Illinois Loves Rich Guys With Tax Shelters, Right?
A political candidate worth hundreds of millions of dollars is coming under fire for channeling part of his fortune to…
Joni Ernst: Ted Cruz’s Favorite Candidate
Joni Ernst was asked about her extreme agenda recently, and she responded with an exasperated, "Oh for heaven's sake. I am not extreme, I'll tell you that." Well Joni can tell us whatever she wants, but her positions speak for themselves. She wants to abolish the Department of Education and the EPA. She wants to get rid of the federal minimum wage altogether. In her perfect world, just like Ted Cruz, she would eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that are crucial to Iowa's economy. She's floated impeaching President Obama, supported state nullification of federal laws, and endorsed Ted Cruz's government shutdown, which cost the economy $24 billion. For heaven's sake, that sounds pretty extreme now, doesn't it? It's even extreme enough for Ted Cruz. In fact, he finds Ernst's extreme positions so inspiring that he told Radio Iowa this weekend, "there is no senate candidate I am more excited about across the country than Joni Ernst." Joni Ernst and Ted Cruz are two peas in a pod. And their agenda would be disastrous for working families in Iowa.
Rand Paul Can Run Away From His Burger, But Not From His Record On Immigration
On issue after issue, Rand Paul tries to have it both ways. He has lauded himself as a champion for "minority rights" while opposing parts of the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act and Fair Housing Act. He has proclaimed on national television his desire to end all foreign aid, including for Israel, only to then claim he has never proposed such a thing. And when it comes to immigration, for months, Paul has been trying to have his cake and eat it too. He has repeatedly claimed to be supportive of immigration reform, trying to appear as though his 2016 candidacy could broaden the GOP base, but his record tells a different story. Paul voted against the Senate's bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill -- a bill that allocated significant resources to border security -- in addition to attacking DACA, effectively supporting a return to deporting DREAMers. Since the Senate passed its bill, the GOP has only moved backwards on the issue, cowering to the extreme anti-immigrant wing of the party driven by Steve King and all of his men. Rand Paul hasn't done a single thing to distance himself from this position, and now he's fundraising with King himself. And still, Paul wants to dissociate himself with the anti-immigrant crowd and avoid any tough questions about immigration policy. So much so that when a DREAMer introduced herself to Steve King at lunch, Rand literally dropped his burger and ran away from the table.
Bruce Rauner: The Everyman with the Cayman Islands Account
In last month's edition of Bruce Rauner: The Everyman, we brought you to his $100,000 parking spot in Chicago. This month,…
Koch brothers investing in Oregon's Monica Wehby
It might be the dog days of summer, but Freedom Partners, the Kochs' "secret bank," appears to be staying busy by…
Welcome Back to Iowa, Rand!
Last week, Iowa Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst's spokesperson admitted that in a "perfect world," Ernst would "support doing away with the" renewable fuel standard (RFS), a critical component of Iowa's economy that supports thousands of jobs. Well, Joni must just be thrilled that Rand Paul is starting a three day swing through Iowa today, because Rand is already living in her "perfect world" - at a 2012 event in Des Moines, Paul expressed his opposition to the RFS. Who else opposes the RFS? Why none other than the Koch brothers, of course. Koch Industries lobbied for the "Renewable Fuel Standard Repeal Act," and the Kochs' main political entity Americans for Prosperity wants to "permanently eliminate" the RFS. Conveniently enough, AFP has already spent $2 MILLION on ads attacking Ernst's opponent this year to prop up her Tea Party candidacy, while members of the Koch family and Koch Industries have directly contributed $15,000 to Ernst's campaign. One thing is clear: Joni Ernst, Rand Paul, and the Kochs are all too extreme for Iowa.
Republicans Boost New Hampshire Hopeful Day After She Renews Call for Impeachment
National Republicans are putting their hopes to regain New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district behind extreme candidate Marilinda Garcia, just one…
Paul Ryan's Poverty Plan: Stop Being Poor
Five years to the day after our last national minimum wage increase, Paul Ryan is set to lay out a "new" six-pillared poverty plan. Ryan has long preached about how to tackle poverty and fashions himself as a serious politician and policy wonk. But if you believe that, I've got a 2 hour marathon time to sell you! Here are the six tenets of Paul Ryan's poverty plan, as told by his career rather than his rhetoric:
- Never Raise The Minimum Wage. Time and time again, Ryan has voted against raising the wage for hardworking Americans, and even argued that doing so would actually harm low income Americans.
- Oppose Unemployment Insurance. Since 2010, in the depths of the Great Recession, Ryan has voted at least six times against extending unemployment benefits for American job-seekers.
- Gut Medicaid, Leaving Low-Income Americans Uninsured. Ryan's most recent budget would take an ax to Medicaid, taking health care away from between 14.3 and 20.5 million low income Americans.
- Slash Nutrition Assistance Programs. The FY15 Ryan Budget would slash an astonishing $137 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, which lifted 4 million Americans out of poverty in 2012. Almost half of SNAP recipients are children.
- Fight Against Protections For Low-Income Consumers. Ryan has consistently taken the side of big banks and credit card companies over Americans fighting to stay afloat, even after the 2008 financial crisis.
- Divisively Demonize The Poor For Their Situation. As if his policy attacks on low-income Americans weren't offensive enough, Ryan infamously blamed poverty in part on the "real culture problem" of "inner city" men who don't want to work.
Shot/Chaser: Speaker Tillis Goes To Washington
"[Tillis] previously told The Insider, a political newsletter, that there is a chance that the legislature would adjourn its 2014 lawmaking session without approving a budget, a prospect that would leave teachers without raises."
Rick Scott answers a question! And he hates the minimum wage
A miracle just occurred. Just when you thought it was never going to happen, after two weeks of ridicule and exasperation from Florida and national press, Rick Scott actually answered a question. For months, Rick Scott has refused to take a concrete position on raising the minimum wage, though his opposition was always pretty clear, having been caught saying: “When I hear a politician say that we have to raise the minimum wage so working families can make ends meet, I cringe.”