Democratic Party of Georgia

Help Move Georgia Forward

Georgia Has Become an At-Risk Patient With Casey Cagle, Brian Kemp and the GOP leadership

$3 Billion Per Year is lost in Revenue by Refusing to Expand Medicaid

ATLANTA — “Casey Cagle, Brian Kemp, and the GOP leadership’s refusal to expand Medicaid has resulted in a loss of more than $3 billion a year in federal funds, making Georgia an ‘at-risk’ patient”, said Democratic Party of Georgia’s Chairman, Dubose Porter.  Porter’s statement follows confirmation from both Cagle and Kemp that regardless of the benefits of expanding Medicaid, both would prefer the same short-term “market-based” solutions. [1]

“Despite the irreversible harm that their stances would inflict on all Georgians, Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp have made it clear that they do not plan on lifting a finger to improve healthcare measures here in Georgia, further putting the lives of Georgians at risk,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Chairman, DuBose Porter. “It is time to elect leaders up and down the ballot who will commit to building a healthier, more prosperous Georgia.”

Right now, 240,000 Georgians make too little to buy health insurance on the marketplace and don’t currently qualify for Medicaid. [2] Additionally, six rural hospitals have closed since 2013 and more than half of the remaining rural hospitals remain financially vulnerable to closure. [3] Thirty-two other states across the U.S. have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, Georgia not being one of them. [4] Due to GOP leadership in Georgia and their inability to take advantage of the opportunity to expand Medicaid, Georgia ranks near the bottom-tier of states on many healthcare measures. [5]

By every moral, economic and health measurement available, one thing has become clear— Kemp and Cagle are both willing to put partisan politics above the needs and lives of Georgians.

# # #

_________

[1] (GBPI)

[2] (GBPI)

[3] (GBPI)

[4] http://www.georgiahealthnews.com/2018/01/expanding-coverage-part-leaders-legislative-agenda/

[5] http://www.georgiahealthnews.com/2018/01/expanding-coverage-part-leaders-legislative-agenda/

New York Times: “Republican polling has found that Mr. Trump is at dire risk of losing Georgia”

Release:  Wednesday, October 12, 2016                                                                 

“Mrs. Clinton’s campaign has concluded that at least two traditionally Republican states, Georgia and Arizona, are realistic targets for her campaign to win over. And Republican polling has found that Mr. Trump is at dire risk of losing Georgia, according to people briefed on the polls, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.”

Split Over Donald Trump Threatens to Tilt Republican States

NEW YORK TIMES // ALEXANDER BURNS and JONATHAN MARTIN

Donald J. Trump’s intensifying battle with his own party is tearing open the nation’s political map, pulling Republicans across the country into a self-destructive feud that could imperil dozens of lawmakers in Congress and potentially throw conservative-leaning states into Hillary Clinton’s column.

Democrats are moving swiftly to exploit Mr. Trump’s crumbling position in the presidential race, aiming to run up a big margin of victory for Mrs. Clinton and extend their political advantage into the congressional elections next month.

Mrs. Clinton’s campaign has concluded that at least two traditionally Republican states, Georgia and Arizona, are realistic targets for her campaign to win over. And Republican polling has found that Mr. Trump is at dire risk of losing Georgia, according to people briefed on the polls, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Mrs. Clinton now holds such a strong upper hand that Priorities USA, a “super PAC” backing her campaign, may direct some of its war chest into Senate races, two people said, and may begin broadcasting ads for those contests as soon as next week. Congressional Democrats also hope to persuade Mrs. Clinton to continue pouring money and campaign resources into states like Virginia and Colorado, where they believe her victory is assured, in order to lift other Democratic candidates.

In a signal of Democrats’ growing focus on the House and Senate, Mrs. Clinton used a visit on Tuesday to Miami to attack both Mr. Trump and Senator Marco Rubio, whom Mrs. Clinton blasted for what she described as his indifference to climate change.

“We need to elect people up and down the ballot, at every level of government, who take it seriously,” Mrs. Clinton said, adding, “It is an unacceptable response for Marco Rubio, when asked about climate change, to say, ‘I’m not a scientist.’”

Mrs. Clinton’s campaign chairman, John D. Podesta, told reporters that she would continue to call out down-ballot Republicans. Mr. Rubio is among the Republicans whom Priorities USA may seek to defeat, if the group decides to intervene in Senate races, one strategist said.

Increasingly anxious Republicans have not come up with a unified strategy for containing the damage from Mr. Trump’s embattled candidacy, and several strategists and party officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said they were awaiting a new round of polling before settling on a course. But, in a sign that Republicans now view the presidential race as a lost cause, several Senate candidates are preparing ads asking voters to elect them as a check on Mrs. Clinton in the White House.

Yet Mr. Trump himself, having been rejected in recent days by dozens of Republican elected officials, has indicated that he will make any separation an exceptionally messy and painful ordeal for the party.

Mr. Trump lashed out publicly on Tuesday morning at two of his best-known critics: Senator John McCain of Arizona, who withdrew his endorsement of Mr. Trump over the weekend, and Paul D. Ryan, the speaker of the House, who informed congressional Republicans on Monday that he would no longer defend Mr. Trump.

Seething on Twitter, Mr. Trump attacked Mr. Ryan as “weak and ineffective” and described Mr. McCain as “very foul mouthed.” And in a Fox News interview, Mr. Trump mocked both men as disloyal, reserving special venom for Mr. Ryan.

“Paul Ryan opened borders and amnesty and bad budgets,” Mr. Trump said.

He declared himself a liberated man, writing on Twitter:. “It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to.”

Should Mr. Trump continue deriding the leaders of the institutional Republican Party, it could have profound consequences down the ballot, potentially depressing turnout by demoralizing the party or leading Mr. Trump’s ardent supporters to deny their votes to Republicans who abandoned him. But there is little Republicans can do to control Mr. Trump’s behavior: The party’s donors have no leverage over him, he is relying largely on small donors and, at 70, he is not mindful of any future campaign.

The emerging dynamic may be especially toxic for Republicans in swing states that are also home to competitive races for the House and Senate, where the party’s candidates must choose between two unpalatable options: alienating much of their party’s base, or standing behind a nominee who is unacceptable to most mainstream voters. The voting bloc that especially concerns Republican officials are the right-of-center, college-educated voters who usually favor Republican candidates but cannot abide Mr. Trump. These voters can make up anywhere between a quarter to a third of the party’s electoral coalition.

“That voter is clearly not going to vote for Donald Trump,” said Josh Holmes, a Republican strategist who is working on several Senate races. “But if they don’t vote at all, it’s catastrophic for us.”

The nightmare possibility for the party is that swing voters punish the party because of Mr. Trump, the anti-Trump Republicans stay at home and Mr. Trump’s base casts a ballot for him and then leaves the polls. Under those conditions, Senate races in places like Pennsylvania and North Carolina could fall to Democrats, while Senate and House races in places like Missouri, Arizona and Kansas could move to the center of the battlefield.

Already, Republicans view Mr. Trump’s sharp downturn in the presidential race as having jeopardized their majorities in Congress. A poll published on Tuesday by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal found Mr. Trump trailing Mrs. Clinton by nine percentage points nationally and drawing just 37 percent of the vote. No major-party nominee since World War II has received a smaller share of the vote. But in an illustration of the bind Republicans are in, the poll found that three-fourths of Republicans believed their candidates should stay loyal to Mr. Trump.

In Nevada, the Republican candidate for Senate, Representative Joe Heck, withdrew his support from Mr. Trump over the weekend, and is facing a furious backlash.

Sandie Kirwin, a Las Vegas retail manager supportive of Mr. Trump, said she might now vote for a Democrat over Mr. Heck in a critical Senate race.

“I think of Joe Heck the same I do of any Republican not supporting Donald Trump,” said Ms. Kirwin, 52. “I will never support any of them, and I will do what I can to get them out of office.”

But other Republican-leaning voters say they may punish those who fail to denounce Mr. Trump. Several Republicans in difficult Senate races have criticized Mr. Trump in strong terms without coming out in opposition to his candidacy, including Senators Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania, Richard M. Burr of North Carolina and Mr. Rubio.

In Pennsylvania, Jaye Steuterman, a registered Republican and a real estate agent in Doylestown, said she was still undecided on which presidential candidate to vote for. She said she was deeply unsettled by Mr. Trump’s past comments about forcing himself on women, but that might not be enough to stop her voting for him.

“I don’t know what’s more important to me — that, or the fact that Hillary is a liar,” Ms. Steuterman said.

In the Senate race, she is inclined to vote for Mr. Toomey because he is a Republican, but her decision could depend on whether he supports Mr. Trump.

Even the drastic step of denouncing Mr. Trump may not be enough to shield Republicans from his unpopularity. In a conference call on Tuesday with the Democratic caucus, Representative Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said that party polling found voters drawing scant distinction between Republicans who endorsed Mr. Trump and those who abandoned him out of political expediency, according to people who participated in the call, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it was supposed to be private.

On the same call, Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking House Democrat, expressed concern that Mrs. Clinton might abandon states that she is all but sure to win, but where Democrats are still locked in competitive races. Mr. Clyburn asked Representative Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader, to contact Mrs. Clinton’s campaign to ensure it would not withdraw resources from Virginia and Colorado.

“Most people think the House now could be in play,” said Representative John Yarmuth of Kentucky. “There’s a little bit of scrambling going on to identify races that could flip if the presidential race somehow gets to a 10-point margin.”

Like their Republican counterparts, Democrats do not plan to make final strategy decisions until they receive new polling. But they have already begun aggressively attacking Republicans, even as those officials retreat from Mr. Trump.

Three Democratic congressional candidates have started running ads this week that showcase footage of Mr. Trump describing sexual assault in graphic terms, from a 2005 recording. Gov. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, who is challenging Senator Kelly Ayotte, used the footage in a campaign video on Tuesday, saying Ms. Ayotte recently denounced Mr. Trump only to “protect herself.”

And outside groups supporting congressional Democrats have begun to reallocate their spending to take advantage of the shifting environment. The House Majority PAC, the principal outside group supporting House Democrats, this week made a $1.2 million reservation to contest the suburban Philadelphia seat held by Representative Michael G. Fitzpatrick, who is retiring.

In affluent, suburban areas, which were already trending strongly toward Democrats after the first presidential debate, Republican survival may depend on the willingness of voters to separate their feelings about the presidential race from their voting behavior in all other elections.

Outside a ski shop on Tuesday in Aurora, Colo., Sharon and Les Sparks said they were disappointed by Republicans pulling away from Mr. Trump, whom Mr. Sparks described as “spoiled little entitled brats.” Among those lawmakers is Representative Mike Coffman, a Denver-area congressman who has been critical of Mr. Trump for months and recently called on him to end his campaign.

Still, Mr. and Ms. Sparks said they would vote for Mr. Coffman, despite their frustration. “They need to unite,” said Ms. Sparks, 49, a project manager in the health industry. “If you’re going to be in the Republican Party, you need to start standing behind the party.”

###

Democratic Party of Georgia Statement on Donald Trump’s Vile Comments About Women

Release:  Saturday, October 8, 2016      

Atlanta, GA – Democratic Party of Georgia Executive Director Rebecca DeHart issued the following statement on the latest revelations of Donald Trump’s treatment of women.

“Throughout the course of his campaign, we—as a nation—keep asking ourselves what Donald Trump could possibly do to sink lower. Anyone who denigrates and objectifies women, and brags about sexual assault, is completely and wholly unfit for elected office. How could any parent cast their vote for this vile, dangerous man and then come home and look their child in the eyes.

“Make no mistake. Young girls are paying attention to how we as a society respond to a man who boasts of forcibly groping a woman. Young boys are paying attention to our response to a man who calls women ‘pigs’ and ‘slobs.’

“Equally as shocking is the Georgia GOP’s silence and complacency. Where’s the leadership? Why haven’t Senators Johnny Isakson and David Perdue and the rest of their Party condemned their candidate and immediately withdrawn their support?

“In a year in which Democrats are finally shattering that glass ceiling, Georgians are left with a stark choice this November. But there is also a stark choice facing the Republican Party. As their nominee he is their standard bearer—representative of their party. And they have the choice to reject him. I hope, for the sake of women and girls everywhere, they send him packing.”

###

3 Years After Autopsy, GA GOP Hasn’t Learned a Thing

Three years ago today, the Republican National Committee released an autopsy report to explain their losses in the 2012 elections. In the document, the RNC urged Republicans to become more inclusive and less ideological. Among some of the highlights and recommendations:

 

“The Party must in fact and deed be inclusive and welcoming.”

“Public perception of the Party is at record lows. Young voters are increasingly rolling their eyes at what the Party represents…”

“It is no wonder that Republican policies can seem stale; they are very nearly identical to those offered up by the Party more than 30 years ago.”

 

Basically, the report encouraged the GOP to become more welcoming to women, communities of color, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, young people, and minority voters.

 

Apparently, the Georgia GOP didn’t get the memo. For proof, look no further than this year’s legislative session.

 

From the 2013 Autopsy: “We do need to make sure young people do not see the Party as totally intolerant of alternative points of view. Already, there is a generational difference within the conservative movement about issues involving the treatment and the rights of gays — and for many younger voters, these issues are a gateway into whether the Party is a place they want to be.”

GA GOP in 2016: Lawmakers pass legislation that legalizes state-sanctioned discrimination against the LGBTQ community and others, with the sponsor of the bill admitting that “When the Supreme Court changed the definition of marriage, dynamics changed. There was a need for this law, and it took Georgia to lead the way of the country.”

 

From the 2013 Autopsy: “If Hispanic Americans hear that the GOP doesn’t want them in the United States, they won’t pay attention to our next sentence.”

GA GOP in 2016: Lawmakers push for an amendment to the Constitution declaring English as the official language of the State of Georgia.

 

From the 2013 Autopsy: “Women are not a ‘coalition.’ They represent more than half the voting population in the country, and our inability to win their votes is losing us elections.” “Be conscious of developing a forward-leaning vision for voting Republican that appeals to women.”

GA GOP in 2016: Lawmakers pass legislation allocating millions of state tax dollars to fund crisis pregnancy centers which are unregulated, nonprofit, often faith-based, organizations staffed by anti-choice activists long known for using deceptive and startlingly coercive practices to scare women from having an abortion, all the while publicly refusing to act on a good bill, backed by law enforcement that seeks to address the processing backlog of rape kits in the criminal justice system.

 

From the 2013 Autopsy: “Promote forward-looking, positive policy proposals that unite young voters, such as the Republican Party’s education policies.”

GA GOP in 2016: Lawmakers pass legislation to legalize firearms on all public campuses in Georgia.

 

“If anything, the only change in the Republican Party is that their extreme and divisive behavior has gone from bad to worse. They’ve doubled down on discrimination, misogyny, xenophobia, and anger. From the countless Republican-authored pieces of hateful legislation meant to divide and disenfranchise various communities in Georgia to their warm embrace of their new carnival barker, Donald Trump, it is abundantly clear that the GOP has no intention of heralding in progress.” – Rebecca DeHart, Executive Director.

DPG Chair Statement on Georgia Primary Results

Release:  Tuesday, March 1, 2016                                                                                       

 

DPG Chair Statement on Georgia Primary Results

 

 

Atlanta, GA – Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issued the following statement on the results of the Georgia Presidential Primary.

 

“First, I want to congratulate Secretary Clinton on her win in Georgia. Both she and Senator Sanders ran spirited campaigns and showcased the fact that our Party—the Democratic Party—has a substantive plan to build on the progress made over the last seven years under the Obama Administration.

 

“I’d imagine that Georgia Republicans—up and down the ballot—would rather have a wasp in their mouth than have Donald Trump at the top of the ticket. But he is a monster of their own creation. His victory is perfectly illustrative of just how extreme and out of touch the Republican Party has become. Whether or not he clinches the nomination, Trump and the stranglehold he has held on the GOP pose very serious problems for their Party in November.

 

“Georgia voters will have a clear choice in November, and we will join a majority of states in sending another Democrat to the White House.”

 

Help Wanted: GOP Candidates Leave Voters Looking for More

This year’s GOP field is the least qualified in recent memory. Donald Trump has never held public office, Marco Rubio can’t be bothered to show up to his job in the Senate (Sorry, Floridians!), and Ted Cruz shows up to work long enough to shut the government down.

 

Voters deserve the truth. So check out the “resumes” of the leading GOP charlatans angling for the White House.

 

Marco Rubio

Ted Cruz

Donald Trump

 

 

Excerpts from Press Call in Advance of Cruz’s GA Visit with DPG Latino Caucus Chair Antonio Molina

Release:  Friday, December 18, 2015                                                                                              

 

Excerpts from Press Call in Advance of Cruz’s Georgia Visit with Democratic Party of Georgia Latino Caucus Chair Antonio Molina

 

 

Atlanta, GA – Today, as Ted Cruz begins a two day swing through Georgia, Democratic Party of Georgia Latino Caucus Chair Antonio Molina held a press call outlining just how dangerous the policies of Ted Cruz and the Republican Party are for the Hispanic community. Find excerpts of the call below.

 

“It’s been two years since the GOP released their autopsy report, and the only thing that has changed is that the Republican Party’s divisive, xenophobic rhetoric has gone from bad to worse.

 

“2013’s autopsy recommended that the Republican Party change how they ‘engage with Hispanic communities to welcome in new members of our Party.’

 

“Well, look no further than Ted Cruz’s immigration plan—a plan he touted on Tuesday night in Los Vegas—to see how the GOP “welcomes” my community.

 

“Cruz’s plan would end the 14th amendment’s guarantee to birthright citizenship. It would limit legal immigration, and suspend the popular H1-B visa program for high-skilled foreign workers. Cruz has also vowed to undo President Obama’s executive actions to keep families together. Ted Cruz is more interested in emulating immigration extremists like Donald Trump and Marco Rubio than in actually improving the lives of Georgia’s immigrant families.

 

 

“The complete and utter disdain Ted Cruz and his Party have for the Hispanic community is evident, and we are listening and we are watching. And we will remember when we head to the polls next November.

 

“Democrats believe that immigrants make our country stronger. And while Ted Cruz and the GOP degrade and dismiss immigrants and the Hispanic community, Democrats will continue to work to keep families together. And we will continue to hope that the Republican Party will stop playing politics and join us in our efforts.”

Marco Rubio Brings Amateur Hour Road Show to Georgia, with Failed Policies in Tow

Release:  Thursday, November 12, 2015                                                                                         

 

Marco Rubio Brings Amateur Hour Road Show to Georgia, with Failed Policies in Tow

 

 

Atlanta, GA – Hot off the heels of a lackluster debate performance and several days of bad news, Marco Rubio heads to Atlanta today to grab checks at a fundraising event. After Tuesday’s debate, Rubio has proved that he is more concerned with building a hefty campaign coffer than building the middle class. He also proved to Georgians—and the rest of America—that he is not ready for prime time.

 

“Mark this one down for the record books—Nathan Deal and I agree on something. Neither of us is impressed with Marco Rubio. It really is absurd that someone like No-show Rubio who doesn’t show up to work is asking for a promotion.

 

“Rubio paints himself as a candidate for the future, but his recycled GOP agenda for the middle class and foreign affairs has already been rejected by the American people time and again. Marco Rubio trying to act as though there’s daylight between his policies and those of Trump and Carson is laughable. Instituting any of his ‘solutions’ for Georgia families would be like trying put out a dumpster fire with a leaf blower.” – Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter

 

Marco Rubio isn’t fooling anyone. He’s pushing the same failed policies that have proven to be disastrous for America.

 

Rubio said raising the minimum wage is a “disaster.”  [MSNBC, 11-11-15]

 

Rubio called policies that benefit the middle class—like paid family leave, affordable healthcare, and a quality education—“giveaways.”  [NY Mag, 11-11-15]

 

Rubio reiterated his intention to repeal Obamacare.  [TIME, 11-11-15]

 

Rubio couldn’t even articulate his tax plan to cut taxes for the rich while leaving the middle class behind, saying “I am proud that I have a pro-family tax code, because the pro-family tax plan that I have will strengthen the most important institution in the family—in the country, the family.” Huh?  [YOUTUBE, 11-11-15]

 

The main beneficiary of Rubio’s tax plan…wait for it…the top 0.0003 percent.  [Washington Post, 11-5-15]

 

There are still unanswered questions regarding Rubio’s ongoing credit card controversy.  [Tampa Bay Times, 11-5-15]

 

Rubio touts the same outdated Cold War-era policies that put America at risk under the Bush Administration.  [Business Insider, 6-4-15]

 

Rubio has trouble showing up to his current job, missing key hearings on ISIS, Iran, and Osama bin Laden.  [Politico, 7-27-15]

 

Plain and simple, Marco Rubio is unfit to serve as President of the United States.

 

 

###

Marco – At the very least, you could “Check-in” to the Senate Chamber

Release:  Friday, October 23, 2015                                                                                      

 

Marco- At the very least, you could “Check-in” to the Senate Chamber

 

As CBS 46 reports, Marco Rubio has missed 87 percent of votes cast in the Senate just this month. Yet, Rubio seems to have a double standard when it comes to anyone but himself.

 

From WaPo:

 

Speaking from the Senate floor on Tuesday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) attacked government employees who didn’t do their jobs.

 

“All we’re saying in this bill is,” Rubio said, “if you work at the V.A., and you aren’t doing your job, they get to fire you. I think people are shocked that that [doesn’t] actually exist in the entire government, since there is really no other job in the country where if you don’t do your job, you don’t get fired.”

 

He continued: “In this instance, we’re just limiting it to one agency. This should actually be the rule in the entire government.”

 

“Let’s set aside Rubio’s duplicitous remarks on public servants for a second: By his own standards, No Show Rubio is essentially admitting that he is unfit for office. If he can’t be trusted to show up to his current job, why on Earth would we trust him to sit in the Oval Office?” – Michael Smith, Communications Director, Democratic Party of Georgia

 

 

Rubio SH

 

 

DPG Chair DuBose Porter’s Statement on GOP Debate in California

Release:  Thursday, September 17, 2015                                                                                        

 

DPG Chair DuBose Porter’s Statement on GOP Debate in California

 

 

Atlanta, GA – Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter released the following statement on last night’s Republican presidential debate.

 

“Republicans have held two debates—four if you count the C-list—and Georgians are still waiting to hear what exactly the GOP will do to strengthen and grow the middle class.

 

“I’ve been in politics for a while now, and I’ve heard a lot of crazy things come from the Republican Party. But what has the GOP come to when they have three hours to lay out a substantive vision for our country and instead choose to attack women, brag about who could most quickly send our kids to war, take away healthcare and villainize the Hispanic community?

 

“Next year, voters will have a clear choice for their Commander-in-Chief. And I am confident that Georgia will embrace our Democratic nominee—someone who fights for workers, fights to lift Georgians out of poverty and into the middle class, fights for pay equity, and fights to level the playing field.”

 

 

###

DPG Chair Statement on GOP Debate

 

Release:  Thursday, August 6, 2015                                                                                                

 

DPG Chair Statement on GOP Debate

 

Atlanta, GA – Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issued the following statement in response to tonight’s GOP debate in Ohio.

 

“It’s astonishing that seventeen candidates on two separate stages speaking for three hours can still result in the same failed ideas we’ve heard from the GOP for decades. If any one of these folks were elected president, our economy and middle class would suffer—and possibly crumble—under top-down economics, voucher-style benefit programs, an unregulated financial system, and a health care system where you can be penalized or go bankrupt just because you got sick.

 

“No matter who emerges from the Democratic primary, our Party will build on the successes of the Obama administration and continue to grow the middle class and fight for those aspiring to join it.”

 

###

About Jeb’s announcement…

Jeb Bush just announced the official launch of his bid for the White House. Today, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issued the following statement outlining exactly why Jeb is wrong for Georgia.

 

“With the Obama Administration, we’ve made great strides as a nation. And we’ve come too far to undo that progress by even considering sending another Bush to the White House. Jeb Bush has a lengthy record of looking out for himself while leaving everyday Americans behind in the dust.

 

“To this day, Jeb Bush endorses policies that slash funding for early childhood education, temporary assistance for those in need, and Social Security and Medicaid.  To make matters worse, Jeb opposes policies that lift families up by raising the minimum wage, making college more affordable, and expanding access to quality affordable health care.

 

“Whoever emerges as our presidential nominee, Democrats are determined to build on the gains we’ve made and promote policies that grow our middle class.”

 

 

Also today, DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz issued the following statement:

 

“Jeb Bush’s announcement later today that he’ll seek the Republican 2016 nomination is good news if you happen to be Jeb Bush or someone like him. Throughout his career, Jeb Bush has consistently put what is best for himself and those at the top above the priorities of working Americans.

 

“As governor of Florida, Jeb Bush slashed taxes by billions, largely benefitting the wealthy and corporations. Since leaving public office more than eight years ago, Bush has leveraged his family name to reap profits for himself, immersing himself in problematic corporate business deals and cashing in on Wall Street while Americans were hit by the financial crisis.

 

“We already know what to expect from a Bush Presidency, because we’ve seen it before. Jeb Bush supported his brother’s disastrous economic and foreign policies that made us weaker at home and abroad. He supported his brother’s plan to privatize Social Security and endorsed a budget that would end Medicare as we know it.

 

“But what makes the specter of a Jeb Bush presidency even more unpalatable is his belief in his own superiority and infallibility – in my 22 years in elected office I have never worked with someone who is as inflexible, uncompromising, and willing to do whatever it takes to get their way as Jeb Bush. These are not the qualities Americans need in their president if we are going to work together to get things done.

 

“On issue after issue, Jeb Bush’s indifference toward the concerns of the middle class, women, students, immigrants, seniors and the LGBT community shows he is as out of step with the American people as every other candidate in the Republican field.”

 

###

 

 

ICYMI

 

Seven Things You Need to Know About Jeb Bush

  1. As governor of Florida, Bush enacted a tax policy that gave massive breaks to the wealthyand corporations over middle class Floridians.
  2. Bush spent recent years cashing in on Wall Street and creating multi-million dollar funds in offshore tax havensas Americans were hit by the financial crisis.
  3. Bush fully supported his brother’s plan to privatize Social Securityand endorses a budget that would end Medicare as we know it.
  4. Bush wants to end the president’s executive action that keeps families together, and when asked about how to tackle undocumented immigrants, he simply said, “start deporting people.”
  1. Bush opposes a woman’s right to choose and cut funding for women’s health clinics, including Planned Parenthood.
  1. Jeb Bush believesthere is no constitutional right to same-sex marriage and said that “homosexuality is wrong” and compared LGBT Americans to drug dealers, bank robbers, pedophiles, and drunk drivers.
  2. Also, he’s an author.

 

 

Jeb Bush Once Cut Funding to His Campaign Launch Site

TIME // ZEKE MILLER

Jeb Bush is expected to trumpet his conservative credentials as the former governor of Florida Monday when he announces his presidential bid. But one casualty of his cost-conscious ways was the very school he selected to use as his announcement site.

 

A 2002 state constitutional amendment to limit class sizes in K-12 education, which Bush opposed, created a budget shortfall. The governor, who opposed new tax hikes, begrudgingly turned to colleges to fill the gap. Bush proposed cutting $111 million from the budgets of universities and community colleges, of which $10.3 million would have affected Miami Dade College, where Bush will launch his presidential bid.

 

College President Eduardo Padron emailed Bush when his budget was proposed, saying he was “disturbed and disappointed” by the proposed cuts. “We all understand the need for reductions in times of fiscal crisis; what’s beyond logical comprehension, however, are the huge inequities that are inherent in this budget proposal,” he wrote, arguing the college was bearing a disproportionate burden of cuts. “Our students are among the most needy in the state and cannot continue to bear the burden of the costs of education.”

 

Bush replied that he was working on a solution. “I know you are upset,” he said by email. “We are doing our best under difficult circumstances and will work with the legislature to identify ways that we can improve the situation.”

 

Bush ultimately signed a budget that cut $11 million from community colleges’ budgets, forcing them to turn away about 35,000 students looking to enroll, including 9,500 would-be Miami Dade College students.

 

By 2004, Bush was able to fully fund community colleges, earning plaudits from state educators.

 

 

Meet Jeb Bush

MeetJeb

 

Chairman DuBose Porter on Shutdown and Looming Default

Atlanta, GA – October 16, 2013 – The Republican Party’s refusal to allow Georgians to obtain affordable health care has now cost our country and state dearly by shutting down the federal government and barreling down a path to default on its debt within 24 hours.

 

“The recklessness of the Republican Party is destroying the way of life for working families in Georgia,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter. “President Obama has made historic strides in bringing America out of the 2008 Recession. 7.5 million private sector jobs have been added, deficits are falling and the housing sector is turning the corner. We’ve come a long way. But, the GOP is willing to tank all of the progress we’ve made, all in an effort to halt a law that provides affordable health care to Georgians who desperately need it.  A law, by the way, that was passed by Congress, signed by the President, reaffirmed by the American people when they re-elected President Obama, and upheld by the Supreme Court”

 

“In the city of Columbus alone, 3000 civilian employees have been furloughed. That’s a huge hit for one city to burden,” said Porter. “And that’s happening in cities all across Georgia. Working families in our state can’t afford to play out a recession all over again.”

 

“Georgians deserve better than this, and should not have their government held hostage over what is undeniably the law of the land. A challenge by the Republicans in this manner is irresponsible and un-American.  We deserve a clean vote on the budget.”