Below is a post from the National Memo made by Michael A. Memoli and Lisa Mascaro of the Tribune Washington Bureau on January 21, 2015:

Lacking the presidential bully pulpit but boasting the largest congressional majority in generations, top Republicans accused President Barack Obama of loading his State of the Union address with partisan priorities instead of demonstrating the leadership needed to move shared priorities like tax reform and trade through Congress.

GOP leaders tapped one of their newest faces to give their official prime-time response to the president’s address. Rather than respond directly to the president’s speech, though, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa began what she called a conversation with the nation about her party’s agenda, framing it as aimed at boosting the middle-class families like the one she grew up in.

“We heard the message you sent in November — loud and clear. And now we’re getting to work to change the direction Washington has been taking our country,” she said.

Republicans have seemed determined since the election to shake the GOP’s image of catering to the nation’s wealthy elite. Ernst, calling herself a mother and soldier, recalled that while growing up she had to put plastic bread bags around her one good pair of shoes to keep them dry in the rain. These Americans “have been hurting” in the current economy, but “too often, Washington responded with the same stale mind-set that led to failed policies like Obamacare.” (more…)

2015 State of the Union · Barack Obama · GOP · Joni Ernst · middle class · Mitch McConnell · National Memo · President Obama · Sen. Joni Ernst

There’s a reason the GOP has been pushing for voter suppression. When Democrats vote, Democrats win.

Check it out here.

And, if it gets your dander up as much as it did ours, plan now to either early vote or vote Election Day, November 4. Better yet, check with your progressive friends and neighbors and bring them with you when you vote.

GOP · voter suppression

The Washington Examiner posted the video below September 18, 2014. You can watch it here.

GOP · Harry Reid · Republican Senate

We looked at Jenifer Loon’s 2013-14 voting record in the Minnesota House of Representatives. What did we find?

• She voted on 29 bills
  • She voted for a bill to repeal business taxes
  • She voted for marriage equality
• She voted against no on all 27 other bills, that means she voted
  • Against investing in:
    • Education
    • Medical research
    • School loan refinancing
    • Economic development
  • Against affordable housing
  • Against investing in improving our state’s infrastructure
  • Against renewable energy
  • Against employment services
  • Against consumers by:
    • Voting nay on a cell phone kill switch bill
    • Voting against protecting consumers from predatory lenders
  • Against accountability
  • Against transparency
  • Against investing in safety
  • Against women on equal pay for equal work and maternity leave legislation
  • Against medical marijuana to hep people with chronic pain
  • Against helping detect early detection of genetic diseases in newborns
  • Against increasing the minimum wage
  • Against students facing bullying

Seems to us she was a strong representative for the Party of No with that kind of record.

GOP · HD48B · House District 48B · Jenifer Loon · party of no · Rep. Loon · Republican Party of Minnesota

photo: Tom Wallace, StarTribune

On Friday during a debate with his other GOP primary opponents, Kurt Zellers said he had “no regrets” about anything in his legislative career.

 Really? Kurt Zellers must be suffering from amnesia. Here are a few he might want to consider from the last four years:

• Shutting down state government.
• Borrowing hundreds of millions against our future rather than asking the wealthiest Minnesotans to pay their fair share. Zellers’ idea to cover part of the 2011 budget deficit with tobacco bonds will end up costing Minnesotans nearly double.
• Borrowing billions from our schools to cover the budget deficit in 2010.
• Putting two divisive and controversial amendments—one to ban gay marriage and another to discriminate against seniors and veterans with voter ID—on the 2012 ballot.

While Kurt Zellers might not have regrets about his voting record, Minnesotans do and voted the House Republican majority out of power in 2012. Voters know that government shutdowns and borrowing from our schools need to be a thing of the past and they are looking for leaders to move Minnesota forward. Kurt Zellers has proven he is not that leader.

GOP · government shutdown · Kurt Zellers · no regrets · Republican Party of Minnesota · RPM