Latest news with #Democrat-aligned
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tester, Weintraub join Democratic organization to counter corruption
Former Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont) and ex-Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chair Ellen Weintraub are officially joining the Democratic nonprofit group End Citizens United on Tuesday to help fight corruption and get big money out of politics, The Hill has learned. Both Tester and Weintraub will work at End Citizens United, a group that advocates for campaign finance reform, as senior fellows. The pair will be doing press interviews, writing op-eds, helping advise on legislation and participating in town halls and other public events across the country. 'We know that they're both going to use their unique set of experiences to help educate Americans on the unprecedented levels of corruption that we're seeing today, each of them brings a little bit different experience,' End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller said in an interview with The Hill. Tester, a three-term senator who lost his reelection bid to businessman and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy (R) in November, formally joined MSNBC in May as a political analyst. Last week, the former senator also joined Unite the Country, a Democrat-aligned super PAC, where he will work as a senior adviser. The outside group spent nearly $3.6 million in supporting Democratic presidential nominees, initially former President Biden and later ex-Vice President Kamala Harris, during the 2024 election cycle, according to FEC records. 'If we want a government that listens to working people — not just billionaires and corporate CEOs — we have to crack down on corruption and the role of big money in our elections. I've seen firsthand just how corrupting Citizens United has been on our government,' Tester said in a statement. 'Too many politicians are focused on raising money and keeping their biggest donors happy instead of addressing the struggles of regular folks.' In early 2010, the Supreme Court struck down the independent expenditure blockade for unions and corporations. The amount of money in politics has exploded since, especially as other court rulings have also eased campaign finance regulations. The spending by super PACs to influence elections has been on the upward trajectory, along with expenditures from so-called dark money groups, commonly nonprofits that are not obligated to disclose their donors. Dark money groups, including nonprofits and shell corporations, spent more than $1.9 billion during the 2024 election cycle, according to an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice that was published in early May. Weintraub, who was terminated by President Trump from the FEC in early February, said she will 'fight' for reforms that restore the 'laws and institutions designed to protect our democracy from corruption.' Weintraub was initially appointed to serve on the FEC's six-person commission by former President George W. Bush in 2002. Her term expired after five years, but no successor was appointed, which permitted her to continue being the 'acting' commissioner. She was the chair of the independent agency four times during her 23-year stint. 'I spent more than 20 years at the FEC fighting to enforce campaign finance laws and to protect our elections from corruption,' Weintraub stated. 'Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United unleashed unlimited money into our elections, supercharging the influence of billionaire donors.' The fellows have already done a handful of events around the country where they advocated for campaign-finance reforms. Tester and Muller held a roundtable discussion with Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo) in Aurora, Colo., on May 28, focusing on dark money. Later that day, Tester held a town hall with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). The event, at times, was disrupted by demonstrators protesting Israel's war in Gaza. Weintraub participated in a town hall with Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) on May 17. 'I think that this is all about building as many platforms as possible to get the messaging out about the corruption and chaos being caused by the Trump administration, the very real cost it is having on Americans' day-to-day lives, and how we all have to join together to fight back against it,' Muller said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Tester, Weintraub join Democratic organization to counter corruption
Former Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont) and ex-Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chair Ellen Weintraub are officially joining the Democratic nonprofit group End Citizens United on Tuesday to help fight corruption and get big money out of politics, The Hill has learned. Both Tester and Weintraub will work at End Citizens United, a group that advocates for campaign finance reform, as senior fellows. The pair will be doing press interviews, writing op-eds, helping advise on legislation and participating in town halls and other public events across the country. 'We know that they're both going to use their unique set of experiences to help educate Americans on the unprecedented levels of corruption that we're seeing today, each of them brings a little bit different experience,' End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller said in an interview with The Hill. Tester, a three-term senator who lost his reelection bid to businessman and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy (R) in November, formally joined MSNBC in May as a political analyst. Last week, the former senator also joined Unite the Country, a Democrat-aligned super PAC, where he will work as a senior adviser. The outside group spent nearly $3.6 million in supporting Democratic presidential nominees, initially former President Biden and later ex-Vice President Kamala Harris, during the 2024 election cycle, according to FEC records. 'If we want a government that listens to working people — not just billionaires and corporate CEOs — we have to crack down on corruption and the role of big money in our elections. I've seen firsthand just how corrupting Citizens United has been on our government,' Tester said in a statement. 'Too many politicians are focused on raising money and keeping their biggest donors happy instead of addressing the struggles of regular folks.' In early 2010, the Supreme Court struck down the independent expenditure blockade for unions and corporations. The amount of money in politics has exploded since, especially as other court rulings have also eased campaign finance regulations. The spending by super PACs to influence elections has been on the upward trajectory, along with expenditures from so-called dark money groups, commonly nonprofits that are not obligated to disclose their donors. Dark money groups, including nonprofits and shell corporations, spent more than $1.9 billion during the 2024 election cycle, according to an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice that was published in early May. Weintraub, who was terminated by President Trump from the FEC in early February, said she will 'fight' for reforms that restore the 'laws and institutions designed to protect our democracy from corruption.' Weintraub was initially appointed to serve on the FEC's six-person commission by former President George W. Bush in 2002. Her term expired after five years, but no successor was appointed, which permitted her to continue being the 'acting' commissioner. She was the chair of the independent agency four times during her 23-year stint. 'I spent more than 20 years at the FEC fighting to enforce campaign finance laws and to protect our elections from corruption,' Weintraub stated. 'Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United unleashed unlimited money into our elections, supercharging the influence of billionaire donors.' The fellows have already done a handful of events around the country where they advocated for campaign-finance reforms. Tester and Muller held a roundtable discussion with Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo) in Aurora, Colo., on May 28, focusing on dark money. Later that day, Tester held a town hall with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). The event, at times, was disrupted by demonstrators protesting Israel's war in Gaza. Weintraub participated in a town hall with Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) on May 17. 'I think that this is all about building as many platforms as possible to get the messaging out about the corruption and chaos being caused by the Trump administration, the very real cost it is having on Americans' day-to-day lives, and how we all have to join together to fight back against it,' Muller said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dems roll out ads hitting Republicans on Medicaid
Democrats are preparing to launch an ad war against Republicans over President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' House Majority Forward, the nonprofit affiliated with House Democratic leadership and House Majority PAC, will start running digital ads next week attacking House Republicans voting to cut Medicaid spending, according to a spokesperson for the group. The ads will appear in 25 battleground districts in California, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin. Protect Our Care, another Democrat-aligned group, has already spent $10 million on Medicaid-related TV ads in swing seats, and they're planning to expand on that ad buy next week, according to a person directly familiar with the decision who was granted anonymity to speak freely. Unrig Our Economy, another Democratic group, is already airing a radio ad attacking Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) for her vote to move the bill out of committee, and they're expected to run more ads like it against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.). 'The core argument in the midterms and the TLDR on this budget is it's the largest cut to Medicaid in history,' said Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist. 'As people find that out, they know it's not a nipping or tucking of the program, it's a fucking of the people on it.' Democrats see Republicans as vulnerable on the issue with their own base. In 2024, Trump built his winning coalition, in part, on growing support among working class voters across racial groups — a reality emphasized by Steve Bannon, Trump's former adviser, who warned Republicans in February to be careful around Medicaid cuts because there are 'a lot of MAGAs on Medicaid.' A Morning Consult analysis found that Trump won more Medicaid beneficiaries, 49 percent, than Kamala Harris, who won 47 percent of them. Trump told Republican House members this week to not 'fuck around with Medicaid.' 'They're trying to appeal to working class voters, and they've been successful at it, but the real world consequences are going to start hitting those voters and I think it'll hurt Republicans badly,' said Mike Lux, a Democratic consultant who focuses on working class voters. 'For the Republican Party, in the long run, it's going to be very hard to appeal to working class voters if their Medicaid gets cut.' Republicans, for their part, plan to cast the bill as protecting the program for deserving recipients while reducing fraud and spending for undocumented immigrants. The domestic policy megabill passed by House Republicans on Thursday would move the start date of Medicaid work requirements from Jan. 1, 2029 to Dec. 31, 2026. It would also put more restrictions on states that offer coverage to undocumented people, including potential cuts to federal funding. The National Republican Congressional Committee said Friday it is launching ads targeting Democrats in 25 battlegrounds over the spending bill — not mentioning Medicaid but accusing Democrats of voting for 'the largest U.S. tax hike in generations' to pay for 'freebies' for undocumented immigrants. 'National Democrats' tired, baseless playbook of Medicaid attacks continues to fall flat because all they have to show the American people are distractions instead of results,' said Mike Marinella, a spokesperson for the NRCC. 'House Democrats just provided Republicans a midterm sledgehammer with their vote, and we will make sure voters across the country know they're putting criminal illegal immigrants over vulnerable Americans.' Running on health care is a familiar playbook for Democrats, who won the House back in 2018 by primarily attacking Republicans for their efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. But even Democrats acknowledge the issue isn't a panacea for them. Some of the changes to Medicaid — like enacting work requirements — won't take place until after this midterms, which could make them less salient to voters. 'I always think that arguments you want to make about bad things Republicans are doing actually has to be something they've really done, and that people really feel it,' said Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster. Still, she said, 'There's been a misconception over the years that it is less popular than Social Security and Medicare because it is a program for poor people. That it is some pay welfare program. And that's just not true.' Andrew Howard contributed to this report.
Politico
23-05-2025
- Business
- Politico
Dems roll out ads hitting Republicans on Medicaid
Democrats are preparing to launch an ad war against Republicans over President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' House Majority Forward, the nonprofit affiliated with House Democratic leadership and House Majority PAC, will start running digital ads next week attacking House Republicans voting to cut Medicaid spending, according to a spokesperson for the group. The ads will appear in 25 battleground districts in California, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin. Protect Our Care, another Democrat-aligned group, has already spent $10 million on Medicaid-related TV ads in swing seats, and they're planning to expand on that ad buy next week, according to a person directly familiar with the decision who was granted anonymity to speak freely. Unrig Our Economy, another Democratic group, is already airing a radio ad attacking Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) for her vote to move the bill out of committee, and they're expected to run more ads like it against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.). 'The core argument in the midterms and the TLDR on this budget is it's the largest cut to Medicaid in history,' said Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist. 'As people find that out, they know it's not a nipping or tucking of the program, it's a fucking of the people on it.' Democrats see Republicans as vulnerable on the issue with their own base. In 2024, Trump built his winning coalition, in part, on growing support among working class voters across racial groups — a reality emphasized by Steve Bannon, Trump's former adviser, who warned Republicans in February to be careful around Medicaid cuts because there are 'a lot of MAGAs on Medicaid.' A Morning Consult analysis found that Trump won more Medicaid beneficiaries, 49 percent, than Kamala Harris, who won 47 percent of them. Trump told Republican House members this week to not 'fuck around with Medicaid.' 'They're trying to appeal to working class voters, and they've been successful at it, but the real world consequences are going to start hitting those voters and I think it'll hurt Republicans badly,' said Mike Lux, a Democratic consultant who focuses on working class voters. 'For the Republican Party, in the long run, it's going to be very hard to appeal to working class voters if their Medicaid gets cut.' Republicans, for their part, plan to cast the bill as protecting the program for deserving recipients while reducing fraud and spending for undocumented immigrants. The domestic policy megabill passed by House Republicans on Thursday would move the start date of Medicaid work requirements from Jan. 1, 2029 to Dec. 31, 2026. It would also put more restrictions on states that offer coverage to undocumented people, including potential cuts to federal funding. The National Republican Congressional Committee said Friday it is launching ads targeting Democrats in 25 battlegrounds over the spending bill — not mentioning Medicaid but accusing Democrats of voting for 'the largest U.S. tax hike in generations' to pay for 'freebies' for undocumented immigrants. 'National Democrats' tired, baseless playbook of Medicaid attacks continues to fall flat because all they have to show the American people are distractions instead of results,' said Mike Marinella, a spokesperson for the NRCC. 'House Democrats just provided Republicans a midterm sledgehammer with their vote, and we will make sure voters across the country know they're putting criminal illegal immigrants over vulnerable Americans.' Running on health care is a familiar playbook for Democrats, who won the House back in 2018 by primarily attacking Republicans for their efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. But even Democrats acknowledge the issue isn't a panacea for them. Some of the changes to Medicaid — like enacting work requirements — won't take place until after this midterms, which could make them less salient to voters. 'I always think that arguments you want to make about bad things Republicans are doing actually has to be something they've really done, and that people really feel it,' said Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster. Still, she said, 'There's been a misconception over the years that it is less popular than Social Security and Medicare because it is a program for poor people. That it is some pay welfare program. And that's just not true.' Andrew Howard contributed to this report.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Honestly, I Am So Sick of Hearing Democrats Apologize for Their Joe Biden Mistake
Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. At the risk of saying something massively controversial, Joe Biden was too old to run for president in 2024. This opinion was held by millions of Americans en masse during the lengthy preamble to the campaign—understandable, given how the incumbent appeared pallid, doddering, and unsettlingly fragile in his duties as head of state. But, nonetheless, elected Democrats and Democrat-aligned media alike held on to the idea that this octogenarian had some gas left in the tank, so long as he could stand upright. The charade ended during the first presidential debate—where a visibly mummified Biden claimed, among other things, to have 'defeated Medicare'—while Trump turned in an uncharacteristically subdued performance. It was officially Joever, and everyone knew it. Since then, the president's decline, and the (frankly, ongoing) cover-up by abetting aides and family members, has been one of the hottest stories in America. The minute-to-minute particularities of his enfeeblement have been covered with salacious glee, reaching an apogee this week with the release of Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's book about the grim pantomiming going on behind the scenes during the final acts of Biden's presidency. This, combined with the disclosure that the 82-year-old is suffering from an aggressive form of prostate cancer, is bringing about a fitting end to one of the macabre sagas in American history. How has the liberal establishment responded to the crisis? By telling us, ad nauseum, how stupid they are. I mean listen to these guys. Here is Beto O'Rourke solemnly telling Pod Save America that Democrats must admit that they 'fucked up, and made a terrible mistake.' Here is California's Rep. Ro Khanna with some contrition of his own, asserting that it was 'painfully obvious' that Biden shouldn't have run again, and that he and his colleagues 'must acknowledge this truth to regain the trust of the American people.' Sen. Chris Murphy told Politico that there was 'no doubt' that the president suffered 'cognitive decline' in office. 'Clearly, in retrospect, we should have done something different,' he added. A similar attitude is pervading liberal media, especially CNN, which employs the tell-all's author. Van Jones is calling for a flat-out apology brigade from the party, conjuring images of a rowdy town hall chucking rotten tomatoes and beer bottles at, like, Amy Klobuchar. Look, I understand this inclination. The Democratic Party's cultural status has rarely been worse, and the radioactive unpopularity of Biden—undergirded by his atrophying cognition—is a major element of that swoon. But you know what? As someone who never liked Biden all that much, and thought he was way too old to run for the presidency in 2020 (much less 2024!), allow me to say my piece: Isn't all of this self-flagellation a little much? Maybe even embarrassing? Of all the sentiments I'd like to be hearing from Democrats right now, a reminder that they think themselves to be utterly useless has to be at the very bottom of the list. To be clear, if there is any hope of all of us existing in a shared reality again, the acknowledgment that Biden was rapidly accelerating toward incompetence should become the orthodox stance taken by all elected Democratic officials. But that does not mean such a concession needs to be conjoined with this attitude of perpetual, institutionalized failure. The reasons for this are twofold. First, and most important, the idea that the public will reward this prostration with a raft of goodwill is completely bunk, and utterly out of sync with the rules of engagement as we understand them in 2025. (There is a reason Donald Trump never admits defeat!) I don't know how the Democrats can rehabilitate their image either, but an extremely needy apology campaign—reinforcing their national character as a band of gullible morons most comfortable when they're losing, afraid to do anything that could be considered bold until there are absolutely zero stakes—is not the path forward. How much moral territory can possibly be ceded when huge portions of the United States government are controlled by former Fox News anchors and TV doctors? How have the Democrats suddenly become the party handcuffed by absolute fealty to a party leader? Especially when, if I remember correctly, Biden was unceremoniously booted from the ticket over the summer once his brain started leaking from his nose for all to see? Second, if this is the great tentpole issue Democrats intend to brandish in 2028—a suite of insurgent new candidates who boldly believe that Joe Biden was too old—then we are completely screwed. Congratulations! You're joining a consensus shared by everyone else in the United States. Do you have any other ideas for how you would like your party to be understood? Plans for a more humane health care system? A substantive effort to reduce the gargantuan cost of living? Or, I don't know, any signs of breaking with Israel's psychotic Gaza offensive? You know, the many other things that made Biden, regardless of his age, an extremely unpopular president? If the party thinks the problems with its brand begin and end with the brittle timbre of an 82-year-old's voice, then it might never win a national election ever again.
