March 23, 2012

Contact: Sarah Rivin

302-328-9036

Delaware Democratic Party Calls On GOP Candidates To Announce Endorsements

(WILMINGTON, DE) – Ahead of Newt Gingrich’s scheduled visit to Hockessin on Monday, the Delaware Democratic Party wonders which out-of-touch candidate our own Republicans support.

“It’s clear the GOP nominee won’t be decided by Delaware’s April 24^th Primary,” said Executive Director Joe Aronson.  “So we wonder, who do Delaware Republicans support for the nomination?  Will Jeff Cragg, Kevin Wade, or Tom Kovach align himself with one of these extreme Republican contestants? Which candidates can we expect to be there supporting Gingrich on Monday?”

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Although Romney grew up in Michigan and was the son of a popular governor of that state, the contest was essentially tied with Rick Santorum in what was considered to be an easy state for Romney due to his roots. Romney and Santorum each picked up thirteen delegates, indicating that Republicans still aren’t satisfied with Mitt as their nominee.

Romney’s attempts to court the right wingers in his base have alienated independents and working families who know that his policies would stunt Michigan’s growth. The numbers have proven it again and again in each primary, and it was no different last night: almost 40% of Republican voters were not sure they would vote for the GOP candidate in November, 40% said that they have strong reservations about their candidate, and, perhaps most telling, not even half of Republicans strongly favored the candidate they voted for.

Romney can’t court voters in states like Michigan for a reason; his irresponsible policies would cut taxes for billionares, millionares and corporations by five million while making deep cuts to social programs that ensure security for the middle class. If Mitt had his way, Michigan’s main lifeline, it’s auto industry, would have gone under three years ago, and he said as much in a 2008 op-ed in the New York Times; under President Obama’s leadership, it has become an American comeback story, with Michigan’s unemployment rate cut almost in half and auto and home sales in the state increasing at a steady rate for the first time since the financial crisis began.

If Mitt Romney had his way, none of these changes would have taken place. The same tired policies that favor millionaires and corporations over honest people who are working to keep their homes and send their kids to college would be continued, and Detroit would have been left for dead. Unfortunately for him, Michigan voters showed him that they don’t forget.

Thursday, Bank of America announced it will add 500 jobs in Delaware over the next three years.  That news reflects our commitment to creating jobs for Delawareans.  “Governor Markell has always encouraged us to grow in Delaware.   Along with the General Assembly, the congressional delegation and Mayor Baker, they have all created an exceptional environment for us to do business,” said Co-Chief Operating Officer David Darnell.

And Tuesday, we learned the final details of Amazon’s expansion in Delaware when officials announced plans for a $90 million, 1.2 million-square-foot fulfillment center in west Middletown, a development expected to create about 850 jobs and potentially trigger additional business and retail development nearby.  According to the News Journal, “Construction is expected to move quickly, with the 850 workers on the job by November and up to 2,500 seasonal employees hired for two- to three-month periods twice a year.”

Our Democratic leaders know that helping Delawareans find jobs isn’t about partisan bickering.  It’s time to take direct actions that will help get folks back to work – and Delaware’s Democrats are working tirelessly to find new opportunities to do so.

Nikki, a Pennsylvania native, volunteered on Bob Casey’s senatorial campaign as well as Barack Obama’s campaign for President. Aside from politics, Nikki plays ultimate Frisbee at UD and loves sports and going to see live music.

For Immediate Release

February 13, 2012

Contact: Sarah Rivin

302-328-9036

Delaware Democratic Party Welcomes Delawareans To Join Truth Teams

(WILMINGTON, DE) – The Delaware Democratic Party announced today that it is joining the Truth Teams, a new Democratic and Obama Campaign effort to hold Mitt Romney and other Republicans accountable for their false attacks on the President’s record, set the record straight on the GOP’s failed policies, and spread the truth about President Obama’s record of keeping his word to the American people.

“We are proud to be part of this important effort,” said Delaware Democratic Party Executive Director, Joe Aronson.  “Mitt Romney has been caught lying about almost everything the President’s done.  That’s wrong, but it’s not unexpected.  These Truth Teams will make sure everyone has the resources to combat the falsehoods out there and to speak up about all the President has done.  This is an exciting way for all Democrats to work together to get the word out about President Obama’s record.”

“The team aspect is central to this effort,” added Aronson.  “It’s important Democrats here in Delaware to be out there, explaining why reelecting President Obama is so important and pushing back on Republican lies.  We want to give the power to Democrats to be vocal about the President’s record and the GOP distortions.”

The Truth Teams will:

• Operate online and offline
• Collect intelligence on new attacks
• Will sign people, groups and communities up at BarackObama.com/TruthTeam to get the information they need to combat false and misleading attacks against President Obama and to set the record straight on Republicans and Mitt Romney
• Will have the resources to report GOP attacks, robocalls and other efforts
• Will enable supporters to build personalized email content for their family, friends and neighbors

To learn more about Truth Teams, please visit BarackObama.com/TruthTeam.

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These aren’t the only numbers that are down compared to 2008. Voter turnout was down in all three of yesterday’s contests. Despite Romney’s heavy campaigning in Colorado, voter turnout was down 7 percent from 2008, according to MSNBC’s First Read. In Minnesota, turnout was down 24 percent. And in Missouri, turnout was down 57 percent.

These numbers don’t lie. They paint a picture of a Republican presidential candidate who fails to excite the electorate.  It’s no wonder voters are less than enthused about Romney when he hasn’t answered a question from a voter in more than three weeks. And Romney’s plans for the nation are disconcerting, at best. He claims that his previous career in finance has prepared him to create jobs. But when the recession hit, Massachusetts was one of four states that had not recovered all the jobs lost during the 2001 recession.  Massachusetts even ranked 47^th of all 50 states in job creation during Romney’s time as governor. He may believe that he knows what the country needs, but he’s certainly not convincing voters.

Over the course of his first year in the House of Represenatives, Congressman John Carney has prioritized bringing common sense solutions to a divided and dysfunctional Congress.

This week, Congressman Carney announced a bill to address and fix the problem of prescription drug shortages. The bill, which has bi-partisan support, will cut down on the bureaucracy that causes such shortages in the first place by streamlining communications between the FDA, manufacturers, distributors, providers and patients to make sure patients get the essential drugs they need. The legislation will also require the FDA to take action in preventing these problems before they affect the patient.

From 2005 to 2011, the number of drug shortages per year rose from 60 to over 230. These drug shortages affect the distribution of nutrition pills, anesthetics, and perhaps most disturbingly, cancer medicines. Especially in Delaware, where the cancer rate is the highest in the country, health care providers need to have the right amount of medication in stock to help send patients into remission so they can resume their normal lives.

Rep. Carney has brought a common sense and proactive approach to solving complicated problems such as this during his first term in office. By condensing bureaucracy and focusing on the patient, we can cut down on costs and improve patient care, and move America ahead of the curve in dealing with drug shortages before they get out of wildly out of hand.

Democrats support these efforts to streamline this efforts to make the healthcare process more efficient. We are committed to making sure every Delawarean and American has every opportunity to have accessibility to quality healthcare. President Obama’s Affordable Care Act was revolutionary, but we still have a lot of work to do to ensure these initiatives are continued in putting America’s healthcare system back on top.

Delaware’s Democratic candidates are in great positions to win in November, as shown by the year-end Federal Election Commission financial reports.

Governor Markell and Lt. Governor Denn received $1.4 million and $203,000, respectively last year for their re-election campaigns, while Senator Carper and Congressman Carney posted fundraising totals of $2 million and $515,000 each, giving our incumbent Democrats over $4 million dollars as opposed to just $47,000 posted by the Republicans challenging them.

Governor Markell has been a leader among governors nationwide in prioritizing job creation and getting our economy back on track, while Matt Denn has fought  for Delaware’s children, bringing education and health services for children to the forefront of his agenda as Lieutenant Governor.  And in Congress, Senator Carper and Congressman Carney have led the national dialogue on tough issues and continued the Delaware tradition of reaching across the aisle to get things done.

Delaware Democrats have received an astonishing 100 times what the collective Republican ticket has taken in.

It’s clear Delawareans trust Democrats to fight for working families and keep Delaware moving forward.  We have seen positive gains made by both our state administration and our representatives at the federal level to support Delawarean families, and Democrats are committed to continuing our effort to turn the economy around.

Mitt Romney just can’t seem to get anyone excited about his campaign.

Throughout the primary season, Mitt has tried to convince voters he’s the strongest GOP candidate.  But the general consensus among Republicans is that he’s an out-of-touch, lackluster presidential candidate.  And we know he’d send us back towards failed policies that let corporations do whatever they want and leave the middle class out in the cold.

Romney has spent an unprecedented $15,340,000 on advertising in Florida while Gingrich has spent only around $3 million. Now Mitt’s leading the polls once again, but he’s not dominating the way you’d expect a candidate to when he’s outspending his opponent 5-to-1. A win for Mitt in Florida today means he bought the votes of a lackluster electorate – it does not indicate the sincere support of his Party. Despite the huge influx of money intended to persuade Republicans and Independents, Independent support for Romney is at a dismal 23%. No matter how hard the GOP tries to paint Romney as a viable candidate, voters just can’t get behind his ideas.

It’s no wonder Romney’s losing support from Republicans and Independents alike while he continues to prove he’s not on the side of the American people.  American families are struggling, but Mitt doesn’t even mention housing once in his “59 point economic plan”, which is really just a rehash of the same failed policies that got us into this mess in the first place. He also said to a group of Florida homeowners that “banks are feeling the same thing you are”, and that foreclosures should be “allowed to hit the bottom” so investors can come in and make money off of the process.  Americans aren’t fooled – we need real solutions to help us stay in our homes instead of policies that prey on our weaknesses.

The contrast couldn’t be more clear between Mitt, a candidate so troubled he’ll have to buy every vote he can, and President Obama, who has continued to prove he’s fighting for working families.  He’s focused his administration on job creation, making housing affordable, and giving the middle class a safety net – and that’s what Americans will be looking for this November.