Americans for Democratic Action
Fighting for progress and resisting reaction since 1947
ADA: Updates (via Facebook)
🚨ALERT: Amazon shareholder meeting May 25![]()
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Shareholders have an opportunity to vote to force Amazon to disclose its profit shifting and global tax avoidance![]()
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Tell them to vote #YesOnProp12 and hold Amazon accountable to American workers and taxpayers 🗳![]()
bit.ly/Yes_On_Prop_12
In January, we began this series of election Spotlights with a focus on the North Carolina Senate race. We knew then, as we know now, that this is both a pivotal race and one which presents a bright opportunity for us to turn a red seat blue. Now, with the primaries in the state behind us, the opportunity remains, the stakes are high and the choices couldn’t be clearer.![]()
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On Tuesday, Trump-endorsed anti-choice Representative Ted Budd, who boasts an ADA Lifetime Voting record of 1.5 percent, gained the GOP nomination to replace retiring Senator Richard Burr. On Wednesday, he returned to the House to vote against the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Bill designed to combat the nationwide baby formula shortage. In doing so, he proved not only his own hypocrisy, but also the adage from former ADA president Barney Frank about those on the Right who only care about protecting the life of the infant from conception to birth. That would be bad enough but his position on other principles liberals hold dear is equally appalling. He fits a familiar Right-wing pattern of being anti-choice and rabidly pro-gun. He attacks George Soros and such “socialist” programs as the Green New Deal and Build Back better. He vows to make voting more difficult instead of finding ways to expand voter participation. He heads up a home school coalition and pledges to oppose “radical, anti-American ideologies like Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project.” He authored the Preserve American History Act, which would codify the former President’s 1776 Commission “to teach the greatness and exceptionalism” of the United States. He pledges to fight to continue building the wall on our southern border. And, that’s just the tip of the ice berg.![]()
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Democratic nominee Cheri Beasley is Budd’s polar opposite. Beasley began her career as a public defender. In 2008, she was elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals with a 15 point margin of victory. In 2014, she was elected Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court and, in 2019, she was appointed the first African-American woman to serve as Chief Justice of that court. She lost her re-election campaign for that post by a mere 401 votes while garnering 11,000 more votes than Biden. She is in favor of expanding access to affordable health care. She promises to invest in early childhood education while ensuring that all of North Carolina’s children have access to quality education “cradle to career.” She wants to expand economic opportunity for all and increase the minimum wage to $15/hour. She is a strong supporter of organized Labor, is pro-choice and has promised to tackle the climate crisis and help protect our precious environment. She vows to expand and simplify voting procedures to ensure that everyone who has a right to vote has an abundance of opportunities. In brief, she is a first-class candidate who would be a more than welcome addition to the U.S. Senate.![]()
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Although the state definitely leans Republican, it remains a swing state, prime for a Democratic pick-up. In 2020, despite a desperately flawed Democratic nominee, Republican Senator Thom Tillis still won with only 48.7 percent of the vote. We have no illusions about how difficult it will be but we are determined to do everything we can to ensure a Beasley victory. We are certain, also, that you will be pleased to know that ADA and our sister organization, the ADA Education Fund, are planning a voter education and Get Out The Vote campaign in North Carolina supplemented by a soon-to-be hired organizer who will gear up for this election and keep organizing after the election to educate and mobilize for the future.![]()
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Fill out the form to get involved in ADA's efforts in the 2022 midterm elections! act.myngp.com/Forms/5959107831452925952
In 2018, Amazon paid $0 in federal income taxes on $11 billion in profits.![]()
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But we have no idea how much of their profits they've shifted offshore, and how much they avoid in taxes that way.![]()
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We can find out. Tell Amazon shareholders to vote #YesOnProp12:![]()
bit.ly/Yes_On_Prop_12
This week, we focus our attention again on Ohio – particularly on Ohio’s newly mapped 9th Congressional District. Normally, the GOP candidate running in the district is one we would laugh off as a joke but these are far from normal times. This is no joke particularly as the multiple evils of redistricting, inflation and the former President’s MAGA movement rear their ugly heads. Sadly, we must take every battle seriously and none more so than this one pitting ardent Trump supporter J.R. Majewski against long-time incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH).![]()
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Majewski participated in the January 6th riot and frequently quotes, shares and praises QAnon rhetoric. The Air Force veteran has appeared in a since-deleted tweet with his head photoshopped onto one of the founding fathers with the caption, “It’s going down on 1/6.” During the 2020 campaign, he painted his front lawn to say Trump 2020 with a “Q” replacing the zeroes even though he now denies being a QAnon supporter. We have our doubts especially since he tweeted the QAnon hashtag #WWGIWAG which apparently stands for “Where we go one, we all go” more than 50 times. There appear to be multiple other occasions on which he has tweeted replacing the letter “O” with a “Q.” His campaign website is a revelation starting with the lead, “Fighting to Restore American Liberty. With God all things are possible.” He quotes Ron Paul and features photos of himself with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) whom he characterizes as “…one of my favorite Congressmen…” Majewski calls himself a “Rush baby” who believes in America First, Limited Government, Supply Side Economics and other catch phrases for extremists. He says he will, “…fight against the perpetuation of communist propaganda intended to divide the trust between the general public and our men and women of law enforcement.” He says he will support our troops at all times and without question. My Lai? we ask. He is rabidly anti-choice and say his NRA rating is AQ. As we said, this is no joke.![]()
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Majewski is running to unseat long-time Democratic Member of Congress Marcy Kaptur in a campaign we have to assume will be rife with vitriol, misogyny and misrepresentation. Kaptur, first elected in 1982, has long supported ADA’s organizing efforts and is a close ally and friend so it is not surprising that , despite her 2020 victory with 63 percent of the vote, she is a top GOP target in a newly-reconfigured district which is decidedly more conservative. Kaptur’s record in Congress is exemplary. She helped lead the opposition to NAFTA and fast track authority. She is an advocate for sustainable, clean energy both for environmental and job creation reasons. She is a strong supporter of organized Labor and small businesses and opposed bank bailouts. She believes neither big money nor Right-wing politicians, but voters should determine the outcome of elections. As such, she is an advocate for campaign finance reform and a staunch supporter of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Support of the Affordable Care Act and its expansion are top priorities as well. In Congress, she is a member of the Progressive Caucus and serves on the House Committee on Appropriations and some of its most important subcommittees. She is fifth in line for House seniority and her wisdom and expertise are true assets for liberals everywhere.![]()
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Fill out the form to get involved in ADA's efforts in the 2022 midterm elections! act.myngp.com/Forms/8409066028742475776
Last Monday, a bombshell leak from the Supreme Court told us what we had feared: the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. Then, on Tuesday, Republicans in Ohio chose Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance as their nominee for Ohio’s open Senate seat. This once never-Trumper is now a 24/7 acolyte of the former President and, for him, it paid off. Like the former President, Vance has no prior political experience or expertise and we’ve seen where that can get us. If one is known by the company kept, you need look no further than campaign stops with the former President, Don Jr., Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz to know that a Vance election would be a disaster. We clearly don’t need one more member of the Whacko Caucus while lives are, quite literally, at stake.![]()
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Taking a leaf out of the Trump playbook, Vance describes himself as a “conservative outsider” even while surrounding himself with MAGA insiders. He claims America’s leaders have chosen to plunder our nation and allow criminals to proliferate. He condemns those who take a knee in opposition to basic American values (his characterization not ours). He opposes “critical race theory” and “radical gender ideology,” whatever that is. He contends that Black Lives Matter rallies destroyed our towns and cities while promoting a radical agenda. He is proudly 100 % anti-choice and pro-gun. Continuing building the wall on the Southern border is a top priority. He also strongly favors laws which make it harder for people to vote. When democracy is on the line, he says, “I’ve got to be honest with you. I don’t really care what happen in Ukraine one way or the other.” And, that’s just the beginning. His election would be an unmitigated blow to all we hold dear. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we have a real chance to turn this open, red seat blue but it will take a lot of hard work.![]()
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Running against Vance is Representative Tim Ryan (D) who was first elected to Congress in 2002. He ran his primary race with the backing of Senator Sherrod Brown (D), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) and a host of state-level elected officials and all major Labor unions. Early in his career, Ryan voted anti-choice - which helped to bring his lifetime ADA voting record to 87 percent. Since then, he has listened to women and medical professionals and has voted consistently pro-choice – something we treasure in these perilous times. He is a staunch advocate for marriage equality and fights against discrimination of any kind wherever it might occur. Equal pay for equal work is a priority and he is in favor of raising the minimum wage to at least $15/hour. He is a supporter of the Iran nuclear deal. Congressman Ryan is working to expand access to quality, affordable childcare, universal pre-K, and two years of tuition-free community college for any who want it. He believes Medicare should be expanded and that it should be allowed to negotiate prescription drug prices. Another major focus is combatting climate change while bringing jobs back to America to meet that goal. He believes that the balance of power needs to tilt back to working people and, therefore, believes that Citizens United must be overturned. He is an original co-sponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and has called upon the Senate to abolish the filibuster to get the job done. Unlike his opponent, Congressman Ryan does care about what happens in Ukraine saying that Putin is working to undermine democracy in Europe and around the world.![]()
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In short, the contrast between Ryan and Vance couldn’t be starker. This race is critically important both to expand our majority in the Senate but also to protect the liberal ideals that are the underpinning of a civilized society.![]()
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Fill out the form to get involved in ADA's efforts in the 2022 midterm elections! act.myngp.com/Forms/-6939201501336174592
Our Iowa chapter organized a huge march and rally today in Waterloo, Iowa. Hundreds of Iowans marched from the office of Senator Chuck Grassley to Congresswoman Ashley Hinson’s office. It is clear that the GOP attacks on reproductive freedom have gone too far, ADA is on the ground helping Americans fight back in places like Iowa right now. ![]()
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You can be a part of growing this important work with your donation today. ![]()
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adaction.org/donate/one-time-contribution-to-ada/
ADA Founder Arthur Schlesinger, Jr's New York Times obituary noted, “Mr. Schlesinger saw life as a walk through history. He wrote that he could not stroll down Fifth Avenue without wondering how the street and the people on it would have looked a hundred years ago.” Read more about Schlesinger and his accounts of ADA's early history at adaction.org/adaat75/#Schlesinger
Check out a pre-ADA look at ADA Founder Hubert Humphrey. adaction.org/adaat75/#HHHPre. More to come on his ADA days
McConnell's theft of the SCOTUS majority (and any sense of legitimacy) created this moment. We must keep him in the minority and fight like hell at the state level to support reproductive rights (and more!). ADA is in that fight to win it. Will you join us?
Exclusive: Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows
www.politico.com
"We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," Justice Alito writes in an initial majority draft circulated inside the court. We may be fond of purple in everyday life, but we dislike it intensely when it comes to politics. That is why, this week, we are turning our Spotlight on Virginia. For years, Virginia had been trending blue but, in 2020, there was a dramatic swing to red with races from the top to the bottom of the ticket electing conservative Republicans. That, combined with the challenges presented by redistricting, means we must take all Virginia races seriously and none more so than the reconfigured 10th Congressional District and its incumbent Jennifer Wexton.![]()
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The 10th Congressional District is comprised largely of the more liberal Loudon County but has now added the more conservative Rappahannock County to the mix. In prior incarnations, Rappahannock County helped to elect House Majority Leader and Speaker wannabe Eric Cantor (R) who was defeated by Tea Party favorite David Brat (R); bigfoot erotica expert Denver Riggleman (R) – we swear we don’t make this stuff up – who, in turn, was defeated by Liberty University professor Robert Good (R). Their combined ADA voting records probably hovers around -500 percent (ok, we did make that up but not by much). Districts they represent/ed were the 5th, the 7th and now the 10th. If you’re confused, you’re not alone.![]()
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Jennifer Wexton, the current Democratic incumbent, now represents a district which Biden would have carried by 18 points; however, given the results of the 2020 election and Biden’s apparently waning favorability, we need to be concerned. As opposed to those mentioned above, she has a lifetime ADA voting record of 85 percent. She was elected when she defeated Barbara Comstock (R) in a district which had elected Republicans for 60 of the prior 66 years. Wexton is a former state senator who, during that campaign said, she would “…fight…against Tea Party Republicans who would take away a woman’s health care and her right to choose…” She is an advocate for abused children and has authored bills to support survivors of abuse and domestic violence. She works to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure and to help small businesses and families in the aftermath of the Covid 19 pandemic. She believes that climate change solutions also benefit the economy. She supports sensible gun control legislation in a district which houses the National Rife Association’s headquarters. She has sponsored bills for strengthening union organizing and DC Statehood. She serves on the House Committees on Financial Services and Science, Space and Technology. Her GOP opponent will be selected in a June 21 primary but, no matter who that is, we know Wexton will be far preferrable.![]()
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Fill out the form to get involved in ADA's efforts in the 2022 midterm elections! act.myngp.com/Forms/-4488961829069914112
ADA: What You Should Know
ADA Vote 2022
Visit ADA's 2022 Election Resources Page.
ADA 75th All Stars
Check out ADA All Star Profiles as we celebrate 75 years of liberal progressive action.
A New Kind of Filibuster
Check out what ADA is supporting as an alternative to the filibuster. READ HERE.
ADA Mourns the Passing of Joe Duffey, former ADA National Chairperson
Joe was a champion of liberal causes and a loyal ADA member throughout. Take a look at the articles in the NY Times and Washington Post on his passing. RIP Joe.
ADA Convention sets agenda
January 15-17, 2021 ADA activists from around the country gathered via Zoom to share ideas, hear from experts, and set ADA's agenda for progress.
Congrats to President-elect Biden and VP-elect Harris!
PDF HERE November 7. 2020 President-elect Joseph Biden Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Biden Transition Congratulations, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris. Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) was proud to endorse your campaign and...
The American Commentator
Through feature articles, essays, interviews, personal remembrances, and reviews, we seek to promote a stimulating dialogue about liberal ideas and ideals among ADA members and friends.
ADA Awards Gala Video
Enjoy the video and please make a donation to ADA's work to #DitchMitch and #DumpTrump. You can also Text ADA2020 to 202-796-2201.
ADA Voting Record
ADA's Latest Voting Record is online now.
Covid-19 Resources
Check out updates, information, and actions related to the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.
ADA Fireside Chats
ADA is doing weekly Fireside Chats on different topics. Join us at 8pm eastern. CLICK HERE TO WATCH LIVE or on ADA's Facebook Page HERE. View last week's ADA Fireside Chat HERE.
ADA Time Machine
Check out this interesting exchange between Daniel Patrick Moynihan and John Kenneth Galbraith about ADA Membership. https://adaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ADAGalbraithMoynihan1970.pdf
Check back from time to time to see other ADA History.