Hobos and Stray Animals?

Last Thursday every Republican in the Senate voted to block a jobs bill that would have extended unemployment benefits to Americans who have been out of work for more than six months and extended several tax breaks that would help both small businesses and families.

Republicans are apparently too busy insulting Americans to show any type of real leadership by passing bills that would help real people.

Senator John Kyl Republican from Arizona said that extending unemployment benefits “doesn’t create new jobs, in fact if anything, continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work.”

Congressman Heller (R) (NV-2) questioned extending unemployment benefits asking, “is the government now creating hobos?”

Perhaps the most disgusting statement came from Lt. Governor Andre Bauer (R) of South Carolina who said, “My grandmother …told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed. You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person an ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don’t think too much further than that. And so what you’ve got to do is you’ve got to curtail that type of behavior. They don’t know any better.”

Are these repulsive statements what the Republicans call leadership? Saying that Americans who should be receiving the benefits they are owed are too lazy to look for work and calling Americans who have lost their jobs, hobos or stray animals is symbolic of an attitude of disrespect that is rampant throughout the Republican party.

Republicans claim that they voted against helping Americans because they didn’t want to add to the deficit. But, given the opportunity to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans under President Bush’s tax cut plan, Republicans had no problem adding trillions of dollars onto the deficit. So, drastically increasing our debt is okay, but only when it helps those with the most, now that’s hypocrisy.

21st Century Democrats Awards Reception

We had a great evening last night at our annual awards reception honoring US Congressman Elijah Cummings, Professor and Best-selling Author Simon Johnson, legendary musician and activist Si Kahn, and Wisconsin State Senate Majority Leader Russell Decker for their commitment to progressive Democratic ideas. Author Si Kahn was given the solidarity forever award in honor of his progressive work in organizing and writing. Kahn spoke of the importance of grassroots organizing and the power of people working together for change. He is the founder of the organization titled Grassroots Leadership and author of the book Creative Community Organizing. Kahn has devoted the majority of his life working as an organizer and a song writer. The author has written songs based on community and freedom which have been recorded by multiple artists. Throughout the evening, Si Kahn performed songs he had written for each of the award winners based on their accomplishments and lines of work.

Furthering our tradition of building a farm team and supporting people on the state and local level, we honored State Senator Russ Decker last night for his excellence in public service. State Senator Decker was first elected in 1990 and has since become the Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader. In addition to being a journeyman bricklayer, Sen. Decker has fought for healthcare and put stimulus dollars to work creating new jobs and infrastructure.

In addition to honoring people who hold an elected office or organize, we also recognized a leader in the academic arena. Professor Simon Johnson was honored for his visionary leadership regarding the financial crisis and his ideas for reform. Professor Johnson is the author of the book 13 Bankers in which he discusses the root of the financial crisis and the future that lies ahead for our country. His teaching and writing is a powerful way to spread the message of financial reform and the consequences if effective reform is not put in place. During his acceptance, Johnson referenced Teddy Roosevelt’s ideals and the need to enforce regulation and accountability in the 21^st Century.

Lastly, we recognized Congressman Elijah Cummings for his excellence in public service. Congressman Cummings has proudly served seven terms for Maryland’s 7^th District as a leading progressive voice for financial reform. Rep. Cummings spoke of the importance of young people becoming involved in the progressive movement and staying involved. In addition, he spoke of the meaning of liberal and that being liberal means doing what is right for all people.

The award ceremony concluded with Si Kahn singing Ralph Chaplin’s traditional union song Solidarity Forever. Kahn began by speaking the lyrics of the song to the crowd and then followed by having the crowd sing-along. The lyrics were very fitting as the event was hosted on the rooftop terrace at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Washington, DC headquarters. The main chorus sang solidarity forever, solidarity forever, solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong. Immediately following the awards, authors Si Kahn and Simon Johnson signed books for supporters. We would like to thank everyone for coming out to the event to celebrate these courageous leaders and all of their accomplishments!

President Obama spoke to the American people last night about the crisis in the Gulf and the obvious need for comprehensive climate change legislation. The President emphasized the importance of restoring the Gulf, helping those who have suffered economically from this tragedy and the need to decrease our nation's dependence on oil and fossil fuels.

BP executives insist that "continued off shore exploration and drilling were essential to American oil and gas supplies and to the health of their industry." Clearly, these executives care more about their bottom line than the people of the Gulf Coast who have experienced overwhelming devastation to their way of life.

It is unacceptable that tens of thousands of barrels of oil have been leaking into the waters off our coast each day for the past eight weeks. The President along with our progressive candidates know that change is the answer.

In response to the President's address, Kendrick Meek expressed his support saying, "Tonight, President Obama spoke of the necessity of exploring clean energy solutions in the wake of this environmental catastrophe. I stand wholeheartedly in support of the President when it comes to decreasing our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels."

Our candidates know that decreasing our dependence on oil is vital to both our environment and our national security. Now more than ever, it is important to support candidates, like Kendrick Meek, who speak out for a comprehensive climate bill and refuse to back down in the face of Big Oil and other special interests.

Great news for Tarryl Clark! The DCCC has added her to the Red-to-Blue list. The chairman of the DCCC, Chris Van Hollen, commented on the new candidates that have been added to the list. "These candidates being named to our Red to Blue Program are running strong campaigns and demonstrating their commitment to being independent leaders who will make job creation back home their top priority. The Red to Blue Program will give these strong candidates the financial and structural edge they need to win in November and become strong advocates in Congress for middle class families back in their districts." Zach Rodvold, Clark’s campaign manager, responded that "Being named to Red-to-Blue - especially this early in the election cycle - sends a clear signal that we have the best candidate, the best campaign, and the best chance of defeating Michele Bachmann that we have ever had.” Since Clark entered the campaign nearly a year ago, she has gained support from dozens of grassroots organizations, including 21st Century Democrats, and hundreds of active volunteers, and her fundraising records are through the roof thanks to thousands of donors. Being recognized by the DCCC and added to the Red-to-Blue list is a great step forward for Clark’s campaign!

Halter is Getting Stronger

The most recent Research 2000\ Daily Kos poll brings good news for Bill Halter, showing him with an increasing lead over Blanche Lincoln 49% to 45%. This is an improvement from the poll taken last week showing Halter with a 47%- 44% lead. Halter is nearing the 50% mark and the number of undecided voters for Lincoln to persuade is limited.

The run-off vote is being held tomorrow, Tuesday, June 8th and Halter's chances are looking good, depending on the turnout. Make sure you make it out to the polls and to call your friends and family in Arkansas and vote for Bill Halter!

Click here for the full poll.