Politics - Parties, Candidates
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from politicians, candidates and interested parties - covering the U.S. political arena including state and national political parties.
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North Carolinians Can't Trust Donald Trump. Here's Why
RALEIGH, North Carolina, Sept. 30 -- The North Carolina Democratic Party issued the following news:
Donald Trump has already broken many of his key campaign promises to North Carolina's families. He did not protect North Carolinians' health care, Social Security or Medicare; he failed to stand up to China and secure a trade deal that helped workers; he failed to boost the economy or fight for American workers; and he definitely did not drain the swamp.
North Carolinians just can't trust Donald Trump. Here's why.
CLAIM: Trump promised North Carolinians that he would protect pre-existing condition
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RALEIGH, North Carolina, Sept. 30 -- The North Carolina Democratic Party issued the following news:
Donald Trump has already broken many of his key campaign promises to North Carolina's families. He did not protect North Carolinians' health care, Social Security or Medicare; he failed to stand up to China and secure a trade deal that helped workers; he failed to boost the economy or fight for American workers; and he definitely did not drain the swamp.
North Carolinians just can't trust Donald Trump. Here's why.
CLAIM: Trump promised North Carolinians that he would protect pre-existing conditionprotections.
* Trump: "We're Going To Have A New Healthcare Plan That's Going To Cost Much Less Money, Both For You And For The Country, And It's Going To Be A Much Higher Quality Healthcare." [Trump Campaign Rally, Charlotte NC, 10/14/16]
REALITY: Instead, he is backing a lawsuit that jeopardizes health care coverage and pre-existing condition protections for millions of Americans. The ACA protects as many as 5 million people in North Carolina with pre-existing conditions. If the GOP continues with their sabotage efforts, those protections are at risk. If the Trump lawsuit succeeds, 503,000 North Carolinians could lose their health care coverage.
CLAIM: Trump promised middle-class tax cuts, even saying "the rich will not be gaining at all."
* Trump: "We put in our tax plan. It's the biggest tax cut of anybody by far and the middle-class is getting the biggest part of it. We're bringing it back. We're simplifying it. We're bringing the rates way down." [Trump in Raleigh, NC 12/4/15]
REALITY: Under the Trump tax scam, the richest 5% of North Carolinians will receive 51% of the benefits in 2020 -- this just shows this was no middle-class tax cut. And while Trump promised "America First" and to keep jobs from leaving North Carolina, the tax scam actually incentivized companies to move jobs overseas:
* Walmart laid off 600 workers in North Carolina after getting billions of dollars in tax breaks from Trump's tax scam.
* Last year, two Charlotte-area manufacturers announced the closure of four plants that would lay off 368 workers.
CLAIM: At his campaign launch, Trump promised not to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. He said, "Save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts. Have to do it."
* Trump: "My administration is protecting your Social Security, your Medicare and is fighting to give you great health care, you're going to have great health care." [Trump Campaign Rally, Charlotte NC 3/220]
REALITY: Last year, Trump admitted that if re-elected, he wants to cut Social Security and Medicare. He said in response to a question about entitlements, "At the right time, we will take a look at that. You know, that's actually the easiest of all things... we'll be cutting, but we're also going to have growth like you've never had before."
Throughout his presidency, Trump has proposed hundreds of billions in budget cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. His last budget proposed cutting Medicaid spending by $920 billion, Medicare by $480 billion, and Social Security by $24 billion. His budget before that proposed cutting spending on Medicaid by $1.5 trillion, Medicare by $575 billion, and a $26 billion cut to Social Security. More than two million North Carolina residents rely on Social Security to stay afloat.
CLAIM: Donald Trump promised to look out for North Carolina's rural communities, but year after year he has pushed policies that hurt rural families.
* Trump: "Our farmers are thrilled and our farmers because of the 12 million and then 16 each year, 12 billion, and then 16 billion dollars, our farmers are in great shape. If I didn't do that with the target that China put on our farmers, we wouldn't have any farmers. And now they're doing great." [Trump North Carolina Tele-Rally - 8/11/20]
REALITY: From rural hospital closures to farm bankruptcies, North Carolina's rural communities are hurting.
* Farm bankruptcies jumped 20% in 2019, with 16 filings in North Carolina alone.
* Trump called for slashing USDA programs that support rural economies.
* Trump's budgets have called for deep cuts to farm safety net programs -- including crop insurance programs and premium subsidies.
* Trump called for cuts to conservation programs that help North Carolina farmers mitigate the effects of climate change and natural disasters.
CLAIM: Trump said he'd rid Washington, D.C. of corruption: "We're going to drain the swamp of corruption in Washington, DC. Drain the swamp."
REALITY: Trump's administration has embraced lobbyists and donors seeking favors with open arms, and halfway through his presidency it had hundreds of former lobbyists working in its ranks. Trump signed an executive order that included an ethics pledge that his appointees would not leave the public sector to become lobbyists -- but dozens have.
North Carolina Republican Party: Democrat-Only NCSBE Commands Counties Follow Illegal Absentee Procedures
RALEIGH, North Carolina, Sept. 30 -- The North Carolina Republican Party issued the following news:
Late last night, merely hours before the review of absentee ballots began, the North Carolina State Board of Elections sent out an email commanding that county boards comply with Director Bell's illegal, unconstitutional memos or be fired.
To make matters worse, the 100 percent Democratic-controlled NCSBE is pushing this sham guidance out while Governor Roy Cooper has thus far refused to appoint any of the Republican nominees submitted to him four days ago.
The Bipartisan Election Act of 2020
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RALEIGH, North Carolina, Sept. 30 -- The North Carolina Republican Party issued the following news:
Late last night, merely hours before the review of absentee ballots began, the North Carolina State Board of Elections sent out an email commanding that county boards comply with Director Bell's illegal, unconstitutional memos or be fired.
To make matters worse, the 100 percent Democratic-controlled NCSBE is pushing this sham guidance out while Governor Roy Cooper has thus far refused to appoint any of the Republican nominees submitted to him four days ago.
The Bipartisan Election Act of 2020requires at least one witness on an absentee ballot, but Director Bell's illegal memo eviscerates that safeguard by allowing someone to be their own alibi and simply submit a form rather than finding a witness. Director Bell also instructs County Boards to extend the date for receipt of absentee ballots to nine days after the election - something she has no authority to do and that no judge has approved.
The not so subtle threat from the NCSBE that they hold the power to "remove" county BOE members for nothing more than following the duly enacted laws passed by the elected members of the General Assembly is simply astounding. This is a thinly veiled power-play attempt by Democrats to pressure County BOE members into following their guidance rather than the law.
County BOE members swore a duty to follow the law. They swore no allegiance to the NCSBE or Director Bell. The people of North Carolina deserve a fair and impartial election process and should demand that the NCSBE and Governor Cooper stop attempting to put their thumbs on the scale.
"This brazen lawlessness the night before county boards start reviewing absentee ballot returns is the worst-case scenario for election integrity," said NCGOP Press Secretary Tim Wigginton. "Democrat Governor Roy Cooper has been litigating for partisan control over the election machinery since before he took office, and now his handpicked cronies are violating the law in an attempt to deliver the election to him, all while Cooper ignores his duty to appoint Republican members to the NCSBE."
Cooper not only litigated for a partisan board, but he also campaigned against the constitutional amendment to make the State Board of Elections Bi-Partisan. After gaining partisan control of the Board, they fired the well respected Executive Director because her husband was a Republican. Then Morgan Jackson, the top consultant for Cal Cunningham and Roy Cooper, signed off on the new executive director before she was hired. This corrupt stew of nonsense is Governor Cooper's mess, and he refuses to clean it up.
National Republican Senatorial Committee: A Note About North Carolina BBQgate...
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The National Republican Senatorial Committee issued the following news release:
Cal Cunningham's BBQ-gate tweet last night is about more than just barbecue.
"No self-respecting son of Lexington would ever [call grilling barbecue]," Cunningham told The News & Observer. But that's exactly what he did, and we figured out where he got it from: his benefactor, liberal New York Senator Chuck Schumer.
BBQ-gate is just the latest example of how Cunningham will do or say whatever the national Democrats who recruited him and have kept him locked up in Schumer's "windowless basement"
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The National Republican Senatorial Committee issued the following news release:
Cal Cunningham's BBQ-gate tweet last night is about more than just barbecue.
"No self-respecting son of Lexington would ever [call grilling barbecue]," Cunningham told The News & Observer. But that's exactly what he did, and we figured out where he got it from: his benefactor, liberal New York Senator Chuck Schumer.
BBQ-gate is just the latest example of how Cunningham will do or say whatever the national Democrats who recruited him and have kept him locked up in Schumer's "windowless basement"tell him to. Raising taxes? Cunningham has done it and will do it again. Eliminating the filibuster? Cunningham's wanted to for over a decade.
"The very existence of North Carolina and American barbecue is on the ballot this November," said NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez. "If Cal Cunningham gives Chuck Schumer the Senate Majority, it will not only clear the path for higher taxes and the elimination of employer-based health insurance, but also a Green New Deal and the left's efforts to force drastic reductions in meat consumption. North Carolinians can't let that happen."
NV Dems Statement on Tonight's First Presidential Debate
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Sept. 30 -- The Nevada Democratic Party issued the following statement by Chair William McCurdy II:
* * *
Ahead of tonight's first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Nevada State Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy II released the following statement:
"Tonight, Donald Trump will offer more lies and empty rhetoric to distract from his failing economy and reckless attempts to overturn the Affordable Care Act and rip away health care coverage from working families.
"But Nevadans won't be fooled. Trump has had four years to deliver on his promises to Nevada
... Show Full Article
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Sept. 30 -- The Nevada Democratic Party issued the following statement by Chair William McCurdy II:
* * *
Ahead of tonight's first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Nevada State Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy II released the following statement:
"Tonight, Donald Trump will offer more lies and empty rhetoric to distract from his failing economy and reckless attempts to overturn the Affordable Care Act and rip away health care coverage from working families.
"But Nevadans won't be fooled. Trump has had four years to deliver on his promises to Nevadafamilies and he's failed at every step of the way.
"Nevadans deserve a president who will fight tooth and nail to expand access to quality, affordable health care, create good-paying jobs, and build our economy back better. Tonight, Joe Biden will show us once again that he is that leader."
Montana Democratic Party: Indian Caucus Urges Daines to Hold Off on Filling Supreme Court Vacancy
HELENA, Montana, Sept. 30 -- The Montana Democratic Party issued the following news release on Sept. 29:
Yesterday, the Montana Legislature's Indian Caucus sent a letter to Senator Steve Daines "strongly oppos[ing] the filling of this vacant seat prior to the next U.S. presidential inauguration." This comes as Daines is trying to rush through a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court which could have devastating implications for tribal communities' access to health care.
Leaders in Indian Country have been "pleading" that the Affordable Care Act stay in place - noting that a repeal of the law
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HELENA, Montana, Sept. 30 -- The Montana Democratic Party issued the following news release on Sept. 29:
Yesterday, the Montana Legislature's Indian Caucus sent a letter to Senator Steve Daines "strongly oppos[ing] the filling of this vacant seat prior to the next U.S. presidential inauguration." This comes as Daines is trying to rush through a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court which could have devastating implications for tribal communities' access to health care.
Leaders in Indian Country have been "pleading" that the Affordable Care Act stay in place - noting that a repeal of the law"would devastate health care in Indian Country" and "worsen the impact of the coronavirus pandemic." If the ACA is overturned, it would jeopardize Montana's Medicaid expansion - which has provided tribal citizens with "improved preventative care and education to help alleviate conditions like diabetes and heart disease."
Yet, Daines is plowing ahead with efforts to sabotage the health care law which serves as a vital lifeline for Indian Country.
"The COVID-19 crisis has been devastating for much of Indian Country, yet Steve Daines wants to strip away the law providing critical health care protections when they need it most," said MDP Communications Advisor Christina Wilkes. "Instead of looking out for the best interests of Indian Country, Daines is only looking out for himself."
Missouri Democratic Party Statement on KC Star Editorial on Roeber
KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Sept. 30 -- The Democratic Party of Missouri issued the following statement:
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After the editorial printed in the Kansas City Star detailing claims of alleged abuses made by children and the former spouse of candidate Rick Roeber, Missouri Democratic Party Acting Chair Clem Smith released the following statement:
"The alleged acts of abuse are truly horrific. Our thoughts are with the survivors, we hope they have been able to get the help needed to heal from these traumas."
"An elected official is supposed to take responsibility for their actions. The stories of Rick
... Show Full Article
KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Sept. 30 -- The Democratic Party of Missouri issued the following statement:
* * *
After the editorial printed in the Kansas City Star detailing claims of alleged abuses made by children and the former spouse of candidate Rick Roeber, Missouri Democratic Party Acting Chair Clem Smith released the following statement:
"The alleged acts of abuse are truly horrific. Our thoughts are with the survivors, we hope they have been able to get the help needed to heal from these traumas."
"An elected official is supposed to take responsibility for their actions. The stories of RickRoeber's family detailed by the Star tell a consistent pattern of behavior. Behavior unfit for office. The alleged acts of abuse cannot be taken lightly or cast aside. Rick Roeber owes his family, the survivors, and his potential constituents a full explanation, not sidestepping these serious matters. The House Republican Caucus and Missouri Republican Party must do what is right, to denounce Rick Roeber and refuse to seat him if he is elected in November."
Background:
KC STAR: "Missouri House candidate's adult children say he physically and sexually abused them" https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article246067965.html
"But Anastasia Roeber of Lee's Summit, Roeber's adopted daughter, says he made improper sexual advances toward her in 1990, when she was 9 years old."
"A sibling, Samson Roeber of New York City, said he suffered physical abuse from Roeber as a child. He was not sexually molested, but 'my father's always been physically abusive,' he said. 'He had a temper.'"
"A third sibling, Gabrielle Galeano, says she was aware of the alleged abuse while living with Anastasia, Samson and another sibling. That fourth sibling later claimed sexual maltreatment from Roeber, an allegation investigated by the state of Missouri."
"Their memories are clear and consistent. The claims were examined in a sworn deposition almost two decades ago, long before Roeber, a Republican, decided to pursue elective office."
"Keller said the fourth sibling, who did not agree to speak to The Star on the record, claimed sexual abuse by Roeber. In that case, after an investigation had been completed, the Jackson County office of the Division of Family Services in 2001 found probable cause that "sexual maltreatment" of the child had occurred."
Democratic Party of Georgia: Ahead of First Presidential Debate, Health Care Practitioners, Georgians With Pre-Existing Conditions Call Out Attacks on Health Care
ATLANTA, Georgia, Sept. 30 -- The Democratic Party of Georgia issued the following news release on Sept. 29:
Today, ahead of the first presidential debate, the Democratic Party of Georgia held a virtual press conference where Georgians called out Trump's failed leadership on health care and its dangerous impact for America.
Watch the full video from the press conference here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X_pz9aTE-Go9iVDv_7hh6ZAbYhHvOS2g/view.
"There is a lot at stake right now, and it's really important that we focus on healthcare as one of our most important issues - and the most important
... Show Full Article
ATLANTA, Georgia, Sept. 30 -- The Democratic Party of Georgia issued the following news release on Sept. 29:
Today, ahead of the first presidential debate, the Democratic Party of Georgia held a virtual press conference where Georgians called out Trump's failed leadership on health care and its dangerous impact for America.
Watch the full video from the press conference here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X_pz9aTE-Go9iVDv_7hh6ZAbYhHvOS2g/view.
"There is a lot at stake right now, and it's really important that we focus on healthcare as one of our most important issues - and the most importanthealthcare issue of our time right now is COVID," said Melanie Thompson, a physician from Atlanta. "We've never seen a federal government fail at this scale in the past. We have a president now who knew this respiratory virus was easily transmissible in the air, who undercut the value of face masks sidelining scientists and damaging our major institutions like the CDC and the FDA."
"Instead of taking action to make healthcare more affordable and accessible during this pandemic, Trump has nominated someone to the Supreme Court who is going to vote against the Affordable Care Act and take Medicaid expansion off the table as an option for Georgians," said Joyce Barlow, registered nurse and Democratic nominee for Georgia House District 151. "We are suffering severely here in rural Georgia because we have a President - and Georgia Republicans - who choose to put partisan politics before the healthcare of the people of Georgia."
"We're in the midst of a pandemic that has taken the lives of 7,000 Georgians and 205,000 Americans, but Donald Trump and Mike Pence are still doing everything they can to take away our health insurance, including nominating someone to the Supreme Court who opposes the ACA," said Leela Waller, a minister with a pre-existing condition. "As someone who preaches compassion and love, it is obscene and cruel to me that a leader would do this."
"I take 10 medications a day, I see multiple specialists, but I am currently in grad school at UGA getting two Master's Degrees and I am able to do this because I have healthcare," said Kellye Call, a Georgian with pre-existing conditions. "If Donald Trump and Mike Pence get their way and their Supreme Court nominee votes to overturn the Affordable Care Act, so much of my life - and the lives of millions of others with pre-existing conditions - will be irreparably damaged."
