Would rather not do. It's going to be all about how Hillary is in trouble bc Bernie won West Virginia.
-----Original Message-----
From: Manriquez, Pablo
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2016 3:26 PM
To: Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric
Subject: Request - ERIC//SIRIUS XM//TONIGHT
WHO: Eric (or someone else) and David Webb
WHAT:  Live one on one interview about primary night and the look ahead to next week. Note: Webb's is a right wing show on SIRIUS XM's "Patriot" channel.
WHEN: 10:40 PM ET
DURATION: 7 mins
WHERE: Dial-in or in-studio.
Sent from my iPhone


Some shade from the TX Dems
From: Press Texas Democratic Party
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2016 4:06 PM
To: Press Texas Democratic Party
Subject: Texas Democrats on Tea Party Republican Ted Cruz speaking at tomorrow’s Texas Republican Convention
[TX Dem logo.png]
For Immediate Release
May 13, 2016
Contact: Tariq Thowfeek, (832) 429-8217, press@txdemocrats.org
Texas Democrats on Tea Party Republican Ted Cruz speaking at tomorrow’s Texas Republican Convention
Austin, TX -- Apparently, Ted Cruz’s main message at the Texas Republican Convention tomorrow will be “thank you.”
[
Texas Democratic Party Deputy Executive Director Manny Garcia issued the following statement:
“Incidentally, our message to Senator Cruz is also thank you – thank you for proving the only reason you moved to Washington was to run for President. But don’t take our word for it, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said the same.
”
###


Got it. thanks.
From: Miranda, Luis
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2016 11:17 AM
To: Thomas, Kenneth
Subject: QUOTE
Because the Party's platform is a statement of our values, the DNC is committed to an open, inclusive and representative process. Both of our campaigns will be represented on the Drafting Committee, and just as we did in 2008 and 2012, the public will have opportunities to participate.
[SigDems]
Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 - MirandaL@dnc.org
- @MiraLuisDC


Sorry! We're trying :)
On May 17, 2016 9:34 PM, "Koerber, Ashley"
wrote:
Any chance we can get her seated soon in case we need to go to her a little early?
From: Manriquez, Pablo
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 5:59 PM
To: Koerber, Ashley
Cc: Malasky, Mitch; Geller, Eddie; Banfill, Ryan; Bookin_D
Subject: Re: DWS tonight
Perfect! Copying Mitch, Eddie, from our studio to facilitate patch-in!
Sent from my iPhone
On May 17, 2016, at 5:43 PM, Koerber, Ashley
> wrote:
Yes. How does 9:45pm sound?
From: Manriquez, Pablo
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 5:43 PM
To: Koerber, Ashley
Subject: Re: DWS tonight
Could we do the end of the 9pm hour?
On May 17, 2016, at 4:28 PM, Manriquez, Pablo
> wrote:
cool, let me check her schedule :)
On May 17, 2016, at 4:25 PM, Koerber, Ashley
> wrote:
Hey Pablo!
Bret is anchoring the 9pm hour.
What were you thinking on your end? We would ideally like to have her before her CNN and MSNBC hits..
From: Brown, Megan
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 4:20 PM
To: Manriquez, Pablo
Cc: Koerber, Ashley
Subject: Re: DWS tonight
Hi Pablo!! I'm not in the mix tonight but cc'd the booker that is handling some of the hours -- she'll be able to tell you which! Hope it works out!
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
From: Manriquez, Pablo
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 4:12 PM
To: Brown, Megan
Subject: Re: DWS tonight
Note: She’s doing CNN at 10pm and MSNBC at 10:10pm
On May 17, 2016, at 3:21 PM, Manriquez, Pablo
> wrote:
Can you use her? We're trying to put her out there to respond the situation in Nevada. Thanks, Megan! I hope you are well!
Sent from my iPhone
Pablo Manriquez
Democratic National Committee
Phone: 202.572.5488
Email: pablo@dnc.org
web: democrats.org
Twitter: @Pablo_DNC
This message and its attachments may contain legally privileged or confidential information. It is intended solely for the named addressee. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to the addressee), you may not copy or deliver this message or its attachments to anyone. Rather, you should permanently delete this message and its attachments and kindly notify the sender by reply e-mail. Any content of this message and its attachments that does not relate to the official business of Fox News or Fox Business must not be taken to have been sent or endorsed by either of them. No representation is made that this email or its attachments are without defect.
Pablo Manriquez
Democratic National Committee
Phone: 202.572.5488
Email: pablo@dnc.org
web: democrats.org
Twitter: @Pablo_DNC
Pablo Manriquez
Democratic National Committee
Phone: 202.572.5488
Email: pablo@dnc.org
web: democrats.org
Twitter: @Pablo_DNC


Blast??
Trump fails to impress foreign-policy experts
By Michael Crowley
04/27/2016 05:58 PM EDT
In his address to an elite, invitation-only Washington foreign policy audience Wednesday, Donald Trump promised that, as president, he would restore a "coherent" vision to America's role in the world.
But across the ideological spectrum, and even among natural allies, Trump's speech received a failing grade for coherence and drew snickering and scorn from foreign policy insiders who remain unconvinced that Trump is up to the job.
"It struck me as a very odd mishmash," said Doug Bandow, a foreign policy scholar at the libertarian Cato Institute, who shares many of Trump's beliefs about scaling back America's role abroad. "He called for a new foreign policy strategy, but you don't really get the sense he gave one."
Trump's speech was "lacking in policy prescriptions," and its "strident rhetoric masked a lack of depth," said Robert "Bud" McFarlane, a former national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan who attended the speech.
Speaking at Washington's Mayflower hotel, Trump mostly repeated familiar themes from his campaign, including promises to cut better trade deals with China, swiftly defeat the Islamic State, rebuild the military and reduce the expense America incurs in upholding international security from Europe to Asia.
Trump spoke from a teleprompter and in tones that were subdued by the standards of his raucous rallies. He also unveiled a new theme, saying that the U.S. would "finally have a coherent foreign policy" based on narrow self-interest, economic gain and global stability.
But Trump offered few specifics about his strategy, focusing on the alleged "disasters" created by past presidents and a foreign policy establishment who "frankly don't know what they're doing, even though they may look awfully good writing for the New York Times or talking on television."
Trump said he would surround himself with "talented experts" and "new people" to help him chart a global strategy. But even though he said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" earlier in the day that "I'll be naming them today," he did not do so.
The audience was heavier on celebrity journalists like Bob Woodward and Jake Tapper than on the sort of prominent foreign policy thinkers and former government officials typically present at similar appearances by presidential candidates. Trump has largely been shunned by foreign-policy veterans of past Republican administrations, more than 100 members of whom recently signed an open letter saying they would not join his administration; some have threatened to vote for Hillary Clinton over Trump in November.
One notable figure sitting in the front row as Trump repeated his call for better relations with Moscow - "I believe an easing of tensions and improved relations with Russia, from a position of strength, is possible. Common sense says this cycle of hostility must end" Trump said - was Russia's ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak. (Trump "made some intriguing points, but we need to understand what is meant in the implementation," Kislyak told POLITICO after the speech. "It needs to be started carefully.")
Also in attendance was a Trump foreign policy adviser, Walid Phares, a Lebanese Maronite Christian who applauded vigorously when Trump said the U.S. had "left Christians subject to intense persecution and even genocide."
The address was hosted by The National Interest magazine, an intellectual journal not often spotted on Trump's private jet, but which promotes the so-called realist school of foreign policy, which holds that the U.S. should pursue narrowly-defined security interests with little concern for missions like promoting democracy or overthrowing repressive regimes.
Some of Trump's speech aligned with realist theory, including his disdain for U.S. interventions in the Arab world and what he called "the dangerous idea that we could make Western democracies out of countries that had no experience or interest in becoming a Western Democracy."
Under a Trump presidency, he said, "no American citizen will ever again feel that their needs come second to the citizens of foreign countries."
But experts called Trump's speech rife with internal tensions. He declared that "America First" would be the "major and overriding" theme of his presidency moments before hailing America's role in World War II - which was opposed by the isolationist America First movement of the early 1940s. He trashed President Barack Obama for failing to follow through with his threatened September 2013 air strikes in Syria, while also lamenting the chaos that has followed U.S. military interventions in Iraq and Libya. And Trump vowed to mend ties with U.S. allies who are fearful that America is withdrawing from the world, while insisting they pay more for their own security.
The speech was "completely contradictory, in the sense that the first message is that we should make allies pay not just for the cost of having troops in their countries but for the entire defense that the U.S. provides to Europe and Asia, which he estimated at trillions of dollars. And then in the next breath, he said that the U.S. can't be relied on and needs to be a better ally," said Thomas Wright, a Brookings Institution fellow who has written
extensively on Trump's foreign policy.
"There's just no way to reconcile these two statements. It certainly won't reassure anyone internationally, or anyone within the Republican foreign policy establishment," Wright added.
But Trump is also trying to broaden his electoral support, and some analysts said that the view of elites matters less than the populist soundbites about U.S. military and economic strength repeating on cable television Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Trump's complaint that America's NATO allies are not paying their fair share to support the European security alliance does echo at least one influential foreign policy thinker: Barack Obama, who in his address in Hanover, Germany, this week, scolded Europeans for being "complacent" about their own defense. Obama has also complained about "free riders" from Europe to the Arab Middle East enjoying the benefits of U.S. protection without spending or risking more themselves.
Obama has not however, explicitly threatened " to let these countries defend themselves," as Trump did Wednesday.
Not everyone was totally dismissive of the Manhattan mogul's appearance, including Zalmay Khalilzad, a former U.S. ambassador and National Interest board member who introduced Trump on Wednesday.
"He offered a coherent framework not totally outside the mainstream American foreign policy debate," said Khalilzad, who held several senior foreign policy posts in the George W. Bush administration, including ambassador to Iraq and to Afghanistan.
"Of course," he added, "expectations were low."
Trump also left the hawkish Republican right deeply unimpressed. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of North Carolina, a former 2016 presidential rival to Trump, issued a series of derisive tweets during the address which he said was full of "disconnected thought" and demonstrated a "lack of understanding of threats we face."
"Ronald Reagan must be rolling over in his grave," Graham tweeted.
Michael Hirsh contributed to this report
Mark Paustenbach
National Press Secretary &
Deputy Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
W: 202.863.8148
paustenbachm@dnc.org


Trump Meets His Match on Twitter - His Own SCOTUS Nominee
And we love it.
But Justice Willet isn't the only one....


FYI, asked the NV Dems Comms Director for a read-out of how the Convention is going, and he passed this message along:
The passing of the rules and initial credentials report was extremely contentious this morning as expected, but things have chilled out now. We have the Sanders folks admitting that they lost fair and square, not because we "rigged" anything. Clinton likely to win the state convention with a slim margin and we'll send a release with final delegate numbers.
From: Walter Garcia
>
Date: Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 7:51 AM
To: Comm_D
>
Subject: Fwd: Reid & Sanders Statements on NV Dems State Convention
In advance of today's Dem Convention in NV.
Begin forwarded message:
From: Press NVDems
>
Date: May 14, 2016 at 12:18:21 AM EDT
To: Press NVDems
>
Subject: Reid & Sanders Statements on NV Dems State Convention
For Immediate Release
May 13, 2016
Contact: Kristen Orthman, 617-721-8938
Reid Statement on NV Dems State Convention
Washington, D.C. - Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement after Senator Bernie Sanders called for a respectful and constructive Nevada State Democratic Party Convention on Saturday. Senator Sanders’ statement is below Senator Reid’s:
“I talked to my friend Senator Sanders today. I so admire him for what he has done during his campaign to move our country forward. We share the goal of ensuring Donald Trump never steps foot in the Oval Office and Democrats make gains up and down the ballot in November. I hope Senator Sanders’ supporters heed his call for an orderly and respectful Nevada State Democratic Party Convention. The success of Nevada Democrats up and down the ballot in November depends on it.”
Senator Sanders’ statement:
[Inline image 1]
Sanders Statement on Nevada Democratic Party Convention
May 13, 2016
Contact: Michael Briggs (802) 233-8653
BISMARCK, N.D. – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday issued the following statement ahead of Saturday’s Nevada Democratic Party convention:
“I want to thank my supporters in Nevada. Together, we are creating transformational change in America through honest and dignified discussion of the issues facing our citizens. We share a commitment to electing progressive Democrats up-and-down the ballot in Nevada and across the country and are committed to soundly defeating Donald Trump and the right-wing Republican agenda. Working together respectfully and constructively on Saturday at the Nevada Democratic convention will move us closer to those essential goals.”
###
--
@nvdems
nvdems.com


Can we hold on this until I get an idea about what the votes look like?  These windows may not be available after hear from leadership on Monday.
> On May 14, 2016, at 10:28 PM, Banfill, Ryan
wrote:
>
> I just took a look through next week's calendar for media hit opportunities.
>
> Here are times either set aside for comms or apparently open holes in the current schedule. The open holes could change depending on other requests.
>
> Note:
> There are a Zika-related media hit in the district from the Congressional office on Monday morning and a Tele-town hall scheduled on Thursday evening from 5 to 6:30.
>
> The weekend is filled with travel and events related to the Florida Democratic Party dinner in Orlando on Saturday and district events on Sunday.
>
> Here are pitchable time blocks that are set aside as comms buffer or currently open/unscheduled on calendar:
>
> * Tuesday, May 17 -- 8 pm to 10 pm (currently open on calendar)
>
> * Wednesday, May 18 -- 4:30 pm to 5:15 pm (set aside as comms buffer)
>
> * Thursday, May 19 -- 10 am -- 11 am (set aside as comms buffer)
>
> * Thursday, May 19 -- 7 pm -- 10 pm (currently open time on calendar after tele-town hall.
>
> * Friday, May 20 -- before 10 am (currently open on calendar. Acela scheduled to Philly after 10)
>
>
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone


From: Evan Lukaske  On Behalf Of Evan Lukaske
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2016 2:22 PM
To: Wei, Shu-Yen
Subject: NH Gubernatorial candidate Frank Edelblut Scared to Even Say Donald Trump’s Name
View this email in your browser
[
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2016
Contact: elukaske@nhdp.org
NH Gubernatorial candidate Frank Edelblut Scared to Even Say Donald Trump’s Name
Concord, N.H. – In a scene straight out of a Harry Potter book, New Hampshire State Representative and gubernatorial candidate Frank Edelblut is bending over backwards to avoid saying the name of a divisive leader threatening to tear apart the fabric of society and bring untold destruction to our communities.
Only it’s not Lord Voldemort…it’s his Party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
Asked by NHPR
if he’d back Donald Trump as the GOP presidential nominee, Edelblut gave a bland and ambiguous statement saying, “"It is critical we grow the New Hampshire and the nation's economy and, as of now, only one candidate has a proven record of creating jobs." When asked whether the “one candidate” was Trump, Edelblut refused to answer.
“That Frank Edelblut is scared to even say Donald Trump’s name shows how toxic and destructive his candidacy is for down ballot Republicans,” said NHDP Press Secretary Evan Lukaske. “Although attaching yourself to Trump is certain to lead to disaster in November, Edelblut should be encouraged that all his Republican opponents have already committed to supporting Trump and his extreme policies.”
The rest of Republican candidates all confirmed their support for Trump this week.
Jeanie Forrester’s top advisor, Mike Denehy told NH1
, “Jeanie will support the Republican nominee for President. If he comes to campaign in NH as the Republican nominee and wants to campaign with Jeanie then she would be glad to do it.”
Executive Councilor Chris Sununu, who stated his support
months ago, confirmed his support again Wednesday, telling WMUR
, “If Donald Trump is the nominee, I’m supporting Donald Trump.”
Mayor Ted Gatsas also doubled down on his support
, saying, “As I’ve said all along, I will support the republican nominee. As it looks to be Donald Trump, I of course will campaign with him in New Hampshire.”
###
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Paid for by the New Hampshire Democratic Party.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
www.nhdp.org
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Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Nicky Vogt
>
Date: May 16, 2016 at 2:34:20 PM EDT
To: Nicky Vogt
>
Subject: Will New Round of Immigration Raids Dampen Latino Political Enthusiasm in 2016?
For Immediate Release:                                       Contact: Michael Earls at 202-494-8555
and press@americasvoice.org
May 16, 2016
Will New Round of Immigration Raids Dampen Latino Political Enthusiasm in 2016?
Washington, DC – After news broke last week
that the Obama Administration was planning a new round of immigration raids targeting young mothers and unaccompanied children from Central America, leading Democratic voices
and policy experts and advocates
condemned the planned enforcement actions as morally wrong and misguided on policy. Additionally, as leading observers are beginning to highlight, the planned raids also have a potentially damaging political effect.
Writing at Daily Kos last week, Kerry Eleveld had a must-read piece
outlining the electoral arguments for why potential Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, “should quit courting GOP voters and go all in on Latinos and immigration.” The story, which quotes extensively from Latino Decisions principal Sylvia Manzano, includes the key data point based on ongoing Latino Decisions research: “this year Latino voters already feel more motivated by mid-April than they did one day before voting in 2012.” Eleveld assessed
that, “Latino voters could be the single most powerful voting bloc in 2016” and that “immigration might perhaps be the single most penetrating progressive issue of the election—IF Democrats play their cards right.”
Unfortunately, the raids are a prime example of Democrats not playing their cards right. As a range of observers are noting, the planned raids have the potential to undermine Latinos’ sky-high motivation and enthusiasm during a year in which Democrats cannot afford any drop-off in Latino enthusiasm.
In a recent Salon column, progressive strategist Henry Fernandez noted
, that while demographics provide the Democrats with an advantage in the Electoral College, “if Latino voters turn out at worse levels than what occurred in 2008 and 2012, it becomes much more likely that the Republican nominee will get elected president.” Fernandez then envisions the potential conditions “under which this Latino turnout drought could occur,” noting that, “The Obama Administration would need to engage in deportation raids across the country primarily targeting Latino families and children … Grassroots organizing and widespread coverage in Spanish Language media would make the raids and the pain they create for families well known among Latino voters … The raids would need to be blamed on the current Democratic president.”
María Peña, Washington Correspondent for the nation’s largest daily Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión, writes
on how the raids could affect efforts to register and mobilize Latino voters for the upcoming election. Her story (translation by America’s Voice), “Election-year raids could affect Latino vote, activists warn,” quotes
Danny Cendejas of Detention Watch Network, who says that even though many Latinos will vote against Trump for his anti-immigrant rhetoric, “people always look for a reason to vote and these raids are a scathing reminder of the lack of confidence on Barack Obama by a vast majority of the Latino community … Many Latino voters will remember Obama's unfulfilled (2008) promises … It remains to be seen if the Democratic candidates will remain committed to the rights and dignity of immigrants living in the U.S.” Peña’s piece also quotes
immigration advocate Angie Kelley of the Center for American Progress, “It's difficult to imagine how civic engagement strategies can succeed, when one day Hispanic households receive a knock on the door asking them to register to vote, and the next day they are afraid to open the door.”
And Gustavo Torres of CASA of Maryland and Virginia tells the Washington Post
, “The president is sending a message that he doesn’t care about our community, and it is going to have a political price … [Latinos] are not going to vote for Trump, so what option do they have? They’re going to stay home.”
The announcement of the planned raids – and the immigration debate as a whole – are not just abstract issues for millions of Latino voters across the nation. As data from recent Latino Decisions polling underscores, Latino voters have a personal connection
to the immigration debate – 57% of Latino voters know someone who is undocumented; one-third of Latino voters (34%) know someone who has faced deportation or detention for immigration reasons; and one-third of Latino voters (33%) know someone who has applied for DACA.
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, “The planned raids are wrong as policy, abhorrent from a moral perspective, and potentially harmful to Democrats’ political hopes this November. If the Administration continues down this path it's up to Democrats in Congress and advocates from across the country to demand a course correction.”
Follow Frank Sharry and America’s Voice on Twitter: @FrankSharry and @AmericasVoice
America's Voice-- Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform
www.americasvoiceonline.org
###
{new} partners | nicky vogt | 202.331.2389 (o) | 610.389.1314 (c)
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This is the story I was thinking of

Court case: 20,000 felons' voting rights at stake
[
Associated Press
Kelli Jo Griffin less
More than 20,000 Iowa felons could be poised to regain their voting rights as part of a landmark case that will be heard Wednesday by the state Supreme Court.
Iowa justices will hear arguments in the case of a southeast Iowa woman who is challenging the Iowa law that permanently strips felons of their voting rights. Kelli Jo Griffin, 42, was convicted in 2008 of a felony cocaine delivery charge and had completed her sentence when she took her children in November 2013 to watch her vote in a municipal election, only to be charged with perjury for voting as a felon.
A ruling in favor of Griffin and her lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa could radically alter what critics have long argued is one of the nation's harshest felon disenfranchisement laws. But county prosecutors and auditors fear that such a ruling will make a mess of election procedures statewide.
Iowa, Florida and Kentucky are the only three states that permanently bar convicted felons from voting unless they complete a process for restoration — a requirement that groups such as the ACLU and NAACP contend is burdensome. Kentucky has begun moves to change its law.
For ex-offenders, especially those leaving prison, regaining the right to vote can be as helpful to rejoining society as getting involved in a church community or reuniting with families, said Myrna Perez, deputy director of the Democracy Program at the New York-based Brennan Center for Justice.
"We talk to criminal justices all the time who say, 'We want people to be successful in their re-entry,'" she said. "We need to get them integrated."
RELATED: Read briefs filed in the case
Perez and other attorneys wrote a brief on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Iowa, urging the seven justices to adopt a clear legal standard that would allow felons who are not in prison to vote. There's little public policy justification for stripping people of their voting rights if they're judged safe enough to live in Iowa communities, she said.
The seven justices will wrestle with one central legal question over all other public policy concerns: They will have to figure out exactly what the framers of the Iowa Constitution meant when they took away voting rights from people convicted of an "infamous crime," said Ryan Koopmans, an independent attorney who blogs about Iowa appellate law.
Because the term "infamous crime" doesn't lend itself to a strict definition, Griffin's case may not be the last trying to determine who can and cannot vote in Iowa, Koopmans and others said.
"There almost certainly are going to be some gray areas,” said Todd Pettys, a constitutional law professor at the University of Iowa law school.
Vilsack, Branstad pave way for legal challenge
The oral arguments are in many ways the climax of a decade-long debate over voting rights in Iowa that has played out in both the legal and political arenas.
[
Special to the Register
Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilack
It began during the second term of former Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat who signed an executive order in 2005 creating an automatic process to restore voting rights to more than 115,000 ex-offenders who had completed their sentences.
The order was cheered by lawmakers and advocates from minority communities who had suffered the brunt of the longstanding felon disenfranchisement law.
Black Iowans in 2005 were being sent to prison at a rate 13 times higher than whites, according to data from the Sentencing Project.
“It is long overdue,” Iowa Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, then a Des Moines School Board member, said when the order was announced. “This step is historical for Iowa.”
But Republicans criticized Vilsack's order as a cynical move to boost Democratic voter registrations.
“This is exactly the kind of mixed signal that waters down Iowa’s tough-on-crime reputation,” former Iowa House Speaker Christopher Rants told The Des Moines Register in June 2005.
In 2011, Gov. Terry Branstad took office and immediately rescinded Vilsack's order. Branstad replaced it with his own case-by-case system for restoring voting rights if a felon applies.
Aides for the Republican governor argued that voting rights should be earned and that ex-offenders should have to pay back court costs and restitution.
[
Rodney White/The Register
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad
Then came a new development: On Sept. 30, 2013, shortly before 1 a.m., Polk County human resources chief Tony Bisignano was pulled over while driving a black Mercedes and arrested for driving drunk during his ultimately successful bid to win a seat in the Iowa Senate.
Bisignano pleaded guilty to an aggravated misdemeanor count of second-offense OWI, leading Democratic rival Ned Chiodo to legally challenge his candidacy. In a case that went before the Iowa Supreme Court in April 2014, a lawyer representing Chiodo argued the conviction should be considered an “infamous crime” that would bar Bisignano from voting or holding public office.
In the ruling, Chief Justice Mark Cady allowed Bisignano to stay on the ballot — but also laid out the road map for the current challenge to the disenfranchisement law, Koopmans said. The chief justice wrote the court should take a future case to decide whether all felonies are considered “infamous crimes” and laid out his own thoughts as to what might fit the definition.
“The crime must be classified as particularly serious, and it must be a crime that reveals that voters who commit the crime would tend to undermine the process of democratic governance through elections,” he wrote.
Disenfranchising veterans
When Griffin was sentenced to probation for a felony cocaine delivery charge in 2008, her defense attorney told her she'd get back her voting rights automatically after she finished her sentence. That information was true at the time, but it changed when Branstad issued his own executive order in 2011, according to a brief filed in the case from the ACLU of Iowa.
Griffin, who declined to be interviewed for this article, was acquitted of the perjury charge at a March 2014 trial after she testified that she had no idea about the change in Iowa's law on felon voters
, according to the Associated Press.
Attorneys with the ACLU of Iowa filed a lawsuit later that year against the Iowa Secretary of State and Lee County auditor seeking to get Griffin's voting rights restored, setting up the issue to be decided by the Supreme Court.
But the Iowa mother's story won't be the only one justices hear as they decide the case.
Des Moines attorney Joseph Glazebrook filed a friend-of-the-court brief arguing that felon disenfranchisement also hurts military veterans — whose run-ins with police often are linked to post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental health issues. The filing tells the story of Andy Hartman, a 65-year-old Iowan who served during the Vietnam War and was disenfranchised after being convicted of felony marijuana possession in 2009.
Hartman finished his sentence in 2011 after being paroled from a stint in prison, Glazebrook wrote. The longtime Iowan would have had his voting rights restored if he'd finished his sentence just one year earlier, when Vilsack's order was in effect.
"The ongoing deprivation of fundamental rights is anathema to the values our country was founded upon," Glazebrook wrote. "Those who have sacrificed so much should, at the very least, be given the utmost consideration when deciding which classes of persons the government may restrict from participation in our democracy."
In their brief filed with the court, attorneys with the ACLU argue the justices should adopt a definition of infamous crimes that encompasses only a small number of crimes that are an "affront to democratic governance."
Under that standard, only crimes such as election fraud, perjury and bribery would strip a felon of voting rights.
Election mayhem
In their own briefs, both the Iowa County Attorneys Association and Iowa State Association of Counties, which represents auditors across the state, urge the justices not to make any changes to the felon disenfranchisement rule.
Replacing Iowa's current rule with a legal standard will be confusing to election officials and volunteers, Kristi Harshbarger, an attorney representing the association of counties, wrote in a brief.
"County auditors cannot be expected to determine at polling places if a crime is one that is 'particularly serious' and a crime that 'reveals that voters who commit the crime would tend to undermine the process of democratic governance through elections,'" Harshbarger wrote. "The court needs to consider the practical realities of conducting elections and institute a bright-line test."
The justices will hear the arguments during their 9 a.m. session Wednesday.
What the Iowa Constitution says about voting rights
When the Iowa Constitution was ratified in 1857 it read, "Disqualified persons: No idiot, or insane person, or person convicted of any infamous crime, shall be entitled to the privilege of being an elector."
The constitution was changed in 2008 to read, "no person adjudged mentally incompetent" to eliminate concerns about outdated and offensive language.
How does a felon currently get back voting rights?
Today a felon must have completed or be current on all payments of court costs, restitution and fines to get back voting rights. A person who has not completed payments must show documentation and written evidence of a good-faith effort to make payments.
Next, a felon must complete a restoration of rights application that asks 29 questions, including whether the person has been arrested for any other crimes or owes alimony or child support.
An ex-offender must also request a copy of his or her Iowa criminal history record from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The record costs $15 and must be mailed to the governor’s office with the application.
Around 25,000 Iowans finished serving felony sentences between 2011 and 2013; 40 people regained their voting rights over the same period, according to a brief from the NAACP.


NATIONAL VIDEO REPORT - 5/13/16
CBS
This Morning
There was a report about the Obama administration telling all public schools to allow students to use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity. The report also discussed how this issue has affected the 2016 election. [Watch
]
There was a report about Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan. [Watch
]
Dan Senor discussed Speaker Paul Ryan's reluctance to endorse Donald Trump. [Watch
]
Frank Luntz conducted a focus group with female voters about Donald Trump and Sec. Hillary Clinton. [Watch
]
There was a report about Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan and Trump's comments about Jeff Bezos. [Watch
]
There was a report about Donald Trump posing as a media spokesman named John Miller. [Watch
]
Gayle King spoke with Ivanka Trump at the Forbes Women's Summit. [Watch
]
CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley
There was a report about Trump's meetings in Washington, DC yesterday and Speaker Paul Ryan's reluctance to endorse Donald Trump. [Watch
]
ABC
Good Morning America
There was a report about Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan. The report also discussed the investigation of Trump's former Mar-a-Lago butler. [Watch
]
There was a report about the Obama administration telling all public schools to allow students to use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity. [Watch
]
There was an interview with Donald Trump. [Watch
]
ABC World News with David Muir
There was a report about Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan. [Watch
]
NBC
Today
There was a report about Donald Trump posing as a media spokesman named John Miller, Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan, the investigation of Trump's former Mar-a-Lago butler, and the allegations that the Clinton Foundation gave money to a corporation owned by a close friend of Pres. Bill Clinton. [Watch
]
Mark Halperin and Steve Kornacki discussed Donald Trump posing as a media spokesman named John Miller, Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan, and the allegations that the Clinton Foundation gave money to a corporation owned by a close friend of Pres. Bill Clinton. [Watch
]
There was a report about the Obama administration telling all public schools to allow students to use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity. [Watch
]
There was an interview with Donald Trump. [Watch
]
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt
There was a report about Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan. [Watch
]
FOX
Fox and Friends
There was an interview with Donald Trump. [Watch
]
There was an interview with Reince Priebus. [Watch
]
There was a report on Donald Trump's Capitol Hill meetings. There was a discussion of whether Rep. Paul Ryan's intent was to make Trump earn his endorsement and mediate between those in the party still turned off by Trump in an effort to slowly bring the party together. [Watch
]
There was a report on actor George Clooney saying that Donald Trump will not win the presidency because fear will not drive the country. [Watch
]
Geraldo Rivera said that all of Donald Trump's extremist views are "absolutely obsolete" and he will move back to the positions he has held throughout his life and pivot to the center more effectively than Mitt Romney did in 2012. [Watch
]
There was a report on Justice Department's order that public schools must allow children to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. [Watch
]
On the Record with Greta van Sustren
There was an interview with Reince Priebus. [Watch
]
There was an interview with Sen. John Barrasso. [Watch
]
There was an interview with Mike Huckabee. [Watch
]
The O'Reilly Factor
There was an interview with Rep. Louie Gohmert. [Watch
]
The Kelly File
There was an interview with Reince Priebus. [Watch
]
There was an interview with Ben Carson. [Watch
]
Hannity
There was an interview with Donald Trump. [Part One
, Part Two
]
There was an interview with Reince Priebus. [Watch
]
There was an interview with Phil Robertson. [Watch
]
CNN
New Day
There was a report and discussion about Donald Trump's meeting at the RNC yesterday. The 7:00 hour included an interview with Sean Spicer. [6:00
, 7:00
, 8:00
]
There was a report that David Petraeus is critical of Donald Trump's anti-Muslim comments. [Watch
]
There was a report on the updates in the Democratic primary. The 8:30 segment included Jeff Weaver. [6:00
, 7:00
, 8:00
, 8:30
]
There was a short report about the Obama administration letter to public schools about transgender students. [6:00
, 7:00
]
There was a discussion of the Democratic primary. The 7:00 hour included Brad Woodhouse. [6:00
, 7:00
]
There was a report about a judge siding with the GOP in a lawsuit over the Affordable Care Act.  [Watch
]
Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was interviewed about the Democratic Primary. [Watch
]
There was a discussion of the role of social media in the 2016 election. [Watch
]
There was a discussion of whether Donald Trump should be considered the leader of the Republican party. [Watch
]
There was a discussion with a historian of whether we can predict the results of the 2016 election. [Watch
]
Rosario Marin, a former US Treasurer, was interviewed about why she will not support Donald Trump. [Watch
]
Rep. Steve King was interviews about the story that Donald Trump pretended to be his own publicist in the 1990s. [Watch
]
Out Front
There was an interview with Rep. Reid Ribble on Donald Trump's meetings in DC and his decision to not support Donald Trump. [Watch
]
AC360
There was an interview with Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Donald Trump's meetings in DC. [Watch
]
MSNBC
Morning Joe
David Ignatius said Republicans are weary to support Donald Trump's foreign policy positions. [Watch
]
David Ignatius said some neoconservative foreign policy leaders believe that the Republican Party should "let it burn" and support Donald Trump so the party can rebuild itself. [Watch
]
David Ignatius said that if Donald Trump is elected president, 1.5 billion will look at the U.S. with anger because of his Muslim ban proposal. Sam Stein said that Trump could still change his position on the issue. [Watch
]
There was a discussion on Republican foreign policy leaders potentially supporting Sec. Hillary Clinton. [Watch
]
There was an interview with Rep. Peter King. [Watch
]
Sara Fagen called Donald Trump's comments on women "gross." [Watch
]
Hardball With Chris Matthews
There was an interview with Rep. Marsha Blackburn and Rep. Charlie Dent. [Watch
]
All In With Chris Hayes
There was an interview with Rep. Blake Farenthold. [Watch
]
There was an interview with Rep. Luis Gutierrez and Rep. Keith Ellison. [Watch
]
The Rachel Maddow
Dan Rather was interviewed. [Watch
]
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
There was an interview with Rep. Xavier Becerra. [Watch
]
UNIVISIÓN
¡Despierta América!
There was a report on the Obama administration's new round of deportations, with comments from Rep. Luis Gutierrez and Laura Vasquez of NCLR. [Watch
]
There was a report on Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan. [Watch
]
There was a report on President Barack Obama's call for gender-neutral bathroom in public schools.  [Watch
]
There was a report on a federal court ruling against the Affordable Care Act. [Watch
]
Noticiero Univisión
There was a report on the Obama administration's new round of deportations. [Watch
]
There was a report on Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan, with comments from RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, Rep. Rubén Gallego, and Rep. Darrell Issa.  [Watch
]
Noticias Washington
There was a report on the Obama administration's new round of deportations with comments from Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Rep. Blake Farenthold, and Laura Vasquez of NCLR. [Watch
]
There was a report on Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan, with comments from Rep. Darrell Issa. [Watch
]
TELEMUNDO
Noticiero Telemundo
There was a report on Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan. [Watch
]
There was a report on the Obama administration's new round of deportations, with comments from Rep. Luis Gutierrez. [Watch
]
Telenoticias Washington
There was a report and discussion on Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan. [Watch
]
PBS
PBS NewsHour
There was a political panel on the state of the upcoming Democratic and Republican primaries. [Watch
]
ENTERTAINMENT
ABC
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel announced his run for vice president and interviews with CNN. [Part 1
] [Part 2
]
NBC
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon talked about Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan about unifying the Republican Party. [Watch
]
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers talked about Donald Trump's meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan about party unification. [Watch
]
CBS
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert talked about Donald Trump and his meeting at the RNC with Speaker Paul Ryan. [Watch
]
The Late Late Show with James Corden
James Corden talked about Donald Trump and his meeting at the RNC with Speaker Paul Ryan. [Watch
]
Comedy Central
The Daily Show
Trevor Noah talked about the state of the 2016 Democratic and Republican primaries. [Watch
]
There was a segment on voters who are against Donald Trump. [Watch
]
The Nightly Show
Larry Wilmore talked about racial inequality in the United States. [Watch
]
There was a segment on the state of the Democratic Primary. [Watch
]
There was a panel that talked about George Zimmerman. [Watch
]


[Project Vantage]
IN-HOUSE SCHEDULE
LAST UPDATED 5/22/2016 6:31:10
All times are Eastern Standard Time
SIGNIFICANT UPDATES (Full Schedule Below):
TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2016
NEW DONALD TRUMP: 05/24/2016, $10000 per head fundraiser before the rally Albuquerque, NM [RPNM]
NEW HILLARY CLINTON: 05/24/2016, 1:45 PM: Tour and Discussion on Foster Care with Rep. Karen Bass Community Coalition 8101 S Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA [Clinton Campaign]
NEW HILLARY CLINTON: 05/24/2016, 3:45 PM: Working Families Event IBEW Local 11 Commerce, CA [Clinton Campaign]
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016
NEW DONALD TRUMP: 05/25/2016, 3:00 PM: Rally Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, CA [Trump Campaign]
TUESDAY, JUN 21, 2016
NEW DONALD TRUMP: 06/21/2016, Meeting with 500 evangelical leaders. New York, NY [foxnews]
FULL SCHEDULE:
LAST UPDATED 5/22/2016 6:31:10
All times are Eastern Standard Time
SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2016
GOP EVENTS
JEFF SESSIONS: 05/22/2016, 6:30 PM: TN GOP Fundraiser Embassy Suites 1200 Conference Center Blvd, Rutherford, TN [invite]
DEMOCRAT EVENTS
BERNIE SANDERS: 05/22/2016, 9:00 PM: Rally Irvine Meadows Amphitheater Irvine, CA [Sanders Campaign]
BERNIE SANDERS: 05/22/2016, 5:00 PM: Rally Rancho Buena Vista High School Stadium Vista, CA [Sanders Campaign]
MONDAY, MAY 23, 2016
GOP EVENTS
DONALD TRUMP: 05/23/2016, Appearance on Jimmy Kimmel [@betsy_klein]
DONALD TRUMP: 05/23/2016, Meeting with Bob Corker Trump Tower New York, NY [WaPo]
DEMOCRAT EVENTS
HILLARY CLINTON: 05/23/2016, 1:00 PM: SEIU Quadrennial International Convention COBO Center 1 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI [Clinton Campaign]
TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2016
GOP EVENTS
BOB CORKER: 05/24/2016, 10:00 AM: Senate Banking Committe: Understanding the Role of Sanctions Under the Iran Deal 538 Dirksen Washignton, DC [www.banking.senate.gov
]
CARLY FIORINA: 05/24/2016, (Campaign suspended)2016 Prescott Bush Awards Dinner Stamford, CT [@CTGOP]
DONALD TRUMP: 05/24/2016, 9:00 PM: Rally Albuquerque Convention Center Albuquerque, NM [Trump Campaign]
NEW DONALD TRUMP: 05/24/2016, $10000 per head fundraiser before the rally Albuquerque, NM [RPNM]
TOM COTTON: 05/24/2016, 10:00 AM: Senate Banking Committe: Understanding the Role of Sanctions Under the Iran Deal 538 Dirksen Washignton, DC [www.banking.senate.gov
]
DEMOCRAT EVENTS
BILL CLINTON: 05/24/2016, Public event. Details TBA. Albuquerque, NM [www.abqjournal.com
]
HILLARY CLINTON: 05/24/2016, 8:30 PM: Organizing Event Johnson Family Practice Center 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA [Clinton Campaign]
NEW HILLARY CLINTON: 05/24/2016, 1:45 PM: Tour and Discussion on Foster Care with Rep. Karen Bass Community Coalition 8101 S Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA [Clinton Campaign]
NEW HILLARY CLINTON: 05/24/2016, 3:45 PM: Working Families Event IBEW Local 11 Commerce, CA [Clinton Campaign]
OTHER EVENTS
05/24/2016, Washington State Republican Primary WA
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016
GOP EVENTS
BOB CORKER: 05/25/2016, 10:00 AM: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing: International Cybersecurity Strategy: Deterring Foreign Threats and Building Global Cyber Norms 419 Dirksen Washington, DC [www.foreign.senate.gov
]
BOB CORKER: 05/25/2016, 2:30 PM: Senate Banking: Understanding the Role of Sanctions Under the Iran Deal: Administration Perspectives Washington, DC [www.banking.senate.gov
]
NEW DONALD TRUMP: 05/25/2016, 3:00 PM: Rally Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, CA [Trump Campaign]
DONALD TRUMP: 05/25/2016, RNC fundraiser in the evening hosted by Thomas Barrack Jr Barrack Resiedence 5050 Happy Canyon Rd, Los Angeles, CA [www.washingtonpost.com
]
DONALD TRUMP: 05/25/2016, NRA meeting with members of congress. Afternoon. Capitol Hill Club Washington, DC [Buzzfeed]
TOM COTTON: 05/25/2016, 2:30 PM: Senate Banking: Understanding the Role of Sanctions Under the Iran Deal: Administration Perspectives Washington, DC [www.banking.senate.gov
]
DEMOCRAT EVENTS
BILL CLINTON: 05/25/2016, Public event. Details TBA. Espanola, NM [www.abqjournal.com
]
HILLARY CLINTON: 05/25/2016, Appearance on The Ellen Show. She will be joined by the all woman cast of the new Ghostbusters. Burbank, CA [@danmericaCNN]
HILLARY CLINTON: 05/25/2016, Public event CA [Clinton Campaign]
THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016
GOP EVENTS
DONALD TRUMP: 05/26/2016, 2:00 PM: Keynote speaker for the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference. Preceded by Lou Holtz. Event moderated by ND Lieutenant Governor Drew Wrigley. Bismarck Civic Center Bismarck, ND [www.seattletimes.com
]
DONALD TRUMP: 05/26/2016, 6:00 PM: Rally Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark Billings, MT [Trump Campaign]
FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2016
GOP EVENTS
DONALD TRUMP: 05/27/2016, 5:00 PM: Rally San Diego Convention Center Corporation San Diego, CA [www.10news.com
]
NEWS EVENTS
05/27/2016, Clinton email witness deposition by Judicial Watch attorneys: Cheryl D. Mills, Clinton’s chief of staff throughout her four years as secretary of state. Washington, DC [www.judicialwatch.org
]
WEDNESDAY, JUN 01, 2016
GOP EVENTS
JASON GREENBLATT: 06/01/2016, Trump's Jewish advisor will hold a Q&A session at the J-Biz Expo and Business Conference NJ Convention & Exposition Center 97 Sunfield Ave, Edison, NJ [@jacobkornbluh]
NEWT GINGRICH: 06/01/2016, Keynote at Marcum Microcap Conference, a forum where publicly traded companies with less than $500 million in market capitalization can network with the investment community and present their business plans in one-on-one meetings. New York, NY
THURSDAY, JUN 02, 2016
GOP EVENTS
06/02/2016, Idaho GOP State Party Convention Nampa, ID
DEMOCRAT EVENTS
HILLARY CLINTON: 06/02/2016, Fundraiser in early evening Philadelphia, PA [Invite]
FRIDAY, JUN 03, 2016
GOP EVENTS
NEWT GINGRICH: 06/03/2016, Attending the GA GOP Convention Augusta, GA [politics.blog.ajc.com
]
RICK PERRY: 06/03/2016, Attending the GA GOP Convention Augusta, GA [politics.blog.ajc.com
]
06/03/2016, Wisconsin and Georgia GOP State Party Conventions
NEWS EVENTS
06/03/2016, Clinton email witness deposition by Judicial Watch attorneys:Stephen D. Mull, executive secretary of the State Department from June 2009 to October 2012, who suggested that Clinton be issued a State Department BlackBerry, which would protect her identity and would also be subject to FOIA requests. Washington, DC [www.judicialwatch.org
]
SATURDAY, JUN 04, 2016
GOP EVENTS
06/04/2016, Oregon GOP State Party Convention OR
OTHER EVENTS
06/04/2016, Virgin Islands Democratic Caucus VI
SUNDAY, JUN 05, 2016
OTHER EVENTS
06/05/2016, Puerto Rico Democratic Caucus. PR
MONDAY, JUN 06, 2016
NEWS EVENTS
06/06/2016, Clinton email witness deposition by Judicial Watch attorneys: Bryan Pagliano, State Department Schedule C employee who has been reported to have serviced and maintained the server that hosted the “clintonemail.com
” system during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state. Washington, DC [www.judicialwatch.org
]
TUESDAY, JUN 07, 2016
OTHER EVENTS
06/07/2016, Democratic Primaries: California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota
06/07/2016, Republican Primaries: California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota
WEDNESDAY, JUN 08, 2016
NEWS EVENTS
06/08/2016, Clinton email witness deposition by Judicial Watch attorneys: 30(b)(6) deposition(s) of the State Department regarding the processing of FOIA requests, including Judicial Watch’s FOIA request, for emails of Clinton and Abedin both during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state and after. Washington, DC [www.judicialwatch.org
]
THURSDAY, JUN 09, 2016
GOP EVENTS
06/09/2016, E2 Summit hosted by Mitt Romney. Will go June 9 to June 11 Stein Eriksen Lodge 7700 Stein Way, Deer Valley, UT [Email]
06/09/2016, Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Conference. Goes to June 11. Omni Sheraton 2500 Calvert St NW, Washington, DC [Email]
FRIDAY, JUN 10, 2016
DEMOCRAT EVENTS
HILLARY CLINTON: 06/10/2016, Planned Parenthood Action Fund Membership Washington, DC [Clinton Campaign]
SATURDAY, JUN 11, 2016
GOP EVENTS
DONALD TRUMP: 06/11/2016, (Canceled) Oil tycoon Boone Pickens is slated to host a reception for a pro-Donald Trump super PAC at his Texas ranch next month. The event will be sponsored by Great America PAC. (No indication Trump will be present) North Amarillo, TX [politico.com
]
TUESDAY, JUN 14, 2016
OTHER EVENTS
06/14/2016, District of Columbia Democratic Primary Washington, DC
THURSDAY, JUN 16, 2016
GOP EVENTS
JEFF SESSIONS: 06/16/2016, 9:45 AM: Keynote at 2016 SIA Government Summit The Westin City Center Washington, DC [prweb.com
]
FRIDAY, JUN 17, 2016
GOP EVENTS
MARSHA BLACKBURN: 06/17/2016, NHGOP Fundraiser. Cocktail reception and auction Manchester, NH
TUESDAY, JUN 21, 2016
GOP EVENTS
NEW DONALD TRUMP: 06/21/2016, Meeting with 500 evangelical leaders. New York, NY [foxnews]
TUESDAY, JUN 28, 2016
NEWS EVENTS
06/28/2016, Clinton email witness deposition by Judicial Watch attorneys: Huma Abedin, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff and a senior advisor to Clinton throughout her four years as secretary of state and also had an email account on clintonemail.com
. Washington, DC [www.judicialwatch.org
]
WEDNESDAY, JUN 29, 2016
NEWS EVENTS
06/29/2016, Clinton email witness deposition by Judicial Watch attorneys: Patrick F. Kennedy, undersecretary for management since 2007 and the secretary of state’s principal advisor on management issues, including technology and information services. Washington, DC [www.judicialwatch.org
]
MONDAY, JUL 18, 2016
GOP EVENTS
07/18/2016, Republican National Convention Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland, OH
TUESDAY, JUL 19, 2016
GOP EVENTS
07/19/2016, Republican National Convention Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland, OH
WEDNESDAY, JUL 20, 2016
GOP EVENTS
07/20/2016, Republican National Convention Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland, OH
THURSDAY, JUL 21, 2016
GOP EVENTS
07/21/2016, Republican National Convention Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland, OH
FRIDAY, AUG 12, 2016
GOP EVENTS
08/12/2016, Red State Gathering Aug 12-14 Denver, CO [email]
TUESDAY, AUG 23, 2016
GOP EVENTS
DONALD TRUMP: 08/23/2016, Washington Post Trump Book release [WaPo]
MONDAY, SEP 12, 2016
OTHER EVENTS
09/12/2016, Bridgegate Corruption Trial NJ [NJ.com
]
MONDAY, SEP 26, 2016
OTHER EVENTS
DEBATE: 09/26/2016, 1st Presidential Debate Wright State University Dayton, OH [Commission on Presidential Debates]
TUESDAY, OCT 04, 2016
OTHER EVENTS
DEBATE: 10/04/2016, Vice-Presidential Debate Longwood University Farmville, VA [Commission on Presidential Debates]
SUNDAY, OCT 09, 2016
OTHER EVENTS
DEBATE: 10/09/2016, 2nd Presidential Debate Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, MO [Commission on Presidential Debates]
WEDNESDAY, OCT 19, 2016
OTHER EVENTS
DEBATE: 10/19/2016, 3rd Presidential Debate University of Nevada, Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV [Commission on Presidential Debates]
MONDAY, NOV 28, 2016
GOP EVENTS
DONALD TRUMP: 11/28/2016, Trump University Trial Date
Project Vantage is a product of the Democratic National Committee. The Project Vantage Tools may be used solely by users authorized by the DNC and solely for the purpose of performing work on behalf of the DNC, the DSCC, the DCCC, democratic candidate committees, or democratic state and local party committees. Materials accessed through the use of the Tools are the proprietary property of the DNC. If you have received this email in error, please delete the message and any attachments without copying or disclosing the contents. For questions, please email vantagehelp@help.dnc.org
Paid for by the Democratic National Committee, 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington DC 20003 and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions or gifts to the Democratic National Committee are not tax deductible.


Hey-we're going to feature work from state parties on the Trump-Ryan agenda toolkit this week in the Week on the Campaign Trail (which goes to dnc staff, state party cds, talkers, and our national press list). If your parties did a release or got clips from pressers, please send them to me and Levi so we make sure we grab it and give them recognition. We're also going to compile them in a running google doc, which we will add next week's toolkit press releases and clips to as well. A lot went around and I don't want to miss any. We also integrate clips. Please respond back to this chain with links. Thanks!
Rachel
--
[DNC]
Rachel Palermo
Democratic National Committee
PalermoR@dnc.org
202-863-8041


April, please see below. Apparently I’m supposed to deliver brief comments on our messaging about the convention today. Can you please send me the best talking points? Thank you.
[SigDems]
Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 – MirandaL@dnc.org
- @MiraLuisDC
From: Guerra, Liana
Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2016 10:35 AM
To: Miranda, Luis; Ryan Banfill
Cc: Paustenbach, Mark; Palermo, Rachel
Subject: RE: House Dem COS Meeting re: Convention
She would like you to briefly speak on our messaging about the convention.
From: Miranda, Luis
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2016 5:22 PM
To: Ryan Banfill; Guerra, Liana
Cc: Paustenbach, Mark; Palermo, Rachel
Subject: RE: House Dem COS Meeting re: Convention
Does attend mean just sit and listen or should I be prepared to speak?
[SigDems]
Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 – MirandaL@dnc.org
- @MiraLuisDC
From: Ryan Banfill
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2016 5:14 PM
To: Guerra, Liana
Cc: Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Palermo, Rachel
Subject: Re: House Dem COS Meeting re: Convention
I'm going to be flying from Florida at this time.
Sent from my iPad
On May 4, 2016, at 2:12 PM, Guerra, Liana
> wrote:
Hi team-
Tracie and Matt Butler are hosting a meeting for the House Democratic Chiefs of Staff to discuss the upcoming convention. Tracie needs Ryan and either Luis or Mark to attend this meeting on Monday, May 9th from 11:30am – 1:30pm.
Rachel- please let me know if either Luis or Mark can attend.
Ryan- please let me know if this works with your travel schedule.
Thanks,
Liana
Liana A. Guerra
Special Projects Manager | Special Assistant to the Chair’s Chief of Staff
Democratic National Committee
430 S. Capitol Street, SE | Washington , DC 20003
202-863-8093 (office) | GuerraL@dnc.org


WHO: Eric (or someone else) and David Webb
WHAT:  Live one on one interview about primary night and the look ahead to next week. Note: Webb's is a right wing show on SIRIUS XM's "Patriot" channel.
WHEN: 10:40 PM ET
DURATION: 7 mins
WHERE: Dial-in or in-studio.
Sent from my iPhone


Guys... I'm sorry but what does this achieve? They're all just saying Trump won. The only cover worth putting in is the NYDN where it declares the Republican Party dead. Editorials / headlines from stories that are critical - that could be useful
From: Price, Jenna
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2016 11:27 AM
To: Paustenbach, Mark; Miranda, Luis; Walsh, Tom; Walker, Eric; Freundlich, Christina
Subject: For Comms Review: Front Pages Release
The results of the Indiana primary are in: Trump is the GOP nominee. Now the Republicans are stuck with the tabloid-touting reality TV star that ran an ugly campaign and is tied to dangerous proposals that would drag America backwards and make our country less safe.
Ted Cruz may have been the least- liked politician in Washington, but Trump is one of the least liked men in America. Donald Trump simply doesn't have the judgment or temperament to be President, and the American people know it.
Don't just take our word for it, see what newspaper headlines are saying around the country:
[
View this post on our Factivists site here.
###


Fine here.
[SigDems]
Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 - MirandaL@dnc.org
- @MiraLuisDC
From: Christopher, Rebecca
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2016 10:28 AM
To: Christopher, Rebecca; Video-Vetting_d
Cc: Bagchi, K.J.; Wei, Shu-Yen
Subject: Re: For approval: Grace Meng AAPI heritage month kickoff
Hi there,
Just wanted to check in on this, thank you!
From: Rebecca Christopher
>
Date: Friday, April 29, 2016 at 4:27 PM
To: Video-Vetting_d
>
Cc: "Bagchi, K.J."
>, "Wei, Shu-Yen"
>
Subject: For approval: Grace Meng AAPI heritage month kickoff
Hi everyone,
Attached is the DTC Grace Meng recorded for AAPI heritage month's kickoff on Monday. Let me know if you have any flags!


Christina is a solid reporter and directs all the political coverage for the LA Times. We should do this.
Mark Paustenbach
National Press Secretary &
Deputy Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
W: 202.863.8148
paustenbachm@dnc.org
From: Kate Houghton
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 5:35 PM
To: Garcia, Walter
Cc: Bonosky, Garret; Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric
Subject: Re: DWS/LA Times interview on May 4th
Adding Luis, Mark, and Eric.
On Apr 25, 2016, at 5:18 PM, Garcia, Walter
> wrote:
Kate,
Christina Bellantoni from the LA Times finally got back to me and said she’d love to meet with DWS for coffee if we can make it work. She’s asking for windows that work best for DWS. Let me know, and I’ll go ahead and reply.
Thanks :)
--
Walter Garcia
Democratic National Committee (DNC)
GarciaW@dnc.org
@WalterGarcia231


Threw cruz in at the end for voting against VAWA, along with a majority of Congressional and Senate GOP
From: Freundlich, Christina
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2016 1:58 PM
To: Walker, Eric; Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Walsh, Tom
Subject: RE: draft -- Trump rape release
Updated with one change
From: Freundlich, Christina
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2016 1:56 PM
To: Walker, Eric; Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Walsh, Tom
Subject: draft -- Trump rape release
Take a look and then we can throw a title on there. It's a little bland
Just last week, Trump proudly announced endorsements from two "tough guys
" - Mike Tyson and Bobby Knight. Tyson was convicted of rape in 1992, and Bobby Knight once said "I think if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it."
After days of touting the endorsement of Mike Tyson, turns out that Donald Trump's misogynistic and backwards defense on violence against women, specifically related to Mike Tyson, steam decades back
:
Trump controversially suggested in 1992 Tyson could pay the victim with money from a fight to avoid serving a jail sentence and as reported earlier this week by BuzzFeed News said in the early '90s that Tyson was "railroaded" in his case, and that the victim had willingly entered Tyson's room.
In another instance in late 1992, Trump discussed the case at length in an interview with Charlie Rose. The topic centered around a New York magazine profile in which Trump said his mother was angry at him for defending Tyson. In the piece, Trump said Tyson told him the victim "wanted it real bad."
Donald Trump thinks he can fool us into how presidential he is going to be, and how much he loves women - but the warped and backwards view of violence and rape is who Donald Trump has been for years.
Now, sexual violence advocates are livid
that Donald Trump has been saying that China is going to "rape" America. When someone like Donald Trump uses a heinous crime like rape as a metaphor, it's an insult to all sexual assault victims and survivors.
Preventing violence against women has garnered widespread support among voters, but a majority of Republicans in Congress, including Ted Cruz, still voted against the Violence Against Women Act in 2013. By contrast, Democrats have been committed to preventing violence against women and extending support to survivors. Republicans like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are showing no respect and dignity for those 300,000 victims
of sexual violence and rape each year - all the more reason why we can't have a Republican be the 45th president of the United States.


The Democratic Party
-----------------------
Luis --
How lucky are we to have had Michelle Obama in the White House for
the last seven years? She's been an incredible influence for good in this
country, from her advocacy for veterans and their families, to helping our
kids -- and our country -- get healthier and more active. She's been an
incredible role model in everything she does, but especially as a mom to
Sasha and Malia.
So let's all make sure that her final White House Mother's Day is extra
special! Add your name to her card:

Thanks so much, Luis!
All the best,
Amy
Amy K. Dacey
Chief Executive Officer
Democratic National Committee
**************************************************************
Paid for by the Democratic National Committee,  430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington DC 20003 and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
**************************************************************
This email was sent to mirandal@dnc.org.
If this isn't the best email address at which to reach you, update your contact information at  Our email list is the best way we have of staying in regular contact with supporters like you across the country and letting you know about the work President Obama and other Democrats are doing. Visit  to unsubscribe from our supporter list. If you like staying in touch, but want to receive only the most important messages, go here:  Go here to unsubscribe from our supporter list:  but if you leave, it will be harder for you to stay involved in the organization that you've been such a critical part of. This organization is powered by you, and we'd love to hear your ideas. Send us any comments, criticisms, or feedback:  or just reply to this email! Thanks for supporting President Obama and other Democrats.


Christina Freundlich
DNC Deputy National Press Secretary
314-302-0602


Jeh Johnson
Today, U.S. may have killed senior Taliban leader mullah monsur
Egypt air?
Can't rule out terror. We are participating in search. Black box hasn't been found.
Any flights coming to US have to be screened to US standards.
Muslim ban counterproductive. Need to build bridges to Muslim communities.
TSA
In response to lines - Not going to shortcut aviation security. More people flying - healthier economy. 30 min avg wait time but sometimes there are spikes. Need airlines to help us with this.
Shouted down at gtown commencement over deportations.
We live in a noisy democracy.


Is Trump Getting A Bump?

Submitted by Simon Rosenberg
on 5/16/16
While Donald Trump still faces enormous challenges in his campaign for the White House, the last few weeks have been very good ones for him.  His primary ended earlier than many expected, and well before the Democrats.  He rolled out a Vice Presidential search process and appointed Chris Christie to head up the building of his government.  He had a successful trip to Washington, sending a clear signal to all the party is in the process, slowly, of coming together behind him.  The media gave saturation, perhaps even unprecedented, coverage, to his every move and utterance.  In extraordinarily rapid fashion Trump has made the transition from brash outsider to confident leader of the Republican Party, again demonstrating that despite his political inexperience and sky high negatives, this guy is capable of playing the game at the highest level.
And perhaps most importantly to the Trumpian narrative, the success of his last few weeks has already begun to show up in the polls.  Using the Huffington Post Pollster aggregate
as our guide, Hillary Clinton’s lead over Trump, which was 8-10 points throughout March and April, has shrunk to between 4 and 6 points. The four most recent polls had Clinton’s lead at 4, 2, 4 and 2.  The Ipsos/Reuters weekly tracking poll released over the weekend also caught this movement, finding Clinton’s margin dropping from 9 to 4 (45/36 to 41/37) over the past week.  Trump is clearly getting a bump now, and the data suggests that while some Republican leaders may be holding out, rank and file Republicans appear to be rapidly consolidating behind their new leader.
This movement could explain why Priorities USA, the Clinton SuperPAC, will start
their general election campaign in the coming days, six weeks earlier expected.
[
As I’ve written
before, it should not surprise anyone that Trump had the potential to bring his party together despite his contentious primary.  On the big issues of the day – large tax cuts, climate denial, gutting Obamacare, interventionist foreign policy and restrictionist immigration policy – Trump is a very much in line with modern “conservative” Republicans.  Even on trade Trump is aligned with his party’s voters.  It is well known that Republican voters are more protectionist than the Ryan/Chamber wing of the GOP, and even more so than Democratic voters.  And it is also my own experience that Republican voters are far more invested in the “strong/weak leader” attributes of candidates than non-aligned voters and Democrats, something that is playing to Trump’s advantage.
The “strong leader” dimension of this race should be watched closely in the months ahead.  It is possible that this Presidential attribute is particularly important to Republicans reared on the powerful Presidency of Ronald Reagan, himself a former entertainer and unusually potent political showman.  For close to thirty years Republicans have been searching for a worthy successor, and have come up short again and again.  The Bushes were both failed Presidents, and leave little to celebrate about their time on the national stage.  A series of Congressional leaders – Hastert, Gingrich, Livingston, Lott – have seen their careers end in disgrace.  The children of Reagan who have begun to assert themselves in the GOP – Cruz, Rubio, Ryan, Walker – also showed they aren’t quite ready yet.  No national Republican today has a net positive approval rating.  It is not an exaggeration to say that since Reagan the Republicans have not produced one truly successful national Party leader.  This unrealized thirty year quest to find another one as great as Reagan may explain Trump’s success in ways other more traditional analyses cannot.  It also points to Kasich, who was a political ally of Reagan’s, as the Vice President who can help symbolically pass the torch from Ronald to the Donald.
While this is only a snapshot in time, and we have a long campaign ahead of us, at this point it appears that Trump may be able to make a race of this thing after all.  But  as we discussed last week, failure to do so means a particularly devastating year
for the Republican Party.
Sanders Still In Weakened Position –The good news for Hillary Clinton this week is on the Democratic side.  Despite her losses in West Virginia and Indiana in recent weeks, Clinton’s national polling lead against Sanders has ballooned from low single digits a month ago to 13 today, and shows no sign of abating.  The same Ipsos/Reuters poll that showed her race against Trump tightening significantly also found her 15 point lead over Sanders unchanged from a weekly earlier.  Despite his two recent wins, Sanders has been unable to make up any public opinion ground against Clinton, suggesting that for many Democrats the primary has already ended.  While she might struggle this week in Oregon and Kentucky, her sizable national advantage is likely to prevent Sanders doing as well in the early June states including California and New Jersey to keep his candidacy going until the Convention.  And when Sanders is truly defeated, and stops campaigning, one would imagine that Clinton will get the same kind of bump Trump appears to be getting now, snapping the race back to a 6-8 point advantage for Clinton, a more comfortable margin, and one more in keeping with other measures
in the national landscape.
[
Trump’s Free Media Dominance Should Be A Worry for Clinton – I will dive into this a bit more in future columns, but want to say that Trump’s facility as a public communicator and his ability to completely dominate news coverage should start to become a true worry for team Clinton.  I have long rejected the theory that all this early exposure was somehow hurting Trump, and raised alarms last fall about how the anemic Democratic debate schedule was ceding far too much ground to Trump and the Republicans. While Democrats may have substantial advantages in how modern campaigns are run, we are about to learn the true value of celebrity and persistent media presence, traits that can be virally magnified in the social media age in ways not possible in previous media eras.  I don’t think Trump’s facility with modern media will be enough to close the institutional gap with the blended Clinton Obama campaign apparatus, but it is possible that the modeling of the digital nerds have not adequately war gamed a Kardashian like social media celebrity like Trump.   Underestimating Trump has proven to be a dangerous indulgence this Presidential cycle.
Simon Rosenberg
President, NDN/New Policy Institute
202-842-7217/@SimonWDC/Web Site
/My Writing


took out too, otherwise looks great.
From: Paustenbach, Mark
Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 1:48 PM
To: RR2
Subject: For Approval: What Some Had to Say About Trump's Incoherent Foreign Policy Speech
SL: What Some Had to Say About Trump's Incoherent Foreign Policy Remarks
Donald Trump proved today that a teleprompter can't help him sound reasonable or knowledgeable when it comes to foreign policy. He continues to lack the judgment, experience, and temperament to be our next commander-in-chief. The "new" Donald Trump is the same Donald Trump we have seen on the campaign trail over the past year -- a candidate that lacks details, alarms foreign leaders, and has no place in the White House.
Just look at what some had to say about Trump's incoherent foreign policy remarks:
@LindseyGrahamSC:
Not sure who is advising Trump on foreign policy but I can understand why he's not revealing their names.
@LindseyGrahamSC:
Question #1 for Trump: Are we sure the guy running the teleprompter has the pages in the right order? #notmakinganysense
@LindseyGrahamSC:
Question #2 -- Did teleprompter guy actually write the speech? #notmakinganysense
@LindseyGrahamSC:
Trump speech is pathetic in terms of understanding the role America plays in the world, how to win War on Terror, and threats we face.
@timkmak
: How can such a prewritten, rehearsed speech be filled with so many errors and internal contradictions
@timkmak:
Trump's contradiction:
--Allies must pay for their own defense
--We must stick by our agreement with allies (just not security assurances)
@fmkaplan:
Even by Trump standards, this is thumpingly incoherent and ignorant.
@JakeSherman:
Donald Trump just called Tanzania "Tanzaynia"
@cathleendecker:
Shorter Trump: Obama/Clinton bad, I'm good, and I need more TelePrompter practice. And words like "total disaster" are mine not writer's.
@joshgreenman:
1. Start trade war with China
2. Seek common ground based on shared interests with China
@ThePlumLineGS:
After saying we need to be more "unpredictable," Trump says the secret to successful foreign policy is consistency.
@BenjySarlin:
After literally threatening to end alliances over a funding dispute, Trump pivots to saying our allies no longer think they can depend on us
@alivitali:
So far this seems like a referendum on Obama's foreign policy and less of what Trump's own FP would look like.
@ZekeJMiller:
The big question hanging over pretty much every line of this Trump speech: How?
@thefix:
To say this Trump foreign policy speech is light on specifics is an insult to specifics.
@WayneSlater:
Trump reading his foreign policy address off the Teleprompter looks like a 10-year-old trying to speak in a second language.
@BenjySarlin:
Trump just seems to staple GOP talking points about foreign policy onto his own foreign policy, which is totally incompatible with them


great, one change
________________________________
From: Walker, Eric
Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2016 12:11 PM
To: RR2
Subject: RE: For research approval: GOP Chairman says Trump’s Muslim ban helps ISIS recruit terrorists
Sorry – one change by me. Changed ‘says’ to ‘confirms’ because it’s already true.
From: Walker, Eric
Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2016 12:09 PM
To: RR2
Subject: For research approval: GOP Chairman says Trump’s Muslim ban helps ISIS recruit terrorists
Hey all – Luis signed off via Text. Good for research. Thanks!
From: Walker, Eric
Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2016 10:18 AM
To: Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Freundlich, Christina; Walsh, Tom
Subject: Draft hit from this morning: GOP Chairman says Trump’s Muslim ban helps ISIS recruit terrorists
SL: GOP Chairman confirms Trump’s Muslim ban helps ISIS recruit terrorists
Today, GOP Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul confirmed that Trump’s despicable and divisive plan to ban Muslims from the United States would cause a ‘backlash’ and could help ISIS recruit terrorists.
Watch:

Chairman McCaul is correct that Trump is helping ISIS recruit terrorists. Just two days ago, Politifact confirmed
that ISIS and other terror groups are using clips of Donald Trump in recruiting videos.
“There are many titles you can affix to Donald Trump – sexist, racist, xenophobic, dangerous, liar, etc. – but Republican Chairman McCaul may have come up with a new one: ISIS recruiter. Banning an entire religion from the country not only runs counter to the constitution and our values – it also makes America less safe by straining relations with Muslim communities and helping terrorists recruit, a view confirmed by Republican leaders. The fact that terror groups are using Donald Trump’s words to help recruit more terrorists is just the latest reason why Trump is totally and categorically unfit to be President.” – Eric Walker, DNC Spokesperson
Eric Walker
walkere@dnc.org
732-991-1489
@ericmwalker


Got it. I assume he needs to run by Marilyn and then we are good to go?
From: Miranda, Luis
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2016 5:42 PM
To: Helmstetter, TJ; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric
Subject: RE: Profile Piece on Sean Meloy
He needs to be staffed, and needs to have a pivot on the issues to keep it as much as possible on his personal story
[SigDems]
Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 - MirandaL@dnc.org
- @MiraLuisDC
From: Helmstetter, TJ
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2016 5:41 PM
To: Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric; Miranda, Luis
Subject: Profile Piece on Sean Meloy
An LGBT mag in Pennsylvania wants to do a profile piece on Sean Meloy. Do we have protocol or any flags re staff profiles?
Thanks
TJ Helmstetter
Deputy Director of Regional and Specialty Media
Democratic National Committee
202.863.8022 - desk
973.464.9224 - cell
HelmstetterT@DNC.org


Hi Luis,
It was great meeting you this weekend. I wanted to follow up with you and see if you might be free to grab coffee and chat sometime.
Thanks and I look forward to catching up.
Best,
Ray
_______________________________________________
Raymond F. Zaccaro
Communications Director
Office of Senator Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510 | (202) 224.3753
ray_zaccaro@merkley.senate.gov
[
[
[
[YouTube]


That is right in the first paragraph. If we want this to be an abortion / SCOTUS hit, then I need to re-write it. This hit is more about the fact that we don’t know who his picks are.
From: Miranda, Luis
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 10:54 AM
To: Freundlich, Christina; Paustenbach, Mark; Walker, Eric; Walsh, Tom
Subject: RE: draft -- We are still waiting on those Trump SCOTUS nominees….
Trump said that he would prove his Pro-Life bona fides with his SCOTUS picks. That has to be in here, that GOP politicizes, obstructs, etc… And we should NOT make the case for the issue, but rather that the guy who said we should punish women who get abortions wants to politicize the SCOTUS.
[SigDems]
Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 – MirandaL@dnc.org
- @MiraLuisDC
From: Freundlich, Christina
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 10:48 AM
To: Paustenbach, Mark; Miranda, Luis; Walker, Eric; Walsh, Tom
Subject: draft -- We are still waiting on those Trump SCOTUS nominees….
We are still waiting on those Trump SCOTUS nominees….
With Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee, you would think that Senate Republicans would smarten up, reassess their obstruction, and give Merrick Garland the fair hearing that he deserves. Considering that just last night, Trump said he wants a Supreme Court justice who will uphold his “punishment” plan for women and overturn
Roe v. Wade – a position the majority
of Americans don’t support.
Yet, Mitchell McConnell and Chuck Grassley are unsure as to what they are waiting for – since we still really don’t know
whom Donald Trump plans to nominate to the Supreme Court.
In Politico
yesterday, Sen Jeff Flake notes, “We’re going to decide at some point what we do with Garland….It would help to feel better about where Trump is going.” Senator Lindsey Graham said, “I have no idea who Trump is going to pick.”
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley—a staunch opponent of doing his job and considering the President’s nominee—has even conceded that it would be a “gamble
” to let Trump fill the SCOTUS vacancy. The American people agree—62 percent
of voters don’t trust Donald Trump to nominate the new Supreme Court justice.
No one is more qualified to immediately serve on the Supreme Court than Chief Judge Merrick Garland. The fact that Chuck Grassley refuses to give him a fair hearing or up-and-down vote betrays his constitutional responsibility. Grassley and the Senate Republicans need to do their jobs and confirm Chief Judge Garland rather than play political games that put our democracy’s checks and balances at risk.
The American public understands that Donald Trump lacks the judgement to nominate a Supreme Court justice. When will the GOP?


Sec Clinton won the Guam Caucuses
On May 7, 2016, at 7:57 AM, Patrice Taylor
> wrote:
Good Morning!
A few hours ago, the Guam caucus took place, and we wanted to share with you and your teams some topline information on their Delegate Selection process.  On our side, there are 7 pledged delegates up for grabs.  Below, please find a brief summary of the process; attached you will find the internal fact sheet.  We will send around results when they are released.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions.
GUAM (Caucus)
May 07, 2016
The caucus begins at 10 am ChST (8 pm EST on May 6).  The caucus will be held at the Agana Shopping Center in Hagatna, Guam.
Results will be announced from the Guam Chairman, Joaquin Perez.
There are a total of 7 pledged delegates that will be allocated proportionally based on Saturday’s results.  A 15 percent threshold is required in order for a presidential contender to received pledged delegates at either the congressional district or statewide level.
The delegate breakdown is:
At-Large-7 delegates
In addition to the 7 pledged delegates, there are 5 unpledged delegates from Guam.
Republican Process
The Republican Caucus took place on Saturday, March 12.  A Territorial Caucus convened as a Convention to choose 6 delegates to the Republican National Convention.  There is no formal system to relate the presidential preference of the Convention participants to the choice of the delegates to the Republican Convention.  In addition, 3 party leaders, the National Committeeman, the National Committeewoman, and the chairman of the Guam's Republican Party, will attend the convention as unpledged delegates by virtue of their position.


Great - Thank you!
From: Kate Houghton
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2016 5:21 PM
To: Walker, Eric
Cc: Ryan Banfill (ryban1001@gmail.com); Weinberg, Aaron; Sarah E Arkin; Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Walsh, Tom; P. Aikowsky; Bonosky, Garret; Tracie Pough; Banfill, Ryan
Subject: Re: DNC JAHM statement for chair review
With DWS changes.
For Immediate Release
May 2, 2016
Contact - DNC Press 202-863-8148
DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Statement on Jewish American Heritage Month
Washington, DC - DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement today in recognition of May as Jewish American Heritage Month. As a Congresswoman, Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz was instrumental in establishing May as Jewish American Heritage Month. President George W. Bush first proclaimed JAHM almost 11 years ago, in 2006 and it has been celebrated ever since:
"This month, we celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month by marking the important contributions that Jews have made to American life throughout U.S. history.
"From a young age, my parents taught me that a central tenet of our faith is tikkun olam - repairing the world. As active citizens and as Jews, they helped me understand that we have a responsibility to advocate for others and on behalf of justice and righteousness.
"This year's JAHM theme - Jewish contributions to education - builds upon that legacy of tikkun olam. We know that education can be the key for parents who want to give their children a better life or a chance to escape the cycle of poverty. Education is also our best defense against bigotry and ignorance in society. Jewish Americans have made major contributions to the American education system, most notably Julius Rosenwald's effort to help build more than 5,000 schools in the American South. By fighting for a better education for all Americans, Jewish Americans can do our part to repair our country and the world.
"There's a reason why two-thirds of Jews identify with the Democratic Party: because the Democratic Party's values are in sync with the values of the Jewish community, like tzedakah, or charity, gemilut hasadim, the gift of loving kindness, and the cause of social justice. This Jewish American Heritage Month, I'm proud to call myself a Democrat because I know that we are not only advancing the causes of our party but of the Jewish people."
On May 2, 2016, at 4:47 PM, Walker, Eric
> wrote:
Adding Garret - thanks!
From: Walker, Eric
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2016 4:11 PM
To: Kate Houghton; Ryan Banfill (ryban1001@gmail.com
)
Cc: Weinberg, Aaron; Sarah E Arkin; Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Walsh, Tom; P. Aikowsky
Subject: Re: DNC JAHM statement for chair review
Bumping for chair approval. Thanks
On May 2, 2016, at 10:39 AM, Walker, Eric
> wrote:
For Immediate Release
May 2, 2016
Contact - DNC Press 202-863-8148
DNC Chair Wasserman Schultz's Statement on Jewish American Heritage Month
Washington, DC - DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement today in recognition of May as Jewish American Heritage Month. As a Congresswoman, Chair Wasserman Schultz was instrumental in establishing May as JAHM. President George W. Bush first proclaimed JAHM almost 10 years ago and it has been celebrated ever since:
"This month, we celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month by marking the important contributions that Jews have made to American life.
"From a young age, my parents taught me that a central tenet of our faith is tikkun olam - repairing the world. As active citizens and as Jews, they helped me understand that we have a responsibility to advocate for others and on behalf of justice and righteousness.
"This year's theme - Jewish contributions to education - builds upon that legacy of tikkun olam. We know that education can be the silver bullet for parents who want to give their children a better life or a chance to escape the cycle of poverty. Education is also our best defense against bigotry and ignorance in society. Jewish Americans have made major contributions to American education system, most notably Julius Rosenwald's effort to help build more than 5,000 schools in the American South. By fighting for a better education for all Americans, Jewish Americans can do our part to repair our country and the world.
"There's a reason why two-thirds of Jews identify with the Democratic Party: because the Democratic Party's values are in sync with the values of the Jewish community, like tzedakah, or charity, gemilut hasadim, the gift of loving kindness, and the cause of social justice. This Jewish American Heritage Month, I'm proud to call myself a Democrat because I know that we are not only advancing the causes of our party but of the Jewish people."
Eric Walker
walkere@dnc.org
732-991-1489
@ericmwalker


Luis,
Received the email below from the Arizona Republic late last night. Pratt and Deshundra said they're good with the changes, but I wanted to make sure to check with you. Let me know.
Walter,
Please see below the edited version of the op-ed by Rep. Wasserman Schultz. Appreciate if you'd run it by her.
Arizona readers have heard a great deal about the long waiting lines, and the personal stories of those who waited have been well documented in the local press, so it would be better to get right to the news - the DNC filed a suit and here's why.
The personal stories of the two women remain in the piece, just lower.
Happy to discuss this further if you like - I'm at 602-316-9261.
Thank you,
Carrie Watters
Editor, contributor network
[azc_tar]
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
602-316-9261
carrie.watters@arizonarepublic.com
republicmedia.com
azcentral.com * The Arizona Republic * La Voz
Connect with azcentral on social media
Facebook.com/azcentral
Twitter @azcentral
Instagram @azcentral
The reason the Democratic National Committee resorted to filing a lawsuit against Arizona this month is simple: the right to vote is sacred, and it is under attack in Arizona - a state with a particularly poor record of discrimination and disenfranchisement in minority communities.
It's certainly no accident that so many of the long waits to vote in the March primary election occurred in Maricopa County, which is home to a large minority population. The state closed 70 percent of its polling locations, citing "cost-cutting" as the reason.
But this is far more serious than a careless oversight, or a bureaucratic mix-up.
Arizona is a state where conservatives banned bilingual education in 2000, where Sheriff Joe Arpaio has run roughshod over the rights of Hispanics with illegal traffic stop detentions, and where Hispanic, African American, and Native American voters have long faced undue burdens in exercising their most basic rights as citizens.
The issue isn't just that voting locations were severely cut back. Many polling locations have been moved or changed, causing more unnecessary confusion. In fact, almost half of all Maricopa County polling locations changed between 2006 and 2008, and election officials actually have more changes planned before Election Day in November.
These Republican laws and changes disproportionately burden students and young people who are more likely to move within a district, and those dependent on public transportation and the elderly, who are more likely to need assistance voting by mail.
This is part of a much broader, deliberate and concerted effort by Republicans to reduce turnout among particular groups of voters who are inconvenient to them on Election Day. And those voters are more vulnerable today than they have been in the past.
When the Supreme Court decided a case called Shelby v. Holder three years ago, it gutted a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that has protected voters since the height of the Civil Rights movement. Before the Shelby decision, Arizona was considered a "covered jurisdiction," which meant that the Department of Justice would review any changes to voting rules there to protect against precisely the type of irregularities voters faced last month.
But since the Supreme Court poked a major hole in the Voting Rights Act, Republicans have used the opportunity to attack voting rights among groups who traditionally do not vote for Republicans in those previously covered jurisdictions.
If no one steps in now, Maricopa County would become one of their greatest disenfranchisement success stories.
This is completely wrong, and it's why this lawsuit is absolutely necessary.
When teacher Luz Magallanes arrived at her polling place to vote in the Arizona primary before work, she hoped to share her voting story with her students later that day. But looking at the long lines, she decided to go to work and vote in the evening instead. When she returned, she had to wait in line for nearly five hours before finally casting her ballot.
When Leslie Feldman arrived at her polling location with her two young daughters, she didn't expect an ordeal. In the course of waiting for nearly five hours, she found the voting center's one working bathroom was overwhelmed and leaking raw sewage onto the sidewalk. When she finally reached the front of the voting line, she was told they had run out of Democratic ballots. And when new ballots finally arrived and she cast her vote, she passed hundreds of people still waiting.
These stories prompted those of us at the Democratic National Committee to file suit
in the U.S. District Court of Arizona against the state officials responsible. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Kirkpatrick for Senate, the Arizona Democratic Party and eight individual voters, including Magallanes and Feldman, joined the suit.
If successful, the lawsuit will restore federal election oversight of Maricopa County, and make it easier for voters to vote in locations near their homes or workplaces.
It would also reverse a new Arizona state law that made it a felony for absentee voters to have signed and sealed ballots turned in for them, rather than having to mail them in - a practice used widely among minority groups to vote early. So this case isn't just about responding to what happened in March - this case is about the future. It's about restoring election protections long-needed and relied upon by Arizonans in time for the General Election.
Democrats believe our country is stronger when every voice is heard and every vote is counted, and we will keep fighting to make sure the sacred right of every American to vote is protected.
It's impossible to know how many people didn't vote because they couldn't spend the long hours waiting in line. But it is possible to make sure long lines, convoluted rules and unnecessary barriers to the ballot become a thing of the past. That's what this lawsuit is about.
Every voter deserves a voice. Every election matters. And when a state passes laws that make it unduly difficult to cast a ballot, that state is out of step with American values, the law, and the Constitution. As Democrats, we're sending a clear signal that we will not stand for it.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, is chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.


Great. Thanks. Will see what I can find out and report back if I learn anything.
Sent from my iPhone
On May 12, 2016, at 6:10 PM, Miranda, Luis
> wrote:
Yes, it is. I gave her basic background along same lines of the call we did with Politico.
Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 - MirandaL@dnc.org
- @MiraLuisDC
From: April Mellody
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2016 6:08 PM
To: Miranda, Luis
Cc: Patrice Taylor; Federico, Courtney; Paustenbach, Mark
Subject: Re: WSJ question...
Hey Luis - Is this Laura Meckler? If so, I have heard some feedback about her calling around. I can reach out to give her a call. April
Sent from my iPhone
On May 12, 2016, at 6:03 PM, Miranda, Luis
> wrote:
And remind me what "the Call" is?
Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 - MirandaL@dnc.org
- @MiraLuisDC
From: Patrice Taylor
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2016 6:02 PM
To: Miranda, Luis
Cc: April Mellody; Federico, Courtney; Paustenbach, Mark
Subject: Re: WSJ question...
Per the Call, The Convention Rules Committee has jurisdiction to propose the Convention agenda, permanent Rules of the Convention, proposed amendments to party rules and any other matters not covered by the other standing committees.
They do not draft the Delegate Selection Rules. That's done by the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
*
On May 12, 2016, at 5:52 PM, Miranda, Luis
> wrote:
Hey, the Wall Street Journal is asking if the Rules committee has any jurisdiction over the items Bernie wants, like changing rules to encourage open primaries, recommend bonus delegates for states that do that - for example --
Is it accurate to say that the Convention Rules Committee only deals with rules specific to the functioning of the 2016 convention? What should we say?
Similarly, if they did want to make such changes, there would have to be some kind of commission like the one that took Supers from 20% to 15%, right?
Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 - MirandaL@dnc.org
- @MiraLuisDC


Thoughts?
Marilyn D. Davis
National Director of Community Engagement
Democratic National Convention
M: 609-218-3254
Twitter: @marilynddavis
Facebook.com/marilynddavis
Sent from my iPhone, please excuse any typos
Begin forwarded message:
From: John McCarthy
>
Date: May 6, 2016 at 2:16:58 PM EDT
To: Alexandra Chalupa
>, "Davis, Marilyn"
>, Maureen Garde
>
Subject: Faith Voices Against Trump
Hey--
Just wanted to flag this for you--and it's candidate neutral. There have been two REALLY great moments where faith voices have come out and condemned Trump for bringing out the worst in America. This would be a great thing to amplify however possible.
Really good opportunity for us to engage and institutionalize these faith voices in the party infrastructure. It would be great to try and engage them and get them to do something at convention, etc. Maybe do a vigil at the Cleveland Convention?
All just ideas.
John
#########
Called to Resist:
A very powerful letter signed by a TON of faith leaders:
"Trump’s highly visible and vulgar racial and religious demagoguery presents a danger but also an opportunity—to publicly expose and resist the worst of American values. By confronting a message so contrary to our Christian values, our religious voices can help provide a powerful way to put our true faith and our better American values forward in the midst of national moral confusion and crisis."

Russell Moore
Russell Moore who was really close with the Rubio Evangelical team came out and condemned Trump.
As of this week, the nation faces a crazier election season than many of us ever imagined, with Donald J. Trump as the all-but-certain nominee of the Republican Party. Regardless of the outcome in November, his campaign is forcing American Christians to grapple with some scary realities that will have implications for years to come.
This election has cast light on the darkness of pent-up nativism and bigotry all over the country. There are not-so-coded messages denouncing African-Americans and immigrants; concern about racial justice and national unity is ridiculed as “political correctness.” Religious minorities are scapegoated for the sins of others, with basic religious freedoms for them called into question. Many of those who have criticized Mr. Trump’s vision for America have faced threats and intimidation from the “alt-right
” of white supremacists and nativists who hide behind avatars on social media.

--
John McCarthy // +1 (732) 687-9209
T: @JohnWMcCarthy
E: JohnMcCarthyNJ@Gmail.com


Just bumping this so we can get a version turned around.
From: Rebecca Christopher
>
Date: Thursday, April 28, 2016 at 5:10 PM
To: Video-Vetting_d
>
Subject: New video: GOP's worst week ever
Hi everyone,
We’re putting together some of the worst moments the GOP had this week for a fun recap. Script is attached — let me know if you have any flags and thank you!