Tag: Mitch McConnell

Yesterday, I told you about the little work of fantasy and fiction that Exxon Ed Whitfield calls a website. We looked at how Exxon Eddie threw away $106 billion dollars in corporate welfare, while casting the deciding vote in denying crucial funding for the programs our veterans were promised, and depended upon.  

Well, that was not the only hypocrisy and untruth on this website. It is a work of fantasy which compares with J.R. Tolkien, and R.A. Salvatore. Today we will continue our fantasy reading on another essential issue that could really help our farmers and workers here in Western Kentucky, the issue of investment in renewable energy. Lets look at Exxon Eddie’s quote on Energy Independence:

High energy costs weigh on every Kentucky family and that is why Congressman Whitfield has been focused on alternative energy solutions like clean coal technology, ethanol, bio diesel and coal gasification to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.

http://www.whitfieldforcongres…

Now, this fantasy unfortunately doesn’t match with the reality of Exxon Eddie’s voting record. He says he is focused on Renewable Energy, but the opposite is true. Yes, Exxon Eddie wants you to believe that he is working so hard to try and make renewables viable, but he voted against this bill in 2007:

HR 6: To reduce our Nation’s dependency on foreign oil by investing in clean, renewable, and alternative energy resources, promoting new emerging energy technologies, developing greater efficiency, and creating a Strategic Energy Efficiency and Renewables Reserve to invest in alternative energy, and for other purposes.

Here is what it sought to accomplish:

– Denies a deduction for income attributable to domestic production of oil, natural gas, or their related primary products.

– Defines conditions of new leases authorizing oil or natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, requiring lessees to have: (1) renegotiated covered leases to change payment responsibilities to include price thresholds equal to or less than specified price thresholds; or (2) paid all conservation of resources fees or agreed to pay them.

– Establishes fees for producing and nonproducing federal oil and gas leases in Gulf of Mexico

– Repeals incentives for natural gas production from wells in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico

– Creates reserve of funds received as result of this Act, that will be used to offset costs of accelerating the use of renewable energy resources and alternative fuels

http://www.votesmart.org/issue…

Wait, he has been focused on renewable energy, but he failed to break ranks with Mitch McConnell, Dick Cheney and the Oil industry to vote his conscience on this vital bill? Well, he has other motivations too:

Chevron Corp  $100,001 to $250,000  

Exxon Mobil  $100,001 to $250,000

http://www.opensecrets.org/pfd…

How can Ed Whitfield solve the problem of high energy prices when he is actually INVESTED in the problem? When he is INVESTED in, and followed blindly the failed ideology of the most irresponsible and wasteful Administration in our history, that of George W. Bush, following of course close behind his mentor Mitch McConnell.

We need Heather Ryan in the Congress fighting for Renewable Energy and the promise it holds states like Kentucky. Here is some of her take on creating and manufacturing the Fuels of the Future:

We need to double the budget for the Dept. of Energy to research in renewable energy and increase efficiency. We should help businesses that are bringing new energy solutions to the marketplace at an accelerated pace. We should mandate the use of safe renewable energy sources that hold promise for Kentucky such as solar, wind and biomass and require them to produce 25% of our energy needs by the year 2025. We should require that Oil Companies make biofuels available at their pumps and that all new cars after 2010 be flex-fuel and be compatible with gasoline or biofuel. We must develop new ways to produce and use ethanol and cellulistic ethanol and offer incentives to new refineries for the fuels of the future. Last, we should make permanent the expiring tax credits for the production of renewable energy and repeal tax credits for dirty energy producers who have made record profits at the expense of the American citizen.

Of course, she is invested in the everyday people of our district whom she lives, works and raises her family among, not Exxon and Chevron. She wants to see her neighbors working high-paying union jobs growing and refining the fuels of the future in our district instead of creating 19,000 jobs flipping burgers and washing dishes in thirteen years. Wow, 19,000 jobs in thirteen years? Thats not much over a thousand a year. Is he bragging about that, its on his website too!!??

This is an absolutely crucial issue that our leaders are long overdue in adressing. Events of the last few years have shown all Americans that we simply must get serious about this issue. Heather understands what investment in the fuels of the future means not only for this district and state, but for the country. While Whitfield is mired in the failures of the past by his own investments, Heather is ready to blaze new ways, with new ideas in a new century.  

Ed Whitfield has had a long run as Congressman of the First District of Kentucky. He has become wealthier in that thirteen years as the people of this district fall further behind. He is invested in the old ways that have failed the American people. He is invested in the failed Energy policies of the Bush Administration and will continue to vote for them as long as he holds office. Our energy prices will continue to soar, and he will make more profit.

On the other hand, Heather is young, smart, energetic, and understands that we can’t remain in the failed policies of the past. She is educated and has dreamed of a life in public service since she was ten. She tries to find the most sensible solution to every problem. She must depend on the people of the first district because she hasn’t amassed a million dollars in special interest money to run on. She is a Washington outsider, and understands the challenges we face because she lives among us and faces them with us.

We are truly a grassroots campaign and we need the support of Democrats everywhere who think that any qualified person in this country should be able to serve. Support us here:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

Lets take this country back district by district together!!!    

 

Our campaign is picking up steam and plowing right along at Ryan for Kentucky. It has been a great couple of weeks. The best part is that Exxon Ed Whitfield has noticed he has a little competition too. Although he didn’t have a website during the whole 2006 election, this time he feels the need for one!! Well, welcome to the race Eddie, Now lets look at some of your site:

http://www.whitfieldforcongres…

While we welcome Exxon Eddie to the information age, we would like to remind him that in the information age you just can’t say things that aren’t true and not get called on it. Exxon Eddie’s website seems to be one part spin, and two parts fantasy.

Take his statement in his “On the Issues” section on “Taking Care of Veterans”. Lets look at Exxon Eddie’s take on that essential issue:

Veterans fulfilled a commitment to our country and now we must honor our commitment to them. Congressman Whitfield has worked to ensure that our veterans have access to complete healthcare including three Veterans’ Administration Out Patient Clinics in the First District of Kentucky and a full service veterans nursing home in Hanson, KY. Congressman Whitfield has helped hundreds of veterans received the military medals they earned but were never awarded. He has also made sure that our veterans have a final resting place of honor with the creation of the veterans cemetery in Hopkinsville, KY.

Now, the last I heard Veterans here in Paducah have to drive 60 miles to Marion, IL to go to a VA hospital. I guess all those trips look good for Eddie’s Exxon and Chevron stock. While it is commendable that he helped veterans recieve the medals for their service, and that he helped in a getting a cemetary for their final resting place, Exxon Eddie hasn’t been quite as kind to our living veterans who are trying to get the benefits they earned from our country. From an email from Ryan for Kentucky:

Whitfield voted for budget that cut veteran’s programs.  Voted for final passage of the $2.6 trillion budget conference report for 2006.  The report cut Medicaid spending by $10 Billion, every penny of the Social Security surplus, increased the national deficit by $167.5 Billion over 5 years and paved the way for drilling in ANWR.  Furthermore, the conference report cut fudning for veterans’ healthcare by $13.5 Billion over 5 years.  Yet the budget still found room for $106 BILLION in tax breaks for those who need it least.  [HRC 95, Vote #149, 4/28/2005; Passed Republicans; 214-15: Democrats; 0-195; Independent; 0-1]

As you can see, Eddie cast a partisan vote, a rubber-stamp to President Bush and voted AGAINST respecting our veterans. I wonder how many of $106 billion in tax breaks went to Exxon and Chevron, in which he owns stock? Only in the delusional world of Mitch McConnell and Ed Whitfield does “Taking Care of Veterans” entail cutting their healthcare by 13.5 billion dollars while doling out 106 billion in Corporate Welfare. Not to mention voting his stock options to allow the Oil Companies to rape ANWR.

However, the hypocrisy of Exxon Eddie does not end there. Just look at this bill which failed by one single vote. Again from an email from Ryan for Kentucky:

Whitfield voted against a $53 Million boost for Veteran’s Health Care and Benefits on MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2005 (FAILED BY 1 VOTE – WHITFIELD’S VOTE).  The bill would have aded $8 million for combat-related trauma care, $6 million for poly-trauma centersto support wounded trops once they return to their homes, $9 million for VA medical and prosthetic research and $7 million for 100 additional staff to process claims for compenstation and pension benefits.  Finally, the amendment would provide $23 million to help approximately 4100 spouses of service members with children whose spouse died during the War on Terrorism between September 11, 2001 and November 30, 2004 by making them eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.  The amendment failed, 213-214 [HR 2528, Vote #224, 5/26/2005; Failed; Republicans; 19-210; Democrats; 193-4; Independent; 1-0]

Now, how can Exxon Eddie claim to “Take Care of Veterans” if he casts the deciding vote that defeats respecting them with the benefits they have earned? To add insult to injury, Whitfield cast this deciding vote on MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, while the rest of America was celebrating the sacrifice of these brave men and women!! What total hypocrisy, especially when you consider that Whitfield rubber-stamped the failed policy of President Bush which sent them to war in the wrong country without the proper training, equipment, and without adequate plans for the occupation or exit in Iraq!!!!

Ed Whitfield is so out of touch with the values of Western Kentucky it is embarrassing!!!! Here, we believe that our veterans should be respected and honored for their service with all the benefits they were promised, and earned. Here at Ryan for Kentucky, we fight for that!!! Perhaps Eddie should buy a house in the district and live among us and he would know that!!!

We have a great Democrat in Kentucky’s First named Heather Ryan who is running to truly represent the people and veterans of this district. She is a veteran herself, so “Taking Care of Veterans” is personal to her. Here is her take on the current service man and woman enlisted and fighting, and our veterans:

As a veteran of the United States Navy, and an active member of the American Legion, my dedication to the men and women in uniform is unyielding.  The current service member is highly skilled, highly trained and highly ignored by this administration.  The American people

were duped into an ill-conceived war under false pretenses and the administration continues to over utilize a national guard system which was never intended to be used for sustained combat missions.  Congress must insist that an exit strategy be planned and implemented immediately. By the Bush Administration’s own account, the nation will be forced to reinstate the draft system again should we continue to over-tax our National Guard with sustained combat.  I am not a supporter of reinstating the draft for as history clearly shows us, the draft is merely for those of us who are not wealthy enough to buy our way out of

active duty.  We must not allow this ill planned and ill executed war to continue to destroy the brave men and women in our armed forces while simultaneously placing our nation at a heightened risk with a limited national guard.

Every day we see reports about how our veterans services have fallen into severe disrepair.  The men and women who served this country deserve better.  Our VA system needs a complete overhaul; from the GI Bill to health care to disability benefits, without a modernized system, we do those who served our country a grave disservice.  Veterans deserve better.

http://www.ryanforkentucky.com…

It is time for Exxon Eddie to go. His list of accomplishments mostly include rubber-stamping all the failed policies of Mitch McConnell and President Bush, all the while sacrificing the interests of real citizens of Kentucky’s First District to blind partisanship.

Heather Ryan brings youth, intelligence and passion to serve the veterans and working families of our district. When Western Kentucky Democrats see adn hear her, they love her!!! We just need the resources to get our message to them to win!!!

Please help us reach the 63% of registered Democrats in this district, and invest in expanding our Congressional majority here:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

Every cent will be put to work immediately to defeat a sitting Republican and to advance the values of our party in a region we have long ignored. Please support fellow grassroots Democrats in their efforts to rebuild our party where it is needed most, on the ground!!

Best wishes fellow Democrats!!

 

Here in the blogosphere we are constantly bemoaning the fact that we don’t have enough “Fighting Democrats” who fight the Republicans by standing up for us. Well, here in Kentucky we have a chance in the first district to replace a sitting Republican with just such a Democrat. Heather Ryan is itching for a fight and Exxon Ed Whitfield just may have his hands full this time with this fiery red-head!!

Heather has sent letters blasting Whitfield and his terrible record of representing the people of Kentucky’s First District. Here is a copy of her letter to the statewide publication, the Courier-Journal:

To the Editor:

I read with great interest Congressman Ed Whitfield’s long diatribe regarding “doping” in the horse racing industry (Courier-Journal Op-Ed; March 23, 2008) and could scarcely control myself in asking aloud, “Are you serious?”.  With all the problems Kentucky’s First Congressional District faces, Congressman Whitfield chooses to focus his attention on the problem of steroid use in the horse race industry rather than problems that face average, every day citizens of the district for which he represents.  Surely, as Mr. Whitfield points out, there are problems within the horse racing industry which should be addressed.   However, during a time when our economy is reeling from the immense debt incurred by an unsustainable war, when people in Western Kentucky see their decent paying jobs shipped over seas with each passing day and when tens of thousands of his constituents find themselves without health insurance, Mr. Whitfield can find something more applicable to his constituents about which to write a 14 paragraph rant than injustices within the horse racing industry.

Mr. Whitfield has been the Representative for Kentucky’s First Congressional District for thirteen  years.  During that time, he has introduced just one piece of legislation, which bans eating horse meat.  I contend that the people of KY-01 are more interested in making ends meet than the problems with horse meat.  Mr. Whitfield is so out of touch with the people for whom he was elected to represent that it is not only frightening, it is dangerously close to a dereliction of duty.  

On November 4th, remember that when Mr. Whitfield had the opportunity to write a long article regarding  important problems that affect the people of his district, and his solutions to said problems, he instead chose to write about horses shooting-up steroids.  

Heather Ryan

Democratic Candidate

U.S. House of Representatives, KY-01

Wow!! Now that is some fighting spirit, and just what the voters of the first district need to hear!! The best part about it is that it is all completely true. Ed Whitfield is so out of touch with the families in this district, it is embarrassing!!

Heather didn’t stop there. She also wrote a letter to the ultra-conservative Paducah Sun about Exxon Eddie:

To the Editor:

As the beautiful four color 8.5×11 bi-fold political propaganda piece dropped out of my copy of the Paducah Sun yesterday, and I began to read Representative Ed Whitfield’s claim of responsibility for the so-called “Economic Stimulus Package” I had to scratch my head in wonderment.  Surely Mr. Whitfield cannot think that sending a $600 bribe to the taxpayers of America will cure the economy’s ills?  This package is like placing a band-aid on a hemorrhaging wound.  It’s as though Mr. Whitfield and the Republican Party are saying, “Sorry we messed up your economy.  Here, go buy yourself somethin’ Purdy”.  

But then again, the point of Mr. Whitfield’s expensive, colorful printed piece wasn’t meant to be about the logic of how irresponsible he and his party have been with the economy for the past eight years.  Instead, it was intended to convince you that a bribe will prove he’s working for your best interests.  I’ll wager my $600 check that this election year the voters of KY-01 will see through this shoddy façade.

Heather Ryan

Democratic Candidate

U.S. House of Representatives

KY-01

I think a big part of my $600 is going to Heather Ryan!! Once again she hits the nail on the head by pointing out that Republicans such as Whitfield, McConnell and Bush have wrecked our economy with their narrow-minded policies and now desperately hope to buy us off.

Democrats, no matter what district in which state you live in, we need fighting Democrats like Heather Ryan in our Congress. We have a Republican Congressman with a horrible record in a district with over 60% registered Democrats. If we get the message of our Democratic vision and Ed Whitfield’s horrible record to them we win this race hands down.

We need your help. Please go here and show that Americans everywhere will support a Fighting Democrat!!:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

And don’t forget to sign up for email updates and keep up with the campaign here:

http://www.ryanforkentucky.com/

We can win this race with support from fellow Democrats!!

It has been a wild ride for me trying to support a candidate for the Senate seat hopefully soon to be vacated by Sen. Mitch McConnell. First I supported Greg Stumbo, Kentucky’s former Attorney General. As A.G., I thought Mr. Stumbo did an excellent job representing Kentucky against powerful special interests, and against a corrupt Governor. I also remember well when someone I loved had an issue they needed his help on and his office was there with them every step of the way. I have no regrets in my support for him.  

After Greg decided not to run, I had no troubles switching my support to Col. Andrew Horne, a fine American and Kentuckian who has a long distinguished record of service to our country. I knew all along that Horne represented the values I hold dear and would make a fine Senator, I just didn’t have as much personal experience with him as Stumbo. Again, I have no regrets in my support for Horne. I do hope to see him and Greg Stumbo both resurface as they are great fighting Democrats.

Then we had the ugly episode with Col. Horne and the DSCC. Some of you may remember me and some of my fellow Kentucky bloggers ripping Chuck Schumer for their shameful actions towards Col. Horne, forcing him out for millionaire Republican contributor and Ernie Fletcher transition team manager, Bruce Lunsford. Again, I have no regrets for that.

Then I was at the point where the only thing I knew for sure was that Chuck Schumer could never make me vote for a man that was working for and contributing to Republicans the whole time I was fighting against them. Lunsford’s millions mean little to me and I consider it a slap in the face to Kentucky Democrats once again that our party wants a self financer instead of investing in Kentucky Democrats.

I cannot and will not vote for Bruce Lunsford unless I am forced to on the straight Democratic ticket I always vote in the fall. With that in mind I had to choose between the other candidates in the Democratic primary, and have finally settled on a choice.

Although Michael Cassaro has a great website, and his staff was very professional and prompt in trying to win my support, and I commend their efforts, I have decided to support Greg Fischer for United States Senate in Kentucky. I want to share a little about why.

First, many of you know I am now fighting for Heather Ryan in Kentucky’s First. One of our main issues is renewable energy and the promise it holds for Kentucky. Greg Fischer agrees:

Kentucky families are paying record -high prices for gas, home heating and agricultural fertilizer while big oil and gas companies report record profits. Mitch McConnell has pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in special interest money from “Big Oil” lobbyists while energy prices are skyrocketing.

Good, old fashioned leadership is needed to rally our country to energy independence. The people of America will rally around a President and Senate that calls for all of us to rid our dependence on hostile foreign energy providers. We need to change leadership in Washington so our rally toward energy independence can begin.

America is home to the world’s greatest innovators. Greg Fischer is a Kentucky entrepreneur – a job creator who’s used new ideas and bold solutions based on his Kentucky know-how to create answers and solve problems. By ending our dependence on foreign oil and generating a path to energy independence, Greg will invest in the resources we have right here in Kentucky to deliver clean energy solutions. A real pursuit of clean coal, as well as renewable energy alternatives like wind, solar, hydroelectric and biofuels will help create thousands of green collar jobs for decades to come – right here in Kentucky.  In doing so, we’ll also combat global warming and transition to a cleaner, greener and brighter economy.

Greg will also end Bush’s tax breaks for the oil and gas companies that have been enjoying record-breaking profits while everyday Americans suffer with higher gas prices. Greg will use that money to provide incentives for automakers to build more innovative and efficient vehicles and to increase tax breaks for homeowners and businesses to become more energy efficient.

http://www.gregfischer.com/ind…

Also, I got to here Greg Fischer speak in Benton, Ky and meet with him briefly afterwards. After hearing him and speaking with him, I believe he shares my commitment to building One America. You can see my video of him speaking in Benton here, although I apoligize to you and to him for the poor quality:

So while this Senate race has been full of disappointment for me, I am pleased after hearing Greg Fischer and meeting him and feel like we still have a chance to replace McConnell with a fighting Democrat.

Please go to Fischer’s site and join his campaign by signing up for email updates. While there, consider that he is fighting millionaire Republican contributor and manager of Ernie Fletcher’s transition team, Bruce Lunsford in the primary, and then mighty Mitch McConnell, who will fire you for having the audacity to ask him a question. Consider helping Greg here:

https://services.myngp.com/ngp…

Greg can win both races with help from grassroots Democrats!!

In the race for Kentucky’s First Congressional District, the differences between Exxon Ed Whitfield and Heather Ryan are like night and day. There are huge differences that have monumental implications for the first district, but not only that the state of Kentucky, our nation, and indeed the world. There is no issue that shows this more than the fight against torture.  

This is one issue that Exxon Eddie either wants to have both ways, or simply lacks the courage of his own convictions to stand up to President Bush and his chickenhawk lackeys within the Republican Party. Why would I say that? I wrote him as a constituent asking him to vote to override President Bush’s veto that would allow America to torture. Here is a telling part of his response about why he refused to vote to override Bush’s veto:

I do have some concerns about how this legislation may affect our country’s policies on torture of enemy combatants. I am opposed to acts of torture and other human rights abuses and believe that the United States should continue to be a leader in ending such atrocities. For that reason I supported the Fiscal Year 2006 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 109-163), which included provisions to require uniform standards for interrogated people in the custody of the Department of Defense. This law expressly bans cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment of detainees in the custody of any U.S. agency anywhere overseas. I will continue to work in the Congress to ensure that individuals in U.S. custody are treated humanely.

So which is it Exxon Eddie? Why was torture OK to fight against in 2006, but suddenly it is not? It seems if his “concerns” were that great, he would have enough courage to stand up to Bush and his own party when they are wrong. The people of the first district deserve a Representative with the courage of his own convictions.

What of the reasons why he opposed this veto? Well, lets look:

I opposed the override because I believe this bill adversely impacts our intelligence community’s ability to protect Americans from future terrorist attacks.

So, Exxon Eddie is playing the fear card of further terrorist attacks to justify the fact that he doesn’t have the courage to stand up for his own stated beliefs. Do we need to remind him that the incompetence of this Administration which was rubber-stamped before and after 9-11 by both he and Mitch McConnell, his mentor, played a role in those attacks? If he has forgotten the memo Bush got that said, “Bin-Laden determined to attack America”, we sure haven’t. He and his Republican cohorts will do anything to keep from admitting a competent administration could have avoided these attacks in the first place.

But the next reason is most telling as to why Exxon Eddie could not follow his convictions and vote to override:

Among other problems, I am concerned that this bill makes serious cuts to our Human Intelligence program, directs our intelligence community to unrelated activities such as studying global climate change, and contains too many unneccesary and costly earmarks.

Now, this explains it!!! Ed Whitfield votes his stock options!! His Exxon and Chevron stocks dictate that the study of climate change is against HIS interests. Forget the fact that global climate change poses a greater threat to our planet than terrorist attack, it could spurn investment in Renewable Energy which would benefit our state and the world not himself and Big Oil. And where was all this concern about earmarks when he was voting for subsidies and corporate welfare for Big Oil and drug companies, while voting against investment in renewables and SCHIP?

We need a Representative who believes in American values and isn’t afraid to fight for them. Most of all, we need a Representative who is beholden to US, not his own stocks, his special interest contributors, and his “bosses”, Mitch McConnell or President Bush.

Heather Ryan is just that Representative. She is young, energetic, and smart. She is a veteran, mother, and wife as well as attending Drake University and attaining a degree in Political Science. This is her first run for public office, so she is an outsider who knows how people in our district live, because she lives here with us not in Florida like Exxon Eddie.

Her campaign does not take special interest or lobbyist money so she is beholden only to the grassroots Americans who want change, and support candidates who will fight for it. She makes us all lobbyists, as we are her special interest group. Want to know how she feels about torture and fighting for Big Oil? Here:

You can also see my video of her in Benton, Ky here, alhough the quality is pretty poor. I am investing in a better camera soon!!:

I hope everyone sees just how badly we need Heather fighting for us in the Congress. She shares our disgust with the direction of this country and will fight for us with every fibre of her being.

That is why we need your help. We desperately need to get our message to the people of our district. To do this we need money. Although we don’t like the system, we are playing within it. Unfortunately we are running in one of the largest, and poorest districts in the nation. Exxon Eddie and men the likes of Mitch McConnell’s handiwork.

The Democrats in this district deserve the support of our party too. We are respectfully asking for it. We want to fight for the ideals of our party!!

Please help me in meeting my goal of $1500 by May 20 and the Kentucky primary she is unopposed in. You can do so here:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

I am more than a third of the way to my goal, and what could be better than supporting grassroots, “fighting Democrats” that are informed and fired up?

Best wishes fellow Democrats!!

 

(Cross-posted from the AFL-CIO Now Blog.)

 

The fight for a pro-working family government doesn’t end with the race for the White House. Around the country, union members in key states are looking to elect new members of Congress who will help turn around America.

 

The Kentucky AFL-CIO has announced endorsements in key races for U.S. Congress and Kentucky AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan says these candidates, and the issues they’ll fight for, will help mobilize union members to win this fall.

[We] endorsed on the basis of their of support for the issues of critical importance to Kentucky’s hard working men and women: good jobs, the right to organize, health care for all, retirement security and education and training opportunities.

Topping the list of the Kentucky endorsees is Bruce Lunsford, who’s running for U.S. Senate against Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader who’s led the fight against working family-friendly policies like a real economic stimulus bill and children’s health insurance.

McConnell is behind the strategy of obstruction that has allowed a minority of senators to block important legislation like the Employee Free Choice Act. He consistently has voted for Bush nominees for key federal agencies, including the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MHSA) and the Department of Labor (headed by his wife, the worker-unfriendly Elaine Chao). In short, McConnell is the Senate’s key enabler of the anti-worker agenda. Lunsford has pledged to support the Employee Free Choice Act and to work with union members as they fight to ditch Mitch.

In addition to supporting Lunsford, Kentucky unions gave their strong endorsement to two incumbent House members and a challenger. Endorsements went to Democratic Reps. John Yarmuth of the 3^rd District and Ben Chandler of the 6^th District, as well as to Democratic state Sen. David Boswell, who’s running for the 2^nd District seat left open by retiring Republican Ron Lewis.

Union members were crucial to the stunning 18-point victory for Gov. Steve Beshear last November, and the Kentucky AFL-CIO is looking to build on its success with these endorsements for the U.S. House and Senate.

In addition to working to elect Lunsford and Boswell and re-elect Chandler and Yarmuth, Londrigan says the Kentucky AFL-CIO will focus on exposing the record of Sen. John McCain.

In Oklahoma, state Sen. Andrew Rice is running against Sen. Jim Inhofe, another Republican who regularly votes against working family-friendly policies on health care, wages and the freedom to form unions. Rice, who Oklahoma AFL-CIO President Jimmy Curry called “a good friend of working men and women,” won the endorsement of the Oklahoma AFL-CIO on Tuesday.

In Idaho, where Republican Sen. Larry Craig won’t be returning to the Senate, former Democratic Rep. Larry LaRocco has won the endorsement of the Idaho AFL-CIO. Idaho AFL-CIO President David Whaley says members of the Idaho AFL-CIO’s Executive Board were impressed by LaRocco’s commitment to working family issues and his visits to work sites around the state.

The working families of Idaho are struggling to raise families, pay their taxes, support education, care for their aging parents and cope with the continued increase in health care costs. Larry LaRocco has been working in jobs all across Idaho and has heard first-hand about the challenges they face in their lives. When he is elected he will continue to work alongside these same families and make sure their voices are heard through his expressed support of the Employee Free Choice Act. We are proud to endorse him for the U.S. Senate.

The effort to elect more working family-friendly members of the House and Senate is an essential part of this year’s unprecedented mobilization of millions of union members.

In Kentucky’s First Congressional District we managed to field a great Democratic woman who believes in fighting for the working american, for equal opportunity for everyone, and for the American dream. She believes that every American who works hard should be rewarded with fair wages and benefits. Now, in the coming campaign I am sure Ed Whitfield will run as a “moderate”, who cares about everyone. This record doesn’t bear itself out, and there are monumental differences between the priorities of Exxon Ed Whitfield and Heather Ryan, who wants to work for the betterment of ALL the people of our district.  

One has only to look at the rankings put forth by the Shriver Center to see glaring differences in the committments of these two candidates toward supporting the working, average Kentuckian and American and towards supporting the goal we should all have of creating One America for all. Take the Employee Free Choice Act. This legislation would have empowered millions of Americans to fight against rampant corporate greed and have the power to negotiate for fair wages and benefits. Organized labor is the most effective deterent to poverty. Don’t just take my word for it, look at this overview of H.R. 800:

– Requires the National Labor Relations Board to review petitions filed by employees for the purpose of creating a labor organization for collective bargaining, and to determine whether or not a majority of employees have signed the petition (Sec 2 (a) (6))

–

Requires the National Labor Relations Board to not hold an election, but to certify the bargaining representative if a majority of employees have signed the petition (Sec 2 (a) (6))

–

Requires the parties to begin bargaining within 10 days of the receipt of the petition, or within a longer time frame acknowledged by both parties (Sec 3 (h) (1))

–

States that if the parties are unable to agree in the bargaining after 90 days, either party may contact the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, which will mediate and attempt to facilitate an agreement (Sec 3 (h) (2))

–

States that if an agreement has not been reached within 30 days of the request for mediation, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service may refer the matter to an arbitration board which in turn will render a decision binding to both parties for two years, unless both parties agree to amend the terms within that two years (Sec 3 (h) (3))

–

Provides civil penalties for employers who engage labor practices in violation of the National Labor Relations Act to affect the formation of a union, including back pay and liquidated damages for employees, and a penalty to be determined by the National Labor Relations Board not to exceed $20,000 per infraction (Sec 4 (b) (1)) (Sec 4 (b) (2))

http://www.govtrack.us/congres…

Of course, because of his close ties with the Chamber of Commerce, and his membership in the McConnell Machine of corrupt Kentucky Republicans, Ed Whitfield voted against this valuable legislation to give the citizens of his district a chance at a better future, while his own numerous stock holdings are making him even richer.

Well, Heather Ryan believes in the working Kentuckian and wants to give them more opportunities for a better future for themselves and their children, she supports the aims of organized labor, including the Employee Free Choice Act. Her is her recent email answer to my question about what can be done to strengthen the labor movement once more:

Our country has seen an all out assault on Organized Labor in the last several decades. We believe Organized Labor is essential in achieving fair wages and benefits for workers. We believe we need to rebuild our Union movement by passing the Employee Free Choice Act and give workers real choices in forming a union. We believe penalties for breaking labor laws should be tougher, and enforced faster. We also support banning the permanent replacement of striking workers. We should also defend and restore a workers right to overtime. We also need to end the practice of mislabeling workers as an independent contractorsÂ? to avoid paying benefits and taxes. We should expand minimum wage protections to tipped workers and home healthcare workers. We should give public employees every opportunity to compete with private contractors and evaluate a companies record on tax, labor and environmental standards before awarding them any federal or state contracts. Finally, we should recognize that any work that involves essential government functions should not be privatized.

Now, we all know how we are always hearing how Republicans will lower your taxes and Democrats will raise them. We have all fallen prey at one time or another to the term, “tax and spend” liberal. Well, from what I have seen, Exxon Eddie is the one who believes in raising taxes, as long as it isn’t on himself, or his fellow millinaires. Why else would he vote against HR 3996? Just look at what this bill attempted to accomplish:

This bill amending the Tax Code includes a provision that greatly benefits low-income families by expanding the Child Tax Credit

(CTC).

1 The CTC is a par tially refundable tax credit aimed at

offsetting some of the expenses of raising a child.

2 Under current law, families must have earnings above $12,050 to qualify for the refundable CTC; this bill lowers the threshold to $8,500.

3 This change in the CTC would benefit the families of thir teen million

low-income children, including three million whose families would

become newly eligible for the CTC and ten million whose families

would see their credit increase.

4 The House vote was on passage.The Senate cloture vote was the

decisive vote on whether the Senate would approve an expansion

of the CTC.

So Exxon Eddie rails against raising taxes. Unless of course it is on the backs of working Americans, not his fellow Exxon and Chevron stockholders.

Contrast that with the position Heather Ryan has taken on taxes, also recieved by me via email:

We need to rewrite our tax code. Our tax code should be more simple and fair. We need to ensure that the tax code rewards American workers and not just the wealthy. To do this we should triple the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for single adults and cut the marriage penalty. We should also at least double the Child and Dependent Care Credit making it up to $2500 per child. Also, we need to restore a fair investment income tax rate so that the wealthy don’t pay less taxes on investments than workers pay on income. Additionally, we need to repeal the Bush tax credits for the rich which gives tax breaks to those who make over $200,000 a year. Finally, we need to close loopholes that allow the wealthy to pay just 15% of taxes on their huge incomes while American working families often pay twice as much.

It is pretty easy to see who has the interests of the majority of Kentuckians and indeed Americans at heart. Heather Ryan actually fights for tax policies that loosen the tax burdens on millions of working Americans, while Ed Whitfield stubbornly clings to the failed “trickle-down” policies that failed once, and are now failing again as our economy crashes.

We need to win this seat not only for the people of Kentucky, but for Americans everywhere who are seeing the policies of our government, which are set up to benefit the very wealthy and multi-national corporations destroy their lives and the futures of their children.

Heather Ryan will be a constant voice for One America and will fight with tenacity for a Democratic vision for our country that means hard work translates to success. She believes in unions and the work that they do, and she would fight to restore a fair tax system where work, not only wealth is rewarded.

We need your help in this race. Our national party seldom supports the great Democrats here in Kentucky and we expect nothing different this time. We have 62% registered Democrats in this district and getting our message out to them means victory. Please help expand our Congressional majorities and bring another Democratic vote to Kentucky’s delegation.

I have started “Americans for Ryan” to raise $1500 by May 20. I am already just under one-third of the way there. Please help us fight for our state, and elect a “Fighting Democrat” to the Congress who will not forget what she was elected to fight for here:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

Visit her site and sign up for email updates:

http://www.ryanforkentucky.com/

Also, don’t miss this awesome diary and interview with Heather here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

Please help us in our quest to take back this seat with a Democrat, and to make history in electing the first woman to this seat!!

 

I live in Kentucky’s First Congressional District. This year, we have a great Democratic Lady running for our Congressional seat, Heather Ryan. Well, we are not the only first district in the south that has an awesome Democratic lady running for their Congressional seat. In the First Congressional District of Louisiana another stellar Democratic woman is running to expand our Congressional majorities. Her name is Gilda Reed.  

Well, the really great news is the fact that Gilda Reed is an awesome Democrat who will fight for us in Washington was not lost upon the Democratic voters in Louisiana’s First District. They rewarded Gilda Reed with a huge victory in their primary the other evening. From Gilda’s site:

The elections, first steps in the new closed party primary system for federal elections, took place in the 1st and 6th congressional districts, which cover much of southeast Louisiana.

In the 1st Congressional District, state Sen. Steve Scalise was forced into a runoff with state Rep. Tim Burns of Mandeville. Scalise had about 48 percent of the vote and Burns 28 percent. The two will face each other in a runoff election 4 weeks from tonight and then face Gilda Reed, the outright winner of the Democrat Primary tonight.

Reed, an adjunct professor at the University of New Orleans, beat Vinny Mendoza, an Air Force retiree handily. Reed won the backing of trade unions and about 70 percent of the vote.  She will continue her campaign in focused on her goal to be the first Democrat to win District 1 in 30 years.  In early May, Reed will face the winner of the Republican run off in a special election.

Gilda gave some brilliant insight on her victory that more Democrats should take to heart:

To the overwhelming pleasure of her supporters and in answer to a question regarding what makes makes Gilda a better candidate than Steve Scalise or Tim Burns, Gilda answered simply, “for one, I’m a Democrat.”

Wow, Democrats running proudly as Democrats and winning? What a profound idea Ms. Reed!!!

Go here to see Gilda Reed being interviewed after her smashing victory in the primary for Louisiana’s first:

http://www.wwltv.com/video/new…

From all of us here at Ryan for Kentucky we want to send a huge Congratulations to Gilda and everyone associated with her campaign!!! We didn’t have a primary here, and we are all happy to know that another great Democrat made it into the election in the fall. We need Ms. Reed and Ms. Ryan in Washington working side by side to change this country and fight for One America!!

Be sure to show Gilda some love and help give her the resources she needs to win in the fall here:

https://www.officialsecureinte…

Now, on to our campaign in Kentucky’s first where we have another great lady who needs our support. Heather Ryan is up against an entrenched Congressman in Ed Whitfield who is part of the corrupt Mitch McConnell machine. He has a million dollars of special interest money to unleash upon us. He has flown under the radar in Washington, and makes little news.

However, Ed Whitfield has no record of achievement for citizens of this district to point to. His only accomplishment was passing a ban on eating horsemeat. While I am sure the horses in Kentucky will acknowledge this achievment, the people of the first district of Kentucky are falling further and further behind. While Ed Whitfield gets richer, wages for our working families are stagnant or worse, and we watch in horror as our economy is now dominated by low-wage service jobs with no benefits.

Yes, while Exxon Eddie reaps the benefits of his Exxon and Chevron stock, those profits are made on the backs of hard-working Kentuckians who face record energy prices on all fronts. Although Kentuckians in the first district are paying the penalties for the corporate greed that has made Whitfield a rich man, Exxon Eddie can’t even buy a house in our district. He must pitch a tent on the empty lot he owns in Madisonville.

This time we have a real choice of a fighting Democrat to replace Exxon Eddie with. We have Heather Ryan, who in a history making year for Democrats can make a little history of her own by being the first ever female Congresswoman from this district.

I recently asked Heather about re-building the Labor movement in our state and the country. She had this to say about it:

Our country has seen an all out assault on Organized Labor in the last several decades. We believe Organized Labor is essential in achieving fair wages and benefits for workers. We believe we need to rebuild our Union movement by passing the Employee Free Choice Act and give workers real choices in forming a union. We believe penalties for breaking labor laws should be tougher, and enforced faster. We also support banning the permanent replacement of striking workers. We should also defend and restore a workers right to overtime. We also need to end the practice of mislabeling workers as an independent contractors to avoid paying benefits and taxes. We should expand minimum wage protections to tipped workers and home healthcare workers. We should give public employees every opportunity to compete with private contractors and evaluate a companies record on tax, labor and environmental standards before awarding them any federal or state contracts. Finally, we should recognize that any work that involves essential government functions should not be privatized.

I couldn’t agree more with those priorities.

Heather also wants to fight to invest in innovation for our state and nation. She had this to say about what we should be doing in that regard:

In the new global economy our economic competitors are investing aggressively in infrastructure, education and engineering. We simply must begin to match them in this pursuit. To do this we must make the tax credit for research and development permanent. We should invest in renewable energy and the fuels and technologies of the future. We should invest in the recruitment and pay of good teachers while strengthening curriculum in High Schools and expanding college opportunity. We should set the goal of having broadband access to all homes, businesses and schools by 2010, even in rural and low-income areas. Finally, we should protect our scientists and researchers from being pressured by political ideology.

Investing in the fuels of the future is essential to this campaign. With a little research, development, and patriotism in something besides war America and Kentucky have an awesome opportunity to lead the world in an exciting new field, growing and refining the fuels of the future. With high Energy prices due to our dependence on foreign oil, and the emergence of a service-type economy in the first district we can kill two birds with one stone.

We can create high-paying union jobs, and end our dependence on the unstable middle-east for our energy needs. We can once again offer Americans a reasonable product for a reasonable price for their energy needs.

The only thing standing in our way is entrenched politicians who profit from the current madness, and care little for the plight of their constituents as long as the money is rolling in. It is time we replaced Exxon Ed Whitfield with a voice of sanity and Progress, and a Democrat who will fight for us in the Congress.

Please join and help us in this endeavor. Go to the site and sign up for email updates. If you live close enough, volunteer:

http://www.ryanforkentucky.com/

More importantly, please help us get the resources we need to get our message of hope and of Exxon Eddie’s abyssmal record for the citizens of Kentucky out to the 62% of registered Democrats in this district. If we do that, we win.

Please help me to my goal of $1500 for Ryan by May 20, I am almost one-third of the way there!!:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

No matter what you do this year, don’t forget all our awesome Democratic candidates running for the House and Senate. These are the Democrats who will change this party for all of us!!

And don’t forget about two great ladies in two first districts!!!  

 

Here at Ryan for Kentucky, our campaign is gathering steam. We believe in the fight for Democratic vision and want to fight for our ideals in the Congress. With this in mind, Heather Ryan has addressed some new issues that are important to Kentucky, and our nation. She is ready to fight for working Americans against the special interests.

First, as stated before at Ryan for Kentucky we believe Alternative Energy is the future of Kentucky, and her surrounding states. We can use our rural areas to end our dependence on foreign oil. With research and innovation we can easily end up growing and refining the fuels of the future right here in Kentucky. Imagine the high-paying jobs that could be created here and the shut down factories that could be re-opened in this exciting new field!!

To make true progress in this field, we simply must defeat Exxon Ed Whitfield this fall. Whitfield sits on the Energy commission and has done nothing to stop soaring gas prices that pinch our families and take more and more of their savings. Of course, the fact that Ed Whitfield owns a lot of Exxon and Chevron stock means he will never lead the way towards making America Energy independent. He is actually profiting from keeping America beholden to foreign oil:

Chevron Corp  $100,001 to $250,000  

Exxon Mobil  $100,001 to $250,000

Worse yet, Exxon Eddie votes his stock options against renewable energy despite the promise it holds for the citizens of Kentucky’s First District and indeed the nation:

http://www.votesmart.org/issue…

Yes, Exxon Ed Whitfield votes against economic incentives to increase renewable energy because he cannot bear the thought of his precious Exxon and Chevron stock being de-valued, despite the promise renewable energy holds for his constituents, and this nation.

Well, here at Ryan for Kentucky, we don’t own any stock in Big Oil. We own stock in the people of Kentucky’s First District and they are who we are beholden to. With that in mind, Heather Ryan believes that we simply must invest in researching the fuels of the future and the promise that they hold for our state and indeed the whole nation. Here is Heather’s newly released take on Renewable Energy:

We need to double the budget for the Dept. of Energy to research in renewable energy and increase efficiency. We should help businesses that are bringing new energy solutions to the marketplace at an accelerated pace. We should mandate the use of safe renewable energy sources that hold promise for Kentucky such as solar, wind and biomass and require them to produce 25% of our energy needs by the year 2025. We should require that Oil Companies make biofuels available at their pumps and that all new cars after 2010 be flex-fuel and be compatible with gasoline or biofuel. We must develop new ways to produce and use ethanol and cellulistic ethanol and offer incentives to new refineries for the fuels of the future. Last, we should make permanent the expiring tax credits for the production of renewable energy and repeal tax credits for dirty energy producers who have made record profits at the expense of the American citizen.

We simply cannot afford to ignore the promise of the fuels of the future any longer. While Exxon Ed Whitfield and his ilk are profiting handsomely from our dependence on foreign oil, the citizens of Kentucky and our nation are feeling the pinch of their profits. Heather Ryan will fight tooth and nail in the Congress to insure that the promise the fuels of the future hold for all of us is not cast aside any longer. With American ingenuity and investment we can become energy independent. It just calls for us to be patriotic about something besides war.

Our tax code is another area where Heather Ryan wants to fight for working Americans over the rich and powerful. The last eight years working Americans have watched in horror as they foot more and more of the tax bill, and the very wealthy have seen their taxes cut. It is past time we restored fairness to our tax code and gave middle and lower class families the tax relief they so desperately need. Here are Heather’s newly released ideas on doing just that:

We need to rewrite our tax code. Our tax code should be more simple and fair. We need to ensure that the tax code rewards American workers and not just the wealthy. To do this we should triple the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for single adults and cut the marriage penalty. We should also at least double the Child and Dependent Care Credit making it up to $2500 per child. Also, we need to restore a fair investment income tax rate so that the wealthy don’t pay less taxes on investments than workers pay on income. Additionally, we need to repeal the Bush tax credits for the rich which gives tax breaks to those who make over $200,000 a year. Finally, we need to close loopholes that allow the wealthy to pay just 15% of taxes on their huge incomes while American working families often pay twice as much.

As you can see, Heather shares our values of fairness and progress and would fight for us in the Congress. She would give Kentucky’s First District a Congresswoman they could be proud of. Since she is invested in the well-being of her constituents they would be her special interest group, not Big Oil.

We are determined to fight for the progress of all Americans, not just the wealthy few. Exxon Ed Whitfield has a million dollars of special interest money the status-quo has invested in him to make sure that he will continue to impede progress for all Americans and protect his stock options and the record profits of Big Oil reaped on the backs of hard working Americans. If we are to defeat Exxon Eddie and the powerful special interests he represents we simply must have your help. Lets show Exxon Eddie and his mentor, Mitch McConnell that they can no longer impede progress on the backs of working Americans. Please go here and make an investment in expanding our Congressional majorities and help out a grassroots Democrat that will fight tooth and nail to represent our interests in the Congress:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

We can and will defeat Exxon Eddie in the fall with your help. We have no primary and any support we recieve will be put to work immediately to defeat a sitting Republican Congressman.

Until next time, best wishes fellow Democrats!!

 

Here at Ryan for Kentucky, we have had a good couple of weeks. We now have three pages on ActBlue raising money, and thanks to you our campaign is taking hold. My own personal fundraising page, Americans for Heather Ryan is moving steadily towards my goal of $1500 by May 20. This campaign is moving forward!!!

This is not the only good news. Yesterday, the wonderful people at the EENR for Progress community decided to endorse our campaign of hope and Democratic vision. Here is the article here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

Now, while our campaign is staying neutral in the Presidential primary out of respect to our supporters who may be supporting Obama or Hillary, as a former Edwards blogger who believes strongly in the fight for One America begun by the Edwards campaign, I am so very proud to have the endorsement of the EENR community, some of the most dedicated Democrats anywhere. So to the EENR community from Ryan for Congress, I say THANK YOU!!

That was not the only news from the campaign yesterday. In case you missed it Heather did an interview yesterday with blogtalkradio which was absolutely awesome. Get to know Heather and her vision for our state and country here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/e…

I thought this was a very impressive interview.

Now, we all know in Kentucky and surrounding states, job prospects continue to deteriorate. One of the most pressing issues for Ryan for Kentucky are the creation of good jobs for our region. Here are some of Heather’s thoughts on Jobs:

It is not hard to figure out that outsourcing American jobs to third world countries is

destroying our middle class.  We must stop rewarding companies who send our jobs

oversees with tax cuts and begin rewarding companies who invest in our nations future.  

As a member of a staunch union family, and a former union member myself, I understand first

hand the need for a living wage as well as benefits and training programs.  I will work

tirelessly to fight for the rights of the working person.  For far too long, the citizens of

Kentucky have been victimized by the million dollar boy’s club.  It is time for change!

http://www.ryanforkentucky.com…

Now, we are not exaggerating when we say Ed Whitfield has a million dollars in special interest money to unleash on us. Go here and see the numbers:

http://www.opensecrets.org/pol…

While we appreciate all the support we have recieved, we realize that we have just begun this fight. We are already in the general election against Exxon Eddie, and any support we recieve is an investment in the expansion of our Congressional majorities this fall. Our district is 63% registered Democrat, and if we are able to get our message to our fellow Democrats, we WILL win this seat. Please make an investment in the expansion of our Congressional majorities here, and help me to reach my goal of $1500 for Heather Ryan by May 20. With your help I may even be able to raise my goal soon!!:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

To everyone watching and supporting this race, from Ryan for Kentucky we say thank you so much. We are determined to fight for our home, and to ensure that our next Congress and President actually accomplishes something for the American people.

Until next time, Best wishes!!!