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Bill would reverse funds transfer for wall, restore Wisconsin military contracts PDF Print E-mail
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by WisDems Press, Philip Shulman   
Saturday, 29 February 2020 17:46

donald-trumpMADISON, WI - Despite numerous promises that Mexico would pay to fund a border wall, Donald Trump is stripping millions of taxpayer dollars away from Wisconsin, again, to pay for his vanity project. Most recently he took aim at the Oshkosh Corps, which supports thousands of manufacturing jobs, by taking away millions of dollars in funding for the military vehicles they build. In September of 2019, Trump diverted millions of dollars from the Truax Field Air National Guard Base.

Read below how Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin is fighting to reverse Trump's budget cuts.

Wisconsin Examiner: Bill would reverse funds transfer for wall, restore Wisconsin military contracts
Erik Gunn

Sen. Tammy Baldwin joined two-and-a-half dozen other Senate Democrats this week in a bill to reverse the Trump administration’s transfer of $3.8 billion from the Department of Defense to pay for building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The bill aims to pressure the administration to restore funding for military contracts with two Wisconsin manufacturers. It also would limit the DoD from diverting more funding for the wall, which was a top talking point for President Donald Trump in his 2016 campaign and has remained so since his election.

“You promised the people of Wisconsin that Mexico would pay for your ineffective border wall,” Baldwin (D-Wis.) wrote in a letter she sent to Trump on Monday. “However, you are once again making American taxpayers fund it and you are taking funding away from Wisconsin manufacturers that strengthen our national defense and create jobs.”

Earlier this month, Trump announced the transfer of $3.8 billion in DoD funds for the wall project. Included in those funds, according to Baldwin’s office, were $101 million that Congress appropriated for Army heavy wheeled defense vehicles to be built by Oshkosh Defense, a brand of Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh, Wis. Also included, Baldwin stated, was $650 million for an amphibious Navy ship powered by diesel-engine electric generation systems built by Fairbanks Morse in Beloit, Wis.

The Restoring Military Priorities Act of 2020, authored by Sen. Dick Durbin (R-Ill.) and cosponsored by 31 other Democratic senators, including Baldwin, would reverse the $3.8 billion transfer. It would also cut how much the DoD could transfer under the fiscal 2020 budget, from $6 billion to less than $2.2 billion.

The $3.8 billion diversion comes on top of $2.5 billion in DoD money transferred last spring to help pay for the wall.

In addition, Trump has announced plans to move another $7.2 billion in military money to the wall project, “diverting funding from military families and forcing American taxpayers to pay for his vanity project and failed campaign promise,” Baldwin said in a statement.

 
Where the 2020 Democrats stand in Super Tuesday polls PDF Print E-mail
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by The Hill Press   
Thursday, 27 February 2020 11:04

bernie-sandersBernie ahead now, but much more to come.


WASHINGTON, DC - With the first three presidential nominating contests in the books, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is the undisputed front-runner in the Democratic field, but the overwhelming majority of primary voters have yet to cast their ballots.

Other candidates are looking to make up ground in less than a week on Super Tuesday, when 15 states and territories — including the two biggest — will allocate a third of the pledged delegates up for grabs this cycle.

Centrist candidates are increasingly warning of the dangers they say a Sanders nomination can pose to the party and its chances in November, and some are looking to Tuesday's primaries as the best chance to boost their flagging campaigns.

But polling shows Sanders in a strong position heading into the March 3 contests, particularly in delegate-rich California, fueling fears that the Vermont lawmaker could run away with the nomination after next week, following his close second-place finish in Iowa and victories in New Hampshire and Nevada.

Read the full story here

 
Five takeaways from the Democratic debate PDF Print E-mail
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by The Hill Press   
Wednesday, 26 February 2020 17:08

bernie-sandersWASHINGTON, DC - The Democratic White House hopefuls slugged it out on Tuesday at the party's 10th presidential debate, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) coming under a fierce volley of attacks ahead of Saturday’s primary in South Carolina.

Here are five takeaways from a heated night in Charleston, S.C.

Read the full story here

 
Wisconsin Republican Party Struggles to Recruit New Candidates PDF Print E-mail
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Katie Iliff   
Thursday, 13 February 2020 16:24

dan-kapankeGOP recycles Dan Kapanke for his former 32nd District state Senate seat, a recalled candidate with history of ethics violations & extreme views.


LA CROSSE – Despite being rejected by voters in three straight elections (2010, 2011 & 2016), Republicans announced Dan Kapanke is once again running for office. As a previously recalled GOP politician with a history of ethics violations and out-of-touch views, Kapanke’s candidacy is the latest sign of Republican struggles in Wisconsin. Low enthusiasm, a divisive agenda and declining popularity among young adults, women and working families have driven many Wisconsin voters away from the Republican Party.

“Republican Party bosses clearly didn’t get the message the first, second, or third time that voters in western Wisconsin rejected Mr. Kapanke at the polls,” said Katie Iliff, SSDC Executive Director. “His record of massive school cuts, tax giveaways to the wealthy, and limiting access to women’s health care have shown that he is another rubber stamp for the Republican special interest agenda. We need to move Wisconsin forward - not backwards. The last thing families need is a relic from the past that is only interested in obstructing progress for our state.”

As an elected official, Dan Kapanke voted for the largest cut to local K-12 schools in Wisconsin history and argued that Gov. Walker’s attacks on worker rights didn’t go far enough. He voted against the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Act and supported legislation making it harder for women to access birth control.

“Hardworking families trust Jennifer Shilling and appreciate her commitment to local schools, affordable health care access and pro-growth policies that strengthen communities,” added Iliff. “Jennifer Shilling has proven that she’s not afraid to stand up to special interests to protect local families and move our state forward.”

 
Tom Palzewicz: 'What is a gun?' PDF Print E-mail
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by Tom Palzewicz, Candidate for Congress   
Tuesday, 11 February 2020 17:04

tp-ad-front-roomBROOKFIELD, WI - “What is a gun?”  When I heard Tom say that, I knew that here was a guy with a new approach.  The setting was a “Meet & Greet”, and someone had asked the usual question about Gun Control vs. 2nd Amendment Rights.  It seems that so many people have made up their mind about this issue that productive conversation seems almost impossible.  We’re stuck.

So I was impressed with Tom’s response to the question.  Rather than barge head-on into the usual debate, Tom wondered if we might at least be able to have discussion – and maybe find some agreement – about what should qualify as a gun that is appropriate for the average person to own.  Rather than pound, unproductively, on the locked front door of the issue, Tom suggested we look for a side door to a room where people might sit down and talk.

That’s part of why I’m supporting Tom. I respect his search for creative approaches to the problems facing our nation.  Rather than just saying the same thing, louder and louder, as so may politicians seem to be doing, Tom strikes me as someone who understands that true communication requires both things – listening as well as talking.  Of course he has different ideas than some others in the political arena, but I’ve never heard him talk disrespectfully about any of them. I see Tom as willing, and working, to search for new solutions to old problems, wherever they can be found.

Thanks,
Bill Petterson

***

Tom Palzewicz is running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 5th District

Last Updated on Tuesday, 11 February 2020 17:23
 
Stuck Supports Passage of PRO Act PDF Print E-mail
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by Amanda Stuck Press   
Tuesday, 11 February 2020 15:57

working-womenCandidate Believes in Empowering the Working Families of Wisconsin.


APPLETON - State Representative and Congressional candidate Amanda Stuck expressed disappointment in incumbent Congressman Mike Gallagher’s recent no vote on the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act, HR 2474).

Stuck, who is challenging Gallagher in the Eighth Congressional District, has been an advocate for unions throughout her career.

amanda-stuck“We need to give our workers the tools and the agency they need to make a better life for themselves and their families,” Stuck said. “One of my greatest honors as a legislator is being able to support these working families in their fight.”

Stuck has been endorsed by numerous unions including:

  • NorthEast Wisconsin Building & Construction Trades Council
  • Appleton FireFighters Local 257
  • International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART)
  • International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America Region 4 (UAW)
  • Painter & Allied Trades District Council No. 7 (IUPAT)
  • American Postal Workers Union

“The Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act, HR 2474) would be one of the first significant upgrades to union rights in decades,” Stuck continued. “While I am thrilled that we are finally seeing some progress in the fight to empower our workers I am disappointed that my opponent was one of the few legislators to vote against the PRO Act.

“Our job as legislators is to focus on what we can do to help our constituents. The working families of Northeast Wisconsin deserve better, they deserve a voice in Washington that will fight for them.”

 
Democrats Must Focus on Kitchen Table Issues to Win in 2020 PDF Print E-mail
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by Priorities USA Press   
Friday, 07 February 2020 10:19

donald-trump“I've also made an ironclad pledge to American families: We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions. And we will always protect your Medicare and we will always protect your Social Security. Always.” - President Donald Trump, 2/4/2020 State of the Union remarks


WASHINGTON, DC - With the Senate impeachment vote behind us, Democrats must refocus our efforts on the most important issue at hand -- defeating Trump in November.  While Trump is now the first president in history to have a bipartisan Senate vote in favor of their removal from office, he remains in a relatively strong position to be re-elected, with every sign pointing to a close election decided by slim margins in just a handful of battleground states. Trump argued that voters should determine whether he stays in the White House past 2020. It’s time for Democrats to ensure that doesn’t happen.

If Democrats want to win, we -- and most importantly our candidates for President -- must increase our focus on the issues that affect voters’ lives on a daily basis. Priorities USA polling has consistently found that messages focused on health care, drug prices, wages and Medicare and Social Security are effective both at moving voters away from Trump and at galvanizing the Democratic base. Democrats in Congress should continue to do their constitutional duty to conduct oversight and hold the President accountable, but the focus on the campaign trail must be on communicating these messages to voters. 

President Trump’s State of the Union speech showed that he and his team are very aware of these vulnerabilities. During his speech, Trump spent significant amounts of time attempting to whitewash his record on these issues by staking out positions on issues like pre-existing conditions, Medicare, and Social Security that belie his actions as president. Voters will not be fooled by Trump’s lies if Democrats deliver a clear accounting of the facts.

Our last battleground poll found that 53 percent of voters viewed health care as more of a reason to elect someone other than Trump while just 29 percent viewed it as a reason to re-elect him. The numbers were not much better with white women without a college degree (a critical group for Trump). 50 percent of these voters view health care as a reason to elect someone else versus just 32 percent for re-election. There is a reason Trump is lying about his record on the issue.

Voters know the cost of prescription drugs continues to rise. We need to tell them about the $7 billion in tax cuts Trump gave big drug companies.

Voters know the cost of health care premiums continues to rise. We need to make sure they know Trump’s policies are a reason why.

Voters know they are struggling to save for retirement. We need to make sure they know Trump has repeatedly proposed cutting Medicare and Social Security.

Voters know insurance companies used to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. We need to make sure they know Trump is actively working to allow that again.

Trump knows these issues matter and is using the bully pulpit to hide the truth. If Democrats don’t do a better job of putting them front and center, we will lose a very winnable election to Donald Trump.

 
Bloomberg Ad Features Milwaukee Gun Violence Survivor, Khary Penebaker PDF Print E-mail
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by Mike Bloomberg Press, Brandon Weathersby   
Tuesday, 04 February 2020 17:39

mike-bloomberg-01-21-2020Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg’s campaign released on Friday a new digital ad featuring Khary Penebaker, a survivor of gun violence in Wisconsin.

The digital ad is part of a series of videos featuring gun violence survivors from twelve states to show the impact gun violence has had on communities across the country. On Thursday, the Bloomberg campaign released “George,” the ad that will air during Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, February 2. The ad features Calandrian Simpson Kemp, a mother from Texas who lost her son, George Kemp Jr., to gun violence and is an active member of Moms Demand Action, the grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence.

khary-penebakerPenebaker lost his mother Joyce to suicide in 1979 — she was only 27 years old. The experience moved Penebaker to volunteer as a spokesperson for various gun violence prevention organizations including Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety, where he is currently a Wisconsin Survivor Fellow. He also serves on the board of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE).

“Mike Bloomberg had the vision to form a movement around the issue of gun violence prevention,” Khary Penebaker says in the ad. “And then he had the foresight to say we can turn this issue into one that people vote for -- you’re voting to prevent stories like mine. I’m glad we have a person like Mike Bloomberg who is choosing to put an end to this.”

Watch the video here.

More than 36,000 people are killed with guns in an average year, including over 22,000 suicides. Further, America’s gun suicide rate is 10 times higher than other high-income countries. Despite these facts, Donald Trump has remained a steadfast friend to the National Rifle Association. Trump expanded access to assault weapons and high-capacity magazines to groups, like those who may be suicidal, previously prohibited from ownership.

Mike has proposed a gun safety policy that treats the gun violence crisis like a true national emergency: creating an effective background checks system, keeping guns away from people who pose a danger to themselves or others, protecting young people in schools and Americans in their homes, tackling daily gun violence in the hardest-hit communities, and confronting the gun industry head-on.

Khary Pennebaker is a Wisconsin-based gun violence prevention and DNC Representative who endorsed Mike Bloomberg earlier this month, praising his progressive track record and agenda on common-sense gun safety laws.

See below for additional background on Bloomberg’s record:

Mike Bloomberg’s record of fighting to prevent gun violence

  • In 2006, Mike founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. It grew to a coalition of over 1,000 mayors across the country.
  • In 2013, Mike merged Mayors Against Illegal Guns with the grassroots group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and helped launch Everytown for Gun Safety. Everytown has helped to defeat dozens of gun lobby-backed bills each year in states. In 2018 alone, this included “permitless carry” bills in 17 states that would allow concealed carry with no permit whatsoever, bills that would allow guns in K-12 schools in 18 states, and bills that would require colleges and universities to allow guns on campus in 16 states. For more detail on Everytown and Moms’ victories, see a full timeline here.
    • 12 states have passed or expanded background checks since 2013, with MAIG/Everytown playing a critical role in victories in CO, WA, OR, NV, NM, NJ, CA, and VT.
    • 29 states and DC have passed a total of 51 domestic violence laws since 2013, including states like AL, IN, LA, KS, ND, SC, and UT.
    • 15 states and DC have enacted red flag laws since Newtown, and Everytown was instrumental in passing each one.
    • In 2018, Everytown spent $30 million on targeted contributions, independent expenditures, and voter mobilization. In 110 Everytown-supported races that year, the vast majority of candidates won. Everytown was the largest outside spender in the 2019 Virginia legislative elections, spending $2.5 million to help flip both houses of the General Assembly and deliver a gun sense majority to the NRA’s home state.
  • Mike spent $110 million to elect candidates strong on gun safety in the 2018 midterm elections, including helping to elect 21 of 24 candidates backed in Congressional swing districts, which was crucial to Democrats retaking the House.
  • As Mayor of New York City, Mike took on gun dealers and gun show vendors across the country that were feeding the criminal market. During Mike’s time as mayor, firearm deaths decreased by 46% and the firearm death rate was less than a third the rate in the rest of the country.
    • As mayor, Mike tackled gun violence by taking on the gun industry and cracking down on illegal gun sales. He filed federal lawsuits against 27 gun dealers in five states when guns they sold showed up on New York City streets—and the city’s undercover operations revealed they were not complying with federal law. The dealers settled with the city or had settlement terms imposed on them and agreed to clean up their operations.
    • The number of crime guns recovered in NYC from the five states where the City sued gun dealers dropped by 18% in the years after the suits were settled. The share of targeted dealers’ crime guns recovered in New York City declined by 75%.
    • The city’s undercover stings recovered 6,043 guns between 2004 and 2013 and also exposed that sellers at gun shows in multiple states were breaking federal laws.
    • Under Mike’s administration, NYC was an early adopter of creative interventions, such as Cure Violence, which engaged the members of the community directly impacted by a violent event. These interventions reduced retaliatory gun violence in communities traumatized by violent episodes by as much as 63%.
 
Trump’s super PAC lags behind Dem rival heading into 2020 PDF Print E-mail
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by Priorities USA Press   
Tuesday, 04 February 2020 17:16

trump-rncPriorities USA outraised America First by $8 million last year.


WASHINGTON, DC - The Republican super PAC formed to help President Donald Trump win reelection raised less money in 2019 than its Democratic counterpart, a sign big Democratic donors are readying a cash onslaught to fight Trump.

Priorities USA, which will be the main outside spender backing the Democratic nominee for president, raised $58.5 million in 2019, the group announced on Friday — $8 million more than the $50.4 million more than America First, the group backing Trump.

The millions raised by both groups, more than a year before Election Day, foreshadow a costly election ahead. And Trump and his allies are starting 2019 at an unusual cash disadvantage: Usually, a super PAC tied to the president would raise millions more than its rival, because donors and corporate interests itching to gain power in Washington want to contribute. A super PAC representing the party out of power, especially one without a clear nominee, usually has no such luck.

But in a Friday memo, Priorities USA Chairman Guy Cecil boasted that his group has increased its fundraising goal for the 2020 cycle by $50 million, to $150 million total, and has already placed a total of $70 million in ad reservations to run from now to July. The group has also been outspending Trump’s campaign on digital advertising in four battleground swing states that it is targeting with ads.

“Priorities is well-positioned to continue taking a leading role in the general election campaign against Donald Trump until a Democratic nominee for president has been selected,” Cecil said.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

*****

Printed Politico: Trump’s super PAC lags behind Dem rival heading into 2020

January 31, 2020

By Maggie Severns and Alex Isenstadt

 
Will Testin Flip Flop on Farmers Again? PDF Print E-mail
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by Wisconsin Senate, Katie Iliff   
Saturday, 01 February 2020 14:07

rural peopleStevens Point Republican Refuses to Commit to Gov. Evers' Rural Prosperity Special Session


MADISON - During his State of the State Address, Gov. Evers called for a Rural Prosperity Special Session to address the dairy crisis in Wisconsin and help rural communities succeed.

The Governor’s call to action comes at a time when Republicans refuse to address Wisconsin’s alarming spike in farm bankruptcies and suicide rates. Insecurity for family farms was further escalated after Republicans rejected the appointment of Brad Pfaff as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).

patrick-testin“Months after rejecting Brad Pfaff as DATCP Secretary, farmers fear that Republicans like Senator Testin will once again turn their backs on the dairy crisis in Wisconsin,” said SSDC Executive Director Katie Iliff. “Senator Testin has a pattern of siding with party bosses in Madison rather than voting for what’s best for local families. His constant flip flopping has proven he can’t be trusted to do what’s right for our family farms and rural communities.”

Governor Tony Evers’ initial budget proposal included initiatives to support farmers such as Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin, Farm to School, Dairy Processor Grants, and additional county conservation positions. Senator Testin and his Republican colleagues rejected these proposals and opted instead to prioritize more tax breaks for wealthy donors and out-of-state corporations.

Last Updated on Saturday, 01 February 2020 14:20
 
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