Lots happened yesterday. Here’s an opinionated recap of some of it.
From: earthactionnetwork@earthlink.net [mailto:earthactionnetwork@earthlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 2:41 PM
URGENT: The New York Times reports that President Obama is offering Republicans "substantial spending cuts, including in such social programs as Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security -- programs that had been off the table."
Will you join 100,000 others who have signed this urgent pledge, which we'll deliver to the Obama campaign? http://act.boldprogressives.org/go/4176?akid=4290.772.M94NfL&t=1
"President Obama: If you cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits for me, my family, or families like mine, don't ask for a penny of my money or an hour of my time in 2012. I'm going to focus on electing bold progressive candidates who will fight to protect our Democratic legacy." Click to add your name.
The Washington Post reports that "congressional Democrats were alarmed by the president’s proposal."
Frankly, it's outrageous. President Obama is on the verge of doing what George W. Bush couldn't do with a Republican Congress: Put Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits on the chopping block.
We've done the polling in swing states -- by overwhelming margins, voters oppose these cuts. There's no need for a bad "deal." If we fight, voters are on our side.
But if President Obama caves on these core principles, he will be harming all Democrats in 2012 -- and millions of Americans will suffer. It's just wrong.
Tell the president that if he doesn't fight for Americans now, our money and time will be used fighting for others in 2012. Click here.
The 100,000 who already signed gave over $8.4 million and 1.4 million volunteer hours to the president in 2008. The White House is absolutely watching the progress of this pledge -- and we'll deliver it to the Obama campaign headquarters in
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
-- Adam Green, Stephanie Taylor, Neil Sroka, Michael Snook, and the PCCC team.
P.S. We'll be on MSNBC's Ed Show tonight around 10:40pm EST discussing this.
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http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2011072707/obama-ss-and- medicare-cuts-reasonable-not-most-americans
Obama Social Security and Medicare Cuts: Reasonable? Not To Most Americans.
By Roger Hickey
July 7, 2011 -
Washington Post and NY Times report that President Obama will offer Republican negotiators major cuts to Social Security and Medicare when they meet today.
Supporters of these essential programs are outraged -- and rightly so. We've been told that Social Security, which has its own source of revenue and contributes nothing to the deficit, was not on the table. And the White House has been saying since Obama's April speech that they would fight to prevent cuts to Medicare benefits. Now it is clear the White House is offering major cuts in both programs in hopes of getting Republicans to accept fairly small tax changes -- mainly loophole closings. But we won't really know the details until the White House chooses to tell us what they are proposing.
Note: Richard Eskow explains here and here the impact of the Social Security cuts the Obama team is considering.
Here's the generous interpretation of what they are up to: they have judged that the Republicans are not going to accept any kind of deal involving spending cuts and tax increases, so they are they are offiering more of what the Republicans say they want -- cuts to Social Security and Medicare -- in an effort to appear reasonable, even though they don't expect Boehner and the other Republican negotiators to accept their deal.
But who will think cuts to Social Security and Medicare are reasonable? Clearly not the American people, who in poll after poll -- and in the NY-26 special election -- clearly reject (by big margins) cuts to either of these programs. Clearly, this leak from the White House is intended to appeal to inside-the-beltway pundits, most of whom will never depend on Social Security or Medicare in their wealthy old age, and who applaud any cuts to "entitlements" while excusing Republican willingness to crash the
President Obama needs to be very careful what he offers as part of a budget deal. Today, most Americans see the Republicans as the major problem -- demanding unreasonable cuts to Social Security and Medicare while refusing to ask the wealthy to sacrifice. And they see the Democrats as standing in the way of unreasonable cuts to these important programs. But in trying to curry favor with
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We won!
Today, in a sweeping victory for communities across the country, a federal appeals court overturned the Federal Communications Commission’s attempt to weaken media ownership rules.
Had these rules gone into effect, it would have unleashed a new wave of media consolidation across the country.
In 2007, the FCC ignored letters and calls from millions of Americans and tried to rewrite its media ownership rules to let companies own both newspapers and TV or radio stations in the same town. This change would have opened the floodgates to new media mergers, leading to even more layoffs in newsrooms while thinning out diverse perspectives from local news.
We sued the FCC for ignoring the public outcry. Today, we won. The court tossed out the FCC's flawed rules, but also upheld all other media consolidation restrictions and told the FCC it needed to do better to support and foster diverse voices in the media – all crucial decisions for our fight to build better media.
This isn’t just our victory – it’s your victory, too.
The court pointed to public comments from people like you as deciding factor in overturning the FCC’s attempt to change its rules.. Today it’s clear: Your voice and actions make a huge difference.
This court decision should send a wake-up call to the FCC: It must listen to the public and stand up against media consolidation in all its forms.
But the fight doesn’t end here. Right now around the country, local stations are using loopholes and backroom deals to get around media ownership rules and consolidate their coverage of local news. This court case makes clear that the FCC needs to strengthen their rules and address this growing epidemic as well. Click here to tell the FCC to stop this covert media consolidation. http://act2.freepress.net/go/4691?akid=2661.8768164.debZW6&t=1
Today’s victory is a big moment for the movement to build better media. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Onward,
Craig Aaron
President & CEO
Free Press
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Earlier today, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced a strong new clean air rule that will slash air pollution from power plants, save lives, and make the air healthier to breathe for 240 million people across the eastern U.S.
The new "Cross-State Air Pollution Rule" – otherwise referred to as the "Good Neighbor Rule" – will put tighter limits on the amount of acid-rain causing sulfur dioxide and smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution power plants in 27 eastern states will be allowed to emit.
These pollutants are carried in the atmosphere across state borders and contribute to dangerous – and sometimes lethal – levels of particulate and smog pollution in downwind states.
Please take a moment to send Administrator Jackson a thank you email and tell her how important strong clean air standards are to you. http://support.edf.org/site/R?i=CAlN4F6dtQ5uAWakyCA5Lg..
More Background
Today's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule replaces the Bush-era Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), which was rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals in 2008 because it did not adequately cut pollution and protect human health.
As EDF President Fred Krupp said in our press statement today, the new rule "will provide some of the greatest human health protections in our nation's history… and will help all of us live longer and healthier lives."
The health and economic benefits of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule are enormous. Starting in 2014, the rule will:
Save up to 34,000 lives per year;
Prevent 400,000 asthma attacks per year;
Avoid 1.8 million sick days per year; and
Provide benefits of $120 to $280 billion per year.
This is a great day for clean air and for environmental progress.
Please take a moment to send Administrator Jackson your thanks for standing up for cleaner air. http://support.edf.org/site/R?i=CAlN4F6dtQ5uAWakyCA5Lg..
Thanks for your activism and support,
Environmental Defense Fund
If you want to be on our list, email <earthactionnetwork@earthlink.net>
For more info on Earth Action Network go to www.earthactionnetwork.org
"We are dealing with a far more ominous threat than sickness and death. We are dealing with the dark side of humanity -- selfishness, avarice, aggression. All this has already polluted our skies, emptied our oceans, destroyed our forests and extinguished thousands of beautiful animals. Are our children next? … It is no longer enough to vaccinate them or give them food and water and only cure the symptoms of man’s tendency to destroy everything we hold dear. Whether it be famine in
~Audrey Hepburn, April 1989, in a speech given while serving as goodwill ambassador for Unicef
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