Rick Scott "Cringes" Just Thinking About Raising the Minimum Wage
Senate Republicans blocked a vote to raise the minimum wage yesterday, and locally in Florida the state legislature hasn't done much better this session. Could Rick Scott's comment that talk of raising the minimum wage makes him "cringe" have anything to do with the legislature's failure to even vote on two minimum wage bills this session?
Meet the Republicans who are WRONG on the minimum wage
As today's Senate vote approaches, Republicans in Congress seem dead set against giving hardworking Americans earning the minimum wage a small raise to $10.10/hour. But Congressional Republicans aren't alone in their opposition to this commonsense proposal, even though a December 2013 poll found that two-thirds of the American people support increasing the minimum wage. Republican candidates around the country - from Bruce Rauner in Illinois to Rick Scott in Florida to Thom Tillis in North Carolina - have at some point expressed their opposition to raising the minimum wage. Meet the Republicans who are WRONG on the minimum wage in American Bridge's new video and check out Bridge Project's January report for details on the Congressional Republicans who previously supported raising the minimum wage.
Rick Scott's REAL Record on Immigration
As the Florida Senate finally agreed in the last days of session to hear a bill to allow in-state tuition for DREAMers, Florida voters should remember Rick Scott's real record on immigration. Whether promising to bring an Arizona-style anti-immigration law to the state, vetoing a bill to allow the children of undocumented immigrants to access temporary driver's licenses, or using in-state tuition as an election year pandering trick, Rick Scott is the wrong choice for Latino Floridians. American Bridge has the recap of Scott's real record on immigration above.
Billionaire Koch Brothers Oppose Increasing the Minimum Wage
From President Brad Woodhouse: Not exactly a newsflash – but here it is - from the Koch funded AFP – a note to Senators urging a vote against increasing the minimum wage. Two dudes worth a combined over $80 billion opposing an increase in the minimum wage for people who work fulltime but still live in poverty. Unbelievable.
Michael Grimm's no good, very bad Monday
Michael Grimm is having a bad week, and it's only Monday. The Staten Island Congressman has been indicted on twenty criminal charges, including "mail and wire fraud, filing false tax returns, obstruction of justice and perjury," as reported by Politico. American Bridge has been tracking Grimm's shady past for quite some time and we have the full background on this growing scandal.
Why is Michael Grimm Being Indicted?
Reports surfaced this afternoon that Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm will soon face criminal charges after a long federal investigation into alleged campaign finance violations. Wondering what those charges will be about? Bridge has the background on one of Grimm's many campaign finance issues that have been subject to federal investigation.
Michael Grimm & The Rabbi Pinto Scandal
Law Enforcement Source Claimed That Grimm Threatened Orthodox Rabbi And Congregation. According to the New York Daily News, “Grimm had mentioned that he was a former FBI agent and let the rabbi know, through his interpreter and staff, that he could help the congregation, or make life tougher for them, and that he was a good person to have as a friend, not an enemy,’ a law enforcement source told Roll Call.” [New York Daily News, 03/03/12] New York Times: Grimm Told Supporter That “There Were Ways Of Working Around The Campaign Rules.” According to the New York Times, “A second follower recalled that Mr. Grimm came to his office in Manhattan to solicit a legal contribution. As he was handing over the check, the second follower said, Mr. Grimm confided in him that there were ways of working around the campaign rules. ‘Grimm wanted you to supply the money, and if someone wants to give and cannot give, you have to find a friend to give it through,’ the second follower recalled. ‘Let’s say someone is not legal to give because he’s not American. Grimm wants this guy, Joe A, to give the money to Joe B so Joe B can make the contribution to the campaign.’” [New York Times, 01/28/12] Rabbi’s Followers Alleged That Grimm Told Congregation Members He Could Take Illegal Donations. According the New York Times, “Three of the rabbi’s followers said in separate interviews that Mr. Grimm or Mr. Biton told them that the campaign would find a way to accept donations that were over the legal limit, were given in cash or were given by foreigners without green cards. Congressional campaigns are not allowed to accept cash donations of more than $100.” [New York Times, 01/28/12]Tillis's Electricity Tax Omission from Tuesday Night Debate
At last night's Republican primary debate in the North Carolina Senate race, Thom Tillis credited low North Carolina electricity prices for growing the state's manufacturing sector. What Tillis failed to mention in his answer, however, is that he helped push through the legislature a tax package last year that raised the combined state sales tax on electricity to 7%.
At GOP Debate Tillis Credited Low NC Electricity Prices Growing Manufacturing Sector…
Video: Tillis Said That Electricity In North Carolina Was “Some Of The Cheapest In The Southeast United States.” During a GOP Senate primary debate, Tillis said: “North Carolina has some of the cheapest electricity in the southeast United States. It’s one of the reasons why our manufacturing sector’s coming back.” [TWC News Senate Debate, 4/22/14]…But Tillis Helped Through A Tax Plan That Increased Electricity Tax To 7%
Tax Reform Package Increased Combined Sales Tax On Electricity To 7%. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, “The plan would expand the 4.75 percent state sales tax to some service contracts and, movies and amusements. The sales tax on electricity would increase to a combined 7 percent.” [Raleigh News & Observer, 7/15/13]Santorum & Terri Lynn Land's War on Women
It's fitting that the same day Michigan Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land released an ad attempting to repair her image after weeks of negative press stemming from her comments on pay equity, Rick Santorum's PAC is announcing its endorsement of her. Santorum is well known for his opposition to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and his extreme opposition to both birth control and abortion even in the case of rape. It's no surprise, then, that Santorum would support Land.
Why is Scott Walker so happy?
American Bridge today is kicking off a new Tumblr and officially welcoming Scott Walker to the Wisconsin governor's race with a series of GIFs asking - Why is Scott Walker So Happy? Could it be because his promise to create 250K jobs in his first term has fallen more than flat? Perhaps he's proud of his record of making the biggest cuts to education in Wisconsin's history. Or maybe Walker's just giddy from having rolled back provisions of Wisconsin's Equal Pay Enforcement Act, which he derided as a "gravy train" for trial lawyers. Check out AmericanBridge.Tumblr.com for the full litany of possible reasons why Walker could be so happy as he announces his re-election campaign today. [gallery link="file" ids="11505,11499,11500,11502"]
The Truth About GOP Opposition to Paycheck Fairness
As Senate Republicans today blocked passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act, supporting legislation to strengthen equal pay protections for women might seem like a no brainer for Republicans whose own party autopsy cited the need to improve outreach to female voters. But for the extreme conservative Republicans in the Senate - and the Republican candidates seeking to join them - no excuse for voting against this bill has been too low. Just yesterday, Mitch McConnell called the Paycheck Fairness Act a "bizarre obsession" of the left, while Marco Rubio said "I think we're just wasting time" holding a vote on this bill. These sad efforts to diminish the very real problem of pay inequality facing many American women are merely an attempt to distract from the fact that so many extreme Republicans, both current Senators and 2014 candidates, don’t support remedies to ensure women receive equal pay for equal work.