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150 years of the Department of Agriculture
This week President Obama released a proclamation celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Department of Agriculture. He wrote:
The USDA has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the American people for generations. During the Great Depression, the Department helped bring an end to the Dust Bowl by promoting soil conservation. Through two World Wars, the Victory Garden Program fed troops and families around the world. The USDA worked to bring electric power to rural communities, establish the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance and School Lunch Programs, implement our nation's food safety regulations, and protect our forests and private lands. For one-and-a-half centuries, USDA has empowered communities across our country and helped ensure we leave our children a future rich with promise and possibility.
Read the entire proclamation here.
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“What John McCain wouldn’t let us do”
News broke this morning that Joe Ricketts, the billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade, is working on a $10 million plan to tear down the President this fall through a hate-filled, divisive "sneak attack."
The 54-page blueprint, called "The Defeat of Barack Hussein Obama: The Ricketts Plan," is posted at the New York Times site—and it is worth a read to see exactly what we're up against. Arguing that the President's former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, "has never been properly exploited," they're primed to exploit away—to do "what John McCain wouldn't let us do." Their millions would go toward TV ads, a radio campaign, newspaper ads, and huge aerial banners to be flown over September's Democratic National Convention.
They did get one thing right: The Republican nominee this time, Mitt Romney, is no John McCain. Where McCain denounced similarly despicable smears against Obama, Romney dodged a question on the story this morning with the pitiful excuse that he hadn't "read the papers yet."
What a leader.
If Romney can't summon the courage to stand up to hateful attacks by super PACs, he isn't fit to lead our country. Send a strong message to Romney and his allies that these shameful tactics won't be tolerated by the voters.
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My first vote will be for President Obama
On November 6, I will celebrate a special milestone: my first vote. Let’s help President Obama celebrate one too.
When I was 14, I had the privilege of watching President Obama’s inauguration in person. The energy of the 1.8 million people squeezed on the National Mall was explosive and contagious; passion and elation buzzed through the air and coursed through my veins. President Obama empowered us, replacing our fear with hope. I remember the magic—and I still believe in it.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, a blue city in an even bluer state. When I was young, there was an “I Vote Democrat” bumper sticker slapped on my family’s refrigerator—so I have always identified as a Democrat.
But as I learned more about politics, I confirmed my beliefs as a female Chinese-American student align with those of President Obama and the Democratic Party. I decided to help President Obama win a second term.
As a woman, I support the President. Women have a strong ally in President Obama. He understands that each woman’s body is her own business. President Obama has fought tirelessly to protect women’s freedom to make their own health decisions, having openly defended Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood. Furthermore, President Obama values women and believes they deserve to be paid the same amount as men for the same work. Currently, women earn 77 cents for each dollar made annually by men. To help combat this wage gap, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act nine days after taking office.
As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, I support the President. He understands the suffering that the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community has endured throughout America’s history, and he celebrates our community’s contributions to the country. The year he took office, President Obama restored the White House Initiative and President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. He has appointed an unprecedented three AAPIs to his Cabinet, and he has doubled the number of AAPI federal court judges. His actions allow AAPIs across the country to see themselves represented in their government, giving us hope and pride.
As a student, I support the President. Education is an investment in our country’s future, and our President recognizes that. The President is urging Congress to extend a 2007 law that would cut student loan rates to 3.4 percent. If lawmakers don’t pass an extension, those interest rates will double on July 1 and pile an additional $1,000 of debt on students. His investments in programs such as Head Start have given 21,000 AAPI children access to early education. His administration’s Race to the Top program strengthens schools for 27 percent of AAPI students in grades K–12, and his doubling the amount of funding for Pell Grants will make 40,000 additional Pell Grants available to AAPI college students.
Every person’s life is a string of milestones. President Obama makes milestones I’m looking forward to in my life—going to college, getting a job, buying a house—more attainable for all Americans. On November 6, I will celebrate a special milestone: my first vote. Let’s help President Obama celebrate one too.
Catherine Wang worked as a summer intern for the Democratic National Committee. She is from Los Angeles, California, and will attend Yale University this fall.
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Romney has zero credibility on debt
Romney's proved at each point in his career that he is the last person who should be lecturing us on reckless spending and running up debt.
Mitt Romney delivered his umpteenth "major" economic speech today, and this time, his focus is on spending and debt. But take his rhetoric with a large grain of salt, because Romney's proved at each point in his career—from corporate buyout specialist to failed governor of Massachusetts to perpetual presidential candidate—that he is the last person who should be lecturing us on reckless spending and running up debt.
In his much-touted two decades of private-sector experience, Romney made a fortune out of loading up companies with crippling debt, leading to bankruptcies, shuttered companies, huge job loss—and millions of dollars in profit for Romney and his partners.
Then, when he applied what he learned in the private sector to governing, Romney ended up leaving his successor in Massachusetts with a $1 billion deficit after loading the state's taxpayers up with debt. In his four years as governor, public debt rose by 16 percent, leaving taxpayers with the most per-capita debt in the country. Government jobs grew six times faster than private-sector jobs, state spending went up by 6.5 percent a year, and taxes and fees went up by $750 million a year. It's no wonder Romney never talks about his record as governor.
On the campaign trail today, Romney neglected a very important fact: Our current debt was created largely by Bush-era policies like the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and massive tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. As Steve Benen at MSNBC's Maddow Blog writes, "Bush not only squandered a massive surplus, added $5 trillion to the debt, and left a $1.3 trillion deficit for Obama to deal with, he also approved policies that we're still struggling to pay for, years after his departure. … For those who care about facts, it's not Obama's agenda that's causing the budget shortfall."
And Romney's plans would only make it worse: He's proposing $5 trillion in tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. He won't specify how he'll pay for such recklessness, but you can be certain that the middle class will foot the bill.
So when it comes to controlling debt, it's clear: Romney has zero credibility.
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Welcoming our Men and Women Home with Open Arms
On the ninth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, we asked Democrats to take a moment to thank some of the 1.5 million men and women who served our country over the past nine years. We received some truly touching responses, many from veterans of past wars who share a special bond with our nation’s newest veterans. Others echoed the sentiments of President Obama when he welcomed troops home at Fort Bragg in December. They promised to honor the sacrifices that these brave men and women made and that so many continue to make in Afghanistan and around the world today.
Susan M. spoke about how thankful her family is for the sacrifices made and she said that her family “will do our best to make sure that you and your fellow servicemen and women are respected and cared for by your country.” She added, “You deserve no less.”
Many remarked at how hard it is to convey thanks when the men and women of our armed forces have given so much. Lee A. thanked the troops for ensuring our freedom and thought that “Words are not enough.”
Others expressed how happy they were that the troops were home from Iraq. Virginia S. wrote “Thank you for all that you have done to keep our country and its citizens safe. Welcome home!”
As we help our newest veterans transition into civilian life, we must make sure that we honor their sacrifices by supporting them every step of the way. While President Obama has done so much to help our veterans, from his recent proposal of a Veterans Job Corps, to his announcement one of the largest increases in funding for veterans’ healthcare in decades, we can show our support in smaller ways. When you see a veteran, don’t be shy in expressing your thanks. As small of a gesture as saying “thank you” is, it helps our courageous men and women know that we care about them and that we appreciate all that they have done and continue to do for our country.
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We can’t afford Romney economics
We can't afford a president who doesn't understand that a growing, thriving middle-class is key to a strong economy.
Mitt Romney has staked his candidacy on the experience he gained in the two decades he ran Bain Capital, a financial buyout firm. He wants voters to focus on his time in the private sector as his main qualification for the presidency.
So let's do just that.
In deal after deal for nearly 20 years, Romney and his private-sector partners cared about one thing: making millions for themselves while they loaded companies up with debt, drove them into bankruptcy, and put thousands out of work without pensions or health insurance. That's what Romney economics meant for people like James Sanderson, an employee at GST Steel in Kansas City.
GST Steel was a mill that had been in business since 1888—and was, for generations, a major local employer that lifted workers and families into the middle class. The work was hard, but the wages were fair. GST employees bought homes and sent their kids to college. They considered themselves a tight-knit community and were proud of their work.
All that changed, 103 years into its existence, when Romney and his partners came to town and took over as majority owners. Sanderson describes what happened in stark terms: "We were doing well, and then Bain Capital bought us, and they took everything they could out of the company without making the investments we needed to stay competitive. … They ran the company into bankruptcy."
As a result, 750 Missourians like Sanderson lost their jobs and livelihoods—and with them, the severance pay, health insurance, life insurance, and pensions they had been promised.
But Romney and his partners walked away from the shuttered steel mill with at least $12 million in profit, while hundreds of steelworkers—many of whom had been with the company for decades—were left to pick up the pieces.
GST Steel wasn't an anomaly of Romney's time in the private sector; you'll hear a similar story at former Bain properties nationwide. Romney specialized in buying companies and loading them up with debt—several times using that debt to pay Romney and his partners millions in fees and dividends while they laid off workers and shipped jobs overseas. Those workers who were lucky enough to keep their jobs saw paychecks, benefits, and pensions slashed.
Romney tries to explain away his resume by saying that "in the real world," there are winners and losers. But the truth is, when you bankrupt a company, you don't walk away with millions of dollars for yourself and your investors.
What Romney did in his private-sector years matters today, because Romney believes the experience he gained as a corporate buyout specialist makes him qualified to lead our country. You see it in his policies. Romney's economic agenda as a presidential candidate is no different from the policies he pursued as a CEO: helping the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.
Above all, it's a question of values. We can't afford a president who thinks it's OK to leave workers behind in pursuit of a profit. We can't afford a president who encourages corporations to play by a different set of rules than the rest of us. And we can't afford a president who doesn't understand that a growing, thriving middle-class is key to a strong economy.
We can't afford Romney economics.
Take a look at the brand-new RomneyEconomics.com, and spread the site far and wide.
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National Women’s Health Week
President Obama has worked tirelessly to make preventive care accessible to all women. The Affordable Care Act is already helping millions of women save money and live healthier lives. Honor this National Women’s Health Week by focusing on your health and well-being. Schedule a check-up or a preventive screening with your doctor. To find out more information on women’s preventative care, visit WomensHealth.gov or GirlsHealth.gov. And click here to read the Presidential proclomation on National Women's Health Week.
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