MEMO: Congratulations to Koch-crony Joni

To: Interested Parties From: Brad Woodhouse, President of American Bridge 21st Century Re: Congratulations to Koch-crony Joni Date: Wednesday, June 4, 2014 Congratulations to Joni Ernst. Last night she captured the Tea Party Senate nomination in Iowa, and all she had to do was oppose the minimum wage, “philosophically” oppose renewable fuel standards, and flatter the billionaire, out-of-state Koch brothers. Ernst faced a slew of conservative candidates in the Republican primary, but ultimately, her extreme record prevailed. You can't question her Tea Party bona fides--in addition to opposing a federal minimum wage altogether, she thinks shifting a greater tax burden onto the middle class is "a great way to go." She has made the case for privatizing Social Security, supported Paul Ryan's budget to gut Medicaid and voucherize Medicare, and called for the elimination of Renewable Fuel Standards along with all other taxpayer subsidies. Her position on every one of those issues is in lockstep with the Koch agenda, and she even co-sponsored a personhood amendment, which would make some forms of contraception illegal and take away a woman's right-to-choose even in the case of rape or incest. What more could a Tea Partier ask for? Now, general election voters in Iowa can enjoy five months of getting to know Koch-crony Joni and her anti-middle class agenda.

Thom Tillis is a Fraidycat

Speaker Tillis, what do you have to hide, sir?

But the House isn’t making it easy on the Democratic group – prohibiting them from filming at times in the center gallery above the chamber and imposing tougher restrictions. Under new informal rules from the sergeant-at-arms and Tillis’ office, the trackers are not allowed to set up tripods and use the center gallery area, which they say is reserved for credentialed media. No such restrictions exist in the Senate.

President Brad Woodhouse Op-Ed: The TRUTH About the Koch Agenda

Don't miss American Bridge President Brad Woodhouse's new op-ed on CNN.com on the truth behind the Koch agenda, and visit RealKochFacts.com to learn more.

They called Social Security "the most serious threat to the future stability of our society next to the threat of nuclear war." They wanted to abolish all minimum wage laws, while giving tax breaks to the rich and big oil. All in a self-serving attempt to drive the policy discourse further toward their extreme ideals to benefit their own bottom line. Voters deserve to know the truth behind the Kochs' self-serving agenda and just what they stand for. So, at American Bridge, we've launched RealKochFacts.com, a new research and rapid response resource to highlight the truth about the Koch agenda and what it means for working families in states around the country.

DUI: Democracy Under the Influence (of Koch)

The Koch brothers have been trying to abolish campaign finance laws for more than three decades. In 1980, David Koch discovered a loophole that allowed him to contribute unlimited funds to a campaign if he was on the ticket. So he wrote to the Libertarian Party, bought a spot as their VP nominee, contributed over $2 million of his own money, and ran on a ticket that advocated for abolishing campaign finance laws (among others, like the minimum wage). Fast forward 30+ years and the Kochs' dream of overrunning democracy with unbridled political spending has essentially been realized. Their extensive network of dark money organizations reaches far and deep - like the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity, which has already promised to spend $125 million to buy midterm elections for extreme Republican candidates that will push the Kochs' self-serving agenda. It's the same agenda that they've been pushing for decades--abolishing the minimum wage, slashing Medicare, removing environmental protections, and dismantling Social Security.

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:

Romney and Ernst: Trying to Take The Wind Out of Iowa’s Economy

Mitt Romney, twice the loser of the Iowa presidential caucus, is visiting the Hawkeye state to lend a hand to extreme Tea Party Senate candidate Joni Ernst. While Romney may signify the face of the GOP establishment, he and Tea Partier Ernst share the extreme position of railing against the wind energy tax credits that are crucial to Iowa's economy. In 2012, Romney voiced his opposition to renewing wind energy tax credits, joking that they were unnecessary because "you can't drive a car with a windmill on it." An Iowa paper editorialized that Romney's stance was disappointing, and wind energy industry executives warned that letting the credits expire could kill 3000 Iowa jobs. Fast forward to the 2014 Senate race: Joni Ernst has similarly called for an end to wind energy subsidies. Unsurprisingly, Ernst's position is the same as the Koch brothers' Americans for Prosperity, who have railed against the same wind subsidies in Iowa--and who she recently thanked on facebook for pouring money into the race. Romney, Ernst and the Koch brothers: partners in extreme ideology. Bad for Iowa.

Christie Gives Big Raises To Staffers While Ransacking Pensions Funds Due To Budget Shortfall

Under Chris Christie's watch, the New Jersey economy has fallen on tough times. Christie has presided over downgrades on his debt from every major credit rating agency, unemployment well above the national average, and a private sector job growth rate among the worst in the country. And this month he announced that he would ransack workers' pension funds in order to balance his massive budget shortfall created under his leadership. Now it comes to light, that amidst these economic mishaps that have left New Jersey families struggling, Governor Christie found it appropriate to give "hefty pay increases" to his staff--especially to those who "help craft and promote his image." Melissa Hayes of The Record points out Christie's inappropriate priorities and fiscal hypocrisy:

The raises come as Christie is withholding more than $2.4 billion in payments to the state pension fund because of revenue shortfalls. And Christie has delayed a property tax relief program that averages nearly $500 for seniors and some families. And the raises to the governor’s staff appear to have happened around the same time Christie vetoed the minutes of the Pinelands Commission because it voted to increase the personnel line item in its budget by 5 percent — a move the governor castigated the commissioners for by saying it was “conscious disregard of fiscal realities.”

The Man With No Answers: Scott Won't Take Position On Executing The Mentally Disabled

Rick Scott just won't answer questions. It's nothing new--we've seen him on the run for months now. But it's a habit that's only getting worse, and yesterday, he was at it again. After the US Supreme Court blocked an execution, ruling that Florida's standards for determining if an inmate was mentally disabled were inadequate, Miami Herald's Marc Caputo asked Scott about the case. After Scott said he would review the particular case, Caputo followed up. And this is when Rick Scott went to his trademark move to avoid answering questions: just keep saying the same thing over and over. It's almost like a wind-up doll.

Caputo: "More globally, why should we execute the mentally ill?" Scott: "Well I'll review that case." Caputo: "But, you know, generally?" Scott: "I'll review that case."

Wisconsin's Economy Is Struggling Under Gov. Walker, But AFP Has $866K To Tell You Otherwise

Scott Walker has long-been considered a darling of the Tea Party movement and a contender for the 2016 Republican nomination for president. But these days, things aren't going so well for Walker, who has been tainted by scandals, and new polling shows him tied with Democratic contender Mary Burke in his reelection bid. Cue Walker's allies, the Koch-funded group Americans for Prosperity. AFP has already poured $10 million into supporting Walker's extreme agenda in Wisconsin, just announced that they are spending nearly $900,000 on a new ad to help the embattled governor. The ad, which champions Walker's budget reform, is called "It's Working!" Only there's one problem: It isn't! The speakers in the ad praise Walker for his "bold leadership" on budget reform, "keeping education dollars in the classroom," and the fact that "Wisconsin's getting back to work, too." But just last week, it was reported that Wisconsin is set to spend $559 million more than it takes in next year, and job growth in the state continues languish in the bottom third, nationally. Scott Walker ran for governor promising to create 250,000 jobs by the end of his first term, but PolitiFact Wisconsin now says the current job growth pace "is not nearly enough to meet the goal." And on top of all that, he implemented the biggest education cuts in Wisconsin history. Yet another misleading ad from AFP, another poor economic record from a high-profile Republican governor (see Christie, Chris).

Thom Tillis: Clueless On North Carolina Teacher Pay

Since Thom Tillis became Speaker in of the North Carolina House of Representatives, teachers have suffered. Proving his extreme conservative…