Erica Sackin ESackin@barackobama.com
Hi ,
I’m writing because I’d like to add you to our Obama for America bloggers press list.
As a part of our blogger press list you’ll get relevant information, tip sheets, previews of videos or other materials we’re launching and background briefing. You can also come to me with questions or any other requests. We’re not expecting you to toe a party line, we just want to get a conversation going, and be as helpful as we can.
Let me know if you have any questions, or if you have any other blogs you think we should add – we’re still building out our press list, and suggestions for people we should include are definitely welcome.
I also wanted to let you know about a new site we’re launching – Truth Teams. The press release is below, but the site is focused on rebutting false attacks by republicans and taking a closer look at what the Republicans are actually trying to do. As a part of the press list, you’ll get a first look at the important pieces of information and research we’re using as a part of this project.
Thanks so much, and please let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to working with you.
Erica
Erica Sackin
Digital Outreach Lead
Obama For America
W: (312) 985-1686
C: (312) 543-4418
For Immediate Release CONTACT: Obama for America Press Office
February 13, 2012
OBAMA FOR AMERICA LAUNCHES THE TRUTH TEAM TO PROMOTE THE PRESIDENT’S ACHIEVEMENTS AND HOLD REPUBLICANS ACCOUNTABLE
Chicago, IL – Today, Obama for America announced the launch of the Truth Team, a new national effort by President Obama supporters online and on the ground to promote the President’s achievements, respond to attacks on his record and hold the eventual Republican nominee accountable. More than a million people took action as part of the Fight the Smears initiative during the 2008 campaign; the goal of the Truth Team is to double that number, reaching two million grassroots supporters who will communicate the President’s record and fight back against attacks before the Democratic National Convention this fall.
Beginning today with events across the country and continuing through the election, the Truth Team will engage grassroots supporters to spread the truth about the President’s record and respond to Republican attacks. The program will be housed at BarackObama.com/TruthTeam, with individual websites – KeepingHisWord.com, KeepingGOPHonest.com, and AttackWatch.com – serving as quick, comprehensive resources to help set the record straight. Designed to put responsibility for spreading the truth in the hands of the President’s supporters, the websites contain videos and information on the President’s record, and fact checks on Republican claims about the President and themselves. The sites also contain tools for sharing materials via Facebook, Twitter and email, and empowers supporters to take further action by volunteering, writing letters to the editor, sending postcards to undecided voters with information about the President’s record, and more. The goal is to ensure that when Republicans attack President Obama’s record, grassroots supporters can take ownership of the campaign and share the facts with the undecided voters in their lives.
Republican Super PACs have committed to spend a half billion dollars on negative ads to defeat the President. But from the start, the Obama for America campaign has relied on grassroots supporters to spread the truth, and today’s announcement builds on and expands that effort.
Truth Teams will be announced today in many states including Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina and Wisconsin with events being held in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia. National supporters including the National Education Association (NEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) and the United Steelworkers Union (USW) will be participating in this effort.
To find out more about the Truth Team, please visit: Barackobama.com/TruthTeam
Below is an email from Stephanie Cutter to our supporters:
Subject: Sit back or fight back
SUPPORTER –
If we’ve learned anything from the Republican primaries, it’s that this is no ordinary election.
The GOP candidates are spending a huge amount of time attacking President Obama — no surprise. But instead of basing their attacks on our differences of opinion, they’ve chosen to run on claims about his record that just aren’t true.
Mitt Romney says that, despite 23 consecutive months of job growth under the President’s watch, he’s made the recession “worse.” Rick Santorum says that the Affordable Care Act, which was based in part on Republican proposals and provides millions of Americans with access to affordable, private health insurance, is a government takeover of health care. They’re not acting alone: With the newfound power of outside groups, these lies can be instantly amplified with millions of dollars in special-interest ad spending.
If the other guys are going to run a campaign based on misrepresenting the President’s record — and their own — we have two options: sit back and let these lies go unchallenged, or fight back with the truth.
We’re fighting back. Today we’re introducing a new resource for grassroots supporters who want to make sure that when voters go to the polls in November, they know the truth — and you should be a part of it.
Will you sign up to be a member of the Truth Team? [Links to: http://www.barackobama.com/truth-team/]
The website has three sections to reflect the team’s goals: Keeping his word, where we’ll communicate about President Obama’s record and promises kept; Attack Watch, to fight back against false attacks on the President; and Keeping GOP Honest, where we’ll debunk the Republicans’ false claims about their own records.
In short, it’s the grassroots communications team of the Obama 2012 campaign. We’ll provide resources for you to learn everything you need to know and tools to help you share it with undecided voters in your life.
Communicating about the President’s record — and that of our opponents — is what I do full-time. But people don’t just want to hear from campaign statements or ads — they want to hear from the family and friends they trust.
The President needs folks on board to roll up their sleeves, stand with him, and get the truth out all over the country.
So the next time you hear Mitt Romney accusing the President of “crony capitalism” or someone asking, “What has President Obama really accomplished?” you’ll know what to do.
If you’re ready to fight lies with the truth, sign up now:
http://www.barackobama.com/truth-team
Thanks,
Stephanie
Stephanie Cutter
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America
Thank You
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: March 8, 2012
Hannah Kim 202-225-4365
RANGEL PRAISES NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE REPORT AND SERVICE
WASHINGTON D.C. – Congressman Charles Rangel released the following statement after the National Urban League released its annual State of Black America report, “Occupy the Vote to Educate, Employ and Empower,” on March 8, 2012:
“I want to congratulate the National Urban League on the release of its annual 2012 State of Black America report and its continued contributions to promoting equality in our country. I thank my good friend President Marc Morial for his great leadership and vision. He has been truly impactful on the Congressional Black Caucus and the American people in raising our awareness on various issues facing minorities.
This year’s State of Black America report, aptly themed, “Occupy the Vote to Educate, Employ and Empower,” comes at a pivotal time when we as a nation must decide whether to move forward or backwards. Today 13 percent of Blacks and 11 percent of Hispanics are unemployed, yet Voter ID laws that have been implemented in 14 states threaten to disenfranchise five million Americans. These barriers silence the voices of those who most need to be heard. I marched from Selma to Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to fight for justice in our country. Our struggle led to the enactment of the Voters Rights Act of 1965; four decades later it is an outcry that we are regressing back to the Jim Crow era. The right to vote is intertwined with the right to a good education and job — regardless of color, gender or creed.
The National Urban League has been a prolific defender of justice and equality for over 90 years. With nearly 100 local affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia, the Urban League continues to provide direct services that improve the lives of more than two million people nationwide. I am privileged that the Urban League’s New York Chapter, NYUL, is in our Manhattan Congressional District and is improving the lives of people in our community. Under the leadership of Chair Noel Hankin and Chapter President Arva Rice, the NYUL assists disadvantaged New Yorkers in gaining access to equal opportunity in employment, education, healthcare, and housing. I look forward to supporting the NYUL in their future endeavors and to keep fighting for a more perfect union.”
STATEMENT
CONGRESSMAN CHARLES RANGEL
RANGEL HONORS THE LIFE OF REP. DONALD PAYNE
WASHINGTON D.C. – Congressman Charles Rangel released the following statement on the passing of Congressman Donald M. Payne (NJ-10) on Tuesday March 6, 2012:
“I cannot fully express my sadness over the death of my dearest friend and Congressional Black Caucus Colleague Congressman Donald Payne. Today his constituents in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District, our Colleagues in Congress, people across America and around the globe mourn the loss of a great man, leader and humanitarian. Donald was a champion of the lesser among us who saw wrong and fought tirelessly to make it right.
Donald sought to give every child a quality education and a fair chance at success no matter where they came from. For over 23 years in Congress, as former Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Member of the House Committee on Education, he advocated for low-income students across our nation. Moreover, as a Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Donald worked passionately to restore democracy and human rights in Africa and throughout world. Donald and I shared a vision in giving Americans from all walks of life the opportunity to serve and represent our nation abroad. His most recent accomplishment before he passed was the creation of USAID’s Donald Payne Development Fellowship which I am proud to say is modeled after the U.S. Department of State’s Rangel Fellowship program. Thanks to Donald’s efforts young Americans will have the opportunity to continue Donald’s legacy of promoting peace and compassion to the rest of world.
I will deeply miss my brother Donald Payne whose kindness and commitment to humanity will forever be remembered. My deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones.”
Our Truth Team is Busy Debunking Romney
Fact check: At Israel’s request, the Obama administration agreed to postpone joint defense exercise
Romney’s attack on President Obama omits his strong defense of Israel’s interests at the U.N.
Fact check for Romney: President Obama placed the toughest sanctions ever imposed on Iran
Romney Pushing Economic Ideas That Would Take Us Back To The Failed Policies of the Past:
Romney Announced He Would Repeal Sarbanes-Oxley: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/03/03/romney-toughening-stance-would-repeal-sarbanes-oxley/
The Romney Team is also Rallying Around Carried Interest: http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-stump/101381/team-romney-rallies-around-carried-interest
As Ben LaBolt Put It:
Ben LaBolt @BenLaBoltLesson not learned? First Romney wanted to repeal Wall Street reform. Now he wants to go back to Enron accounting. on.wsj.com/yQHomG
Ben Adler Reminds Us: The Right-Wing Effort to Smear Obama and Liberals as Anti-Israel http://www.thenation.com/blog/166592/right-wing-effort-smear-obama-and-liberals-anti-israel
Romney Told an 11-Year That Iran Will Get a Nuke if Obama Wins: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/05/romney-to-11-year-old-iran-will-get-nuke-if-obama-re-elected/
President Obama Speaks at AIPAC; Romney Makes False Claims
https://twitter.com/#%21/Obama2012 “I will invite Shimon Peres to the White House to present him with America’s highest civilian honor—the presidential Medal of Freedom.”
https://twitter.com/#%21/Obama2012 President Obama: “As you examine my commitment, you don’t just have to count on my words. You can look at my deeds.
https://twitter.com/#%21/Obama2012 President Obama: “Because of our efforts, Iran is under greater pressure than ever before.”
ECONOMY:
The Atlantic: The White House's Economic Case for Reelection in 13 Charts
“If you're a fan of the Obama administration, you'll want to see these graphs because they represent the White House's case for another term — in easy picture form. The case is: The economy is better than you think. The bailouts and stimulus worked better than you think. And government is smaller than you think.” http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/02/the-white-houses-economic-case-for-reelection-in-13-charts/253806/
Erica Sackin ESackin@barackobama.com
BLUNT-RUBIO AMENDMENT
The Senate voted to table the Blunt-Rubio amendment this morning. The amendment would have allowed any employer to deny any employee any health care service at their whim.
Let’s not forget, last night Romney came out strongly for the Blunt-Rubio amendment: http://www.attackwatch.com/romney-backs-rubio-blunt-bill-giving-employers-moral-right-to-deny-birth-co/
Check out this video from the DNC this morning what Romney wanted to take away from women:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVoTWLIVscg
And if Romney and the GOP had gotten their way, you might have needed to get this permission slip signed by your boss in order to get birth control: http://barackobama.tumblr.com/post/18551756110/if-mitt-romney-and-a-few-republican-senators-get
In other contraception news, extreme Virginia Governor and possible Mitt Romney pick for VP candidate Bob McDonnell is set to sign into law another ultrasound bill in Virgnia, that is just as bad as the last one: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2012/02/virginia_governor_bob_mcdonnell_will_sign_a_revised_ultrasound_law_that_is_as_bad_as_the_old_one_.html
Erica Sackin ESackin@barackobama.com
3/1/2012
ENERGY· From the White House today: Our Dependence on Foreign Oil is Declining (with chart!) http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/03/01/our-dependence-foreign-oil-declining?utm_source=030112&utm_medium=topper&utm_campaign=daily
Obama campaign Press Secretary Ben LaBolt said in a statement today “Mitt Romney’s backward-looking energy policy does not meet America’s complex energy needs today. He believes that we should zero out funding for clean energy and cede the market and jobs that come with it to China. His tax plan keeps subsidies for big oil and gas companies making billions in profits. And he has made clear he is not concerned about gas prices — he is against increased fuel economy standards that save consumers money at the pump and he raised the gas tax by 400% in Massachusetts.”
The President also spoke about energy policy in New Hampshire today:
http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2012/03/obama-fervently-backs-his-energy-policy-new-hampshire-speech/FGnCvabK3XOmhOuWii0c7L/index.html
Erica Sackin ESackin@barackobama.com
Our statement on Romney’s support for the Blunt-Rubio Amendment is below.
In case you missed it, Romney said he was against the Blunt-Rubio Amendment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x94nMnSnGFw&feature=youtu.be
And literally an hour later clarified to say he was for it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfrGFGibuzw&feature=youtu.be
Although this flip flop is stunning, let’s not forget the larger issue – Romney today came out in favor of an extreme amendment that would allow any employer to refuse to cover any kind of health care service, including contraception, for moral reasons.
For Immediate Release:February 29, 2012
STATEMENT ON MITT ROMNEY’S COMMITMENT TO ALLOW EMPLOYERS TO DENY WOMEN COVERAGE
“In one hour, Mitt Romney showed why women don’t trust him for one minute. It took little more than an hour for him to commit his latest flip-flop. Even worse, he ended up on the wrong side of an issue of critical importance to women.” “The Blunt Amendment would allow any employer to deny their female employees coverage because of that employer’s own beliefs. With his support of this amendment, Mitt Romney is taking important health care decisions about contraception, mammograms, and cervical cancer screenings among other issues out of women’s hands and into the hands of their bosses.” “While Mitt Romney may be in a race to the bottom with Rick Santorum to see who can pander most to the far right-wing, his embrace of extreme policies like the Blunt Amendment would have real life consequences for millions of women.”
Stephanie Cutter, Deputy Campaign Manager
CONTACT: Obama for America Press Office312-985-1198press@barackobama.com
Erica Sackin
HHS Study: 86 Million Americans Helped by Health Care Reform
In case you missed it – 54 million Americans now have at least one preventive care service covered with no copay, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Add in the 32.5 million from Medicare, and that makes a total of 86 million Americans who have been helped by health care reform so far. See the press release on two studies out today from HHS for more information: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012pres/02/20120215a.html
Erica
Erica Sackin
Digital Outreach Lead
Obama For America
Hi Erica,
Thank you for your email. 3 ChicsPolitico would be honored if you’d include our blog on OFA’s bloggers press list.
Our goal at 3 ChicsPolitico is to inform and educate our blogging community. And yes, call out false claims, and out right lies about President Obama and his administration’s achievements.
We look forward to receiving any news and updates on what the Obama administration is doing to serve ALL Americans. Receiving up to the minute information and facts will help us share the news with fellow bloggers, our friends and family.
Thanks again, Erica.
Regards,
SouthernGirl2, Ametia, & Rikyrah
http://3chicspolitico.com/
Erica Sackin ESackin@barackobama.com
our campaign manager Jim Messina just wrote an open letter responding to the Koch brothers. One highlight: “You argue that Americans for Prosperity is a grassroots organization of everyday citizens, but its emphasis on rolling hack environmental protections and blocking a clean energy economy appears to be nothing more than an effort to promote the corporate interests of your employers and others who lavishly, and secretly, fund its operations.”
Washpost story & Messina’s letter below.
Erica
Obama team fires back at Koch brothers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/obama-team-fires-back-at-koch-brothers/2012/02/29/gIQA3UXbiR_print.html
By Aaron Blake, Wednesday, February 29, 1:10 PM
President Obama’s re-election campaign is accusing the Koch brothers-funded conservative group Americans for Prosperity of faking its grassroots support.The claim, in a new letter from campaign manager Jim Messina, is part of a growing back-and-forth between the Obama team and the billionaire Koch brothers.
“You argue that Americans for Prosperity is a grassroots organization of everyday citizens,” Messina wrote in the letter, an early copy which was obtained by The Fix. “But its emphasis on rolling hack environmental protections and blocking a clean energy economy appears to be nothing more than an effort to promote the corporate interests of your employers and others who lavishly, and secretly, fund its operations.”
On Friday, the Koch brothers — oil magnates Charles and David — sent Messina a letter deriding a fundraising e-mail from the Obama campaign. The fundraising letter accused the Kochs of “jacking up prices at the pump” and committing as much as $200 million to defeating Obama’s reelection.
In the letter, Koch Companies president of government and public affairs Philip Ellender argues that Americans for Prosperity is a grassroots organization practicing democracy.
In Messina’s response, he scoffs at that notion, calling on the Koch brothers to disclose their donors if they want to prove their grassroots support.“…it is a cynical stretch to describe the political activities of your employers as furthering democracy when they are courting huge checks from special interest donors to pay for negative ads, with no public disclosure of the identity of those donors,” Messina writes.
“There is no campaign in the country that believes more in the active participation of Americans in the electoral process than this one,” Messina added. “When you attempt to drown out their voices through unlimited, secret contributions to pursue a special interest agenda that conflicts with what’s best for our nation, you must expect some scrutiny of your actions.”
In the Koch’s letter Friday, Ellender argues that Messina and the Democrats were demagoguing private citizens simply trying to make their voice heard.“…It is an abuse of the President’s position and does a disservice to our nation for the President and his campaign to criticize private citizens simply for the act of engaging in their constitutional right of free speech about important matters of public policy,” Ellender wrote. “The implication in that sort of attack is obvious: dare to criticize the President’s policies and you will be singled out and personally maligned by the President and his campaign in an effort to chill free speech and squelch dissent.”
The Koch brothers have proven a strong fundraising tool for Democrats, who regularly feature them in e-mails seeking financial support. Here is the entire letter:
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Dear Mr. Ellender: I am writing in response to your letter, in which you portrayed the oil and gas executives you represent as average citizens trying to make their voices heard. Having built a campaign across the country from the ground up, one in which we encourage all Americans to engage in the political process, I believe that is an admirable goal.
But it is a cynical stretch to describe the political activities of your employers as furthering democracy when they are courting huge checks from special interest donors to pay for negative ads, with no public disclosure of the identity of those donors.
You argue that Americans for Prosperity is a grassroots organization of everyday citizens. But its emphasis on rolling back environmental protections and blocking a clean energy economy appears to be nothing more than an effort to promote the corporate interests of your employers and others who lavishly, and secretly, fund its operations.
Moreover, the negative ads AFP has run have been challenged as false by independent fact checkers.
The Los Angeles Times has reported that in 2010, Koch Industries and its employees marshaled hundreds of thousands of dollars behind the election of their Republican allies on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who have pursued their interests in Congress. In fact, nine of the 12 new Republicans on the committee signed AFP’s pledge to oppose President Obama’s proposal to regulate greenhouse gases.
And now it’s been reported that your employers and those close to them intend to spend $200 million in an attempt to defeat the President. You note in your letter that Americans for Prosperity has tens of thousands of members and contributors from all walks of life across the country, suggesting that this is the source of AFP’s funding. There is one way to verify your point: disclose those donors for the public to make that judgment.
What is known about the Kochs’ agenda and business practices would give most Americans pause. According to the Kansas City Star, Koch Industries has enriched itself by keeping oil off the market, storing it in offshore tankers and waiting to cash in when the cost of oil rises. The Koch brothers have also been vocal critics of the administration’s investments in clean energy alternatives. Our energy strategy cannot be set by what’s best for the pocketbooks of politically-connected oil and gas executives. It must be driven by what’s best for the American people, our economy, and our energy security.
In your letter, you expressed the Kochs’ concerns about debt. We share your concern. That is why the President introduced a plan to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion and put us on a path to solvency. The Kochs must be concerned about the tax and budget plans the Republican candidates have proposed. Those plans would add trillions of dollars to the deficit by massively increasing defense spending to an arbitrary level, and extending and expanding unaffordable and unnecessary tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.
There is no campaign in the country that believes more in the active participation of Americans in the electoral process than this one. When you attempt to drown out their voices through unlimited, secret contributions to pursue a special-interest agenda that conflicts with what’s best for our nation, you must expect some scrutiny of your actions.
Sincerely,
Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
EDUCATION IS FUNDAMENTAL. Go Jim Messina and the Obama campaign! The KOCHROACHES aren’t going to scatter their turds across American without a fight from us.