September 20, 2013 GOP Holds Federal Government Hostage This week, the DNC communications shop released

the following video and memo blasting Republicans for their dangerous plans to shut down the government and default on our obligations. Republicans in Congress are so focused on undermining President Obama and his health care law that they are willing to risk the economic wellbeing of the US and world economies unless they get exactly what they want. The GOP plan to shut down the government and default on the US governments obligations is reckless and would be disastrous for the American people.

Todays Republican/Tea Party: Shutdown, Default or Defund This week, the GOPs civil war ended and the Tea Party won. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell waved the white flag of surrender, throwing their support behind the irresponsible and dangerous Tea Party plans that would drive the economy off a cliff. Now that the party is united; the debate within the GOP has been relegated to which vehicle Republicans want to use a government shutdown or a default on our obligations. And why are they threatening to devastate the economy? So they can gut ObamaCare and put insurance companies back in the drivers seat of our health care. Their plan would result in bringing back insurance companies ability to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, allow insurers to charge women more and kick young people off their families plans. If they got what they really wanted and repealed ObamaCare it would increase the deficit by $109 billion dollars. Despite clear evidence that it's bad policy and bad politics, Republicans in Washington have made these plans the centerpiece of their fall obstruction agenda. Congressional Republicans are so focused on undermining the President

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and his legislative agenda that they are willing to risk harming the economy, even if it they hurt the economic wellbeing of ordinary Americans in the process. These kinds of partisan stunts are not what the American people want; they are looking for elected leaders to put ideology aside and find common ground. This week the Tea Party won and the American people lost. Dont take our word for it see below for just a few examples of Republicans being called out for handing over the power of governing to the Tea Party and playing reckless games with the financial security of our country. HEADLINE: The GOP's Reckless Bet Republicans eager for a fight need to realize that some things are not to be trifled with. A nation that does not pay its bills and fails to meet its obligations for spending is hardly following a conservative approach to fiscal policy. [National Journal, 9/19/13] HEADLINE: Pressed From His Right, Speaker Yields on a Budget Showdown Speaker John A. Boehner waved the white flag on Wednesday, surrendering to demands from his right flank that he tie money to keep the government open after Sept. 30 to stripping President Obamas health care law of any financing. [New York Times, 9/18/13] HEADLINE: Analysis: House Republicans go for broke in fiscal battles Another down-to-the-wire fight, potentially more toxic than usual, is rapidly shaping up in the U.S. Congress as conservatives prepare to exploit looming fiscal deadlines to derail President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform law. [Reuters, 9/13/13] HEADLINE: How the Tea Party is winning the GOP fight over ObamaCare It looks like the Tea Party just won round one. [The Week, 9/18/13] HEADLINE: The Movement Strikes Back For the tea-party coalition and its leaders, its a triumphant return to power inside the Beltway . . . . Republican leadership, which initially shrugged off the defunding cry, now faces a flush and angry grassroots operation. [National Journal, 9/17/13] HEADLINE: House GOP doubles down on losing bet There are about 30 Republicans a minority, but enough to stymie legislation who have stood firm against legislation that doesnt affirmatively defund Obamacare. Their sights are now shifting to the debt ceiling, and some are beginning to say they are willing to ignore the implications of hitting the borrowing limit. [Politico, 9/19/13] HEADLINE: ObamaCare foes taking hostages: Our view Republicans' obsession with overturning ObamaCare is getting sillier and more dangerous at the same time. Now that they've failed to kill the law every way the rules allow in Congress, the Supreme Court and in a presidential election the opponents are taking hostages and, in effect, threatening to shoot them if they don't get their way. [USA Today, 9/20/13]

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DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultzs Statement on House Vote to Cut Obamacare or Shut the Government Down On Friday, following the House vote on a bill that will result in a government shutdown unless the Affordable Care Act is cut, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement: This was a shameful vote that risks a government shutdown just to stop millions of Americans from having access to quality, affordable health care. This vote proved what weve already known for some time: The Tea Party has won the civil war for supremacy within the Republican Party. The far-right faction thats calling the shots in todays GOP is so focused on undermining President Obama that theyre willing to drive the nation over the cliff. The only question now is what car these legislators will use: Will they force a government shutdown? Or, worse, will they force the U.S. to default on its obligations? Congressional Republicans have embarked on this course despite hearing from economists, as well as from business leaders and Americans across the country, from across the political spectrum, that a default or a shutdown would be a devastating blow to the economy and hurt the wellbeing of ordinary Americans.

President Obama Honors Lives Lost at Navy Yard On Monday, President Obama honored the victims of the tragic events at the Washington Navy Yard. The mass shooting took the lives of 12 civilians and military members. In his remarks, President Obama offered words of consolation to those affected by the tragedy. President Obama said: Its a shooting that targeted our military and civilian personnel. These are men and women who were going to work, doing their job, protecting all of us. Theyre patriots, and they know the dangers of serving abroad -- but today, they faced unimaginable violence that they wouldn't have expected here at home. So we offer our gratitude to the Navy and local law enforcement, federal authorities, and the doctors whove responded with skill and bravery. Ive made it clear to my team that I want the investigation to be seamless, so that federal and local authorities are working together. And as this investigation moves forward, we will do everything in our power to make sure whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible. In the meantime, we send our thoughts and prayers to all at the Navy Yard whove been touched by this tragedy. We thank them for their service. We stand with the families of those whove been harmed. Theyre going to need our love and support. And as we learn more about the courageous Americans who died today -- their lives, their families, their patriotism -- we will honor their service to the nation they helped to make great. And obviously, we're going to be investigating thoroughly what happened, as we do so many of these shootings, sadly, that have happened, and do everything that we can to try to prevent them. Watch President Obamas remarks here.

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Republican 2016ers Flock to Michigan Republican Party Conference This weekend Bobby Jindal, Scott Walker, Karl Rove and Rand Paul will attend the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference in Michigan. As they head to Michigan its important to remember what they thought of President Obama's decision to help Michigan when it was in trouble. Just 4 years ago, Americas auto industry was on the verge of collapse but President Obama refused to let them go bust despite staunch opposition from many of the same Republicans who will descend on Michigan for the Michigan Republican Partys annual retreat this weekend. While they are there hoping no one will remember how they turned their backs on the American people, President Obama will be in Claycomo, Missouri, visiting a Ford plant to highlight the auto recovery and how it has helped our broader economic recovery. Today, the American auto industry is once again thrivingthanks to President Obama's leadership, and certainly no thanks to these extreme Republican leaders. Ahead of Jindal, Walker, Rove and Pauls trip to Michigan the DNC released the following video:

Watch: "Welcome to Michigan: Mackinac 2013" As an additional response, Michigan Democratic State Party Chair Lon Johnson wrote an op-ed published in the Detroit News: GOP owes Michigan answers on auto rescue Detroit News//Lon Johnson Just over four years ago, these were the stories coming out of Americas auto industry: Jobs cut by the hundreds of thousands; GM and Chrysler looking at liquidation; and the prospect of the end of an industry that once built the cars that were the envy of the world. But today, President Obama is in Claycomo, Mo., just outside of Kansas City, to visit a reenergized Ford plant and highlight how much Americas auto industry has recovered. What will you hear from him? Perhaps that the U.S. auto market is set for a fifth straight year of growth. That the North American auto industry is expanding faster than it has since 1950. And, according to a Bloomberg report this week, that GM, Chrysler and Ford are fielding some of their best passenger cars in a generation. The American auto industry is once again a world leader. Click here to read the rest of the op-ed.

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A Nation of Immigrants: President Obama Recognizes Citizenship Day 2013 This week, President Obama commemorated National Constitution Day and Citizenship Day as more than 18,000 people were welcomed officially as American citizens. The President attended the naturalization ceremony of 24 active duty service members to mark the occasion on September 17th. The celebration brought focus to a renewed push for immigration reform which the President supports and spoke in the Rose Garden at the White House. President Obama said:

"We are a proud Nation of immigrants, home to a long line of aspiring citizens who contributed to their communities, founded businesses, or sacrificed their livelihoods so they could pass a brighter future on to their children. Each year on Citizenship Day, we welcome the newest members of the American family as they pledge allegiance to our Constitution and join us in writing the next chapter of our national story.
Throughout our history, immigrants have embraced the spirit of liberty, equality, and justice for all -- the same ideals that stirred the patriots of 1776 to rise against an empire, guided the Framers as they built a stronger republic, and moved generations to bridge our founding promise with the realities of our time." Click here to read the Presidents Proclamation on Constitution Day, Citizenship Day, and Constitution Week, 2013.

Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month On Thursday, Annette Taddeo-Goldstein, DNC Executive Committee Member, Vice Chair of the Florida Democratic Party and Chair of the Miami-Dade Democrats authored an op-ed honoring Hispanic Heritage Month which began on September 15th. Taddeo-Goldstein highlighted the ongoing work of the Democratic Party to improve the lives of American Hispanics and repeated how the Hispanic community plays an important part in shaping Americas diverse and rich history. Opinion: The future of America is linked to our communitys future NBC Latino // Annette Taddeo-Goldstein The story of Hispanics in America is the story of America itself. The Latino communitys values love of family, a deep and abiding faith, and a strong work ethic are Americas values. During National Hispanic Heritage Month, we take time to celebrate the importance of the Hispanic community to the fabric of the United States, from the early settlers of the New World to those reaching for the American Dream today. As a Hispanic-American myself, I am proud to be part of a greater community and even prouder to do so as a member of the Democratic Party that is working to advance and improve the lives of Hispanics nationwide. For me, being a Democrat is an easy decision. Time and time again, Democrats have fought for the issues that have affected my community and Hispanic communities across the country. Securing affordable health care, finding jobs to

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support our families, ensuring there are good public schools in every neighborhood, and fighting for commonsense immigration reform are all things that are important to Hispanic communities. When Democrats stand up for these issues, I know that I am doing my conscience justice. Thankfully, President Obama has made each of these issues a priority during his presidency. On March 23, 2010, he made history by signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, into law. The law ensures all Americans have access to free preventative services, lowers health insurance costs so families can save more, ensures greater affordable choices, and puts a stronger focus on minority health by elevating the National Center for Minority Healthwhich monitors and protects the health needs of minority communities. Because of the Affordable Care Act, 10.2 million uninsured Latino Americans will now have the opportunity to get affordable health insurance coverage. Because of the law, an estimated 8.2 million Latino Americans with private insurance now have access to expanded preventive services with no cost-sharing. These services include well-child visits, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, Pap tests and mammograms for women, and flu shots for children and adults. For Hispanics, Obamacare is life changing because our community has higher uninsured rates than any other racial or ethnic group. Right here in Florida, 580,000 Latinos are now eligible to enroll in a health exchange on October 1st because of the new law. Our community only thrives when we are healthy and well, and the Presidents historic health care legislation reflects this. Similarly, President Obamas Administration is dedicated to ensuring America remains a land of opportunity for all. Although he came into office during the worst recession our country has seen since the Great Depression, President Obama guaranteed he would make jobs a priority. Immediately after taking office, he signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which the Congressional Budget Office said increased employment by as many as 3.5 million jobs, and a Center on Budget and Policy Priority study said kept over 2 million Hispanics out of poverty. Today, with more than 40 months of positive job growth behind us, he is working to fulfill his promise. Our economic strength depends on the success of Hispanic families across our country, and the President is determined to put workers of all backgrounds back on the job to rebuild and modernize America, while helping small businesses grow and creating pathways to employment. As President Obama has said If we want America to lead in the 21st century, nothing is more important than giving everyone the best education possible from the day they start preschool to the day they start their career. Today, Hispanic students make up the largest minority group in our public schools, where more than 1 in 5 students in our elementary, middle, and high schools are Hispanic. And while there is still substantial work to do, significant progress has been made during the Obama Administration. More Hispanics are enrolling in college now than ever before. Latinos are now the largest minority group on all college campuses, in both two-year and four-year universities, comprising 16.5 percent of all graduate and undergraduate students in 2011. The Hispanic high school dropout rate continues to fall. And since President Obama has made college more affordable by doubling Pell Grants and raising the maximum award to $5,975, an additional 725,000 Latino students have now received Pell Grants since the President came into office. Click here to read the full op-ed online. Aside from Taddeo-Goldsteins op-ed, the Miami-Dade Democrats responded to the GOPs video honoring Hispanic Heritage month, but failing to mention their attempts to defund Obamacare or derail comprehensive immigration reform. As a response they released a video which highlighted what the Republicans conveniently avoided in their video, and showed the right way to honor Hispanic members of our communities.

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In the States See below for a look at this weeks news from states across the country. In Virginia this week, Democratic candidate for governor, Terry McAuliffe received the endorsement of the Republican Mayor of Virginia Beach, Will Sessons, while the Republican candidate Ken Cuccinelli campaigned with the Tea Party and right wing radio host Mark Levin. It is clear that Cuccinellis support keeps moving further and further right as he caters to the extremists in his party. As a response the Democratic National Committee released a memo on Cuccinellis extremist views. In Ohio this week, Democrats called on Ohios Republican Governor John Kasich to urge Speaker Boehner to work to avert a government shutdown. Kasich has said previously that helping to engineer the 1995 federal government shutdown was one of the greatest moments of his career. This week, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper worked with FEMA and the federal government to execute a quick, effective response to the devastating floods which have hit the state. As the Denver post writes, While Gov. John Hickenlooper's first priority continues to be search-and-rescues in hard-hit flood areas, he said Monday the state already is looking at how it going to recover and rebuild. To read the full article and more on the Governors efforts click here. In New Hampshire this week, the State Party hit back on GOP Senatorial Candidate Jim Rubens offensive comments that he made about women in 2009 saying working women cause men to commit mass shootings. To show these offensive comments and highlight how out of touch Rubens is with New Hampshire voters and values, the New Hampshire Democratic Party released a memo with his full statement here. This week Chris Christie threw in his lot with the type of Republicans who are set on shutting down the government and defaulting on our obligations. As a response, the Democratic National Committee released a memo to show voters that, while Christie claims to be a moderate, he supports extremist members of his party who will continue to have his backing as long as he is in office.

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