WATCH: The GOP's Plan To Steal & Erase Healthcare For Millions
The GOP field relies on disingenuous, anti-Affordable Care Act red meat to generate outrage and rile up their base. But…
Sorry, Scotty, No One's Impressed By Your Health Care Plan
Scott Walker isn't winning any friends after releasing his "new" (read: same old GOP plan as always) health care "plan"…
MEMO/VIDEO: Bully Seeking Pulpit
Chris Christie enters the race as a brazen, outspoken bully hoping to use the 2016 pulpit to pull his GOP opponents like Jeb Bush further to the extreme right. With nine credit downgrades and a 30 percent approval rating under his belt, Christie has made the calculation that his charming personality alone won’t do the trick in the wake of Bridgegate. American Bridge is also releasing a new video that shows Christie is now aligning himself with the extreme wing of his party in an attempt to gain traction.
Bridge Brief — Week of June 29th, 2015
The Supreme Court last week did what the Republican Party refuses to: It respected the Affordable Care Act as the law of the land and deemed it unconstitutional to ban people the right to marry based on their sexual orientation. The momentous decisions will continue to ripple into the campaigns of those running for the White House this week, putting in stark relief the GOP's inability to offer positions and policies that reflect the direction America is moving, not the way they hoped it was. None of the GOP's leading presidential candidates celebrated the decision to legalize gay marriage. Their responses ranged from woefully tepid (see Jeb Bush's contradictory statement on preserving the freedom to discriminate based on sexual orientation) to the laughably extreme (see Bobby Jindal's suggestion to eliminate the court). In the week ahead we can expect more of the same, as the GOP further reinforces their image as hopelessly out of touch. It's not just about Scott Walker proposing a constitutional amendment -- all it's going to take is one question for Chris Christie about Social Security and we'll see his announcement transform into an anchor for the whole party.
What To Expect At The Western Conservative Summit
The long road to the Republican nomination is winding through America’s highest-profile home for Illuminati and Reptoids this week with Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and more attending the Western Conservative Summit. Here’s what to expect from this weekend’s cattle call:
1. The New GOP Litmus Test: Gay Marriage
The Western Conservative Summit made news earlier this year when they barred the Log Cabin Republicans from attending their conference, but their backwards attitude towards the LGBT community won’t stop there. Summit Gala headliner Scott Walker has already doubled down on his call for a constitutional amendment, and panelist Tony Perkins went on an epic Twitter rant Friday, calling the ruling a “shocking abuse of power” and promising it would “supercharge” opposition to gay marriage. Don’t take Perkins’ word for it: Rick Santorum didn’t even wait for his speech to begin teeing off, telling Denver radio station KNUS that the ruling was the court’s attempt to be “trendy” with marriage equality and would lead to polygamy.
The Truth: McCrory Can't be Trusted
The Charlotte Observer editorial board has it right: North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory isn't just spinning the truth or misleading voters, he's flat out lying. McCrory has repeatedly broken his unequivocal promise from his 2012 campaign not to sign any new restrictions on a woman's right to choose and is now set to betray the women of North Carolina again. Earlier this week, the governor announced he will sign a new law tripling abortion waiting periods and putting new mandates on clinicians to share the results of ultrasounds with state government agencies.
Ayotte steps into a “mostly false” on women’s healthcare
Kelly Ayotte is rehashing an outdated conservative bill in a recent op-ed that would make birth control up to 600 bucks more expensive per year and cost women around the country more than $480 million. One big problem for Ayotte – it's the same bill that Cory Gardner sponsored last year when his argument that it would make birth control "cheaper and easier for you" was deemed “mostly false." No surprise that the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Planned Parenthood oppose Ayotte's bill.
Seven Things You Should Know About Tea Party Radical David Brat
Here's what you should know about David Brat, the Tea Party radical who blindsided House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) in a primary challenge on Tuesday: He is a right-wing candidate who opposes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, supports radically reshaping our heath care system, and event wants to scale back the regulatory powers of the FDA. Don't take our word for it? See the research below.
1. Brat supported radically altering the American health care system.
Brat Supported Radically Altering The American Health Care System, Said “‘We Need To Also Scrap Employer-Based Health Insurance.” According to Culpeper Star-Exponent "Of course, the first question I asked him was what should be done with Obamacare? ‘It needs to be scrapped,’ he replied without hesitation. ‘Completely.’ So I asked him what should take Obamacare's place, and to understand his answer, you have to know some history… When I asked him what should take Obamacare's place, his answer was, ‘We need to also scrap employer-based health insurance, and give those incentives to individuals to carry their own portable health insurance.’ He went on to say, ‘If we did that, the issue of pre-existing conditions largely goes away.’" [Culpeper Star-Exponent, 3/31/14]2. Brat called bankers “the solution, not the problem” in regards to the financial crisis.
Brat On The Financial Crisis: ‘Bankers Are The Solution, Not The Problem,’ According to The News & Advance “David Brat says that’s the state of today’s economy, and says everything we know about what is being termed a recession is wrong… The global economy is overleveraged. Ultimately, he said, pointing to the European debt crisis, the country’s economy is headed for disaster if changes aren’t quickly made. And the answer, he said, is not in economics, but ethics. ‘Bankers are the solution, not the problem,’ he said, adding, ‘[Washington] D.C. knows this.’" [The News & Advance, 1/25/13]3. Brat is radical on immigration.
Brat Opposed Any Kind Of Immigration Reform; Ran To The Right On Eric Cantor On Border Security. According to Watchdog.org, "Cantor, in Brat’s view, is flunking badly on border security. Indeed, the congressman even applauded President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address outlining a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. On Friday, Cantor said on the House floor that ‘immigration reform could be an economic boon to this country.’ Brat is having none of it. He calls the imminent GOP cave-in on immigration an exercise in ‘crony capitalism.’" [Watchdog.org, 2/6/14]- Brat: “A Change In Immigration Policy Means Amnesty.” According to Watchdog.org "‘At every turn, the GOP establishment is favoring the elites,’ Brat declares. ‘A change in immigration policy means amnesty.’" [Watchdog.org, 2/6/14]
What WASN'T In Rick Scott's Budget Speaks Volumes
Rick Scott signed his record-breaking budget today, packed with taxpayer handouts to special interests. But perhaps what is even worse than what's in his budget is what isn't.
The Scott budget did nothing to increase Florida's minimum wage and give a raise to hardworking Florida families trying to get by. Not surprising, considering even the thought of raising the minimum wage makes Rick Scott cringe. His budget did nothing to expand Medicaid, as over 750,000 Floridians, including 41,000 veterans, continue to be denied health care. And his budget did nothing to guarantee equal pay for women in the Sunshine State.
Budgets are an embodiment of priorities, and Rick Scott's priorities are clear: Special interests first. Florida last. Check out the graphics below:
New American Bridge Web Ad Targets Koch Agenda
American Bridge is launching a new online ad campaign to fight back against the Koch-funded Americans For Prosperity attacks on Democrats running for Senate this year. Bridge's new web ad, available here, begins running today and targets online searches for the Koch brothers in five states where AFP's ads have been especially criticized or debunked: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, and Michigan. As the New York Times has reported, the Kochs and AFP's real agenda is "convincing Americans that big government is bad government." Already this cycle the Koch's AFP has spent $30 million attacking Democrats in contested Senate races. Yet many of AFP's ads have received harsh criticism for using paid actors implying they are local residents, vastly exaggerating claims against the Affordable Care Act, and even featuring a woman whose health care costs would be lower under the new law. Bridge's new web campaign brings voters the truth behind these attacks. Check out American Bridge's new web ad: https://youtu.be/LZmhOT0LzFs