Tom Steyer 2020 Campaign Announces Senior Staff

Today, the Tom Steyer 2020 campaign announced some of its initial senior staff. The list is predominantly comprised of national leadership roles based out of the campaign headquarters in San Francisco, CA, and early primary state directors. 

“We are thrilled about the political talent and experience our staff brings to Tom’s campaign,” said Campaign Manager Heather Hargreaves. “Our senior staff members are experts in their fields, winning several races across the country and bringing decades of campaign experience with them. Their ability to effectively lead their teams and apply their expertise will be invaluable as we work together to ensure Tom is the Democratic nominee for president of the United States."

The staff the Steyer campaign announced today are:

Campaign Manager - Heather Hargreaves

Heather has more than 15 years of experience in politics, serving in senior positions in Democratic political campaigns across the country. Previously, she was the executive director of NextGen America where she oversaw all of NextGen’s electoral and advocacy programs, comprising a budget of more than $75 million for the 2018 cycle. Heather also worked on both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns, including serving as general election director in Nevada in 2008. 

Deputy Campaign Manager, Digital - Martha Patzer

Martha is a former principal with 270 Strategies, and most recently served as head of digital at Need to Impeach, where she led the mobilization of more than eight million impeachment activists to help turn out the vote in 2018. In 2012, she was deputy email director for OFA, leading the team of digital strategists that raised more than $690 million online for the reelection effort.

Deputy Campaign Manager, Battleground States - Abdul Henderson

Abdul is the former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus where he served as the strategic operations and policy advisor for the Caucus and its 46 members. He is also a veteran that served in Operation Iraqi Freedom with the United States Marine Corps.

Senior Advisor - Doug Rubin

Doug is the founding partner at Northwind Strategies and a veteran communications and political strategist. He served as a senior strategist for Elizabeth Warren’s 2012 US Senate campaign, Joe Kennedy III’s US Congressional campaign, and for both of Governor Deval Patrick’s successful gubernatorial campaigns. He also spent nearly three years as chief of staff for Governor Patrick and three years as the first deputy treasurer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under Treasurer Tim Cahill. 

Senior Advisor, Finance - Jenna Narayanan 

Jenna is a former vice president at NextGen America. Before joining NextGen, Jenna was the development director at Democracia and worked for John Edwards’ presidential campaign. She has over 15 years of experience as a political advisor and social impact strategist, advising funders, issue advocates, and thought leaders to achieve their policy, political, and philanthropic goals. 

Senior Advisor, Policy - Arnie Sowell

Arnie is currently taking a leave as executive director of the NextGen Policy Center to work on the campaign. Prior to joining NextGen, Arnie spent almost two decades as the policy director in the California Assembly Speaker's Office — working for a total of five speakers.  

National Press Secretary - Alberto Lammers

Formerly the deputy director of communications at Need to Impeach, Alberto has over 15 years of communications and media relations experience working in politics, policy, impact litigation, and social justice issues with various companies and organizations in New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.

Political Director - Malik Hubbard

Malik worked in Ohio state leadership for Obama in '08 and '12 and was the national deputy African American vote director for Hillary Clinton in ‘16. He brings a breadth of Midwest, state & national electoral experience combined with his movement-building expertise from his work at 1199 SEIU and the Center for Popular Democracy Action. 

Director of Strategic Planning and Advance - Samantha Couch

Prior to joining the campaign, Samantha was the deputy director of strategic initiatives at NextGen America. She has spent her career focused on electoral and issue advocacy-based campaigns centered around immigrant rights, climate change, and education. 

Chief Operating Officer - Chris Fadeff

Chris has worked with Steyer since 2013, serving as chief financial officer and vice president of legal for both NextGen America and Need to Impeach. Chris is a Truman National Security Project partner and serves on an advisory committee for the Tides Foundation.

Iowa State Director - Michael Edwards

A native of Davenport, IA, Michael began his work in politics as a field organizer in Iowa during the 2004 election cycle. He has more than 15 years experience managing and advising campaigns all across the country.

South Carolina State Director - Jonathan Metcalf

Jonathan has worked on nine presidential campaigns and has more than 30 years of political experience. In 2008, he served as political outreach coordinator for Obama for America in South Carolina. He was also the chair of Ready for Hillary in South Carolina in 2016. 

New Hampshire State Director - Michael Morrill 

Michael, a native of New England, is the former executive director of Greyroots Action, and the interim ED of Progress South Carolina. He has served as executive director of Keystone Progress, Pennsylvanians United for Quality Care, Pennsylvania’s Campaign for Choice, Pennsylvania Citizen Action and Christian Churches of the Tri-County Area. 

Nevada State Director - Jocelyn Sida 

Jocelyn is formerly with MoveOn.Org, and served as deputy campaign manager for Amy Vilela for Congress and was the Mi Familia Vota Nevada state director. She has over 10 years of political campaign experience as well issue-based advocacy work in areas of immigration, climate, and health care.

The campaign is rapidly growing and will announce additional staff leadership as state teams continue to develop. 

Cory Booker In Los Angeles To Participate in Roundtable Discussion on Gun Violence Prevention with Mayor Eric Garcetti, Host Grassroots Fundraiser

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - On Wednesday, August 21, Cory Booker will travel to Los Angeles, CA to participate in a variety of events. 

On Wednesday, Cory will host a grassroots fundraiser happy hour with supporters. At the grassroots fundraiser, Cory will continue to address the rise of gun violence and white supremacy, while also making the case that he is the candidate best positioned to unite the party to beat Donald Trump.

On Thursday, August 22, Cory Booker will participate in a roundtable discussion at Vector90, a co-working space co-founded by the late musician Nipsey Hussle, with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Moms Demand Action* California chapter volunteer co-lead Samantha Dorf, and community activists on everyday gun violence in our communities and Cory’s sweeping plan to curb gun violence. 

WHAT: Cory 2020 Los Angeles Grassroots Happy Hour Fundraiser with Cory Booker

WHERE: ScaleLA, 3415 S Sepulveda Blvd 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA

WHEN: Door open at 5:30 PM PT on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 

PRESS: Members of the media interested in covering can RSVP here.

*Public RSVP here

WHAT: Roundtable on Gun Violence Prevention with Cory Booker and Mayor Eric Garcetti 

WHERE: Vector90, 6111 S Gramercy Pl, Los Angeles, CA

WHEN: Thursday, August 22 at 11am PT 

PRESS: Members of the media interested in covering can RSVP here.

*Moms Demand Action affiliation is for identification purposes only and not an indication of organizational support or endorsement.

Julián Castro Releases the “PAW (Protecting Animals and Wildlife)” Plan

A new groundbreaking platform to advance the welfare of animals around the globe

SAN ANTONIO, TX (August 19, 2019) – On Monday, August 19, presidential candidate, former Obama Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, Julián Castro, became the first candidate in the 2020 presidential field to unveil a platform focused on advancing the welfare of animals around the globe, both domestic and wild, raising standards for factory farms, encouraging conservation efforts, including an expansion of U.S. protected lands to 30 percent by 2030 with the goal of 50 percent by 2050.

 

The “PAW (Protecting Animals and Wildlife) Plan”, released via Medium on Monday, proposes making animal abuse a federal crime, ending the killing of domestic dogs and cats for population control, strengthening the Endangered Species Act, creating a $2 billion National Wildlife Recovery Fund to protect wildlife populations, banning the use of federal lands for fossil fuel exploration and extraction, and eliminating the import of big-game trophies.

“The president does not care about animals and his cruel actions prove it. He has put corporate profits over living creatures and individual fortunes over our future,”said Secretary Julián Castro. “This groundbreaking plan will improve the treatment of animals around the country and the world, and undo Donald Trump’s damage.”

This evening at 6:00 PM CST, the Castro family will visit the Animal Defense League of Texas in San Antonio.

The PAW Plan can be viewed here and below:

Advance Animal Welfare

1. Stop the killing of domestic cats and dogs. Over the last few decades, activism, animal welfare laws, and the practice of spaying and neutering pets has decreased the number of healthy dogs and cats euthanized in shelters from over 20 million in 1970 to under 1 million today. We can ensure that no healthy dogs and cats are killed, and that every pet can find a loving home. This requires supporting local communities and states, and implementing policies that strengthen animal welfare and responsible pet ownership.

Work to end the use of lethal methods of animal control and ensure domestic dogs and cats in shelters are able to live in humane conditions by supporting sustainable pet communities.  

• Support local communities in managing local domestic dog and cat populations. Over 23 million pets live in underserved communities and tens of millions of cats do not have owners, according to the Humane Society of the United States. The vast majority of these cats and dogs are not spayed or neutered. They contribute to a growing population that threatens people and wildlife. 

• Establish a $40 million Local Animal Communities grant program within the United States Department of Agriculture. This program would provide grants to local governments to expand access to veterinary care for vaccinations and spaying and neutering services in underserved communities, support cat programs that employ trap-neuter-return (TNR) methods including on military bases, increase assistance to enforce local animal welfare laws, and promote adoption by supporting local public information campaigns.

Support animal companionship in federal policy. Pets are considered family, and federal policy on housing should reflect that fact. Policies that support pet ownership improve the lives of pet owners and will lower the number of dogs and cats turned over to shelters or released into the community.

• Implement pet-friendly, breed-neutral policies in federally-supported affordable housing construction and military housing. I have proposed $500 billion in affordable housing investments over ten years to build at least 3 million new homes and lower the cost of housing in the United States. These new affordable-housing units will be required to have pet-friendly policies.

• Work with federally-supported homeless shelters to ensure pets belonging to homeless individuals seeking refuge are not prohibited entry. I am committed to ending child, family, and youth homelessness by 2024 and chronic homelessness by 2028. Reaching this goal will require additional investments into affordable housing, homelessness-intervention programs, de-criminalizing homelessness, and de-stigmatizing homelessness, including by recognizing the right of homeless individuals to have animal companions.

• Establish a program to support pet-friendly, breed-neutral policies in public housing with technical and financial assistance. Oppose efforts to prohibit pets by public housing authorities.

Strengthen oversight of federally licensed dog breeders and close loopholes in enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act. Dog breeders must commit to minimum animal welfare standards in order to receive a federal license, but inspections are too often infrequent and infractions are commonly ignored with no repercussions. The Trump administration has also taken efforts to hide the names of breeders, animal dealers, and trainers from inspection reports published online. While many breeders maintain safe, sanitary, and humane conditions, the most egregious breeders, often referred to as puppy mills, hold dogs in unsanitary conditions and contribute to overpopulation. 

• Publish all USDA inspection reports of federally licensed dog breeders,including information identifying the breeder, and require pet stores to provide customers with reports on the conditions of the dog breeders.

• Raise minimum comfort standards for dogs in the care of federally licensed breeders, including instituting increased space, veterinary care, and a socializing requirement under the Animal Welfare Act, and implement standards for dogs transported for long periods of time.

• Ensure that federally licensed dog breeders that repeatedly violate Animal Welfare Act requirements face appropriate penalties, including revocation of federal licenses.

• Close loopholes that allow breeders connected to animal abuse to continue operating animal breeding operations by passing the bipartisan WOOF! Act, sponsored by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick and Rep. Charlie Crist in the House of Representatives.

2. Make animal cruelty a federal crime: In 2010, Congress applied criminal penalties for the creation, sale, and distribution of videos depicting animals being killed in inhumane ways in a broad and bipartisan effort. We need to pass the bipartisan PACT Act, introduced by Rep. Ted Deutch and Sen. Pat Toomey, and ensure these actions are prohibited, regardless of if they were filmed.

3. Strengthen animal welfare standards in factory farms. Broad reforms are needed in agriculture to support independent family farms, raise labor standards, and adopt sustainable practices. Animal welfare is directly linked to healthy and sustainable farming practices and is a key component of our broader efforts to combat climate change. 

• Establish minimum standards for animal welfare in agriculture including minimum space standards for livestock and poultry that improve healthy and sustainable farming practices.

• Support funding for farms to participate in independent animal welfare certification programs to improve transparency of agricultural practices, with publicly available inspection reports to inform consumers.

• Oppose efforts by states to institute “ag-gag” laws that silence whistleblowers, limit transparency, and have repeatedly been ruled unconstitutional.

 

 

4. Prohibit the testing of cosmetic products on animals. No animal should have to suffer when we develop perfumes, colognes, and soap when there are humane alternatives. 

5. Ban unlicensed private ownership of big cats, such as lions and tigers. Thousands of lions, tigers, and other big cats that belong in the wild are in the hands of private owners. Some estimates indicate more tigers live in private ownership in the United States than in the wild. This poses a serious threat to public safety and welfare of these animals. We must transition these cats to conservation-oriented programs that are well-equipped to care for them.

6. Protect horses by instituting a permanent ban on horse slaughter for human consumption, ban race-day doping of horses, and strengthen penalties and protections against horse soring. I respect the cultural importance of wild horses and support shifting Bureau of Land Management resources towards range management. This would include science-based data collection and the use of temporary fertility measures to manage the wild horse and burro population.

 

Protect Endangered Species

1. Strengthen the Endangered Species Act. The Trump administration is weakening the Endangered Species Act, making it easier to remove or downgrade protections for animals. The climate crisis is putting over 1 million animal species at risk of extinction. I will ensure Endangered Species Act designations and classifications are created based on scientific facts, incorporating both the current and projected effects of climate change, reversing this administration’s actions. 

2. Establish a $2 billion National Wildlife Recovery Fund. We are in the midst of a wildlife crisis. According to the National Wildlife Federation, more than 150 species in the United States have gone extinct and one-fifth of species worldwide are at a high risk of extinction. The National Wildlife Recovery Fund will provide at least $2 billion in funding each year for state and tribal governments, to protect, maintain, and strengthen wildlife populations.

• Bolster Efforts on Habitat Conservation. Scientists have begun to sound the alarm that we are entering the early stages of a sixth mass extinction. We must protect urban wildlife populations by funding the protection and conservation of important wildlife corridors, as well as double down on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s complex captive breeding and release efforts.

• Rescind Trump administration efforts to undermine the Clean Water Act. The Trump administration’s to undermine environmental laws has been relentless, and one such effort is the ongoing effort to shrink the application of the Clean Water Act. I will overturn these changes to ensure that our rivers, wetlands, tributaries, and the communities and animals who live by them are protected.

• Fund the development and implementation of rigorous systems of monitoring and evaluation for our biodiversity and development programs. Addressing the challenges to our environment requires data, and at the pace of how quickly animals and plants face extinction, the need is dire. We can, for the first time, understand how our policies affect everything from the insects that sustain our ecosystems to the charismatic megafauna that sustain our cultures. 

3. Lead on international wildlife conservation. The threat of climate change and other human-related actions jeopardizes hundreds of animal and plant species around the world. Meeting the collective challenges of climate change demands U.S. leadership. We must take human accelerate climate change seriously and implement specific policies to protect threatened wildlife and our environment.

• Crack down on trophy hunting to protect elephants, lions, rhinoceroses, and other animals. Protecting these majestic animals must first start with repealing repealing the Trump administration’s NRA loopholes that allow trophy hunting and enforcing strict penalties on the domestic ivory trade. We must go further and ensure that animals in the process of receiving a designation under the Endangered Species Act are covered under anti-trophy hunting import restrictions. These policies will be accompanied by working with countries these animals live in to improve conservation efforts, fight corruption, and combat transnational criminal networks that profit from poaching by at least doubling to $20 million each year the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. I will also fully fund programs at the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development to combat wildlife trafficking.

• Protect marine wildlife. Human activities endanger marine life, including coral, tuna, sea turtles, and whales. To protect marine wildlife, the United States must fully enforce the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, ensuring that imported seafood was caught with equipment that meets safety standards to protect marine mammals, expand domestic bycatch prevention, and lead international efforts to protect fisheries.We must also redouble efforts to reduce our reliance on single-use plastics and pass the bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act that equips the United States to better clear marine debris and lead international efforts to keep our oceans clean.

4. Appoint a Secretary of the Interior with a strong record on conservation and environmentalism. I am committed to appointing an Interior Secretary with the experience necessary to manage public lands, strengthen federal-tribal relationships, and work with urgency to combat the climate crisis. 

5. Protect at least 30 percent of America’s lands and oceans by 2030. Defending wildlife, supporting robust ecosystems, and ensuring natural resilience against the effects of climate change requires prioritization of natural lands. This must include expanding protected areas through national monument, park, and wildlife refuge designations. This also requires a collective effort by the federal, state, tribal, and local governments, as well as private landowners, to implement proactive conservation policies to protect lands, including reclaiming degraded lands, reforestation and afforestation, and integrating natural places into urban communities. Reaching this goal sets the stage to protect 50 percent of U.S. lands and oceans by 2050.

• Fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million a year. The LWCF is an effective and popular program to support conservation of our national parks and lands, including historical sites. The Outdoor Industry Association estimates that outdoor recreational activities support over $880 billion in annual economic activity and 7.6 million jobs. Congress has chronically under-funded this program and redirected funding intended for the program to other programs. I commit to fully funding this vital program.

• End the leasing of federal lands for fossil fuel exploration and extraction. Whether is is the Arctic Refuge in Alaska or national parks in the Rocky Mountains, we should ensure that we protect these lands, their inhabitants, and meet our environmental goals to combat climate change.

• Require free, prior, and informed consent from tribal nations for major energy projects on federal lands that would affect those communities.

• Restore the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments to their former size and explore additional lands and marine areas to protect as national monuments, national parks, or national wildlife refuges and protecting National Forests, especially old growth forests, from environmentally destructive activities.

Please consider rescuing an animal:

• Adopt a Pet https://www.adoptapet.com/
• Petfinder https://www.petfinder.com/pet-adoption/dog-adoption/the-pet-adoption-guide/

Beto O'Rourke Delivers Powerful Rebuke to Trump’s Racism at Arkansas Democratic Party Clinton Dinner

Photo credit: KTHV

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS－On Saturday evening, Beto took the stage at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock where he delivered a stirring keynote address at the Arkansas Democratic Party’s annual Clinton Dinner. Beto focused on the gun violence epidemic and America's painful legacy of racism before turning his attention to Donald Trump－calling out the President’s racist, fear mongering rhetoric that has led to an increase in hate crimes across the nation, including the recent attack that claimed the lives of twenty-two victims in El Paso.

“Let’s make sure that at this moment, this defining moment of truth, this moment of peril in which the President has placed us… In this great democracy, where the government is the people and the people are the government, the responsibility to respond to this is on every single one of us…  To connect the dots as we’ve just connected them, to understand the consequences and the cost.” 

Prior to the Clinton Dinner, Beto stopped by a gun show where he listened to several Arkansas voters－including many Republicans who voted for Trump in 2016 －about their thoughts on gun safety. He then joined Moms Demand Action at the State Capitol building to rally in support of common sense gun safety legislation. Beto also hosted a community town hall in Little Rock with immigrant advocacy groups and members of the immigrant community.

Beto will kickoff his second trip to Oklahoma as a presidential candidate on Sunday with stops in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Norman. On Monday, Beto will will visit Black Wall Street in Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood－the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre－as well as the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum to honor the legacy of those who lost their lives in both of these acts of domestic terrorism.

Following the terrorist attack in El Paso on August 3rd, Beto has doubled down on his commitment to going everywhere and writing no one off, and has said he will focus on communities that have been affected by the Trump administration’s hateful rhetoric and policies. 

I Need Your Help!

Hey everyone, I need your help.

In the next issue of Bull Moose Magazine, I want to sprinkle throughout the magazine what amount to memes on the them of "We have enough money to buy Greenland, but...."

The first one I went with is here, universal healthcare. Here's where I need your help. What other things do you think the government should be doing, but we are told we just can't afford THAT?

As Fears of Recession Grow, Julián Castro Releases Ad Targeting Trump’s Failing Economy

SAN ANTONIO, TX  – Speaking directly to Donald Trump in an empty warehouse in Iowa, presidential candidate and former Obama Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Mayor of San Antonio, Julián Castro, released a new ad online highlighting President Trump’s failing economy, citing increasing drug prices, a worsening immigration crisis, slow job growth, and mounting fears of a recession.

With recent reports suggesting a recession may be looming, Secretary Castro highlights Trump’s shameless strategy to distract the American people by inciting hateful and divisive rhetoric, in hopes of concealing his failed economy.

On Tuesday, Julián Castro released another ad titled, ‘Ya Basta’ which directly linked Donald Trump’s dangerous, white nationalist rhetoric to the El Paso shooting which targeted the Latinx community.
 

“Donald Trump's presidency is a failure by any measure” said campaign manager Maya Rupert. “He squandered a booming economy from Barack Obama and lined the pockets of corporations and the wealthiest few, at the expense of working families. He thinks he can distract Americans from his failures by dividing us—but Julián won’t be distracted. He will keep fighting for hardworking Americans and exposing Donald Trump for the failure that he is.”


           

Speaking directly to Donald Trump, Julián Castro recites the following in the video:
 

“Hello, Mr. President. Julián Castro here, in one of the many empty warehouses in Iowa. I’m sorry that your Presidency is failing.

Drug prices are up. The immigration crisis is worse. The debt has exploded. Job growth slowed. Not a lot to run on there.

So, you’re trying to distract us. And divide us, with dangerous and hateful rhetoric. I won’t be distracted. I’m going to keep the American people focused on your failed record.

I’m Julián Castro and I approve this message because I love our country, and we can do better than you.”
 

The video ad, ‘Sorry You’re Failing’ is running in Iowa on several digital platforms including Facebook, Spotify, Hulu, YouTube, and Google Display with an additional investment to come of $50,000.

Steyer is First Candidate to Sign 350.org Day One Pledge

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Tom Steyer was the first presidential candidate to sign the 350.org Day One Pledge, which helps turn the page on Trump's disastrous environmental policy by taking on the fossil fuel industry. In taking the pledge, Steyer will reject new federal fossil fuel permits; phase out drilling and fracking on our public lands, coasts, and offshore; call on Congress to investigate the fossil fuel industry for misleading the public; stop drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge; and rejoin the Paris Climate Accord.

In addition to signing the Day One Pledge, Steyer also signed the NoKXL Pledge, vowing to take executive action on day one of his presidency to stop any construction on the Keystone XL pipeline and revoke the existing permits issued by Donald Trump for the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.

“On my first day in office, I will declare the climate crisis a national emergency and take the bold action needed to end the fossil fuel industry's stranglehold on our country,” Steyer said. "This pledge is part of my commitment to move us towards a regenerative economy on day one to create good jobs and invest in our communities for the long term. I'm proud to be the first candidate to sign it, and I guarantee the net result will be more good-paying jobs."

In 2013, Steyer was an early opponent of the Keystone XL Pipeline, and wrote an open letter to President Obama urging him to reject it.

Earlier this month, Steyer released a comprehensive framework for his Justice-Centered Climate Plan in which he pledged to declare the climate crisis a national emergency on day one of his presidency. In his plan, Steyer vows to treat climate change as a crisis as big and urgent as any other crisis that the country has faced, and outlines a plan rooted in social justice to protect low-income communities, fossil fuel workers, and communities of color. Steyer’s plan prioritizes people over polluting corporations, creates millions of union jobs, and builds a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous future for all Americans. The five pillars of his plan include: applying justice-based pollution reduction targets and actions, forming a people powered economy with grassroots planning and a Civilian Climate Corps, transforming the extraction economy into a regenerative economy with fair wages and employment, implementing climate-smart infrastructure and fair labor, and creating a climate-secure America with resilience to disasters and protecting our national security.

This is Freaking Brilliant!

Editor's Note: I did not expect to donate money to Michael Bennet's campaign. While I have professed to support the eventual Democratic nominee in 2020, I did not see much of a sign that said nominee would be the Sen. Bennet.

Then this morning, I checked my email and found a release from the Bennet campaign that got my attention. Just the thought that tens of thousands of ebook copies of this book could flood Moscow Mitch's Senate Office made it worth my while to donate to the Bennet campaign.

It's such a brilliantly devious idea that I may have to reassess the possibility that Bennet could wind up on the ticket next year!

Here is the release from the Bennet campaign.

Michael Bennet Releases Graphic New Book on Russian Election Interference, Mobilizes Americans to Demand McConnell Take Action

Read the Book at RussiaHackedOurDemocracy.com

NEW YORK — Michael Bennet today released a graphic new book he developed over the past year detailing how Russia interfered in the 2016 election — and how they continue to do so right now, threatening our democracy and dividing our country. Bennet for America is mobilizing voters to send the book to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is refusing to allow a vote on bipartisan election security bills, to demand he take action to protect our elections ahead of 2020. National security experts from former U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice to former acting C.I.A. Director Michael Morell have praised Bennet’s work.

“The propaganda Russia drove into our social media feeds is shocking, but what’s even more frightening is that we didn’t recognize these divisive images as distinct from our own political rhetoric for over a year,” said Bennet. “This book makes crystal clear what Russia did and how they did it. The 2020 election is around the corner, yet the Trump administration has done nothing to protect our democracy from these attacks again. We must demand that Mitch McConnell see these disturbing images and act now.” 

At the first presidential debate, Bennet identified Russia as our greatest near-term threat. Today, he also released a policy plan to secure our elections and defend democracy, including tough new sanctions on Russia, funding to secure our election infrastructure, and steps to drive foreign influence from social media and our campaigns.

The book can be read at RussiaHackedOurDemocracy.com. For a donation of any size, Bennet for America will send the book to Majority Leader McConnell in the donor’s name to demand he bring the bipartisan election security bills to the floor for a vote. Additionally, the digital book is available for download and a limited edition print copy is available for purchase. 

Support for Bennet’s New Book

“Senator Michael Bennet’s book on 2016 Russian electoral interference is powerful and sobering,” said Amb. Susan E. Rice, former U.S. National Security Advisor. “It makes clear that these social media attacks continue to distort our democratic processes. It is deeply disturbing that Senator Mitch McConnell persists in blocking Senate action and that President Trump still downplays the Russian threat.”

“Senator Michael Bennet’s book, outlining in detail how Russia is interfering in our politics, is a must read for all Americans, whether Democrats, Republicans, or Independents,” said former acting CIA Director Michael Morell. “Moscow’s goal is to weaken our nation, and we have not yet done enough to protect ourselves or to deter Russia and now others from continuing these attacks. Bennet’s book is a call to action by our government and private sector.”

Sestak Releases Latest Cup of Joe Newsletter

Williamson Releases Disability Justice Plan

One in four Americans has a disability. We need justice and government action throughout the federal government. A Williamson administration will provide rights, dignity, and opportunity to every segment of society. That is how we unleash the true potential of this great nation. The Williamson Disability Justice Plan is a start.

 

Williamson meets with the Iowa Democrats Disability Caucus

 

Williamson Plan for People with Disabilities
 

Disability Justice

A Williamson administration will be dedicated to providing rights, dignity, and opportunity to every segment of society. That is how we unleash the true potential of this great nation.

All people deserve the support they may need to live independently, move around, care for themselves, get an education, vote, and work safely and productively. But people with disabilities are often denied these basic rights. They are often denied vital healthcare and home-based care and assistance they need to live independently. They are too often forced into institutions where they have little freedom and abuse is rampant, and they are impoverished by policies that penalize them for working and earning money.

Disabled children are often cruelly restrained, isolated, suspended and expelled for disability-related behaviors, and deprived of the attention and support they need to learn and thrive. Disabled people face high rates of sexual assault, are much more likely than non-disabled people to be killed by police officers, and are frequently disenfranchised by discriminatory laws and polling place inaccessibility. They face rampant inaccessibility and discrimination in everything from employment to transportation.

Disabled people and their families and allies have been fighting for their rights with courage and dedication for decades, but our government has often failed to listen to them. It is my strongly held belief that by addressing the needs of those with disabilities, we help not only them, but we help the rest of society as well. People with disabilities have profound lessons to teach to those who haven’t dealt with their challenges. The more we integrate them into society, the better lives we all lead, and the richer we all become.

Moreover, all of us who do not have a disability at this stage, are one illness or accident away from the potential of being disabled as well.

Consequently, it’s long past time for our government to fully commit itself to guaranteeing people of all abilities full civil rights and all the support they need to thrive.

Williamson Policies to Promote Disability Justice Disability Representation

About ⅕ of Americans have a disability, but due to rampant exclusion and prejudice Americans with disabilities have always been underrepresented in politics and governance. My administration will remedy this by making sure that people with disabilities are fairly represented in my Cabinet, and in all appointed positions. Furthermore, I will help support people with disabilities in their efforts to secure better representation in Congress, in the Judiciary, and in state and local governments. I will make sure that all my appointees are equally committed to defending the rights and serving Americans of all abilities.

Disability Integration Act

People with physical disabilities who need help with daily activities -- like getting out of bed, dressing, eating, and showering -- are often pushed into nursing homes or other institutions where they can be deprived of independence and end up at high risk of being abused. During my first 100 days in office, I intend to do all I can to pass the existing, bipartisan Disability Integration Act that would remedy this injustice by requiring all healthcare insurers to cover home healthcare.

Long Term Care & Home and Community Based Services

In addition to making sure that all health insurance covers home care, a Williamson Administration would extend health coverage -- including coverage for home care -- to currently uninsured Americans. My administration would also work to transition currently institutionalized people with disabilities to supported independent living.

Let Disabled People Work and Earn Wealth

Disabled people need Social Security Insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid to cover their healthcare and living expenses. However, if they work and are paid more than $1,220 a month (which isn’t enough to raise a single person living on their own above the 2019 poverty line), their access to these programs is cut off. This forces many disabled people to stay poor and prevents them from taking on full-time work.

A Williamson Administration would guarantee healthcare as a right to all people and work with Congress to reform Social Security Insurance so that disabled people are not penalized for earning wages. We will raise the cap on earnings and create a smooth transition from financial dependence to true financial independence.

Additionally, many workplaces are insensitive to or even hostile to people with disabilities. Basic things like access to buildings are needed, as well as training of employers to be aware of what disabled people CAN do, and training of staff to be respectful toward those who may be different than themselves.

Make Disability Justice a Tenet of U.S Foreign Policy

Disabled people face human rights violations all over the world. My administration will use America’s influence to strengthen international protections for the rights and freedoms of disabled people and to increase enforcement of those protections. Healthy disability policy will be part and parcel of all US trade deals with foreign nations and corporations. And America will not sit idly by in the face of flagrant abuses against individuals and communities with disabilities.

The Individuals with Disabilities Act

Few pieces of federal legislation have had as dramatically positive an impact as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Society now has the ability to take better care of people with disabilities than ever before, and our sensitivity to their needs, as well as our response to the challenges that they face, should reflect the full force of our capacity to help. We are capable of helping people with disabilities better than ever before in our history.

My Administration will seek to fully fund IDEA so that students and their families and communities are well served, and so that states and localities don’t have to shoulder the full burden of these investments.

Marriage Equality

Many disabled people are unable to marry the people they love and who love them -- especially if those people are non-disabled -- because if they do, they lose vital supports like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Proponents of this existing policy claim that this is because married disabled people don’t need benefits because their spouses support them financially. This is foolish on its face. Far too many disabled people need expensive care which their partners can’t afford to pay.

The Williamson Administration will fight to ensure that disabled people are guaranteed healthcare and the financial support they need, regardless of whether they’re married.

Prevention of Abuse of People with Disabilities and Support for Disabled Abuse Survivors

We need to guarantee that people with disabilities receive appropriate sex education. We need to teach some people with serious disabilities, and those who care for them, the meaning and importance of consent. We need to provide disabled people with ways to safely report abuse from family members and caregivers. And we need to make all support services for abuse survivors accessible to disabled people, and teach people who work to prevent and fight abuse and support survivors how to support disabled people. My administration will eagerly take on all of these initiatives.

Police Training

In order to reduce police violence against people with disabilities, a Williamson Administration will require all police officers to be trained on how to interact with disabled people, including people with mental illnesses. Disabled people, people with mental illnesses, and their families and caregivers would be involved in drafting and providing this training curriculum.

Eliminating Disability-Based Disenfranchisement and Polling Place Accessibility

People with disabilities who need guardians to assist them with household and healthcare management are denied the right to vote in many states, even if they are fully competent to do so. A Williamson Administration would advocate for the passage of laws – some national, some state and local – that would forbid this practice throughout America.

Furthermore, polling places are often inaccessible to disabled people because they are located in religious institutions which aren’t required to be accessible. And all too often, accessible machines aren’t kept in good repair and poll workers don’t know how to assist voters with disabilities.

A Williamson Administration would require polling sites to be accessible, accessible voting machines be available and kept in good condition, and poll workers to be trained to support voters with disabilities. In addition, proper, accessible transportation to and from the polls is necessary, or at the very least, assistance (where needed) in voting by mail.

In Conclusion

Everyone deserves full human and civil rights protections, and all the accessibility and support they need to live and thrive. A Williamson Administration will work with disabled people and their families and caregivers to ensure that our country provide those with disabilities the respect they deserve as infinitely valuable and precious human beings.