Democratic Party of Georgia

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DPG Statement on VP Debate

Release:  Tuesday, October 4, 2016  

Atlanta, GA – Democratic Party of Georgia First Vice Chair Nikema Williams issued the following statement on tonight’s vice presidential debate.

“Mike Pence is about as extreme as Republicans come. He’s essentially been charged by Donald Trump to serve as his lead apologist for the campaign’s lies and divisive rhetoric. Throughout his career, Pence has been consumed with an obsession to defund Planned Parenthood, build barriers between women and access to health care, and villainize the LGBTQ community through discriminatory policies and legislation.

“Mike Pence has abused his roles in public office by targeting and attacking women. This is a man who cosponsored legislation to redefine rape, cosponsored legislation that would have allowed hospitals to deny abortions to pregnant women who would die without the care, and has said he wants to send Roe v. Wade ‘to the ash heap of history where it belongs.’

“The LGBTQ community is also a favorite and frequent target of the governor. Just last year, Pence enacted a widely-condemned RFRA law that legalized discrimination against the LGBTQ community—a move that proved deeply embarrassing for Indiana. While in Congress, he voted against the Matthew Shepard Act and campaigned on the notion that ‘Homosexuality is incompatible with military service.’

“Tonight, Senator Tim Kaine proved that Democrats are offering a more substantive, inclusive, and optimistic vision for our country. There is no doubt in my mind that Secretary Clinton and Senator Kaine will use every day of their administration to lift everyone up, and ensure that we all have a fair shot. This has been their life’s work, this is their proven record, and Democrats share their belief that we are stronger together.” – Nikema Williams, First Vice Chair.

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GA Dems hit Mike Pence on outsourcing as he speaks in Dalton

Democrats hit Mike Pence on outsourcing as he speaks in Dalton

Atlanta Journal Constitution / August 30, 2016

 

As Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence prepares to speak this afternoon in Dalton, Georgia Democrats are letting voters know that the Indiana governor’s choice of venue is ironic at best.

The party points us to a recent article in the Indianapolis Star questioning Pence’s bona fides on Trump’s plans to bring U.S. jobs back to the U.S. The paper said in a story this past Sunday:

As Donald Trump’s running mate, Gov. Mike Pence is campaigning for a man who has promised to penalize companies that ship jobs overseas.

But since Pence became governor in 2013, the state has awarded millions of dollars in economic development incentives to companies that have moved production to foreign countries such as Mexico and China. Those production shifts have cost thousands of Hoosiers their jobs during Pence’s time in office.

What makes it a local issue is that Dalton, still famous for its carpet industry, in 2012 became known as the “town with the past year’s worst job loss,” according to an NPR piece at the time. The title came after years of downsizing, consolidation and outsourcing in the flooring industry.

A story this past January by The Times Free Press found that the city still hasn’t recovered and won’t for some time.

“Mike Pence sure does have a lot of gall coming to Georgia and telling us how the Trump/Pence agenda will benefit our workers,” Democratic Party of Georgia spokesman Michael Smith said. “In Indiana, he’s throwing millions of dollars in incentives to companies that ship American jobs overseas. And the man he wants to be president would rather create jobs in China and Mexico than invest in the American people. They’ve destroyed too many families’ livelihoods already—we don’t need Trump or Pence putting the entire country at risk.”