Tag Archives: RSS Alexi Giannoulias

Blog, News: Giannoulias Pulls All Negative Ads for Final Week of Campaign

October 28, 2010 – 12:06 am

Wow — refreshing!

With six days remaining in the race, Congressman Kirk has pulled his one positive television ad and has gone completely negative, with more than $2 million in false, misleading attack ads.

In stark contrast, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias has gone completely positive for the final week with an ad that features President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, his mother and workers from Hartmarx, with each of them noting his compassion and character.

“Just as Alexi has gone with a purely positive television ad in the final week of the campaign, we learned today that Congressman Kirk pulled his positive commercial and is spending more than $2 million on false, negative ads that have been denounced as smears by independent fact check organizations,” said campaign spokesman Scott Burnham. ”Instead of focusing on the issues, Congressman Kirk has a record he can’t defend. That’s why Congressman Kirk, the Republican party, Karl Rove and the Chamber of Commerce are spending nearly $5 million on negative and misleading attack ads this week.”

Learn more about Alexi Giannoulias.

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Blog: Do They Deserve Our Votes?

October 26, 2010 – 7:25 am

Does the President deserve our vote?

Short answer: Yes, for considerable, though muted, results in the face of extreme obstructionism and outlandish lies and “Democrats” who have sold out.  But that’s not really the point.

Do Governor Quinn, Treasurer Giannoulias, Dan Seals, and Reps. Bill Foster, Melissa Bean, Jan Schakowsky and the other Democrats ?

Yes, Quinn inherited a terrible mess, worse fiscally than President Obama’s because the Governor has to balance the budget.  Alexi has done a good job with the state funds, truth be told.  And the others have done their job.  But again, that’s not really the point.

Do WE deserve to vote for a better America for ourselves and our kids?

Yes!  The Republicans had 8 years to get us into this mess.  Bill Clinton had 8 years to fix Reagan and HW’s mess.  By the end, President Clinton had peace, prosperity, democracy in new places, and a BUDGET SURPLUS.

All these Republican ads are blaming the Democrats who were in office BECAUSE of the mishandling of the economy and the financial sector by Republicans and their owners, the banks, insurance and oil companies!  It was not the Democrats’ fault!   Things would be worse had we left the Republicans in charge!

The Democrats are there to fix it and they will if we give them more time. Read More »

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Blog: For Want of a Nail

September 30, 2010 – 9:07 am

On September 22 I attended a fundraising luncheon for Alexi Giannoulias where Gloria Steinem was the featured speaker.  She told us how her first involvement in an election was to help Jack Kennedy become a senator, and she also spoke about her involvement in the Harriet Woods v. John Danforth race in MO in the 80s.  Woods lost a close race for want of $100K to combat false attacks in the last weeks of the campaign.  After Danforth won, he became a mentor to Clarence Thomas and made sure Thomas was in the right places and met the right people.  Eventually this took Thomas, as we all know, to the Supreme Court, where he’s been part of many hideous decisions including the fateful Florida vote count decision, Bush v. Gore, which gave us President W.

She quoted this proverb:

For Want of a Nail

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

We can’t let this race go to Mark Kirk “for want of a nail” – or of money, calls, signs, etc.  It’s just too important.  Alexi mentioned several key issues, including Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, on which Kirk has yet to take a stand.  This is not leadership.  We are all familiar with Kirk’s ongoing and nearly infinite exaggerations and lies.  This is not honesty.  We’ve seen him cast countless votes for the powerful and against the middle class, against our military (yes, he’s voted against supplying our troops w/needed equipment as well as key veterans’ benefits.), against separation of church and state, and against choice.  This is not character.

You may not think Alexi is your perfect candidate.  You may not know about his strong record as treasurer or about his early and moral stands for gay rights and for the rights of muslims to build a community center in lower manhattan.  But most of you know how Kirk has lied, at least a bit about how he has voted, and how he conveniently changed his mind on many issues as soon as he needed the votes of a more conservative, statewide constituency.

I urge you to support Alexi Giannoulias.  Put up a sign, make some calls, send a check (or go online and donate), or just tell 10 friends about how important it is for Alexi to win this seat.

Thanks for paying attention.

Nancy Pred

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Blog: Doctors Applaude Affordable Care Act

September 23, 2010 – 12:56 pm

For Immediate Release
September 23, 2010

STATEMENT FROM DOCTORS FOR AMERICA ON THE 6 MONTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Washington, D.C. – Dr. Vivek Murthy, president of Doctors for America, released the following statement honoring the six month anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act:

“Today is a milestone day for health care in America. Starting today children can no longer be denied insurance because of a pre-existing condition such as asthma, millions of young adults will have coverage through their parent’s plans until age 26, cancer patients no longer have to worry about their coverage rescinded or hitting their policies annual or lifetime limits. These changes will transform lives and give doctors the tools necessary to help our patients get the care they need.”

Provisions that take effect today include:

* No more getting dropped after you get sick – Insurance companies can no longer rescind coverage after the fact.
* Full access to coverage – Children under 19 can no longer be rejected from health care plans due to pre-existing conditions.
* No more annual or lifetime limits – Insurers can no longer limit the amount of coverage someone can receive over the year or their lifetime.
* Free preventive care – New health insurance plans must provide preventive services such as mammograms and immunizations.
* Expanded coverage to young adults – Young adults can stay on their parents’ health plan until age 26.

Doctors for America is a national organization of 15,000 physicians and medical students fighting for a system in which every American has equal access to quality healthcare. We envision a fair, effective and affordable healthcare system — one fundamentally transformed and guided by the core values of doctors and their patients.

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For more information about Doctors for America, please go to our Web site at:
www.drsforamerica.com

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Blog, Featured: Kirk Creates Jobs…in China

September 20, 2010 – 1:05 am

U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias today demanded China be held accountable for providing illegal clean energy subsidies that violate World Trade Organization rules and criticized Congressman Mark Kirk for his repeated support of policies that have benefited China and killed American jobs.

“When you hear Congressman Kirk talk about job creation, he’s talking about jobs he created in China,” said Giannoulias while visiting Earth, Wind and Solar Energy, LLC, a small business specializing in renewable energy training, education and installation. “Congressman Kirk has bowed to the corporate special interests that fund his campaigns, voting again and again to help companies ship jobs overseas to China while small businesses here are struggling to access capital and create jobs right at home.”

Just this week, the United Steelworkers filed a case with the U.S. Trade Representative detailing China’s illegal subsidization of clean energy equipment. The WTO has ruled against China on these issues in the past, and Giannoulias strongly supports the renewed effort to hold China accountable and restore some fairness to international trade.

“My opponent has spent two decades in Washington DC, and his feelings toward China’s practices couldn’t be more clear — he voted against legislation to crack down on China’s anti-competitive trade policies, and he voted against requiring an investigation of China’s currency manipulation,” said Giannoulias.  “That’s not the kind of leadership we need.”

Giannoulias believes that as the United States emerges from the recession, policies enacted today must set a solid foundation for the economic growth of tomorrow. In his Future Works plan, which can be read in full at www.alexiforillinois.com, he details his comprehensive plan to turn Illinois’ economy around in part by investing now in the clean energy jobs of tomorrow. These are good-paying positions that can’t be outsourced and that modernize the country’s energy policy and creates jobs.

In Illinois alone, there are more than 2,500 companies that have created more than 28,000 clean energy jobs.  Businesses that build solar panels, wind turbines, weatherize homes, build a more efficient electricity grid that reaches every corner of Illinois, and produce energy from waste.  Earth, Wind and Solar, Inc installed the first solar home ever in Joliet, IL on Saturday. It is a stop on the Illinois Solar Energy Association’s Solar Tour in October that features 175 green businesses and homes throughout the Chicagoland area. Read More »

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