Campaign

The Senate may vote this week on a House Republican bill that would immediately cut the minimum wage for some groups of workers and gradually raise the minimum wage for other groups of workers. The bill would also give an average $1.4 million tax break to the wealthiest 8,200 estates in the country, driving up the federal budget deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars. In short, the bill is a sham.

It is not surprising that Republican leaders in Congress larded up a minimum wage increase with a wage cut and massive tax breaks. But it is shameful. It means that while some groups of low-wage workers would get a wage increase, hundreds of thousands of workers in Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Guam would see a decrease in their wages.

A true national minimum wage increase must raise the wages of all workers across the board, plain and simple. But House Republicans still refuse to allow a clean vote to increase the minimum wage. This bill's harmful provisions prove once again just how deceptive and cynical Republican leaders are willing to be just to score political points.

The Senate must reject this deceptive legislation. Americans deserve a Congress that will pass an honest national minimum wage increase that benefits all working families. Democrats believe that it is time for a new direction that will value and reward the contributions that workers make to our nation's workforce and economy, and we will continue to fight for the clean minimum wage increase that working families deserve.

I was proud to attend the bill signing ceremony for the Adam
Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. This comprehensive legislation is unprecedented in its aim to protect children from predators in the classroom, reduce and prevent gang violence and to protect those public officials and their families who often find themselves exposed to the most ruthless criminals in the United States. As part of our Suburban Agenda, the School Safety Acquiring Faculty Excellence Act is included in the enacted law. The provision will give schools access to federal databases to help keep pedophiles and violent criminals out of our classrooms. This legislation is a major victory for America's most valuable citizens - our children. ". This comprehensive legislation is unprecedented in its aim to protect children from predators in the classroom, reduce and prevent gang violence and to protect those public officials and their families who often find themselves exposed to the most ruthless criminals in the United States. As part of our Suburban Agenda, the School Safety Acquiring Faculty Excellence Act is included in the enacted law. The provision will give schools access to federal databases to help keep pedophiles and violent criminals out of our classrooms. This legislation
is a major victory for America's most valuable citizens - our children.

With the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, African-Americans were finally promised the right to vote after centuries of disenfranchisement. The era of the literacy test, the grandfather clause, and the outright exclusion of black Americans from the political process had come to a close, at least officially.

The Voting Rights Act remains some of the most important legislation ever passed by the United States Congress, and I was pleased to see it handily reauthorized last week. I was equally pleased to see that an amendment proposed by Georgia Rep. Charlie Norwood (R), which would have significantly weakened the act, was rejected 318-96.

I was disappointed, though, to see that my opponent for the Democratic nomination here in the Georgia Fourth, Rep. Cynthia McKinney, was one of very few Members of Congress who didn't even show for the vote on the amendment. An act of such negligence strikes me not only as unethical but also as incompetent. Read more...

I think that he said what the Iraqis would like to see happen and what he hoped the American public would believe. He didn't address the real problem - Iraqis fighting Iraqis - but rather, he talked about terrorism.

Look beneath the speech and you see no plan. How do you solve it?

I think that it will certainly make Nevada more prominent. I would love to see the Republicans join them, but obviously the chances of that are a lot slimmer. It will bring more national attention to our state and that is good. It will help the local economy when people are visiting our state.

Since this runoff began last week, I have spent a great deal of time meeting constituents one-on-one throughout the district, and there's been time for reflection between campaign stops. I'd like to take a moment to share my thoughts and give you an idea of what is on my mind as I work to unseat Cynthia McKinney.

Politics is often maligned as inherently coercive and manipulative. When practiced in a vibrant and open democratic society, though, and when representatives act and speak responsibly and thoughtfully, politics can be beautiful.

Democracy is surely too often exploited by those who would seek office to serve selfish interests or to win a bully pulpit. The character and integrity of our society are dependent upon the character and integrity of those who serve and represent it. In our country -- and in my district -- responsible leadership is at a premium, and it is responsible leadership that allows democracy to function healthily and serve the people's interests. Read more...

I hope that we get some degree of assurance and provide a structure for the public to ensure them of the integrity in the voting system.  Quite frankly when you have something that's voluntary you can't achieve anything.

The following post is from DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson, who on Tuesday surprisingly forced an August 8 runoff election with Rep. Cynthia McKinney for the Democratic nomination in Georgia's 4th Congressional District.



Hello! My name is Hank Johnson, and I'm running for Congress in Georgia's Fourth Congressional District against Cynthia McKinney.

The last four days have been a whirlwind. We surprised the world by forcing Cynthia McKinney into an August 8th runoff, and my campaign has been thrust into the national spotlight. I am confident that good sense will prevail and that the voters of the Fourth will send me to Washington, where I intend to serve with humility, integrity, and conviction. I believe the people of my district have had enough of the polarizing spirit of division that dominates Washington, impedes progress, and gives a bad name to politics. It's time for a change. I'm not interested in publicity.

I'm interested in solutions, and I hope to have the opportunity to pursue them. I'm tremendously excited about the opportunity to use this unique medium to strengthen democracy by increasing open interaction between constituents and candidates. I hope to provide you with an inside view of this hotly-contested, high stakes runoff.

Stay tuned for continued updates and messages!

It is up to us in Congress to fix the redistricting system to stop the
current system of using gerrymanders to cut the voters out of the electoral
system. Those partisan practices further divide our nation and increase the
polarization in Washington, which has already crippled our ability to
accomplish the goals the American people want to see us accomplish.

The Supreme Court's June 28 ruling essentially opened the door for
professional politicians to hijack the electoral system every time a certain
party gets control in any state Capitol.

We have introduced bipartisan legislation (HR 2642/S.2350) that would
establish independent commissions in each state to draw district maps and
would bar mid-decade redistricting. Senator Tim Johnson and I are hopeful
more of our colleagues will recognize the importance of putting the House of
Representatives back in the hands of the American people.

American families are looking for a new direction and the most recent fundraising numbers for Democratic candidates show that they are willing to do something about it.  Democrats across the country are waging impressive campaigns, showing families in every district that they will fight for their priorities, and not those of the special interest-dominated Republican Congress.

This year, Democrats will have the resources they need to compete against some of the most heavily entrenched Republican incumbents.  Democratic challengers are outraising their Republican opponents and in open seats – some of the most competitive contests that will be waged this year – Democrats, by and large, have the financial edge, in some cases by large margins.  An unprecedented 20 Democratic candidates have raised over $1 million so far this year and at least six Democratic challengers have over $1 million cash-on-hand, two of whom have over $2 million on hand.  At this point in 2004, no Democratic challenger, not one, had $1 million on hand.

It’s time for a change, and this November, Democratic candidates across the country will be fighting to put our country back on track.