War on Women Continues…

From the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:

“House Republicans have launched an all-out war on women since taking the Speaker’s gavel. In the last year, Republicans have:

• Proposed redefining rape to only cases of “forcible rape” to deny access to women’s health services.
• Voted to defund Planned Parenthood and repeatedly tried to restrict access to women’s health care services.
• Held a hearing on women’s health with five men and no women.

Over the last week, we saw top Republican leaders squirm at denouncing or even criticizing Rush Limbaugh after he called women’s health care advocate Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” on his radio show.

It’s clear Republicans are trying to silence women who stand against their radical agenda.

Sign our petition today and become one of One Million strong telling Republicans to end their radical War on Women.”

Medicare: Share Your Stories

From the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:

“Once again, Republicans are trying to end Medicare to pay for more tax breaks for billionaires and Big Oil. It’s time for us to speak out and show Republicans what Medicare means to seniors and families nationwide. Can you help us by sharing your story about what Medicare means to you and what ending it would do to you or your loved ones?

We will never stop fighting for seniors who paid a lifetime into Medicare and Republicans must be held accountable this November. Help us by sharing your story today.”

disgusting

From the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:

“Where are the women?  That’s what we were all asking about yesterday’s House Oversight Committee hearing where Republicans had the gall to convene a panel on birth control coverage with five men and no women.

It’s absolutely insane.

That’s why I am joining Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi in her call to gather 200,000 signatures on our petition demanding that women have a seat at the table on women’s health care issues.  Over 175,000 of you have signed since just last night – will you join the tens of thousands of others who are standing up for women by signing now?

Join the call — women must have a seat at the table when discussing women’s issues. Sign the petition now »

This is not an isolated incident. Yesterday, one of Rick Santorum’s top supporters actually said this:

“Back in my day, they used Bayer Aspirin for contraceptives. The gals put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly.”

This disgusting comment is just another reminder of why women must be a part of the conversation about our own health care.

We want to send a clear message to Speaker Boehner, Eric Cantor, Chairman Issa and to all House Republicans that we won’t stand for this before they leave the Capitol this weekend.

Sign the petition:

http://dccc.org/WhereAreTheWomen

Thank you for standing up for what’s right. Together we will win in November and stop the Republicans’ War on Women.

Best,
Kelly Ward
DCCC Political Director”

[edit] And this is one from EMILY’s List:

“Rep. Carolyn Maloney said it best: “Where are the women?”

Yesterday morning, an all-male panel of religious leaders testified in front of a Congressional committee about birth control coverage. That’s right, only men — who are not doctors, by the way — were allowed to testify by the GOP leadership about critical women’s health coverage. No women.

It’s absolutely outrageous. The all-male GOP leadership is calling on all-male religious leaders to decide whether birth control should be fully covered by insurance plans. We cannot let this happen. We cannot stand by while Far Right Republicans once again try to send us back to the Dark Ages.

Stand with EMILY’s List now and tell the GOP that women’s health decisions should be made by women — not by anti-choice, anti-women men.

After pleading with the committee chairman to hear from a female witness, the Democratic women on the committee — all of them EMILY’s List women — literally stood up for us and walked out. These are the women who will always have our backs, but we desperately need more of them — and that’s what we’re working to do every day at EMILY’s List.

It’s time to stand up — right now — and say that you will not watch quietly while anti-choice, anti-woman legislators and religious leaders work to dismantle everything we’ve achieved.

Add your voice now! Tell the GOP that women should be the only ones in charge of women’s health.

We have to fight. Right now. Let’s do it.

Thank you for all you do.

All the best,

Amy K. Dacey

Executive Director”

[edit] From the Feminist Majority Foundation:

“We have a fight on our hands to protect women’s health. We need your immediate help.

We are asking you to stand with us in supporting President Obama’s announced HHS rule under the Affordable Care Act to provide women dependents contraceptive coverage without co-pays or deductibles, without extra cost, and without opt-in or opt-out clauses.

Women who work at religiously-affiliated institutions, such as hospitals, universities, or social service agencies that object to providing birth control coverage, will also receive this preventive benefit directly from insurance companies and, therefore, will receive this benefit like women at other worksites. What’s more, college or university students at religiously-affiliated institutions will too.

Let’s face it. Insurance companies can do this because prevention is less expensive than child birth or, for that matter, is less costly than the progression of the illnesses that 25% of contraceptives are prescribed to prevent or treat.

This Obama has received the support of women’s rights organizations and the Catholic Health Association, which represents some 600 Catholic hospitals and it’s leader Sister Carol Keehan, DC, who provided key support in the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Catholics United and Network, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby founded by Catholic Nuns.

Yet the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, who were opposed to the ACA, came out strongly against the Obama accommodation. The Bishops support the so-called “Respect for the Rights of Conscience Act,” which allows any employer or insurance company to deny any health service they object to on moral or religious grounds.

The fight has now moved to Congress. We need you to email Congress now.

Strengthen the resolve of Congress members to vote NO on proposals that are hostile to the needs of women’s health. We must have a strong NO vote. Congressional members must hear a vast outcry. It is 2012. Women must decide, not their bosses nor school administrators.

Senator Blunt (R-MO) and 35 co-sponsors (all Republicans and one Democrat) have introduced the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act. Senator Marco Rubio (R- FL) has introduced - with 22 co-sponsors - the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012” which also amends the Affordable Care Act and allows “an individual or entity on the basis of a religiously based decision” to deny contraceptive or sterilization coverage.

Let Congress hear your outrage and thank President Obama for his commitment to women’s preventive health care including contraception. We must stop any discrimination against women in health insurance.

For equality,

Ellie Smeal
President”

[edit] From UltraViolet:

“Over the weekend, Speaker Boehner doubled down on his commitment to undoing Obama’s decision to require insurance companies to cover birth control—now he wants any employer to be able to deny any preventive care at all, including mammograms.¹

Calls are flooding into Congress from right-wing opponents of birth control to support Boehner’s position.

It’s really important that every member of Congress hears from all of us too.

Can you call your Representatives today and let them know that you oppose any efforts to repeal Obama’s birth control mandate? Make sure they know that you believe all women have a right to affordable birth control and preventive care.

After you call, please let us know how it went so we can track our progress together. Just click here:

http://act.weareultraviolet.org/call/bccallshouse/

Boehner made the Republican position clear: More than any other issue facing Congress, Republican leaders are committed to making women’s lives harder.

There are some encouraging signs from members of both parties in Congress. Last week pro-choice Republicans began to challenge their leadership’s attacks on the mandate.² And just this week Republican Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins publicly endorsed Obama’s decision.³

But the right-wing attacks are not stopping. On Monday, Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL) even went so far as to suggest that Obama’s birth control decision could cause veterans to become homeless.⁴ And on Sunday, a Reverend in San Francisco compared the church’s opposition to Obama’s rule their “Rosa Parks moment,” while vowing to keep up the fight against it.⁵

Since Friday, over 72,000 of us have signed the petition telling Congress not to overturn Obama’s birth control decision. The response has been truly amazing.

Now it’s time to turn it up a notch.

Congress is hearing from opponents and it’s time they hear all of our voices loud and clear too. Please call today.

Thanks!

—Nita and Shaunna, UltraViolet

Sources:

1. “GOP Ups the Ante, Introduces Legislation to Allow Any Employer to Deny Any Preventive Health Service,” ThinkProgress, February 10, 2012

2. “Pro-Choice GOP Warns Party That Contraception Fight Will Be A Disaster,” Talking Points Memo, February 8, 2012

3. “Republican Women Senators Breaking Ranks With Party, Come Out In Favor Of Obama Contraception Rule,” ThinkProgress, Feb 13, 2012

4. “Obama Birth Control Rule will Hurt Homeless Veterans, GOP Congressman Says,” Huffington Post, February 13, 2012

5. “The Catholic Church’s “Rosa Parks Moment,” The New Republic, February 13, 2012”

You called out Cantor

From the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:

“This is incredible: We’ve reached 140,023 signatures on our petition calling out Eric Cantor for caving to special interests and softening the STOCK Act, a bill intended to ban insider trading and crack down on corruption.

Hours after a watered down STOCK Act passed the House, news broke that powerful Republican Spencer Bachus, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee will face an ethics investigation over possible insider trading allegations. Bachus is being investigated about whether he received secret briefings on the imminent collapse of the economy in 2008 and then made trades to profit off the economic crisis.

If you haven’t signed our petition it’s not too late. House and Senate negotiators will be meeting to hammer out a final STOCK Act bill. Make your voice heard and send an unmistakable message to Eric Cantor and Speaker Boehner to demand the toughest ethics reforms and that that people’s interests come before the special interests.

Sign the petition right now.”

BREAKING: Cantor’s backroom deal

From the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:

“Eric Cantor is at it again.

We just got word that Majority Leader Eric Cantor and House Republicans caved to pressure from right-wing special interest groups, going behind closed doors to water down the STOCK Act, a bill banning insider trading in Congress. A vote on the STOCK Act is scheduled for tomorrow and Republicans are trying to carve it up at the last minute.

The vote is scheduled in less than 24 hours: Sign our petition telling Eric Cantor not to water down this vital accountability and transparency bill because of special interest demands  »

Even some Republicans, including Senator Chuck Grassley, are blasting House Republicans for softening this landmark ethics bill.

Help us send a strong message to House Republican leaders that the American people’s interests should come before the special interests. The vote is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, so add your name right now.

Thanks,

Steve”

Tonight’s debate: Call Mitt out

From the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:

“Wonder why Presidential candidate Mitt Romney won’t follow decades of historical precedent and release his full tax returns now? So do we.

It might be because Romney likely pays a lower tax rate than middle class families. Despite having an estimated fortune of up to $250 million, Mitt says he probably pays an effective tax rate of only 15%. That’s less than what school teachers pay.

Help up hit 100,000 signatures on our petition telling Mitt Romney to release his full tax returns right now »

Just this week, we learned that Mitt has millions invested in the Cayman Islands and other offshore accounts.

President Obama has released his tax returns going back to the year 2000. In fact, Mitt’s own father, George Romney, started the tradition of Presidential candidates releasing their tax returns in 1968, releasing 12 years of returns.

Romney’s response? He says if he does release his taxes, he won’t do it until April, and he’ll only release this year’s records.

Something doesn’t add up. Add your name and tell Mitt Romney to come clean to the American people.

Sign now at: http://MittsBigSecret.com

Help us put the pressure on Mitt Romney so we can learn the truth.

Thanks,

Kevin

Kevin McKeon
DCCC Research Director”

@Stake: Where in the World is Boehner?

From the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:

“Speaker John Boehner likes to travel — he is known for his love of golf and he recently admitted to a newspaper that he simply doesn’t “do stress”. So it’s no wonder that he would adjourn Congress and head off on a round-the-world vacation while the American taxpayers pay the price.

With time running out before hardworking families face a middle class tax increase, you would think Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor would be in Washington trying to hammer out a deal. Nah! Instead they’re jet-setting around the world on your dime.

Enough is enough. Help us spread the message that the vacation is over and tell Boehner to get back to work at our new web site, WhereInTheWorldIsJohnBoehner.com.

We must do everything in our power this year to elect President Obama and win a Democratic Majority. With you at our side, we are confident we can win in November.

Thank you for standing with us.

Onward to Victory,

Robby

Robby Mook
DCCC Executive Director”

Pro-choice money funding anti-choice candidates?

From CREDO Action:

“The House of Representatives voted to let women die by passing a bill that would make it legal for hospitals to refuse to perform a life-saving abortion on a woman as an emergency procedure.

In response to that vote, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) sent out a fundraising email asking supporters to donate to help protect the health of women.

But three out of fifteen of the DCCC’s top candidates who would receive that money voted to let women die.¹

Tell the DCCC: You can’t have it both ways. Either stop fundraising off attacks on women’s health or stop fundraising for anti-choice Democrats who vote to let women die.

It is shameful that the DCCC is using these horrible attacks on women’s lives as a chance to fill their own coffers with the money of supporters who are genuinely angry about the war extremists in Congress are waging against women.

Not only is it hypocritical for the DCCC not to mention that the money raised for their women’s health fund will be going directly to three anti-choice candidates, but it is simply wrong that they are funding candidates who are so anti-choice that they voted for a bill that would let women die in a hospital without any intervention.

The DCCC’s two-faced messaging must stop. If they care about protecting women’s health, then they need to stop funding extreme anti-choice candidates — and if they want to fund those anti-woman candidates, then they need to stop running fundraising campaigns that use attacks on women’s health to solicit contributions from pro-choice activists.

Tell the DCCC: You can’t have it both ways. Either stop fundraising off attacks on women’s health or stop fundraising for anti-choice Democrats who want to let women die. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

Thank you for speaking out against hypocrisy at the DCCC and working to defend women’s rights.

Ali Rozell, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

1. The three DCCC frontline candidates who voted for the ‘let women die’ bill are: Reps. Mark S. Critz, Mike McIntyre, and Jim Matheson. You can see a list of all Democrats who voted for H.R. 358 here.”