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Good afternoon,

Today, I was in Michigan. Yesterday, it was Colorado and Nevada. Before that, it was Iowa and Arizona. The day after I delivered my State of the Union Address to Congress, I took off to connect with ordinary Americans around the country, talk more about our Blueprint for an America Built to Last, and get some feedback.

That’s why I’m writing you.

On Monday we’re going to do something a little different. At 5:30 p.m. ET, I’ll walk into the Roosevelt Room across the hall from the Oval Office, take a seat, and kick-off the first-ever completely virtual town hall from the White House.

All week, people have been voting on questions and submitting their own, and a few of them will join me for a live chat.

What do you want to ask me?

This is going to be an exciting way to talk about the steps that we need to take together at this make-or-break moment for the middle class.

We have to foster a new era for American manufacturing — rewarding companies for keeping jobs here at home and eliminating tax breaks for those who ship jobs overseas. We have to invest in homegrown energy in the United States — starting with an all-out, all-of-the-above energy strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs. We have to build an economy that works for everyone — where every hard working American gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and the rules are the same from top to bottom.

I’m ready to get started, but I know you have questions and ideas for ways to help. So let’s hear them:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sotu-questions

Thanks,

President Barack Obama

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In the past 24 hours, Ed Martin has declared his candidacy for Attorney General.

Martin, former Chief of Staff to Governor Matt Blunt, is a tenacious campaigner.  Your contribution of $50, $100, or $500 will help us prepare for what is sure to be a spirited race.

In 2008, Missourians embraced our campaign because they understood the importance of having an Attorney General who was a prosecutor, one who has personally stood up for our citizens in the courtroom. For me, this isn’t just an office to run for – it’s a job I truly believe in.

Will you make a contribution today?

Thank you for your support.

Respectfully,

Chris Koster
Attorney General

P.S. Join the campaign!  Follow me on Facebook and Twitter to help spread the word.

 

 

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Jefferson City, Mo.—After being caught distributing campaign literature that inaccurately stated David Spence graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia’s School of Business, Spence blamed “staff oversight” for the inaccuracies. But news reports show that Spence has willingly allowed his academic credentials to be exaggerated since 1989.

“Instead of throwing staff under the bus, David Spence needs to take responsibility for years of academic dishonesty,” said Caitlin Legacki, Missouri Democratic Party spokeswoman. “For at least 23 years, Spence has walked around acting like he got a degree from Missouri’s Business School when it’s simply not true. So two months into his candidacy, the only things Missourians know about this guy is that his bank refused to pay back its $40 million bailout and that he has a hard time telling the truth.”

In an interview yesterday, Spence’s campaign told the AP it distributed campaign materials that inaccurately stated Spence attended the University of Missouri’s business school because of “staff oversight.”

But Spence told the Post-Dispatch in a 1989 profile that he was a 1980 graduate of the University’s business school. Spence never requested a correction from the Post-Dispatch, but was forced to admit on Tuesday that he didn’t have the grades to attend the business school.

BACKGROUND

Spence Campaign Said Misleading Claim Was “Staff Oversight.” “Spence campaign manager Jared Craighead said the statement about the business school was a ‘staff oversight that was corrected.’” [AP, 1/12/12]

…But The Same Error Appears As Far Back As 1989. A 1989 profile of Spence in the St. Louis Post Dispatch indicates that Spence has been misleading the press and the public about his academic credentials for years. The biographical snapshot said Spence was a “1980 graduate of the College of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri-Columbia.” [St. Louis Post Dispatch, 1/2/89]
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Spence Has Been Lying About Academic Record Since At Least 1989 – And STILL Hasn’t Corrected Campaign Website

Academic Credentials and Bank Bailouts: What Else is Spence Misleading Missourians About?

Jefferson City, Mo.— One day after the St. Louis Post-Dispatch caught David Spence knowingly misleading Missourians about hisacademic credentials, it’s now clear that Spence has been embellishing his academic record since at least 1989. While Spence’s campaign website continues to falsely say he earned a degree in economics, the Missouri Democratic Party calls again on Spence to finally come clean about his academic credentials and immediately correct all inaccurate campaign materials.

Beginning in a 1989 profile in the Post-Dispatch, Spence has told the press and the public that he earned an Economics degree from the University of Missouri’s school of business. Yesterday, the Post-Dispatch revealed that Spence actually received a degree in Home Economics from the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri. [St. Louis Post Dispatch, 1/2/89; Post-Dispatch, 1/10/12]

“It’s hard to say what’s more disturbing: the fact that David Spence has been lying about his academic record for more than 20 years, or that even after getting caught, Spence still hasn’t corrected his campaign materials. Either way, misleading voters about your academic credentials is pretty shameless,” said Caitlin Legacki, Missouri Democratic Party spokeswoman. “Whether misleading voters about his bank’s $40 million bailout or lying about his academic credentials, David Spence clearly has a problem looking Missourians in the eye and telling them the truth.”

Spence has repeatedly lied about attending the University of Missouri’s School of Business when in fact “his grades did not meet the threshold to enter the Business School.” [Post-Dispatch, 1/10/12]

Tuesday evening, in response to the Post-Dispatch’s reporting, Republican candidate for Governor Bill Randles released his full transcripts from Harvard Law School, Baylor University and Southwest Baptist University.

BACKGROUND

Since 1989, Spence has repeatedly lied to members of the press and voters about his academic background.

Post-Dispatch, 1989

PRESIDENT: David Spence, 30. Graduate of Kirkwood High School, 1980 graduate of the College of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri-Columbia. Single, describes his background as ”entrepreneurial.” SECRETS OF SUCCESS: Buy the latest, state-of-the-art equipment. Build sales with individualized service and fast, responsive decision making. Plow the profits back into plant and equipment. [St.Louis Post Dispatch, 1/2/89]

97.1 Talk Radio, 2011

“Dave attended University of Missouri-Columbia School of Business and earned a degree in Economics.”

Associated Press, 2011

“As an aspiring 26-year-old entrepreneur who had recently earned an economics degree at MU, Spence said he was turned down by a dozen banks before he finally got a loan to purchase a packaging business.”

KTVO, 2012

“He graduated from Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood and attended University of Missouri-Columbia where he earned a degree in Economics.”

KTVI, 2011

Spence “holds an economics degree from Mizzou.”

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Promises Kept

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H/T FiredUpMissouri

Pat Robertson, the 81-year demented minister, who ran for president in 1988, (coming in second in the Iowa caucus), now says the Lord hath told him who will be our next president.  The Reverend, who fancies himself a modern-day Jeremiah, enjoys revealing ecclesiastical tidbits skewed to fit his own political ideology.

Robertson’s not letting us in on the secret as to who the Chosen One is, except to say it ain’t Obama.  Surprise, surprise!  He says we are doomed to economic collapse unless we pick the correct candidate, though that might be hard to do unless he reveals just who that is.

Unreliable sources tell me there are more disclosures yet to come.  The following have leaked out already….

Reportedly, God also told Robertson it’s okay to stone gays, Muslims, and immigrants.  Robertson has been looking for the green light on this one for years.  Since it’s now inappropriate to persecute blacks, Jews, atheists, witches, women, and the mentally ill, we’re left with gays, Muslims, and immigrants.  As Robertson noted: “Why else would God have created stones if he hadn’t intended us to use them?”  There’s a lots of stones lying around, which means we haven’t been doing our job

The Almighty, also, told the Rev that he was kidding about that Good Samaritan stuff and that the biblical adage about the 99% entering the Pearly Gates before the 1% was just a joke.

According to Pat, God gave all the brains, talent, money, health, and good looks to the 1% and used cosmic debris to fashion the remaining 99%, which is why it’s all right to ignore them.

God said He had always been a “Repairer” and wanted us to be Repairers, too.  The Reverend was at first unclear about the message, which he later translated as being: God is a Republican and wants us to be Republicans, too.

As to the Earth, the Creator said it took Him longer to create than people first thought.  It was His favorite project, millions of years in the making and not—as previously reported—something He dashed off during His vacation week.  When the Almighty suggested that Pat check the archeological evidence for confirmation, Pat mumbled an oath and hung up his celestial cellphone.

So there’s the word from on high, folks, as filtered through Pat the Prophet.  I suggest the Rev get some rest and check his meds for any potential side effects that might be lessening his lucidity.

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 For the whole interview please click here

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Shame

While House Republicans are enjoying the holidays, our neighbors are facing the loss of unemployment insurance benefits.Please call Speaker Boehner at 202-225-0600.Tell the person who picks up: “Speaker Boehner should be ashamed of himself. He needs to get his House in order, stop the partisan games and extend unemployment aid immediately.”

I wish that today I could send you a cheerful message with good news, wish you a wonderful holiday season and reflect on the incredible work we’ve done in the past year.

But we can’t rest and recharge: Six million unemployed workers are counting on us to keep on fighting for them, and we won’t let them down.

Please call Speaker Boehner at 202-225-0600. Tell the person who picks up the phone: “Speaker Boehner should be ashamed of himself. He needs to get his House in order, stop the partisan games and extend unemployment aid immediately.”

The two things House Republicans seem to be most passionate about are protecting millionaires from having to pay taxes and cutting unemployment benefits for jobless workers.

All 229 House members who voted yesterday to cut off unemployment benefits were Republicans. They should be ashamed of themselves. Once again they’ve blocked survival aid for men and women who want to work but can’t find jobs in this brutal economy. If House Republicans continue to block action, nearly 2 million people will lose unemployment benefits in January alone. How can they sit back and enjoy the holidays?

Please pick up the phone and call Speaker Boehner at 202-225-0600. Tell him to extend unemployment aid immediately.

Thank you for being a voice for jobless workers, and for all the work you do.

In Solidarity,

Richard L. Trumka
President, AFL-CIO

P.S. 89 Senators—Democrats and Republicans—voted to extend unemployment this weekend. House Republicans have a decision to make. They can continue standing with the wealthiest one percent by taking directions from the most extreme of the Tea Partiers, or they can come to their senses and start standing up for working people and paying attention to the jobs crisis.

Please call John Boehner and ask him: What’s wrong with Tea Party Republicans in the House—and why can’t they get anything done for working families? His number is 202-225-0600.


To find out more about the AFL-CIO, please visit our website at www.aflcio.org.

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Jessica –

If you follow political news like I do, you may remember this year for its GOP horse race: who was up, who was down, who had an “oops” moment. But that’s not how I’ll remember it.

I’ll remember it as a pretty incredible year for Democrats. Here’s why:

Just in the last week, we’ve seen solid evidence that health care reform is working: 2.5 million Americans are now insured thanks to a provision in the Affordable Care Act that allows young adults to stay on their parent’s health insurance, more than double the number previously estimated.

And with the last troops leaving this past Sunday, the war in Iraq has come to a responsible end. Because of the veterans provisions of the American Jobs Act and the Hiring Heroes Act, which provide tax incentives to businesses who hire veterans in need of work, our troops coming home and all our veterans know that they can get the help they need in finding work and supporting their families.

These are the kinds of fights Democrats are waging — and winning. They’re crucial victories, but they don’t happen without you.

Next year, the stakes will be even higher. That’s why I’m asking you to step up right now and say you’re ready for the fights ahead:

Chip in $3 more for 2012.

Next year’s election will be huge, that’s for sure — but the work we did in 2011 shows just what a grassroots campaign can do. Across the country this year, Democrats worked together and fought critical statewide battles on the ground.

In Mississippi, folks worked tirelessly to protect a woman’s right to choose and soundly defeated the Personhood amendment, which would’ve made abortion illegal, including in cases of rape or incest, and even banned some forms of birth control.

Up in Maine, statewide Democratic groups worked together to overturn the state legislature’s recent ban on allowing people to register and vote on the same day — a nearly 40-year tradition that’s helped the state have some of the highest voter turnout rates in the country.

And in the bellwether state of Ohio, the state Democratic party and progressive allies collected more than 300,000 signatures to stop a law that would greatly reduce how and when Ohioans can early vote — and put it up for a statewide vote next year. Thanks in part to thousands who were able to cast their ballots early, Ohio voters in November successfully repealed a collective bargaining law that would’ve stripped away the rights of teachers and firefighters to negotiate for important benefits and working conditions.

We have a ways to go to get the economy working for everyone, and there’s much more work to be done.

But we have a lot to feel good about. We’ve worked together at the national level to make change that’s going to affect millions of lives every day, like repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and we’ve banded together in our states and communities to stand for our party’s principles.

It’s what Democrats do.

But don’t doubt that for every victory we’ve had this year, the GOP is ready and waiting to reverse it. Repealing health care reform, reinstating “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” restricting voting rights, and putting Personhood amendments on the ballot in other states are all things the other side has promised to do if given the chance.

That’s why we need to be ready to fight for the change we’ve made — and make certain we’ll get to keep pushing for more.

It can’t happen without you. Show you’re ready for 2012 by giving $3 or more today:

http://my.democrats.org/Ready-for-2012

Thanks,

Debbie

Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Chair
Democratic National Committee

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Contacts: Committee jess.podhola@gmail.com | 308 W Maple Suite 101, Independence MO. 64050 (816) 833-5232 | Website webmaster@jacksoncountydemocraticcommittee.org
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