When Congressman Michael Grimm didn't like the question a reporter was asking, he didn't just walk away, he physically threatened the reporter, got in his face, and said he would "break him in half" and throw him over the balcony (click here for video) This behavior is absolutely unacceptable, and a wishy-washy faux apology is not enough. Congressman Grimm must resign now. The dialogue between Grimm and NY1 reporter Michael Scotto is simply jaw dropping, and seems like it's straight out of the The Sopranos. Scotto asked Grimm about a federal investigation into his 2010 campaign fundraising, and this was Grimm's response: ...As the camera continued to roll, Grimm walked back up to Scotto and began speaking to him in a low voice. "What?" Scotto responded. "I just wanted to ask you..." Grimm: "Let me be clear to you, you ever do that to me again I'll throw you off this f-----g balcony." Scotto: "Why? I just wanted to ask you..." [[cross talk]] Grimm: "If you ever do that to me again..." Scotto: "Why? Why? It’s a valid question." [[cross talk]] Grimm: "No, no, you're not man enough, you're not man enough. I'll break you in half. Like a boy."There is room for heated debate and even heated rhetoric in Congress. But there is no room for an outright thug who physically threatens a reporter for asking a simple question. Congressman Grimm needs to go, and if he won't leave voluntarily, he need to be thrown out. Tell Michael Grimm to resign now.

Senate Democrats started 2014 by pushing to restore emergency unemployment insurance to over 1.3 million Americans. As usual, Senate Republicans are obstructing. It's time for Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans to stop blocking this legislation and act now to restore emergency benefits to those hardest hit by economic woes. Please join Left Action and the DSCC in thanking Senate Democrats for acting to extend emergency unemployment insurance benefits and demand that Senate Republicans end their outrageous obstruction. Use this form to add your name.

In a truly appalling move, hundreds of newly and legally married Utah couples have been told that their marriages are now "on hold until further notice" and will not be recognized by the state of Utah – even though they were sanctioned by that state. Governor Gary Herbert's office has ordered state agencies not to recognize these legal marriages performed over the past few weeks, following a court ruling that permitted them. That decision is now being appealed to the Supreme Court. Send Governor Herbert a message, and tell him to reverse his decision to effectively "unmarry" these legally married couples.

(Update: It's been 5 years! Time for Rush to move! Send him a message, and tell him, "Obamacare won, move to Costa Rica!") Remember what Rush Limbaugh said about Obamacare in 2009? Responding to a caller who asked him where he would go for health care if Congress enacts reform, Limbaugh replied, "I don't know. I'll just tell you this, if this passes and it's five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented -- I am leaving the country. I'll go to Costa Rica." (Source) It's 2014. Five years have passed. Send Rush a message. Tell him the make good on his promise, and to start packing his bags. (Oh, and to the good people of Costa Rica....um... sorry). (P.S. - Don't tell Rush, but Costa Rica actually has universal health care).

Abstinence-only sex education has been an utter failure. It doesn't work, and in fact, there is evidence that it actually make things worse: "States that don't require comprehensive sex ed classes are the same ones that struggle with high rates of pregnancies and STD infections. A large body of evidence has discredited abstinence-only education." (Source) And yet, federal funding has been supporting this nonsense for years: "The Title V State Abstinence Education Grant Program allocates federal dollars to support programs that advocate abstinence from sex until marriage, and does not permit any discussion of contraceptive methods other than to emphasize their failure rates." (Source) A group of House Democrats is trying to change this. They have introduced a measure, HR 3774 that would end federal funding for states that run abstinence-only education programs in public schools. Take action, and tell Congress to support HR 3774. It makes no sense to keep throwing money at ideologically driven nonsense that not only doesn't work, but makes things worse. Take action, and tell Congress to support HR 3774.

John Boehner recently promoted the latest Obamacare horror story about a New York father who was allegedly told that his 18-month-old daughter couldn't be included on the family's plan. Well guess what, the story AND Boehner's claim are 100% false. MSNBC did some digging on what ACTUALLY happened: "On Sunday morning, the New York Post published the story of Cornelius Kelly, who was dismayed to learn that the New York State health insurance plans could cover his wife and three older children, but that he would have to buy a separate plan for his 18-month-old daughter. Fox News ran with the story on Monday morning, and had Kelly on to retell the tale. Within hours, the story had spread. At this point, Speaker Boehner picked up the story and promoted it on his site and on Twitter, spreading the false claim that Obamacare won’t cover children under 2 years of age. It turns out that the New York father, who is a failed conservative candidate for the state legislature, forgot to list one of his children on his plan and the error has already been resolved." Sign here to demand an apology from Boehner for spreading this false Obamacare horror story >>

Send a message to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Democrats, and let them know you stand with them on their bold and sensible move to fight back against Republican filibuster abuse. Since President Obama took office, Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues have waged filibusters at a level unprecedented in Senate history. In an incredible abuse of power, they have used it to consistently block the will of the majority by blocking up-or-down votes from even taking place. Worst of all, they have blocked a series of eminently qualified judicial and executive nominees from taking office, depriving America of the key leadership necessary to take on the challenges that face us. No more. In a bold move, Harry Reid and a majority of Senators have fought back by ending the filibuster on nominations, and requiring an up-or-down vote. Nominees will either be approved or disapproved, but there will be a vote. And 41 senators will no longer be able to block the will of the other 59. Republicans will no doubt scream and howl, but sensible Americans know this is nothing more than restoring democracy, and making the Senate work again as the Founding Fathers intended. So please join us in thanking Harry Reid and Senate Democrats. Letting them know you stand with them in taking this critical step.

Sign our birthday card to Joe Biden! Today, November 20th, is Vice President Joe Biden's birthday. Please join us in wishing him a very happy one. Click here to sign our card, send a message, and read read what others have written. And make sure to share, share, share! --> Click here to send a message --> Click here to share this on Facebook --> Click here to share this on Twitter Thanks for your support, and for fighting back! Sincerely, John Hlinko and the Left Action team http://LeftAction.com http://Facebook.com/LeftAction http://Twitter.com/LeftAction

Speaking to an audience in Iowa, Sarah Palin recently said that the national debt is "like slavery." For a whole host of eminently obvious reasons, the comparison elicited outrage. But it also got us wondering… if Palin really things debt equals slavery, why did she leave the tiny town of Wasilla $20 million in debt? As mayor of Wasilla, AK, Palin was not always the fiscal watchdog she has since boasted of being… During her tenure, the budget of Wasilla (population 5,469 in 2000) apart from capital projects and debt, rose from $3.9 million in fiscal 1996 to $5.8 million… When Palin left office in 2002, Wasilla had “racked up nearly $20 million in long-term debt,” or roughly $3,000 of debt per resident. (source) Ask Sarah Palin: If debt is "like slavery", why did you leave Wasilla $20 million in debt?

Congratulations, Terry McAuliffe, the next governor of Virginia. This was a very hard fought race, and Governor-elect McAuliffe deserves praise for fighting and winning in this key state. Please join us in congratulating him! Click here to leave your message.

Send Ted Cruz a message: "Senator Cruz, you owe us $24 billion" Ted Cruz is complaining about the millions spent on the HealthCare.gov web site, but he seems to have developed amnesia about the billions his shutdown cost us. $24 billion. That's the amount that S&P estimates the shutdown cost the economy. (source) $24 billion, all for effort to defund health care that had zero chance of succeeding. $24 billion for what was essentially an ego joyride for Senator Cruz. So now that it's over, America wants to know, where's our money? Send Ted Cruz a message: "Senator Cruz, you owe us $24 billion" --> Click here to send a message --> Click here to share this on Facebook --> Click here to share this on Twitter

Demand Don't Let This Oil Billionaire "Koch-Block" This Historic Wind Power Project Cape Wind, a clean-energy wind farm planned off the coast of Nantucket, would produce 75 percent of the power for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and would be America's first offshore wind farm. It could serve as a model for other American offshore wind farms, like those common in Europe. But the project has remained on the drawing board for more than a decade, thanks to the opposition of billionaire William Koch: "Mr. Koch, a billionaire industrialist who made his fortune in fossil fuels and whose better-known brothers underwrite conservative political causes, has been fighting the wind farm, called Cape Wind, for more than a decade, donating about $5 million and leading an adversarial group against it." (source) Cape Wind could be a powerful weapon in the fight against global warming, but it's being blocked because an oil billionaire doesn’t like the way the views would look from his compound? Enough is enough. Environmentalists and advocates of common sense in general are fighting back, and we need to lend our voice as well. Take action, send a message, and don’t let them Koch-block wind power. --> Click here to send a message --> Click here to share this on Facebook --> Click here to share this on Twitter Thanks for your support, and for fighting back! Sincerely, John Hlinko and the Left Action team http://LeftAction.com http://Facebook.com/LeftAction http://Twitter.com/LeftAction

Join us in Wishing Hillary Clinton a Happy Birthday! This Saturday, October 26th, is Hillary Clinton's birthday. Please join us in wishing her a very happy one. Click here to send a message and read what others have written, and make sure to share, share, share! --> Click here to send a message --> Click here to share this on Facebook --> Click here to share this on Twitter Thanks for your support, and for fighting back! Sincerely, John Hlinko and the Left Action team http://LeftAction.com http://Facebook.com/LeftAction http://Twitter.com/LeftAction

Take action, and protect Medicare from the Tea Party extremists Now that the shutdown is over, and budget negotiations are beginning, Tea party members of Congress are pushing to gut Medicare. And they are threatening to use the same tactics (including a shutdown) all over again. Tell the Tea Party Congress: "Hands off Medicare!" Send a message, stand with Left Action and Patriot Majority USA today, and don't let these extremists destroy this critical program! --> Click here to send a message --> Click here to share this on Facebook --> Click here to share this on Twitter Thanks for your support, and for fighting back! Sincerely, John Hlinko and the Left Action team http://LeftAction.com http://Facebook.com/LeftAction http://Twitter.com/LeftAction

Tell Congress: It's Time to Repeal the Rest of DOMA New Jersey made history today by becoming the latest state to legalize same-sex marriage. Kudos to the Garden State! Now it's time for America to follow. Tell Congress to repeal the rest of DOMA. The Supreme Court ruled section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional. But the rest of DOMA is still on the books. It's time -- past time -- for that to change. Tell Congress to repeal the rest of DOMA --> Click here to take action --> Click here to share this on Facebook --> Click here to share this on Twitter Tell Congress: Being Gay Shouldn't Get You Fired Did you know that in a majority of states, it's still legal to be fired for being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender? Take action, and tell Congress to end this injustice by passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act --> Click here to take action --> Click here to share this on Facebook --> Click here to share this on Twitter Thanks for your support, and for fighting back! Sincerely, John Hlinko and the Left Action team http://LeftAction.com http://Facebook.com/LeftAction http://Twitter.com/LeftAction

Tell Ted Cruz: "You owe us $24 billion"

Since he became speaker, John Boehner has tried and tried again to appease the Tea Party wing of his Republican caucus. He has let this small but loud contingent drive the House agenda, hoping that in return they would come to their senses for the most critical items. It hasn't worked. It has been a miserable failure. And now America is paying the price. Send Boehner a message: Tell him to dump the Tea Party, and work with reasonable Republicans and Democrats to find common ground solutions. Our government has shut down, and a debt ceiling fight looms, with the potential to do grave damage to our nation's economy. And yet, the Tea Party extremists are still obsessively focused on fruitless efforts to repeal Obamacare – with 40+ votes apparently not enough. Multiple reports indicate that a majority of total House members are ready right now to support a clean budget resolution to reopen the government. And yet, because Boehner still is letting himself be led by the most extreme ones, a contingent of as little as 30 Tea Partiers has veto power. Enough is enough. It's time to stop letting irrational extremists hold America hostage. Send Boehner a message: Tell him to dump the Tea Party, and work with reasonable Republicans and Democrats to find common ground solutions.

Through no fault of their own, nearly 1 in 5 American children live in households that struggle to put food on the table.1 For many of these kids, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the sole safety net that keeps them from going to bed hungry. SNAP is the Federal government’s single most successful program for directly combating childhood hunger, with children accounting for nearly half of all SNAP recipients. But the House of Representatives has voted to slash SNAP, and cut off millions of kids entirely. As the process continues to move forward, it is critical that members of Congress know that cuts of this magnitude are unacceptable and cannot become law. If this bill is enacted, it will be the biggest cut to SNAP in the program's history. To make matters worse, this legislation comes just months before every single SNAP household will already see a cut in their monthly benefits of about $36/month for a family of four – a loss of more than 20 meals per month. It makes no sense to gut funding for a program that has been so successful. And with so many other ways to cut government spending, it makes no sense to cut off food aid to millions of American children who are hungry through no fault of their own. Send Speaker Boehner a message. Tell him you oppose cutting off food aid to hungry American kids. 1. Source: US Department of Agriculture

Through no fault of their own, nearly 1 in 5 American children live in households that struggle to put food on the table.1 For many of these kids, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the sole safety net that keeps them from going to bed hungry. SNAP is the Federal government’s single most successful program for directly combating childhood hunger, with children accounting for nearly half of all SNAP recipients. But the House of Representatives is about to slash SNAP, and cut off millions of kids entirely. Make no mistake, this bill will mean more hungry kids. It is the biggest attack on SNAP in the program's history. To make matters worse, this legislation comes just months before every single SNAP household will already see a cut in their monthly benefits of about $36/month for a family of four – a loss of more than 20 meals per month. It makes no sense to gut funding for a program that has been so successful. And with so many other ways to cut government spending, it makes no sense to cut off food aid to millions of American children who are hungry through no fault of their own. Send Speaker Boehner a message. Tell him you oppose cutting off food aid to hungry American kids. 1. Source: US Department of Agriculture

House Republicans have now voted over 40 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, aka, "Obamacare." 40+ times. Even though repeal has no chance of passing the Senate, and certainly no chance of being signed by President Obama. There is real work to be done, and yet Boehner and the House Republicans have chosen to focus instead on appealing to their lunatic fringe through a series of "Groundhog Day" votes. Enough is enough. Tell Boehner: Enough already with the damned 'Repeal Obamacare' votes