Black Independent Party (ARK) Archives

Robert -- Today is  Hillary Clinton 's last day as  Secretary of State . She did an outstanding job representing our country for the past four years -- and I wanted to thank her for her service. Add your name to our thank-you note to Secretary Clinton. We'll deliver your message to her: http://my.democrats.org/Thank-Hillary Thanks, Debbie Debbie Wasserman Schultz Chair Democratic National Committee

Robert, The 2012 election brought tremendous gains for  women in Congress , with a total of 97 women serving in both chambers. But those achievements are anything but permanent. In 2014, three female Democratic senators will be up for re-election. In the House, 13 newly elected Democratic women will once again face serious challengers. We have to be ready to support them. Give to my Off the Sidelines PAC so we can defend Democratic women from right-wing attacks and ensure they remain in Congress where they belong. We need to raise $30,000 before midnight tonight to make this year's first end-of-the-month goal. Please, don’t wait. Click here to donate $5 to Off the Sidelines before the deadline in just 13 hours. This is the first monthly goal of 2013, so it’s critical we reach it. Building up our resources now for the next mid-term election is absolutely essential. It’s the only way to hold our majority in the Senate and make gains in the House. And it’s the only way...

robert, Strength. Dignity. Determination. And some great dance moves. That's just some of what we saw out of  Hillary Clinton  in her service as  secretary of state . From being the first secretary of state to visit Burma since 1955 to standing tough in the face of congressional hearings to advancing the cause of girls and women around the globe,  Hillary Clinton showed us time and again what women in leadership can do. Click here to read Hillary Clinton's best moments as secretary of state. We're so grateful for Hillary's service to our country and for being a beacon of hope to women around the world and we know you are too. Thanks so much for always being there for the women fighting to keep moving our country -- and the world -- forward. EMILY's List P.S. If you haven't added your name to our thank you card for Hillary's service to our country,  give Hillary your message of thanks and sign right now.

Robert, Our efforts to prevent gun violence just got a big boost. Today, Republican Senator Mark Kirk and I introduced a bill to fight gun trafficking. This is the first bipartisan action since the tragic shooting in Newtown. It would define gun trafficking as a federal crime, impose stiff penalties on perpetrators and help stop the flow of illegal weapons onto our streets. We need to pass it. Gaining Senator Kirk’s support is an enormous help, but it does not guarantee success. As you know, any proposed gun law is going to meet stiff resistance in Congress. That’s why I need you to speak out now in support of this bill. The only way to press forward is by accepting nothing less. Sign my petition today, and tell members of Congress to pass The Gun Trafficking Prevention Act. Let lawmakers know that you demand action to stop rampant gun violence. It shouldn’t take the senseless killing of innocent children and teachers to get strong gun laws in place. Now that we’re here,...

Robert -- Today in Nevada,  President Obama  laid out his plan for  comprehensive immigration reform , and right now, he needs to know who's ready to help get this done. Add your name in support of the President's plan for immigration reform today. Ask pretty much anyone, and they'll agree: Our nation's immigration system is broken. But working together, we can fix it so everyone plays by the same rules. To that end, the President has proposed the following steps: - Continue to strengthen and secure our borders; - Crack down on companies that hire undocumented workers; - Establish a legal path to earned citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are already here -- including children who were brought here through no fault of their own; - And streamline legal immigration for those who are already playing by the rules. Solving this problem is not only essential to a strong economy and a thriving middle class, it's also the right thing to do. The time ...

Breaking news: Violence Against Women Act reintroduced in House and Senate robert, If Republicans want to prove they care about women, they're off to a pretty bad start in 2013. House Republicans let the Violence Against Women Act expire last December -- for the first time in nearly 25 years.   The GOP's callous abandonment of the more than 1.3 million women abused by a partner each year is absolutely outrageous.  But our pro-choice Democratic women -- like Jeanne Shaheen, Kay Hagan, and Barbara Mikulski in the Senate, and Louise Slaughter, Nancy Pelosi, and Gwen Moore in the House -- are on the case, speaking out bravely and introducing new legislation to get the landmark law back on the books.   Join us in sending our women leaders a message that the EMILY's List community is behind them all the way.  Sign our petition and tell the amazing women fighting to pass VAWA that you're standing with them. The Republicans have made their 2013 priorities pretty clear...

robert, Tammy Baldwin, Elizabeth Warren,  and  Mazie Hirono. Maggie Hassan,  and a total of more than 28 of our fearless pro-choice Democratic senators and congresswomen. Almost 1,400 amazing EMILY's List members.  True Strength In Numbers. We all gathered yesterday to revel in our amazing 2012 victories -- and pledged to continue to fight together in pursuit of our progressive ideals. And we did it all on the weekend that we inaugurate President Obama for another four years of fighting for our progress.   And every single one of those amazing women would tell you the same thing: that  this inspiring day wouldn't have been possible without you.   We didn't want you to miss a single moment -- click here to see photos, watch our special Strength In Numbers video, and read our wrap-up from yesterday's sellout event! Take care, and here's to more and more amazing weekends like this one.    Stephanie

Robert L., Tomorrow morning on the steps of the U.S. Capitol,  Barack Obama  will be sworn in for his second term as President of the United States. I’m excited to be there to witness this historic event, which is always such a powerful reminder of the great democracy we live in. Please join me in congratulating President Obama on this special day, and let him know that you will stand with him over the next four years. Click here to sign my congratulatory card, and wish the president the best as he takes the oath of office. There is so much to be done during his second term. Over the past few weeks, we’ve mapped out an ambitious agenda. By pulling together now, I am confident we can accomplish it. Sincerely, Kirsten

robert, This is appalling. Yesterday, on his radio show,  Rush Limbaugh  said:  "You know how to stop abortion? Require that each one occur with a gun." That's right. At a time when we need to have a serious conversation about gun safety and mental health -- and when we still have a Republican House unwilling to protect women through the  Violence Against Women Act  -- Rush Limbaugh decides to spew even more hateful vitriol toward women. None of us has forgotten the vile anti-woman abuse leveled at Sandra Fluke last year by Rush. We can't let this latest outrage go unchallenged. Click here to send a clear message to Rush Limbaugh: your violent language toward women is unacceptable. Our community knows just how devastating gun violence can be, especially for our country's families. Join us today in taking a stand against Rush's verbal attacks against women. Stephanie

Dear Robert, When many people think of the  filibuster , they think of the 1939 film  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington . In this classic, Senator Smith talks ceaselessly on the Senate floor to stand up for the little guy against the special interests. It's an unusual and dramatic scene. Today, that scene has been turned upside down.  Senate Republicans routinely use the filibuster to block anything and everything they dislike -- no matter how uncontroversial or critical it is -- to protect special interests at the expense of the little guy. Thankfully, the Senate has an opportunity to fix the filibuster next week, and I -- along with Senators Jeff Merkley and Tom Udall -- plan to do it. Click here to sign my petition to promote transparency and accountability, and get the Senate working again, by fixing the filibuster. Defenders of this kind of obstruction like to point to the traditions of the Senate in support of their cynical actions. But our founding fathers ...

Robert -- Yesterday, President Obama announced his plan to protect our children and our communities by helping reduce gun violence. We won't stop every violent act like the one in Newtown, Connecticut. But if we can save the life of even one child, the President believes each of us has a responsibility to take action. People like you spoke out and demanded action. Your input, along with ideas from leaders and policymakers across the political spectrum, went into the President's plan. Learn more about the plan, and say you stand with President Obama in tackling this critical issue. Most gun owners use their guns safely and responsibly, and the President believes firmly in protecting our Second Amendment rights. But common-sense changes can go a long way in keeping our streets and our schools safer -- and there's too much at stake to stand by and wait for action. The President will not wait. Yesterday, he signed 23 executive actions to start moving our country in the right d...

Robert -- We did it! Thank you. It was a battle hard fought. We built the largest, most dynamic grassroots organization in history, and we beat back the unprecedented outside spending on the other side. On Tuesday, voters chose to move forward, giving President Obama four more years to finish what we started together.  I am so proud of the tens of thousands of supporters who made phone calls, knocked on doors till their knuckles were sore, talked to their friends and neighbors, or chipped in what they could to support President Obama and Democrats -- you all made this possible. This victory is yours.  We can't stop here. We have more battles ahead and we need to work together with President Obama to continue building an economy from the middle class out -- and a country where prosperity, education, and equal rights aren't limited to those who can afford them. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I will never forget the night we re-elected President Barack Obama, and I w...

 Robert L., Last night was an important night for our country, from re-electing President Obama to sending men and women to the Senate who will work across the aisle, find common ground and end the partisan gridlock. We did this because people like you worked for it and voted for it. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you enough for the honor and privilege of continuing to fight for New York families in the U.S. Senate. We have a lot of work to do. Our state is still in great crisis. Communities across New York, in New York City, Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley, are still recovering. Even with unprecedented federal response, people are still hurting. Lives have been shattered. Homes destroyed. We will rebuild. When we face down challenges, we always rise to them. It’s because we believe something both simple and profound: “We’re all in this toge...

Robert, Progressives have a lot to celebrate today. Together, we united to fight the exploding corporate influence in this election -- and the result is clear: your power is greater than theirs. We decided to come together to show corporations, Wall Street lobbyists, and multi-billionaires that they couldn't buy their way to victory -- and together, we helped progressives win in races up and down the ballot, throughout the country. In the face billions of dollars in unlimited, corporate attacks, we proved that the people are more powerful than a handful of big-money executives and Wall Street lobbyists: Barack Obama has won. And to fight with him, progressives like Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Baldwin, Chris Murphy, Sherrod Brown, Jon Tester, and others are headed to the Senate to push for real reform. But this isn't the end of the line for big money. With the election over, attention will turn almost immediately to deciding whether the middle class is held hostage by unnec...

robert, After an incredible night of history-making wins, nail-bitingly close margins, frantic real-time Twitter updates, and celebratory hugs, I'm going to borrow a phrase from our triumphantly re-elected President: You built this.   Friends, you took a hammer to glass ceilings across the country, from the Aloha State to the Badger State, helping elect  Tammy Baldwin ,  Elizabeth Warren , and  Mazie Hirono  who will all be the first women to represent their states in the Senate.   Thanks to you, the unsinkable Senator  Claire McCaskill  will return for a second term, joined of course by Sens.  Debbie Stabenow ,  Kirsten Gillibrand ,  Maria Cantwell , Amy Klobuchar , and  Dianne Feinstein , who also won re-election.  The U.S. House will reconvene in January a more diverse and inclusive body with 15 (and counting!) new pro-choice Democratic women, due in no small part to your steadfast backing of  Elizabeth Esty...

Dear Robert L., After a campaign like that -- after a night like last night -- I have only two words: Thank you. Okay, I could say a lot more. I could tell you how proud I am that we stuck together and overcame $40 million in special interest spending. I could tell you how excited I am about the chance we now have to keep our country moving forward. Or I could tell you how honored Connie and I have been to make so many new friends -- and work with so many old ones -- during this long campaign. But when I think about all the hard work you did to make this victory possible, I’m just overcome with gratitude. I hope you take a moment today to celebrate this victory and the President's re-election -- but I also hope you’ll be ready to get back to work soon. We have much to do, and more powerful opponents standing between us and the America we want to build. The kind of grassroots effort that won this election is exactly what we’ll need to make real change in Washington. That’s for...

Robert -- Today is the day. When it's over, we'll know who will be sitting in the White House for the next four years, and who will be representing us in Congress. Right now, if you haven't already, you've got to vote. And then, keep going. You can make a huge impact throughout the day.  Find out how you can help get out the vote: https://my.democrats.org/GOTV Everything we're fighting for in this election could come down to a few votes per precinct -- we all have to do our part. Let's get this done. See you on the other side of Election Day. Let's both do what it takes to make sure we're smiling when we get there. Thank you, Debbie Debbie Wasserman Schultz Chair Democratic National Committee

Robert, Election Day has finally arrived. Today, Sheldon Adelson's money doesn't matter. Karl Rove's money doesn't matter. The Koch brothers' money, the phony "social welfare" organizations, and the super PACs don't matter. All that matters today is that which gives us hope for saving our country: votes, cast by real people, one at a time. You have one vote, and it's your duty and obligation as a progressive to cast it today, if you haven't already. Click here to find your polling location , or check with your local voter registrar to find out where you can vote today. After you vote, the most important thing you can do is make sure your fellow voters cast their ballots, and studies show that people who think their friends have voted are more likely to vote themselves. Thank you for uniting as a progressive, Russ Feingold Founder Progressives United

Robert -- I've been through many Election Days -- every one is a rush of nerves, excitement, anxiety, and exhaustion all at once. The secret to getting through: Always be doing something.  So here's a resource you can keep coming back to until the polls close. Obviously, the most important thing you need to do is vote.  Confirm your polling location and hours. Make sure you ask some neighbors to go with you when you head over. But when you're done with that, don't wait around for the news. Make the news -- do something: http://my.democrats.org/What-You-Can-Do You don't even have to wait for Election Day to start. You can do something right now.  See you when it's all over. Joe

Robert -- We know what we believe. We know the stakes. Now we need to win. Here are two things you should do right away: First: If you haven't voted already, make a plan for when you're going to the polls -- and confirm your polling place and hours. And know that as long as you're at your polling place before it closes, you'll be able to vote. Make sure everyone you know has this link to confirm their polling place, too: http://my.democrats.org/lookup Second: We can't afford to step back and hope others will make the difference. So once you vote today, keep going. Get on the phone, get online -- all day long, there will be something you can do to help. It's all right here: http://my.democrats.org/Do-Something We are capable of so much when we are all in this together. Please come through today. Thank you, Barack