We can't wait

No matter who you're supporting in the primary, if you're like a lot of folks, you're probably ready for it to be over already. Well, we're right there with you.

Let's face it: This is a once-in-a-lifetime election and it's time to start focusing on the Republicans.

And while the spotlight is firmly fixed on the fighting around the Democratic primary, John McCain is set to go into the general election with a serious advantage. Right now he's building up his team—meaning there's a good chance he'll run up a big lead before our team even gets on the field.

That's why we're working so hard on our groundbreaking election program. If we can do everything we've got planned, we'll not only put a Democrat in the White House, we'll give him or her a decisive majority to work with in the Senate.

Here's the thing: We can't wait until there is an official Democratic nominee to put these plans into motion—John McCain and the Republicans certainly aren't. So far 15,530 MoveOn members are helping build this program up by kicking in a few bucks every month. We need 4,470 more. Can you chip in $15 a month between now and the election? It's easy and you can cancel anytime.

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/victory2008.html?id=12521-7018451-QTilEB&t=2

For the last year we've been furiously engaged in building our biggest voter-turnout program ever, drawing on everything learned in 2004 and 2006. Here are just a few of the things we're working on:

• Microtargeting: We're taking one of Karl Rove's famous field tactics to the next level. We'll ensure that we find every progressive voter, even those in conservative neighborhoods or households with Republicans.
• Persuasion: We're working on a new effort where we'll target independent and "swing" voters well before Election Day, to give them more information on the issues and persuade them to vote our way.
• Innovation: We're also creating a number of new online organizing tools—to share with the broader progressive movement—to increase voter registration, education, and turnout.

We have a historic opportunity this fall, and we can't afford to sit around and wait until there's a nominee to get to work—there is too much at stake. Can you chip in a few bucks a month between now and the election to help make sure progressives hit the ground running when the election season gets started in earnest?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/victory2008.html?id=12521-7018451-QTilEB&t=3

Thanks for all you do

100 years of war?

Senator McCain said what?

This week our members hit the phones to call on their senators to enact the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. On Wednesday, we came close but fell three senators short of the 60 necessary to force a vote.

As disappointed as I was by the result, I was even more upset when I came across a news report regarding the reaction of Senator John McCain, who failed even to show up for the vote.

McCain said the gap between the pay of women and men in this country isn't due to discrimination. Women just need more "education and training" to earn as much as men.

Tell Senator McCain that what women need is equal justice under the law.

Lilly Ledbetter worked 19 years at Goodyear before she learned the men at her level were earning far more for the same work. She sued, and stood up for inequality by taking her case all the way to the Supreme Court—where five male justices ruled her claim invalid because she filed it more than 180 days after the discrimination started. Now, Senator McCain is blocking a vote on legislation to correct this injustice—and in the process, he seems willing to roll back 50 years of women's rights.

Sign our petition asking Senator McCain to take back his sexist statements and stop blocking this crucial vote.
Another vote will be called soon, possibly within days. If we can stop senators like John McCain from blocking a vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the bill, which has already passed the House, will surely pass the Senate as well.

I'm asking all my friends to stand up for the rights of women in the workplace. I hope you will, too.

Sincerely,
Laura Scher, CEO
CREDO Mobile

Big Senate Win Today: Let's Stop Murdoch

Chip in to Stop Murdoch
and Big Media

Before Time Runs Out!

This morning, the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved the "resolution of disapproval" we've been fighting for.

It's the first step toward an official congressional "veto" of the Federal Communications Commission's new rules that gut media ownership limits.

This vote couldn't have come at a more important moment. Just this week, Rupert Murdoch announced plans to buy his third New York newspaper — Newsday. (Murdoch already owns the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal and two television stations in this one media market!)

We can stop this runaway media consolidation by passing the resolution of disapproval in the full House and Senate. To do that, we need your help right now.

Donate to Stop Rupert Murdoch and Big Media.

Time is of the essence. Senate rules require a floor vote on the veto within the next few weeks. So your immediate contribution is critical.

With your support today, the Free Press Action Fund will:

• Line up more senators to support the resolution. We’ve already secured 25 co-sponsors, and we need to exert serious pressure to get the rest. (Murdoch’s greedy grab for Newsday will help, but you can be sure he’ll be fighting us every step of the way.)
• Counteract Big Media’s misinformation campaign. Huge newspaper conglomerates like Murdoch’s News Corp. and Tribune Co. are spending heavily to convince Congress that the FCC rules don't go far enough. They want to swallow up even more local media.
• Setting the record straight. If we can raise enough funding today, part of your contribution will pay for ads to get the attention of Washington decision-makers.
• Reach out to our hundreds of thousands of media reform activists -- and allied groups throughout the country to make sure they flood the Senate with letters, phone calls and e-mails.

Help get this job done -- donate now!

Since the FCC plan was announced in December, more than 250,000 activists have called on Congress to block it. Today's vote is the result — proof that when we pull together behind a clear strategic goal, we get results, even though industry lobbyists outspend us in Washington more than 200-to-1.

The time to stop Murdoch and Big Media is now. I urge you to make your contribution right away.

Gratefully,

Alexandra Russell
Program Director
Free Press Action Fund
www.freepress.net

P.S. The clock is ticking. We must win full Senate approval of the FCC veto within the next few weeks. That means we must start right now. Please chip in today to win this essential victory for media reform!

Urgent: McCain Outrage in New Orleans

Click here to tell Sen. McCain:

"John Hagee continues to blame the people of New Orleans for the catastrophe of Katrina. Senator McCain: If you reject intolerance and bigotry, reject Hagee's political support and stop courting hate-mongers like him."

Sign the petition

Right-wing pastor John Hagee says Katrina was New Orleans' fault. John McCain sought out, and embraces, Hagee's support. MoveOn members are trying to deliver a petition to McCain in New Orleans just a few hours from now: will you sign?

Here's the background: McCain wants America to see him as a compassionate, mainstream politician. So he's going to New Orleans today for a photo-op in the 9th Ward.

But he's still trying to shore up his right-wing base—so this past Sunday, he again welcomed the support of right-wing evangelist John Hagee, who said "Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans."¹

MoveOn members in New Orleans have organized an emergency rally outside McCain's event today. With the media looking on, they'll try to deliver our petition asking him to stop pandering to right-wing bigots like Hagee. They'll announce an up-to-the-minute number of signatures, and we'll have a real impact if we can say that hundreds of thousands have signed in only a few hours. Clicking here will add your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/mccain_pander/o.pl?id=12500-7018451-d3rV5H&t=3

The petition reads: "John Hagee continues to blame the people of New Orleans for the catastrophe of Katrina. Senator McCain: If you reject intolerance and bigotry, reject Hagee's political support and stop courting hate-mongers like him."

This is not a gaffe or a "gotcha." Hagee has a history of bigoted comments and he stood by his New Orleans remarks just days ago.² And McCain's strategy is intentional—he's been working hard to court far-right leaders like Jerry Falwell and John Hagee, despite their hateful views.³ Even when he was pressed about Hagee's hateful views, McCain said he was "glad to have his endorsement."⁴

Hagee's words matter. Katrina was a terrible reminder of the consequences of bigotry and exclusion. People without resources, without political power, literally sank beneath the waves while our government did nothing.

John McCain is relying for political support on a man who preaches bigotry and exclusion, who spreads the kind of hate that allowed Katrina to become a man-made tragedy. While the media is focused on his New Orleans visit, we need to call him on it.

The more folks who sign the petition in the next few hours, the greater our impact. Clicking here will add your name right now:

http://pol.moveon.org/mccain_pander/o.pl?id=12500-7018451-d3rV5H&t=4

We need to let Senator McCain know that he can't use New Orleans for a photo-op while still courting the political support of hate-mongers like Hagee. New Orleans deserves better and America does, too.

Thank you very much for all you do.

–Eli, Justin, Lenore, Patrick S., Anna, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Thursday, April 24th, 2008

Sources:

1. "Will MSNBC devote as much coverage to McCain's embrace of Hagee's support as it did to Obama's rejection of Farrakhan?" Media Matters, February 28th, 2008
http://mediamatters.org/items/200802280018

2. "Hagee Says Hurricane Katrina Struck New Orleans 'Because it was 'Planning a Sinful Homosexual Rally,'" Think Progress, April 23, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/23/hagee-katrina-mccain/

"Will MSNBC devote as much coverage to McCain's embrace of Hagee's support as it did to Obama's rejection of Farrakhan?" Media Matters, February 28th, 2008
http://mediamatters.org/items/200802280018

3. "Hagee: McCain 'sought my endorsement,'" ThinkProgress, March 20th, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3603&id=12500-7018451-d3rV5H&t=5

"McCain Gets Into Bed with the Religious Right," People For the American Way, February 28th, 2008
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=25053

"McCain Woos the Right, Makes Peace With Falwell," ABC News, March 26th, 2006
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1779141&page=1

4. "McCain Flip-Flops In 30 Seconds: Hagee Endorsement A 'Mistake,' But 'I'm Glad To Have' It," ThinkProgress, April 21st, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/21/hagee-flip-flop/

Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.2 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:

http://political.moveon.org/donate/email.html?id=12500-7018451-d3rV5H&t=6

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Let's be blunt. Bitter? You bet I'm bitter

By Robyn E. Blumner, Times Columnist
Published Friday, April 18, 2008 12:46 AM

Barack Obama may have been a little too blunt in his now infamous quip about how the economic insecurities gripping small-town America manifest themselves, but the word "bitter" perfectly sums up my feelings these days.

You bet I'm bitter.

I've watched my country get hijacked by a group of self-serving incompetents who have little conscience about sending young men and women to die in an unnecessary war, while putting the bill on a credit card for the next generation.

You bet I'm bitter.

I've seen some of the greatest moral handiwork of modern civilization — the Geneva Conventions — get treated as if it were the naive ramblings of out-of-touch do-gooders. I've watched the founding principles of our nation — the inalienable right of due process of law and the checks and balances of three co-equal branches of government — treated as a copse to be mowed down en route to the unitary executive.

You bet I'm bitter.

I've stood by as the wealth of our nation has been concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite while the middle class struggles to financially tread water. I've seen our tax policies shift to benefit this small group, starving our national treasury of needed resources and making it far less possible to prepare for the future by investing in infrastructure, education and shoring up Social Security and Medicare.

You bet I'm bitter.

I've watched a macabre health care system become even more dysfunctional, so that a single accident or illness can destroy the economic security of a family. I've seen Big Pharma use its lobbying muscle to keep Medicare from negotiating better drug prices. I've observed as health insurance companies with their inflated middle-man profits add immeasurably to the cost of care while trying to deny coverage and services to their customers. I've heard our leaders whine about "socialized medicine" any time a comprehensive fix is suggested.

You bet I'm bitter.

I've seen industry insiders put in charge of regulatory agencies so that worker safety and environmental protection are eroded in the name of increased profits. I've watched as science is subverted to ideology. Where facts on global climate change are ignored or manipulated to fit a politically driven script. I've seen the Department of Justice transform into the legal arm of the Republican Party.

You bet I'm bitter.

I've watched the dismantling of the wall of separation between church and state, allowing billions of tax dollars to flow to religiously affiliated groups that peddle their own brand of faith as part of the government-funded service. I've seen Christian fundamentalism defeat funding for international family planning and constrain the distribution of condoms in places where HIV/AIDS has decimated the population.

You bet I'm bitter.

I've stood by as the national debt nearly doubled in the last seven years due to irresponsible tax cuts and spending on such folly as an endless pre-emptive war that may end up costing three trillion dollars. I've observed the privatization of core government functions, such as the handling of security assignments in Iraq by the unaccountable Blackwater. I've seen billions of dollars in Iraq reconstruction money wasted and lost to a system of endemic corruption.

You bet I'm bitter.

I've watched our nation get less secure thanks to the counterproductive policies of the neocons in charge. I've seen the populations of otherwise friendly nations turn against the United States, seeing us as the world's biggest bully and hypocrite rather than its greatest beacon of liberty, justice and opportunity. I've observed that our willingness to abuse prisoners has become a recruiting tool for our enemies, making us masters of our own demise.

You bet I'm bitter. And when more than 80 percent of Americans think we're on the wrong track, I'm not the only one. Obama chose the right word. The only question is, how long this bad taste will last and how to get rid of it?

Halt the Assault!

For Earth Day...

HALT the Assault on the Environment

Inflicted by the Bush Regime:

* Suppression of Science
* Denial of Overwhelming Evidence Confirming Threat of Climate Change
* Spurred Poaching Pandemic of Gray Wolves, Coyote, Deer, Seals and Other Native Animals
* Scrapped Fire Management Plans for Southwestern National Forests
* Pushing Private Development Threatening National Parks
* Defying Federal Court Decision to Protect National Forests from Logging
* Surveillance and Spying on Greenpeace Activists
* Failure to Protect more than 280 Species at Risk of Becoming Endangered or Extinct
* Radiating the Planet with Depleted Uranium
* Unregulated Drilling at National Parks and Forests
* Underfunding the EPA to Support War for Empire

It may sound like a horrific sci-fi movie? It isn't. It's reality under the Bush regime!

And it's going to get worse as the Bush regime is now planning last-minute giveaways to its corporate allies which will eliminate protections for the planet, and all those who inhabit it. Your Government has been running roughshod over agencies, scientists, lawyers and activists who share your values of environmental sustainability.

This EARTH DAY do something profound for the planet. Join and fund the movement determined to bring the whole package to a halt, and protect what we love - our families, our friends, our fellow creatures, and our planet!

Donate online or send by mail. World Can't Wait 305 W. Broadway #185 New York NY 10013. See website for tax deductible info.

Donate online or send by mail. World Can't Wait 305 W. Broadway #185 New York NY 10013. See website for tax deductible info.

Every donation of $25 or more will receive a copy of the DVD The Bush Record, featuring:

Destruction of the Global Environment: 1. Denial and Distortion of Scientific Consensus and Findings on Global Warming. 2. Obstructionism on International Efforts to curb the emissions of greenhouse gases. It has withdrawn from any international efforts that would impose binding restrictions, however minimal. It has done this with full knowledge of the catastrophic effects of global warming and the disproportionate U.S. share of world greenhouse gas emissions, the leading cause of global warming.

Become an official World Can't Wait member

Drive Out the Bush Regime

Repudiate the Entire Bush Program

The Earth Can't Wait!

World Can't Wait
Visit our website
info@worldcantwait.org

866-973-4463
305 W. Broadway #185
New York, NY 10013