Al Franken's Blog, page 49
June 26, 2014
Northland News: Sen. Franken Pushes for Greater Transparency in Campaign Finance
Sen. Al Franken – (D) Minnesota – is pushing to pass legislation that would increase the amount of disclosure required for campaign donations and contributions that exceed $10,000.
Franken, and a number of his colleagues, re–introduced the Disclose Act Tuesday, in hopes of bringing to light secret campaign contributions.
“Because of Citizens United, deep–pocketed corporations and special interests can flood our elections with money—often anonymously—drowning out the voices of middle–class Americans who don’t have the luxury of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to influence the process,” Franken said.
The post Northland News: Sen. Franken Pushes for Greater Transparency in Campaign Finance appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
June 24, 2014
Join our communities
Sara Cederberg, Digital Director
I’m really excited to announce that we have a new way for you to get involved in this campaign. Check out the email Matt sent to supporters this morning — and sign up today.
Today, online, we’re asking you to join a community in support of Al! You get to fill in the blank — I’m a _______ for Al!
There will be more communities announced through the summer that you can participate in. But today, you can fill in the blank by joining:
African Americans for Al
East Africans for Al
Hmong Americans for Al
Latinos for Al
LGBT & Allies for Al
Teachers for Al
Working families for Al
Veterans for Al
Women for Al
That’s what these communities are all about — getting updates, communicating with other Team Franken members that care about the same issues you do, and finding out how you can get more involved as this campaign moves forward.We’re proud to have you on Team Franken. And we want to make sure that you are getting the most up-to-date information on the issues that you want to hear about.
So click here today and join up!
Thank you for all of your support this far.
Matt
The post Join our communities appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
Watch Al’s new ad, “Rigged”
Matt Burgess, Campaign Manager
Today we released our latest TV ad that once again focuses on the hard work Al is doing for Minnesota. The ad highlights how Al stood up for Minnesotans and took on Wall Street and some of the shady practices that helped cause the 2008 financial collapse.
Five years ago, many Minnesotans lost their homes, their life savings, and their jobs because of a dangerous pay-to-play scheme between Wall Street banks and the credit rating agencies. Wall Street banks were actually paying credit rating agencies to give AAA ratings to financial products that were junk.
In an effort to restore confidence to the financial system and help prevent a future collapse, Sen. Franken led the fight against this outrageous conflict of interest — taking on not just Wall Street, but powerful congressional Democrats and the Obama Administration — and introduced The Restore Integrity to Credit Ratings Amendment, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support as an amendment to the Wall Street reform law.
“In the Senate, I reached across party lines and led the fight against this scam,” Franken says in the ad. “Wall Street wasn’t happy about that, but I don’t work for them. I work for you.”
Documentation of the ad can be found here.
The post Watch Al’s new ad, “Rigged” appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
June 22, 2014
Meet #TeamFranken: Heather
Jack Blodgett, Digital Intern
This week, we’re rolling out the first in a series of blog posts that will introduce you to this people-powered campaign: staff, fellows, interns and volunteer leaders. First up is Heather Klindworth, a field organizer in our St. Paul office. JB: Is this your first organizing experience?
HK: Nope! Before I joined Team Franken, I was working with Planned Parenthood, helping Minnesotans to find affordable health care options on the MNSure marketplace.
JB: What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
HK: Right now, it’s all about building a strong volunteer network in St. Paul – which means we have a lot of supporters to recruit for canvassing and phone banking around the city. We’ll bring someone into the office with a one-on-one conversation to find out why they’re supporting Al and what they can do to help us.
JB: What drew you to working with Team Franken?
HK: Health care! At Planned Parenthood, I heard stories of people who were denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition. I heard even more stories of people who could not afford their monthly premiums and were relying on trips to the emergency room for care. The smiles that lit up their faces when they saw plans they could afford – that was priceless. Personally, I benefitted from being able to stay on my parents’ insurance when I got a job that didn’t include benefits. When I turned 27, I was able to find affordable coverage that fit my modest budget. Al’s efforts to make sure that insurance companies actually spend most of our premiums on health care means a lot to someone like me – after all, when you’re on a budget, every cent counts. The Affordable Care Act will continue to help me, and that’s why I’m proud to be on this team. If I can work six months for someone who worked on something that will work for me for the rest of my life, why wouldn’t I do it?
Join Heather – sign up to join Team Franken today.
The post Meet #TeamFranken: Heather appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
Star Tribune: Minnesota planning federal assistance request after flooding
Minnesota officials toured waterlogged areas of the state Friday, saying the severity and breadth of flooding make a federal disaster request a near certainty and a special legislative session a possibility.
After heavy rains over several days, farm fields are under water, roads have been washed out, dams have failed and water has infiltrated homes from the far north to the far south of Minnesota. Four state parks have been fully or partially closed because of high water.
The post Star Tribune: Minnesota planning federal assistance request after flooding appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
June 19, 2014
Consumerist: Over Half The Country Thinks The Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger Is A Terrible Idea
We here at Consumerist are skeptical at best about Comcast’s bid to merge with Time Warner Cable. From where we sit, the deal looks distinctly anticompetitive and likely to harm consumers. Plenty of other folks agree, but not just lawmakers and advocacy organizations. It turns out, over half the country thinks this is a bad idea.
Our colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports ran a nationally representative survey to see what ordinary people think about Comcast and its plan to buy out Time Warner Cable, and the responses weren’t pretty. A full 56% of Americans oppose the merger, and only 11% of respondents were in favor of it.
But even though a third of respondents didn’t have a strong opinion on whether Comcast and TWC should be able to merge, they still think the resulting corporate marriage will be harmful for consumers on every front.
About three quarters of respondents — 74% — believe that the merger will increase cable and internet prices for everyone. That same number also agreed that the merger will leave consumers with even fewer choices for providers, because smaller companies will not be able to compete.
The post Consumerist: Over Half The Country Thinks The Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger Is A Terrible Idea appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
June 16, 2014
141 days out
Sara Cederberg, Digital Director
Yup — you read that correctly. Only 141 days stand between today and Election Day. Check out the message Al sent to supporters this morning:
Dear Sara,
The number 141 doesn’t seem all that significant by itself.
Sure, if you’re a mathematician, you might recognize it as a semiprime (the product of two prime numbers, also known as a “Blum integer”). But you probably aren’t getting a lot of emails celebrating the fact that today is 141 days out from Election Day.
The thing is, though, “141 days out” is significant — because we need to hit our goals every day if we’re going to fend off the special interests.
If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
You’ve seen the polls — this race is close. And the numbers representing what the far-right special interests are planning to unleash are huge.
So who cares if 141 isn’t a round number? Who cares if it isn’t famous (unless you’re really, really into Blum integers)? It’s one more day where we have to keep building toward our $250,000 monthly goal — and our ultimate goal of coming out on top on Election Day.
We’re 141 days out — and I need your help. Please click here to contribute $5 or more.
Thanks,
Al
We need your support every day — especially today. Please click here to help get us closer to our $250,000 monthly goal!
The post 141 days out appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
June 12, 2014
KARE: Millennials ‘overwhelmed’ by debt, study finds
MINNEAPOLIS — Erica Willerton left the University of Minnesota three years ago with two things: a degree in sports management, and a $40,000 loan.
“It’s a lot of money,” Willterton said.
It’s a lot of money, and a lot of stress. A new survey called the Wells Fargo Millennial Study shows four in 10 millennials like Erica feel overwhelmed by debt, with more than half living paycheck to paycheck.
The post KARE: Millennials ‘overwhelmed’ by debt, study finds appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
June 10, 2014
#BankOnStudents: Kylie
Sara Cederberg, Digital Director
This week, we’re highlighting Minnesotans who all have one thing in common: student loan debt. We all know what’s at stake — the cost of college continues to rise, and students are turning to loans more than ever. That’s why Al is working on a plan with his colleagues in the Senate to give current loan borrowers the chance to refinance their loans at lower rates.
For Kylie of Minnetonka, it’s an exciting time. She just finished her first year at Tufts University’s School of Dental Medicine, and she’s already dreaming of the possibilities once she is handed her doctorate.
“There’s a catch — there was no way I was entering dental school debt free.”
While she received financial aid, scholarships and worked on campus as an undergrad, she still graduated with over $10,000 in loan payments.
“I’ve had people tell me that’s reasonable, and maybe it is. But what isn’t reasonable is that these loans are accruing substantial interest every single day while I pursue my doctorate.”
Kylie expects to leave dental school with hundreds of thousands of additional debt — loans with extremely high interest rates that only ballooned over time. While she knows she will find a great position in a private practice and eventually pursue her own, it will still take time to chip away at the debt.
“Refinancing my loans would give me a chance at more manageable debt. The more money I have in my bank account, the more money I can spend on building my post-graduate life. How could anyone say no to that?”
The post #BankOnStudents: Kylie appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
Variety: Tech Industry Trade Group Opposes Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger
Industry trade group the Computer & Communications Industry Assn. is urging federal regulators to block the proposed $45 billion merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable, concluding that it would give the combined company “even more ability to successfully harm competition and innovation in the greater Internet ecosystem.”
The group’s opposition was revealed in a letter made public on Monday by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), the most visible congressional critic of the transaction. He had sought out its opinion and has highlighted the issue in congressional hearings and during his re-election campaign.
“If regulators were to conclude that the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger does not have a chance of substantially lessening competition, then it is hard to imagine a real-world merger that would,” wrote the association’s president and CEO, Ed Black. “Therefore, regulators should block this merger, not only for the good of innovation, the Internet industry and of customers; but also for the sanctity of antitrust law itself.”
The post Variety: Tech Industry Trade Group Opposes Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
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