October 18, 2013

Democrats Win Big Across the Country

DNC Helps Senator-Elect Cory Booker Reach Victory After months of hard work, DNC staff went all-in this week to help elect Newark Mayor, Cory Booker, as the next Senator of New Jersey. To boost the election effort, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz accompanied the Senator-Elect on a segment of his Booker for Senate, GOTV Bus Tour. The pair first attended a GOTV rally with the Latino community in Bergen and Passaic counties, then a GOTV rally with the Latino community in Union County, and finally a canvass kick-off at the County Democratic Headquarters in Plainfield. During the first two stops, Wasserman Schultz and Booker were joined by gubernatorial candidate, State Senator Barbara Buono. After the Booker bus tour, Wasserman Schultz also campaigned with Buono, and her running mate, Milly Silva, New Jerseys first all-female ticket! After Senator-Elect Cory Bookers victory on Wednesday night, Wasserman Schultz released the following statement of support: Today the people of New Jersey voted for a candidate in Cory Booker who is a champion for the middle class and who will be a bridge builder in Washington. This election was a rejection of a destructive Tea Party agenda that shut down the government and threatened default on our bills. New Jersey voters sent a clear message that they want a senator with a track record of working in a bipartisan fashion to solve real-world problems, which is exactly what Cory has done as Mayor of Newark. His arrival on Capitol Hill will mean another vote to put gridlock aside and a focus on helping the working families of New Jersey and across the country. Aside from the Chair, numerous DNC staff headed to New Jersey to help the campaign both in their headquarters and on the bus tour. Democrat Amanda Murphy Wins Florida Special Election In Florida, Democrat Amanda Murphy defeated a well-financed Republican in Floridas House District 36 special election. This is the first time Democrats have held the seat in 15 years. The Tampa Bay Times said this of the precedent set by the election, Democrat Amanda Murphy's narrow victory in the Florida House District 36 special election is a repudiation of Tallahassee special interests and reflects the disconnect between Republican legislative leaders and their Pasco County neighbors on health care and education. It is only one election with a low turnout, but it could be the canary as Republicans head into the 2014 election cycle with an unpopular governor and a Legislature that does not reflect mainstream Florida.

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Democrats Hold GOP Accountable During Government Shutdown This week, Democrats across the country worked to end the GOP shutdown, and their serious threat to push the country to default on our obligations. Finally, on Wednesday night we saw a bipartisan agreement passed with Heres what the GOP shutdown and default threat did to the economy: The government shutdown and threat of default cost the US economy $24 billion, cut .6% of growth off of the GDP and brought the US economy to the brink of collapse. This week, Fitch, one of the three major debt-trading companies, threatened to lower the United States credit rating from AAA. More than 800,000 federal workers were furloughed, lifesaving clinical trials at the National Institute of Health had to turn new patients away, children were turned away from Head Start classrooms, and all National Parks and numerous federal buildings and government resources were closed or unavailable.

Unfortunately Republicans have already signaled they will continue to use reckless political tactics like shutting down the government to appease their narrow, right-wing base. Ted Cruz: The Shutdown Standoff Is The Model Going Forward [Hannity, Fox News, 10/16/13; VIDEO] Mike Lee: Were Not Going Away. [Hannity, Fox News, 10/16/13; VIDEO] Rubio: The Goals Of The Shutdown Caucus Were Legitimate And I Hope We Will Revisit It. [Hannity, Fox News, 10/16/13; VIDEO] Rep. John Fleming This fight didnt end last night [USA Today, 10/16/13] New York Times: House Republicans Gearing Up for Round 2 [New York Times, 10/16/13] The Republican National Committee has also endorsed these extreme Tea Party tactics with Chairman Priebus saying he was proud of the actions of House Republicans and urged them to hold the line in the fiscal crisis they created.

Affordable Care Act Offers Hope Across the Country This week, the DNC continued to highlight the positive impact that the law is having on individuals across the country. Here are a few stories that show the Affordable Care Acts success so far and how crucial having affordable and accessible health care is to so many Americans. A woman in Illinois who bought health care for her family with a savings of about $390 a month from their current coverage. They'll be able to retain their family doctor and their dentist, and their annual deductible will drop to $1,500, from $5,000 this year. [Chicago Tribune, 10/04/2013] In Mississippi: a woman who was skipping medication for years enrolled her and her husband for a plan that will cost $60/Month. [Kaiser Health News, 10/11/13] In Utah Business Owner Found Coverage For His Family That Will Cost $123/Month. [Salt Lake Tribune, 10/10/13] California: 95,000 Applications Started In New Marketplace. [LA Times, 10/15/13] New York: Over 40,000 People Signed Up. [New York State of Health,10/8/13] Kentucky: As Of 10/11 Almost 10,000 Enrolled. [Health Watch, LEX18, 10/10/13]

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President Bill Clinton Supports Terry McAuliffe for Governor of Virginia On Monday, Former President Bill Clinton sent an email to DNC supporters urging them to support his close friend Terry McAuliffe in his bid to be Virginia's next governor. Here's what he had to say:

Friend Despite what you might hear from the media, the next election isn't in 2016 or 2014. In Virginia, it's just 22 days away, and there's a lot on the line. My close friend Terry McAuliffe is running for governor (he'll be a great one!) against a guy who's really out there. Ken Cuccinelli took legal action against one of the country's best universities (which happened to be his OWN client) because he disagreed with a study on climate change research. He's one of those people who still doesn't believe in global warming. Oh, and he was the first person in the United States to sue the federal government to overturn the Affordable Care Act. This is one of the races where we need to do everything we can now. Please donate $3 or more to help us elect Democrats like Terry McAuliffe and protect the progress we've made together. Many of the same people working to undermine the President's agenda are spending millions trying to prop up Cuccinelli's campaign. We've seen what a small group of Republicans backed by very wealthy special interest groups can do. They're making it harder for poor folks to vote in Texas. They're trying to nullify federal laws they don't agree with in Mississippi. And they've forced an unnecessary and damaging government shutdown -- something I hoped never to see again. So here's what we have to do -- we need to fight in all of these battles, we need to win this election, elect Terry McAuliffe, and send this powerful message: They want to repeal the Affordable Care Act. We want it to work. We don't want to make it harder to vote. We want every American to be able to participate. And we don't want to keep the government shut down. We want it to be open for business so our economy can grow. Please chip in $3 or more to help us work for Terry McAuliffe and Democrats around the country: https://my.democrats.org/VA-Gov Let's go, Bill Clinton

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In The States In Virginia, the Terry McAuliffes campaign for Governor took to the roads with a statewide bus tour to get out the news about the McAuliffe campaign. On a Wednesday stop, Roanoke Mayor David Bowers, former Majority Leader Richard Cranwell and Roanoke City Councilman Sherman Lea joined the tour to talk to press calling on Ken Cuccinelli to return $100,000 in campaign contributions from an out-of-state energy company that his office inappropriately assisted in its fight against Southwest Virginia landowners. Follow @TerryMcAuliffe on Twitter to see where the bus tour is going to go next. In Pennsylvania, the PA Democratic Party launched a new website to highlight all the efforts Senator Pat Toomey made to force the government into a shutdown and a default. The website shows Toomeys record of obstructionism and extremism, going back into the 1990s. According to a release put out by the PA Dems, Senator Tea Party Pat Toomey is one of America's most out-of-touch, extreme Tea Partiers and this new website will expose his real agenda. Visit the new website here: http://thetruthaboutoomey.tumblr.com/

Captain William Swenson Receives Medal of Honor from President Obama This week, President Obama awarded Captain William Swenson with the highest military honor for his brave and committed actions in service to the United States. The Medal of Honor is the highest military honor, awarded for acts beyond the call of duty. At the ceremony, The President told the story of the September 2009 battle, caught on the combat helmet cameras, in which Captain Swenson guarded a severely wounded soldier waiting for a Medevac helicopter. President Obama highlighted what Captain Swenson did just before the helicopter takes off again: Then, amidst the whipping wind and deafening roar of the blades, he does something unexpected. He leans in and kisses the wounded soldier on the head a simple act of compassion and loyalty to a brother in arms. And as the door closes and the helicopter takes off, he turns and goes back the way he came, back into the battle. Throughout the ceremony, President Obama praised the courage of Captain Swenson and other soldiers with him that day as they continually go back into battle, saving injured American and Afghan soldiers and leaving no man behind. To watch President Obamas full remarks at the ceremony, click here.

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