We're excited to launch our Purple to Blue program with the announcement of two endorsements in Virginia today. What is Purple to Blue?
Forget John Boehner and Paul Ryan -- Republicans don't need Congress to push their radical right-wing agenda. They're doing it right now, state by state:
Ending women's right to choose
Busting unions
Deregulating industries and pillaging the environment
Giving away huge tax breaks to big corporations and the super rich
Republican state legislatures are laboratories of right-wing extremism -- and we need to stop their radical agendas before they go any farther.
That's why DFA is launching the Purple to Blue Project, a new multi-year effort dedicated to winning state House and Senate chambers across the country -- starting right now in Virginia.
Even as Democrats picked up wins nationally last year, conservatives continued to cement control of state legislatures -- and they're using states like Virginia to build momentum for radical, extreme agendas.
We're seeing the damage they can do. Virginia's newly-enacted restrictions on abortion have spawned a national assault on women's right to make decisions about her own life: just this weekend, North Dakota's Republican-controlled legislature passed a "personhood" amendment, effectively banning all abortions in the state.
Whether it's stripping away labor rights in Wisconsin, restricting voting rights in Pennsylvania, or attacking a woman's right to choose in Virginia, conservatives are growing bolder and reaching further than ever before.
It's time to get back to basics. DFA is targeting five swing districts in Virginia to send a powerful message to Republicans: If you continue to wage war on our core values, progressives will defeat you at the ballot box.
This isn't a process that will happen overnight, but we have to start now. We're endorsing our first round of candidates -- now we need to raise $10,000 to begin recruiting staff to join them in the field.
North Dakota lawmakers just passed a so-called "personhood" amendment -- basically saying that life begins at conception, effectively banning abortion and potentially banning some forms of birth control.
Right-wingers have been pushing their anti-choice agenda at the state level for years, and this fall, voters will have the final word on this amendment -- North Dakota could be the first state to enact a personhood abortion ban.
Anti-choice, anti-woman activists have been pushing for legislation like this all across the country. Now that they've scored a victory, they'll be embolded to push extreme measures like this everywhere.
This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. We need to stop these radical measures from taking hold in other states.
The United States has 58,344 Federally Licensed Gun Dealers. That's nearly twice the number of post offices.
See how many gun dealers are in your state here:
Background Checks are Quick and Easy -- And They Save Lives.
Under current law, federally licensed gun dealers are required to conduct criminal background checks for all gun sales. However, private sellers can sell guns without background checks, no questions asked.
We need to close this dangerous loophole in our federal gun laws. Under the Senate Background Checks Bill (S.374), if you want to sell your gun, you'll simply meet your buyer at a local gun store and the store will conduct the background check on the buyer. The gun lobby has argued that it is inconvenient to the point of being unreasonable for gun owners to require a background check for every private sale. But the facts make it clear that no matter where you live in America, getting a background check is quick and easy.
How do you feel about America's gun industry? We want to hear from you in the comments.
Elizabeth Warren: "The minimum wage today would be about $22 an hour" if it had kept up with productivity.
During a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren continued her no nonsense efforts to make a difference for American families and change the way corporate America does business. After making her point, Warren went on to argue for raising the federal minimum wage to over $10 an hour in incremental steps over the next two years - a plan the President addressed in his SOTU.
What do you think the minimum wage should be raised to? Let us know in the comments.
Today Hillary Clinton backed Marriage Equality - contrast to - Speaker John Boehner's comments this weekend, 'I can't imagine" supporting marriage equality for LGBT Americans.
See Clinton's New Video here:
And this is what Speaker John Boehner said...
The contrast between the Democratic Party and Republican Tea Party could not be clearer. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explains why she supports marriage equality for lesbian and gay couples. Meanwhile, House GOP Speaker Boehner - who is spending millions of taxpayer dollars opposing marriage equality — insisted, that “I believe that marriage is a union of a man and a woman” and stated he would not change his mind, even if he found out that his own son or someone he loved very much was gay.
Who's position on marriage equality and human rights do you support? Let us know what you think in the comments.
