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News Economy Friday, Jun 26 2015

Scott Walker's Campaign Ailed By Budget Crisis

Scott Walker is suffering from 'Jeb Bush syndrome:' the closer he gets to his presidential announcement, the worse his headlines are. Walker plans to run on his record in Wisconsin but that list of achievements is quickly dwindling as the state faces a massive budget crisis. The governor has already lost the support of his state's Republican party, now he risks losing the national GOP's nomination before his campaign even officially begins. From the Chicago Tribune:

Once in lockstep with Walker, GOP lawmakers are flashing some independence as they struggle to make ends meet. They have refused to go along with the governor's proposed cuts in money for elementary and secondary schools and his plans to finance a big boost in road construction solely by borrowing. They have also forced him to moderate his proposed reductions in funds for higher education.

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From 2011 to 2014, the pace of private-sector employment growth in Wisconsin ranked 36th among the states and the District of Columbia, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Walker's state ranked behind all its Rust Belt neighbors, Illinois included. Wisconsin even trailed Kansas, which has been the focus of national attention after steep tax and spending cuts pushed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback produced big government deficits but little economic pop.

News Education Environment Jobs Taxes Tuesday, Jan 28 2014

Rick Scott's 2014 Budget: A Textbook Case Of Election Year Pandering

As Governor Rick Scott delivers his 2014-2015 budget address, Floridians would do well to see Scott’s budget for what it is: A textbook case of election year pandering. While Scott’s budget plans included hundreds of millions of dollars in vague tax breaks for special interests and dramatic cuts to various revenue sources, the Tea Party governor has also discovered an election year infatuation with spending on Everglades reconstruction, child welfare, and teacher pay raises. Scott’s predilection for election year pandering is nothing new, but the extent of it in his latest budget proposal is staggering. Scott Has A History Of Election Year Pandering (VIDEO). According to a news segment highlighting clips of Governor Rick Scott, Scott has a history of election-year pandering. In the clip, a FOX reporter states of Scott: “He’s the Tea Party Republican who slashed school funding then raised it as he prepared for re-election, after he tied teacher pay to performance, before giving out raises regardless of performance.”

The Wire Health Care Taxes Thursday, Oct 17 2013

We told you: Steve Lonegan is the face of the "new" GOP

Just over two months ago, on the night Steve Lonegan won the Republican nomination, American Bridge sent the memo below arguing that Lonegan's brand of extremism was perfectly in line with the "new" & "rebranded" Republican Party. If Washington Republicans' reckless and embarrassing behavior over the past three weeks weren't proof enough, take a look at what RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said at a Lonegan campaign rally just last night (VIDEO HERE). "I'll tell you what. Steve's been able to do something that we need a lot more of in this party. And that's unify our party, bring our party together. The Tea Party, the Republican Party, all in this together." -- Reince Priebus, RNC Chairman What Mr. Priebus doesn't seem to understand is that the Republicans' problem isn't a lack of unity with the Tea Party. This month's shutdown fiasco proves the GOP's problem is, in fact, its obedience to the Tea Party.

News Health Care Monday, Sep 30 2013

Cuccinelli on video: Senate needs "more Ted Cruzes"

With just hours left until the federal government shuts down, Ken Cuccinelli is still refusing to condemn the efforts of Sen. Ted Cruz and his followers. Cuccinelli's stubborn refusal to stand up to the Tea Party and fight for what's best for Virginia speaks volumes about his extreme views misplaced priorities. Cuccinelli's silence is no surprise. Last summer, Cuccinelli addressed a gathering of the Tea Party blog RedState and told the crowd that the Senate needed "more Ted Cruzes in there to back up Jim DeMint."

News Tuesday, Jun 4 2013

What else could New Jersey use $12 million for?

Throwing common sense and fiscal discipline aside, Gov. Chris Christie today announced he is unnecessarily holding a special election to replace the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg in October rather than including the race on the ballot for New Jersey's regularly scheduled November elections. Christie's willingness to needlessly throw away 12 million in taxpayer dollars for the sole reason of boosting his own reelection campaign tears down the myth of Christie as a bold and principled governor. Today's decision was not that of a leader, but one of a craven, self-interested politician. While Christie may not care what it costs, taxpayers surely do. What else could New Jersey do with $12 million? A lot. Here's a sampling, courtesy of American Bridge:

  • Rebuild 1.3 miles of boardwalk in Asbury Park. [USA Today, 12/5/12]
  • Fund two months of food bank and soup kitchen assistance for areas affected by Hurricane Sandy [Letter to Speaker Boehner From Office of the President, 12/7/2012]
  • Pay for 150% the cost of rebuilding the Belmar City Boardwalk ($8 million) [NPR, 5/26/13]
  • Restore over half of Christie’s cuts to medical services for the elderly (he cut them $21M). [NJ.com,6/29/12]
  • Pay for all of the non-profit grants awarded by the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund with nearly $1M to spare. [Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, Viewed 6/4/2013]
  • The entire cost of funding New Jersey’s Family Success Centers. [Christie Announcement Of Family Center Funding, 10/9/12]
  • The cost of funding New Jersey’s Cancer Education and Early Detection Program [Office of the Governor, October, 2012]
  • The cost of increasing local aid grants for improving street, safety and quality of life improvements by 15% (the state has spent $76.2M). [NJ.com, 5/1/13]
  • More than the entire budget of the Skills4Jersey Training Grant Program (it’s $11M). [Notice of Grant Opportunity, Fiscal Year 2013]
  • Brand new high tech fire trucks, police vehicles, ambulance vans, and other emergency management equipment, as recently granted by the federal government to Jersey City. [NJ.com, 6/9/12]
  • Restore the vetoed tax cut for Jersey Shore production, with $11.5M to spare. [NYT, 9/26/11]

News Education Friday, Apr 12 2013

Chris Christie's Big Bucks Hypocrisy

Where are Chris Christie's priorities?

News Economy Wednesday, Oct 10 2012

BRIDGE BRIEFING: Romney Supports The Ryan Plan

Romney Endorsed Ryan’s 2013 Budget Plan March 2012: Romney Endorsed Rep. Paul Ryan’s 2013 Budget Plan. According to the Los Angeles Times, “Paul Ryan’s new budget plan drew praise from GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney and an attack from President Obama’s reelection campaign Tuesday. The House Republicans’ fiscal blueprint for 2013 would slash federal spending, lower tax rates and substantially overhaul Medicare in an effort to free the nation ‘from the crushing burden of debt,’ Ryan wrote in a document outlining the plan. In a statement from his campaign, Romney lauded the House Budget Committee chairman ‘for taking a bold step toward putting our nation back on the track to fiscal sanity.’ He said he and Ryan were of the same mind on cutting taxes and overhauling the tax code. ‘As president, I look forward to working with Chairman Ryan and his House Republican colleagues to pass bold reforms that restore America’s promise,’ he said.” [Los Angeles Times, 3/20/12] Romney Aide Eric Fehrnstrom Said Romney Supported The Ryan Plan. According to Talking Points Memo, “Eric Fehrnstrom, a top campaign adviser for Mitt Romney, tied the Republican presidential nominee to the GOP’s budget plan by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). […] ‘…he’s for the Ryan plan. He believes it goes in the right direction. The governor has also put forward a plan to reduce spending by $500 billion by the year 2016. In fact, he’s put details on the table about how exactly he would achieve that. So to say he doesn’t have a plan to – a plan to restrain government spending is just not true.’” [Talking Points Memo, 6/3/12] Romney Endorsed “What Is Essentially” Ryan’s Plan For Deficit Reduction. According to Politico, “Romney also endorsed what is essentially the Ryan plan for fiscal deficit reduction, bring budget into balance in eight years. Said loophole and special tax deductions would be eliminated to offset cost of tax rate reductions, and include ‘some things you’re not going to like.’ Will close some Federal Government departments. Romney spoke with authority and confidence, and appeared relaxed.” [Politico, 5/24/12]

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