GOP’s top priority: Slash Medicare. WASHINGTON CONG. CAND. JASON RITTEREISER.

• David -- Over the holidays, I had the chance to sit down and read...responses to my priorities survey -- over and over, I saw that protecting Medicare and Social Security is a top concern in the 8th District.   No surprise there: for decades, millions of seniors have worked hard and paid into Medicare and Social Security, trusting the government to keep up its end of the bargain when they retired.    But Speaker Paul Ryan has made it clear that his top priority in 2018 is to gut these programs -- breaking a sacred promise to the American people.   If we’re going to stop the GOP from destroying Medicare and Social Security, we need to act now.  In 2017, Paul Ryan and Donald Trump rammed through massive tax cuts for big corporations and the super-rich. This year, they’re going to stick seniors with the bill by slashing Medicare and Social Security.   We can -- and must -- stop them. Here’s how: In November, we need to flip the 8th District and take back the House...we need to tell Republicans: NO cuts to Medicare and Social Security.   -- Jason

QUICK HITTERS. FOR THE PEOPLE...? PART 2.

The List from PART 1 gives us the REAL PICTURE OF WHAT IS CONSIDERED IMPORTANT TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ON A NATIONAL LEVEL. ( OR ISN'T IMPORTANT, TAKE YOUR PICK.)

It can also give us INSIGHT INTO WHY THEY ARE ANXIOUS TO DEMONIZE ENTIRE GROUPS OF HUMAN BEINGS, WHICH INCLUDES FELLOW AMERICANS WHO ARE GUILTY OF NOTHING.

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

REPUBLICANS DO NOT SUPPORT

ANYTHING ON THE LIST, EVEN THOUGH IT...

-  Gives different groups of AMERICAN CITIZENS 

RELIEF FROM SPECIFIC CAUSES OF ECONOMIC 

DISTRESS. ( UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE, RAISING

THE MINIMUM WAGE.)

-  Offers an OPPORTUNITY FOR COUPLES OF THE 

SAME GENDER, TO ENTER INTO A LEGAL AND MORAL

MARRIAGE CONTRACT. 

-  Expands or Creates Laws that Limit Campaign Spending, and

Discloses Lists of Prominent Donors.

-  Expands Gun Control Laws To:  REQUIRE BACKGROUND CHECKS,

LIMIT PRIVATE GUN SALES, RESTRICT THE SALE OF

AUTOMATIC WEAPONS. 

-  OFFERS REFUGE TO WAR VICTIMS, WHO ALREADY

HAVE TO PASS A COMPREHENSIVE BACKGROUND CHECK, AND

HAVE NEVER BEEN ACCUSED OF HARMING ANYONE.

QUESTION #1.

WHICH PART OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IS

HARMED BY ANY OF THESE?

IF SO, HOW, AND IS THE HARM ENOUGH TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT

THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ANY CITIZEN?

QUESTION #2.

DO ANY OF THESE ALLEVIATE HARDSHIP, OR CAUSE IT?

QUESTION #3.

WHO BENEFITS FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS LIST,

AND WHO SUFFERS?

QUESTION #4.

DOES THIS LIST VIOLATE ANY PORTION OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION,

IF SO, HOW?

QUESTION #5-  DO ANY OF THESE REMEDY PAST INJUSTICES,

OR ELIMINATE ANY INEQUALITIES FOUND IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, OR IN CIVIL LAW.?

??????

EMILY'S LIST. Our New Years Resolution: Target 598 state legislative seats.

David,

Happy New Year!

I hope you're ready to hit the ground running for 2018, because we've set some ambitious goals for the next 11 months — including recruiting women to run for 598 critical state legislative seats.

It's a huge undertaking, our biggest effort to remake the face of state politics ever. But I know this community is up to the challenge.

Our political landscape has changed so much since the beginning of 2017.

That's because of our history-making wins in state and local races over the past year — we turned several seats in areas Trump won blue and helped 11 women flip seats in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Those victories inspired us to go back to the map and look at which other seats we could target, and we landed on a whopping 598.

Electing pro-choice Democratic women to those seats will fundamentally alter the makeup of state legislatures — breaking up Republican supermajorities in some and entirely flipping others from red to blue.

And how we spend these next 11 months will be crucial to making this a reality.


Thanks,

Stephanie Schriock
President, EMILY's List.

THE YEAR AHEAD. Virginia Congressional Candidate JENNIFER WEXTON.

David, 2017 was a challenging year. But as I look back on the last 12 months, I think first of the resilience grassroots Democrats...exhibited. From the Women’s Marches across the country last January to the outpouring of grassroots support for campaigns like ours, concerned Americans came together last year to stand up for our values and resist Donald Trump’s dangerous agenda. Protesters raised their voices and helped defeat the first Republican health care bill.  Voters here in Virginia elected Ralph Northam governor in a sweeping Democratic wave. In Alabama, they elected a Democratic senator for the first time in 25 years. So, David, 2017 was hard. But we accomplished so much together. Now we need to build on this progress. And as I look forward to the year ahead, I know my 2018 resolution: Defeat Barbara Comstock. It’s not going to be easy -- she’s an entrenched incumbent with the Republican establishment and special interests propping her up. We’re going to have to fight every day to win. ...I surpassed my end-of-year fundraising goal last night, and we’re heading into the New Year strong.  Thank you, Jennifer.