Author Archives: Staff Writer

Obama Losing Sequester Fight? DNC Pushes Back Hard

  By Staff Writer | March 13, 2013 4:11 pm - 4:11 pm |
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A top spokesman for the Democratic National Committee is pushing back on the notion that President Obama is losing the battle of public opinion over the steep federal budget cuts known as “the sequester.” DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse published a blog post Wednesday after The Washington Post ran a story that suggested the president was losing public opinion over the budget cuts and the economy. The sequester is the name of across-the-board budget cuts which kicked in March 1 and were enacted as a sort of doomsday device as part of the 2011 budget deal. Rather, the Post story indicates the opposite: that Americans are with Obama and the Democrats, Woodhouse says. “Americans’ disapproval of congressional Republicans is a … Continue reading →

Pelosi Marks VAWA Passage For Int’l Women’s Day

  By Staff Writer | March 10, 2013 2:34 pm - 2:34 pm |
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The first woman in U.S. history to serve as speaker of the House observed International Women’s Day by citing the recent passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), while acknowledging that “extraordinary challenges remain.” Sunday marks International Women’s Day. “International Women’s Day is another opportunity to celebrate the distance we’ve traveled toward equality and recommit ourselves to keep moving forward on the path to justice in our country and around the world,” says Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who served as House speaker from 2007 through 2011, when the GOP recaptured House control. “Even as we look back on a history of progress, it is our responsibility to build a future of security and success for all women.  It is … Continue reading →

Leahy on VAWA: ‘It Should Not Have Taken This Long’

  By Staff Writer | February 28, 2013 4:47 pm - 4:47 pm |
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The House of Representatives Thursday voted overwhelmingly to pass the Senate’s bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA),  sending the bill to President Obama to sign into law — but only after too many months of delay, according to one to top Senate Democrat. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, lead author of the legislation, applauded the House’s move of casting partisanship aside and taking up the consensus, Senate measure. Leahy, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and now also is president pro tem of the Senate, successfully pressed to make VAWA a top early priority in the new 113th Congress.  Obama himself called for swift resolution for the legislation in his recent State of the Union address. After rejecting a Republican substitute, the … Continue reading →

President: My Plan Equals $4T In Deficit Reduction

  By Staff Writer | February 26, 2013 7:58 pm - 7:58 pm |
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President Obama says he’s offering $4 trillion in federal deficit reduction as part of his solution to avert the coming federal budget cuts known as the sequester, including more than $2.5 trillion he’s already signed into law. “I’ve laid out a plan that details how we can pay down our deficit in a way that’s balanced & responsible,” the president says via an official White House tweet. Set to kick in Friday, the sequester is a “doomsday device” enacted as part of the budget deal in 2011. The president warned in his recent State of the Union speech of dire consequences if the sequester was allowed to take effect, however. The sequester could lead to widespread layoffs and other economic woes. Democrats … Continue reading →

DNC Infographic: Stop The Sequester

  By Staff Writer | February 26, 2013 5:07 pm - 5:07 pm |
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Just days before $85 billion in deep federal budget cuts are to take effect, the Democratic National Committee is circulating a new online infographic aimed at pressuring Republicans to back President Obama’s plan to avoid the so-called sequester. “If Republicans in Congress don’t act by Friday to stop the so-called sequester, there will be far-reaching consequences on our economy. These disastrous consequences are completely avoidable, and the President has a balanced plan to stop the sequester,” says DNC Executive Director Patrick Gaspard says in an email with the infographic. Gaspard asks supporters to share the infographic via Twitter, Facebook and other online tools. President Obama warned of the consequences of the sequester in his recent State of the Union address. The … Continue reading →

House Republicans ‘Will Be History in 2014′ Over VAWA, NOW Chief Vows

  By Staff Writer | February 23, 2013 10:25 am - 10:25 am |
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Even as top Senate Democrats criticized as “simply unacceptable” the House GOP version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a prominent women’s group promises to make the legislative impasse an issue in the 2014 congressional elections. Senate Democrats and House Republicans are at loggerheads over reauthorization of VAWA, a law that dates back two decades aimed at providing assistance to victims of domestic violence  and other violent crime. President Obama highlighted the need to approve a new VAWA in his recent State of the Union address, noting that Vice President Biden authored the original bill when he was in the Senate. The Senate overwhelmingly approved a version of VAWA on a bipartisan basis with 78 senators of both parties–including all women senators. House … Continue reading →

In Coaxing Cooperation From GOP, Reid Quotes Reagan

  By Staff Writer | February 13, 2013 11:06 pm - 11:06 pm |
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In seeking new cooperation from Republicans to enact the initiatives President Obama outlined Tuesday in his State of the Union address, the Senate’s top Democrat quoted the late GOP hero, President Ronald Reagan. With the dawn of Obama’s second term, Republicans have a “second chance to work with Democrats to rebuild the middle class,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says. “Republicans say they agree the deep cuts they voted for would be damaging to our economy and to national security. But they would rather cut Medicare, education and medical research than close a single wasteful tax loophole or ask a single millionaire to contribute more,” Reid says of the budget cuts the GOP helped enact known as the “sequester.” “They … Continue reading →

Obama To Hold Post-Speech Call

  By Staff Writer | February 12, 2013 5:08 pm - 5:08 pm |
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President Obama plans to hold an online phone call with supporters Tuesday night after he delivers his State of the Union speech at the Capitol. The call is being held under the auspices of Organizing for Action (OFA), the new organization designed to build grassroots support for the president’s initiatives. “On the call, the President will talk about his plan for moving this country forward — and how you can help put his words into action,” OFA Executive Director Jon Carson says in an email. “He’s looking forward to the chance to talk to all of us directly about what comes next.” The call is to begin at 10 pm ET. The link to sign up is based from Obama’s campaign … Continue reading →