President Obama Opposes Discrimination: Gay Marriage Should Be Legal President Obama revealed today, "I think that it's important for me to affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married." While the president has made great progress on ensuring civil rights for LGBT Americans, including repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell, banning job discrimination in federal hiring and expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation, his endorsement of civil unions was not quite the same as support for gay marriage. He has finally made such support clear, citing his conversation with staff members, gay servicemen and women and even members of his own family as influencing his position.
Democrats fight for Tax Fairness Insisting that deficit reduction must mean that millionaires pay their fair share, Senate Democrats fought to pass the "Buffett rule" this week, which would ensure that millionaires pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes. The rule, named for billionaire Warren Buffett, is so named for a the fact that the super wealthy are often taxed at a rate less than working people who earn much less. Unfortunately, like many other pieces of important legislation, the rule went down once again to a Republican filibuster.
President Obama Targets Market Manipulation of Oil Prices President Obama urged Congress to tighten federal oversight of oil markets to prevent speculators from inflating prices. Among other restrictions, the president called on legislators to increase penalties for market manipulation and empower regulators to increase the amount of money energy traders are required to put behind their transactions. "We can't afford a situation where some speculators can reap millions while millions of American families get the short end of the stick," Obama said in remarks from the Rose Garden.
Happy Anniversary Obamacare! This month, the Affordable Care Act (or, as it is better known, "Obamacare") celebrates
its second anniversary. While it won't be fully implemented until 2014, the law is already
providing coverage to millions of young adults, providing seniors with major savings on
prescription drugs, boosting small businesses and offering new protection to those with
pre-existing conditions. Despite suffering a blizzard of misinformation, Obamacare is
working, delivering on the Democratic promise of ultimately providing each American with
quality, affordable health care.
Assembly votes to support overturning Citizens United Democrats in the California Assembly, led by local Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, have called
on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment overturning the controversial Citizens United
Supreme Court ruling. Asserting that corporations are people, the ruling has unleashed a storm
of unprecedented campaign spending by unregulated Super PACs. The bill, which received no
Republican votes, now passes to the State Senate.
President Obama talks values, slams bailout opponents in UAW speech In a "barn-burner" of a speech to United Auto Workers, President Obama strongly defended his bailout
of U.S. carmakers, lauding the resurgence of the American auto industry and slamming those (read: Mitt
Romney) who urged the country to "let Detroit go bankrupt." He also criticized the effort to demonize
workers as a "special interest," asking, "Since when are hardworking men and women special interests?
Since when is the idea that we look out for each other a bad thing?" According to the Center for
Automotive Research, the auto industry bailout saved or generated close to 1.5 million jobs.
Senate Democrats Defeat Controversial Birth Control Measure With Republicans in solid opposition, Senate Democrats defeated an amendment that would have
undone the new White House rule requiring insurance companies to cover contraceptives as free
preventative care. "Women and families across America can breathe a sigh of relief that this radical
amendment was blocked by Senate Democrats today," said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) California
Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer both voted against the amendment; the only Republican
to vote against it was Maine's Olympia Snowe, who just announced her retirement.
President Obama: Lower Deficit Through Tax Fairness President Obama laid out his vision for a second term in his budget request for the 2013 fiscal year. His plan envisions long-term investment in infrastructure and education as well as initiatives to spur new business and manufacturing activity. He also called for tax fairness by raising taxes on the very wealthy and closing corporate tax breaks for oil and gas companies.
Dems Fight GOP Effort to Attach Birth Control Amendment to Highway Bill Senator Barbara Boxer vowed to use her chairmanship of the Environment and Public Works Committee to fight a Republican attempt to attach an anti-birth control amendment to national highway legislation. The amendment, allowing employers to deny insurance coverage for anything that might conflict with their "religious beliefs and moral convictions," is designed to counter President Obama's insistence that insurers provide contraception free of co-pays as a preventative service. Said Senator Boxer, "In 2012, I stand here in complete amazement that in a country known for its medical breakthroughs and advancements, Republicans would have us go back to the medical dark ages."
Obama Proposes Mortgage Relief for Struggling Homeowners In his latest effort to bring relief to homeowners, President Obama has proposed helping struggling borrowers lower their monthly payments by allowing them to refinance their mortgages at today's historically low interest rates. The program would be paid for by imposing a tax on financial firms' profits. Republicans have promised to oppose the plan.
CFPB Up and Running The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, long fought by Republicans, has hit the ground running. Even before its new chief, Richard Cordray, finally took office last month, the bureau was inundated with consumer complaints, mostly about credit cards and mortgage fraud. According to the bureau's first semi-annual report to Congress, more than half of the over 13,000 complaints received so far have been settled "with relief." Cordray has said he will move quickly to ramp up the bureau's operations.
President Obama Calls for Tax Fairness In his fourth State of the Union speech, President Barack Obama drew a sharp distinction between those who have suffered during the current economic meltdown and those who are fighting to protect the status quo. Calling for tax reform that would require millionaires to pay at least 30 percent in income taxes, he added, "you can call this class warfare all you want ... most Americans would call it common sense." The president also decried legislative obstructionism, championed a federal Financial Crimes Unit to crack down on large-scale fraud, and called for new infrastructure investment to rebuild America. Watch it here.
Governor Hails Bold Future in State of the State Address After a year of wrestling with the state budget, Governor Jerry Brown took time to outline a bold future for California in his annual State of the State speech. Hailing California's leadership in pioneering the green economy and going all-in for high-speed rail, Brown sketched out a confident tomorrow made possible by critical investments today. He called out Republicans for leaving the state with "unfinished business" by refusing to budge on temporary tax hikes, but reiterated his commitment to deal with the state's budget issues with a combination of cuts and new revenues. He also called for major education reform. The entire address can be found here.
President Obama welcomes home troops from Iraq: A Promise Kept
Governor Brown Lambastes Climate Change Deniers at California Academy of Sciences Conference Calling them climate change deniers "political lemmings" who are putting the future at risk, Governor Jerry Brown called for investment technologies that will blunt the effects of global warming. He noted that climate change in California has lengthened the fire season, quickened the snow melt, and placed undue burdens on an already overloaded public infrastructure.
U.S. to World: Gay Rights are Human Rights The Obama Administration announced that, going forward, how countries treat their gay citizens will be taken into account when it comes to foreign aid. In a speech following that announcement, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asserted, "Like being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights."
Obama Administration Proposes Wage Protection for Home Health Care Workers The White House moved to protect home health care workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which would finally provide them minimum wage and overtime protection. These workers, who spend long hours caring for the elderly and disabled, are predominantly women and minorities; almost 40 percent are reliant on Medicaid and food stamps.
DC Circuit Court Upholds Affordable Care Act A three-judge panel of the Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. ruled today that the essential
element of the Affordable Care Act, the individual health care mandate, is constitutional. The ruling is
significant, since the DC Circuit is considered the most important federal bench below the US Supreme
Court. Two judges, including conservative Lawrence Silberman, appointed by Ronald Reagan, voted to
uphold the law; a third, appointed by George W. Bush, would also have voted to uphold the law, but
argued that the court lacked the proper jurisdiction. The Supreme Court will decide whether to review
the Affordable Care Act later this week.
State Supreme Court Rejects GOP Redistricting Challenge California's Supreme Court unanimously rejected two Republican challenges to the new lines drawn by
the independent California Redistricting Commission. Claiming that the process had been "hijacked" by
partisans, Republicans decided to fight the new lines, once it became clear that the Democratic Party's
proportion of state voters would be accurately reflected in the commission's redistricting plan. Although
unanimously rejected by the court, state Republicans launched a signature-gathering effort to place
their challenge on the November 2012 ballot, fueled by a million-dollar check from Mercury Insurance
Chairman George Joseph. Joseph spent $8.1 million this summer to back another initiative allowing
insurance companies to hike rates for some customers.
GOP Blocks Vote on Money for Teachers and Firefighters Senate Republicans once again defeated Democratic efforts to get Americans working again, this time
filibustering a $35 billion aid package to states for hiring teachers and first responders. The bill was part
of President Obama's comprehensive jobs plan, which Republicans had previously rejected. Although
the proposal was deficit neutral, relying on a 0.5 percent surtax on millionaires to pay for it, such a
demand on the wealthy proved unacceptable to the GOP. A recent CNN poll indicated that 70 percent of
voters support the bill.
Jerry Brown Signs California DREAM Act Removing a barrier to college for thousands of high-achieving, but undocumented, students, Governor
Jerry Brown signed the California DREAM Act as one of hundreds of bills signed at the end of the
legislative session. "Going to college is a dream that promises intellectual excitement and creative
thinking," Brown said in a statement. "The Dream Act benefits us all by giving top students a chance to
improve their lives and the lives of all of us."
Vote No on Measure B San Jose's Measure B is an illegal attempt to overturn collectively bargained pension benefits for city employees.
If it passes, it will cost the city millions. Vote NO on Measure B.
Local Election Endorsements The Santa Clara County Democratic Party has endorsed candidates for San Jose City Council and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Click the link above to see the complete list.
Learn How the California Democratic Party is Organized The Santa Clara County Democratic Party's governing body is the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee, made up of elected
delegates. Learn how SCCDP fits into the State Party structure by watching a short
video.
California Democratic Party Convention The 2012 California Democratic Party Convention was held in San Diego Feb. 10-12. Highlights included speeches by Senator Al Franken (Minnesota), Governor Brown, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, and Attorney General Kamala Harris. Watch all the videos at cademconvention.org.
California Democratic Party Supports the Occupy/99% Movement The Santa Clara County Democratic Party and California Democratic Party have passed resolutions in support of the 99% movement. We call for adequate regulation of the financial industry and
Wall Street speculators, reversing the catastrophic slide of income inequality and halting the implementation of
austerity-driven economic policies. See this and other State Party resolutions here.
See our Calendar for a summary of upcoming events.
Watch Democratic Television Host Steve Preminger talks with Steve Kline, candidate for San Jose City Council in District 6, about his background, his thoughts on the state of the city, and his vision for the future.
Join one of our Great Democratic Clubs There is a club for every interest and every part of the county.
Using our request form, you can contact clubs of interest and request information.
Become a Permanent Absentee Voter The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters and Democratic Party urge you to become a permanent absentee
voter. By doing so, you will always get a ballot mailed directly to your home 4 weeks before each election.
This will save you time taken to go to the polls on election day and make voting easy.
Your Elected Democrats Santa Clara County has elected leaders that are committed to progressive values of fairness,
opportunity, environmental protection, open government, and educational excellence. See our list
of great Democrats leading the way locally.
California Democratic Party's Platform The 2010 California Democratic Party platform was adopted at the State Convention
in Los Angeles in April. The platform contains the party's view on economic, social,
and foreign policy issues.
The Road We've Traveled "Not since the days of Franklin Roosevelt had so much fallen on the shoulders of one president." It can be hard to remember just how dire a situation Barack Obama inherited when he took office January, 2009. Two wars, an economy on the verge of collapse - presidential historian Michael Beschloss has argued that President Obama actually entered office with the hardest job of any incoming president in modern American history. Three years later, Americans are benefitting from real reforms in health care and on Wall Street, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are winding down, Osama bin Laden is gone, and the economy is finally regaining its footing. The documentary film above, narrated by Tom Hanks, demonstrates that, although there is much more to be done, it's worth taking a look back to see how far we have come.
