Reich breaks it down

Dear MoveOn member,

You may know that the Romney-Ryan plan spells disaster for the middle class, but do you know all 5 reasons why? And could you explain it to a friend? Or an undecided voter?

You will after you watch this video of former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who breaks down the 5 ways Romney and Ryan's plan would destroy all our hopes of a stable economy for the middle class.

Then you won't even have to explain it to a friend—you can let Reich do that for you, by sharing this compelling video. But, the next time a conservative starts spouting the virtues of the Romney-Ryan ticket, you'll be ready with 5 sharp comebacks from an economic expert.

Click here to watch Reich's video on the Romney-Ryan economic plan, then share with your friends and family.

Thanks for all you do.

–Lenore, Milan, Robin, Amy, and the rest of the team

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 7 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

---

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on August 24, 2012. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Re: Romney's secret weapon (hint: it's not Paul Ryan)

Hi—I wanted to make sure you saw this note. Time is running out to stop Republican voter suppression efforts, so every dollar invested today is critical.  

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President Obama is leading in the polls, but he could still lose because of voter suppression laws in key battleground states like Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and more. Chip in $5 to help convince local election officials to opt out of the Republican voter suppression campaign.  Chip in $5

Dear MoveOn member,

The latest polls since Mitt Romney picked Paul Ryan show President Obama still holding a narrow lead of 1-2 points in several key states.¹

But, if the election was held today, President Obama could still lose—because of widespread Republican voter suppression tactics in key swing states.

Republicans are purging the voter rolls, shortening voting hours in Democratic precincts, kicking Democrats off local election boards, and requiring registered voters to show photo ID.²

There's no bigger priority between now and November than stopping these GOP voter suppression tactics so that no eligible Obama voter is turned away at the polls. And MoveOn is one of the few groups in America with enough grassroots supporters to do something about it.

Can you chip in $5 to help pay for our emergency campaign to stop GOP voter suppression? We need county-level campaign teams in hundreds of places, lawyers to figure out the local voting rules, field organizers to cover all the key states, and an ad budget for targeted local ads urging election officials to do the right thing.

Yes, I'll chip in $5 to stop voter suppression.

Make no mistake: because of GOP voter suppression efforts, local election officials you've never heard of could easily decide the outcome of the presidential race.

The battle unfolding in Ohio is a perfect example. First, the Republican secretary of state tried to set shorter voting hours in Democratic counties versus Republican counties. Voters freaked out and he backed off, setting uniform voting hours statewide.

That was a great partial victory for voters, but the new hours he set are still shorter than in 2008, which will make it impossible for some students, folks with two jobs, and other Democratic-leaning groups to vote. And his new rules do not allow for any in-person early voting on weekends, the best time for many folks to vote.³

MoveOn members are pushing to reinstate weekend early voting hours so everyone can vote, but it's going to require another major grassroots push.

Similar fights are playing out Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and other key states, and come Election Day it'll be too late. We have to pull out all the stops now.

Click here to chip in $5 to stop the GOP's voter suppression.

MoveOn is running local campaigns all over the country to make sure local officials do all they can to protect the right to vote.

You might have seen Pennsylvania MoveOn member Steven Singer on MSNBC's "The Ed Show" this week talking about the Allegheny County petition he started on SignOn.org, MoveOn's petition website.⁴ 

An election official in one Pennsylvania county is refusing to enforce that state's discriminatory new Voter ID Law, and now MoveOn members all across Pennsylvania are urging county election supervisors to instruct poll workers to let all registered voters vote.⁵ They have the authority to make that decision—we just need to give them the political backing to do the right thing.

We need county-level campaigns like this in hundreds of places around the country to make a dent in this problem. Can you chip in $5 to help pay for the lawyers, field organizers, and ads we need to win?

Yes, I can chip in $5.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilya, Anna, Steven, Bobby, Stefanie, and the rest of the team

Sources: 

1. "Election 2012 State Polls," Real Clear Politics, accessed August 18, 2012 http://bit.ly/NlHyMa

2. "Masters of voter suppression: Republicans employ many techniques to keep low-income voters away from the polls," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 9, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279098&id=49584-10220574-4YXqEQx&t=5

3. "Ohio Secretary Of State Restricts Voting Hours In All Counties," Think Progress, August 16, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279099&id=49584-10220574-4YXqEQx&t=6

4. "Keystone to Victory," The Ed Show, MSNBC, August 16, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279100&id=49584-10220574-4YXqEQx&t=7

5. "Delco election official vows to defy ID law," Philadelphia Inquirer, July 28, 2012 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=278191&id=49584-10220574-4YXqEQx&t=8

Want to support our work? MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 7 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

---

This email was sent to eddie alfaro on August 23, 2012. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Re: "Mean-spirited and intolerant"

Dear MoveOn member,

After we sent you the following email, some MoveOn members contacted us to point out that it contained ambiguous language. To be clear, MoveOn is and always has been a strong supporter of women's reproductive freedom, and we oppose any aspect of the Republican Party platform that seeks to limit that freedom for any woman.

We have modified the petition language to clarify that position, so that it now reads: Romney and Ryan: "Remove the abortion ban for rape survivors—and all women—from the Republican Party platform."

If you have not yet signed the petition, you can do so by clicking here.

Thank you for continuing to fight back against the Republican War on Women.

–Lenore

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Click here to sign your name: Romney and Ryan: "Remove the abortion ban for rape survivors from the Republican Party platform." Sign the Petition!

Dear MoveOn member,

Representative Todd Akin's comment about "legitimate rape" was no gaffe. It was a glimpse into the GOP War on Women.

Republicans are just days away from ratifying a personhood amendment as part of their party platform, which would ban all abortions, with no exceptions for rape or incest.¹

32,000 rape survivors get pregnant in America each year.² And the Republican party would ban abortions for all of these women.

Today's New York Times editorial is challenging Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to amend this "extremist," "mean-spirited and intolerant platform."³

MoveOn members need to join that call with hundreds of thousands of voices, because even if Romney and Ryan won't listen, America is listening. Representative Todd Akin's comments were a wake-up call about Republican views on women.

This shameful moment is our best opportunity to draw attention to the dangerous woman-hating agenda of the Republican Party and expose it to American voters.

But the GOP Convention is next week, and we want to confront Ryan and Romney with a massive petition at an event TOMORROW for the media to see, so we need to act urgently. Can you sign today and ask everyone you know to sign, too?

Romney and Ryan: "Remove the abortion ban for rape survivors from the Republican Party platform."

Republicans, including Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, are trying to run away from the terrible comments of their Senate candidate, Rep. Todd Akin, about "legitimate rape." But they can't.

Here's a brief history of Romney and Ryan's own words and deeds on this issue:

• Ryan and Akin were the original co-sponsors of a bill that would limit the definition of rape to "forcible rape" (Akin's idea of "legitimate rape").⁴
• Ryan co-sponsored a personhood bill with Akin, which would outlaw some forms of birth control and all abortions, with no exceptions for rape or incest.⁵
• Mitt Romney told Mike Huckabee that he would have "absolutely" supported a constitutional amendment establishing the definition of life at conception.⁶

Of course, now that the media is paying attention to their extreme views, the Romney-Ryan campaign stated that they would not prohibit abortion in cases of rape.⁷ But talk is cheap.

If Romney and Ryan want to prove that they don't stand with Akin on abortion bans for rape survivors, they need to get it out of the party platform. And our job is to make sure the country is watching what they do.

Sign today—Romney and Ryan: "Remove the abortion ban for rape survivors from the Republican Party platform."

Thanks for all you do,

–Lenore, Elena, Amy, Marika, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "GOP party platform sticks with anti-abortion stance, does not address rape exception," The Washington Post, August 21, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279220&id=49516-10220574-8hs5Lux&t=7

2. "Injury Center: Violence Prevention," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279195&id=49516-10220574-8hs5Lux&t=8

3. "What the G.O.P. Platform Represents," The New York Times, August 21, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279242&id=49516-10220574-8hs5Lux&t=9

4. "How Todd Akin and Paul Ryan Partnered to Redefine Rape," Think Progress, August 19, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279196&id=49516-10220574-8hs5Lux&t=10

5. "Paul Ryan Sponsored Fetal Personhood Bill, Opposes Family Planning Funds," Huffington Post, August 11, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=278852&id=49516-10220574-8hs5Lux&t=11

6. "Romney: I Would 'Absolutely' Support State Constitutional Amendment to Define Life As Beginning At Conception," Think Progress, October 3, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279210&id=49516-10220574-8hs5Lux&t=12

7. "Romney Statement on Abortion Contradicts Ryan's Earlier Stance," The New York Times, August 20, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279214&id=49516-10220574-8hs5Lux&t=13

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 7 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

---

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on August 22, 2012. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

"Mean-spirited and intolerant"

Click here to sign your name: Romney and Ryan: "Remove the abortion ban for rape survivors from the Republican Party platform." Sign the Petition!

Dear MoveOn member,

Representative Todd Akin's comment about "legitimate rape" was no gaffe. It was a glimpse into the GOP War on Women.

Republicans are just days away from ratifying a personhood amendment as part of their party platform, which would ban all abortions, with no exceptions for rape or incest.¹

32,000 rape survivors get pregnant in America each year.² And the Republican party would ban abortions for all of these women.

Today's New York Times editorial is challenging Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to amend this "extremist," "mean-spirited and intolerant platform."³

MoveOn members need to join that call with hundreds of thousands of voices, because even if Romney and Ryan won't listen, America is listening. Representative Todd Akin's comments were a wake-up call about Republican views on women.

This shameful moment is our best opportunity to draw attention to the dangerous woman-hating agenda of the Republican Party and expose it to American voters.

But the GOP Convention is next week, and we want to confront Ryan and Romney with a massive petition at an event TOMORROW for the media to see, so we need to act urgently. Can you sign today and ask everyone you know to sign, too?

Romney and Ryan: "Remove the abortion ban for rape survivors from the Republican Party platform."

Republicans, including Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, are trying to run away from the terrible comments of their Senate candidate, Rep. Todd Akin, about "legitimate rape." But they can't.

Here's a brief history of Romney and Ryan's own words and deeds on this issue:

• Ryan and Akin were the original co-sponsors of a bill that would limit the definition of rape to "forcible rape" (Akin's idea of "legitimate rape").⁴
• Ryan co-sponsored a personhood bill with Akin, which would outlaw some forms of birth control and all abortions, with no exceptions for rape or incest.⁵
• Mitt Romney told Mike Huckabee that he would have "absolutely" supported a constitutional amendment establishing the definition of life at conception.⁶

Of course, now that the media is paying attention to their extreme views, the Romney-Ryan campaign stated that they would not prohibit abortion in cases of rape.⁷ But talk is cheap.

If Romney and Ryan want to prove that they don't stand with Akin on abortion bans for rape survivors, they need to get it out of the party platform. And our job is to make sure the country is watching what they do.

Sign today—Romney and Ryan: "Remove the abortion ban for rape survivors from the Republican Party platform."

Thanks for all you do,

–Lenore, Elena, Amy, Marika, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "GOP party platform sticks with anti-abortion stance, does not address rape exception," The Washington Post, August 21, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279220&id=49504-10220574-P9aihBx&t=6

2. "Injury Center: Violence Prevention," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279195&id=49504-10220574-P9aihBx&t=7

3. "What the G.O.P. Platform Represents," The New York Times, August 21, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279242&id=49504-10220574-P9aihBx&t=8

4. "How Todd Akin and Paul Ryan Partnered to Redefine Rape," Think Progress, August 19, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279196&id=49504-10220574-P9aihBx&t=9

5. "Paul Ryan Sponsored Fetal Personhood Bill, Opposes Family Planning Funds," Huffington Post, August 11, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=278852&id=49504-10220574-P9aihBx&t=10

6. "Romney: I Would 'Absolutely' Support State Constitutional Amendment to Define Life As Beginning At Conception," Think Progress, October 3, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279210&id=49504-10220574-P9aihBx&t=11

7. "Romney Statement on Abortion Contradicts Ryan's Earlier Stance," The New York Times, August 20, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279214&id=49504-10220574-P9aihBx&t=12

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 7 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

---

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on August 22, 2012. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Romney's secret weapon (hint: it's not Paul Ryan)

President Obama is leading in the polls, but he could still lose because of voter suppression laws in key battleground states like Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and more. Chip in $5 to help convince local election officials to opt out of the Republican voter suppression campaign.  Chip in $5

Dear MoveOn member,

The latest polls since Mitt Romney picked Paul Ryan show President Obama still holding a narrow lead of 1-2 points in several key states.¹

But, if the election was held today, President Obama could still lose—because of widespread Republican voter suppression tactics in key swing states.

Republicans are purging the voter rolls, shortening voting hours in Democratic precincts, kicking Democrats off local election boards, and requiring registered voters to show photo ID.²

There's no bigger priority between now and November than stopping these GOP voter suppression tactics so that no eligible Obama voter is turned away at the polls. And MoveOn is one of the few groups in America with enough grassroots supporters to do something about it.

Can you chip in $5 to help pay for our emergency campaign to stop GOP voter suppression? We need county-level campaign teams in hundreds of places, lawyers to figure out the local voting rules, field organizers to cover all the key states, and an ad budget for targeted local ads urging election officials to do the right thing.

Yes, I'll chip in $5 to stop voter suppression.

Make no mistake: because of GOP voter suppression efforts, local election officials you've never heard of could easily decide the outcome of the presidential race.

The battle unfolding in Ohio is a perfect example. First, the Republican secretary of state tried to set shorter voting hours in Democratic counties versus Republican counties. Voters freaked out and he backed off, setting uniform voting hours statewide.

That was a great partial victory for voters, but the new hours he set are still shorter than in 2008, which will make it impossible for some students, folks with two jobs, and other Democratic-leaning groups to vote. And his new rules do not allow for any in-person early voting on weekends, the best time for many folks to vote.³

MoveOn members are pushing to reinstate weekend early voting hours so everyone can vote, but it's going to require another major grassroots push.

Similar fights are playing out Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and other key states, and come Election Day it'll be too late. We have to pull out all the stops now.

Click here to chip in $5 to stop the GOP's voter suppression.

MoveOn is running local campaigns all over the country to make sure local officials do all they can to protect the right to vote.

You might have seen Pennsylvania MoveOn member Steven Singer on MSNBC's "The Ed Show" this week talking about the Allegheny County petition he started on SignOn.org, MoveOn's petition website.⁴ 

An election official in one Pennsylvania county is refusing to enforce that state's discriminatory new Voter ID Law, and now MoveOn members all across Pennsylvania are urging county election supervisors to instruct poll workers to let all registered voters vote.⁵ They have the authority to make that decision—we just need to give them the political backing to do the right thing.

We need county-level campaigns like this in hundreds of places around the country to make a dent in this problem. Can you chip in $5 to help pay for the lawyers, field organizers, and ads we need to win?

Yes, I can chip in $5.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilya, Anna, Steven, Bobby, Stefanie, and the rest of the team

Sources: 

1. "Election 2012 State Polls," Real Clear Politics, accessed August 18, 2012 http://bit.ly/NlHyMa

2. "Masters of voter suppression: Republicans employ many techniques to keep low-income voters away from the polls," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 9, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279098&id=49415-10220574-tC9IuYx&t=5

3. "Ohio Secretary Of State Restricts Voting Hours In All Counties," Think Progress, August 16, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279099&id=49415-10220574-tC9IuYx&t=6

4. "Keystone to Victory," The Ed Show, MSNBC, August 16, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279100&id=49415-10220574-tC9IuYx&t=7

5. "Delco election official vows to defy ID law," Philadelphia Inquirer, July 28, 2012 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=278191&id=49415-10220574-tC9IuYx&t=8

Want to support our work? MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 7 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

---

This email was sent to eddie alfaro on August 21, 2012. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Blaming rape survivors

Below is an email from Kat Barr of the organization UltraViolet. Kat created a petition on SignOn.org, the nonprofit site that allows anyone to start their own online petition. If you have concerns or feedback about this petition, click here.

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Tell Rep. Akin: Resign over your shameful, ignorant, and dangerous rape comments. Sign the petition

Dear MoveOn member,

Victims of "legitimate rape" can't get pregnant because a woman's body will shut down and prevent the pregnancy. Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) actually said that—in other words, he's saying that if a woman does get pregnant, she must not have been raped. Even scarier? He's running—and leading—in the race for Missouri's senate seat.

What he said was bad, but it was hardly a gaffe or poor choice of words. In 2011 he and Rep. Paul Ryan led the push in the House of Representatives to redefine rape as "forcible rape" in order to further restrict rape survivors' access to abortions. As a state senator, Akin questioned whether anti-marital rape laws would be abused by women in messy divorces.

Anyone who doesn't understand basic biology and tries to create more hurdles for rape survivors seeking justice doesn't belong in the United States Congress.

That's why I created a petition on SignOn.org to Rep. Todd Akin, U.S. House of Representatives, which says:

Rep. Todd Akin, your comments about survivors of rape are shocking and offensive. Anyone who doesn't understand basic biology and wants to create more barriers for rape survivors seeking justice does not belong in the United States Congress. You must resign right away.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks!

–Kat Barr, UltraViolet

This petition was created on SignOn.org, the progressive, nonprofit petition site. SignOn.org is sponsored by MoveOn Civic Action, which is not responsible for the contents of this or other petitions posted on the site. UltraViolet didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

Want to support our work? MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 7 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

---

This email was sent to eddie alfaro on August 20, 2012. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

This Video MIGHT Stop Romney From Becoming President

Dear MoveOn member,

Mitt Romney could win. Don't believe it?

Well, you're not alone. Most people don't understand that the GOP has an incredibly upsetting plan in place to put Mitt Romney in the White House—a plan that, frankly, is working.

This video spells it out for you—a three pronged GOP strategy that includes a little-known, shocking, and racist strategy designed to help Romney win. Watching and sharing it might be the most important thing you do to defeat Romney in this election.

Please click here, watch "REVEALED: The GOP Strategy", and share this with your family and friends.

If we understand what we're fighting against, we CAN mobilize and fight back. People power works—MoveOn members have proven it time and time again.

Please watch this video and get in the game by sharing it with your Facebook and social networks.

Thank you for all you do.

–Justin, Mark, Victoria, Tate, and the rest of the team

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 7 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

---

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on August 17, 2012. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.