Stop Comcast's media monopolizing!

I hope you saw our message asking you to take a stand against uncontrolled media consolidation. If Comcast and Time Warner are allowed to merge, they'd gain a degree of control over our news and information infrastructure that no company should ever have.

We have to stop this -- sign our petition today! 

Thanks for all you do,

Todd O'Boyle
and the rest of the team at Common Cause

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Dear William,

Washington is awash in Kool-Aid this week. Cable giant Comcast is delivering a tasty but toxic new flavor on Capitol Hill and at regulatory agencies.

Already the nation’s largest Internet and home telephone service provider, Comcast wants to buy its top rival, Time Warner Cable. And Comcast’s executives want official Washington, along with the rest of the country, to believe this $45 billion, competition-killing deal will be good for consumers.

Say no to Comcast’s potion. Sign Common Cause's petition opposing the merger.

This deal would give Comcast what the Washington Post calls “enormous power” in determining what shows you can watch on your smartphone, tablet, laptop and TV sets. Comcast, which also owns NBC Television and Universal Studios, would gain leverage to choke off attempts by companies like Apple and Google to replace your cable set-top boxes with new and better Internet devices. And by joining forces with the nation’s second-biggest cable company, Comcast would have new power to set your rates for home telephone, cable and broadband service.

With so much to gain, Comcast and its lobbyists will serve up plenty of Kool-Aid to sell this deal to regulators at the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission, and to members of Congress. Between 2009 and 2011, when it was pushing a merger with NBC/Universal, Comcast spent $45 million just on lobbying.

A vibrant democracy depends on the free flow of information from diverse sources. Sign our petition and stand with us against the merger.

Thanks for all you do,

Todd O'Boyle
and the rest of the team at Common Cause

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We Got Karl Rove's Attention: Support Senator John Walsh of Montana

Want to know the #1 way to get the Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers’ attention? See John Walsh take on Washington. Karl Rove’s outside special interest group launched their first ad of 2014 this week right here in Montana, targeted at John. Even more unthinkable? They attacked his lifetime of service and his record on fighting for Montanans. It makes me mad – it should make you, too. We’re launching a new TV ad to fight back against the outside attacks and set the record straight about John’s courageous service. As a key supporter, we wanted to give you the first look before anyone else. Watch the ad and share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter: As someone on Jon Tester’s team for many years and John Walsh’s new campaign manager, I’ve seen the outside attacks before. Montana voters know better. But the recent attention John’s been getting means that the outside attacks are coming earlier and harder than we ever expected. If we let draft-dodging Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers smear John’s distinguished character this early, we’ll be playing defense the rest of the campaign. I’m not going to let that happen, are you? John’s spent his whole life fighting for people like us. Now he needs your help to fight back. Watch and share our first TV ad and help us set the record straight. Thanks, Aaron Murphy Campaign Manager P.S. The more money we’re able to raise in the next 24 hours, the longer we’ll be able to keep this ad on the air. Chip in $5 to help us fight back against Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers.

Donate»

 

Paid for by Walsh for Montana

Walsh for Montana
P.O. Box 1724
Helena MT 59624 United States

Meet the Press: Overwhelmingly white, male and conservative.

Americans of all races and parties are politically engaged and working to lead our nation into a better future, but you wouldn't know that by watching Sunday talk shows on the major TV networks. A recent report by progressive media watchdog Media Matters for America found that Sunday morning political talk shows on major TV networks are mostly white, male and conservative.1 According to the report a majority of the Sunday morning national political news shows hosted white male guests at a significantly higher rate than their 31 percent proportion of the population. Viewers of NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday show saw white male guests over 62% of the time throughout 2013. While it's no surprise that an extreme right-wing network like Fox News would exclude guests who refuse to parrot Republican talking points and marginalize people of color, the willingness of other networks to follow suit is a disturbing trend. That's why I launched a petition on CREDOMobilize.com, targeting the executives of ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and CNN. The petition reads: Your viewers deserve and demand to hear a diverse set of opinions from a diverse calendar of guests -- not just those of white conservatives. It's time for producers of your Sunday morning talk shows to schedule guests and hire hosts of races and political backgrounds that match the general population. Tell TV network news executives: Stop shutting out progressives and people of color on Sunday morning political shows. Limiting the diversity of guests hosted on Sunday's national political shows to so thoroughly overrepresent one part of the population severely limits the diversity of views presented and does a serious disservice to viewers and our country as a whole. Denying people of color and of differing opinions the opportunity to join these discussions involving influential decision-makers and elected officials can lead to their views being left out of discussions on the House and Senate floors. Even worse than the fact that people of color and progressives are denied the opportunity to share their views, the lack of diversity on these programs sends a subtle suggestion that their opinions simply don't matter and won't be taken seriously. With fierce competition among networks for viewers, the executives of major networks need any advantage they can find to attract a larger audience. Sign my petition and show executives at ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN that by scheduling a more diverse slate of guests and hosts that reflect the general population, their networks can attract a larger audience of politically engaged viewers like you. Will you join me and add your name to my petition to executives of ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN urging them to stop shutting out progressives and people of color on Sunday morning talk shows? Thank you for your support. Karoli Kuns REPORT: The Demographics Of The Sunday Morning Political Talk Shows", MediaMatters.org, January 30, 2014.

CREDO Mobilize helps activists like you make progressive change and fight regressive policies by creating online petitions. Click here to start a petition today.

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© 2013 CREDO. All rights reserved.

Senate Republicans Blocked another Vote to Extend Unemployment Benefits to 1.6 Million Unemployed.

Republicans are making clear time and again that they will do everything they can to protect billions in tax breaks and subsidies for big corporations with armies of lobbyists.

But they can't find a way to help struggling families get back on their feet.

Just moments ago, Senate Republicans insulted 1.6 million Americans who can't find a job by blocking another vote to extend unemployment benefits.

Those 1.6 million Americans are our friends and our neighbors. They didn't cause the financial crisis. They worked hard, played by the rules, and paid into the system. So many people lost their jobs through no fault of their own, and now they're paying the price for Wall Street's wild risk-taking and Washington's failed oversight.

For these families, an extra couple of hundred dollars a week can keep food on the table or heat on during the winter. It can mean the difference between making the rent or mortgage payment and being out on the street.

I'm going to keep fighting for unemployment benefits because it's the right thing to do.

We are not a country that says, "I've got mine, the rest of you are on your own." We are better than that. We have to pitch in to help our friends and neighbors who have fallen on rough times. They would do the same for us.

Thank you for being a part of this,

Elizabeth

P.S. Are you or someone you know struggling without unemployment benefits? Share your story and help us show the faces of the people hurting most from today's vote.
 

The end of the Internet as we know it? Federal Communications Commission's Open Internet ("net neutrality") rules struck down

I'm sure you saw the news stories this week. A court on Tuesday gutted a federal telecom policy that guaranteed free speech online. Internet Service Providers are now free to make consumers pay more to access certain sites. The silver lining is that the Court made clear the Federal Communications Commission can fix this by writing better rules to protect consumers. But they need to hear from us. The time to act is now. You can still add your name to our petition to restore net neutrality. Thanks for all you do, Robert Reich and the rest of the team at Common Cause Bad news. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals just struck down the Federal Communications Commission's Open Internet ("net neutrality") rules that guarantee free speech online. The upshot of the decision is that Internet Service Providers like Verizon and Comcast now have permission to censor access to the sites and services you rely on every day. This absolutely cannot stand -- sign our petition today! This could be the end of the Internet as we know it. Broadband may become like cable television -- with popular sites like Facebook and Netflix in higher-priced tiers. Fortunately, the FCC can fix this mess -- today. The court's ruling allows the FCC to write strong new rules that will withstand legal challenge and protect Internet users. Join us today in calling on the FCC to get it right this time. Sign our petition to the FCC today and tell them to protect the Open Internet!Thanks for all you do, Todd O'Boyle and the rest of the team at Common Cause

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Common Cause is a national nonpartisan organization with chapters in 35 states. Our mailing address is 1133 19th Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20036. Our phone number is (202) 833-1200.

Stop the Big Oil Giveaway

The Renewable Fuel Standard has made America more secure - powering our economy with homegrown biofuels that keep oil prices in check, and curbing the flow of petrodollars abroad. But the Koch Brothers and Big Oil want to eliminate their cheaper, cleaner competition.
America needs homegrown American energy, not more dangerous dependence on oil. Please join VoteVets and tell the EPA to save the Renewable Fuel Standard.
Thanks for all you do!
Bob Fertik

"The price of a barrel of oil is now one of the most dangerous weapons in the world"
- President Barack Obama

Dear Activist,
Right now, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering gutting one of the most important policies put in place to limit the amount of fossil fuels we burn and lower our dependence on foreign oil.
It's called the Renewable Fuel Standard and it ensures a minimum number of renewable fuels are used for transportation in the United States.
As veterans, military family members, and VoteVets supporters, we have a unique understanding about the cost of our dependence on foreign oil. It's not just measured in the price at the pump, or a changing climate, but also in the lives lost and changed through deployments to protect the flow of oil in the Middle East.
VoteVets is participating in the Environmental Protection Agency's public comment period on this issue. It ends in a few weeks, and we'd love it if you added your name to ours before we submit. You can do that here:
Tell the EPA: Save the Renewable Fuel Standard
This is an important issue and a very real chance for you to make a difference. The EPA traditionally takes these comments very seriously, but our voices are at risk of being drowned out by big oil interests running astroturf campaigns.
That's why your petition signature is so important. I hope you'll add your name to mine today.
All the best,
General (Ret.) Wesley Clark
Advisor, VoteVets.org

1.3 million Americans lost Unemployment Insurance today

Americans should be enjoying the holidays today. But for 1.3 million Americans, because Congress failed to act, today marked the end of their federal unemployment insurance.

Unemployment insurance is a vital safety net that so many job seekers struggling to get back on their feet rely on, and it's suddenly been taken away just three days after Christmas. Worse, if nothing is done, millions more will lose this support in the first half of the new year.

Although our economy is continuing to recover from an economic crisis, too many families are still struggling to rebuild and regain what they had before the recession. The American people shouldn't be penalized for Congress' inability to get things done.

Tell Speaker Boehner and leaders in Congress to fix it -- restore these benefits for people who need them most as soon as they get back to Washington:

http://my.barackobama.com/Restore-Unemployment-Insurance

If they don't, they'll be hearing from a whole bunch of us.

Thanks,

Nico

Nico Probst
Director of Special Projects
Organizing for Action