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-de-sac, we need a Party whose brand of conservatism invites and inspires new people to visit us." Exactly one year ago, the Republican National Committee completed a four-month period of self-reflection after losing its second-straight presidential election. The result of that process became popularly known as the GOP "Autopsy Report" – an analysis of all of the Republican Party's ailments, and prescriptions for how to cure them. In a moment of rare self-awareness, Republican leaders admitted that the party was alienating huge swaths of voters. Party operatives wrote about the need to reach out to communities of color, be more inclusive of gay Americans, and attract more women to the party. For nearly one hundred pages, they tried to convey the message, "We get it." But a year later, all the Republican Party has gotten is a year older. What the GOP has offered over the past year to solve their problems is simply a change in tactics. They've hired "outreach staff" and placed them in communities they've never been in before – but is it effective outreach if their agenda keeps alienating those communities? Or if they keep making it harder for these communities to even vote in elections? They're conducting "candidate trainings" to teach them how to talk to (and about) women – but what is the right way to explain a candidate is against equal pay or wants to make health care decisions for American women? They've worked to shorten their primary calendar and limit debates – but do they truly believe that limiting the number of people who hear their agenda makes it less divisive? In the report, the RNC wrote, "We have become expert in how to provide ideological reinforcement to like-minded people, but devastatingly we have lost the ability to be persuasive with, or welcoming to, those who do not agree with us on every issue." One year later, the American people agree even more than they did then -- in 2013 Republican Party identification reached a 25-year low. And it's no wonder. The GOP has failed to change their actions or tone from the party that in 2012 told immigrants they should "self deport" and women that they had the ability to "shut that whole thing down" when raped. In the past year, we've heard Republican leaders and operatives call women candidates an "empty dress," talk about women's libidos, and – once again – try to downplay abuse. We've heard them use derogatory terms to describe Latino immigrants; insulting stereotypes for African-Americans; and gay Americans have faced outright discrimination from Republicans at all levels – from state party chairmen to candidates to presidential hopefuls.
Their failure to rebrand hasn't been limited just to their disrespectful and insulting rhetoric – they continue to push an agenda that divides Americans and limits their ability to be treated equally and fight for the same economic opportunity as others. In other words, they're no different today than they were then. They may have set out to become a party that is more "inclusive and welcoming," but in reality the GOP has moved in the opposite direction. They continue to alienate large communities of Americans with rhetoric and policy that divides us and is simply outside of the mainstream The biggest problem for the Republican Party has never been its primary calendar, its campaign tactics, or a lack of trainings. Their biggest problem is who they are, what they believe, what they say, and how they govern. In contrast, Democrats have spent the year building on a foundation of outreach rooted in our core values and an agenda based on equal opportunity. President Obama and Democrats have pushed for equal pay for women because we know that when women succeed, America succeeds. We push for full equality for all Americans, regardless of where they live, what they look like, or who they love. We continue to push for commonsense immigration reform, which is the right thing to do for our economy and our country. And we continue to push an economic agenda that simply levels the playing field so that every American has a chance to move up the economic ladder. Republicans will continue to tout new programs that they hope will put a band-aid over their weaknesses but we will use our programs and tools to amplify our strengths, empower our grassroots, and ensure Democrats up and down the ballots have the tools and resources they need to win – and that we can expand opportunity for all Americans.
MIDDLE CLASS In 2012, Republicans came up short at the ballot box in large part because their message did not speak to middle class Americans. Republicans up and down the ballot advocated policies, like the Ryan Budget, that favored the wealthiest Americans over middle class families and those trying to climb into the middle class. The presidential campaign was also marked by several candid moments revealing the GOP's complete detachment, and often disrespect, for middle class America - the most famous of course was Mitt Romney's 47% remark – a moment that perfectly encapsulated the larger Republican problem with appealing to the middle class. After losses up and down the ballot on Election Day 2012, the GOP promised next time would be different. The Autopsy Report explains, "the Republican Party must be the champion of those who seek to climb the economic ladder of life. Low-income Americans are hard-working people who want to become hard-working middle-income Americans." But in the year since releasing the report, Republicans have not only failed to increase their appeal to middle class Americans, they have further alienated them by blocking progress on many commonsense measures that would help the middle class. It's not hard to see why 52 percent of Americans view Democrats as more "concerned with the needs of people like me," compared to only 32 percent for Republicans.
On extending unemployment insurance benefits for millions of Americans, Republicans said no, on increasing access to health care through the Medicaid expansion, most Republican governors said no thanks, and on raising the minimum wage so no one working full time has to live in poverty, the GOP will not act. As if trying to underscore how little his party understands working families, 2012 Vice Presidential candidate and potential 2016 presidential candidate Paul Ryan just last week implied that inner city men are lazy and "not even thinking about working" – as part of an effort to position himself as a champion of the poor. As Republicans continue to obstruct on these programs, downplay their importance, and spread misinformation about their effects, it's clear they've done nothing to improve their standing with middle class America. On the other hand, Democrats continue to fight for these crucial programs and work towards a country where everyone has a fair shot. We stand with middle class families and know that what we need is opportunity for all, not just opportunity for a select few. "When I hear a politician say that we have to raise the minimum wage so working families can make ends meet, I cringe, because I know that statement is a lie." – Florida Governor Rick Scott Indiana Congressman Marlin Stutzman said of negotiations to end the government shutdown, "We're not going to be disrespected… We have to get something out of this. And I don't know what that even is." "About 47 percent of able-bodied people in the state of Maine don't work"– Maine Governor Paul LePage New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said raising the minimum wage was "just an irresponsible thing to do" and "a truly ridiculous idea." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky opposes any level of increase to the minimum wage. "I will stand and filibuster expansion of Medicaid until I can't stand any longer. And I know other senators who would do the same." – Missouri State Senator Rob Schaaf "You know, folks mock Mitt Romney for what he said, but he's right. Forty-seven percent of American citizens pay zero in income taxes… I don't care if you're paying a dollar. You need to believe that you are involved in the process, and you need to have skin in the game ." – Georgia Congressman Rob Woodall Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan opposes extending long-term unemployment insurance benefits claiming, "we have a lot of evidence showing that it will prolong unemployment." WOMEN In 2012, President Obama won the presidency in an election with the largest gender gap in recorded history. Women make up more than 50% of the electorate and are vocal and active around the issues that matter to them. So it is not surprising that one of the prescriptions in the GOP Autopsy Report was to improve outreach to women. The report included a recommendation that the party "be conscious of developing a forward-leaning vision for voting Republican that appeals to women." In order to address their problem with women, the GOP decided the best thing to do was to organize seminars to teach their candidates how to talk to women, how to talk about women, and how to run against women.
Maybe trainings could help Republican leaders cut back on rhetoric that disrespects female leaders and candidates based on their gender. Maybe it would stop them from saying they could broaden their appeal by being "sensitive" towards women. Maybe it would discourage them from publicly discussing women's ability to control their "libidos." Maybe it would cut back on the number of scientifically inaccurate, and wildly offensive, claims about pregnancy and women's health. And maybe it would get them to stop making light of issues like domestic abuse. Maybe. But even if all that happened, the problem is that no softer language learned in their trainings will convince women that the party that opposes equal pay, pledges to defund Planned Parenthood and proposes bans on their health care choices is the one looking out for their best interests. Trainings won't mask the fact that Republicans have pushed restrictive women's health measures in states across the country, delayed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and refuse to vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act. These positions have been rejected by women year after year – not exactly forward leaning or appealing. And, women are noticing. Since the 2012 election, only 14 percent of women said the Republican Party had moved closer to their perspective while 33 percent, said the party had drifted further from them. Democrats have always stood with women, and we will continue to fight for equal treatment under the law – including full access to quality healthcare. We understand that women's issues are family issues and they are economic issues that impact all Americans. Democrats will also make sure that Republicans are held accountable for their ill-informed, offensive and dangerous rhetoric towards women. House Speaker John Boehner, Congressman from Ohio said that to appeal to women Republicans need to "be a little more sensitive… some of our members just aren't as sensitive as they ought to be." Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee asserted that women are being led to believe they are "helpless without Uncle Sugar" giving them birth control "because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government." Iowa US Senate candidate Mark Jacobs said of reaching women voters, "I think you have to connect with women on an emotional level." Missouri State Senate Majority Whip Brian Nieves said abortions to save the life of the mother are actually just "a matter of convenience." North Carolina House Speaker and US Senate candidate Thom Tillis killed an equal pay bill that was in the legislature. "You know, 4 or 5 lattes will pay the $18 a month… So it's my position that no one is prohibited from having birth control because of economic reasons." – Alaska State Senator Fred Dyson Republican US Senate candidates Tom Cotton, Cory Gardner, Paul Broun, Phil Gingrey, Jack Kingston, Bill Cassidy, Steve Daines, and Shelly Moore Capito voted to block the Paycheck Fairness Act
Michigan's Republican-led Legislature passed "rape insurance" legislation that prohibits insurers from paying for abortions – without exceptions for rape or incest – unless a woman has already purchased coverage through a separate rider. LATINOS One of the places where the GOP has struggled most in the last few years is in the Latino community. That's not surprising, given that this is the party whose last presidential nominee believed the solution to our broken immigration system was for immigrants to "self deport." After overwhelmingly losing the Latino vote in 2012, and especially in light of changing demographics in states like Georgia, Virginia, Texas and Arizona, the Republican Party's Autopsy Report recommended that they "welcome in" Latino voters – going as far as embracing comprehensive immigration reform as "consistent" with Republican ideology. Unfortunately, that commitment wasn't consistent with Republican leadership. • Just five months after releasing the Autopsy Report, at the RNC summer meeting in Boston, the party abandoned this position for a watered-down resolution that did not even acknowledge the need for a pathway to citizenship. 2013 was also the year that will forever cement the legacy of 2016 presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, for proposing bipartisan immigration reform and then abandoning it in record time when he realized it upset the Tea Party base. And when that bipartisan proposal easily passed the Senate, House Republican leadership refused to even bring it up for a vote – despite bipartisan support in that body as well.
And it's not just immigration reform. A quick glance at their positions on issues most important to Latino voters like creating jobs, economic opportunity and improving healthcare, make it very clear why Republicans continue to struggle with this community. Latino voters support the Affordable Care Act by a 2 to 1 margin and a large majority of the Latino community supports raising the minimum wage. In 2012, 61% of Latinos said the Democratic Party has more concern for Latinos, compared to just 10% who said Republicans had more concern. The Republican obsession with repealing the Affordable Care Act and refusing to accept the Medicaid expansion is especially harmful to the Latino community where there is the highest uninsured rate of any racial or ethnic group. Their refusal to raise the minimum wage, extend unemployment insurance benefits, or truly invest in our children's education, proves the GOP continues to push an agenda that hurts the community. Yet it's hard to see the Party ever really turning the corner when its leaders use racially insensitive and derogatory terms in interviews, or openly equate immigrants with criminals. Meanwhile, Democrats continue to build on our partnership with the Latino community, champion comprehensive immigration reform, work to create more good paying jobs, improve our education system, and increase access to quality affordable healthcare. "My father had a ranch; we used to hire 50 to 60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes." – Alaska Congressman Don
Young Florida's Republican-controlled Senate voted to crackdown on foreign-language interpreters at the polls. Arizona State Rep. Carl Seel proposed a bill that would make it a crime for undocumented immigrants to do things like attending public school or using a public road Iowa Congressman Steve King said of DREAMers, "For every one who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. Those people would be legalized with the same act." "We have some real opportunities in 2014. This is a great year in an off-presidential election. No – seemingly – no Democrat on the top of the ticket against (Republican Gov. Brian) Sandoval. No Harry Reid. Probably where we had a million voters turn out in 2012, we'll have like 700,000. A lot of minorities, a lot of younger people will not turn out in a non-presidential. It is a great year for Republicans ." – Nevada Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey "No, we do not have any [Latino] staff members in there… If you can find us one, please let us know." – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said when asked if he had Latino staff in his administration during a Philadelphia forum hosted by the Spanish-language newspaper.
AFRICAN AMERICANS President Obama won with the support of 93% of the African American vote in 2012. The GOP seemed to recognize that this would be a problem for them in all future elections, and in the Autopsy Report, they pledged to change. The report reads, "the Republican Party must be committed to building a lasting relationship within the African American community year-round, based on mutual respect and with a spirit of caring." To demonstrate their commitment, they announced the hiring of new organizers and the opening of new "outreach offices" in African American communities. The truth is that the GOP's efforts to "build a lasting relationship" have been superficial changes that do nothing to address the real reason African Americans are not interested in today's GOP – they continue to push rhetoric and policies that are out of step with the community. It's hard to demonstrate respect and caring when party leaders call inner-city men lazy, when they say the Affordable Care Act is the worst thing to happen to this nation since slavery,they post a photo of the First Lady with a grill and "celebrate the legacy" of Martin Luther King Jr. and President Lincoln by auctioning off a rifle. It's hard for the party to ask for mutual respect when in recent years Republicans in more than 40 states have introduced legislation or passed laws making it harder to vote – while these restrictive laws impact all voters, we also know that they fall disproportionally on certain communities, including African American voters. It's hard for the party to show it cares when Republicans adamantly oppose raising the minimum wage, try to cut education funding, block extending unemployment benefits or access to quality healthcare.
This is why the African American community continues to move away from the GOP – not towards it - only 5% of African Americans nationwide identify as Republicans. Democrats continue to build on our long-standing relationship with the African American community by pushing back against these restrictive voting laws and fighting for economic opportunity for all. "We have got this tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and the culture of work, and so there is a real culture problem here that has to be dealt with" – Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan Alaska US Senate candidate Joe Miller on whether a hotel should be able to turn away someone because they're African-American: "The federal government should be more of a libertarian stance. And that's all I'm going to talk about on that issue. I'm a state's right advocate in those areas." "Let's be honest, 70% of teams in NBA could fold tomorrow + nobody would notice a difference w/ possible exception of increase in street crime" Minnesota State Rep. Pat Garofalo Former Bogota Mayor and New Jersey US Senate candidate, and current congressional candidate Steve Lonegan's campaign sent out a racially charged tweet which claimed to have discovered Cory Booker's "foreign policy debate prep notes" and that included a map of heavily African American Newark, New Jersey with "West Africa, Guyana, Portugal, Brazil" as well as a reference to the "Middle East" written on it.
LGBT Republicans have long been on the wrong side of LGBT issues, and that has resulted in huge deficits at the ballot box. The Autopsy Report suggested that Republicans campaign among the LGBT community and "demonstrate that we care about them, too." The truth is we've seen little, if any attempt to demonstrate this "caring" since the recommendation was made. The Republican rhetoric towards LGBT voters has been dismissive at best and truly offensive at worst. A candidate in Michigan said that Republicans "as a party should be purging this perversion and send them to a party with a much bigger tent." The Republican Governor of Pennsylvania made outlandish comparisons between same-sex marriage and incest. And in recent days, some Republican leaders have accused the LGBT community of "bullying" Americans into opposing discriminatory measures. But it's not just their rhetoric – it's their policies. As marriage equality bills are passed in statehouses across the country the GOP remains firmly opposed to allowing every American to marry the person they love. Republicans opposed the Employee Non-Discrimination Act saying it has "no basis or need." And they have gone so far as to try to codify their discriminatory views and legalize hate through "turn the gays away" laws that would allow businesses to refuse services to LGBT Americans. It's been a year since the party pledged to be more inclusive but all that they've done is highlight that the GOP does not stand with the LGBT community. As Democrats, we will not stop fighting for equality for all Americans. We will fight any measure that would discriminate against people just because of who they are or who they love and we will stand up and fight back against rhetoric that promotes discrimination and highlights our differences.
Hawaii Senate Minority Leader Sam Slom said the vote to legalize same-sex marriage is not historic, "Hysteric it may be." Kentucky US Senator Rand Paul asserted that allowing same-sex marriage would open America up to polygamy and bestiality saying, "If you change one variable – man and a woman to man and man, and woman and woman – you cannot then tell me that you can't logically tell me you can't change the other variable – one man, three women. Uh, one woman, four men …. If we have no laws on this, people take it to one extension further – does it have to be humans ? You know?" House Speaker John Boehner, Congressman from Ohio opposed allowing a vote on the Employment NonDiscrimination Act saying, "I see no basis or no need for this legislation." Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin ordered the National Guard to stop processing requests for military benefits for same-sex couples despite a Pentagon directive to do so. South Dakota Republicans introduced a bill allow citizens and businesses to legally discriminate against gay Americans and prohibit them from having to "treat any marriage as valid for any purpose." "And the thing that I think is getting a little tiresome is the gay community have so bullied the American people and they have so intimidated politicians that politicians fear them and they think they get to dictate the agenda everywhere. Well, not with the Constitution you don't ." – Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said if we are going to allow same-sex marriage we should release criminals incarcerated for practicing polygamy or bigamy and legalize prostitution. "I think a much better analogy would have been brother and sister, don't you?" – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said of same-sex marriage. YOUNG AMERICANS As the RNC Autopsy Report pointed out, Mitt Romney lost voters younger than 30 by 5 million votes in 2012. It wasn't hard to see why. The Republican candidates, platform, and message do not speak to the issues most important to young voters – civil rights, inclusion, good paying jobs and a government that gives everyone a fair shot. In many cases their rigid agenda of the past turned off young voters and mobilized them to turn out and support Democrats. Understanding the long-term electoral implications of losing an entire generation of young voters, the GOP claimed they would change to appeal to young voters. Summing up their central problem young voters, the report says, "we must be a party that is welcoming and inclusive for all voters." And, again, they fell short. In the year since the Autopsy Report, we not only haven't seen the GOP move towards becoming a more inclusive party, they've actually moved in the opposite direction. Yes, the RNC has hired a youth outreach director to set up a "grassroots infrastructure," but all the outreach in the world won't address their central problem – their policy and
rhetoric is turning off young voters. Whether it's their agenda and posture towards restricting voting rights, healthcare, gay Americans, Latinos, or women the GOP continues to alienate young voters. A recent poll underscores just how deep of a hole the GOP is in, showing that the millennials lean Democratic, and that they believe in "an active government that seeks to solve problems and provide more services." On budget issues, about six in 10 young Americans oppose benefit cuts as a way to strengthen the social safety net and today even 61% of young Republicans support marriage equality. With good reason, these voters see the GOP as the party of the past. Democrats will continue to push a forward-looking progressive agenda that values inclusion and true equality for all Americans. We will continue to fight to expand access to quality education, affordable student loans, and comprehensive healthcare, and will continue to advocate for policies that will create more good paying jobs for young people after they've finished their education. Georgia US Senate candidate David Perdue: "I don't see education in the Constitution." "I'm all for not allowing a 12-year-old to work 40 hours… But a 12-year-old working eight to 10 hours a week or a 14-year-old working 12 to 15 hours a week is not bad." -- Maine Gov. Paul LePage Georgia Congressman and US Senate candidate Jack Kingston suggested poor children who rely on the school lunch program should sweep the floors saying, "But one of the things I've talked to the secretary of agriculture about: Why don't you have the kids pay a dime, pay a nickel to instill in them that there is, in fact, no such thing as a free lunch? Or maybe sweep the floor of the cafeteria… think what we would gain as a society in getting people -- getting the myth out of their head that there is such a thing as a free lunch." North Carolina House Speaker and US Senate candidate Thom Tillis led the passage of a bill that cut education spending by almost $500 million over two years and removed the cap on classroom size. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed into law a bill that retained the ban against use of student IDs for voting. Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan said the school lunch program for the children of low-income families is "a big mistake" that's "offering people is a full stomach—and an empty soul." CONCLUSION No matter the state, no matter the demographic, no matter the region - the GOP rebrand has failed to make any substantive change that will make them any more successful at the ballot box than they were in 2012. While many of them are laid out in this report, there are so many more instances of the GOP rejecting issues that are important to certain demographics. Take the AAPI community for example – while Asian Americans have made it clear they support immigration reform, Republicans have continued to stymie a comprehensive package that would be good for communities of New Americans. Instead, the GOP has run ads in Asian American news outlets. But that's no substitute. What Democrats understand but Republicans still don't get is that outreach isn't just about deploying bodies to increase your staff, it's about developing policies that will increase opportunity. That's what Democrats have always been about and looking to 2014 and beyond – we'll continue to be inclusive, expand opportunity, and empower all Americans to be a part of the process.
Until the GOP changes their core policies – no report or rhetoric trainings or staff will change their electoral outcome. 2014 will be a choice – increasing opportunity for some versus increasing opportunity for all. As Democrats, we'll continue to drive that contrast but as you can see from this report – our best weapon may just be Republicans themselves.
ALABAMA Republicans in the Alabama House of Representatives passed 4 anti-choice bills - that will likely be ruled unconstitutional - including a bill that would ban abortion at 6 weeks and does not make an exception for rape or incest. Alabama State Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin said that she hoped Roe v. Wade would be overturned and she compared her efforts to that of Brown v. the Board of Education, which ruled segregation of schools unconstitutional. Republican politician and Alabama's Chief Justice, Roy Moore wrote all 50 governors urging them to pass constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage and said "the moral foundation of our country is under attack." Alabama Congressman Mike Rogers' allegedly joked about how nice it was to be called "Honey" and "Sweetie" by a woman at an Alabama restaurant rather than a D.C. men's room and mocked Washington D.C. as a "cross between Detroit and San Francisco" "I'm against homosexuals pretending like they're married. […] If you want to have homosexuals pretending like they're married, then go to the Democrat party." – Dean Young, Alabama Congressional candidate ALASKA "My father had a ranch; we used to hire 50 to 60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes." – Alaska Congressman Don Young "You know, 4 or 5 lattes will pay the $18 a month […] So it's my position that no one is prohibited from having birth control because of economic reasons." – Alaska State Senator Fred Dyson Alaska State Senator Fred Dyson said "sexual activity is recreation" and that no one who is trying to "procreate" uses birth control "Trayvon Martin was not a clean cut young man. He had a history. So I'm not so sure that there wasn't some mischief that he had proved himself capable of and may have been gettin' ready to take place." – Alaska State Senate President Charlie Huggins Alaska US Senate candidate Joe Miller on whether he would have voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act: "No. I would not have." Alaska US Senate candidate Joe Miller on whether a hotel should be able to turn away a couple because they're gay: "I believe that if you're a private employer, you have the right to do what you want with respect to your business, and that the people of the country then have the right to do as they will, with respect to whether or not they boycott or take other action to financially penalize. I don't think the government has a role in that… I think it's an improper role of government." Alaska US Senate candidate Joe Miller on whether a hotel should be able to turn away someone because they're African-American: "The federal government should be more of a libertarian stance. And that's all I'm going to talk about on that issue. I'm a state's right advocate in those areas."
Alaska US Senate candidate Joe Miller doubled-down on his previous comment that "the President of the U.S. and his allies are engaged in a form of systematic spiritual and religious apartheid" saying, "I think that's a correct assessment of the president." ARIZONA Republicans in the Arizona legislature passed a bill that would allow store and business owners to deny service to gay or lesbian customers on the basis on their religious beliefs • "You know, all of the pillars of society are under attack in the United States. The family, the traditional family, traditional marriage, mainline churches, the Boy Scouts, you name it." Arizona State Senator Al Melvin
"Why is Holder now Soft on Crime? Perhaps: blacks = 12% - 13% US Population, but make up 40.1% (2.1 million) of male inmates in jail or prison." – Arizona State Representative Bob Thorpe
Arizona State Representative Bob Thorpe called the rodeo clown in an Obama mask "crowd pleasing." Arizona State Representative Brenda Barton compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler saying, "He's dictating beyond his authority […] it's not just the death camps. (Hitler) started in the communities, with national health care and gun control. You better read your history. Germany started with national health care and gun control before any of that other stuff happened. And Hitler was elected by a majority of people." "Personally I'd like to make a law that mandates a woman watch an abortion being performed prior to having a 'surgical procedure'" – Arizona State Representative Terri Proud Arizona State Rep. Carl Seel proposed a bill that would make it a crime for undocumented immigrants to do things like attending public school or using a public road "I think we were being punished by the Voting Rights Act for indiscretions, bad things that took place decades ago, and those don't take place any longer." – Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed House Bill 2305 that ushered in a wave of election-law changes including limits on who can return a voter's ballot to the polls, purging of the state's permanent early-voting rolls, adding stricter controls on citizen initiatives and tougher requirements for minor-party candidates to qualify for the Arizona ballot. Arizona congressional candidate Jim Brown suggested government assistance is being used to enslave Americans saying, "I want folks to think about something. I want folks to think seriously about how slavery really works… It is my sincere belief that over entitlements are a means of em-slaving the people by robbing opportunity while taking care of basic needs. Think about it. We ARE NOT cattle. We are human beings living in a country that still allows
us the opportunity to write our own ticket. But that is rapidly slipping away. We have to wake up fast and realize that entitlements aren't there because politicians love the people. It's a means to gain power over the people allowing them to control us. Vote smart in 2014 and pressure political leaders to focus on jobs, education and opportunity – not slavery." Arizona congressional candidate Jim Brown "Back in the day of slavery, slaves were kept in slavery by denying the education and opportunity while providing them with their basic needs.. Not by beating them and starving them. (Although there were isolated cases if course) Basically slave owners took pretty good care of their slaves and livestock and this kept business rolling along." - Arizona congressional candidate Jim Brown ARKANSAS Arkansas Congressman and US Senate candidate Tom Cotton voted to block the Paycheck Fairness Act. Arkansas Congressman and US Senate candidate Tom Cotton voted for the Ryan budget which would restructure Medicare into a premium support program and cost seniors more. Republicans in the Arkansas Senate passed a bill that effectively kills a comprehensive sex education program for teenagers by ending a state-funded HIV and STI prevention program that Planned Parenthood administers in Arkansas public high schools. "I wonder how many Boston liberals spent the night cowering in their homes wishing they had an AR-15 with a hicapacity magazine?" – Arkansas State Representative Nate Bell tweeted during the search for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects Arkansas Republican Chris Nogy pushed the idea of shooting elected officials in the Benton County Republican Party newsletter writing, "The 2nd Amendment means nothing unless those in power believe you would have no problem simply walking up and shooting them if they got too far out of line and stopped responding as representatives. It seems that we are unable to muster that belief in any of our representatives on a state or federal level, but we have to have something, something costly, something that they will fear that we will use if they step out of line. If we can't shoot them, we have to at least be firm in our threat to take immediate action against them politically, socially, and civically if they screw up on something this big. Personally, I think a gun is quicker and more merciful, but hey, we can't." Arkansas' Republican-led State House overrode the Governor's veto and passed a law requiring voters to show photo identification to vote Arkansas State Representative Andy Mayberry, after dozens of mail-in absentee votes were thrown out during a special election because voters failed to include a copy of their photo ID with their ballot, defended the Republican voter ID law saying, "This is in no way an effort to suppress any valid vote." Former Arkansas State Representative Jon Hubbard referred to same-sex marriage as an "abominable lifestyle." Former Arkansas State Representative Jon Hubbard referred to the IRS as "Obama's IRS Gestapo" and complained that Arkansas Democrats would take exception to his words adding, "Adolf Hitler also had his own well-oiled propaganda machine working around the clock to deceive and masquerade his true intentions of evil and world subjugation."
Former Arkansas State Representative Jon Hubbard said President "Obama has systematically gone about his primary objective to destroy America"
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee asserted that women are being led to believe they are "helpless without Uncle Sugar" giving them birth control "because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government." Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said if we are going to allow same-sex marriage we should release criminals incarcerated for practicing polygamy or bigamy and legalize prostitution. CALIFORNIA The Californian Republican Party approved a resolution backing an effort to reverse a new state law that provides protections for transgender public school students. The resolution would endorse opponents of the law. California State Assemblyman and candidate for Governor Tim Donnelly pulled his son out of public school after the bill protecting transgender students passed. Donnelly said of the law, "It's as if our public schools have stopped being public schools and now they're government indoctrination centers." Assemblyman and candidate for Governor of California, Tim Donnelly, compared President Obama's efforts to pass gun safety to tactics used by Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.
Colorado Congressman and US Senate candidate Cory Gardner voted to block the Paycheck Fairness Act. Colorado Congressman and US Senate candidate Cory Gardner voted for the Ryan budget which would restructure Medicare into a premium support program and cost seniors more. "Hispanics vote for Democrats for exactly the same reason that other people vote for Democrats: They want ObamaPhones! They want big government! It's got nothing to do with immigration!" – Former Colorado US Representative and Candidate for Governor Tom Tancredo said of immigration reform "There are in fact far more drug smugglers (and other criminals) than future valedictorians among the nearly 2 million youthful illegal aliens who would qualify for the 'Dream' amnesty." – Former Colorado US Representative and Candidate for Governor Tom Tancredo • "There is no way to know the exact ratio of valedictorians to drug smugglers among the 1.7 million illegal aliens the Pew Hispanic Center says will qualify for Obama's 'Deferred Action' amnesty program. But just for fun, let's do the math." – Former Colorado US Representative and Candidate for Governor Tom Tancredo
"They are forcing those of us who work hard to pay even more money into a broken system so they can turn around and give unearned handouts to scammers who prefer sitting on their couch to looking for a job" - Former Colorado US Representative and candidate for Governor Tom Tancredo fundraising email written by Ted Nugent "My good friend and fellow illegal immigration crusader, Tom Tancredo is running for governor in Colorado, a state that is frighteningly soft on illegal aliens" - Former Colorado US Representative and candidate for Governor Tom Tancredo Colorado Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Scott Gessler said "We saw the two worst [Democratic] ideas: mandatory mail ballots, and same-day registration. This was a partisan power play." Colorado Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Scott Gessler said Democrats only cares about "guns, gays and grass." Republicans in the Colorado legislature, including the highest-ranking Republican in the House signed onto a bill that would equate to "an all-out ban on abortion" and "would make it a class 3 felony for doctors who perform abortions, even in cases of rape and incest." CONNECTICUT "I'd create a board to restore the state militia structure—not a private militia, but what we're guaranteed in the first 13 words of the second amendment." -- Connecticut State Senate candidate Walter Reddy "So I support what they are doing." –Connecticut gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley said of the Republican strategy to shut down the government "It's how sausage is made" --Mark Boughton, Mayor of Danbury and Connecticut gubernatorial candidate, said of linking negotiations over health care to the government shutdown. Connecticut State Senator Toni Boucher dismissed the seriousness of the government shutdown saying, we have had shutdowns before, but they haven't been that bad.
DELAWARE "Gay marriage is one of a number of social, cultural issues … It's migrating on a national level, that gay marriage will be more accepted. My point is, what it has to do with [the man who fathered 14 children] is, there's a whole bunch of cultural issues. Out-of-wedlock births. 413 murders in Chicago. In certain states, if a woman makes $12,000 a year, and lives with her quarter-of-a million dollar boyfriend and they don't get married, as long as they don't get married, she gets maybe 20 or 30 thousand dollars in pre-tax benefits in terms of food stamps, health care and housing allowance. So those are all cultural issues which the American public has migrated to." - Delaware businessman and Republican mega-donor Foster Friess Delaware's Sussex County Republican leaders voted to push for the dismissal of the state party's Executive Director over his comments in support of legalizing same-sex marriage. "This bill is not about those things that we know they are born with… It's more about subjective and discerning preferences, feelings and choices." – Delaware State Rep. Ruth Briggs King on the passage of a bill that would add gender identity and expression to the state's anti-discrimination and hate crimes laws. FLORIDA Florida Candidate for State Representative Joshua Black on President Obama: "I'm past impeachment… It's time to arrest and hang him high." • Florida Candidate for State Representative Joshua Black on President Obama: "He should be executed for treason." Florida Candidate for State Representative Joshua Black on President Obama: "So, don't stop at impeachment. Remove him. Try him before a jury… and, upon his sure convictions, execute him."
Florida State Rep. Matt Gaetz, said Medicaid recipients were too busy playing a Grand Theft Auto video game to get a job. Florida Senate President Don Gaetz, talking about Medicaid expansion said he had little concern for "somebody who is an adult and chooses to sit on the couch." "When I hear a politician say that we have to raise the minimum wage so working families can make ends meet, I cringe, because I know that statement is a lie." – Florida Governor Rick Scott Florida State Representative Neil Combee asserted that the White House may have been involved in the chemical attack in Syria
Florida Gov. Rick Scott vetoed a bill that would have allowed the children of noncitizens affected by President Obama's deferred deportation program to get temporary Florida driver's licenses. Florida US Representative Daniel Webster compared the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau data collection to the Gestapo Florida's Republican-controlled Senate voted to crackdown on foreign-language interpreters at the polls. GEORGIA Georgia Congressman and US Senate candidate Jack Kingston suggested poor children who rely on the school lunch program should sweep the floors saying, "But one of the things I've talked to the secretary of agriculture about: Why don't you have the kids pay a dime, pay a nickel to instill in them that there is, in fact, no such thing as a free lunch? Or maybe sweep the floor of the cafeteria… think what we would gain as a society in getting people -getting the myth out of their head that there is such a thing as a free lunch." "[W]e need to go back into the schools at a very early age, maybe at the grade school level and have a class for the young girls and have a class for the young boys and say: This is what's important. This is what a father does that's maybe a little different, maybe a little bit better than the talents a mom has in a certain area. And same thing for the young girls, that this is what a mom does and this is what's important from the standpoint of that union, which we call marriage." – Georgia Congressman and US Senate candidate Phil Gingrey Georgia Congressmen and US Senate candidates Paul Broun, Phil Gingrey and Jack Kingston voted to block the Paycheck Fairness Act. Georgia US Senate candidate Karen Handel "We must, must get the fed out of the way when it comes to educating our children." Georgia Congressman and US Senate candidate Paul Broun introduced a personhood bill – cosponsored by Congressmen and US Senate candidates Phil Gingrey and Jack Kingston – that specifies that a "one-celled human embryo," even before it implants in the uterus to create a pregnancy, should be granted "all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood" though similar legislation has been rejected by voters in multiple states because legal experts have pointed out that it could outlaw some forms of birth control and in vitro fertilization as well as criminalize abortion at all stages. Georgia Congressmen and US Senate candidates Phil Gingrey and Jack Kingston voted to restrict women's right to choose.
Georgia Congressman and US Senate candidate Paul Broun pulled his support of a bill that would restrict a women's right to choose because exceptions for rape and incest were added to the bill. Georgia US Senate candidate David Perdue: "I don't see education in the Constitution." • Georgia US Senate candidate David Perdue said "the federal government should have no role" in school curriculum.
"Lord, I'm going to get in trouble over this, but it is not natural for two women or two men to be married… If it was natural, they would have the equipment to have a sexual relationship." – Former Georgia Republican Chairwoman Sue Everhart Former Georgia Republican Chairwoman Sue Everhart asserted that same-sex marriage was about scamming the system saying, "You may be as straight as an arrow, and you may have a friend that is as straight as an arrow… Say you had a great job with the government where you had this wonderful health plan. I mean, what would prohibit you from saying that you're gay, and y'all get married and still live as separate, but you get all the benefits? I just see so much abuse in this it's unreal. I believe a husband and a wife should be a man and a woman, the benefits should be for a man and a woman. There is no way that this is about equality. To me, it's all about a free ride." "You know, folks mock Mitt Romney for what he said, but he's right. Forty-seven percent of American citizens pay zero in income taxes. It's just true… In fact, the bottom 30% of American citizens profit from the tax code because they're getting refundable tax credits back… I don't care if you're paying a dollar. You need to believe that you are involved in the process, and you need to have skin in the game." – Georgia Congressman Rob Woodall "I don't believe we should cater to illegal aliens… Providing them with a Georgia driver's license is a privilege that shouldn't be granted to illegal aliens, but afforded only to lawful residents of this state." – Georgia State Senator Bill Heath HAWAII Hawaii State Representative Bob McDermott filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Hawaii's marriage equality law and said, "The state's compelling interest in marriage is for the welfare and care of the children...That's the reason the state got involved in marriage ... Homosexual couples cannot create children. It's impossible." Hawaii Senate Minority Leader Sam Slom said the vote to legalize same-sex marriage is not historic, "Hysteric it may be." IDAHO Idaho State Rep. Lynn Luker introduced two bills to protect people who wish to discriminate against gay Americans and said, "We've seen government compel photographers, bakers and florists to be penalized for their religious beliefs. We've seen counselors in the field of psychiatry penalized for providing certain treatments." Idaho Gov. Butch Otter said he's not heard business complain about their legislation that would add legal protections for people who refuse to hire or serve gays based on their religious beliefs and said if the national media started "bashing Idaho" over it, "that's not gonna bother me that much."
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter signed into law a bill that will allow students, staff, and visitors to bring concealed firearms onto the state's colleges and university campuses. ILLINOIS "Oh, I'm probably .01 percent." - Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner when asked if his personal fortune put him among the so-called 1 percent of the wealthiest Americans
Illinois Republican congressional candidate Susanne Atanus said she believes God has put tornadoes and diseases such as autism and dementia on earth as in response to gay rights and legalized abortions adding, "God is angry. We are provoking him with abortions and same-sex marriage and civil unions… Same-sex activity is going to increase AIDS. If it's in our military it will weaken our military." Illinois GOP Official Jim Allen said of a female congressional candidate, she "will be back in Shitcago by May of 2014 working for some law firm that needs to meet their quota for minority hires" adding, "The little queen touts her abstinence and she won the crown because she got bullied in school,,,boohoo..kids are cruel, life sucks and you move on.. Now, miss queen is being used like a street walker and her pimps are the DEMOCRAT PARTY and RINO REPUBLICANS." In the wake of anti-gay comments by the president of Chick-fil-A, the Illinois Republican Party fundraised by promoting the company and offering Chick-fil-A gift cards to people who donated to them.
INDIANA Indiana Congressman Todd Rokita sidetracked an interview with a female news anchor saying, "You're beautiful, but you have to be honest as well." Indiana Gov. Mike Pence called on the legislature to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage saying, "Let's protect the rights of Hoosier employers to hire who they want and provide them with benefits that they earn. And let's resolve this issue this year once and for all."
Indiana Congressman Marlin Stutzman said of negotiations to end the government shutdown, "We're not going to be disrespected… We have to get something out of this. And I don't know what that even is."
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed a law to restrict non-surgical abortions, mandating ultrasounds, distribution of anti-choice literature and added unnecessary requirements to their facilities likely aimed at shutting them down. IOWA
Iowa US Senate candidate Mark Jacobs said of reaching women voters, "I think you have to connect with women on an emotional level."
Iowa State Senator and US Senate candidate Joni Ernst said Medicaid recipients "have no personal responsibility for their health and no accountability for the care provided." Iowa State Senator and US Senate candidate Joni Ernst signed onto legislation that would amend the state's constitution to outlaw abortion and could prohibit in-vitro fertilization and some forms of birth control. Iowa US Senate candidate Sam Clovis opposes having a minimum wage, called it "a form of taxation" and said an increase in the minimum wage would be "immoral." Iowa State Senator and US Senate candidate Joni Ernst opposed a minimum wage increase saying she didn't think the government needed to step in.
"I don't believe in an education department at the federal level. I think that is something that we could eliminate and that would save." - Iowa State Senator and US Senate candidate Joni Ernst Iowa Congressman Steve King said of DREAMers, "For every one who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. Those people would be legalized with the same act." • Iowa Congressman Steve King reiterated his previous comments about DREAMers saying, "I'm not going to apologize. What I've said is objectively true, and any time that Republicans have criticized me, it's not because of what I said, it's because they disagree with my agenda."
Iowa Republican Party Facebook post Iowa Senator Dennis Guth asserted homosexuality hurts him and his family in "multiple ways," that there are "numerous" health and mental problems associated with homosexuality that "ultimately" shorten the lives of gays and lesbians including "the increase of sexually transmitted infections that this lifestyle invites," that the homosexual lifestyle "is a lie" and "many civilizations have fallen" because the traditional family was not protected.
"The media, for the most part, has bamboozled us into thinking that having a relationship outside of the boundaries of monogamous, heterosexual marriage is positive, happy and fulfilling." – Iowa State Senator Dennis Guth • Iowa State Senator Dennis Guth said about his opposition to same-sex marriages and gay Americans, "If I saw someone going the wrong way on a one-way street, I would make every effort to stop and redirect them […] Simply put, it saves lives to have honest communication not only about the sexually transmitted diseases that shorten lifespans, but also about the deep loneliness that accompanies a life based on youth, beauty and sex."
Republicans in the Iowa House has passed a bill to ban the ability of women to exercise their right to choose via tele-medicine which helps women in rural communities where they may not have access to doctors.
Former Polk County Republican Party of Iowa Co-Chair, Chad Brown wrote of his decision to leave the Republican Party, "Just last August, I made the same decision and resigned my position as Polk County Republican Party of Iowa Co-Chair… The Iowa GOP holds views that are increasingly out of touch and are too extreme for me, and their unwillingness to compromise is on full display every day from local, state and national Republicans.
My opinion is the 'Duck Dynasty Wing' of the Republican Party has taken over the GOP, and they're not about to retreat in their war on science and common sense." • Former Polk County Republican Party of Iowa Co-Chair, Chad Brown wrote of his decision to leave the Republican Party, "In Polk County, volunteers, activists and party leaders became more interested in saying what the far right of the party wanted to hear than doing anything to change our organization in a way that would broaden its appeal to Iowans. It got to the point that members of the party were throwing around hateful slurs and offensive remarks that made me uncomfortable."
KANSAS Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law a far-reaching anti-abortion bill that creates new restrictions on the procedure and defines life as beginning "at fertilization." Republicans in the Kansas Senate defeated an amendment to a personhood bill that sought to ensure the legislation didn't limit access to birth control pills which Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook referred to as "political hijinks." Kansas Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce opposed changing the law that requires women get an insurance rider in anticipation of possible sexual assault saying the statute designed to save the life of a pregnant woman shouldn't be expanded to include rape victims. "I can understand when there is a diagnosis for a medical condition that threatens the life of an individual… What I do not understand is how you can have a medical diagnosis for rape. There is no medical diagnosis for rape." Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback compared anti-abortion efforts to the fight against slavery saying, "The chains of bondage of our brothers rubbed our skin and our hearts raw until we could stand it no more and erupted into 'Bleeding Kansas,' […] The Summer of Mercy sprung forth in Kansas as we could no longer tolerate the death of innocent children." Kansas State Senator Steve Fitzgerald said the Roe v. Wade was "probably the worst decision ever to come out of this Supreme Court or any Supreme Court, including the Dred Scott decision.'" Kansas US Senator Pat Roberts told the Indian-American nominee for Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy that he knows at least two doctors from India in Dodge City and that Murthy would "be right at home" there. • "I'm going to invite you, because we have a wonderful doctor from India. She's in her mid-30!s and she's highly respected by the community and another doctor from India that did my carpel tunnel when I did a stupid thing… I think you'd be right at home, and we would welcome you." – Kansas US Senator Pat Roberts said to the Indian-American nominee for Surgeon General in his confirmation hearing
Republicans in the Kansas House of Representatives passed a bill that would bar lawsuits and sanctions against individuals, groups and businesses that discriminate against gay Americans. KENTUCKY
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's political director and the NRSC tweeted an article featuring Alison Lundergan Grimes' face photo-shopped onto "Obama Girl" NRSC Communications Director Brad Dayspring on Kentucky Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes, "She's an empty dress." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky opposes any level of increase to the minimum wage. Kentucky US Senator Rand Paul's economic plan included a flat tax to replace the current income tax which would mean a bigger bill for a lot of middle-class households. His fellow Senator from Kentucky, Mitch McConnell, voted in favor of the radical budget. Kentucky US Senator Rand Paul's budget would abolish the Department of Education. His fellow Senator from Kentucky, Mitch McConnell, voted in favor of the radical budget. "I don't think I've ever used the word 'gay rights' because I don't really believe in rights based on your behavior." – Kentucky US Senator Rand Paul Kentucky US Senator Rand Paul asserted that allowing same-sex marriage would open America up to polygamy and bestiality saying, "If you change one variable – man and a woman to man and man, and woman and woman – you cannot then tell me that you can't logically tell me you can't change the other variable – one man, three women. Uh, one woman, four men…. If we have no laws on this, people take it to one extension further – does it have to be humans? You know?" Kentucky State Senator Whitney Westerfield the sponsor of legislation requiring women to undergo an ultrasound and requiring physicians to simultaneously describe what is seen to the patient – or face a penalty of up to $250,000 – dismissed its effect on women saying, "This mother doesn't have to see the ultrasound if she doesn't want to." LOUISIANA Louisiana Congressman and US Senate candidate Bill Cassidy voted to block the Paycheck Fairness Act. Louisiana Congressman and US Senate candidate Bill Cassidy voted for the Ryan budget which would restructure Medicare into a premium support program and cost seniors more.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal joked about the age difference between a Louisiana congressional candidate and his wife saying, "You're only as young as the woman you feel." "The human race would be extinct within time if [being LGBT] were normal… Biology says the only we exist as human beings is that a man and a woman come together and we procreate. That's the reason that government has long recognized marriage ... it is the place in which children are born." – Tony Perkins, appointee of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Family Research Council President
Louisiana Congressman John Fleming tweeted, "'Global warming' isn't so warm these days." Louisiana Congressman Vance McAllister, elected with the support of the Duck Dynasty family, defended Phil Robertson in the wake of his controversial comments about gays and lesbians and African-Americans saying, "The Robertson's [sic] are great people and great friends of mine. Everyone is criticizing a reality star that became so popular by being himself." Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on the Duck Dynasty family who made discriminatory comments about gay and African-Americans: "We must not let them silence the Robertsons." "Phil Robertson and his family are great citizens of the State of Louisiana. The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with." – Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal The Republican legislature and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal banned the ability of women to exercise their right to choose via tele-medicine which helped women in rural communities where they may not have access to doctors. Louisiana State Rep. Alan Seabaugh proposed a bill that would automatically dismiss any lawsuit alleging discrimination because of sexual orientation as "frivolous," ensuring that all employers are free to discriminate without fear of civil action. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal opposed increasing the minimum wage and suggested it equated "waving the white flag of surrender." MAINE "About 47 percent of able-bodied people in the state of Maine don't work" – Maine Gov. Paul LePage According to GOP lawmakers, Maine Gov. Paul LePage told a group of Republicans that President Obama "hates white people"
"I'm all for not allowing a 12-year-old to work 40 hours… But a 12-year-old working eight to 10 hours a week or a 14-year-old working 12 to 15 hours a week is not bad." -- Maine Gov. Paul LePage Maine Gov. Paul LePage attacked a state senator saying, he "claims to be for the people but he's the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline." "The minute we start stifling our speech, we might as well go home, roll up our sleeves and get our guns out." -Maine Gov. Paul LePage said of what he believed to be Democratic censorship MARYLAND "Folks, Obamacare is going to devastate communities, it is going to shred them, and people will die. Make no mistake, don't parse words with it." –Maryland Congressional candidate Dan Bongino Potential presidential candidate Fox News commentator Ben Carson warned that America could turn into Nazi German saying, "There comes a time when people with values simply have to stand up. Think about Nazi Germany… Most of those people did not believe in what Hitler was doing. But did they speak up? Did they stand up for what they believe in? They did not, and you saw what happened… And if you believe that same thing can't happen again, you're very wrong." "What we need to do is re-educate the women to understand that they are the defenders of these babies." -Potential presidential candidate Fox News commentator Ben Carson Potential presidential candidate Fox News commentator Ben Carson attacked marriage equality saying, "And that's the reason it's so important for them to change the definition (of marriage), because if you can get rid of that, you can get rid of everything else in the Bible too." MASSACHUSETTS ''I think asking somebody to wait 24 hours before they can actually go have an abortion is not asking a lot.'' Massachusetts US Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez Massachusetts US Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez referred to his opponent as "pond scum." Massachusetts US Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez said he supported parental consent for the morning-after pill. Massachusetts US Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez opposed legislation that would expand abortion access to all women in the military. Massachusetts US Senate candidate, Gabriel Gomez's spokesman called women's access to contraception "inside baseball." MICHIGAN Michigan Secretary of State and US Senate Candidate Terri Lynn Land didn't offer to support for making exceptions for abortion in the case of rape or incest saying only that she supported an exception for the life of the mother.
"I'm also someone who has always received the support of the NRA and the Right to Life and that's something I thought was very important." - Michigan Secretary of State and US Senate Candidate Terri Lynn Land
Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema of Michigan endorsed the Russian law that makes it illegal to discuss LGBT issues in front of children calling it "common sense."
"Good for them… The LGBT Gestapo speech police will not succeed when families like them are Biblically solid. You are in our prayers. May A&E fall into the pit they dug for you. STAND!'" – Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema of Michigan praising the Duck Dynasty family Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema of Michigan claimed that his co-workers would tell their company that a person with AIDS was their lover in order to help them get medical benefits adding, "Folks, they (gay people) want free medical because they're dying (when they're) between 30 and 44 years old… To me, it's a moral issue…Traditional marriage is where it should be and it's in our platform. Those in our party who oppose traditional marriage are wrong." Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema of Michigan posted an article titled "Everyone Should Know These Statistics on Homosexuals" that purports gay Americans are promiscuous, prone to pedophilia and riddled with sexually transmitted diseases; and states "part of the homosexual agenda is to get the public to affirm their filthy lifestyle." Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema of Michigan posted an old internet attack piece that questions the contributions of Muslim in American society which includes the line, "Have you ever seen a Muslim do anything that contributes positively to the American way of life?" Michigan's Republican-led Legislature passed "rape insurance" legislation that prohibits insurers from paying for abortions – without exceptions for rape or incest – unless a woman has already purchased coverage through a separate rider. • "No matter how we frame the issue before us, abortion is an individual choice… As such, it is up to each individual to make the decision how they will pay for such procedures." – Michigan State Rep. Amanda Price
Candidate for a Michigan seat on the Republican National Committee, Mary Helen Sears wrote, "Satan uses homosexuality to attack the living space of the Holy Spirit" and advocated that Republicans "as a party should be purging this perversion and send them to a party with a much bigger tent." Michigan State Rep. Tom McMillin said a law banning discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people was "bizarre and discriminatory."
"Why the city would want to force places like schools, businesses and fitness centers to allow men to use a women's restroom or locker room – and allow boys to access girl's restrooms and locker rooms in schools, is beyond me… It certainly violates the privacy rights of women and children. At the very least, the council should have also included a requirement for warning signs on women's and girl's public restroom and locker room doors saying that women and girls may be confronted there by men who think they are women." – Michigan State Rep. Tom McMillan
In Michigan, an ad for an Americans For Prosperity State of the Union watch party featured President Obama as a communist and reads, "Thank You, Comrade Obama: for Saving the Children from the menace of guns, family, liberty, work, and other outdated values."
MINNESOTA "Let's be honest, 70% of teams in NBA could fold tomorrow + nobody would notice a difference w/ possible exception of increase in street crime" Minnesota State Rep. Pat Garofalo "And the thing that I think is getting a little tiresome is the gay community have so bullied the American people and they have so intimidated politicians that politicians fear them and they think they get to dictate the agenda everywhere. Well, not with the Constitution you don't." – Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann Minnesota State Sen. Dan Hall said, "Redefining marriage would further distance marriage from the needs of children and deny the importance of mothers and fathers. It weakens monogamy, exclusivity and permanency, the norms to which marriage in our society [inaudible] and it will threaten religious liberty." Minnesota State Sen. Dan Hall said of allowing marriage equality, "Today we may be changing the course of freedom for our children and our grandchildren in Minnesota. We may be forced to not just listen to someone else's view—but to accept and then legislate and next, I believe, we will be forced to believe what we don't." Minnesota State Sen. Dan Hall said allowing same-sex marriage "is opening that Pandora's box."
Minnesota State Sen. Dan Hall quoted from a Hutton Gibson post where Gibson attacked Pope Benedict as a homosexual tweeting, "Tolerance is the last virtue of a depraved society. When an immoral society has blatantly and proudly violated all the commandments. HGibson"
"He continues to say he is the savior when he's really the rich national destroyer. #sotu" – Minnesota State Sen. Dan Hall on President Obama
"I need more mental health care after listening to him. #sotu" - Minnesota State Sen. Dan Hall on President Obama
Minnesota's Winona County Republican Party suggested gun control laws lead to genocide.
Minnesota's Winona County Republican Party shared a doctored image of Michelle Obama adorned with gold grills and Barack with no teeth.
Minnesota's Chisago County Republican Party posted an image that said "PRO-CHOICE – Against Slavery? Don't buy one"
MISSISSIPPI "I think both parents started working. And the mom is in the work place." – Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant answer on why America became "mediocre" in education "We, as Mississippians, also need to assume personal responsibility for our health and take care of ourselves to reduce our dependence on government welfare. It is not the government's job to take care of its citizens." – Mississippi State House Speaker Philip Gunn on a post titled "The Mississippi Solution: No Obamacare" Republicans in the Mississippi legislature sponsored a bill that would set up a committee to determine what laws are within the federal government's power and allow the state to defy federal laws. Republicans in the Mississippi State Legislature have passed new restrictions to women's right to choose. Mississippi State Sen. Gary Jackson responded to concerns about victimizing women with their abortion restrictions saying, "Don't you think that person would realize they've been raped in 20 weeks?" Mississippi State Sen. Philip Gandy supports banning all abortion without exception for rape or incest and said, "The baby is a victim of the crime. He didn't have anything to do with it." MISSOURI
"I will stand and filibuster expansion of Medicaid until I can't stand any longer. And I know other senators who would do the same." – Missouri State Senator Rob Schaaf
Missouri State Senate Majority Whip Brian Nieves said abortions to save the life of the mother are actually just "a matter of convenience." "As we celebrate the 237th anniversary of the individual liberty and economic freedom embodied in United States of America, it is a shame that the airwaves are dominated not by the visions and wisdom of our founders, but by Supreme Court rulings on sodomy and the assault on marriage waged by five activist, unelected jurists… Pandering to a mere 3 percent of the U.S. population (estimates can range from 2 to 5 percent who practice sodomy), a 5:4 opinion has
overturned moral absolutes that have endured in this nation for 237 years and transformed what is contrary to natural law into government-sanctioned behavior." – Missouri State Senator Ed Emery "The violation of natural law has consequences — moral consequences, medical consequences, and eternal consequences." – Missouri State Senator Ed Emery said as he opposed marriage equality. "Smoking is condemned for harming the unborn and non-smokers who inhale the second-hand smoke. But the scourge of STDs and children born with AIDS does not elicit the same offensive behavior as depicted on TV, in movies or in public. One is described as an addiction while the other is promoted as a right. Actually odd may not be a suitable description — possibly reprobate may be more accurate." – Missouri State Senator Ed Emery Missouri Republicans in a House committee passed a measure to ask the state's Attorney General to allow businesses to refuse to provide health insurance coverage for birth control and abortions to their employees. Republicans in the Missouri legislature are pushing bills to discourage women from exercising their right to choose by adding additional days a woman will have to wait to have an abortion – the bills do not exempt women who are pregnant as a result of rape or incest. Missouri State Senator David Sater said a wait period exception wasn't necessary for women who have been raped or are pregnant as a result of incest because, "If the patient decides I'll take a chance and I'm not going to get pregnant, then that's their option and if they are pregnant then what does an extra two days make any difference?" Missouri State Senator David Sater suggested that if rape victims do not use the emergency contraception, they have made a choice to carry their pregnancies to term saying, "If a woman decides not to go to the hospital and not get the 'Plan B,' they're making a decision to keep that child if they get pregnant… If the woman found out she was pregnant three or four weeks down the line, they had made the decision not to do some preventative things like Plan B." Missouri State Senator Wayne Wallingford introduced a bill that would allow businesses to discriminate and refuse service to gay Americans and others. When asked if there had been cases in Missouri to make his legislation necessary Wallingford said, "I was in the United States Air Force for twenty-five and years and I believe in preemptive attacks. I don't want to wait until it happens to do something about it." Missouri Republicans are working to amend their state's constitution as part of an aggressive push to require photo identification at the polls. MONTANA Montana Congressman and US Senate candidate Steve Daines co-sponsored a bill to declare that constitutional rights take effect at the moment of fertilization which would restrict a woman's right to choose. Montana Congressman and US Senate candidate Steve Daines voted for the Ryan budget which would restructure Medicare into a premium support program and cost seniors more. Montana Congressman and US Senate candidate Steve Daines voted to block the Paycheck Fairness Act. Montana State Rep. and landlord, Dave Hagstrom wrote a letter to low-income renters – who he said were "living in a bit of a fairytale lifestyle" – warning them that America was due for sharp cuts effecting health care, Social
Security and hot lunch so they need to accept that they don't need "to live as long as they currently do, or as 'comfortably' as they currently do." Montana State Rep. and landlord, Dave Hagstrom wrote a letter to low-income tenets that Americans have "a dependency on the government to meet all their needs" which "creates a mindset that, if I have a premature baby, the government should spend whatever it takes to keep it alive. It creates a mindset that if I have committed a crime while on drugs, the government should give me a treatment program rather than send me to prison. It creates a mindset that if I have kids and their dads are dead-beats, the government should buy my groceries and help me get a job while they provide day-care for my kids and send me to school to educate me so I can get a better job." Montana State Rep. Ted Washburn, sponsor of a bill that would end same-day voter registration said the following people shouldn't be able to vote in Montana: "The people that have summer homes, weekend homes; the 100,000 students that are here that don't have Montana driver's licenses, that don't have any identification other than theirs at the college, who by the way have to wait one year to become a Montana resident in order to get resident tuition."
Chairwoman of Montana's Yellowstone County Republicans Jennifer Olsen alleged Facebook post NEBRASKA "Dang straight." – Nebraska Congressman Lee Terry response to whether he would continue collecting a paycheck during the federal government shutdown "Whatever gets them good press… That's all that it's going to be. God bless them. But you know what? I've got a nice house and a kid in college, and I'll tell you we cannot handle it. Giving our paycheck away when you still
worked and earned it? That's just not going to fly." – Nebraska Congressman Lee Terry on other Members who were donating or forgoing their pay during the federal government shutdown
"Women. No one understands them. They don't even understand themselves. Books and books and books have been written about it, and no one understands it." – Nebraska State Senator Bill Kintner on the "biggest mystery" to him
Nebraska State Senator Bill Kintner anticipated the legislative session would include some "homosexual bills" and went on to say he opposes allowing gay Americans to adopt or be foster parents. Nebraska State Senator Bill Kintner said he opposed approving legal benefits for domestic partners saying, every state that approved domestic partnerships went on to approve gay marriage Nebraska State Senator Bill Kintner said of people who accessed public assistance, "We pay for their bad behavior… Women — not men — can live a pretty good life" by making bad mistakes such as having more children. Nebraska State Senator Bill Kintner on universal preschool, "It is a dream of social engineers to get their hands on our kids… The jury is still out on if early education even works." Nebraska State Senator Bill Kintner said Americans in minimum wage jobs don't do work deserving of more adding, "It's a training wage" before people move on to better paying jobs - "It's not supposed to be a living wage." NEVADA "We have some real opportunities in 2014. This is a great year in an off-presidential election. No – seemingly – no Democrat on the top of the ticket against (Republican Gov. Brian) Sandoval. No Harry Reid. Probably where we had a million voters turn out in 2012, we'll have like 700,000. A lot of minorities, a lot of younger people will not turn out in a non-presidential. It is a great year for Republicans." – Nevada Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey "When I ran my first campaign and the one I lost. I said the same thing – that I will do what my constituents want. End of discussion. And Chuck [inaudible] wrote a thing saying, 'Well I guess this guy' – he didn't know me at all then – 'I guess this guy, if the citizens of District 39 want to bring slavery back he'll vote for slavery.' So I wrote him a letter and said, 'Yeah, I would. If that's what they wanted. I'd have to hold my nose, I'd have to bite my tongue and they'd probably have to hold a gun to my head, but yeah, if that's what the citizens of the, if that's what the constituency wants that elected me, that's what they elected me for. That's what a republic is about." – Nevada Assemblyman Jim Wheeler Nevada Assemblyman and Congressional candidate Cresent Hardy said of his opposition to the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, "By continuing to create these laws that are what I call segregation laws, it puts one class of a person over another. We are creating classes of people through these laws." "It's grown so conservative and tea-party orientated and I just can't buy into that… I've left the Republican Party and it's left me, at the same time.'" – Former Nevada Lt. Governor Sue Wagner on why she left the Republican Party "I did it as a symbol, I guess, that I do not like the Republican Party and what they stand for today" – Former Nevada Lt. Governor Sue Wagner on why she left the Republican Party NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire State Rep. JR Hoell said of universal background checks for firearm purchases, "so it's just the next step before there's a national registry of firearms. And the likes of Hitler shows us where that goes." New Hampshire State Rep. JR Hoell called for the elimination of universal background checks saying if people are concerned with safety, "why are we prohibiting teachers from carrying?" and suggested if people are fearful, they should take self-defense training because "It doesn't have to be a gun… It could be karate, or Taekwondo or a can of mace." New Hampshire State Sen. Andy Sanborn, compared Obamacare to the plane crash at the San Francisco airport that killed two people and injured dozens more saying the new law "is barreling down on us like a jet landing into San Francisco. It's (laughter) it should make people really concerned." "It's a law as destructive to personal freedom and individual liberty as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 that allowed slave owners to come to New Hampshire and seize African-Americans and use the federal courts to take them back to slave states." – New Hampshire State Representative Bill O'Brien on the Affordable Care Act New Hampshire State Rep. Stella Tremblay claimed the United States government was responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing. • "Just as you said would happen. Top Down, Bottom UP. The Boston Marathon was a Black Ops 'terrorist' attack. One suspect killed, the other one will be too before they even have a chance to speak. Drones and now 'terrorist' attacks by our own Government. Sad day, but a 'wake up' to all of us. First there was a 'suspect' then there wasnt. Infowars broke the story and they knew they had been 'found out.'" – New Hampshire State Rep. Stella Tremblay New Hampshire State Rep. Stella Tremblay questioned Boston Marathon bombing victim Jeff Bauman's injuries saying Bauman did not look in pain or agony in the iconic photo showing him being pushed in a wheelchair with his leg in shreds - "If I had those types of injuries, I'd be screaming in agony."
"Woodrow Wilson, because he was a sympathizer and he believed in the Aryan race, he believed that Hitler was correct in the races, where our Founding Fathers believed that all men were created equal… He went through all the educational material and wiped out all the -- all anything that he could about the true history, about how the slaves were a really good integral part." – New Hampshire State Rep. Stella Tremblay New Hampshire State Rep. Peter Hansen sent email in which he referred to women as "vaginas." • "There were two critical ingredients missing in the illustrious stories purporting to demonstrate the practical side of retreat. … What could possibly be missing from those factual tales of successful retreat in Vermont, Germany and the bowels of Amsterdam? Why children and vaginas of course. While the tales [of retreat] relate the actions of a solitary male, the outcome cannot relate to similar situations where children and women and mothers are the potential victims." – New Hampshire State Rep. Peter Hansen wrote about Stand Your Ground laws
"Some people could make the argument that a lot of people like being in abusive relationships. It's a love-hate relationship. It's very, very common for people to stick around with somebody they love who also abuses him or her… Is the solution to those kind of dysfunctional relationships going to be more government, another law? I'd say no. People are
always free to leave." – New Hampshire State Representative Mark Warden said during a debate about reducing the penalty for simple assault New Hampshire State Representative Kyle Tasker posted a sexually explicit joke on Facebook that read: "50,000 battered women and I still eat mine plain."
NEW JERSEY New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would allow early voting at polling locations saying "this bill risks the integrity and orderly administration of our elections by introducing a new voting method and process." "You want income equality? That is mediocrity… Everybody can have an equal, mediocre salary." – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said of Democrats focus on raising wages for middle and low-income Americans. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said raising the minimum wage was "just an irresponsible thing to do" and "a truly ridiculous idea." New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's administration closed lanes to the busiest bridge in the world, reportedly for political retribution, which resulted in chaos and traffic jams for nearly a week where children were late to school, commuters weren't able to get to work on time and emergency vehicles were delayed in responding to car accidents, people reporting heart problems and a missing toddler. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie responded to a teacher who asked by Christie called New Jersey schools "failure factories" saying, "This is an old story from you folks, and they fail because you guys are failing in those schools. Have you ever sent your child to one of those schools? …Do your job." Former Bogota Mayor and New Jersey US Senate candidate Steve Lonegan, "I have no problem with a government shutdown… it's a good way to see what services are essential and what are not." "I would defund Planned Parenthood." – Former Bogota Mayor and New Jersey US Senate candidate Steve Lonegan
Former Bogota Mayor and New Jersey US Senate candidate Steve Lonegan's campaign sent out a racially charged tweet which claimed to have discovered Cory Booker's "foreign policy debate prep notes" and that included a map of heavily African American Newark, New Jersey with "West Africa, Guyana, Portugal, Brazil" as well as a reference to the "Middle East" written on it.
Former Bogota Mayor and New Jersey US Senate candidate Steve Lonegan, "I have a handicap, you know. I am a white guy running in the state of New Jersey. That is my handicap." NEW MEXICO "The wife is to voluntarily submit, just as the husband is to lovingly lead and sacrifice" - New Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce "The husband's part is to show up during the times of deep stress, take the leadership role and be accountable for the outcome, blaming no one else." – New Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce "There has never been and is not now any significant evidence of hunger in New Mexico," New Mexico Secretary of Human Services Sidonie Squier , whose department oversees the state's food stamp program. "Are we teaching yoga in public schools now? …Are parents notified?" – New Mexico State Rep. Alonzo Baldonado suggested teaching yoga in PE classes could influence the religious preferences of the children. NEW YORK "We have to get back to a shade of normalcy. Unemployment benefits aren't free." – New York US Congressman Tom Reed on his opposition to extending long-term unemployment insurance "Let me be clear to you, you ever do that to me again I'll throw you off this f-----g balcony… No, no, you're not man enough, you're not man enough. I'll break you in half. Like a boy" – New York Congressman Michael Grimm said to a reporter who inquired about the federal investigation into his campaign finances.
NORTH CAROLINA North Carolina's Republican candidates for US Senate believe that the state has the authority to ban contraceptives, favor a "personhood" amendment, and three of the four candidates also believe that abortion should be outlawed, even in the case of rape or incest. North Carolina House Speaker and US Senate candidate Thom Tillis said raising the minimum wage was a "dangerous idea" and supports eliminating the minimum wage altogether. North Carolina House Speaker and US Senate candidate Thom Tillis killed an equal pay bill that was in the legislature. North Carolina House Speaker and US Senate candidate Thom Tillis led the passage of a bill that cut education spending by almost $500 million over two years and removed the cap on classroom size. In a letter titled, "No Less Than Western Civilization Hangs In The Balance!," signed by "Robert Pittenger, Chairman, Congressional Taskforce on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare" • North Carolina Congressman Robert Pittenger wrote, "You see, I am already on the front lines, taking seriously my oath of office: to defend the U.S. Constitution – and you and your fellow Americans – against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And for that I am being attacked from all sides, including from my fellow Republicans. My friend, make no mistake, Barack Obama is Enemy Number One! "
North Carolina Senate Republicans passed a bill through committee that would require middle school health teachers to teach seventh-graders that having an abortion increases their risk of having subsequent premature births. Republicans in the North Carolina House passed a bill through committee that would require parental consent which must be witnessed by a notary public - for minors to access birth control or be treated for sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse or mental illness. "Someone had posted something with a picture of Barack Obama and across it said 'traitor.' And, you know, I don't always agree with the guy, I certainly didn't vote for him but I gotta defend him on this one. I just don't think it's right at all to call Barack Obama a traitor. There's a lot of things he's done wrong but he is not a traitor. Not as far as I can tell. I haven't come across any evidence yet that he has done one thing to harm Kenya." – North Carolina State Representative Larry Pittman during a town hall North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed a law requiring voters to present a government-issued photo ID to cast a ballot, significantly shortened the early voting period, eliminating same day voter registration and ending preregistration for 16- and 17-year-old voters who will be 18 on Election Day. "Even if the instances of misidentified people casting votes are low, that shouldn't prevent us from putting this non-burdensome safeguard in place. Just because you haven't been robbed doesn't mean you shouldn't lock your doors at night or when you're away from home." – North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory on his voter ID law "When I was a young man, you didn't call a black a black, you called him a negro." - North Carolina Republican County precinct chair Don Yelton
"I had a picture one time of Obama sittin' on a stump as a witch doctor and I posted that on Facebook. I was making fun of the white half of Obama, not the black half." - North Carolina Republican County precinct chair Don Yelton "If it hurts a bunch of lazy blacks that want the government to give them everything, so be it." - North Carolina Republican County precinct chair Don Yelton on the voter ID law North Carolina Republican County precinct chair Don Yelton suggested that it was okay if the voter ID law hurt "lazy" college students. "Now you have a black person using the term n***** this and n***** that and it's okay for them to do it." - North Carolina Republican County precinct chair Don Yelton "you know we could have a civil war all over again and this time the south has most of the industry and Texas has a lot of gas. How many refineries are in the north. Could be a different situation this time. Obama has appointed a lot of his crony socialist friends." – North Carolina Republican County precinct chair Don Yelton floating the idea of another civil war
"listen to this and learn ow to deal with a loud mouthed bitch who suffers from anterior upas posterior. The real question is whose posterior. I think we know Obama." – North Carolina Republican County precinct chair Don Yelton
North Carolina State Rep. Bill Cook introduced a bill - to cut down on student voter registration - that said parents would no longer be able to count their child as a dependent on their income taxes if they registered to vote at an address other than their parent's home. North Carolina State Rep. Michele Presnell equated Islam to terrorism when responding whether she would be comfortable with a prayer to Allah before a legislative meeting saying, "No, I do not condone terrorism." North Carolina's Mecklenburg GOP sent out a tweet featuring a photo of the president of the North Carolina NAACP with the caption, "Grand Wizard" referencing the KKK.
"Justice Robert's pen & Obamacare has done more damage to the USA then the swords of the Nazis,Soviets & terrorists combined," Rucho wrote via Twitter, the social networking site. – North Carolina State Senator Bob Rucho North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory greeted a group of women protesting a law he signed that could close abortion clinics, by handing them a plate of cookies, saying "God bless you" and then leaving.
"She should stick to her own knitting." – North Carolina House Majority Leader Paul Stam said of June Atkinson, the state's superintendent of public instruction, after she said she believed that the state's public and private schools should be required to take the same standardized tests. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and his Republican allies passed a tax reform package that largely benefits the wealthy. NORTH DAKOTA North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed three anti-abortion bills into law which would outlaw nearly all abortions in the state. North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple welcomed legal challenge of an abortion bill he signed saying, "Although the likelihood of this measure surviving a court challenge remains in question, this bill is nevertheless a legitimate attempt by a state legislature to discover the boundaries of Roe v. Wade… The constitutionality of this measure is an open question." "It is a legitimate and new question for the courts regarding a precise restriction on doctors who perform abortions." – North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple said of one of the abortion bills he signed into law that created restrictions on doctors. OHIO House Speaker John Boehner, Congressman from Ohio said that to appeal to women Republicans need to "be a little more sensitive… some of our members just aren't as sensitive as they ought to be." House Speaker John Boehner, Congressman from Ohio opposed allowing a vote on the Employment NonDiscrimination Act saying, "I see no basis or no need for this legislation." "My name be Eboneesha Hernandez, a African-Hispanic-American Girl who jus got a award for bein the bess speler in class. I gots a 47% on the spelin text and 38 points for being black, 10 points for not bringin drugs to class, 10 points for not bringin guns to class, and 15 points for not getting pregnut during the cemester. It be hard to beat a score of 120%. White dude sit nex to me is McGee from Jaxon Mizipy. He got a 94% on the text but no extra points on acount of he have the same skin color as the opressirs of 150 years ago. Granny ax me to thank all dimocrafts and liberuls for suportin afermative axion. You be showin da way to true eqwallity. I be gittin in medical skool nex an mabe I be yo doctor since Barrac takn over da healfcare in dis contry." – City Council Member Bob Carleton from Norwalk, Ohio wrote in an email Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed abortion restrictions into law which would require abortion providers to try to detect a fetal heartbeat and inform a woman if it was found. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine tried to have private employers exempted from the contraception mandate which would allow a woman's employer to deny them insurance coverage for birth control. Ohio Gov. John Kasich eliminated "Golden Week" which was a period at the beginning of early voting when people could both register to vote and cast an in-person absentee ballot.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a bill into law that reduces the authority of county boards of election to send out absentee ballot applications. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted compounded the assault on voting rights in the state by issuing flawed earlyvoting hours for Ohio elections that eliminate in-person voting on Sundays – which are a particularly popular time for early in-person voting among minority voters. "There's 3 million jobs every month in this country that go unfilled… And the trouble is, it's because they either can't find people to come to work sober, daily, drug-free and want to learn the necessary skills going forward to be able to do those jobs." -- Ohio Congressman Dave Joyce OKLAHOMA "They might try to Jew me down on a price" – Oklahoma State Representative Dennis Johnson said during a senate floor discussion on the challenges facing small businesses "And I don't have the legal background to know if that rises to 'high crimes and misdemeanors,' but I think you're getting perilously close." – Oklahoma US Senator Tom Coburn suggested President Obama was getting close to meriting impeachment "Homosexuality is not a civil right. It's a human wrong… Homosexuals are saying this is who we are. This is how we're born. You tell a lie long enough, people start to believe it." – Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern said after a federal judge struck down Oklahoma's ban on same-sex marriage Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine responded to a woman who asked whether President Obama "should be executed as an enemy combatant" saying, "Everybody knows the lawlessness of this president. He picks and chooses which laws he's going to enforce or not enforce, he does it by decree." Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin ordered the National Guard to stop processing requests for military benefits for same-sex couples despite a Pentagon directive to do so. "Maybe as we see more Republicans, there will be fewer and fewer liberal judges appointed… More of what we call the original intent-type of judge. Your Anton [sic] Scalias and your judge -- the black judge, the Supreme Court judge." – Oklahoma State Rep. Mike Ritze OREGON Oregon US Senate candidate Monica Wehby criticized a proposal to raise the minimum wage. Oregon's Multnomah County Republicans celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Lincoln by raffling an AR-15 rifle in their honor. • "Multnomah Country Republicans recognize the incredible time of year we are in. In successive months to start the year, we celebrate the legacy of two great Republicans who demonstrated leadership and courage that all of us still lean on today: Martin Luther King, Jr and Abraham Lincoln. In celebrating these two men, and the denial of the rights they fought so hard against, the Multnomah County Republican Party announces that we have started our third raffle for an AR-15 rifle (or handgun of the winner's choice). The drawing will be held at
our Lincoln Day Dinner on February 15th, 2014. Tickets are once again $10 apiece, or 12 for $100, and there is a hard cap of 500 tickets in the raffle." – Multnomah County Republicans of Oregon posted on their website PENNSYLVANIA "I think a much better analogy would have been brother and sister, don't you?" – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said of same-sex marriage "No, we do not have any [Latino] staff members in there… If you can find us one, please let us know." – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said when asked if he had Latino staff in his administration during a Philadelphia forum hosted by the Spanish-language newspaper. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said that "many employers that say we're looking for people but we can't find anybody that has passed a drug test." Pennsylvania State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe blocked his openly gay colleague, state Representative Brian Sims, from speaking on the legislature floor about the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act. • "I did not believe that as a member of that body that I should allow someone to make comments such as he was preparing to make that ultimately were just open rebellion against what the word of God has said, what God has said, and just open rebellion against God's law." -- Pennsylvania State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe
RHODE ISLAND "Democratic policies have created a class of individuals who are dependent on government. The numbers are staggering. When there isn't ample opportunity for all, the citizens have little choice but to become dependent on someone or something for their existence. That dependency is itself a form of slavery." -- Rhode Island GOP Chairman Mark Smiley SOUTH CAROLINA South Carolina US Senator Lindsey Graham sponsored a bill to restrict women's access to abortion and said, "Did I wake up because I got a primary and say, 'Hey, let's be pro-life?' No, I'm honored to do this, this is important to me, this is why I want to be a senator… Will it wipe away all the other criticisms? No." South Carolina State Rep. Wendy Nanney sponsored a bill to restrict abortion saying, "This is asking states to look at a totally different set of circumstances than Roe v. Wade… It doesn't affect Roe v. Wade." South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley appointed Roan Garcia-Quintana, lifetime member and a board member of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), which is considered a white nationalist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, to her reelection steering committee. The CCC opposes "all efforts to mix the races of mankind" and thinks "the American people and government should remain European in their composition and character." The group is a linear descendent of the White Citizens Councils, which were formed to stop school desegregation in the South.
"Is it racist to be proud of your own heritage? Is it racist to want to keep your own heritage pure? …Racist is when you hate somebody so much that you want to destroy them." – Roan Garcia-Quintana, appointee to South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's reelection campaign steering committee. "One of the things I learned over the years is that if you want to make a point, you have to make it hurt… I understand academic freedom, but this is not academic freedom. ... This was about promoting one side with no academic debate involved." – South Carolina State Rep. Garry Smith said trying to punish South Carolina public colleges over having freshmen read books with LGBT themes Tea Party Activist and former executive director of South Carolina's Republican Party Todd Kincannon, "The best thing about the Wendy Davis fiasco is this: It proves that you can still call a whore a whore. Feminazis ain't won yet, my friends."
Tea Party Activist and former executive director of South Carolina's Republican Party Todd Kincannon, "Wendy David stimulates the kneepad economy. And a lot of penises."
Tea Party Activist and former executive director of South Carolina's Republican Party Todd Kincannon, "Wendy Davis has solved America's student loan crisis! Just find a dumbass to pay off your loans in exchange for sex. #Hookernomics"
Tea Party Activist and former executive director of South Carolina's Republican Party Todd Kincannon, "Wendy Davis is a looker and a hooker. #DoubleDuty"
Tea Party Activist and former executive director of South Carolina's Republican Party Todd Kincannon, "LOL! Nobody has any respect for Wendy Davis"
Tea Party Activist and former executive director of South Carolina's Republican Party, Todd Kincannon , "There are people who respect transgender rights. And there are people who think you should all be put in a camp. That's me." Tea Party Activist and former executive director of South Carolina's Republican Party Todd Kincannon , "I have plenty of compassion for trannies. They should all be locked up in mental institutions and their care paid for by the state." Tea Party Activist and former executive director of South Carolina's Republican Party Todd Kincannon , "I have no problem with gays but I hate trannies. I think they are disgusting freaks, and they are. Am I evil?" Tea Party Activist and former executive director of South Carolina's Republican Party Todd Kincannon , "I'm totally ok with gays and I celebrate female bisexuality as if it were the Mona Lisa of genital sports. But transsexuals are sick freaks." Tea Party Activist and former executive director of South Carolina's Republican Party Todd Kincannon , "The only things I hate these days are commies, trannies, and most Muslims." SOUTH DAKOTA South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley quoted Martin Luther King, Jr.in a press release touting their death penalty and announcing the Supreme Court denied a death penalty appeal writing, "it is well to recall what Martin Luther King Jr. recognized in his Letter from the Birmingham Jail: 'Justice too long delayed is justice denied.'" South Dakota Republicans introduced a bill allow citizens and businesses to legally discriminate against gay Americans and prohibit them from having to "treat any marriage as valid for any purpose."
"When we see what is happening in America by radical activists, a new level of intolerance has been brought forth… It's the intolerance of conscience. It is conscience that guides us, strengthens us, and gives us a sense of purpose." -- South Dakota Senator Ernie Otten , who authored the bill "I'm not forcing or imposing an agenda on anyone. What it does do, however, is protect any South Dakotan from anyone trying to impose his or her radical views upon them by way of strong-arm tactics using legal and financial threats." -- South Dakota Senator Ernie Otten , who authored the bill
TENNESSEE "Can't you just tweak Obamacare? Yeah, with a nuclear bomb." – Tennessee Congressman Phil Roe Tennessee US Congressman Phil Roe said he opposed mandating access to birth control through the Affordable Care Act saying "I have been fixed. My wife has been fixed, okay?" Tennessee Republicans introduced a bill referred to as the "Turn the Gays Away" bill which would allow people and businesses to refuse to provide goods and services to gay Americans. Tennessee State Rep. Andy Holt likened the Humane Society's investigations into animal cruelty to the human trafficking of "17 year old women" and referred to their method as "tape and rape." • "I am extremely pleased that we were able to pass HB 1191 today to help protect livestock in Tennessee from suffering months of needless investigation that propagandist groups of radical animal activists, like your fraudulent and reprehensibly disgusting organization of maligned animal abuse profiteering corporatists, who are intent on using animals the same way human-traffickers use 17 year old women. You work for a pathetic excuse for an organization and a pathetic group of sensationalists who seek to profit from animal abuse. I am glad, as an aside, that we have limited your preferred fund-raising methods here in the state of Tennessee; a method that I refer to as 'tape and rape.' Best wishes for the failure of your organization and it's true intent." -- Tennessee State Representative Andy Holt
Tennessee State Rep. Judd Matheny and State Senator Frank Niceley were speakers at the Southern National Congress – a Southern secessionist group. Nicely agrees with the group's idea that the South might be its own nation one day. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed into law a bill that banned the use of student IDs for voting. TEXAS "They (judges) need some basic plumbing lessons." – Texas US Representative Louis Gohmert said of a ruling by federal judge blocking Oklahoma's same sex marriage ban San Antonio Councilwoman Elisa Chan, said homosexuality was a "behavioral preference" and "disgusting to even think about" and went on to say, "I don't think homosexual people should do adoption… They should be banned by adoption. You're gonna confuse those kids. They should be banned. If you wanted to choose that lifestyle, we don't want to discriminate you, but it shouldn't affect the young people. How terrible that we actually allow them to adopt?" She also said that that homosexuality was a "behavioral preference" and "disgusting to even think about."
Texas US Senator Ted Cruz called gay marriage "heartbreaking " and told radio show host Janet Mefferd "the most important thing your listeners can do, is simply pray" for traditional marriage. Texas US Senator Ted Cruz introduced the State Marriage Defense Act, which would in effect reverse some of the gains made by gay people after the Supreme Court overturned the Defense of Marriage Act. "It's been hijacked in Washington by those who want to give away citizenship like cotton candy at a county fair" – Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said of the immigration reform in Congress Within two hours of the Supreme Court's ruling on the Voting Rights Act, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced the immediate implementation of the state's voter ID law that was widely viewed as the country's most restrictive. • After Texas' strict Voter ID law was implemented, it caused unnecessary problems for women because it requires that the name on one's ID and voter registration card be the same, but many women have a hyphenated last name or use their maiden names.
"I'm going to be real honest with you… The Republican Party doesn't want black people to vote if they are going to vote 9-to-1 for Democrats." -- Dallas Tea Party leader Ken Emanuelson said at a meeting with Republicans Texas Attorney General and candidate for Governor Greg Abbott acknowledged that redistricting decisions in the state were political saying, the Republican's "redistricting decisions were designed to increase the Republican Party's electoral prospects at the expense of the Democrats" All four GOP candidates for Lieutenant Governor of Texas support repealing the state law that allows young noncitizens to pay in-state tuition. Texas US Senator Ted Cruz led the showdown that shut down the federal government in an effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Texas US Senator Ted Cruz said his quest to defund the Affordable Care Act was "absolutely" worth it, despite the government shutdown. Texas US Senator Ted Cruz opposed renewing the extension of unemployment insurance benefits, saying that it was "creating dependency and just extending unemployment." Texas US Senator Ted Cruz said, "Amnesty is wrong in any circumstance" and immigration reform should not be addressed before the 2014 midterm election because it might hurt Republicans in the election. Texas US Senator Ted Cruz referred to birth control as "abortifacients" Texas State Representative Jodie Laubenberg opposed exempting rape and incest victim from a bill that restricts abortion and falsely claimed that in "the emergency rooms they have what's called rape kits, that the woman can get cleaned out, basically like a D and C." Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law some of the toughest restrictions on abortion in the country in July 2013 causing clinics to close.
"Can y'all imagine what it would be like if 'abortion barbie' is the next governor? I don't even want to think about that, so please help us elect whoever our slate Republican is starting at Greg Abbott." -- Denton County Republican Party Chair Dianne Edmondson said of Wendy Davis "Speaking of Wendy Davis, I personally am concerned about the 'super women' ticket of Abortion Barbie with Hispanic Sen Leticia Van De Putte as her running mate." -- Denton County Republican Party Chair Dianne Edmondson Texas Governor Rick Perry said of Texas State Senator Wendy Davis, "Who are we to say that children born in the worst of circumstances can't lead successful lives? …Even the woman who filibustered the Senate the other day was born into difficult circumstances. She's the daughter of as single woman, she was a teenage mother herself. She managed to eventually graduate from Harvard Law School and serve in the Texas Senate. It's just unfortunate that she hasn't learned from her own example: that every life must be given a chance to realize its full potential, and that every life matters." Texas US Rep. Randy Weber on the US Department of Justice's recognition of same-sex marriages, "It is a travesty what happened in Utah… I think it is a travesty that Eric Holder would be a political activist and come out and say they are going to recognize those 1,300 marriages." UTAH "The net result of this is not environmental protection, because as we've seen in many of these areas because coyotes and others who bring people illegally across the border are well aware of these restrictions… They'll make sure illegal immigrants come across these same tracts of land in order to get into the United States illegally. And they leave in their wake in some cases a trail of destruction, or at least a trail of litter." – Utah US Senator Mike Lee said of his amendment to let border patrol skirt environmental protections Utah Congressman Chris Stewart put forth an immigration proposal that did not include a pathway to citizenship. Utah State Senate President Wayne Niederhauser tweeted to State Representative Jacob Anderegg suggesting he was changing his gender identity after Angeregg supported legislation to provide protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Utah State Rep. Jacob Anderegg: "The private Men's bathroom in the House office building is occupied. Strongly considering a gender identifying change to use the open womens."
Utah State Representative Mike Kennedy introduced legislation that would require students use the bathrooms assigned to the gender they were born with – as presented on their birth certificate or as certified by a doctor.
"It is clear the Obama administration finds the principles of federalism inconvenient in its effort to force states to redefine the institution of marriage." – Utah US Senator Mike Lee "We need the best we can get." – Utah House Speaker Becky Lockhart said of spending close to $2 million in taxpayer dollars to hire outside counsel to defend Utah's amendment on marriage "I've always said in this entire arena that the state should have primacy on the definition and the handling of marriage… It is not about fairness, it is about standardization." – Utah US Congressman Rob Bishop said of his bill that would force the federal government to recognize marriage rights based on the states where couples live, not on whether they hold a valid marriage license. VERMONT "This is not a bill for migrant farm workers. There is nothing in here about migrant farm workers. What this bill is about is a way for someone who currently cannot get a license to be able to qualify to get it, regardless of their legal presence." – Vermont State Senator Peg Flory on why she voted against a bill to allow undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license Vermont State Senator Norm McAllister, opposed the bill allowing undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license saying it would jeopardize farmers - "Living on the border, and also hearing from our farms and their nervousness as to what the liability situation would be, I can't support the bill." VIRGINIA Former Virginia Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli suggested that marriage equality would be a slippery slope and could lead to polygamy: "Once the natural limits that inhere in the relationship between a man and a woman can no longer sustain the definition of marriage, the conclusion that follows is that any grouping of adults would have an equal claim to marriage. See, e.g. , Jonathan Turley, One Big, Happy Polygamous Family , NY Times, July 21, 2011, at A27 ('[Polygamists] want to be allowed to create a loving family according to the values of their faith.')." – "Traditional marriage is the institution that provides the greatest likelihood that both biological parents will nurture and raise the children they beget, and it is rational to consider this to be optimal for children and society at large. Marriage links potentially procreative sexual activity with child rearing by biological parents. Through civil recognition of marriage, society channels sexual desires capable of producing children into stable unions that will raise those children in the circumstances that may rationally be viewed as having been proven optimal." - Former Virginia Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli in an amicus brief that laid out an argument against the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli filed a petition with the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals asking the court to reconsider a decision overturning the state's sodomy law. "I'm old enough to have lived during the desegregation of the schools here locally and busing children, in my opinion, around the different districts, getting them out of their local neighborhoods, really was the beginning of the decline in some of the school districts." –Former candidate for Virginia State Senate Wayne Coleman
Former candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia E.W. Jackson, refused to apologize for any discriminatory statements he had made in the past about gay Americans and was specifically challenged for previously saying "gays are sick," which he did not apologize for. John Whitbeck, chair of Virginia's10th District Republican Committee joked that the "head of the Jewish religion" presented the Pope with a "bill for the Last Supper." "My personal beliefs about the personal challenges of homosexuality haven't changed." – Former Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli "Both the KKK and Planned Parenthood are creations of the Democratic Party, and Planned Parenthood has caused more death among blacks than the KKK ever could have." – Virginia State Senator Steve Martin Republicans in the Virginia Senate voted to kill a bill that would allow young immigrants with deferred action state to receive in-state tuition at public colleges and universities if they met certain requirements, including having established roots in the community and a family history of paying taxes. Virginia State Senator Steve Martin referred to pregnant women as a "host" saying, "However, once a child does exist in your womb, I'm not going to assume a right to kill it just because the child's host (some refer to them as mothers) doesn't want it." WASHINGTON Washington State Senator Sharon Brown introduced a bill that would allow businesses to legally discriminate against gay Americans and others. • "Gay people can just grow their own food." – Washington State Senator Mike Hewitt's office said in response to a the question, "What are rural gays supposed to do if the only gas station or grocery store for miles won't sell them gas and food?"
Senate Health Care Committee Chairwoman Randi Becker blocked passage of a bill that would have required healthcare plans to women include maternity care. "Here's another fact: If these (undocumented) students were added to the pool that already exists, underserved (sic) citizens, then the only way those students would ever get financial aid is if they are considered and given preferential treatment above citizens." – Washington State Senator Barbara Bailey said of the Washington Dream Act "It should be obvious, at least to anyone with an IQ above their waist size, that these (bills) have been picked for their political impact, has nothing to do with caring and compassion, to continue this mantra that Republicans are racists." Republican State Chairman of Washington, Kirby Wilbur on the state Dream Act WEST VIRGINIA West Virginia Congresswoman and US Senate candidate Shelly Moore Capito voted to block the Paycheck Fairness Act.
West Virginia Congresswoman and US Senate candidate Shelly Moore Capito voted for the Ryan budget which would restructure Medicare into a premium support program and cost seniors more. "I think it would be a good idea if perhaps we had the kids work for their lunches: trash to be taken out, hallways to be swept, lawns to be mowed, make them earn it." -- West Virginia State House Delegate Ray Canterbury said of students receiving school lunches WISCONSIN Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill into law requiring a woman to have an ultrasound before having an abortion and creating strict and unnecessary regulations on clinics that could cause half of the state's clinics to close. "It makes a lot of sense… It certainly helps to unify the state." – Wisconsin State Rep. Andre Jacque said of his proposal to make English the official language of Wisconsin. Republicans in the state Assembly approved measures to reinstate Wisconsin's voter ID law, tighten early voting hours and limit the ability to recall elected officials. The early voting bill would in effect end weekend voter drives in Democratic-leaning Milwaukee and Madison. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker vowed to call a special session of the legislature – wasting taxpayer dollars – to pass another voter ID law if the state's Supreme Court strikes his law down.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed into law a controversial Indian mascot bill that would largely repeal a previous law which allowed the Department of Public instruction to start a review process if it had received a complaint that a school logo, nickname or mascot was offensive saying, "I would prefer no restrictions on free speech." • "If the state bans speech that is offensive to some, where does it stop?" - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on the Indian mascot bill
Wisconsin State Rep. Joel Kleefisch drafted a law to cap the income amount subject to child support and remove assets from the equation, in order to benefit a wealthy Republican donor who, under the law, would see a substantial cut to his child support payments. • "It's hard to fashion a general principle that will apply to only one situation." -- Pam Kahler, a lawyer who helped draft the law
"We have got this tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and the culture of work, and so there is a real culture problem here that has to be dealt with" – Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan "We don't want a country where abortion is simply outlawed. We want a country where it isn't even considered." -Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan said that raising the minimum wage was "bad economics." Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan said the school lunch program for the children of low-income families is "a big mistake" that's "offering people is a full stomach—and an empty soul."
Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan opposes extending long-term unemployment insurance benefits claiming, "we have a lot of evidence showing that it will prolong unemployment." Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on a pathway to citizenship, "I've not said there should be amnesty in this country. I don't believe that. I don't support the legislation being kicked around." WYOMING "Eleven times they told me the whole world is going to collapse if they don't allow us to spend more than what we do." – Wyoming U.S Senator Mike Enzi said, dismissing the importance of raising the debt ceiling after voting against reopening the government and raising the debt limit. "When you start talking about a minimum wage, thinking about how you can cure social ills, you're making a huge mistake and forcing people to lose jobs." -- Wyoming State Senator Cale Case "The traditional Medicaid program does considerable harm to the recipients, by encouraging excessive utilization of health care." – Wyoming State Senator Charles Scott