#DropHuck Effort: It’s Not Just His Support Of Akin
WASHINGTON - American Bridge today launched its #DropHuck petition drive and online ad campaign demanding Mitt Romney drop Todd Akin-backer and Republican leader Mike Huckabee from his prime time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. DropHuck.com, the effort’s online hub, is equipped with a petition and web ad allowing voters to see first hand the offensive and inexcusable ideas Huckabee is supporting. As the research below shows, Huckabee’s steadfast support of Akin is far from an isolated occurrence. Throughout his career, Huckabee has shown he is on the wrong side of issues impacting women and victims of rape.
Tell Mitt Romney: Fire "The Donald"
Donald Trump and his birther conspiracies just helped Mitt Romney raise more than $2 million at a fundraiser in Las Vegas. Even by Vegas standards, that’s an awfully big pay off -- but every single dollar Romney raised is tainted with the dishonesty and bigotry of Trump’s lies. It’s hard to imagine a worse gamble, and it’s time for Mitt Romney to put his love of firing people into action. Join us in calling for Mitt Romney to fire The Donald.
Everything Richard Mourdock’s Website Said About Dick Lugar
It was reported yesterday that Indiana State Treasurer and Senate candidate Richard Mourdock was in the process of scrubbing his website of mentions of Senator Dick Lugar, the primary fight, and contrast pieces highlighting his policy differences with the incumbent. Unwilling to let Mourdock tack to the center after claiming his extreme conservatism, American Bridge 21st Century is making available to the public an archive of everything Mourdock published on his campaign website regarding Senator Lugar. Check it out 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.
MEMO: Richard Mourdock’s Extreme Record
Let’s be clear about one thing regarding Richard Mourdock’s win over Dick Lugar tonight in the Indiana Republican Senate primary: Richard Mourdock did not win; Dick Lugar lost. Assuredly, Lugar’s precipitous drop in the final weeks was propelled by his stumbles over the residency issue. But Lugar’s vulnerability stemmed from being identified as one of the Tea Party’s top targets of the 2012 election cycle. Lugar will have been felled by the same extreme fringe of the Republican Party that took down several pragmatic Republican candidates in 2010. These extremists found a mouthpiece in State Treasurer Richard Mourdock and are nominating a candidate who is well outside the mainstream of Indiana voters.
The Republican primary has been a referendum on Lugar, not an endorsement of Richard Mourdock. As Hoosiers across the state learn more about Mourdock, they will realize that his soft-spoken demeanor belies a fervent, extreme view of politics and governance that would hurt Indiana’s middle class families, students, veterans, women, seniors, and farmers.BACKGROUND ON RICHARD MOURDOCK’S EXTREMISM
Mourdock Said Auto Bailout Was Illegal. According to a Mourdock Editorial in the South Bend Tribune, “By any traditional legal analysis, fundamental elements of the Obama administration’s Chrysler bankruptcy plan were illegal. It turned 200 years of U.S. bankruptcy law on its head by awarding more value to a select group of unsecured creditors than to secured creditors. Others are apparently willing to tolerate the violation of federal bankruptcy laws simply because they liked the result: It helped their friends. But most Americans, including the Hoosier retirees who had their property stolen away, see such picking and choosing by the federal government as fundamentally un-American.” [Mourdock Editorial, South Bend Tribune, 10/9/10]
Washington Post: Romney Adviser Kris Kobach: No Legal Status Of Any Kind For The Undocumented
On April 18, 2012, the Washington Post reported:
It’s been widely assumed that Mitt Romney will moderate his positions on immigration to make inroads among Latinos in the general election, perhaps by supporting some sort of GOP version of the DREAM Act. But what if Romney has no room to execute any such pivot? I just got off the phone with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, an adviser to Romney on immigration. He stated flatly that he didn’t think Republicans — or Romney — should, or would, support any version of the DREAM Act that provides undocumented immigrants with any kind of path to legal status.
TPM: GOP Congressman: We Can’t Impeach Obama Because We Don’t Have The Votes Yet
On April 11, 2012, Talking Points Memo reported:
Why hasn’t Congress impeached President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder? Rep. Todd Akin says it’s simply a lack of votes. But he says that may change eventually.
Daily Beast: Mitt Romney Secretly Supported Anti-Gay-Marriage Group
On March 30, the Daily Beast reported:
Given recent revelations about NOM, liberal operatives see an opportunity to discomfit Romney and, once the general election is underway, paint him as a right-wing extremist. “As a leading contender for president of the United States, for him to be funding a group whose strategy memos lay out such a hateful way to divide African-Americans and the LGBT community, it’s shocking,” says Chris Harris, communications director of American Bridge 21st Century, the super PAC founded by Media Matters’ David Brock. “When he initially donated in 2008, he may not have known that this is their strategy, but as a political leader and as an opinion leader, he has a responsibility to speak out and condemn their intention of dividing Americans.”
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.
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.