States: Nebraska

Constituents Demand GOP Reps. & Sens. Back Independent Commission on Trump/Russia Scandal

Voters are heading to town hall events across the country to demand their members of Congress support an independent commission or special prosecutor to investigate the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. The demands follow Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, a transparently political maneuver designed to obstruct the Bureau’s ongoing investigation. 

Voters want to know: As Congress heads back into session this week, will their Representative take a stand against Trump’s abuses of power and endorse an independent commission or special prosecutor?

Iowa

Rep. Rod Blum (IA-01)

WATCH: “Are you [inaudible] to call for an independent counsel? [Applause].”

WATCH: “Real simple question for you: today, at 4:30, Donald J. Trump fired the director of the FBI. I want you to tell me, will you help [inaudible] voice the need for a special prosecutor? [Applause].”

Michigan

Rep. Tim Walberg (MI-07)

WATCH: “All have questions relating […]

Read more after the jump.

Night Of The Living Ted

Just when you thought it was over, Ted Cruz joined his faithful sidekick Glenn Beck to announce that he’s lyin’ in wait for an election night miracle in Nebraska.

As Reince Priebus frantically tries to bring Republicans together behind Trump, “Washington’s most hated man” stubbornly refuses to endorse his party’s presumptive nominee. Ted can’t help but stoke the remaining embers of the GOP’s dumpster fire primary.

Don’t worry Reince, we’ve still got you covered with the Bailey’s.

Read more after the jump.

MEMO: What you need to know about Deb Fischer

Thanks to the more than $250,000 investment from billionaire Joe Rickett’s super PAC, Deb Fischer won a surprising last-person-standing victory in Nebraska’s Republican senate primary. But now Nebraskans are left wondering: who is their Republican nominee? As an untested, unknown, unscrutinized candidate, Deb Fischer didn’t “win” on Tuesday, her opponents lost. But now that she will be the Republican standard bearer in the most high profile race in the state, her record, votes, and positions will be thoroughly vetted by voters.

While no means exhaustive, below is a quick primer on what you need to know about Deb Fischer.

Read more after the jump.

ThinkProgress: Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning Calls Drinking Age Unconstitutional

On March 30, 2012, ThinkProgress reported:

In an exclusive interview with ThinkProgress’s Scott Keyes, however, Nebraska Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Jon Bruning (R), one of the conservative elected officials behind the anti-health care lawsuit, says that even this nonsensical attack on health reform does not go far enough. If it were up to him, a seminal 25 year-old opinion laying out the federal government’s power to work in partnership with states should be overruled as well:

Read more after the jump.

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.

Read more after the jump.

AP: Snowe’s Retirement, Kerrey’s Entrance Highlight New Optimism In Democrats’ Bid To Hold Senate

On February 29, 2012, the Associated Press reported:

Rodell Mollineau, president of Democratic group American Bridge 21st Century and a former spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, echoed Garin’s optimism.

“If you look at the numbers, where we are, and the places for potential pickups and the strength of our incumbents, I think we’re in a good place now,” Mollineau said. “I think we’ve been in a good place; people are just starting to recognize it. This week put us in an even better place.”

Read more after the jump.

VIDEO: 12 Days Of Christmas, American Bridge Style

From gaffes to flip flops to crony capitalism, this has been a fun year to be involved with politics at American Bridge 21st Century. As 2011 draws to a close, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at just a few of the stories that have made headlines over the last 365 days.

“Between the Republican Presidential, Senate and House candidates, this has been a year of bountiful flip flops, gaffes and just outright craziness. As the year comes to a close, we at American Bridge would like to wish you a happy holiday and leave you with some of our favorite moments,” said Rodell Mollineau, President of American Bridge 21st Century.

Happy holidays from American Bridge! We hope you enjoy our take on the 12 Days of Christmas.

Read more after the jump.

Reuters: The golden age of opposition research

On November 14, 2011, Reuters reported:

It was a little noticed event in Texas governor Rick Perry’s schedule, an October 28 visit to the Barley House tavern in Concord, New Hampshire, to sample a burger and be interviewed by a local radio station.

The flagging candidate for the Republican nomination was addressing a tiny audience of about 10 in this early primary state. He told the story of a 38-year-old Occupy Wall Street protestor named Jeremy, who had complained that bankers got to work so early that he never managed to get out of bed in time to insult them face-to-face.

[…]

Also in the small crowd at the Barley House was a “tracker” from American Bridge, a newly formed SuperPAC doing research for the Democratic Party. The tracker was videotaping Perry’s every word and gesture, and even though the gaffe was a relatively minor one, the candidate was about to become a victim of the latest, state-of-the-art opposition research.

Read more after the jump.

Bruning Wants to Drown the EPA

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Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning really does have a way with words. After making headlines in August for comparing people on welfare to scavenging raccoons, he told an audience in Lincoln, NE, that he’d like to drown the EPA in a bathtub.

“Enough with the regulations,” he says. “You send me to the Senate, it’s going to be to cut the size and scope of government, reduce EPA, as Ronald Reagan said, down to the point where you can drown it in a bathtub.”

This footage was captured by an American Bridge tracker on September 8, 2011.

Read more after the jump.