enough of that.'"4

Of course, Democrats can confirm Warren if they fight for it. And if it's a tough fight, it's exactly what voters need to see—so we know who will side with Wall Street and who will side with Main Street. Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand can lead the way starting now by signing on to Sen. Harkin's letter supporting Elizabeth Warren for head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Can you call now?

Senator Charles Schumer
Phone: 202-224-6542

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Phone: 202-224-4451

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSNY_1.FSNY_2&cp_id=1417&id=22072-10220574-dhYGx0x&t=3

Thanks for all you do.

–-Nita, Daniel, Duncan, Kat, and the rest of the team.

1. "Elizabeth Warren" New York Times Editorial, July 25, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/opinion/25sun3.html

2. "Al Franken Endorses Elizabeth Warren For Consumer Protection Bureau" Huffington Post, July 24, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89659&id=22072-10220574-dhYGx0x&t=4

3. "Harkin circulates letter backing Elizabeth Warren as consumer bureau head" The Hill, July 17, 2010


http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/banking-financial-institutions/109369-harkin-circulates-letter-backing-elizabeth-warren-as-potential-consumer-bureau-head-


4. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, January 26, 2010 


http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89567&id=22072-10220574-dhYGx0x&t=6


  

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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 27, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Help out on Thursday at noon?

Dear MoveOn member,

Over 390,000 people across the country have now signed the "Fight Washington Corruption" pledge to end corporate control of Washington, DC. Now we need to keep pressing every member of Congress to stand with us.

That's why, this Thursday, MoveOn members are delivering these signatures to local congressional offices across the country.

But we still need a volunteer to drop by Representative McCarthy's office and deliver the pledge with the signatures from your district. 

Can you help out by visiting Rep. Carolyn McCarthy's office in Garden City at 12:00 noon this Thursday, July 29th?

Yes, I'll stop by Rep. McCarthy's office in Garden City.

Sorry, I can't do that.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Duncan, Amy, Jeff, 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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 26, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Will Rep. McCarthy be next?

Dear MoveOn member,

Big news! Candidates and members of Congress in six states have signed on to the Fight Washington Corruption pledge!

Now we're urging Representative McCarthy to join them, and over 300,000 MoveOn members, in signing the pledge to stand up against corporate control of Washington, D.C.

Next Thursday, we're planning a nationwide day of action to deliver the pledge and signatures from constituents to congressional offices across the country and ask members of Congress to come on board. 

Can you join other MoveOn members to deliver the pledge and local signatures to Rep. Carolyn McCarthy's office in Garden City at 12:00 PM on Thursday, July 29th?

Yes, I'll stop by Rep. McCarthy's office in Garden City.

Sorry, I can't do that.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Duncan, Amy, Jeff, 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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 22, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Fighting Wall Street

Sign the petition:
"Elizabeth Warren has proven that she is willing to stand up to Wall Street on behalf of consumers. Please appoint her to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau."

Sign the petition
Watch Warren on the Daily Show:

Dear MoveOn member,

Have you ever seen Elizabeth Warren on the Daily Show?

She's the Harvard professor and super-compelling consumer advocate who's been pushing for laws to rein in Wall Street and protect everyday Americans.

And last week, Congress passed one of the biggest ideas she's been championing: It created a new federal agency solely to protect consumers. Now, the Obama Administration has to decide who's going to lead this important new agency. Elizabeth Warren is the obvious choice.

But Republicans and Wall Street bankers are fighting her nomination. And even some in the administration are pushing back.1 Why? Because they know she'll hold their feet to the fire.

Americans deserve a tough advocate on their side. That's why we're joining allies across the progressive movement in sending a petition to President Obama and Congress showing that voters overwhelmingly want Elizabeth Warren to head up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Can you add your name? Click below to watch a clip of her on the Daily Show and sign the petition:

http://pol.moveon.org/warren/?id=21911-10220574-XFVpmvx&t=5

The petition says: "Elizabeth Warren has proven that she is willing to stand up to Wall Street on behalf of consumers. Please appoint her to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau."

Why is Warren facing so much opposition? Because she is a really tough consumer watchdog and advocate.

In her role at the head of the Congressional bailout oversight panel she's been incredibly tough on the Treasury Department for how they spent our money and critical of a housing program that failed to protect homeowners.

And Wall Street knows that she is deeply concerned about banks that are "too big to fail" and would use her role at the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to hold them accountable.

But she has a lot of support too. A lot of members of Congress support her, including Rep. Barney Frank—the head of the House Financial Services Committee.

And here's what Rep. Brad Miller of North Carolina had to say about Warren:2

"We wouldn't have had a financial crisis if the supposed watchdogs hadn't been ventriloquists' dummies for the banks. The CFPB is a huge win for consumers, but it will have been a waste of time if the CFPB is just one more agency controlled by the banks," Miller told HuffPost. "We need someone to head the CFPB who is smart, tough and independent-minded. Professor Warren fits the bill."

But Wall Street has a lot of friends in Washington. And they're fighting against her nomination.

That's why we need to show our support now. Click below to sign the petition:

http://pol.moveon.org/warren/?id=21911-10220574-XFVpmvx&t=6

Thanks for all you do.

–-Nita, Jeff, Joan, Duncan, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Tim Geithner Opposes Nominating Elizabeth Warren To Lead New Consumer Agency," Huffington Post, July 15, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89477&id=21911-10220574-XFVpmvx&t=7

2. "Elizabeth Warren to Head Consumer Protection Bureau?" Huffington Post, July 12, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89479&id=21911-10220574-XFVpmvx&t=8

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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 20, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Check out this article

Dear MoveOn member,

We wanted to pass along this thought-provoking article from The Nation

So, give it a read. And if you like it, please forward it to all of your friends and share it on Facebook and Twitter:


Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Ilyse, Milan, Duncan and the rest of the team
  


Deficits of Mass Destruction

Published in The Nation

Christopher Hayes | July 15, 2010

If you've been paying attention this past decade, it won't surprise you to learn that the country's policy elites are in the midst of a destructive, well-nigh unhinged discussion about the future of the nation. But even by the degraded standards of the Washington establishment, the growing panic over government debt is shocking.

First, the facts. Nearly the entire deficit for this year and those projected into the near and medium terms are the result of three things: the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bush tax cuts and the recession. The solution to our fiscal situation is: end the wars, allow the tax cuts to expire and restore robust growth. Our long-term structural deficits will require us to control healthcare inflation the way countries with single-payer systems do.

But right now we face a joblessness crisis that threatens to pitch us into a long, ugly period of low growth, the kind of lost decade that will cause tremendous misery, degrade the nation's human capital, undermine an entire cohort of young workers for years and blow a hole in the government's bank sheet. The best chance we have to stave off this scenario is more government spending to nurse the economy back to health. The economy may be alive, but that doesn't mean it's healthy. There's a reason you keep taking antibiotics even after you start to feel better.

And yet: the drumbeat of deficit hysterics thumping in self-righteous panic grows louder by the day. Judging by its schedule and online video, this year's Aspen Ideas Festival was an open-air orgy of anti-deficit moaning. The festival is a good window into elite preoccupations, and that its opening forum featured ominous warnings of future bankruptcy from Niall Ferguson, Mort Zuckerman and David Gergen does not bode well. Nor does the fact that there was a panel called "America's Looming Fiscal Emergency: How to Balance the Books." This attitude isn't confined to pundits. The heads of Obama's fiscal commission have called projected deficits a "cancer." The hysteria has reached such a pitch that Republican senators (joined by Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson) have filibustered an extension of unemployment benefits because it was not offset by spending cuts. Keep in mind, the cost of the extension for people unlucky enough to be caught in the jaws of the worst recession in thirty years is $35 billion. The bill would increase the debt by less than 0.3 percent.

This all seems eerily familiar. The conversation—if it can be called that—about deficits recalls the national conversation about war in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. From one day to the next, what was once accepted by the establishment as tolerable—Saddam Hussein—became intolerable, a crisis of such pressing urgency that "serious people" were required to present their ideas about how to deal with it. Once the burden of proof shifted from those who favored war to those who opposed it, the argument was lost.

We are poised on the same tipping point with regard to the debt. Amid official unemployment of 9.5 percent and a global contraction, we shouldn't even be talking about deficits in the short run. Yet these days, entrance into the club of the "serious" requires not a plan for reducing unemployment but a plan to do battle with the invisible and as yet unmaterialized international bond traders preparing an attack on the dollar.

Perhaps the most egregious aspect of the selling of the Iraq War was its false pretext. It never really was about weapons of mass destruction, as Paul Wolfowitz admitted. WMDs were just "what everyone could agree on." So it is with deficits. Conservatives and their neoliberal allies don't really care about deficits; they care about austerity—about gutting the welfare state and redistributing wealth upward. That's the objective. Deficits are just what they can all agree on, the WMDs of this manufactured crisis. Senator John Kyl of Arizona, speaking on Fox, has come out and admitted as much. All new spending increases must be offset, he said, but "you should never have to offset the cost of a deliberate decision to reduce tax rates on Americans." So there you have it.

Remember that the Iraq War might have been prevented had more Congressional Democrats stood up to oppose it. Instead, many of those who privately knew the entire enterprise was a colossal disaster in the making buckled to right-wing pressure and pundit hawks and voted for it. That mistake is being repeated. Despite White House economists' full realization of the need for stimulus in the face of astronomically high unemployment, the New York Times has reported that the political minds inside the White House, David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel, have decided that the public has no appetite for increased spending. "It's my job to report what the public mood is," Axelrod explained. He then showed up on ABC's This Week to wave the white flag, saying that the president would continue to press to extend unemployment benefits; conspicuously omitted was any mention of aid to state governments, which had originally been included in the president's June letter to Congress asking for a new stimulus package.

There is hope, however: the public is nowhere near as obsessed with the deficit as are those in Washington. According to a USA Today/Gallup poll, 60 percent of Americans support "additional government spending to create jobs and stimulate the economy," with 38 percent opposed. A Hart Research Associates poll published in June showed that two-thirds of Americans favor continuing unemployment benefits. There is also very little public appetite for "entitlement reform," a k a cutting Social Security.

The lesson of the Iraq War is that over the long haul, good politics and good policy can't be separated. If the White House is tempted to support bad policy in the short term because it seems less risky politically, it should give John Kerry a call and ask him how that worked out for him with Iraq.

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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 17, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Cutting Social Security

Conservatives who want to cut Social Security and squeeze the middle class are dominating the discussions about how to cut the deficit. We need progressive ideas that protect the middle class and make Wall Street pay out there—and fast. To do it, we need 3 donations from Inwood. Can you chip in $5?

Contribute Now

Dear MoveOn member,

There's a showdown coming in Washington.

On one side are conservatives and the Blue Dog Democrats. Most of them supported Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy and two unfunded wars.1 But now, they say, we have to focus on the deficit—even if it means cutting Social Security and leaving millions of Americans jobless for years.2 

On the other side are progressives who agree we have to rein in our deficits, but think we should do it in a way that protects the middle class and makes Wall Street clean up its own mess.

Here's the scary part: the conservatives are winning hands down. They're spending millions of dollars to push their position and hoping that the president's new deficit commission—which is stacked with conservatives—will strike a deal to cut Social Security before the end of the year.3  

If we're going to have a shot at stopping them, we need to start pushing back right now. So we're spinning up a massive six-month campaign to make sure we deal with the deficit the right way—by getting the middle class back on their feet and making Wall Street pay its fair share—with polling, hard-hitting ads, and rallies all over the country. 

But we need to raise $185,000 to kick it off—which means 3 donations from Inwood. Can you chip in $5?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/deficit_commission2.html?bg_id=hpc5&id=21761-10220574-bnX66Bx&t=3

Social Security belongs to the American people, who pay into it every working day of our lives. But this election could determine whether conservative budget hawks finally have their way and make deep cuts to our benefits.

And there is a disturbing pattern of conservative fear-mongering on Social Security that is ramping up each day. Most recently it was Republican Leader, John Boehner followed by several other Republican congressmen. And before that former Senator Alan Simpson, the head of a commission that will make recommendations on Social Security this fall, called Americans who rely on Social Security "lesser people."

That's why we're kicking off a major campaign to push back on the lies about Social Security, hold politicians who want to cut it accountable, and get progressive solutions to the deficit—like a bold job creation program or making sure corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes—on the table.

Here's some of what we're planning:

  • Deep grassroots organizing: We're going to organize MoveOn members in races to make sure those on the wrong side of the economy and Social Security hear about it everywhere they go. At the same time, MoveOn members across the country will be making sure that Democrats know that voters want an ambitious jobs program and they expect Wall Street and the super rich to pay their fair share of taxes.
  • Polling: We're planning to poll in critical swing states and districts to show that voters don't support conservative answers on the economy. We know that voters are more interested in jobs than Social Security cuts but in an election year, the only language that politicians understand is polling. And that's what we'll do.
  • Ads: We're going to work on a cutting-edge media program to push out the voices of those who are hurting most in this economy so Washington hears from them directly. Their stories are powerful. And they'll show politicians that cutting Social Security for the elderly or Medicaid from those who need it most is not the answer voters are looking for.

This is critical work—but the other side is well organized and we need to start right away if we're going to make an impact. Can you chip in $5?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/deficit_commission2.html?bg_id=hpc5&id=21761-10220574-bnX66Bx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Daniel, Duncan, Amy, and the rest of the team

  

Sources:

1. "An Incoherent Truth," The New York Times, July 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=88891&id=21761-10220574-bnX66Bx&t=5

2. "Big Lies and Social Security: Peter Peterson's Retirement is Secure," AlterNet, October 16, 2007
http://www.alternet.org/economy/65341/

"Blue Dogs took up the fight for doctors' pay as poor lose health coverage," The Washington Post, June 2, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=88892&id=21761-10220574-bnX66Bx&t=6

3. "Whacking the Old Folks," The Nation, June 7, 2010
http://www.thenation.com/article/whacking-old-folks


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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 14, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

You and 722 others


Dear MoveOn member,

We're about to reach a milestone.

This afternoon, we're going to smash through our first goal of having 200,000 people endorse the "Fight Washington Corruption" Pledge. That makes your signature part of a growing movement of people across the country demanding an end to business as usual in Washington.

But we're not there yet. In Representative Carolyn McCarthy's district, where you live, we're still 722 people short of our target of 1,000 signatures—that's how many we think it'll take to show serious local support.

And we're still short in most other districts too. Can you spread the word? Specifically, can you e-mail this link to everyone you know and ask them to sign too?

http://www.fightwashingtoncorruption.org/?r_by=21738-10220574-6ADSW_x

You can use the sample e-mail below to get started.

Taking on big corporations and their lobbyists will take as many people as we can gather. That's why we need to ask everyone we know—even the people who aren't usually plugged-in during off years—to join us in standing up for a democracy that works for people.

We'd love to read what you have to say about our campaign to end corporate influence in Washington too! Send your message to us by BCC'ing signthepledge@moveon.org when you e-mail people you know. We may pick a few to share with other MoveOn members as well, although we'd ask your permission first, of course.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Duncan, Milan, Anna, and the rest of the team

–————

Here's a sample email you can send to your friends:

Hi,

I signed the "Fight Washington Corruption" Pledge to get Congress to stand up to corporate influence over our democracy. People across the country are endorsing this pledge to get their members of Congress to finally put people first in Washington.

At the end of the month, a group of people in our district is going to take these signatures to Representative Carolyn McCarthy, asking her to sign the pledge too. We need another 722 people to sign to reach our goal by then. Groups in other districts are going to bring signatures to their representatives as well.

Can you help us stand up for a better democracy by signing the pledge too? Just go here to sign:

http://fightwashingtoncorruption.org/?r_by=21738-10220574-6ADSW_x

Thanks!

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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 13, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Last Call: Can we use your house Thursday night?

MoveOn member—

Can you host a "Fight Washington Corruption" house party on Thursday night?

Thousands of MoveOn members are gathering at house parties across the country to plan our campaignbut we still need a place for progressives in Inwood to get together.

MoveOn members who've hosted parties in the past say it's one of the most fun things they've done at MoveOn—giving them a chance to meet progressive friends and neighbors.

Can you open your home to other MoveOn members interested in helping on this campaign on Thursday? Click here if you can help out:

http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/create.html?action_id=216&id=21708-10220574-p.VAswx&t=1

Thanks for all you do,

–Ilyse, Marika, Duncan, Ilya, and the rest of the team
  


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 12, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Can you help on Thursday night?

MoveOn member—

You know the "Fight Washington Corruption" statement of principles we keep emailing you about? Guess what. It's working! MoveOn members have already launched efforts in nearly 100 cities targeting their representatives, and the sign-ups are rolling in. But we need to pull out all the stops to get every member of Congress and every congressional candidate signed on to the pledge by Labor Day—and that includes kicking off our campaign in Inwood.

So we're holding "Fight Washington Corruption" house parties next Thursday, July 15th, to bring progressives together and plan how to get our members of Congress to sign the pledge.

We're trying to pull these events together as quickly as possible, but we still need a place for progressives in your neighborhood to get together to help with this campaignYou've already been active in some of our work together this year. Now, can you take the next step and open up your home on Thursday, July 15th, so that other MoveOn members can meet up and plan our campaign moving forward?

http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/create.html?action_id=216&id=21680-10220574-WlKKtfx&t=1

If you've been to a house party, you know that they're super-easy to host—you just need to open your home and print out materials beforehand. We'll send you everything you need for a successful event, and we'll invite MoveOn members near you to come.

Can you sign up today to host a Fight Washington Corruption House Party on Thursday, July 15th? Click here if you can help out:

http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/create.html?action_id=216&id=21680-10220574-WlKKtfx&t=2

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Marika, Duncan, Ilya, 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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 10, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Top 10 Corporate Outrages

Help take back our democracy from corporate control. Forward this email and ask your friends to sign the "Fight Washington Corruption Pledge."

Dear MoveOn member,

You might have heard this: BP is so well connected in Washington that even after being cited for 760 different safety and environmental violations, the company still got environmental waivers for the Deepwater Horizon rig that's now destroying the Gulf.1 But BP's not alone in using its DC influence.

Check out the list below of other companies' outrages—then pass it along.  

This is exactly why the "Fight Washington Corruption Pledge" that you endorsed last week is so important. 

130,000 of us have already endorsed the pledge—but we need thousands more folks on board to convince politicians to sign on. Can you forward this list to your friends and ask them to sign the pledge? 

They can sign it here:

http://www.fightwashingtoncorruption.org/?id=21637-10220574-VAC1Tgx

And you can share this list with them directly on Facebook and Twitter.

1. Exxon Mobil made billions in profits, and yet paid not one dime in federal income taxes in 2009.2

2. The 2005 energy bill had a little known provision, commonly called the Halliburton Loophole, which exempted natural gas drilling from the Clean Water Act. The result? Water so contaminated that you can light it on fire.3

3. Massey Energy was cited more than 2400 times for safety violations in its mines, but chose not to fix potentially lethal problems because low penalties meant it was cheaper to simply keep paying the fines. This spring, 29 miners were killed in an underground explosion at a Massey mine in West Virginia.4

4. Michael Taylor was the FDA official who approved the use of Monsanto's Bovine Growth Hormone in dairy cows (even though it's banned in most countries and linked to cancer). After approving it, he left the FDA—to work for Monsanto. Until last year, when he moved back to the government—as President Obama's "Food Safety Czar." No joke.5

5. Internal Toyota documents outline how the company was successful in limiting regulators actions in the recalls last year—saving hundreds of millions while the death toll continued to climb.6

6. GE and its lobbyists—including 33 former government employees—have successfully lobbied Congress to override Defense Department requests to cancel a GE contract to work on a new engine for the Joint Strike Fighter jet. GE will need $2.9 billion to finish the project.7 

7. Top executives at 9 big banks including Citibank, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley paid themselves over $20 billion in bonuses just weeks after taxpayers bailed them out to the tune of 700 billion dollars.8

8. During the waning days of the Bush administration, officials responded to a long-term lobbying campaign by pre-empting product liability lawsuits for dozens of entire industries. They bypassed Congress entirely and rewrote rules ranging from seatbelt manufacturing regulations to prescription drug safety.9

9. Sunscreen manufacturers including Johnson & Johnson and Schering-Ploughin the interest of profits, are opposing an FDA proposal requiring full reporting on sunscreen labels. The New York Times just confirmed that current SPF ratings don't even measure sun rays that cause cancer.10

10. BP—a company with a record of 760 drilling safety and environmental violations—was granted safety waivers in order to operate the deepwater drilling rig that ultimately created the worst environmental disaster in US history.11

Think this list will make your friends' blood boil? Share it with them on Facebook and Twitter or forward this email ask them to endorse the Fight Washington Corruption Pledge:

http://www.fightwashingtoncorruption.org/?id=21637-10220574-VAC1Tgx

Thanks for all you do,

–Ilyse, Robin, Milan, Amy and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "BP's latest plan succeeding, but may make spill worse," Newsweek, June 2, 2010. 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=88880&id=21637-10220574-VAC1Tgx&t=5

2. "GE, Exxon Paid No U.S. Income Taxes in 2009," ABC News, April 6, 2010 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89262&id=&id=21637-10220574-VAC1Tgx&t=6

3. "Why is Dick Cheney Silent on the Oil Spill?" Newsweek, June 10, 2010
 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89263&id=21637-10220574-VAC1Tgx&t=7

4. "Other Massey Mines Showed A Pattern Of Violations," NPR, April 13, 2010
 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89264&id=21637-10220574-VAC1Tgx&t=8

5. "Monsanto's man Taylor returns to FDA in food-czar role," Grist, July 8, 2009
 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-08-monsanto-FDA-taylor/

6. "Toyota tried to cut costs on recalls," Los Angeles Times, February 22, 2010 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89265&id=21637-10220574-VAC1Tgx&t=9

7. "GE vice chairman openly challenges Gates over F-35 fighter jet engine," The Hill, June 17, 2010 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89266&id=21637-10220574-VAC1Tgx&t=10

8. "Bankers Reaped Lavish Bonuses During Bailouts," The New York Times, July 30, 2009 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/business/31pay.html

9. "Bush Rule Changes Curtail Rights of States, Consumers," Wall Street Journal, October 15, 2008 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89267&id=21637-10220574-VAC1Tgx&t=11

10. "UVA Reform: It's Not PDQ," The New York Times, June 23, 2010 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89268&id=21637-10220574-VAC1Tgx&t=12

11. "BP's latest plan succeeding, but may make spill worse," Newsweek, June 2, 2010. 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=88880&id=21637-10220574-VAC1Tgx&t=13

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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 8, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

$20 to get off oil?

President Obama has called for an end to America's addiction to oil. We're launching a new push to make sure Congress doesn't squander this momentum. To get it going, we need 3 donations from Inwood—can you chip in $5?

Click Here

Dear MoveOn member,

Would you give $20 for a new energy policy that would get America off oil? How 'bout $5?

I ask because, after months—years—of deadlock, this is a moment when we could actually see a significant shift to clean energy. With the public outraged at the spill in the Gulf and President Obama calling for a renewed push for clean energy, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

So we're putting together a major effort to take on the biggest stumbling block: the conservative Democrats, too many of whom still seem to be on the "drill, baby, drill" plan.

Specifically, we need about $185,000 to turn up the heat in their districts—to provide materials for volunteers, organizers to help them out, and hard-hitting ads to let voters know where they stand.

This is the most important moment for clean energy in decades. To hit our goal, we'll need 3 donations from Inwood—can you chip in $5?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/oil_disaster2.html?bg_id=hpc5&id=21613-10220574-zeAmt3x&t=3

After the Gulf oil spill, Congress wasn't even talking about doing what we need to really get off oil. But after weeks of organizing by MoveOn members and many others, President Obama has put this goal front and center.

But we know that Congress won't stand up to the Big Oil lobbyists unless voters demand it. Here's some of what we have in mind:

  • Ads: We'll run ads with photos of members of Congress who are taking money from Big Oil.
  • Rallies: We'll join with grassroots organizations across the country to organize massive demonstrations for clean energy.
  • Media: We'll make sure local newspapers report on which members of Congress are supporting action to end our dependence on oil.
But we need to raise at least $185,000 to get it going. Can you chip in $5? Click here to donate:

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/oil_disaster2.html?bg_id=hpc5&id=21613-10220574-zeAmt3x&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Steven, Kat, Matt, Carrie, 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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 7, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

9.5% Unemployment

Congress just went on vacation without extending unemployment—leaving 2 million Americans without a desperately-needed source of support. Can you send a free fax to Sens. Gillibrand and Schumer demanding that the Senate act?

Send a fax

Dear MoveOn member,

The new unemployment figures came out on Friday and they're bad. We lost 125,000 jobs and the unemployment rate is 9.5%.

But instead of helping those who are out of work, Congress just went on vacation without extending unemployment benefits. That means 2 million Americans are losing a desperately-needed source of support because of Congress' continued failure to act.

Congress seems to think they're doing the popular thing by pulling back support for the economy, but in fact, a recent poll shows that the overwhelming majority of Americans want benefits extended, even if it means temporarily increasing the deficit.

Thankfully, your senators, Sens. Gillibrand and Schumer did the right thing and voted to extend benefits. But there weren't enough senators willing to stand with them. We need to keep up the pressure so every senator knows this urgent issue has to be dealt with right away. Click here to send a free fax to Sens. Gillibrand and Schumer with the results of the poll along with a demand that the Senate act.

http://pol.moveon.org/fax?tg=FSNY_2.FSNY_1&cp_id=1395&id=21582-10220574-.wP64Xx&t=3

Friday's unemployment numbers drive home the point that Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman made last week about the perils of government inaction. He goes so far as to say we may be heading for a depression.

Here are some key excerpts from Krugman's op-ed:

We are now, I fear, in the early stages of a third depression. It will probably look more like the Long Depression than the much more severe Great Depression. But the cost—to the world economy and, above all, to the millions of lives blighted by the absence of jobs—will nonetheless be immense.

And this third depression will be primarily a failure of policy. Around the world...governments are obsessing about inflation when the real threat is deflation, preaching the need for belt-tightening when the real problem is inadequate spending.

Unemployment—especially long-term unemployment—remains at levels that would have been considered catastrophic not long ago, and shows no sign of coming down rapidly.

In the face of this grim picture, you might have expected policy makers to realize that they haven't yet done enough to promote recovery. But no: over the last few months there has been a stunning resurgence of hard-money and balanced-budget orthodoxy.

While long-term fiscal responsibility is important, slashing spending in the midst of a depression, which deepens that depression and paves the way for deflation, is actually self-defeating.

So I don't think this is really about Greece, or indeed about any realistic appreciation of the tradeoffs between deficits and jobs. It is, instead, the victory of an orthodoxy that has little to do with rational analysis, whose main tenet is that imposing suffering on other people is how you show leadership in tough times.

You can read the whole thing and pass it on to your friends here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/opinion/28krugman.html

And click here to send Sens. Gillibrand and Schumer a fax to demand that the Senate does their part to get the economy growing again:

http://pol.moveon.org/fax?tg=FSNY_2.FSNY_1&cp_id=1395&id=21582-10220574-.wP64Xx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Laura, Nita, Duncan, 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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 6, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Great health care news

Dear MoveOn member,

Winning health care reform was the biggest progressive victory in a generation—and it would never have happened without your hard work and dedication.

So this holiday weekend, we wanted to share some happy news: the latest on how the new health care law is shaping up. Check it out—and feel seriously proud for helping make this happen.

The big news so far:

  • This week, www.HealthCare.gov, a new online portal where anyone can go to find insurance options in their state, went live. It's a very handy resource for information that used to be difficult to find. It's available to help millions who need insurance find it, and as a resource for those who want to shop around for new options or find out their new benefits under the new law.
  • States are starting to create new insurance pools for hundreds of thousands of people with serious medical conditions who had previously been unable to get insurance. Federal grants to help with setup are on their way to states right now.1

  • In June, 80,000 checks were mailed to seniors to help with prescription drug costs not covered by Medicare. By the end of the year, an estimated 4 million checks will go out.2 

  • And of course, many of the key insurance reforms—allowing young adults to stay on their parents' insurance until age 26, and making it illegal to deny a child or baby insurance because of a "pre-existing condition"—have already started to take effect.3 

Now, many of the major reforms—the new health insurance exchanges, an end to pre-existing condition discrimination for adults, and more—have yet to go into effect. And of course there's more work to be done to fight for truly universal health care and a public health insurance option.

But the changes so far will help literally millions of people get or keep insurance. And the work you and millions of other MoveOn members did is a huge reason why. And that's just pretty great.

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend. And thanks, as always, for all that you do.

–Kat, Jeff, Duncan, Milan, Anna, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "'High-risk' pool medical insurance program set to begin," The Los Angeles Times, July 1, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89299&id=21542-10220574-ilLzIix&t=1

"D.C., Md. and Va. to get $207 million to operate high-risk insurance pools," The Washington Post, July 1, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89300&id=21542-10220574-ilLzIix&t=2

2. First 'doughnut hole' checks go to seniors to help with Medicare prescription shortfalls
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15291641

3. "Insurers to Comply With Rules on Children," The New York Times, March 30, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89301&id=21542-10220574-ilLzIix&t=3

"Health care reform begins to be felt," The Modesto Bee, June 28, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89302&id=21542-10220574-ilLzIix&t=4

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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 3, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Friday, July 2, 2010

The fax BP doesn't want you to send

It's time to let Washington know that change is afoot. Can you send a copy of the "Fight Washington Corruption" pledge to Rep. McCarthy today? Click below to send a free fax:


Click here to send a fax

 

Dear MoveOn member,

Our campaign to take back our democracy is gaining steam.

Last week, we launched the "Fight Washington Corruption" pledge—our blueprint for ending corporate control over our democracy. You and over 130,000 people around the country have endorsed the pledge and thousands more are signing on every day.

Now it's time to start transforming that momentum into a force to change Washington.

This week, 2,693 MoveOn members delivered copies of the pledge to the local offices of over 450 members of Congress.

That's a great start, but to convince legislators to sign our pledge, we'll need to show them that even more of their constituents are behind it. Can you send a free fax copy of the pledge to Representative Carolyn McCarthy today? Click here to send a fax now:

http://pol.moveon.org/fax?tg=FHNY_04&cp_id=1397&id=21533-10220574-uHj2wrx&t=4

Over the last two years, corporations and lobbyists have been working overtime to block progressive change in Washington. We've seen insurance companies work to water down health reform; bailed-out bankers lobby to keep bonuses; and now BP is spending over $30,000 per day to avoid responsibility for the disaster it caused.1 That's what democracy looks like when too many politicians forget to do the people's business.

But thanks to you, we now have a way to change that. By making candidates commit to the "Fight Washington Corruption" pledge, we can make sure that, this year, the legislators we elect are ready to work for us.

The visits MoveOn members made to local offices this week are a great start to getting politicians' attention. We can amplify that effort by making sure that every member of Congress gets copies of the pledge sent to them today by their constituents.

Please send a free fax to the office of Rep. McCarthy to make this the year we end business as usual in Washington. Click here to send a free fax now:

http://pol.moveon.org/fax?tg=FHNY_04&cp_id=1397&id=21533-10220574-uHj2wrx&t=5

Thanks for all you do.

Ilyse, Milan, Lenore, Jeff and the rest of the team

P.S. Here's the text of the "Fight Washington Corruption" pledge you'll be sending to your representative, asking them to sign on:

  1. Overturn Citizens United: Amend the Constitution to protect America from unlimited corporate spending on our elections by overturning the Supreme Court's decision giving corporations the same First Amendment rights as people.

  2. Fair Elections Now: Pass the Fair Elections Now Act, providing public financing to candidates who are supported by small donors so they can compete with corporate-backed and self-funded candidates.

  3. Lobbyist Reform Act: Pass legislation to end the overwhelming influence of corporate lobbyists by: prohibiting individuals from switching from corporate lobbying to government service, or vice-versa, within a 5-year period; stopping corporate lobbyists from giving gifts and providing free travel to government officials; and posting online the attendees and content of all meetings between lobbyists and government officials.

Sources:

1. OpenSecrets.org, accessed July 1, 2010.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89298&id=21533-10220574-uHj2wrx&t=6



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.


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on July 2, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.