New Video: Speaker Gohmert
Yesterday, amid growing interest within the Republican conference for a more conservative speaker, Louie Gohmert announced his intent to challenge John Boehner for the job. It's a prospect that could seem far-fetched, except this is a party who just stood by self-proclaimed "David Duke without the baggage" as their whip. Learn more at SpeakerGohmert.com.
American Bridge Submits Open Records Request Regarding Governor Christie's Travel
Below is a copy of the open records request American Bridge President Brad Woodhouse is submitting to the state of New Jersey regarding Governor Christie's travel to Dallas this weekend. --- To Whom It May Concern, It is known from press coverage that Governor Chris Christie, who has spent much of his time over the last year outside of New Jersey, was in Texas on Sunday, January 4. The following request is being made in accordance with the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.) and all other New Jersey open record laws. I am requesting copies of the following records: Travel Logs/Itineraries: Copies of all travel logs and itineraries of Governor Chris Christie from January 3, 2015, to January 5, 2015. Records should detail the date and time of travel, the destination, the purpose of travel and meeting, and whom Christie met as available. Outlook Calendar: Copies of all outlook calendars of Governor Chris Christie from January 3, 2015, to January 5, 2015.
Another Chris Christie Fumble
Chris Christie hasn't had much to smile about over the last couple years -- eight credit downgrades, a massive ongoing traffic scandal, falling approval ratings, and a slew of negative headlines about his volatile temper. But the controversial governor finally had a moment of bliss yesterday, as he left New Jersey for Dallas to watch his beloved Cowboys eke out a victory in the NFL playoffs. Unfortunately for Christie, his jump for joy last evening quickly turned into a morning of bad press. It seems a Jerry Jones bro-hug is about the only love Chris Christie is seeing these days. Check out the twitter storm that Christie's antics invited, as well the bevvy of stories below: Asbury Park Press: Chris Christie hug of Cowboys owner costs taxpayers "So, how much did the trip to Dallas this past weekend cost for the Christie party and his security detail? The Cowboys play next week in Green Bay, Wisconsin – if Christie makes the trip, how much will taxpayers pay?" New York Daily News: Chris Christie denied high five by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones after win over Lions "The lifelong Cowboys fan, who has been a regular in Jones’ box this year, wasn’t done partying as Fox cameras caught him practically floating into the Cowboys locker room."
Happy Holidays! Here are thousands of Jeb Bush's emails!
On Wednesday, the Washington Post published a story based on thousands of emails from Jeb Bush's time as governor of Florida, noting that Jeb plans to release the trove in a database at some point in the new year. But it's the holiday season, and nobody likes waiting for presents, so we're going ahead and sharing them widely for him. All of Bush's publicly available emails, obtained via public records request by American Bridge from the Florida Department of State, are now available here. Happy holidays, and rest assured, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scrutinizing Jeb's record.
Walker's DOT spends taxpayer dollars on Flintstone-era training video
Governor Scott Walker's got a joke for Wisconsin taxpayers. A bunch of actors in "Flinstones" cars walk into a roundabout, and.... Wait, never mind. That's the punchline. According to the Wisconsin Reporter, Walker's Department of Transportation spent $30,000 in 2013 on a new instructional video for navigating traffic roundabouts. In making the $30,000 video, WisDOT opted for a throw back to a fictional Stone Age and have actors walk around wearing cardboard car cutouts while the narrator describes proper roundabout protocol. That's right, a driver training video that uses the same technology as Fred Flintstone did for his commute to work on a dinosaur crane. It's a farce you have to see to believe.
What "War on Women"?
The one where Republicans not only don't trust women to make their own health care decisions, they feel a need to legislate that only what they view as "legitimate rape" entitles a woman to receive health care services. That war on women, folks. Republicans may talk about their rebrand, claim their 2014 victories show their problems with women have evaporated, but don't listen to the spin. Nothing has changed in the two years since failed Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin made his infamous comment about "legitimate rape." Case in point? A Missouri legislator named Rick Brattin who has proposed a bill that would, as reported by Mother Jones, "force a woman who wants an abortion to obtain written permission from the father first—unless she was the victim of 'legitimate rape.'"
WEB AD: Welcome To The GOP Primary, Jeb
On Tuesday, Jeb Bush officially threw the first hat in what's soon to be a very crowded ring, announcing his…
Feel Free To Actively Explore Our Initial Jeb Bush Research
This morning, Jeb Bush announced in a facebook post that he's "actively exploring" running for president. The announcement is hardly a surprise and will no doubt satiate GOP voters' burning desire for another establishment Republican millionaire with a tangled web of problematic financial ventures. For starters, feel free to familiarize yourself with American Bridge's Jeb Bush chapter from our 2016 Scouting Report here or below. And rest assured, this is the tip of the iceberg. If Jeb Bush wants to be scrutinized under the microscope of the presidential vetting process, that's his prerogative, but he does so at the peril of his reputation. Let's just say, it's going to be an interesting two years. We agree with Jeb -- onward!
Under Scott Walker, Wisconsin Taxpayers Footing The Bill For Private Company's Mine Review
Scott Walker has spent his political career ostensibly crusading for taxpayers (mostly wealthy ones) and lamenting the persistence of government waste. In fact, Walker overhauled the Wisconsin budget to give massive tax cuts to the rich at the expense of education funding -- an overhaul that has led to huge budget shortfalls. But when it comes to facilitating a controversial iron mining project -- one that happens to benefit a company that gave massive donations to help Walker and other Republicans during their 2012 recall elections -- suddenly Walker's concern for Wisconsin taxpayers vanishes. The mining company behind the project, Gogebic Taconite, contributed $700,000 to Wisconsin Club For Growth in 2011 and 2012, who spent heavily to save Walker and GOPers in the state legislature. Gogebic used their influence to help craft the legislation that would loosen the state's environmental standards and allow them to move forward on their $1.5 billion endeavor.
American Bridge Kicks Off the 2016 Presidential Campaign with New Book: 2016 Scouting Report – American Bridge’s Media Guide To The Republican Presidential Field
Democratic Opposition Research Playbook Will Be Shared with Allies, Press and the Public and Represents the Most Comprehensive Early Look…