An Open Letter To Reince Priebus (RNC Chairman)
Dear Mr. Priebus, Congratulations. You must be awfully proud of your team at the RNC. Your new ad, featuring Solicitor General Donald Verrilli is, as your spokesman described it, “novel” and “ahead of the curve.” Though we're not sure if he meant the use of Supreme Court audio recordings, or the blatant manipulation of the audio. Foolishly, we here at American Bridge 21st Century have been relying on the actual video and audio of your candidates, in full and in context.
Indy Star: D.C. Watchdog Group Files Ethics Complaint Against Lugar
On March 29, 2012, the Indianapolis Star reported:
A Washington-based watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, is asking the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate Sen. Richard Lugar’s use of some taxpayer dollars to pay for hotel rooms. Lugar recently said he will repay $4,500, from expenses that date back to 1991, for some Indianapolis hotel stays that had been mistakenly paid for out of his Senate office funds. Senate rules bar reimbursement for hotel stays in a legislators home area during Senate adjournment.
Daily Kos: How Much Racial Division And Hostility Did Mitt Romney Buy With His $10,000?
On March 30, 2012, the Daily Kos reported:
When Mitt Romney cut his $10,000 check for Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown's National Organization for Marriage did he know that money would be used to "to drive a wedge between gays and blacks—two key Democratic constituencies?" Did he know his money would be used to purposely and cravenly fan hostility between his fellow Americans? It's a question American Bridge 21st Century is asking, and thus far almost 5,000 people have signed their Change.org petition asking Romney to denounce his ties to National Organization for Marriage.
USA Today: Donors To Romney Super PAC Have Ties To For-Profit Colleges
On March 29, 2012, USA Today reported:
For-profit colleges and individuals with ties to them have donated $430,000 to a super PAC spending millions of dollars to help elect Republican Mitt Romney to the presidency — as the industry faces intense federal scrutiny over recruitment practices, educational quality and the amount of debt its students incur.
NPR: Latina Gov. A Rising Star, Just Not To Some Hispanics
On March 29, 2012, NPR reported:
But that popularity doesn't always translate among Hispanics, a group that in New Mexico makes up nearly half of the population. One issue that makes many of the state's Latino voters seethe is their governor's stance on driver's licenses and illegal immigrants. In her 2010 campaign, Martinez promised to repeal a law that makes New Mexico one of only three states in the country where illegal immigrants can get a driver's license.
1600PennAve: For The Record: Josh Mandel, Akron Press Club, And The Campaign Fishbowl
On March 29, 2012, the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue blog wrote:
Following the Mandel event, media reports surfaced that the Mandel campaign attempted to prevent opposition trackers from recording Mandel’s speech to the Press Club. Since I was present at the event and since questions continue to be raised, I wanted to post, for the record, my thoughts about what transpired.
Tampa Bay Times: Mack, Campaigning In South Florida, Misses Big Vote
On March 29, 2012, the Tampa Bay Times reported:
Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, missed today's vote on the Ryan budget plan, campaign manifesto for the GOP. Mack was doing some campaigning of his own, with events in South Florida for his U.S. Senate bid.
Journal Sentinel: Romney Gets Flak Over Wisconsin Anecdote From Long Ago
On March 28, 2012, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:
Talking by conference call with thousands of Wisconsin voters Wednesday, Mitt Romney told them he had a humorous connection to their state. But it didn’t take long for “funny anecdote” to become “campaign fodder.” Romney’s story involved the time more than 50 years ago that his father, George, an American Motors executive, shut down a factory in Michigan and moved the work to Wisconsin.
Demand Mitt Romney Disavow NOM's Hateful, Homophobic Strategy
Secret strategy memos from the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) reveal that they are actively seeking to "drive a wedge" between the African-American and LGBT communities in order to advance their agenda. A judge ordered that the memos be released as part of a court case in Maine, exposing highly detailed plans for using African-Americans as pawns in NOM's state-level campaigns to fight marriage equality. From the memos:
"The strategic goal of the project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies. Find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage; develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots."NOM was a crucial funder of the Prop 8 campaign to deny Californians equal marriage rights, and the organization continues to use their hateful, divisive tactics to fight equality across the country. In response to yesterday's news, equality advocates across the country immediately spoke out and condemned the group's race-baiting, divide-and-conquer strategy. NAACP's Julian Bond, a civil rights icon, said:
“NOM’s underhanded attempts to divide will not succeed if Black Americans remember their own history of discrimination. Pitting bigotry’s victims against other victims is reprehensible; the defenders of justice must stand together.”Why This is Important Mitt Romney has made a lot of backroom deals with the extreme right wing in order to win the Republican nomination. We need to hold him accountable as a candidate for president of the United States for backing hateful and bigoted organizations like NOM. Does he support NOM's race-baiting, divisive tactics? We deserve to know. Mitt Romney bet $10,000 on NOM and a cynical strategy to divide Americans, and we need your help getting the word out. Sign our petition now -- demand that Mitt Romney disavow NOM's hateful strategy and instead bet on equal rights for all Americans.
POLITICO: Rubio Backs 'Stand Your Ground' Law
On March 27, 2012, POLITICO reported:
As a Florida House member, Marco Rubio voted to enact his state’s Stand Your Ground policy — the controversial law now at the heart of the Trayvon Martin case. As a senator, Rubio says he’s still standing behind the law — at least for now.