Tag Archives: Keith Ellison

12/8 News Roundup – Nurses Back Call ForKeith Ellison To Fill Senate Vacancy, DNC Leaders Call For SuperDelegate Cuts & More

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As Franken Steps Aside, Nurses Back Call for Keith Ellison to Fill Senate Vacancy

On the heels of Sen. Al Franken’s announcement Thursday that he will resign following accusations of sexual harassment by several women, National Nurses United (NNU) began circulating a petition calling on Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton to appoint Rep. Keith Ellison to fill Franken’s soon-to-be vacant Senate seat.

“At a time when the Senate is poised to enact a disgraceful tax bill that shifts more resources from working people to big corporations and the one percent, on top of repeated attacks on health coverage, environmental and workplace protections, and other critical fights, we need the proven progressive voice of Keith Ellison in the Senate,” NNU co-president and Minnesota resident Jean Ross, RN, said in a statement.

According to news reports, Ellison is on Dayton’s short list of possible candidates, alongside Lt. Gov. Tina Smith and Rep. Tim Walz. Because Franken did not specify the precise date of his departure, it is unclear when Dayton will announce his replacement. Whoever is chosen will face a special election in November of next year.

If selected, Ellison would become the first Muslim to ever hold a seat in the U.S. Senate. He would also “provide a critical voice of leadership in the Senate at this pivotal moment for working people in Minnesota and across the U.S.,” Ross argued.

“Keith has been an outspoken advocate for nurses and other working people in his distinguished service in the House, and has shown a broad national reach and worked to build coalitions across the country this year as the Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee,” Ross concluded. “He is exactly the representative we need in the Senate today.”

More news/video/tweets/etc. in the comments.

9/28 News Roundup – Sanders Slams Trumps Tax Plans, Ellison Backs Bernie’s Healthcare Advocacy & More

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‘Morally repugnant’: Bernie Sanders, top Democrats slam Trump’s tax plan

Democrats on Wednesday slammed President Donald Trump’s tax reform plan, calling it “morally repugnant,” suggesting there would be little to no cross aisle support for the initial outline of the plan.

President Donald Trump’s plan would reduce the number of personal income tax brackets and overhaul business taxes, lower the corporate tax rate from 35% to 20%, reduce the pass-through tax rate from almost 40% to 25%, and “streamline” business tax breaks.

Democratic leaders immediately condemned the bill, casting it as a proposed tax break that would largely benefit the wealthy by lowering the top income tax bracket from 39.5% to 35% and lowering the pass-through tax rate, something largely used by wealthy earners.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer decried the proposal in a speech on the Senate floor, saying Republicans “designed their tax plan to be cheered in country clubs and corporate board rooms.”

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Sen. Bernie Sanders argued that the plan would exacerbate income inequality, singling out its proposal to repeal the estate tax, noting that the top 10% of earners pay 90% of estate taxes.

“At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, Trump’s tax plan is morally repugnant and bad economic policy,” Sanders said in a statement.

More news/video/etc. in the comments, including:

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*Pipeline & Water Protector Updates
*Puerto Rico In Crisis As Corporations/Wall Street Make Things Worse
*Some Cities, Native American Activists, Reject Columbus Day
& More

Bernie Sanders: How Democrats Can Stop Losing Elections

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The NY Times has an Op-Ed by Bernie Sanders up, advocating the Democratic party adopt a more progressive agenda. Bernie Sanders: How Democrats Can Stop Losing Elections In 2016, the Democratic Party lost the presidency to possibly the least popular candidate in American history. In recent years, Democrats have also lost the Senate and House to right-wing Republicans whose extremist agenda is far removed from where most Americans are politically. Republicans now control almost two-thirds of governor’s offices and have gained about 1,000 seats in state legislatures in the past nine years. In 24 states, Democrats have almost no political influence … Continue reading →

Majority of Democratic Senate & House caucus co-sponsor $15 minimum wage bill.

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Full video is below, the bill would raise minimum wage to $15 by 2024 and pegs it to inflation. The bill has 30 co-sponsors in the Senate and 152 in the House. Bobby Scott (VA-3) who is introducing the bill in the House, noted that there has been no increase in the federal minimum wage for 10 years. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLhwEuP0xLU[/embedyt] In the Senate, Patty Murray (WA) and Bernie Sanders (VT) will introduce the bill, they have 30 co-sponsors which is a majority of the Democratic caucus in the Senate. In the house, Robert “Bobby” Scott (VA-3) and Keith Ellison (MN-5) are introducing … Continue reading →