Boxer fights for us - now we must fight for her

By Hilary on 07/30/2010 @ 09:34 AM

Tags: Barbara Boxer, 2010 Elections, CA-Sen, GOP Opponents

There is no time to waste in supporting Barbara Boxer’s re-election campaign: just recently, the well-known Cook Political Report ranked this Senate race between Boxer and Carly Fiorina as a ‘toss-up.’ It boils down to this: Barbara is vulnerable, and it is critical that she gets the resources she needs to protect her seat. The GOP is practically salivating over the possibility of ousting her, which means we cannot let up until she is re-elected in November.

We know and love Barbara as a progressive powerhouse in the Senate who walks the walk on jobs and rebuilding California’s economy, looking out for women and their families, and protecting our environment. Her strong stances make her an ideal target for right-wingers who want to erode reproductive rights and discredit her history of working for working Californians. They mean business, and now they have a candidate in Carly Fiorina, the failed HP CEO who has plenty of golden parachute cash and the financial support of extreme groups like the anti-choice Susan B. Anthony List and the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage.

What can you to help Barbara today? Visit WomenforBoxer.com and help us win this crucial race.

Who are Roy Blunt's friends?

By Hilary on 07/29/2010 @ 06:07 PM

Tags: MO-Sen, Roy Blunt, Robin Carnahan, Michele Bachmann, Tarryl Clark, MN-06

Just what is going on in Missouri? We know that Secretary of State Robin Carnahan is preparing for the upcoming August 3rd primaries. After all, as the state’s top elections official, Carnahan implemented Missouri’s first statewide voter registration system, created the Missouri Voting Rights Center, and launched an interactive election results website.

Meanwhile, what has the likely Republican opponent, Cong. Roy Blunt, been doing in his spare time? Ping-ponging himself back and forth amongst the Washington GOP establishment and the tea party back home.

It's easy to say that he falls pretty far to the right on the political spectrum - but this weekend, he'll go even farther. We'll be watching as the anti-choice Cong. Michele Bachmann, founder of the House Tea Party Caucus and advocate for a do-nothing (but investigate "nonsense") Congress, heads to Saint Louis to campaign for Mr. Blunt.

We're certain ours won't be the only eyes on Blunt and Bachmann this weekend. Michele may be the darling of the far-right, but local tea party organizations in Missouri are up in arms that Blunt is attempting to pander to their base. The Franklin County Patriots, a part of the coalition of Missouri Tea Party Groups, stated that "Roy Blunt’s association with Washington D.C. lobbyists has earned him a reputation of being one the largest recipients of lobbyist support." Blunt's had a rough time lately as he continues to doctor his history.

And, what about Michele Bachmann's constituents? It's increasingly certain that Cong. Bachmann cares more about advancing the conservative agenda than fighting for her district. State Sen. Tarryl Clark's campaign is holding Michele accountable - they've got a great map showing just how much time she actually spends at home in Minnesota. While Bachmann is missing votes in the Capitol, Minnesota's taxpayers are missing their representation.

Women taking care of women

By Hilary on 07/28/2010 @ 05:07 PM

Tags: Lucille Royball-Allard, Debbie Stabenow, Health Care, US House

We were so proud to see EMILY's List alum Cong. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) introduce a bill last week that will make an incredible difference in the lives of American women and their newborns. The MOMS for the 21st Century Act will address what Lucille rightly calls a “national tragedy”: according to Amnesty International USA, “women in the United States have a greater lifetime risk of dying of pregnancy-related causes than women in 40 other countries” – and women of color are particularly at risk. The bill’s recommendations will address this risk by promoting safer, more cost-effective maternity care.

We at EMILY's List applaud Lucille's hard work on this issue, and it's a potent reminder that when women are elected to office, all women benefit. During health care reform debates, our women elected officials made sure that basic maternity care was covered. Republican Sen. Jon Kyl (AZ) objected to this requirement, saying, “I don’t need maternity care.” Thankfully, another EMILY’s List alum, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI) was there to say to Kyl, “I think your mom probably did.” Soon after, the amendment that would’ve allowed insurers to exclude basic maternity coverage was defeated.

With our team of women in office, women and their families are reaping the benefits -- it's why we do what we do.

Who is Roy Blunt?

By Hilary on 07/28/2010 @ 02:07 PM

Tags: MO-Sen, 2010 Elections, Roy Blunt, Robin Carnahan

Let's be blunt, it is time for Roy’s tenure in Washington to be over. Robin Carnahan has been putting the needs of Missouri's taxpayers, families, and children above everything else.

What are seven-term Cong. Roy Blunt's priorities?

Well, they certainly don’t seem to be people on Main Street. New reports show that, on the same day Blunt voted against the financial reform bill that would protect American consumers, the congressman filled his campaign war chest with over $13,000 in cash from Wall Street special interests. The bill passed without Blunt's support, but it’s clear where Blunt’s loyalties lay: not with the people of Missouri, but with his friends on Wall Street. So far, Roy Blunt has raked in $1.6 million from Wall Street special interests and he's remained silent after reports showed the Wall Street bailout he backed paid his bank exec friends billions.

On the campaign trail, Blunt puts on quite the show to prove he’s one of the people – the very Missourians whose interests he works against while in DC. Sure, he may drive around in a rented pickup truck when back in his home state, but we’re not fooled by this masquerade -- Roy Blunt is the Very Worst of Washington. In the end, it's all double-talk and a steady stream of money from cronies and fat cats for his war chest.

Cong. Roy Blunt is exactly why electing Robin Carnahan is what Missouri needs and deserves: a smart, capable, efficient leader who will work for her constituents no matter what.

Anti-choicers make bold move to "educate" California Latino voters

By Hilary on 07/27/2010 @ 05:07 PM

Tags: Barbara Boxer, 2010 Elections, CA-Sen, SBA List

The conservative Susan B. Anthony List just won't let up their attacks on pro-choice Democratic women candidates, and in California, they're putting their money where their mouth is to push a regressive, anti-woman agenda. To the tune of $100,00, they're launching a Latino "voter education" effort to sing the praises of failed CEO and tea partier Carly Fiorina, who's trying to unseat Sen. Barbara Boxer.

Somehow we doubt this effort, which will include a bus tour and online ads, will actually tell the real story of Carly Fiorina, who was fired from HP after a disastrous tenure (but still with a $21 million golden parachute!); who happily shipped American jobs overseas and laid off thousands of workers; and who supports letting people on the no-fly list purchase guns. This all adds up to a candidate who would not advocate on behalf of California's families, women, or economy.

Barbara Boxer, on the other hand, actually has worked for the interests of working Californians by leading on financial reform, protecting women from domestic violence, and creating sustainable clean energy jobs. The only woman Carly seems to value is herself – taking gobs of Wall Street money after laying off employees, calling the expansion of health care coverage "a sham" that will "ration care," and wanting roll back the clock to pre-Roe v. Wade days.

The good news is, EMILY's List's WOMEN VOTE! team will be hard at work to educate and mobilize women voters so they understand who is truly fighting for them and their families. Our WOMEN VOTE! team has time-tested techniques that integrate research, advanced information technology, and old-fashioned grassroots organizing to turn out women voters for our candidates. In Alabama, WOMEN VOTE! did just that to help EMILY's List candidate Terri Sewell to victory in her primary and run-off elections.

EMILY's List will be there to ensure California voters know exactly what they're deciding between: Carly Fiorina, an anti-choice candidate who won't work for families, and Barbara Boxer, whose values are truly pro-woman and pro-family.