The attacks on Medicare failed

pacquiao -- Last night, Kathy Hochul did something that few of us would have thought possible a month ago: She won a special election for a congressional seat in New York that hadn't gone for a Democrat in more than a decade. She won because the Republican candidate, Jane Corwin, embraced the GOP plan to end Medicare as we know it -- and Kathy never let anyone forget it. And unfortunately for the GOP, this issue is quickly becoming a litmus test for them nationally. Even Newt Gingrich -- not exactly a progressive -- recognizes that a Medicare phase-out is a dangerous proposition. But when he rightly criticized the plan as "right-wing social engineering," conservative pundits and activists pummeled him so hard he was forced to "apologize" for his "mistake." Republicans have boxed themselves into a corner with this issue, and Democrats can win more victories by making it clear that the GOP wants to make dramatic cuts to a program that keeps millions of Americans healthy -- ending Medicare as we know it. We want to put more Republicans in the same position as Corwin and Gingrich, and we need to come out of the gate strong. Can you chip in $3 or more to help us build on our momentum and fund our program to defend Medicare? There's nothing hypothetical about the Republican plan to end Medicare. When the proposal came up in Congress, all but six House Republicans voted for it. The GOP has already registered its approval. With this issue, Republicans have no good choices. More than 80 percent of voters don't approve of their Medicare phase-out -- so they must either continue supporting the plan they already voted for, or flip-flop and anger their base. And because the public understands that this proposal from the GOP would end a program that seniors rely on every day, our job is to get Republican candidates on the record. If the trouble this caused Gingrich is any indication, the rest of these presidential candidates are in for some rough days on the campaign trail -- if we can get them to tell the public where they stand. In the weeks and months ahead, that's exactly what we plan to do. Working online and off, we'll make sure that every Republican running for President, and that every one of their candidates for the House or Senate, gets asked exactly where he or she stands on the GOP plan to phase out Medicare. We have to keep turning up the pressure -- just like Kathy Hochul did in New York. Donate $3 or more today: http://my.democrats.org/DefendMedicare Thanks, Patrick Patrick Gaspard Executive Director Democratic National Committee

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Birther nonsense

pacquiao -- When one-time Republican frontrunner Donald Trump dropped out of the presidential race, I thought we were done with all this birther nonsense. But I guess right-wing conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi finally got to prove a Democrat wrong. Corsi just released his latest book, called -- wait for it -- Where's the Birth Certificate? Fortunately, the Obama campaign knows just how to handle things like this: Treat them like the joke they are. That's why I wanted to be sure you saw the campaign's email from yesterday offering "Made in the USA" mugs with the President's birth certificate. You can get yours here: https://my.democrats.org/USA-Made-Mug Thanks, Brad -------------ORIGINAL MESSAGE------------- From: Julianna Smoot, BarackObama.com Subject: You'll like this one Friend -- Let me introduce you to Jerome Corsi. This week he released a new book that the publisher says will be a bestseller "of historic proportions." The title is Where's the Birth Certificate? -- yes, really. Corsi's work is a greatest-hits reel of delusions, ranging from 9/11 conspiracies to claiming that there is an infinite supply of oil in the Earth's core. In 2008, he published a book about Barack Obama claiming, among other things, that he (a) is a secret Muslim; (b) is secretly anti-military; (c) secretly dealt drugs; and (d) secretly supported terrorist actions when he was eight years old. So many secrets! FactCheck.org called Corsi's work "a mishmash of unsupported conjecture, half-truths, logical fallacies and outright falsehoods." There's really no way to make this stuff completely go away. The only thing we can do is laugh at it -- and make sure as many other people as possible are in on the joke. So let's just do this -- get your Obama birth certificate mug here: https://my.democrats.org/USA-Made-Mug Last year, the President said, "I can't spend all of my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead." This is about as close as we can get. If the facts can't make these ridiculous smears go away, we can at least have a little fun with it. And then we'll get back to the important work of supporting the President as he tackles real problems like high gas prices, the deficit, and unemployment. Thanks, Julianna Julianna Smoot Deputy Campaign Manager Obama for America P.S. -- Mug not your thing? How about a T-shirt?
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Fixing what's broken

pacquiao -- I went to El Paso, Texas, today to lay out a plan to do something big: fix America's broken immigration system. It's an issue that affects you, whether you live in a border town like El Paso or not. Our immigration system reflects how we define ourselves as Americans -- who we are, who we will be -- and continued inaction poses serious costs for everyone. Those costs are human, felt by millions of people here and abroad who endure years of separation or deferred dreams -- and millions more hardworking families whose wages are depressed when employers wrongly exploit a cheap source of labor. That's why immigration reform is also an economic imperative -- an essential step needed to strengthen our middle class, create new industries and new jobs, and make sure America remains competitive in the global economy. Because this is such a tough problem -- one that politicians in Washington have been either exploiting or dodging, depending on the politics -- this change has to be driven by people like you. Washington won't act unless you lead. So if you're willing to do something about this critical issue, join our call for immigration reform now. Those who do will be part of our campaign to educate people on this issue and build the critical mass needed to make Washington act: http://my.democrats.org/Immigration-Reform In recent years, concerns about whether border security and enforcement were tough enough were among the greatest impediments to comprehensive reform. They are legitimate issues that needed to be addressed -- and over the past two years, we have made great strides in enhancing security and enforcement. We have more boots on the ground working to secure our southwest border than at any time in our history. We're going after employers who knowingly break the law. And we are deporting those who are here illegally. I know the increase in deportations has been a source of controversy, but I want to emphasize that we are focusing our limited resources on violent offenders and people convicted of crimes -- not families or people looking to scrape together an income. So we've addressed the concerns raised by those who have stood in the way of progress in the past. And now that we have, it's time to build an immigration system that meets our 21st-century economic needs and reflects our values both as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. Today, we provide students from around the world with visas to get engineering and computer science degrees at our top universities. But then our laws discourage them from using those skills to start a business or a new industry here in the United States. That just doesn't make sense. We also need to stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents -- and pass the DREAM Act so they can pursue higher education or become military service members in the country they know as home. We already know enormous economic benefits from the steady stream of talented and hardworking people coming to America. More than a century and a half ago, U.S. Steel's Andrew Carnegie was a 13-year-old brought here from Scotland by his family in search of a better life. And in 1979, a Russian family seeking freedom from Communism brought a young Sergey Brin to America -- where he would become a co-founder of Google. Through immigration, we've become an engine of the global economy and a beacon of hope, ingenuity and entrepreneurship. We should make it easier for the best and brightest not only to study here, but also to start businesses and create jobs here. That's how we'll win the future. Immigration is a complex issue that raises strong feelings. And as we push for long-overdue action, we're going to hear the same sort of ugly rhetoric that has delayed reform for years -- despite long and widespread recognition that our current system fails us all and hurts our economy. So you and I need to be the ones talking about this issue in the language of hope, not fear -- in terms of how we are made stronger by our differences, and can be made stronger still. Take a moment now to watch my El Paso speech and join this campaign for change: http://my.democrats.org/Immigration-Reform Thank you, Barack

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What do you think?

pacquiao -- As you may have heard, President Obama has nominated Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to be the next chair of the Democratic Party. Debbie is going to be a great champion for our party and our President. For more than 20 years, she has stood out as a proven leader, doing all she can to protect Medicare for America's seniors and create good jobs for Florida's workers. And guided by her experiences battling cancer, teaching at Broward Community College, and raising three young children, she understands the struggles Americans of every background confront each and every day. Now that she's bringing that energy to Democratic headquarters, she wants to hear from you. The next election will be unlike any we've ever known before, and in order to win, we'll need new and creative approaches. So we're putting together ideas for her about our plans for the future -- and we want to include yours. Please share your suggestions with our next chair. There's no denying it: We Democrats have our work cut out for us. Over the next year and a half, we need to re-elect the President, take back the House, and continue to fight for policies that help Americans in their daily lives. President Obama is right -- Debbie is the right leader for these challenges. She has the sharp mind we need in a chair -- and more importantly, she recognizes good ideas when she sees them. What issues do you think this party needs to tackle? What will it take for us to win new majorities in Congress? What do we need to do to give President Obama a second term? How can we make an impact in your state? Take a minute to send us your suggestions now so our new chair can read them on her first day: http://my.democrats.org/YourThoughts Thanks, Donna Donna Brazile Interim Chair Democratic National Committee

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