VIDEO: Rick Scott Turns His Back on Medicaid Questions, Florida Families
The failure of Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Republicans to expand Medicaid as provisioned under the Affordable Care Act has subjected hundreds of thousands of low-income Floridians to uncertainty over their access to affordable health insurance. According to the Tampa Bay Times, these are families too poor to qualify for federal subsidies, yet can’t qualify for Florida’s Medicaid program, “one of the stingiest in the nation.”
How to Talk to Women: A GOP Training Video
In an admission that today's GOP is stuck in the past, Washington Republicans apparently find it necessary to tutor fellow GOPers on how to run for office without offending female voters and/or opponents. While searching over the weekend, American Bridge researchers uncovered* a secret Republican training video seemingly used to teach GOP officials what not to say about women and their health care. (*just kidding, we made this)
Rand Paul's "African-American" Outreach Delivered for White Audience
In the latest failure of the GOP’s Rebranding campaign, the RNC dispatched Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to Detroit last week for the opening of a new African-American Engagement Office. Yet even in a city that is approximately 83 percent African-American, American Bridge’s footage from an event at the Grace Bible Chapel shows Paul’s audience to be predominantly white. As reported by the Huffington Post, “the launch event put into stark relief just how much work the GOP has to do.” While the GOP’s outreach won’t be taken seriously without a significant recalibration of policy priorities, the choice of Paul as designated emissary to minority communities suggests a particular hollowness in their efforts. Earlier this year, Paul gave a condescending speech to the students of historically-black Howard University in which his revisionist history of the Republican Party and racial politics conveniently omitted the previous 50 years. During that speech, Paul also lied about his previous remarks opposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Oops! Scott Brown forgets what state he’s in: "Massachus-New Hampshire" (VIDEO)
Last night, former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown put Rick Perry's "Oops!" moment to shame by officially forgetting what state he is publicly flirting with seeking office in. While discussing his timetable for making a decision about a potential Senate run (in Londonderry, NEW HAMPSHIRE) Scott Brown said...
What I've heard from the Republicans up here is they're thankful that I've been around for a year, helping them raise money, helping them raise awareness as to the issues that are effecting not only people here in Massachesett--uh, in New Hampshire, but also in Massachusetts, obviously, in Maine. I've been to Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, I've been all over the New England area, certainly, talking and helping people raise money.
Scott Walker: Anti-Immigrant from His Policies to His Personnel
After the 2012 elections, Republican officials nationwide agreed that the party would have to improve its standing among Latinos before the next presidential election. Unfortunately for the party's future electoral hopes, recommendations laid out in the vaunted "autopsy" from the RNC were all but ignored as Republicans followed the lead of anti-immigrant Congressman Steve King in their attempt to kill immigration reform. "Look to the governors" is a common refrain among Republican leaders who insist that GOP leaders in the states will magically solve the party's problem with constituencies such as Latinos, young voters and women. Just today, however, it was reported that a campaign staffer for Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) had published shockingly offensive and racist tweets, including one threatening to "choke that illegal mex." In damage control mode, Gov. Walker fired the staffer. The occurrence was remarkably similar to a situation this August, where another Walker employee was fired for comparing undocumented immigrants to Satan. Walker was right to fire those employees, but he's not out of the woods with Latino voters. Not by a long shot. When he faces voters, Walker will have to answer for dismantling tuition equality for the children of undocumented immigrants in Wisconsin.
VIDEO: GOP's Botched Rebranding: North Carolina Edition
Last Monday, the RNC opened up a new "African-American Engagement Office" in North Carolina. Later that day, State Rep. Larry Pittman uttered his now-infamous joke about President Obama not being a traitor... because he's never harmed Kenya.
NEWS: American Bridge Launches GOTV Ad Campaign in Support of McAuliffe
American Bridge 21st Century today announced a new digital campaign to help Virginia voters locate their polling place and learn about the Republican ticket’s history of fighting to restrict voting rights.
Earlier this year, Republicans in Virginia passed a restrictive new law to change voting requirements in the Commonwealth. The law limits the list of permissible forms of identification and severely restricts voters’ ability to cast a provisional ballot in the event they can only provide non-photo identification as proof of identity. The law hasn’t yet gone into effect and can only be stopped by electing Democrats like Terry McAuliffe, who will fight to uphold voters’ rights.
“Like many Republicans across the country, Ken Cuccinelli and Republicans in Virginia are trying to change the law to make it harder for minorities to vote. These desperate and cynical plans to gain the upper hand on Election Day are nothing more than an attack on democracy and our values as a nation,” said American Bridge president Rodell Mollineau. “Virginia deserves leaders who seek to inspire more people to make their voices heard, not craven politicians who gleefully suppress the rights of others for political gain. That’s why it’s crucial for Virginians who supports the right to vote for all Americans to find their polling place and vote for Terry McAuliffe and the Democrats.”
Cuccinelli clings to Tea Party extremism in final debate
At tonight's debate, Ken Cuccinelli returned to his roots by embracing the extreme agenda of the Tea Party at every turn. Virginians are seeking a mainstream leader to boost the Commonwealth's economy and create jobs, so it's no surprise that voters are rejecting a candidate who made a name for himself by waging unpopular fights to further his extreme agenda. After three debates, voters know who Cuccinelli is and what he stands for:
- Banning abortions, even in cases of rape and incest
- Refusing to support the Violence Against Women Act
- Believes birth control is a form of abortion
- Believing homosexuality "brings nothing but self-destruction, not only physically but of their soul."
- Make it harder for people to escape bad marriages by eliminating no-fault divorce
- Directed public universities to remove discrimination protections for the LGBT community
MEMO: Cuccinelli’s “All In” Debate Strategy Backfires
To: Interested Parties From: Chris Harris, American Bridge Communications Director Date: October 24, 2013 Re: Cuccinelli’s “All In” Debate Strategy Backfires
Earlier this year, Ken Cuccinelli issued forth a challenge: wherever two or more Virginians gathered, there he would debate Terry McAuliffe. It was exactly the strategy one would expect from a campaign bold enough to release fake polls and featuring a day-to-day messaging strategy with the focus of that dog from Up.
From the beginning of the campaign, Cuccinelli’s strategy hinged on definitive debate victories. Debates are where they would win the hearts and minds of Virginians. They went “all in,” so to speak.
Cuccinelli's campaign has reassured supporters and the press that debates would be where he would turn it all around. In their minds, the debates would serve as the Republican's big moment, where millions of Virginians would instantly fawn over the once-in-a-lifetime leader that is Ken Cuccinelli.
Unfortunately, the campaign forgot one little detail: the more voters learn about Cuccinelli, the less they like him.
We told you: Steve Lonegan is the face of the "new" GOP
Just over two months ago, on the night Steve Lonegan won the Republican nomination, American Bridge sent the memo below arguing that Lonegan's brand of extremism was perfectly in line with the "new" & "rebranded" Republican Party. If Washington Republicans' reckless and embarrassing behavior over the past three weeks weren't proof enough, take a look at what RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said at a Lonegan campaign rally just last night (VIDEO HERE). "I'll tell you what. Steve's been able to do something that we need a lot more of in this party. And that's unify our party, bring our party together. The Tea Party, the Republican Party, all in this together." -- Reince Priebus, RNC Chairman What Mr. Priebus doesn't seem to understand is that the Republicans' problem isn't a lack of unity with the Tea Party. This month's shutdown fiasco proves the GOP's problem is, in fact, its obedience to the Tea Party.