Paycheck Fairness Act

UPDATE: The Paycheck Fairness Act did NOT pass; Brown did NOT vote for it. 
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CALL BROWN TODAY: The Paycheck Fairness act is going to a vote today---and Brownie is of course a holdout. And he is claiming he’s not hearing from supporters of the bill. So a dozen calls from Needham citizens would help!

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Here's a LIST of things we should be asking Senator Brown to support:

• Paycheck Fairness Act [Update: DID NOT PASS]
• Extending Unemployment Benefits [Update: BROWN NOT SUPPORTING]
• Letting expire the Bush tax cuts for income over $250,000 (would cut $700billion from the deficit)
• Support REPEAL of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
• Support the DREAM act

Email: Click thru Scott Brown's "Comment" Form on website:

Phones: Boston Office -- (617) 565-3170 -Washington, DC Office -- (202) 224-4543

FAX: (202) 228-2646 (you can use services like FaxZero.com to send free faxes from the internet!)

Ask Democrats, Obama to toughen up

Two worthwhile petitions that cut to the heart of what people like me have been fretting over for a long time... the overability of Democrats/Obama to defer to Republicans and the inability to take hard stances and fight for our agenda.


Yes, Tea Party Republicans took over the House (but as I noted, it's hardly a mandate, and today brings another poll that emphasizes the non-mandate nature of the elections)--

But we, the American People, also elected Democrats in 2008 and it is still the 111th Congress.  Let's get moving and pass some REAL legislation, no compromises!, during the lame duck session!

Sign this petition and edit the cover letter to your point of view.

Amidst signals that Obama is ready to compromise with Republicans re: extending the disastrous, deficit-making Bush tax cuts for the top 2% of earners (see  my post below)...

Sign this Credo petition and tell him to NOT extend the Bush Tax Cuts.  It's a winning issue for Dems--but if and only if Obama takes leadership and fights the case.

There is also the Progressive Change Campaign version of the same petition.

***

UPDATE:  Others are picking up the chorus:

Michael Moore has taken to the airwaves and the blogs to argue for sweeping Democratic legislation to be passed during the lame duck session.

Blue Mass Group bloggers plead: "Mr. President, do not learn the wrong lesson from the midterms"

Extending Bush's Deficits with the "Bush Tax Cuts"

Off the Charts Blog | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | Dissecting the Deficit (8/2012) http://goo.gl/XYtIl:  Indeed, the tax cuts and the wars alone account for nearly half of the public debt by 2019.

UPDATE: This NYTimes "solve the deficit" puzzle should be required activity for anyone who claims we should extend the Bush deficit-bombs, tax giveaways to the top 2%.  And here's a useful FACT SHEET about the Bush tax giveaways, from Politifact.
--
Here's what's on the table:

 

And here's a little sense of history--the top marginal tax rates over time--with some helpful Questions to Consider in the graphic: 

 UPDATE Dec 1 2010:

The President just announced, with much fanfare, a plan to Freeze federal workers' pay as part of an austerity/cost cutting measure. 

Our own Scott Brown is refusing to extend Unemployment Benefits (which will impact middle and working class Americans right at the holidays) because of the impact on the deficit.

Consider this: 

The "savings" from freezing fed workers' pay is less than 1% of the total deficit.  Not even a drop in the bucket. 

And extending the Bush tax cuts (deficit bombs) for income over $250,000 will add ANOTHER $700 BILLION to the deficit!!

If we are to believe Senator Scott Brown, The Deficit and Not Adding to It is a primary concern that trumps all others, including the protection of families meager safety net income in the winter, over the holidays.  

If Senator Brown argues FOR extending Bush tax holidays for income over $250,000--he will prove himself a liar:  that he doesn't actually care about the deficit. 

 

Call him on it. DO NOT LET SENATOR BROWN GET AWAY WITH VOTING FOR BUSH TAX GIVEAWAY EXTENSIONS.   

--

How income has been bleeding away from middle class to the top 1% for the last 30 years...

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CONTACT SENATOR SCOTT BROWN

Email: Click thru his "Comment" Form on website:

Phones:

Boston -- (617) 565-3170

Washington, DC -- (202) 224-4543

FAX: (202) 228-2646

(you can use services like FaxZero.com to send free faxes from the internet!)

Needham again the center of the Democratic universe

Arguing that the January 2010 election of Scott Brown to US Senate was not a radical scrambling of Massachusetts DNA, POLITICO points to Needham's Nov. 2, 2010, election results, where Deval Patrick beat Charlie Baker handily.

Baker (and Brown) both made Needham a special focus during their campaigns (Brown putting campaign HQ here, Baker making several high-profile campaign stops, including one w/ Brown: "Yesterday’s [Needham] event, billed as a “Hometown Rally’’ for Baker...").

So we deserve the shout-out from Politico:

Patrick racked up sizable victory margins in places Brown only narrowly lost in January, steamrolling through Worcester by 27 percentage points and winning Baker’s suburban hometown of Needham by a 10-point margin.

Thanks, Lisa Geller, for calling my attn to this--AND for canvassing all day in Needham for Gov. Patrick!

The Crap Economy: Whom/What Do Voters Blame?

You'd think--given the media and Republican babble--that the Republican victories on Nov 2 2010 = "repudiation of Barack Obama" and in particular his handling of the economy.

That would be a very confusing repudiation.  As I noted earlier--voters do NOT want what Republicans have been hawking as economic fixes (tax cuts, hate the stimulus).

And it seems like Barack Obama is not even at the top of voters' "Who to Blame" list: he ranks 3rd--
after "Wall Street" and "George W. Bush".

Fuller information here.

_____
2012 Update: The economy? It’s still Bush’s fault - The Washington Post (1/18/2012) -- A majority of Americans believe that former President George W. Bush is more responsible than President Obama for the current economic problems in the country, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Stop the Meme!: 2010 was not a repudiation of Obama or his policies

UPDATE: 
New (Nov 16, 2010) CNN Poll:  Midterm Results NOT a mandate for Republicans

+++++
Let's stop the media-created myth before it gets rolling too far:

http://www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm

The 2010 midterm election was NOT a repudiation of Barack Obama's agenda, as the Republicorp/Mainstream media are trying to insist. Gallup exit poll shows that the TOP priority of voters is MORE STIMULUS FOR JOB CREATION--that is certainly NOT what the *Republicans* have been selling!! Way, way, way down on the list is extending the Bush tax cuts. Let's stop a media myth before it gets out of hand, people!

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Oct. 28-31, 2010. N=1,140 adults nationwide. Margin of error ± 4.
"Looking ahead, which of the following should be the highest priority for Congress after the election: repealing the new healthcare law, passing a new economic stimulus bill designed to create jobs, cutting federal spending, or extending all the federal income tax cuts enacted during the Bush administration?" Options rotated
			%
	Passing new stimulus bill		38
	Cutting federal spending		24
	Repealing health care law		23
	Extending all income tax cuts		8
	Other (vol.)		4
	Unsure		3

"Blank"/other gets good showing in Needham

For State Senate: 6 month incumbent Richard Ross (R) was unchallenged on the ballot yesterday.

Ross received 8300 votes in Needham. "Blank" and other write-in candidates got 5900 votes.

"Blank"/Other got 42% of the Needham vote.

Full results here.

Deval Patrick wins

[UPDATE: full Needham results here]
 Deval Patrick won re-election.  Denise Garlick won State Rep.

Concerning races in MA have turned out well--Barney Frank, John Tierney, Niki Tsongas have all won re-election, and Bill Keating wins in MA-10. Stephen Lynch won re-election in MA-09 (Needham's district). 

Question 2 and 3 (affordable housing and repeal sales tax) have been DEFEATED (good!), while Question 1 (repeal alcohol sales tax) has passed (boo). [UPDATE: all 3 DEFEATED in Needham].  Needham's non-binding resolution re: legalizing pot PASSED.


Martha Coakley has won re-election for Attorney General, Steven Grossman won State Treasurer, Bill Galvin won Sec. of State.

It looks like Suzanne Bump will win Auditor, though it hasn't been declared official by AP/Boston.com yet. [UPDATE: It's official--Bump is Auditor. Connaughton, however, won in Needham]

For District Attorney--Michael Morrissey beat Jack Coffey, though in Needham Jack Coffey won by around 200 votes.

Needham Precinct-by-Precinct results

an amazing turn-out in Needham--70%


GOVERNOR

Precinct	Patrick Votes	Baker Votes	Cahill Votes
A	641	549	43
B	676	592	46
C	648	619	42
D	687	588	43
E	750	665	56
F	821	593	67
G	771	609	48
H	808	710	68
I	974	628	42
J	700	562	48
	7476	6115	503
PERCENT	53%	43%	4%
		TOTAL VOTES:	14094

STATE REP

	Garlick	O’Leary
A	747	456
B	754	511
C	733	539
D	789	495
E	851	614
F	919	529
G	839	569
H	908	645
I	954	609
J	807	466
TOTAL	8301	5433
	60%	40%
	TOTAL	13734

Voting HEAVY

Word from all over Needham is heavy heavy turnout.
We still need to make sure our targeted voters get to the polls in high enough numbers and we still have a ways to go
Come to Hancock St in Needham to get a phone list or a walk packet to canvass. Every bit helps!
--
Harmony from my phone - pardon typos!
Latest Needham GOTV DETAILS: check here : http://ywcneedham.blogspot.com/
* Vote Deval Patrick for Governor! *

cell phone chargers!

Don't forget to bring your cell phone chargers! THANK YOU everyone-- here's to a great day in MA and the rest of the nation too!

--
Latest Needham GOTV DETAILS: check here : http://ywcneedham.blogspot.com/

Precinct Captain Contacts (Needham)

PRECINCT CAPTAINS to contact if you run into any problems:

Prec. A-B (Hillside):  Jerry Wasserman,

Prec. C-D (Newman): Erica Kreuter,

Prec. E (Pollard): Jon Schecter \Chris Fitzpatrick,

Prec. F (Palmer): Chris Fitzpatrick,

Prec. G-H (Broadmeadow): Harmony Wu

Prec. I-J (Mitchell): Donna Vello,

POLL WATCHER COVERED

Just update--Tom Alpert is covering the Pollwatching shift that I asked about in last email.
Thakns Tom!!
So now we "just" need people in late afternoon especially (but any time during day that you have) to knock doors and/or make phone calls

Prioritizing 4-8PM.

THANK YOU!  (And ask your friends if they can help too)

ELECTION DAY! Need help TONIGHT and TOMORROW (Needham)!

** Election Day – what we need over the next 29 hours! We are a little short volunteers so PLEASE do what you can to help! **

Hi everyone—

Thank you so much for stepping up for Get Out the Vote tomorrow—but we still need more people to help us get to as many voters as we need to in order to WIN.

TONIGHT!

We are putting "Door Hangers" on targeted voters' doors—no knocking, just hanging literature.

CAN YOU COME BY AND PICK UP SOME TURF TONIGHT? We're here at my house.  Swing by until 10PM --

99 Fairfield Street …

If you CAN do lit drop later/in the dead of night—that's fine too, but LET ME KNOW IN ADVANCE so I can arrange to have materials for you to pick up without ringing the doorbell.  

TOMORROW!

We are pretty much set on poll-checkers, except we need someone for poll checking at Newman between 9AM-12PM.  If you can do some or part of this shift, please let one of us know ASAP!

*****************************************************************

Aside from that, our biggest need is to get volunteers out knocking on doors—ESPECIALLY between the hours 4-8PM! 

*****************************************************************

Can you peel off a couple of hours late afternoon tomorrow?  

It is EASY door knocking—reliable voters whom we're just reminding to VOTE!  

BE IN TOUCH SO WE CAN SCHEDULE YOU –

Or, if you find that you suddenly have some spare time—head over to 14 Hancock Rd. to get assigned.  (we can use PHONERS too)

Contact info and addresses are all listed on the "Yes We Can Needham" election day blog:  http://ywcneedham.blogspot.com

STAYING IN THE LOOP --- ATTN VOLUNTEERS:

Already scheduled volunteers, or MAYBE volunteers:

Consider FOLLOWING the YWC Needham election-day blog for the day– that way I can keep volunteers informed of ongoing changes, without having to send out multiple emails throughout the day!

(Click the "FOLLOW" button and follow directions, lower right side of screen (you might have to scroll down)

Thanks all!!

GOTV! Remind your friends and family across the nation--and especially in MA—to  VOTE!

(REMEMBER:  Vote NO on all 3 ballot questions!)

--Harmony

FOR THOSE FRIENDS WHO ARE NOT NEAR NEEDHAM:

Please get plugged in by calling HQ: 617-367-2010

If you are in the MA-09 district (hello friends from Mac campaign!)--

please be in touch with

REUBEN KANTOR

--
Harmony Wu
ELECTION DAY INFO/UPDATES: http://ywcneedham.blogspot.com/
Subscribe for latest volunteer info/needs

* VOTE TUESDAY!!*

I'm supporting Deval Patrick for Governor, Denise Garlick for State Rep., Steve Grossman for Treasurer, Suzanne Bump for Auditor. Please VOTE NO on ALL ballot questions, 1, 2, 3! 

Pre-View the ballot

Needham town clerk has posted PDF of sample ballot. Review

TUE: Need vols. for DOORS and phones

In Needham we are about set with POLL CHECKERS.
What we really need are people who will canvass, knock on doors and make phone calls.
Can you take out an hour or four to help out w/ this tomorrow?
Contact me and/or the others listed on the blog main page (Jerry, Erica, Donna).

Monday night(tonight)

Got an hour tonight?
Need people to hang "doorknocker" literature on Needham doors--
No "talking to people" required!
These pieces of literature will remind Dems to vote when they see them in the morning

Starting at 4pm, drop in to 99 Fairfield St to get lists and lit.

Let me know you're coming, if you can, or drop by last minute.

Harmonywu (at) gmail.com