19 Dec 2011

Braley Joins "No Labels" to Release "Make Congress Work" Action Plan

By Rick Martin

Nonpartisan group pushing for reforms to bring parties together in Congress 

Washington, DC - Tomorrow, Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) will join the No Labels organization, a coalition of citizens, current and former lawmakers, and top opinion makers from across the country to hold a news conference where the group will release its Congressional reform plan known as "Make Congress Work."

The event is the official start of No Labels' campaign to create systemic change in Washington through the implementation of a 12-point proposal aimed at breaking gridlock, reducing political polarization, and promoting constructive debate.

WHAT:  No Labels event announcing its Congressional action plan, "Make Congress Work."

WHO:  Congressman Bruce Braley (D-IA)

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV)

Senator Dean Heller (R-NV)

Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL)

Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN)

Congressman Tom Petri (R-WI)

Former Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN)

Former Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA)

Former Congressman Mickey Edwards (R-OK)

Hon. David Walker, No Labels co-founder and former U.S. Comptroller General

Mark McKinnon, No Labels co-founder and former adviser to President George Bush

Kiki McLean, No Labels co-founder and fmr. comms adviser to VP Al Gore and Sen. John Kerry

Bill Galston, No Labels co-founder, Brookings Sr. Fellow, and former adviser to President Clinton

Jonathan Miller, Citizen Leader, No Labels co-founder and former Kentucky State Treasurer

Lisa Borders, Citizen Leader, No Labels co-founder and former head of Atlanta City Council

Ted Buerger, Citizen Leader, entrepreneur and co-founder of Americantowns.com

WHEN:  Tuesday December 12, 2011 at 10:30am EST

WHERE:  Cannon House Office Building,  Caucus Room, Washington, DC

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19 Dec 2011

Cain Commentary, "Cain supporters, stay tuned: We'll take action from the outside"

By Rick Martin
Since my campaign ended, I've been honored to hear from so many people who asked me to continue because they felt I was the person who could help this country fix things that urgently needed fixing. I will continue to lead but not as a candidate, because I chose to put family first.

I will continue to be your voice and our voice. We will make 9-9-9 a movement. We will put "strength" back into Peace through Strength and Clarity. We will become energy independent. We will put "united" back into the United States of America.

I know this from you: When the people understand it, they will demand it!

We can't count on the mainstream media to properly inform us, because too many members of the media are chasing the sensationalized or distorted story. Many Members of Congress are so busy trying to keep up with the legislative process, small incremental changes in the laws and the partisan cat fights that the big changes needed never get addressed. Worse yet, they never even try.

We have seen repeatedly that expecting 535 Members of Congress and the president to make bold changes to truly fix problems from the inside of Washington is not going to happen. Washington is broken! We must change it from the outside.

The late Sen. Everett Dirksen popularized the phrase "when they feel the heat, they will see the light." We will be the heat like they have never felt it before. Politicians' actions are ultimately determined by what they believe the people are demanding of them. We will demand bold changes.

This is why I have created The Cain Solutions.

With your continued help and support, The Cain Solutions is designed to change the dynamics in Washington, D.C. The critics will say this can't be done. Remember, these are the same critics who did not think we would make it as far as we did in the Republican presidential nominating contest.

The Cain Solutions will initially focus on three critical crises:
  1. Economic growth
  2. Sound money
  3. Energy independence
Whether the pundits like it or not, my campaign took off because of the 9-9-9 plan. It was a classic case of an idea that was substantive, effective and easy for people to understand. The tax code is a mess. Rates are too high, loopholes are too prevalent and people in Washington are constantly trying to use the tax code to manipulate behaviors and outcomes. The 9-9-9 plan would achieve a massive transfer of power from Washington to the people. We can make that happen.

Sound money involves both fiscal and monetary sanity. Congress and the White House refuse to enact a responsible budget that's balanced and achieves real spending restraint. They refuse to address major spending commitments that have us saddled with massive debt and unfunded entitlement obligations. And they constantly try to manipulate the currency to cover this up. Sound money policy would stop the pretending, stop the manipulation and bring back a strong dollar along with sensible fiscal behavior.

Finally, energy independence gets into everything from regulatory reform to national security. Most people have no idea how severely excessive federal regulations hamper our ability to access plentiful, affordable energy resources right here in the USA. Excessive regulations add mightily to the cost of exploration and distribution. And as we are now seeing, we can't even build a pipeline to get oil from our friends in Canada due to a political stalling tactic by the president.

This regulatory environment is insane. Politicians yammer on about "job creation," but there is scarcely a better way to create jobs than to get out of the way of domestic oil extraction, production and distribution. It addresses a real need and a real demand that will exist for a very long time in the future. If the people realized this, they would demand an end to these crazy regulatory policies - and change would come.

This will be the initial focus of The Cain Solutions. While we're putting the effort together, you can sign up at TheCainSolutions.com, so you'll be among the first to be informed, involved, and inspired when things get rolling.

Cain supporters, stay tuned. We're still going to get the job done. We're going to have to do it from the outside, and I will lead the way and be the people's voice.

 
19 Dec 2011

Ron Paul Campaign Debuts New Web Ad, 'Selling Access'

By Rick Martin
Gingrich in his own words, a Washington 'insider'
LAKE JACKSON, Texas - The Ron Paul 2012 Presidential campaign announced today the release of its latest ad, 'Selling Access', another two-minute web video aimed at former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, calling him out as a corrupt Washington insider who got rich through influence-peddling.

The video, which the campaign plans to promote prominently on conservative web sites, includes a clip of Gingrich calling himself an 'insider' and another in which the former Speaker brags about getting paid $60,000-a-speech. The video comes after the viral success of Paul's earlier web ad, 'Serial Hypocrisy', which criticizes Gingrich for many of the same issues.

"These are all legitimate and important issues to point out to the American people," said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton. "If Americans are serious about changing the status quo in Washington, then they must take into account the record of someone who profited from the housing collapse with taxpayers' money, advocated for Obamacare-style individual mandates, and who played the Washington game of getting rich due to influence as well as anyone."

To view the online ad, click here.

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19 Dec 2011

Ron Paul Marshalltown Event Attracts 110 Voters

By Gary Howard
Crowd size, makeup show growth since prior visits
ANKENY, Iowa - In a sign of growing momentum and voter interest in 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul, 110 voters attended Dr. Paul's Marshalltown town hall meeting held at the Fisher Community Center.

The turnout is noteworthy as crowds were larger than in two prior visits to Marshalltown, the city that is also county seat to Marshall County, and because of the crowd's diversity.  In particular a larger share of the voters present today were undecided voters in addition to regular supporters, thus showing both in polls and photographs growth in Paul's base.
Ron Paul speaks before opening up the floor to a Q&A.

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19 Dec 2011

More news from the Ron Paul Campaign

By Gary Howard
Ron Paul Easily Defeats Competitors in Drake University Presidential Straw Poll

More than 1,200 students participate in online contest held alongside ABC News / RPI debate
ANKENY, Iowa - Ron Paul defeated his fellow competitors for the Republican nomination in a secure online straw poll held for students of Drake University in Des Moines yesterday, demonstrating his campaign's organizational muscle and his popularity among younger voters.

With 429 votes, first place winner Ron Paul garnered 35 percent of the 1,223 total.  Second place winner Mitt Romney won 311 votes, or 25 percent, and third place winner Newt Gingrich won just 128 votes, or 10 percent.  No other candidate won a double-digit percentage share.

The straw poll victory was announced early in the morning today.  Voting occurred over 24 hours beginning December 10th, with Drake sending students a unique link to their university email address.  Links, then, could not be duplicated and could not be shared on social media for the purpose of voting more than once or padding the online survey. 

Students were able, however, to engage in conventional electioneering by communicating the importance of voting, and that of voting their preference.  Thus, Ron Paul's victory at Drake demonstrates his official campaign's organizational muscle, as those getting out the vote were in fact members of the "Youth for Ron Paul" (YFP) core leadership team: Midwest Regional Director for YFP Ani DeGroot and Edward King, National Youth Director for the Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign.

In addition, the atmosphere for a Ron Paul victory at Drake was almost assured.  Drake was the site of last night's ABC News / Republican Party of Iowa Debate, so Paul supporters were notably energized.  In addition, during Paul's same three-day visit that concluded with the debate, he held two YFP rallies.  More than 1,350 mostly-young supporters attended his Iowa State University rally and more than 700 students attended his University of Northern Iowa rally.  In late October, Ron Paul spoke in Iowa City to 1,200 members of the University of Iowa and general community.  ISU, UNI, and UI are YFP chapters, and so is Drake University, to name only a few Iowa YFP chapters in the Hawkeye State.

Youth for Ron Paul, an initiative of the Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign, launched on Wednesday, September 7th and since its inception more than 18,000 people signed up to get involved, forming 355 chapters in 46 states.

To learn more and sign up for Youth for Ron Paul, please visit: www.YouthForPaul.com and "like" the Facebook page found at: www.Facebook.com/YouthForPaul.

For the full Drake University straw poll results, please click here.

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Ron Paul Issues Statement on NRLB-Boeing Resolution
LAKE JACKSON, Texas - 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul released a statement today saying that he was pleased with the National Labor Relations Board's decision to drop its lawsuit against Boeing for deciding to build a new plant in South Carolina.

Statement from Congressman Ron Paul:

"Hearing that the NLRB decided to stop pursuing its ongoing harassment of Boeing was welcomed news. I would like to think this is more than just a political move by the Obama administration with an election year looming, but experience tells me otherwise.

"I have long been an advocate for the rights of workers to work without interference by big government, often acting as facilitator for big labor. My unblemished voting record on the issue of right to work, according to the National Right To Work Committee, is a testament to that fact.

"The idea that government bureaucrats, acting to empower union officials, would try to stop a private company from building a new plant is an affront to the very principles of economic liberty this country was founded upon. These are principles I have pledged to uphold my entire career.

"As President I will work to repeal all federal laws that force workers and employers to submit to union officials and their enforcers in the federal bureaucracy."

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Two Buena Vista Area Tea Party Co-Founders Endorse Ron Paul
Activists Ken Hach and Jim Treat prefer Paul
ANKENY, Iowa - The Ron Paul 2012 Presidential campaign announced today that Congressman Paul was endorsed by two co-founders of the Buena Vista Tea Party Patriots.

"I support Ron Paul for President of the United States because his 'Plan to Restore America' includes specific goals to stop wasteful spending by $1 trillion the first year, balance the budget in three years, and return the country to Constitutional government.  His years of service in Washington have proven his integrity and strength of character in dealing with foreign policy as well as internal issues," said Ken Hach.

"Of the people I have talked with, their primary concerns are jobs and the economy.  Based on the points I mentioned earlier, both situations would improve greatly under a Ron Paul presidency," added Mr. Hach.

Mr. Hach, a retired school administrator, is also owner of Wind on Rails, Inc. and currently serves on the Buena Vista board of county supervisors.  He has been in the wind farming business for 33 years.

"Our country is on a precipice of disaster if we do not have a change of leadership in Washington.  My decision to join the Ron Paul 2012 Campaign was because Dr. Paul is a patriotic American with common sense.  Ron Paul believes in the sanctity of life, the family as the bedrock of society, a strong national defense, and to fight to win when at war.  He will return America to the precepts on which our forefathers birthed the greatest country that history has ever recorded and ensure it is governed in accordance with the Constitution," said Jim Treat.

Mr. Treat has been an active member of the Buena Vista County Republican Party for three decades, and proudly served in the U.S. Army.

The BV Tea Party Patriots formed in 2009 and is comprised of people who believe in the United States and its founding ideals as expressed in the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Emancipation Proclamation.  It is a community of people who also believe in the American dream: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  They believe that being an American is an honor, as well as a great responsibility.

The endorsement occurred on the day Ron Paul's son, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), argued on several cable news and radio shows that one of Ron Paul's competitors for the GOP nomination, Newt Gingrich, is unworthy of tea party support.  Senator Paul's Des Moines Register op-ed arguing the same point, published today, can be read here.
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19 Dec 2011

Overflow Crowd of 700 Supporters Greets Ron Paul at University of Northern Iowa

By Gary Howard
Call to fire marshal delays 'Youth for Ron Paul' event launch as crowd swells
ANKENY, Iowa - More than 700 mostly-young supporters greeted 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul at a rally held at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), just one night after a similar event at Iowa State University (ISU) netted more than 1,350 supporters.

Event organizers noted that the start of the event was delayed because the local fire marshal was contacted due to the quickly-gathering large crowd. 

The event was held at UNI in the Commons - Slife Ballroom, located at 1224 West 23rd Street in Cedar Falls.  Like the ISU event, tonight's rally far exceeded the expectations of the "Youth for Ron Paul" organizers charged with planning and executing the events.


Youth for Ron Paul, an initiative of the Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign, launched on Wednesday, September 7th and since its inception more than 18,000 people signed up to get involved, forming 355 chapters in 46 states. 

To learn more and sign up for Youth for Ron Paul, please visit: www.YouthForPaul.com and "like" the Facebook page found at: www.Facebook.com/YouthForPaul.
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13 Dec 2011

In Case You Missed It: National Media Cover Unrivaled Youth Support for Ron Paul TIME Magazine and NPR say it best

By Gary Howard
LAKE JACKSON, Texas - In their coverage of last night's "Youth for Ron Paul" (YFP) rally at Iowa State University in Ames, TIME Magazine and NPR offer more-than-soundbite analysis of how crucial a role the youth vote will play in the January 3, 2012 Iowa Caucus.

The "Youth for Ron Paul" rally attracted more than 1,350 mostly-young supporters of the 12-term Congressman from Texas, double the number expected.  Event organizers were required to open two extra rooms at the university venue, an interesting challenge to face considering tonight- just an hour and half drive from ISU - Ron Paul will hold a similar rally at the University of Northern Iowa, located in Cedar Falls.

Ron Paul's Army Eyes an Iowa Caucus Upset
By Alex Altman
TIME Magazine

Ames, Iowa

It's a cold Thursday night the week before finals, and a light dusting of snow is falling on the Iowa State campus. But inside the school's student union, more than 1,000 supporters have queued up to catch an early glimpse of Ron Paul. Nearly an hour before the Texas Congressman is scheduled to appear, the line loops around corners and snakes back, full of fans toting placards and wearing Ron Paul buttons and hoodies. Near the front are a quartet of Nebraskans, who carpooled three hours from Omaha to hear Paul speak. "He's the only one who understands our problems. For the rest of them, it's like a geography bee ? name the country, and they want to fight them," says Jason Nunn, 28.

"He's been fighting for my liberty since before I was born," says his friend Bryan Jacoby, 28. "I came here with the expressed intention to shake the hand of the future President of the United States."

The crowd shuffles into the cavernous auditorium a half-hour early, filling the seats, hugging the walls and spilling into an anteroom. After a long wait, Paul steps to the podium to address the throng. Paul's is a stump speech unique in contemporary politics, one that pinballs from the case for more liberty and fewer military entanglements to the wasteful war on drugs, from Frederic Bastiat's economic theories to the evils of the income tax and the nanny state...

For the full TIME Magazine article, please click here.

Ron Paul's Young Fans Flock To Him In Iowa
By Brian Naylor
NPR

At first glance, it's not easy to figure why Ron Paul is so popular with young people. At 76, he's old enough to be their grandfathers, something he alluded to at a packed rally at Iowa State University in Ames Thursday night.

"I understand this is a busy week, some of you are involved with studyin' so this was a chance not to have to study for a couple hours right? But I have a lot of children, a lot of grandchildren but I'm always advising them study hard get your courses down," Paul told the crowd.

Several hundred young people, mostly students, packed the Great Hall of Iowa States Union building. Many wore flannel shirts and knit caps on a cold snowy night. They listened intently as Paul, standing behind a lectern touched on some of his more esoteric views, on Austrian economists and returning to the gold standard. But they responded with enthusiasm when he got to issues they could relate to, like the threat he says is posed by the Patriot Act.

"There's a serious attack on our personal liberties ? your rights, your privacy, passing bills out of a panic mode and passing things like the Patriot Act. it does not help your personal liberty. I'd like to get rid of the Patriot Act to tell you the truth."

For the full NPR story and audio clip, please click here.

To learn more and sign up for Youth for Ron Paul, please visit: www.YouthForPaul.com and "like" the Facebook page found at: www.Facebook.com/YouthForPaul.

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13 Dec 2011

AARP 2012 Presidential Voter Ed Campaign Kicks into High Gear

By Randy Stalsberg
AARP Connects Issues, Candidates, Voters at Upcoming Iowa and National Forums

Association's 2012 "Vote for Retirement Security" Campaign Aims to Keep Voters' 50+ Top Concerns Front and Center

DES MOINES, Dec. 9, 2011?This weekend AARP is kicking its 2012 Presidential voter education and engagement campaign activities into high gear, starting with the ABC-TV Presidential Debate at Drake University on Saturday, Dec. 10, continuing through the Fox News Debate on Thursday, Dec. 15 in Sioux City, and up to the Iowa Caucus on Jan. 3.

"This is crunch time for making sure that the candidates know what is at stake for Iowa voters on the critical issues of retirement security," said Pete Jeffries, AARP National Campaigns Field Manager.  "Overwhelming majorities of likely caucus goers age 18 and over are concerned about protecting Social Security and Medicare from budget cuts, and they're extremely concerned about jobs and being able to save for their retirement.  We're working to ensure that the candidates are asked questions about these issues and that voters know where the candidates stand on these important pocketbook concerns."

In the tradition of AARP's 25-year history of non-partisan voter education efforts, the association's 2012 caucus and primary campaign is designed to engage, listen to and inform voters and the candidates on the major issues affecting older voters. This year's efforts launched in Iowa with a major AARP presence at the Iowa Straw Poll in August, and have picked up over the past few weeks with members and volunteers participating at candidate events in Des Moines and across the state asking questions on critical retirement security issues like jobs and the economy, Social Security and Medicare.

This weekend, AARP is providing pre-debate media packet information and sponsoring the post-debate Spin Room in the Drake Fine Arts Center on Saturday night to highlight the Association's new voter education website, www.aarp.org/YouEarnedIt The website features survey findings of GOP likely caucus and primary voters in the first four early nominating states and AARP's 2012 first-time Presidential Candidate Video Voters' Guide featuring four of the GOP candidates on jobs and the economy, retirement security, Social Security and Medicare. Iowa veteran political TV reporter Dave Price conducted the one-one-one unedited interviews with candidates who registered at 5% or higher in an average of national polls as of Oct. 3.  They include Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Congressman Ron Paul and Texas Governor Rick Perry.  Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney declined invitations to participate. The video voters' guide was produced by AARP in Des Moines with Mediacom.  In addition to posting at www.aarp.org/YouEarnedIt, the guides are being mailed to Republican voters in the early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and Nevada.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with nearly 35 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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13 Dec 2011

Grassley statement on Cordray vote

By Grassley Press
Thursday, December 8, 2011

Senator Chuck Grassley made the following comment regarding his vote against the nomination of Richard Cordray to be the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB.

"This position was created to operate inside the Federal Reserve, without any opportunity to hold the bureau accountable.  That's the wrong direction.  Lack of accountability contributed in big ways to many of the problems that came to a head in the 2008 financial meltdown.  It doesn't make sense to try to fix things with more of the same and unchecked power.  Our system of government depends on checks and balances.  Americans deserve to have their voices heard in any regulatory process through the representative branch of government.  This position, as currently set up, flies in the face of those values and principles."

13 Dec 2011

Newt Gingrich Finds Refuge at Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo

By Sally Bahner

(DES MOINES, IA) – When Newt Gingrich gets tired of fielding "gotcha questions" from the journalistic wolf packs prowling Iowa, he might want to return to Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo where he can caucus with its hissing cockroaches.

He has already been there twice this year, according to a zoo spokesperson, once for the opening of the Australian Adventure exhibit and again in August after the Republican debate that preceded Iowa's straw poll.

Gingrich, a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, native, has a soft spot for zoos, which played a crucial role in his awakening to politics as a profession, a story he relates in his foreword to America's Best Zoos, by Allen W. Nyhus and Jon Wassner (Intrepid Traveler, $15.95).

"When I was ten, I asked how Harrisburg could get a zoo," Gingrich wrote in America's Best Zoos. "The kind older, park official ... told me they had closed the zoo during World War II because of rationing and that my job was to come to the next city council and explain why Harrisburg needed a zoo. The next Tuesday, I was right there. I have been hooked on animals, zoos, and citizenship from that point on."

Authors Nyhuis and Wassner describe Blank Park Zoo as "a standout mid-sized zoo" and praise the zoo's African Boardwalk, where visitors can hand feed giraffes, and the Australian Trail, showcasing wallabies and emus.

Gingrich might be disappointed that the zoo has no elephant. On the bright side, it has no donkey either.

America's Best Zoos is published by The Intrepid Traveler. It is available at bookstores, many zoo gift shops, and online at www.intrepidtraveler.com/store.

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