Mitt Romney’s Favorite “People”

As if his Wall Street connections, hawkish and unbalanced foreign policy views, and contempt for even the most basic civil liberties and protections weren’t enough to arouse concern among the public, Mitt Romney has surprised the American people yet again after giving his latest opinion about the nature of corporations.

While speaking at a fair in Iowa, Romney stated, “Corporations are people, my friend,” in response to a remark over whether he would raise taxes on people or corporations. This reply is a telling indicator as to where Mitt Romney’s real priorities and loyalties lie, and leaves the public wondering as to which “person’s” welfare Romney would be putting first if elected: the individual’s or the corporation’s?

Instead of focusing on the high unemployment, reductions in basic benefits, and financial uncertainty for the average American, Romney is again revealing that he wants to continue the GOP pattern of prioritizing big business tax breaks, CEO bottom lines, and corporate cronyism at the expense of the needs of the individual. Though not the first time Mitt Romney has offered shocking and revealing statements to the public, including his pledge to “Double Guantanamo” and his newfound beliefs that one of the foremost economic problems is “Illegals,” this new disclosure about his opinions regarding corporate personhood is especially troubling in this time of recession and economic crisis. Wall Street and Corporate America enjoyed eight years on top while the public debt grew and the American people suffered; it’s time to ensure that today, our government puts actual “people” first and creates a culture of accountability when working with business. We can’t afford another decade of indifference, irresponsibility, and greed.

Fair and Balanced? Not likely!

Fox News is proving yet again that their slogan of ‘Fair and Balanced’ is the farthest thing from the truth. The highly publicized Ames Straw Poll is taking place this Saturday and will be preceded by a debate tonight, hosted by Fox News. Presidential candidates are required to meet the following criteria to take part in the poll:

1. Must be registered with the FEC.
2. Must meet all Constitutional requirements.
3. Garnered at least an average of one percent in five national polls based on most recent polling leading up to the registration day.

Apparently, however, Fox News had one other criteria they failed to mention in their requirements: Candidates must be straight.

Fred Karger, the first openly gay Republican Presidential candidate, is being denied a space in tonight’s Republican debate because Fox News has decided to retroactively change their criteria. In the August 4th Harris Interactive poll, Karger garnered 2% of the vote (tying with Tim Pawlenty and Jon Huntsman) which pushed his national polling average above 1%. According to Fox News, the poll was invalid because it was taken online. But as Karger himself pointed out, this clarification of which polls are permissible didn’t happen until AFTER he had submitted his list.
This is just another example of Fox News’s ridiculous policies and their poorly hidden bias. According to the original written criteria, it shouldn’t matter if a candidate has national name recognition or what exactly his or her personal political views are and it definitely shouldn’t matter what the candidate’s sexual orientation is. All that matters is that the candidate meets all three of the criteria and Fred Karger has. Altering the criteria to keep him out of the debate is unacceptable and begs the following question:

What is Fox News so afraid will happen if Fred Karger is allowed to take part in this debate?

Cosumer Financial Protection Bureau

Over the weekend President Obama announced a 21st Century Democrats previously endorsed candidate, Rich Cordray, as the director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Mr. Cordray has served as the Ohio Attorney General, Ohio State Treasurer, in the Ohio House of Representatives, and several of local positions. We have endorsed Rich for many of these races, and we are very proud of him and his appointment to this office with the CFPB. His work and leadership at the CFPB will surely make an impact in the lives of millions of Americans.

The CFPB was established with the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill passed in 2010, and is given the responsibility to protect consumers against abusive and fraudulent practices related to credit cards, mortgages, payday loans and other financial products. The Financial Reform bill was a key piece of legislation passed by the Democratic majority Congress that placed regulations on the entire financial industry. After the ‘07/’08 meltdown, it became clear that investors across the entire system were at risk because the industry was using incredibly risky, abusive, and harmful policies. Together, the Dodd-Frank bill and the CFPB will monitor the industry and enforce these new regulations in order to protect American investors from fraudulent activities.

We would like to congratulate Mr. Cordray on his nominations, and we know he will continue to make us proud. Thank you for all of your service to your constituents in Ohio, and we wish you the best of luck in DC.

Wisconsin Recalls Update

Despite the placement of “Protest Democrats” on the ballot, the true Democrats won the primary elections in all six Wisconsin recall districts. Republicans encouraged some of their own to run in the Democratic primaries in an obvious attempt to confuse voters, exhaust Democratic resources, and buy recall candidates more campaign time. Fortunately, the plan did not work, and now, the true Democrats are in a position to go head-to-head with GOP recall candidates.

Difficulties for Democrats still lie ahead. To protect themselves in the approaching general elections as well as the 2012 cycle, Republicans redrew districts to benefit their own political goals, a process that divided communities and failed to represent the diversity of the state. Gerrymandering itself is illegal, and beyond that, Wisconsin law specifically dictates that the state legislature cannot draw district lines until after local governments draw country board districts. This deters gerrymandering by allowing communities to define their own borders before any political lines are imposed. However, Republicans completely ignored this law, and now, they want to pass new legislation that would justify this bad behavior while the party still controls the state government. It is obvious that the Wisconsin GOP will stop at nothing to win, even if it means redefining the law to suit its own interests.

After the protest candidates and the last-minute redistricting, Democrats have a right to be riled up, but there is much more at stake than victory against a group of Republicans unwilling to play fair. We must remember the reasoning behind the recall elections, especially the restrictions on collective bargaining rights of public employees imposed by Wisconsin Republicans. This is not only a government employees issue; it’s a worker’s rights issue. The people of Wisconsin have spoken. They have collected over 15,000 signatures in each district, and they have demanded these recalls! Now is the time to stand up for labor. Democrats must win the three seats necessary for a majority that will vote down Walker’s anti-union law, and in the process, they can show Republicans that unfair tactics get candidates nowhere.

Sorry, No ID, No Ballot

Republican governors and legislatures from around the country are preparing their strategy to win the 2012 elections by disenfranchising voters without any form of government issued identification. In a systematic push, the need for voter ID laws has been raised claiming that voter fraud is running wild and a serious threat to democracy. Even though the Justice Department has found little evidence to support such claims, the Republicans insist. What are they really getting at? Who are they targeting? By requiring voters to present a photo ID at the polling station, they hope that minorities and the poor will be turned away.

It is not uncommon for people of the poorest socio-economic demographics to not have a valid photo ID, whether it is a driver's license or a state ID. A Brennan Center for Justice study issued in 2006 finds that 11% of American's would not be eligible to vote under these new voter ID laws if passed. Of that 11%, minorities and the poor are disproportionately represented. While not exclusively, the primary reason is the financial burden of paying the fee's required to receive an ID. It is not a coincidence that these groups also tend to vote for Democrats. Under the rules of voter ID laws, Republicans are hoping to silence the voice of minorities and the poor. It's a sleazy and backhanded method to gain the edge in an election...not to mention unconstitutional.

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and others recently petitioned the Department of Justice to inquire about the legality of these laws. These Democratic senators are defending the rights of millions of Americans. We cannot allow Republicans to cast a shadow of any form on our right to vote. While addressing voter fraud is a legitimate concern, it is unacceptable to do so in a way that places an extreme burden on those of us who are least capable of carrying it. Those disenfranchised by these laws are otherwise eligible to vote, so let's make sure they stay that way!

Republicans Walk Away From the Table - Again

On Sunday, President Obama sat down with Congressional leaders from both parties to discuss the nation’s debt. As the August 2nd default deadline approaches, there is increasing need for a final agreement between Democrats and Republicans, but the meeting ended after an only an hour and a half of discussion. Why? Because the Republicans walked out in the middle of the meeting.

Throughout the debt negotiation process, Republicans have proved unwilling to compromise on tax increases even on the brink of financial disaster. Republicans portrayed themselves as crusaders for large-scale debt reduction, but over the weekend, they abandoned Obama’s large-scale, bipartisan debt plan in favor of a smaller plan that protects their interests.

Obama’s proposal reduces United States debt by $4 trillion over the next ten years through $3 trillion in spending cuts and $1 trillion in tax revenues. This plan clearly favors spending cuts over tax increases three to one, but Speaker Boehner refuses to support any plan that increases taxes.

Boehner now advocates for a smaller plan of only $2.4 trillion in debt reduction originally proposed by Vice President Biden. This move is unwise as well as financially dangerous. During Sunday’s meeting, Biden himself warned Republicans the $2.4 trillion alternative is too rough to be adopted such short notice. Nothing was finalized during the Biden plan negotiations, because once again, Republicans abandoned the bargaining process once tax increases were mentioned.

Boehner’s actions make it perfectly clear that Republicans prioritize party interests before a debt crisis that impacts the entire nation. He views the Biden plan as an opportunity to minimize tax increases for the wealthiest Americans and multi-billion dollar corporations – oil companies will receive more than $4 billion in tax breaks this year alone. The United States cannot afford to default due to Republican unwillingness to compromise. In words of Harry Reid, ““If they don’t work to cooperate to get something done, the harm for this country and the world will be very significant. And that’s on their conscience.” Democrats must stand firm and tell Republicans that tax increases are an essential element of any debt negotiations.

Minnesota Government Shutdown: Day 6 and Counting

For the second time in a decade, the Minnesota government is shut down. Legislatures failed to come to an agreement over how to fix the $5 billion projected deficit and six days later, they’re still battling it out. Democrats, led by Governor Mark Dayton, propose a plan that would raise taxes on just the richest Minnesotans who make more than a million dollars a year. That translates to a mere 7,700 or 0.3% of taxpayers. In a move which surprised absolutely no one, the Republicans objected and instead preferred “very damaging cuts to health care, K-12 and higher education, state and local public safety, mass transit, and other essential services” because clearly protecting their own wealthy friends and campaign donors makes more sense than actually allowing money to reach those who need it.

The effects of the state shutdown have already been felt by many Minnesotans especially the 23,000 state workers who found themselves out of a job on Friday. State parks and highway rest stops have all been shut down and gaining licenses has suddenly started to come with an even longer wait than usual. The worst blow, perhaps, comes in the form of the shutdown of most of the social service agencies. However, Governor Dayton filed a request to allow a handful of social services to be considered essential so they can resume despite the shutdown.

Thus far, attempts to resolve this standoff have failed. Governor Dayton met with Republican leaders Senator Amy Koch and Representative Kurt Zellers on Tuesday but the meeting has yet to yield any positive results as both side seem unwilling to yield on their key points. Minnesota Republicans—like Republicans on the federal level—are trying to cram through spending cuts with no consideration for means to raise revenue. A one-sided plan will not be a successful one and we applaud Governor Dayton for standing ground.