Falmouth Democratic Town Committee

By now you’ve probably seen the news: The amazing — and amazingly negative — Republican race for president is all but over. Mitt Romney is almost certainly our opponent in this election.

That means America will have a very clear choice come November.

The President believes that this is a make-or-break moment for the middle class, and that without a strong and thriving middle class, we’ll never have the growth we need.

That’s why he’s fighting for an economy rooted in our fundamental values — one in which Americans can not only find work, but where folks who work hard can get ahead, responsibility is rewarded, and everyone, from Main Street to Wall Street, plays by the same rules.

He’s fighting for an economy that’s built to last, with a genuine and sustained commitment to education and training, advanced manufacturing, and homegrown, American energy.

He’s fighting for a country in which every child has a chance, and every American, after a lifetime of work, can count on retiring with dignity and security.

And he’s fighting to ensure that the responsibility for delivering on that future is broadly shared, which means ending the budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthy that add to our deficits and crowd out the very investments we need to grow.

Mitt Romney has a different, and frighteningly familiar, view.

He thinks you grow our economy from the top down.

He’d take us back to an economy based on outsourcing, risky financial schemes, and massive tax cuts for the wealthy. He’d return to the policy of allowing Wall Street, Big Oil, and other special interests to write their own rules.

But that’s not all. Below are five other things that should give Americans pause.

Forward this email — and if you’re ready for this fight, become the newest member of the Truth Team today and help get the facts out from now till Election Day.

1. Romney’s positions are the most radically anti-women of any candidate in a generation: He supports banning all abortions, backed a so-called “personhood” amendment that could make certain forms of birth control illegal, and says he would “get rid of” federal funding for Planned Parenthood that provides preventive services like cancer screenings for millions of women.

2. Romney would repeal Obamacare. Insurance companies would once again be allowed to run up premiums, unjustifiably deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, drop patients when they get sick, discriminate against women by charging them more for coverage than men, and spend more of your premium dollars on CEO profits and bonuses instead of your actual health care.

3. Romney is a risk when it comes to foreign policy and national security. On many of these questions, he has shifted his position for political reasons, even within the same campaign. His only clear commitment is to endless wars: He has no plan to end the war in Afghanistan and would leave our troops there indefinitely. He called the President’s decision to bring our troops home from Iraq by last Christmas “tragic.”

4. Despite the lessons of recent history, Romney would double down on the disastrous tax policies that handed windfalls to the wealthy, but stacked the deck against the middle class. Under Romney, millionaires and billionaires would get a $250,000 tax cut, while families with kids making less than $40,000 a year would, on average, actually see their taxes go up. To the surprise of no one, Romney also opposes the Buffett Rule. He would allow millionaires to continue to take advantage of loopholes and special deals that often allow them to pay a lower tax rate than the middle class. And he supports tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas.

5. Romney would end Medicare as we know it — replacing it with a voucher scheme that would drive profits for insurance companies by forcing seniors to purchase private insurance, paying whatever costs a voucher wouldn’t cover out of their own limited budgets.

Romney and his special-interest allies are going to spend the next seven months trying to deny, downplay, or hide these facts from voters. It’s on us to speak the truth.

So print these out, post them on your fridge, and share them on Facebook. Send this list around to friends who are on the fence.

When and if your mother-in-law, or cousin, or best friend claims that Romney is “moderate,” you need to know what to say.

You are the President’s voice out there, and I can’t stress enough how you will be the difference between voters hearing our message or not. The more Americans learn about Mitt Romney, the less they like him, and the less they trust him.

Sign up to join the Truth Team today — help get the facts out every day, keep the other side honest, and make sure people know the truth about Mitt Romney’s and the President’s records:

http://my.barackobama.com/Join-the-Truth-Team

If people know the truth about Mitt Romney and President Obama, who they are, and their very different plans for this country, there’s no way we can lose this thing.

This race is on.

Let’s go,

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

P.S. — We put together a video highlighting some of Romney’s severely conservative positions — which we all need to remember as we head into the general election. Take a look, and make sure your friends see it too.      

The Falmouth Democratic Town Committee will present Elizabeth Warren, candidate for US Senate, as a speaker at its brunch on Saturday February 25th. She will join Massachusetts Senate President Theresa Murray and Congressman William Keating.
The brunch will be held at the Coonamessett Inn at 9 AM. Seating is limited but some tickets are still available.
For further information email Falmouthdems@gmail.com or call 508-540-9063.

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT. THANK YOU!

The Falmouth Democratic Town Committee is hosting a brunch on Saturday, February 25, at 9:00 am at the Coonamessett Inn.  The honored guests are Congressman William Keating and Senate President Therese Murray.  The cost for this special event is $22.00 per person.  If you would like to attend please send your check payable to FDTC, Box 312, Falmouth 02541 or calling 508-548-6525 or 508-540-1825

If we’ve learned anything from the Republican primaries, it’s that this is no ordinary election.

The GOP candidates are spending a huge amount of time attacking President Obama — no surprise. But instead of basing their attacks on our differences of opinion, they’ve chosen to run on claims about his record that just aren’t true.

Mitt Romney says that, despite 23 consecutive months of job growth under the President’s watch, he’s made the recession “worse.” Rick Santorum says that the Affordable Care Act, which was based in part on Republican proposals and provides millions of Americans with access to affordable, private health insurance, is a government takeover of health care. They’re not acting alone: With the newfound power of outside groups, these lies can be instantly amplified with millions of dollars in special-interest ad spending.

If the other guys are going to run a campaign based on misrepresenting the President’s record — and their own — we have two options: sit back and let these lies go unchallenged, or fight back with the truth.

We’re fighting back. Today we’re introducing a new resource for grassroots supporters who want to make sure that when voters go to the polls in November, they know the truth — and you should be a part of it.

Will you sign up to be a member of the Truth Team?

The website has three sections to reflect the team’s goals: KeepingHisWord, where we’ll communicate about President Obama’s record and promises kept; AttackWatch, to fight back against false attacks on the President; and KeepingGOPHonest, where we’ll debunk the Republicans’ false claims about their own records.

In short, it’s the grassroots communications team of the Obama 2012 campaign. We’ll provide resources for you to learn everything you need to know and tools to help you share it with undecided voters in your life.

Communicating about the President’s record — and that of our opponents — is what I do full-time. But people don’t just want to hear from campaign statements or ads — they want to hear from the family and friends they trust.

The President needs folks on board to roll up their sleeves, stand with him, and get the truth out all over the country.

So the next time you hear Mitt Romney accusing the President of “crony capitalism” or someone asking, “What has President Obama really accomplished?” you’ll know what to do.

If you’re ready to fight lies with the truth, sign up now:

http://my.barackobama.com/Join-the-Team

Thanks,

Stephanie

Stephanie Cutter
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America

TALKING ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S PROGRESSIVE ACHIEVEMENTS

KEY POINT President Barack Obama has moved the country in a new direction, working to restore middle-class security following eight years of an administration that turned over the federal government to corporate interests and ideologues. President Obama has overcome intense opposition and won hard-fought battles for the progressive ideals of equality, fairness, and justice. EXAMPLES The Affordable Care Act holds insurance companies accountable to consumers, lowers health care costs, and enhances the quality of health care for all Americans. This landmark health care reform: • Provides health insurance for 32 million uninsured Americans • Bans lifetime limits on coverage and provides coverage to those with pre-existing conditions • Reduces ‘job lock,’ allowing workers to change jobs without fear of losing coverage • Allows youth under 26 to keep their parent’s health insurance • Covers preventative care and birth control without copays • Cuts costs for consumers – Starting in 2014, a low-income family of four could save up to $14,900. Middle-class families purchasing private insurance in the new state-based health insurance exchanges could save as much as $2,300 per year. [HealthCare.gov, January 28, 2011] • Cuts costs for small businesses • Restores federal funding for stem cell research • Regulated big tobacco after a decades-long battle

ENDED U.S. COMBAT OPERATIONS IN IRAQ As a candidate, President Obama said he would end the war in Iraq. As president, he oversaw the end of combat operations, the withdrawal of more than 100,000 U.S. troops, and has announced a complete withdrawal by the end of 2012.

REPAIRED RELATIONS WITH OUR ALLIES AND REBUILT AMERICA’S STANDING IN THE WORLD • Ended illegal Bush-era torture policies • Signed the sweeping START nuclear arms reduction deal with Russia • Ordered the closure of CIA detention facilities • Reversed the Bush administration by seeking a seat on the UN Human Rights Council • Took the fight to Al-Qaeda

HISTORICAL RESULTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY • Doubled fuel efficiency standards – The requirement that new cars get 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 will save us 1.3 million barrels of oil a day and cut annual carbon emissions by more than 220 million tons. The policy also promises to double overall fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 • Oversaw one of the largest expansions of wilderness protections in decades • Under President Obama, the EPA declared greenhouse gases a threat to human health • Approved 13 commercial-scale solar facilities on public lands to power 1.5 million homes • Approved the first-ever offshore wind project • Created hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs

LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD FOR WORKERS • Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act • Issued executive orders reversing Bush-era policies, in order to provide better worker protections • Made appointments to the National Labor Relations Board to level the playing field for workers

SIGNED LANDMARK WALL STREET REFORMS INTO LAW • Signed legislation protecting American families from abusive and deceptive lending practices • Created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau • Signed the Credit CARD Act into law, protecting consumers from excessive credit card fees • Gave shareholders more power over executive compensation

INVESTED IN INNOVATION AND REFORM IN PUBLIC EDUCATION • Provided states with flexibility in complying with No Child Left Behind • Made college more affordable for millions of current and future students • Developed the Race to the Top initiative, making an unprecedented investment in America’s schools

LGBT EQUALITY • Signed the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” • Ended the Department of Justice defense of DOMA • Banned discrimination based on gender identity in federal employment • Signed The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law

EQUALITY FOR WOMEN • Strengthened enforcement of equal pay laws • Ended health insurance gender discrimination • Nominated two women to the Supreme Court • Appointed a historic number of women in to the Cabinet • Created the position of White House Advisor on Violence Against Women

FIGHTING FOR WORKING FAMILIES • Signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law – This legislation cut taxes for 95% of working families. According to the Center On Budget and Policy Priorities, the Recovery Act kept 6.2 million Americans out of poverty in 2009. President Obama also signed legislation expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. • Increased access to credit, preventing foreclosures and increasing consumer protection • The AFL-CIO praised President Obama for helping homeowners prevent foreclosure • Rescued the auto industry from collapse by providing government loans to GM and Chrysler, saving over 1 million jobs and restoring America’s manufacturing backbone

Democratic Senatorial candidate, Elizabeth Warren appeared at the Yarmouth Senior Center on November 5th.