2012 Presidential Campaign Blog

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Statement on Republican Presidential Debate in South Carolina

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Statement on Republican Presidential Debate in South Carolina

Following tonight’s GOP debate in South Carolina, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement:
 
“As the Republican presidential field narrowed down to five candidates on the debate stage tonight, we still saw each one of them double down on the same failed policies of the past rather than offer any plans to help America’s working and middle-class families get ahead.  But Mitt Romney took it a step further – once again demonstrating that he will say anything to get elected.  We saw Mitt Romney repeatedly dodge questions about his record and his plans for the economy and the middle class.  Romney claimed that he had a jobs plan and the President did not.  But the President has a plan, the American Jobs Act which would create nearly 2 million jobs that Mitt Romney opposed, and Romney proposed an economic plan that would do nothing to create jobs, but would simply increase the burdens on the middle class.
 
“In the latest reinvention of his job creation record, Romney is now claiming to have created over 120,000 jobs.  In just over a month, his job creation number has changed from over a hundred thousand jobs, to thousands, and now 120,000 jobs tonight – without a single one of those numbers substantiated.  Maybe the reason Mitt Romney is having such a hard time keeping his facts straight is that Romney’s goal as a corporate raider for Bain Capital was never job creation – it was putting profits over people by bankrupting companies, outsourcing jobs and laying off workers.  As if this wasn’t misleading enough, Romney also touted his record as Governor of Massachusetts. The truth is that with Romney at the helm, Massachusetts ranked 47th out of 50th in job creation, saw incomes and wages fall and experienced a decline in manufacturing at twice the national average.  And Mitt Romney is proud of that?
 
“With every passing moment, Mitt Romney finds a new opportunity to distort the facts and try to tell voters what he thinks they want to hear.  He even discovered a new position tonight on releasing his tax returns, saying he’d ‘probably’ agree to do it in April even though he has repeatedly refused to do so – defying a practice that every Republican and Democratic nominee for President has adhered to for decades.  Romney can’t continue to play by a different set of rules and expect voters to trust him – but as tonight’s debate demonstrated once again, Mitt Romney doesn’t place a very high premium on being straightforward with the American people.”

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Statement on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Statement on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Washington, DC – Today DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

“Today we reflect on and celebrate the life and legacy of a great American who made our country stronger, better and more just.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived and ultimately gave his life advancing a vision of America where all citizens are truly equal, regardless of the color of their skin or their station in life. As leader of the 20th century civil rights movement, Dr. King helped plant the seeds for many other movements that encompassed the ideals of equality, justice and opportunity for all. 

“The work of Dr. King and many other civil rights pioneers has yielded tremendous progress, but the work is not done.  The economic struggles facing far too many Americans proves that this work must continue.  Too many families are having trouble making ends meet, too many parents worry if their children will experience a better quality of life and the dreams of too many of our nation's young people are being deferred.  That’s why President Obama is so committed to rebuilding our economy for the long term, he's working to make sure that every American has access to economic opportunity now and for generations to come.  

"Towards the end of his life, Dr. King recognized that the next frontier of the civil rights movement required bearing witness to the scourge of poverty.  He had a vision for a 'Poor People's Campaign' bringingtogether a coalition unified in the belief that the moral measure of any society is found in how we treat the least among us.  It is our charge today, as we honor Dr. King, to take up this call and renew our fight for equality and justice for all Americans, and to make sure that the American Dream is available to everyone who seeks and works toward it.”

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Statement on New Hampshire Primary Results

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Statement on New Hampshire Primary Results

Manchester, New Hampshire – Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement on the results of tonight’s Republican primary in New Hampshire:

“Mitt Romney may have won in New Hampshire tonight, but he can't run from the fact that his support was rapidly eroding before any vote was even cast.  Over the course of the last few months Romney had the support of as much as 45 percent of the primary electorate – at one point boasting a nearly 30 percent lead over the rest of the GOP field.  But tonight he fell far short of meeting expectations – especially in a state where he’s a part-time resident, which is next door to his home state of Massachusetts, in the same media market. He fell short next to a state where he raised a family and served as Governor, and where he’s been running on and off for political office over nearly two decades and for president for seven years. 

“But what’s more troubling for Mitt Romney is the fact that the premise of his candidacy is unraveling.  He leaves here wounded by a series of episodes that made it clear to voters – both in New Hampshire and for those watching across the country – that he is completely out of touch with the concerns of America’s working and middle-class families.  Romney disingenuously claimed just a few days ago that he once feared getting a pink slip when in fact his campaign can’t offer any examples of when that might have been the case.  Yesterday, he went as far as saying that he enjoys being able to fire people.  He continues to call himself a job creator, but his accounts of creating 100,000 jobs at Bain Capital have been knocked down across the board.  Even worse, as one of his colleagues said, he never considered what they did at Bain Capital as job creation. What they did was make a profit while companies were sometimes driven to bankruptcy, workers were laid off, and jobs were sent overseas.  These revelations have led to a precipitous drop in Mitt Romney’s support – and his failure to perform better in the Granite State is a significant setback for both his campaign and his candidacy for president.”

DNC Vice Chair R.T. Rybak’s Statement on GOP Presidential Debate in Sioux City, Iowa

DNC Vice Chair R.T. Rybak’s Statement on GOP Presidential Debate in Sioux City, Iowa

Washington, D.C. – Following the Republican presidential debate held in Sioux City, Iowa tonight, DNC Vice Chair and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak released the following statement:

“With just a few weeks to go before the Iowa Caucus, tonight’s debate was the GOP presidential field’s last big opportunity to tell Republican voters in Iowa exactly what they think they’ll want to hear – and that’s precisely what the Republican candidates did tonight.  For the Tea Party extremists who will help crown the next Republican nominee, they got their fill of right-wing buzz words and out-of-touch policies from Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and the other candidates tonight.  We all heard more promises to provide deep tax breaks to the very wealthy and big corporations and more support for extreme economic policies that would end Medicare as we know it, slash Social Security benefits, and cut critical investments in education, job training, research and development, and just about every other initiative important to job growth.

“Unfortunately, if you’re one of the millions of middle-class families in America still struggling to make ends meet, the Republican candidates had only one message for you tonight: you’re on your own.  Mitt Romney’s economic plan offers a mere $54 for the average working family – yet he continues to dismiss a payroll tax cut putting $1,500 back in their pockets as a ‘little Band-Aid.’  Just five days ago, he casually offered to make a $10,000 bet – which is more than what most middle-class families bring home in four months.  And tonight, when Romney came under fire for his endless list of flip-flops on virtually every major issue, he failed to explain how his metamorphosis from liberal candidate in Massachusetts to the so-called “conservative” we see today was anything but cravenly political.  Instead, he ducked the questions and desperately tried to move to the right of Newt Gingrich – America’s original Tea Partier who has endorsed the devastating ‘Cut, Cap, and Balance’ Plan, which would cause our economy to bleed jobs and make immediate and devastating cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  These are failed policies that haven’t worked before and won’t work now – and quite simply, America’s middle-class families cannot afford to go down that path.”

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DNC Announces Mayor RT Rybak as New Vice Chair

DNC Announces Mayor RT Rybak as New Vice Chair
 
Chicago, IL – At the DNC Fall Meeting today, the full membership of the DNC ratified Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s nominee for Vice Chair, Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak. This position was vacated when Wasserman Schultz became Chair.
 
After the vote, Chair Wasserman Schultz released the following statement:
 
“I’m so thrilled Mayor Rybak is taking on this new leadership role on our team. In 2007, Mayor Rybak was the first mayor of a major US city to endorse President Obama and he has been an ardent and vocal supporter ever since. His energy and enthusiasm for Democratic priorities are unparalleled and he will be a wonderful spokesman as we work to re-elect President Obama and Democrats up and down the ticket. Mayor Rybak is a 21st century leader who is working hard to make sure Minneapolis is a city where companies can create jobs and opportunity. Since he was first elected mayor, he has worked to revitalize Minneapolis by pulling the city out of financial crisis and combating juvenile crime. Mayor Rybak will be an incredible asset to the Democratic National Committee in his new capacity as a Vice Chair--and I’m so glad the full membership of the DNC voted today to ratify this important nomination.”
 
Mayor Rybak released the following statement:
 
“I’m grateful to President Obama, Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and DNC members for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to being on the front lines of rallying Americans once again to President Obama’s strong leadership and Democrats’ vision for the future. I can’t wait to put in front of the American people the clear choice between the President’s record of fighting for the middle class and the Republicans’ desire to bring back policies that would take our country backward."

Dvorsky Congratulates Rep. Wasserman Schultz On Appointment As DNC Chair

Dvorsky Congratulates Rep. Wasserman Schultz on Appointment as DNC Chair

DES MOINES – Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky congratulated Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) on her appointment as chair of the Democratic National Committee:
 
“Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz has the tenacity and determination to lead the DNC as we prepare for Democratic victories in 2012, including the reelection of President Obama. Her lifetime of public service and and her unwavering advocacy for Democrats across the country as DNC Vice Chair will serve her well as she takes on this new role within the Democratic Party. We look forward to working closely with her over the coming months.”
 
Wasserman Schultz will replace former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, who has resigned as chair to seek the Senate seat vacated by Jim Webb (D-VA). She becomes the first woman to head the DNC since Debra DeLee in 1995.

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine To Kick Off Canvass With Students And Representative Keith Ellison

Governor Tim Kaine to Kick Off Canvass with Students and Representative Keith Ellison

DNC Chairman Kaine and Minneapolis Representative Keith Ellison will launch GOTV canvass ahead of Saturday’s rally with President Obama

Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 20th, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine will join Representative Keith Ellison and DFL Associate Chair Donna Cassutt at Tony’s Diner in Minneapolis at 3:00pm to kick off a canvass with students from the University of Minnesota.

While in Minnesota, Chairman Kaine will also drop in to a phone bank in St. Paul at the SEIU State Council Office, 2233 University Ave W, Suite 422, at 7:00 PM CT.

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine To Hold Press Conference With DFL Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Dayton On September 1st

Governor Tim Kaine to Hold Press Conference with DFL Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Dayton

DNC Chairman will join Mayors Rybak and Coleman to discuss Mark Dayton’s commitment to strong partnerships between state and local government

Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 1st, DNC Chairman and former Richmond Mayor and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine will join DFL candidate for governor, Mark Dayton, Mayor RT Rybak and Mayor Chris Coleman at the Hennepin County Government Center Plaza at 9:30a.m. They will highlight Mark Dayton’s commitment to building a strong partnership between state and local government.

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine’s Statement On Efforts To Improve The 2012 Presidential Nominating Process

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine’s Statement On Efforts To Improve the 2012 Presidential Nominating Process

Washington, DC –Over the past two days, the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee has worked to make significant progress towards finalizing the Party’s 2012 delegate selection rules.  As part of its efforts, the RBC has voted to recommend to DNC members a plan that would increase by approximately 700 the number of pledged delegates elected from the states, the District of Columbia and territories.  In doing so, the plan would increase the proportional influence of pledged delegates at the 2012 Democratic National Convention from approximately 80 percent in 2008 to approximately 85 percent in 2012.  The rules included in the proposed plan would also provide for unpledged delegates declaring their Presidential preferences no later than a date certain – which will be shortly after the conclusion of the presidential nominating process in their respective states, territories and in the District of Columbia.
 
With regard to the timing of primaries and caucuses, the RBC has proposed a rule that would set the dates of the primaries and caucuses for the four states permitted to hold contests within the pre-window—Iowa on February 6, New Hampshire on February 14, Nevada on February 18, and South Carolina on February 28.  The pre-window starts in February 2012, approximately one month later than in 2008.

Following the meeting, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine released the following statement:

“I applaud the significant improvements to the presidential nominating process recommended this weekend by the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, which builds on the work of our Democratic Change Commission.  These new provisions represent an important step towards increasing grassroots activists’ involvement in our presidential nominating process.  They guarantee that Democratic primary voters and caucus participants will have a larger voice in the nomination of our Party’s presidential candidate, while at the same time respecting the important role that party leaders play in our nominating and political processes.  Perhaps most importantly, the new rules open up the nominating process to even greater participation.   I want to thank the RBC and the Democratic Change Commission for working so diligently on these important issues and focusing on ways to strengthen our Party and the presidential nominating process.”

The RBC’s recommended delegate selection rules will be voted on by the full DNC membership at the DNC’s August meeting in St. Louis.