Fighting back against the right wing

Ken Cuccinelli has said a lot of extreme things, but here’s a new one: In 2011, he suggested that Planned Parenthood was racist in nature. Yes, you read that right. Ken Cuccinelli called Planned Parenthood racist. In a 2011 speech, Cuccinelli asked the audience to "pull out the map of Virginia" and "look at where the abortion clinics are," implying that the motivation behind founding Planned Parenthood was racist in nature. He also circulated a letter to the editor titled "Planned Parenthood decried as 'racist'" in his supporter newsletter, the Cuccinelli Compass. And perhaps worse yet, Cuccinelli refuses to denounce his own running mate's statement that Planned Parenthood has "been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK." But what Ken doesn’t mention is this: the same year he delivered that speech, Planned Parenthood saw over 23,000 patients in Virginia alone. That's 4,117 cervical cancer screenings, 3,883 breast exams, and 5,952 STI exams—all life-saving screenings and treatments that Ken Cuccinelli would try to cut if elected. Ken Cuccinelli and his Tea Party friends aren't going to stop attacking women's health anytime soon. The good news is that the people of Virginia get to make a choice between two candidates this November: extremist anti-choice Cuccinelli, and Terry McAuliffe: a Planned Parenthood-endorsed candidate who wants to protect a woman's right to safe and legal abortion. Sign your name to join Terry McAuliffe's campaign and we'll send you updates and information about how you can help him defeat Ken Cuccinelli this November.

Oklahoma has been devastated by a major tornado, and it's up to all of us to help. Sadly, however, some in Congress are already threatening to use Federal disaster aid as a political weapon. Led, astonishingly. by Oklahoma's own senator, Tom Coburn: Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) said just hours after a major tornado ravaged his state that he would use the federal relief funds as a cudgel to force Democrats into accepting more spending cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare... CQ's public-facing side reported on the comments later that night, saying Coburn will "absolutely" demand spending cuts to offset his state's need for federal aid after Monday's devastating tornadoes. (source) This is not the time for partisan games. This is not the time to score political points. This is the time for all Americans to come together, and help the people of Oklahoma. Tell Tom Coburn and Congress: Don't Hold Oklahoma Emergency Aid Hostage (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kendall James)

House Republicans have now voted 37 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, aka, "Obamacare." (source) 37 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

45 Senators were gutless when it came to gun background checks, but... Let's give a shout out to the ones who DID do the right thing, and who had the guts and principles to take a tough vote. Send a message, tell them thanks, and... share, share, share.

The latest, from Left Action: Want to defeat Michele Bachmann in 2014? Click here, tell her to "take a hike," and get ready to make it happen. The DCCC is making defeating her a top priority, and so are we. She is an embarrassment and a danger to America at the same time. Enough is enough. Tell Michele Bachmann to take a hike -- and help defeat her in 2014.

It's hard to put into words just how outrageous and appalling this is: Some residents of the Connecticut community devastated by December's school shooting said they're outraged over robocalls they've received from the National Rifle Association only three months after a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Newtown residents said the automated calls from the NRA began last week and urge people to tell their state legislators to oppose gun control proposals. Some also said they received postcards from the NRA supporting gun owners' rights. Send the NRA a message, and demand that these calls to Newtown stop immediately.

Send Harry Reid a message, and tell him to FIX the filibuster. The "gentlemen's agreement" Reid agreed to at the beginning of this term has been a colossal failure. Republicans have not reduced abuse of the filibuster, they've increased it. It's time for Harry Reid to stop being played for such a fool. It's time for real filibuster reform.

On average, sealers make less than 5 percent of their income from killing seals. So what brings in the other 95 percent? Seafood. Here is how your boycott of Canadian seafood can help: Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it will shut down the commercial seal slaughter when Canada's fishing industry asks it to do so. Since more than 60 percent of the fishing industry's seafood exports is to the United States, this gives us a lever. Through the boycott of Canadian seafood we can send a clear message: If Canada's fishing industry would like open access to our U.S. market, it needs to stop the commercial seal slaughter for good. Help us be a million strong for seals! Take the pledge today. Tell Canada: Stop the Baby Seal Slaughter

(Note: For each message sent, Left Action will make a donation to help protect orangutans*) Sometimes it seems like Donald Trump really must stay up nights, figuring out ways to be an even bigger clown: Back in October, everyone's favorite businessman who needs to fire his hair stylist challenged Barack Obama to present his college transcripts and passport records in exchange for a $5 million donation to the charities of the president's choice. Needless to say, the POTUS never took Trump up on his offer. Trump's offer is what likely spurred Bill Maher's commentary on the Jay Leno Show last month, where he mused that he'd be "willing to offer $5 million to Donald Trump that he can donate to a charity of his choice — the Hair Club for Men, the Institute for Incorrigible Douchebaggery — whatever charity," if the Donald could prove that he wasn't the "spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan." (source) And now Trump is suing Maher for the $5 million. For real. Now, it's one thing for Trump to fire back an insult in kind, as one might expect. But it's quite another for him to file a lawsuit that sucks up court time and wastes taxpayer dollars. Send Trump a message, and tell him to drop his absurd lawsuit. Oh, and as a final note -- the "proof" that Trump presented is a short form birth certificate, showing "Fred Trump" as his father. But as birthers like Trump have taught us: 1) Only the long form birth certificate matters; 2) Even when that is presented, it's still not enough proof (at least, to stupid people). Update: Maher's response (click "refresh" if you don't see the video): * For every message sent, Left Action will donate 2 cents to Orangutan Foundation International, an organization supporting the protection of orangutans and the return of ex-captive orangutans to their natural habitat. This is no way implies an endorsement by OFI of this campaign or Mr. Trump's status as an orangutan hybrid, we merely think they are a great organization. And yes, it's okay to send multiple messages if you want.