American Bridge 21st Century Weekly Recap: April 8, 2022
Our top moments of the week
Whether it be filing complaints when Republicans try to skirt the rules to fill their campaign bank accounts, monitoring every disastrous interview on Fox News, or asking the hard questions at campaign stops, we get the job done.
American Bridge won’t let the GOP off the hook, as they continue to push for cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and take aim at the Constitution and our Bill of Rights.
Here are our best moments of the week:
1. Ron DeSantis, Ashley Moody Broke Law in Plugging Campaign Website
American Bridge 21st Century has filed formal complaints with the Florida Elections Commission against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody following their promotion of a campaign website soliciting donations for DeSantis’ re-election.
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them — and Ron DeSantis and Ashley Moody have shown us that they are more interested in financial and political gain than serving the people of Florida,” said American Bridge President Jessica Floyd. “We expect our elected officials to be held to the highest ethical standards, but Ron DeSantis and Ashley Moody have broken the law by using taxpayer dollars to get re-elected. We are holding them accountable.”
2. GOP Can’t Stop Pushing Social Security, Medicare Cuts
It isn’t just NRSC Chair Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney: This week, the Daily Beast reported that GOP U.S. Senate candidates across battleground states have for months been arguing for middle-class tax hikes and calling for cuts to retirement security programs like Social Security and Medicare.
That includes at least several candidates who have openly embraced cuts to earned benefits like Social Security and Medicare like Pennsylvania’s David McCormick and Arizona’s Jim Lamon and Blake Masters. Meanwhile, in Ohio, Mike Gibbons has argued for zero-ing out the corporate tax rate while hiking taxes on working families.
3. AB21 Co-Chair Deval Patrick Discusses Ketanji Brown Jackson SCOTUS Nomination
On Monday, Gov. Patrick joined Sirius XM’s Julie Mason Mornings to discuss Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination and the need for Democrats to focus on the economy going into the midterms.
You’ve got one party that has been working very, very hard to repair the economy, to get people back to good jobs at higher wages… That has expanded health care under Obamacare to over 10 million more Americans,” said Governor Patrick. “That is working on driving down prescription drug costs and on and on and on. That has the largest infrastructure investment in American history, which means an awful lot of jobs… You have that on one side and you have on the other side a party with no agenda that is trying to figure out how to get attention.”
4. Georgia GOP Senate Candidates Urge Health Care Repeal
It isn’t just Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson who’s talking about repealing the Affordable Care Act, which would gut health care coverage protections and drive up health care costs. This week, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighted that Georgia’s Republican U.S. Senate candidates are each pushing for the repeal of the health care law.
Read more on the Georgia Senate candidate’s anti-ACA rhetoric from MSNBC’s MaddowBlog: “Why it matters when Republican Senate hopefuls endorse ACA repeal.”
5. Kevin Smith Pushed Anti-LGBTQ Legislation 12 Years Before Ron DeSantis
According to a new report from the American Independent, New Hampshire Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Smith pushed an anti-LGBTQ, book-banning, “Don’t Say Gay” agenda 12 years before it was adopted by Ron DeSantis and Republicans focused on targeting, marginalizing, and discriminating against LGBTQ Americans.
6. Everybody Hates Mark
This week, just about everyone is mad at Arizona Attorney General and GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mark Brnovich, who’s conducting a sham, taxpayer-funded investigation into baseless lies about the 2020 election — all in a brazen, desperate attempt to impress Trump and boost his Senate campaign.
“Caught in a vise by Trump’s Big Lie,” Brnovich on Wednesday released a letter updating on that investigation. Shocking no one (save the most committed of conspiracy theorists), Brnovich’s update disclosed “no proof of 2020 election fraud.”
7. Kari Lake “Ready To Pick Up Her AR-15” To Keep Immigrants Out
Yesterday, the Arizona Republic reported that Kari Lake is “ready to pick up her AR-15” and send Armed National Guard troops to keep immigrants from crossing the southern border.
This isn’t the first time the far-right, Trump-endorsed Arizona gubernatorial candidate has threatened immigrants searching for a safer home and economic opportunity. She has spent the majority of her time on the campaign trail demonizing immigrants — calling them criminals, drug dealers, and terrorists.
