Stop the Ryan Budget!
The extreme budget plan passed by the House GOP yesterday would kill Medicare as we know it while giving huge tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. And instead of reducing our national debt, it would actually make it worse!
We've seen how radical these Republicans are - they nearly shut down the federal government trying to gut women's health care and defund the EPA. The GOP budget is an affront to working men and women and an attempt to unravel our nation's safety net strand by strand. Democrats must stand together and fight back.
Sign our petition and stand in opposition. It's simply unconscionable to create a budget that gives breaks to billionaires and corporations on the backs of seniors, firefighters and teachers.
In 2012, Democrats are defending 23 seats. Republicans only have 10. A net gain of four seats, and we'd lose the Senate. We wouldn't be able to stop crazy legislation like the 2012 Republican budget. We need the help of the grassroots to defend our Democratic firewall.
Click here to give $5 or more to the DSCC. We need to raise $230,000 by our April 30 FEC deadline to push back against the radical Republicans and defend our Democratic majority. More than 90 percent of our donations come from the grassroots!
On the Map
Republican candidates will do just about anything for the Tea Party. GOPers are calling Pell Grants welfare and slashing funding for women's health care. We've been watching these candidates' every move, so here are updates from a few key states:
NEVADA: Great news in the Silver State! Rep. Shelley Berkley has jumped into the Senate race to replace embattled Republican Sen. John Ensign, who's giving up his seat after a scandal and criminal and ethics investigations. Berkley fights hard every day on behalf of all Nevadans and knows what it takes to create good jobs and strengthen the economy. Meanwhile, extremist Rep. Dean Heller is running for the Republican nomination. Heller wants to end Medicare as we know it and voted to cut more than 6,000 Nevada jobs, slash job training programs and keep Yucca Mountain open.
MASSACHUSETTS: Sen. Scott Brown has officially been exposed as a flip-flopping hypocrite. During the recent budget fight, Brown voted for a measure that would strip Planned Parenthood of all federal funding. Then he turned right around and attacked his fellow Republicans for trying to strip Planned Parenthood of all federal funding. Sounds like hypocrisy to us. Then there's the little issue of health care reform. Brown was a big fan when Gov. Mitt Romney passed it on the state level, but demands the repeal of "Obamacare" on the national level. Clearly, Dr. Jekyll has turned into Mr. Hyde for his re-election bid.
VIRGINIA: The nastiness is just beginning. Republicans face a bitter, bloody primary between former Sen. George Allen - he of "Macaca" fame - and Tea Party leader Jamie Radtke. Radtke wants to dump the minimum wage, a favorite bit of Tea Party red meat. Will Allen jump on the two-bucks-an-hour bandwagon, or will he devise another way to prove his Tea Party cred? Meanwhile, former Gov. Tim Kaine jumped into the Senate race, giving us the best possible chance of holding onto the blue seat currently occupied by retiring Sen. Jim Webb. As governor, Kaine improved Virginia's economy, brought business to the state and made education and the environment top priorities.MONTANA: Rep. Denny Rehberg just might be the most extreme major Republican candidate running for the Senate - and that says a lot. Rehberg recently called Pell Grants "the welfare of the 21st Century." Then he doubled down, adding: "You can go to school, collect your Pell Grants, get food stamps, low-income energy assistance, section 8 housing, and all of a sudden we find ourselves subsidizing people that don't have to graduate from college." Apparently, Rehberg thinks that the 24,000 Montanans who will receive Pell Grants next year will turn the grant into a life of leisure on the government dole. It's outrageous. Pell Grants ensure that people can afford an education, get good jobs and support their families.
FLORIDA: The GOP race to take on Sen. Bill Nelson can be summed up in one word: messy. There are two official candidates: Florida State Senate president Mike Haridopolos, and former Charlie Crist-appointed seatwarming Sen. George LeMieux. A second former, former state House majority leader Adam Hasner, is dipping his toe. Haridopolos and Hasner both were the subject of ethics complaints, while LeMieux has to figure out a way to distance himself from his longtime best buddy, Crist. Crist, who dubbed LeMieux his "maestro," is persona non grata among Florida Republicans after he ditched the party and ran for the Senate as an independent when it became clear he wasn't extreme enough to win the Republican nomination. LeMieux has a short-yet-predictably Republican Senate record: He opposed health care reform and refused to stand up for unemployed Floridians.
QUICK HITS: In New Mexico, Democrats have a top-notch candidate in Rep. Martin Heinrich, an engineer by training who's been an advocate for technology innovation and clean energy. Heinrich is also a strong defender of New Mexican workers and families. And in Indiana and Utah, GOP Sens. Dick Lugar and Orrin Hatch are top Tea Party targets.
We Need You!
The Democratic Senate is the firewall against the dangerous legislation pushed by House Republicans. We need your help to defend the firewall, and it's a big job. Democrats have 23 seats to defend next year, while the GOP has only 10. A net loss of four seats, and we lose the majority. Please make an immediate donation to the DSCC. We're already hard at work recruiting strong candidates, holding Republicans accountable and building the campaign infrastructure we need to win in 2012. But we can't win without your help!
Click here to give $5 or more to the DSCC. We have an important fundraising deadline on April 30, and we must raise $230,000 to defend our Democratic majority. More than 90 percent of our donations come from grassroots donors!