The Democratic Reunion: Hope in
the Heartland
July
29 events kick off plan for: 100 Days, 100 Voters, 100 Actions
Join Democrats from across Kansas and across the nation for an
organizing event July 29. The Democratic Reunion: Hope
in the Heartland will join Democrats together in communities
across Kansas to make a commitment to contact 100 voters before
Election Day — November 7, 2006.
These events are part of the unprecedented 50-State Strategy
and follows a successful National Organizing Kickoff held in cities
across the United States on April 29. In Kansas, nearly 400 volunteers
participated in canvasses in 19 Kansas communities and talked
to thousands of voters across the state.
On July 29, the Kansas Democratic Party will prepare lists of
100 voters for volunteers to “adopt” in their communities
during the following 100 days. Volunteers will be provided with
materials to contact these voters and spread our message of Hope
in the Heartland. We will also ask volunteers to recruit at least
10 volunteers to work on Election Day and attend our Training
Day on September 30.
Democratic Reunion: Hope in the Heartland events will be listed
on the Democratic National Committee’s website. Stay tuned
to the event calendar on www.ksdp.org for event details and information
as they are finalized later this week.
Click on the link below for more information:
http://democrats.org/democraticreunion
Republicans
Offer No Relief As
Student Loan Interest Rates Skyrocket
Washington,
DC - Starting tomorrow, students and parents who take out new
loans to pay for college will pay considerably higher interest
rates. Also, college graduates who don't consolidate and lock
in their rates will be subject to a rate hike. This drastic change
will affect millions of Americans. In 2005 alone, seven million
students took out federal college loans to pay the increasingly
high cost of college tuition, which has increased an average of
40 percent for four-year public colleges under the Bush Administration.
(Source: House Education Committee)
In Kansas, 61 percent of undergraduates have a student loan,
with the average college graduate owing $16,029. The rising cost
of college continues to threaten access a degree for students
across our state.
This new interest rate hike comes on the heels of Washington
Republicans, including Kansas Congressmen Ryun (2nd District),
Tiahrt (4th District) and Moran (1st District), who callously
passed the largest cut to student aid in history. Democratic Congressman
Dennis Moore (3rd District) voted against this cut to student
aid.
Washington Republicans have slashed $12 billion from student
aid programs, not for deficit reduction as Republicans have claimed,
but to finance additional tax cuts for special interests and the
wealthy, leaving trillions of dollars of debt for future generations
to pay off.
Democrats have an alternative plan that eases the burden on America’s
working families by cutting up to $5,600 in interest costs on
loans while fully funding student aid programs like the Pell Grant
and Perkins Loans.
"The Republican Party has once again demonstrated how out
of touch it is with real American values," College Democrats
of America President Grant Woodard said. "Providing all young
people with the opportunity to attend college is crucial to the
future of this great country.
"Today's students are tomorrow's doctors, lawyers, and politicians
and they deserve leaders who make it easier, not harder, to pay
for their education. Republicans should join Democrats who have
a plan to cut interest rates and fully fund financial aid programs
without leaving a legacy of huge deficits to the next generation."
MUST READ: Don't Dismantle the
Voting Rights Act
July 7, 2006
An op-ed in today's New York Times by the late President
Lyndon Baines Johnson's daughters says that Congressional
Republicans are disabling the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by allowing
critical voting safeguards to expire such as Section 5 that protects
voters in areas with histories of discrimination and Section 203
which requires language assistance to promote voting by citizens
with limited English proficiency. Just as President Johnson stood
up to members of his own party to pass the VRA, it's time for
Republican leaders to stand up to the right-wing extremists in
their party to protect the Constitutional right to vote for every
American.
Below are excerpts from the New York Times editorial:
Don't Dismantle the Voting Rights Act
By Luci Baines Johnson and Lynda Johnson Robb
The New York Times
July 7, 2006
"The Voting Rights Act, signed into law on Aug. 6, 1965,
by our father, President Lyndon Johnson, opened the political
process to millions of Americans... Now, crucial provisions of
this legislation are in jeopardy. Last month, Congress seemed
set to renew expiring sections intended to prevent voter discrimination
based on race or language proficiency. Instead, a group of House
lawmakers opposed to those sections succeeded in derailing their
consideration.
"...No one disputes that our nation has come a long way
since the Voting Rights Act was first signed into law. But while
it would be nice to think we don't need this legislation anymore,
we do. We still struggle with the legacy of institutionalized
racism. If either of the act's two sections under attack is weakened
or allowed to expire, the door will be opened to a new round of
discriminatory practices.
"...The reauthorization stalled in Congress is called the
Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights
Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006. Were he alive
today, we believe President Johnson would be honored to have this
bill named after such remarkable women. Its passage would be a
fitting tribute to their collective efforts to expand the scope
of civil rights and citizenship. In his own era, our father faced
powerful opposition to the Voting Rights Act, including from members
of his own party. Nonetheless, he pushed forward with the legislation
because he knew it was desperately needed. It was the right thing
to do then. It still is."
To read the entire New York Times Op-Ed, please click
here.
Democratic
Senatorial Campaign Committee
Tip Sheet – Week of 07/03/06
What’s Hot: Immigration,
Dems on the Offense,
Bush Ties Hurt GOP…
- Immigration… 1) DSCC Chair Chuck
Schumer and DCCC Chair Rahm Emanuel
said Republican efforts to make immigration the centerpiece
of their 2006 campaign will backfire on them because of their
abysmal record enforcing the nation’s immigration laws.
Highlights of poll data backing their argument are below . 2)
Claire McCaskill repeated her call for stricter
regulations on employers who hire illegals, arguing that we
can only get tough on immigration with tougher enforcement of
the rules.
- Dems on the Offense … In this year’s
first Democratic weekly radio address by a Democratic challenger,
Jim Webb attacked Bush and the GOP’s
handling of the war in Iraq , saying Republicans choose to play
politics rather than work to solve the problem. Webb also slammed
George Allen for voting against raising the
minimum wage while voting for his own Congressional pay raise
… Harold Ford Jr. criticized the three
potential GOP candidates for not acknowledging the scientifically-proven
problem of global warming … Amy Klobuchar called for a
more transparent process of awarding government contracts, public
disclosure of lobbyist spending and an independent office for
enforcement of ethics rules.
- Bush Ties Hurt GOP… Mark Kennedy
removed most references to Bush from his website in an effort
to hide his loyalty to Bush … Sherrod Brown
charged that Bush is rewarding Mike DeWine’s
loyalty by hosting high-dollar fundraisers for DeWine …
Bush faced hundreds of protesters outside a fundraiser for Jim
Talent.
- Kean Jr.’s False Charges… Tom
Kean Jr. exhausted the last of his credibility by producing
a campaign video based on false charges against Bob
Menendez that top newspapers, court documents and first-hand
accounts have proven false .
- Whitehouse Leads… For the first time,
a Brown University poll has Sheldon Whitehouse leading Lincoln
Chafee, 38% - 37% . In February, Chafee had a 6-point lead over
Whitehouse, 40% - 34%. Whitehouse also leads GOP primary challenger
Steve Laffey, 55% - 25% . Meanwhile, Bill Clinton
said Whitehouse is needed to change the nation’s direction
.
- On the Trail… Bob Casey
kicked off the first leg of his “New Direction ”
bus tour, discussing health care, education and high gas prices
… McCaskill is traveling rural Missouri
with her mother in a 31-foot RV to reach out to voters …
Sherrod Brown spoke to every single person
at a local campaign stop about Ohio job loss , U.S. trade policies
and immigration … Jon Tester challenged
Conrad Burns to four debates over the next
four months, promising to work around Burns’ busy golfing
and fundraising schedule … With the help of the VA Dem
Party, Mark Warner pledged to campaign statewide
and host fundraisers for Webb.
- At the Races… A new Strategic Vision
(GOP) poll has Bill Nelson leading Katherine
Harris by a 35-point margin, 61% - 26% … Robert
Byrd leads GOP challenger John Raese
by a 29-point margin (59-30) in a new State Journal poll. Byrd,
the longest serving Senator in U.S. history, has a 71% approval
in the state … Casey went on the air with his first TV
spot , arguing that Washington’s priorities are backwards
and calling for fiscal responsibility.
Current
National Polling
- By a 20-point margin the public wants Dems in control of Congress
in a Bloomberg/LA Times poll.
- Dems have a 16-point lead on which party is best equipped
to handle the country’s most urgent challenges and are
now leading on the Iraq war, ethics and immigration in a Bloomberg/LA
Times poll.
- Voters would select a Dem over a GOP candidate for Congress
by a 16-point margin, 54%-38%, a 4-point jump since June 9-11,
in a Gallup/USA Today poll.
- By a 13-point margin, more Dems are enthusiastic about November
elections than Republicans, in a Gallup/USA Today poll.
- By an 18-point margin, registered voters are more likely
to vote for a candidate who opposes Bush than one who supports
him, in a Gallup/USA Today poll.
Dems Better
on Immigration: The Data
- George Bush has a negative 20-point rating on the handling
of immigration.
- A majority of voters (68% ) believe George Bush is doing
a poor job of enforcing illegal immigration laws.
- By a 2-to-1 margin, voters will blame Republicans in Congress
for failure to pass significant reforms.
- Voters were more likely to support a Dem candidate who says
that while Bush has talked tough on illegal immigration he has
failed to enforce immigration laws.
- Apprehensions of illegal immigrants at the border have declined
by 31% while apprehensions dropped by 36% in the country’s
interior.
- Audits of employers suspected of using illegal immigrants
have dropped from 8,000 under Clinton to less than 2,200 in
FY 2003.
State-By-State
Polling
Arizona
WSJ/Zogby 6/22/06
48% Senator Jon Kyl
42% Chairman Jim Pederson
Florida
Quinnipiac 6/30/06
59% Senator Bill Nelson
26% Rep. Katherine Harris
Maryland
WSJ/Zogby 6/22/06
51% Rep. Ben Cardin
40% Lt. Gov. Michael Steele
51% Former Rep. Kweisi Mfume
42% Lt. Gov. Michael Steele
Michigan
Strategic Vision 6/21/06
50% Senator Debbie Stabenow
37% Oakland Co. Sheriff Mike Bouchard
53% Senator Debbie Stabenow
34% Reverend Keith Butler
Minnesota
WSJ/Zogby 6/22/06
49% Hennepin Co. Atty. Amy Klobuchar
41% Rep. Mark Kennedy
Missouri
St. Louis Post-Dispatch 6/24/06
49% State Auditor Claire McCaskill
43% Senator Jim Talent
Montana
Lee Newspapers 5/28/06
42% Sen. Conrad Burns
45% State Senate Pres. Jon Tester
Nebraska
Rasmussen 5/13/06
54% Sen. Ben Nelson
35% Fmr. Ameritrade CEO Pete Ricketts
New Jersey
Rasmussen 6/27/06
46% Rep. Bob Menendez
40% State Senator Tom Kean Jr.
Ohio
WSJ/Zogby 6/22/06
47% Rep. Sherrod Brown
34% Senator Mike DeWine
Pennsylvania
Quinnipiac 6/21/06
52% State Treasurer Bob Casey, Jr.
34% Senator Rick Santorum
Rhode Island
Brown University 6/27/06
37% US Senator Lincoln Chafee
38% Fmr. State AG Sheldon Whitehouse
25% Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey
55% Fmr. State AG Sheldon Whitehouse
Tennessee
WSJ/Zogby 6/22/06
41% Rep. Harold Ford Jr.
42% Fmr. Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker
41% Rep. Harold Ford Jr.
46% Fmr. Rep. Ed Bryant
43% Rep. Harold Ford Jr.
43% Fmr. Rep. Van Hilleary
Vermont
Rasmussen 6/13/06
67% Rep. Bernie Sanders
29% CEO Richard Tarrant
Virginia
WSJ/Zogby 6/22/06
49% Senator George Allen
44% Fmr. Navy Secretary Jim Webb
Washington
Strategic Vision 6/30/06
47% US Senator Maria Cantwell
43% CEO Mike McGavick
West Virginia
State Journal 6/29/06
59% US Senator Robert Byrd
30% Businessman John Raese
Past News
June 2006
April 2006
March
2006
February 2006
January
2006
December
2005
November
2005
October
2005
September
2005
August
2005
July 2005
June
2005
