Subject: RE: ASAP project for regionals
From: "Walker, Eric" <[email-masked]>
To: Regional Press <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 9 May 2016 14:46:32 -0700

Here's some more stuff you can use - thanks to our friends in research

Paul Ryan & Donald Trump

Factivists: Trump at Home in Ryan's Republican Party<http://factivists.democrats.org/trump-at-home-in-ryans-republican-party/>

Vox: Paul Ryan isn't a moderate alternative to Donald Trump. He's not a moderate at all.<http://www.vox.com/2016/4/12/11407982/paul-ryan-donald-trump-moderate>

Washington Post: Donald Trump is just Paul Ryan on steroids<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/04/05/donald-trump-is-just-paul-ryan-on-steroids/>

Planned Parenthood

PAUL RYAN SAID THAT PLANNED PARENTHOOD SHOULDN'T GET A "RED CENT" IN FUNDING

Paul Ryan Didn't Think That Planned Parenthood Should Get A "Red Cent" In Funding. "The women's health organization has long drawn the ire of anti-abortion lawmakers, but efforts to pull federal funding for it increased after activists released undercover videos accusing Planned Parenthood of breaking federal laws by selling tissue and organs from aborted fetuses. 'I don't think Planned Parenthood should get a red cent from the taxpayer. I've always believed that, even before these disgusting videos came out,' Ryan said." [CNN, 11/1/15<http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/01/politics/paul-ryan-planned-parenthood/index.html>]

TRUMP DOES NOT SUPPORT FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND EVEN ENDORSED A STRATEGY TO SHUTDOWN THE GOVERNMENT IN TO DEFUND IT

Trump: "I Am Not For Funding Planned Parenthood." BRODY: "As a President Trump, if a bill came to your desk that would defund Planned Parenthood you would support that, you would sign that?" TRUMP: "Yes, because as long as they do the abortion I am not for funding Planned Parenthood but they do cervical cancer work. They do a lot of good things for women but as long as they're involved with the abortions, as you know they say it's 3% of their work, some people say it's 10%, some people say it's 8%, I hear all different percentages but it doesn't matter. As long as they're involved with abortion, as far as I'm concerned forget it, I wouldn't fund them regardless. But they do do other good work. You look at cervical cancer. I've had women tell me they do some excellent work so I think you also have to put that into account but I would defund Planned Parenthood because of their view and the fact of their work on abortion." [Brody File, Christian Broadcast Network, 2/17/16]

Trump Supported Shutting Down The Government To Defund Planned Parenthood. "Real estate mogul Donald Trump said he supports shutting down the government over legislation to defund Planned Parenthood, adding that the Republican Party could have done the same thing with Obamacare. 'I would [support a government shutdown], and I was also in support if the Republicans stuck together you could have done it with Obamacare also, but the Republicans decided not to stick together and they left a few people out there like Ted Cruz,' Trump said on the 'Hugh Hewitt Show' on Monday." [Politico, 8/4/15<http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/donald-trump-government-shutdown-planned-parenthood-120981.html>]

Border Wall

TRUMP VOWED TO BUILD A "GREAT WALL" ON THE MEXICAN BORDER

New York Times: "[Trump] Vowed To Build A 'Great Wall' On The Mexican Border To Keep Out Rapists And Other Criminals, Who He Said Were Sneaking Into The United States In Droves." "Mr. Trump's policy views can be just as provocative as his demeanor. In the past, he has called climate change 'a hoax' and said he has a 'foolproof' plan to defeat the Islamic State, which he will not reveal so as not to tip off the group. On Tuesday, he vowed to build a 'great wall' on the Mexican border to keep out rapists and other criminals, who he said were sneaking into the United States in droves." [New York Times, 6/17/15<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/politics/donald-trump-runs-for-president-this-time-for-real-he-says.html>]

*         Trump: "You Watch And That Wall Will Go Up Like Magic." [Campaign Rally, Tampa FL, 3/14/16]

PAUL RYAN SAID HE VOTED FOR BUILDING A BORDER WALL "REPEATEDLY"

Ryan Touted That He Had Voted For Completing A Border Fence "Repeatedly." HH: "Now let me ask you, though, about immigration. Now here's a second example. I was surprised to learn that you were on the right side of 187. Pete Wilson sparked it up back in the day, because I opposed 187 like Jack Kemp and Bill Bennett, and I actually lived here and had to put up with the people out here that wanted 187. It was a nightmare. But now we confront a point of immigration reform in your book, and you talk about border security, but you never mention the fence. Now again, the grassroots, 100%, and Charles Krauthammer and George Will, who are not Mr. Grassroots, they all want to build a double-sided, big, highway fence, a huge fence. You don't talk about it. Is that responsive to the grassroots?" PR: "Oh, no, I mean, I guess I should have just assumed, I assume they know a fence. I mean, it's implied. And to me, a fence is, I voted for the fence. It hasn't been completed. I voted to streamline the rules to clear the barriers so that the fence can be completed. So that's part of securing the border. You know, you can put any great level of detail of policy in a book like this. When I mean secure the border and do everything you need to do to secure the border, which is what I say, that's what I mean. [...] I mention the fence all the time. I voted for it repeatedly." [Hugh Hewitt Interview, 8/25/14<http://www.hughhewitt.com/paul-ryans-way-forward-renewing-american-idea/>]

Minimum Wage

TRUMP SAID THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE AND CLAIMED THAT WAGES WERE "TOO HIGH"

Trump: "I Don't Want To Raise The Minimum Wage." "He wouldn't go into specifics, but promised he would create jobs if elected president. 'I don't want to raise the minimum wage. I want to create jobs so people can get much more than that, so they can get five times what the minimum wage is,' said Trump." [The Hill, 7/23/15<http://thehill.com/policy/finance/248913-trump-why-is-federal-government-making-money-on-student-loans>]

Donald Trump Opposed Raising The Minimum Wage Because: "Wages Too High, We're Not Going To Be Able To Compete Against The World." NEIL CAVUTO: "Mr. Trump, as the leading presidential candidate on this stage and one whose tax plan exempts couples making up to $50,000 a year from paying any federal income taxes at all, are you sympathetic to the protesters cause since a $15 wage works out to about $31,000 a year? DONALD TRUMP: "I can't be Neil. And the and the reason I can't be is that we are a country that is being beaten on every front economically, militarily. There is nothing that we do now to win. We don't win anymore. Our taxes are too high. I've come up with a tax plan that many, many people like very much. It's going to be a tremendous plan. I think it'll make our country and our economy very dynamic. But, taxes too high, wages too high, we're not going to be able to compete against the world. I hate to say it, but we have to leave it the way it is. People have to go out, they have to work really hard and have to get into that upper stratum. But we cannot do this if we are going to compete with the rest of the world. We just can't do it." CAVUTO: "So do not raise the minimum wage?" TRUMP: "I would not do it." [Republican Primary Debate, Milwaukee WI, 11/10/15]

PAUL RYAN SAID THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO SUPPORT IDEAS LIKE THE MINIMUM WAGE AND CLAIMED IT WOULD "REDUCE THE AVAILABILITY OF JOBS"

Paul Ryan Claimed That We "Don't Want To Support Ideas...Which Will Reduce The Availability Of Jobs" Like The Minimum Wage. "Raising the minimum wage would destroy the entry-level opportunities that young Americans need to start 'climbing the ladder of life,' Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said on Thursday at a town hall meeting. 'The majority of these workers are younger people just getting into the workforce,' Ryan said. 'What we don't want to do is support ideas, especially in this kind of economy, which will reduce the availability of jobs, number one, but more importantly reduce the availability of jobs from the very people we want to get into jobs so they can start climbing that ladder of life, so they can get in and start working their way up and get the skills they need to earn a better job.' He added that his time working at McDonald's as a young man helped 'give me better training to keep moving on in life.'" [Think Progress, 3/21/14<http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/03/21/3417540/ryan-minimum-wage-teenagers/>]

Paul Ryan On Tying The Minimum Wage To The Cost Of Living: "I Have Never Been A Fan Of That Idea. I Think It's Inflationary." TAPPER: "As supporting tying the minimum wage to cost of living. Is that something that you could support?" RYAN: "I have never been a fan of that idea. I think it's inflationary. I think it actually is counterproductive in many ways. You end up costing jobs from people who are at the bottom rung of the economic ladder. Look, I wish we could just pass a law saying everybody should make more money without any adverse consequences. The problem is you're costing jobs from those who are just trying to get entry-level jobs. The goal ought to be to get people out of entry level jobs and into better jobs, better paying jobs. That's better education; that's a growing economy. Those are some of the things he talked about, and I don't think raising minimum wage -- and history is very clear about this -- doesn't actually accomplish those goals." [Analysis of State of the Union Address, CNN, 2/12/13]

Repeal ACA

HHS: The ACA is Working for Women<http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts-and-features/fact-sheets/aca-working-women/index.html>

DONALD TRUMP SAID THAT THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT HAS TO BE REPEALED

During His Presidential Campaign Announcement Trump Stated That "We Have To Repeal The ACA. "Trump took the stage and promised to be a different type of candidate. While other presidential candidates have provided rhetoric, he promised to implement policies. 'If I'm elected president,' he announced, 'we will make America great again.' To begin with, 'we have to repeal Obamacare,' he said, adding that Obamacare's biggest effects won't begin until President Obama is safely out of office and, Trump says, on the golf course. That said, he also noted he owns several golf courses, and he invited President Obama to feel free to retire early and play them instead of finishing out his term." [Breitbart, 1/16/15<http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/06/16/donald-trump-wants-to-make-america-great-again-announces-2016-campaign/>]

PAUL RYAN VOWED TO CONTINUE TO CALL FOR THE REPEAL OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Paul Ryan: "I Will Continue To Call For Obamacare's Repeal." Question: "Barring repeal, what single change would you make to the health care overhaul law to improve care for Americans?" Ryan: "Obamacare is unworkable and should be replaced with patient-centered reforms that empower individuals and their doctors, not bureaucrats in Washington and insurance companies. Wisconsinites have experienced first-hand the painful consequences of Obamacare: losing their doctors and their health care plans; seeing full-time jobs cut to part-time, and paying more for coverage. We deserve better. And that's why I will continue to call for Obamacare's repeal and offer solutions that expand access to affordable, quality health care." [Associated Press, 10/5/14<http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/278150751.html>]

Refugees

PAUL RYAN REFERRED TO ACCEPTING SYRIAN REFUGEES AS "UNPRESIDENTIAL"

Paul Ryan Accused The President Of Being "Unpresidential" For Wanting To Veto Legislation That Would Pause The US Accepting Refugees. "House Speaker Paul Ryan said President Obama has been 'playing politics' with the issue of Syrian refugees while lawmakers reach across the aisle to try to form an agreement to pause the flow until they can be checked properly. HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN: 'I think he is playing politics, it is remarkably unpresidential. I don't for the life of me understand this. He just said he was going to veto our bill putting pause to the refugee program, I can't imagine why he would do that...We know ISIS wants to infiltrate the refugee program, that is clear, so we need to put a pause on this program, and have higher standard placed upon it, so we can verify on a person by person basis, every single refugee... If we can't prove that, they can't enter.'" [Real Clear Politics, 11/19/15<http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/11/19/paul_ryan_obama_playing_politics_over_refugees_is_remarkably_unpresidential.html>]

DONALD TRUMP CALLED FOR A "COMPLETE SHUTDOWN" OF MUSLIMS ENTERING THE UNITED STATES

Donald Trump Called For A "Total And Complete Shutdown Of Muslims Entering The United States," Citing Polls That Showed "Great Hatred Towards Americans By Large Segments Of The Muslim Populations." "Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on. According to Pew Research, among others, there is great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim populations. Most recently, a poll from the Center for Security Policy released data showing '25% of those polled agreed that violence against Americans here in the United States is justified as a part of the global jihad' and 51% of those polled, 'agreed that Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to Shariah.' Shariah authorizes such atrocities as murder against non-believers who won't convert beheadings and more unthinkable acts that pose great harm to Americans, especially women." [Donald J. Trump Statement on Preventing Muslim Immigration, Press Release, Donald J. Trump For President, 12/7/15<https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-statement-on-preventing-muslim-immigration>]

Taxes

PAUL RYAN AND DONALD TRUMP BOTH WANT TO SLASH THE TOP INCOME TAX RATE TO 25%

Paul Ryan Wants To Slash The Top Income Tax Rate To 25%. "But it's the kind of joke that Republicans have been telling themselves for awhile now. Especially House Speaker Paul Ryan. He wants to slash the top tax rate to 25 percent, doesn't want to cut Social Security or Medicare for today's seniors, actually wants to increase defense spending, and still wants to get rid of the deficit (though not the debt) in the next 10 years. If that sounds familiar, that's because it is: Trump has just taken this and turned it up to 11." [Tax Justice Blog, 10/29/15<http://www.taxjusticeblog.org/archive/2015/10/paul_ryan_wants_to_cut_taxes_f.php#.VzEB4vkrJQJ>]

Donald Trump Wants To Slash The Top Income Tax Rate To 25%. "Trump released a tax proposal last September that included broad tax breaks for businesses and households. He proposed reducing the highest income tax rate to 25 percent from the current 39.6 percent rate." [Reuters, 5/9/16<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-idUSKCN0XZ0I3>]

From: Walker, Eric
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2016 4:22 PM
To: Regional Press
Subject: ASAP project for regionals
Importance: High

Hey squad - over the next few weeks we will be working more closely with the state parties to do some themed events on Trump.

This week we want to hit on the Trump/Ryan meeting. Theme is that despite their personal disagreements, Trump and Ryan share an agenda. We want to hit on taxes & the economy, women's health (throw in a reference to women's health week) and immigration reform. I want to see a lot of references to the "Trump-Ryan Agenda."

Next week we will do a hit on infrastructure week, the week after that we will call for an increase in the minimum wage on the anniversary of the 2007 minimum wage bill - but don't worry about those for now. Just worry about Trump/Ryan.

Per Luis, we will be sending templates to the state parties TOMORROW with the following items. If your name is next to something, you are responsible for producing it before you leave today.

*         An overview of the issue with talking points (ERIC)

*         An event guide (ERIC)

*         A sample advisory and release focused on taxes, with a short mention of immigration and women's health (TJ)

*         A sample op-ed looping in taxes/economy, women's health and immigration (TOM)

*         Four sample LTEs (SHU-YEN & DESHUNDRA, please write them on taxes/economy. WALTER please write one on immigration. RACHEL please write one on women's health)

However, while we will send these to all state parties - we want to focus on the battleground states, especially the ones that can actually deliver. So think about those.

Please use the messaging below from the Trump narrative and the hit that just went out on Trump. There's also a lot of good stuff in this Greg Sargent piece<https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/05/09/sorry-suckers-trump-didnt-actually-shift-on-taxing-rich-and-minimum-wage/> from today.

Divisive, Reckless and Dangerous: Donald Trump Lacks the Judgment or Temperament to be President

Donald Trump's recklessness would hurt our economy, diminish our standing in the world, and make our communities less safe. Trump is divisive and dangerous, and he lacks the judgment and temperament to be president.

His impending nomination is a reminder that for years the Republican Party has elevated extreme voices, using divisive campaigns that sought to exploit unfounded fears for political gain. And just like Republicans in Washington have done for years, Trump is only looking out for himself. His plans would benefit those at the very top and economists have predicted that his policies could cause a global recession. He would drag our country back to where we were when the last Republican president left office, when we were losing 800,000 jobs a month. The American people can't afford to let him bully his way into the Oval Office.

Trump has already damaged America's relationships across the globe. His record of denigrating women has only gotten worse throughout this campaign, at the same time that his divisive rhetoric has made our communities less safe. And his business record is riddled with embarrassing failures that make it clear the American people can't afford to let him get anywhere near the White House.

National Security: Even as a candidate, Donald Trump has damaged America's relationships across the globe. In the White House, he would undeniably make America less safe.

*         Donald Trump has no foreign policy experience and rather than seeking the advice of well-respected experts, Trump relies on his own misinformed ideas and in his own words, on his "good brain."

*         Trump has falsely claimed that he knows "more about ISIS than the generals" and recommended that the U.S. military commit international war crimes.

*         Trump's threat to pull back from our most important military alliances<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trump-and-the-end-of-nato/2016/03/04/e8c4b9ca-e146-11e5-8d98-4b3d9215ade1_story.html> like NATO, pull aid from our allies like Israel, and his gushing praise for dictators would put our country on a dangerous path.

*         Trump has refused to rule out using nuclear weapons on European territory, and wants to allow countries that don't currently have nuclear weapons to get them, reversing long-held goals of international nuclear disarmament.

Wrong on Women: Donald Trump has a decades-long record of denigrating women and promoting misogyny. His policies would make it harder for women to make their own choices when it comes to their healthcare or their career.

*         Trump once said you had to  treat women "like s**t" and has spent decades doing so himself by calling women names - "fat pig," "slob," or "bimbo" - and saying a man needs a woman to support him at home rather than always be "griping and bitching."

*         Trump would take away a woman's right to make her own healthcare choices and has said women who had abortions should be punished - but not the doctors that performed them - and opposed exceptions for health of the mother because he thought women would use a cold as an excuse to have an abortion.

*         Trump thinks ensuring equal pay for women should just be left up to "the marketplace" and once suggested family leave policies should actually be scaled back and noted pregnancy was "an inconvenience for a business." Trump complained that when he employed mothers, they were not giving him "100 percent."

Divisive and Dangerous: Donald Trump exploited racial anxieties and cultural fears in the pursuit of getting elected - to the point where his rallies have sparked violence against people of color, protestors, and the media.

*         Trump spouts hateful and dangerous lies about Muslims and called to surveil mosques, to ban Muslims from entering the country and to create a database of all Muslims in America - including U.S. citizens - and could not answer when pressed on how this would be any different from Nazi Germany.

*         Trump called Mexican immigrants "rapists" and criminals and said they brought disease into the country, said you needed to check if Native Americans were "real Indians," and claimed that a "well-educated black has a tremendous advantage" - but apparently not an advantage in finding housing in Trump properties, because in the 1970s, the Trump Organization was sued for discriminating against Blacks and Puerto Ricans.

*         Trump has been endorsed by former  KKK leader David Duke, and his candidacy has been used as a recruiting tool for the white supremacist movement, which is no surprise since Trump refused to disavow David Duke and the KKK four times in one interview.

*         Trump has fostered violence against protestors at his rallies, suggesting that a Black Lives Matter protester maybe "should have been roughed up," promising to pay the legal fees if someone would "knock the hell" out of a protester and reminiscing about the old days when a protester would be "carried off on a stretcher."

*         Trump repeatedly threatened the First Amendment by calling to "open up" libel laws so he could sue reporters whenever they printed a story he did not like, made it a practice of banning media outlets he did not like from covering his rallies, and thought "closing" parts of the Internet was a rational strategy to combat ISIS.

Reckless on the Economy, Making Millions at the Expense of Hardworking Americans: Though he plays the part of a wealthy and successful businessman, Donald Trump's real life record is a reminder that he would endanger the entire global financial system and promote policies that hurt everyday Americans.

*         Despite his tough talk on trade deals and the loss of American jobs, Donald Trump manufactured his clothing line in countries he rails against, like China and Mexico - a reminder that he made millions at the expense of American workers and on the backs of foreign labor.

*         His Trump "University" fleeced thousands of Americans simply looking to get ahead.

*         Trump's businesses have repeatedly gone bankrupt, leaving investors, contractors and small businesses holding the bag for his bad business decisions.

*         Trump's unfounded predictions<http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/03/trump-predicts-very-massive-recession-in-us.html> of recession under President Obama and warnings against investing in the stock market are reckless.

*         Economists have actually predicted Trump's policies could start an international trade war and even destabilize the global economy<http://www.cbsnews.com/media/is-donald-trump-a-menace-to-the-global-economy/>.

*         Trump's tax plan would overwhelmingly benefit the rich while costing the country $9.5 trillion to implement -- more than any other Republican plan proposed. It also violates his pledge to eliminate the national debt.

*         Trump actually said at one of the Republican Party's debates that wages were "too high" and opposed raising the federal minimum wage

*         Trump wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would jeopardize health care for 20 million Americans who've been able to get coverage under Obamacare.

Republicans couldn't unite against him and failed to stand up to him during their primary because they were playing to the same extreme base of their party. Democrats will be united and hold Donald Trump accountable every day until November 8th.

The "King of Debt," Donald Trump and the GOP on the Economy

In less than a week since becoming the GOP's presumptive nominee, Donald Trump has already exposed himself as reckless and dangerous on the American economy. His comments over the last few days promise to undermine  the role of the United States as a major economic power and potentially threaten the global financial system. While his stances mimic those of Republicans in Congress, they often go further and are more irresponsible than those of his counterparts in the House and Senate.

On Taxes, Trump Can't Hide from GOP's Obsession with Trickle Down Economics - Yesterday, Trump tried to dismiss concerns about his reckless tax plan, which would reward those at the top<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-idUSKCN0XZ0I3> by slashing the top income tax rate to 25 percent from 39.6 percent, claiming that "the rich" are "probably going to end up paying more." In reality, such a move would give<http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/first-read-why-trump-s-flip-flop-taxes-matters-n570431> the "top 0.1% of income earners like himself an average tax cut of more than $1.3 million (versus $2,700 for those in the middle class)." And just this morning, Trump once again confirmed<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-idUSKCN0Y01J4> that he would, in fact, lower taxes on the wealthiest of Americans. Trump also plans to substantially<https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/tax-reform> reduce the corporate tax rate to 15 percent, even beyond the reckless plan put forth by Republican Speaker Paul Ryan.

Trump's plans are just like the proposal put forth by Republicans in Congress who want to cut<http://www.taxjusticeblog.org/archive/2015/10/paul_ryan_wants_to_cut_taxes_f.php#.VzCi6oQrK70> the top tax rate to 25 percent. Paul Ryan and his colleagues would also cut corporate taxes down to 25 percent - but Trump wants to go even further, down to 15 percent. There's a name for this: Trickle Down Economics. And it doesn't work. Just ask the last two Republican Administrations, which both left our country mired in recession and facing massive deficits.

On America's Debt: A Page Out of the GOP Playbook - This morning, Trump doubled down on his statements that the United States should consider<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-no-debt-default-222957#ixzz48AeHAolA> playing fast and loose with our nation's finances, even calling himself "the king of debt." He also said, "this is the United States government. First of all, you never have to default because you print the money." Such reckless positions, if implemented, could threaten America's standing in the world and lead to chaos in the financial markets.

This is the same sort of behavior that Republicans in Congress undertook when they played politics last year with the debt ceiling (this was not the first time), leading one credit rating agency to remark<http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-government-shutdown-credit-rating-fitch-20150923-story.html> that any protracted fight over the issue could endanger America's credit rating.

"Donald Trump's reckless tax policies and his suggestion that we should play chicken with the country's finances are lifted directly from the same old failed Republican playbook. Trump can ignore reality and crown himself the king of debt, but it's clear that his economic ideas, and those of his fellow Republicans are simply bankrupt. The American people and our economy can't afford a disastrous Trump presidency."  - DNC National Press Secretary Mark Paustenbach

Eric Walker
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
732-991-1489
@ericmwalker<https://twitter.com/ericmwalker>