DEMOCRATIC VOTER PROJECT

PRESIDENTS WEEKLY ADDRESS

democraticvoterproject — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 08:52:58 +0000

Weekly Address: Real Conversations about Health Insurance Reform

democraticvoterproject — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 09:01:28 +0000

The President talks about how the chatter and ruckus around health insurance reform on television obscures the reality of what’s happening in America. He discusses how in most towns people and Members of Congress are having constructive conversations, and how people are learning how reform will help them and their families with the real problems they have faced with the insurance system.

The President On July Unemployment Figures

democraticvoterproject — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:27:05 +0000

Richard Burr Flip-Flops On Cash For Clunkers

democraticvoterproject — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:36:43 +0000

In this case, North Carolina’s senior Senator stated publicly that he would vote to extend the successful “Cash for Clunkers” program, and naturally enough, failed to keep his word.

Even though Burr voted against the original Cash for Clunkers program, according to the Daily Reflector “U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said he would back additional funding for the program.” Burr flip-flopped on his promise last night, when he once again put politics above doing the right thing by voting no. Why did Richard Burr backtrack on his promise to vote for North Carolina consumers and car dealers? Why won’t Richard Burr do anything to help the people of his state?

“Not only did Burr go back on his word on the Cash for Clunkers vote, he voted against a program that has been wildly successful in North Carolina. Local car dealers have seen an increase in car sales and consumers have benefited from lower priced cars,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Communications Director Eric Schultz. “Richard Burr got us into this mess in the first place by voting in lock-step with President Bush and now he won’t lift a finger to get the North Carolina economy back on track and it’s why he is unfit to represent North Carolinians in the U.S. Senate.” Classic.

Cantor: Silence on Rush’s Anti-Semitic Rant but Plenty of Criticism for the President While Abroad

democraticvoterproject — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 09:16:07 +0000

Congressman Eric Cantor – the second ranking Republican in the House - may be silent on Rush Limbaugh’s outrageous comments while overseas, but he has no problem criticizing President Obama despite Senator John McCain calling such criticism while overseas ‘totally inappropriate.’ Cantor’s willingness to criticize the President of the United States while on foreign soil is stunning in light of his refusal to criticize Rush Limbaugh’s hateful comparison of Democrats to Nazis.

“While Congressman Eric Cantor lacks courage to stand up to Rush Limbaugh, he has no problem criticizing the President of the United States while overseas, after his own party’s presidential nominee calls such criticism ‘totally inappropriate.’” said Jennifer Crider, Deputy Executive Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Cantor’s willingness to criticize President Obama while standing on foreign soil is not only the new gold standard of hypocrisy, but it raises serious questions considering his continuing silence of Mr. Limbaugh’s hateful anti-Semitic rant here at home.”

On Criticizing The President While on Foreign Soil

Senator John McCain in 2002:

“These are members of Congress. If these members of Congress want to go to the floor of the House and criticize the president of the United States until the cows come home, fine with me, but don’t go overseas… That is not appropriate behavior and I don’t think it will be very well received by the majority of the American people. It’s totally inappropriate.” [CNN, 10/2/02]

Eric Cantor on August 7, 2009:

“We are concerned about what the White House has been signaling as of late in their desire to push through in terms of a Middle East peace plan.” [The Hill, 8/6/09]

On Rush Limbaugh

Eric Cantor on August 1, 2009:

“My sense is that we need the … Rush Limbaughs…” Cantor says. “We need all of them.” [Haaretz, 08/01/09]

Rush Limbaugh on August 6, 2009:

“… the Democrat Party and where it’s taken this country, the radical left leadership of this party bears much more resemblance to Nazi policies than anything we on the right believe in at all…” [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 08/06/09]

Eric Cantor’s continuing reaction to Limbaugh’s hateful statements:

[silence]

Your Weekly Address

democraticvoterproject — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 08:00:33 +0000

Justice Sonia Sotomayor

democraticvoterproject — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:05:11 +0000

The Senate confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor this afternoon, 68-31, making her the 111th Supreme Court Justice, only the third female Justice, and the first Hispanic Justice. Speaking shortly after the confirmation, the President said he was grateful for the Senate’s confirmation, and gave special thanks the Senate Judiciary Committee for their hard work. He then reflected on Judge Sotomayor’s qualifications, and the historic nature of her confirmation:

The members of our Supreme Court are granted life tenure and are charged with the vital and difficult task of applying principles set forth at our founding to the questions and controversies of our time. Over the past 10 weeks, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate have assessed Judge Sotomayor’s fitness for this work. They’ve scrutinized her record as a prosecutor, as a litigator, and as a judge. They’ve gauged her respect for the proper role of each branch of our government, her commitment to faithfully apply the law to the facts at hand, and her determination to protect our core constitutional rights and freedoms.

And with this historic vote, the Senate has affirmed that Judge Sotomayor has the intellect, the temperament, the history, the integrity and the independence of mind to ably serve on our nation’s highest court.

This is a role that the Senate has played for more than two centuries, helping to ensure that “equal justice under the law” is not merely a phrase inscribed above our courthouse door, but a description of what happens every single day inside the courtroom. It’s a promise that, whether you’re a mighty corporation or an ordinary American, you will receive a full and fair hearing. And in the end, the outcome of your case will be determined by nothing more or less than the strength of your argument and the dictates of the law.

These core American ideals — justice, equality, and opportunity — are the very ideals that have made Judge Sotomayor’s own uniquely American journey possible. They’re ideals she’s fought for throughout her career, and the ideals the Senate has upheld today in breaking yet another barrier and moving us yet another step closer to a more perfect union.

Like so many other aspects of this nation, I’m filled with pride in this achievement and great confidence that Judge Sotomayor will make an outstanding Supreme Court justice. This is a wonderful day for Judge Sotomayor and her family, but I also think it’s a wonderful day for America.

Weekly Address:This Economic Storm Will Pass

democraticvoterproject — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:00:22 +0000

Sessions’ Shady Earmark

democraticvoterproject — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:37:36 +0000

More hypocrisy from House Republicans: Politico reported yesterday that Representative Pete Sessions, a staunch critic of earmarks, directed $1.6 million in taxpayer dollars for blimp research to a company that has no experience making blimps or with federal contracting. It gets worse. When Sessions submitted his earmark request he used a Dallas address, yet the company is based in Chicago and the Dallas address is the home of a friend of the owners.

How did a company outside his district get this shady earmark? A former Sessions aide lobbied for it.

Check out the story about it on FOX News:

Udall, Bennet Announce $2.8 Million to Help Colorado Reduce Diesel Emissions and Create Jobs

democraticvoterproject — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:19:49 +0000

Today, U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet announced that the state of Colorado and the city and county of Denver have been awarded $2.8 million in grants to install clean diesel technologies on hundreds of trucks, buses and vehicles. The grants awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create jobs and protect Colorado’s air quality by enabling the city and state to put vehicles with cleaner-burning technology on the road.

“This funding will mean cleaner air and a healthier economy for Colorado,” Senator Udall said. “By upgrading hundreds of trucks and construction vehicles with cleaner-burning diesel technology, we can reduce air pollution while creating new, good-paying jobs throughout the state.”

“Colorado’s transition to a clean energy economy will help create jobs, provide cleaner air and deliver a more sustainable energy future,” Senator Bennet said. “This funding will help transform our transportation fleet to run on cleaner-burning, more energy-efficient fuels, which is good for public health and good for our economy.”

The funds are being provided under the Recovery Act’s National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. The recipients were chosen because they could maximize both economic impact and emissions reductions. Emissions from vehicles and machinery are significant sources of air pollution.

The Colorado grant award recipients were:

* Denver Regional Air Quality Council: $1,250,000

This project will partner with owners and operators of over-the-road truck fleets, the oil and gas industry and one school district to install 100 auxiliary power units, 20 diesel oxidation catalysts, 56 fuel-operated heaters for anti-idling and in-cab heaters, 44 thermal coolers, 10 full sets of SmartWay low-rolling resistance tires and 20 SmartWay trailer gap fairings on vehicles throughout the state. The primary goal of these efforts is to reduce exposure to toxic emissions from diesel exhaust and to conserve diesel fuel.

* Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, $850,000

This project will provide emissions control solutions for over-the-road diesel trucks. The funding will be used to partially pay for 180 auxiliary power units or battery air conditioning systems for long-haul trucks, with individual truck owners providing the remaining cost shares. This project will provide air quality benefits throughout Colorado and will provide significant fuel savings.

* City and County of Denver: $700,000

This project will retrofit 48 refuse vehicles with fuel-operated hydraulic and cab heaters, retrofit 9 snow plows with fuel operated cab heaters, retrofit 53 heavy duty diesel vehicles with diesel oxidation catalysts and closed crankcase filtration devices and utilize biodiesel fuel. This funding will pay for the full cost of retrofits and the incremental cost of biodiesel fuel. The primary goal of the project is to reduce exposure to toxic emissions from diesel exhaust.

* Colorado will also benefit from a grant of $850,000 awarded to Oregon-based Cascade Sierra Solutions. Cascade Sierra Solutions will use the funds to provide emissions control solutions for the over-the road diesel trucks based in Colorado, Montana, South Dakota and Utah.

Altogether, the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance program received $156 million to fund competitive grants across the nation. The Recovery Act also included $20 million for the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology program grants and $30 million for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance program grants.

Another $88.2 million has been provided to states for clean diesel projects through a non-competitive allocation process, under the Recovery Act’s State Clean Diesel Grant program.

For information on EPA’s implementation of the American Recovery and

Reinvestment Act of 2009, visit:

http://www.epa.gov/recovery

For information about EPA’s clean diesel initiatives, visit:

http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel