A group of Democratic donors have announced they will withhold some of their financial support from President Obama’s re-election campaign for not speaking out more about climate change. The group of roughly 100 political donors say Obama should directly address mocking by Republican rival Mitt Romney on climate change last week during his acceptance speech in Tampa. President Obama is also being urged to use his acceptance speech tonight to reaffirm his 2008 campaign promise to aggressively tackle climate change. We’re joined by Betsy Taylor, political consultant and president of Breakthrough Strategies & Solutions. She is working with the donors who are threatening to withhold support.
The celebratory mood in Charlotte was on display Tuesday night as thousands of delegates kicked off the Democratic National Convention and millions watched on TV. But the political party continues beyond what the public sees on prime time broadcasts or even inside the convention center. There are exclusive events underway that range from corporate-sponsored parties hosted by the powerful Democratic Governors Association to a Super-O-Rama party hosted by the the three top Democratic super PACs, where the recommended contribution starts at $25,000. We’re joined by the Sunlight Foundation‘s Liz Bartolomeo, who has been keeping an eye on the hundreds of events reserved for big donors and powerful figures.
Speakers include Karen Lewis (Chicago Teachers Union), William McNary (Citizen Action/Illinois), Matt Brandon (SEIU Local 73), Henry Bayer (AFSCME Council 31), Nick Sposato (Alderman, 36th Ward), Mack Julion (National Association of Letter Carriers-Local Branch #11 Chicago ), Robert Reiter (Chicago Federation of Labor), Jitu Brown (Kenwood Oakland Community Organization), Jan Rodolfo (National Nurses United), and Mike Shields (Fraternal Order of Police),
In Southern Spain, Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo, mayor of the small town of Marinaleda, is helping organize a growing protest movement against the austerity measures imposed by the Spanish government. Sánchez Gordillo and the landless peasants that follow him are at the forefront of demonstrations seeking a radical change in the country’s economic policies in response to the country’s worsening crisis.
The Republican party has a problem and his name is Ron Paul. The libertarian politician’s supporters are some of the most earnest and zealous members of the GOP’s current grassroots base, but at last week’s convention in Tampa, the party did everything in its power to quiet some of their more radical small-government critiques. Watch the full video with JoAnn Wypijewski to learn more about how the politics of the Paul delegates could soon lead to a split within the Republican party.
Cheryl Randecker, Sensata worker whose job is being outsourced. Aside from his offshore tax havens – Romney also wants people to ignore what’s happening at a factory in Freeport, Illinois. That factory belongs to Sensata Technologies – or at least it did – until Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital took it over. And with Bain Capital in charge – all 170 workers at that factory are about to lose their jobs. Over the last few months – Sensata workers have been watching chunks of their factory packaged up and shipped off to China – and all their jobs will be following suit by the end of the year thanks to a decision made by Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital. Romney doesn’t want you to know this is happening – especially since he’s running as the guy who will create 12 million AMERICAN jobs in his first term. But those workers at Sensata do want you to know what’s going on.
