Act Now to Secure ENDA’s Passage‏

Being honest about who you are could cost you your job in the majority of the country.

Right now, there are no state laws protecting lesbian, gay, or bisexual people from being fired from their jobs in 29 states, and the same is true in 34 states for transgender Americans. Three of the states that Pride Foundation works in: Alaska, Idaho, and Montana, are among those where you can be terminated from your job simply for being yourself.

Tomorrow, in the United States Senate, we are expecting a vote on the bipartisan Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). ENDA would make it illegal to fire, refuse to hire, or refuse to promote employees simply based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Recent polling has found that 73% of the American public, across political parties, support protecting LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination.

We need our Senators to do the same by voting for ENDA.

Please take action today!

Contact your Senators by phone and email, share your story, and urge them to vote yes on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (S. 815).

Senator contact information as well as templates for calls and emails can be found here.

Thank you.

With Pride,

Kris Hermanns

Executive Director

http://www.pridefoundation.org | info@pridefoundation.org | 1.800.735.7287 | Headquarters Mailing Address: 1122 E Pike St PMB 1001 | Seattle, WA 98122 US

Senate Committee to Vote on ENDA (newamericamedia.org)

Tester’s All Over Montana. Rehberg? Nowhere to Be Found

Nov3 by D Gregory Smith

United States Senate Seal (Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)

From Politico:

Sen. Jon Tester and Rep. Denny Rehberg are locked in possibly the closest Senate race in the country, but their final weekend of campaigning suggests it’s anything but.

Tester is on an 800-mile sprint across this majestic state, energizing his base and trying to persuade Mitt Romney backers to split their ticket and give the Democratic incumbent another six years in the Senate.

Rehberg, meanwhile, is nowhere to be seen on the campaign trail. He’s employing the classic, play-it-safe strategy of a frontrunner running down the clock — even though polls indicate the race is a true tossup.

But the thing that made my skin crawl:

Rehberg declined a request for an interview.

Typical.

Rehberg’s Anti-LGBT Record (dgsmith.org)
Crystal ball: Senate race projections (politico.com)
‘Outside money’ in Tester-Rehberg U.S. Senate race approaches $30 million (missoulian.com)
Road to Senate majority runs through Montana (cbsnews.com)
Tester, Rehberg strategies diverge (politico.com)

Rehberg’s “Year Of Disaster”

Feb7 by D Gregory Smith

One day after an Associated Press investigation found that Dennis Rehberg hid tens of thousands of dollars in cash from lobbyists, today the millionaire Congressman marks the one-year anniversary of his U.S. Senate campaign.

And what a year it’s been.

The Montana Democratic Party today released a video highlighting Rehberg’s most memorable, out-of-touch moments from the past year.

“From calling Pell Grants ‘welfare’ to supporting an unpopular federal land-grab bill that undermines our rights, Congressman Rehberg has shown all of us how out of touch he is with Montana values–over and over again,” said Ted Dick, Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party. “Montanans deserve someone who stands for their values in Washington–not Dennis Rehberg, who was forced to drop a lawsuit against Billings firefighters.”

2011: A year of blunders for Congressman Dennis Rehberg:

February 6, 2011: Congressman Rehberg announces his candidacy for United States Senate alongside controversial presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann. Bachmann had just proposedcutting $4.5 billion in veterans’ benefits.

February 8, 2011: Rehberg makes national headlines for suggesting that judges should be on theEndangered Species Act.

April 1, 2011: Rehberg calls Pell Grants “the welfare of the 21st century.”

April 28 2011: Congressman Rehberg tells the Missoula City Club that although he is one of thewealthiest members of Congress, he is “struggling like everybody else” and “cash poor.”

September 2011: Montanans of all political backgrounds criticize Rehberg’s controversial sponsorship of his unpopular HR 1505, legislation that would give one federal agency the power to seize public lands in Montana.

October 8, 2011: The Associated Press notes that Rehberg has held “far more infrequent” public events in Montana. Shortly thereafter, Rehberg stood by as a uniformed sheriff removed a Montana Democratic Party employee from Rehberg’s so called “public” event.

November 11, 2011: Amid a sea of controversy, Rehberg is forced to drop his wildly unpopular, 15-month lawsuit against Billings firefighters.

February 5, 2012: An Associated Press investigation finds that Rehberg hid tens of thousands of dollars campaign contributions, even as he criticizes others for taking campaign contributions.

A Tale Of Two Polls (dgsma.wordpress.com)
Tester vs Rehberg: Who Works Harder? (dgsma.wordpress.com)
A Rehberg Tax Reminder (dgsma.wordpress.com)
Rehberg Says Congress Is Just As Functional As Lindsay Lohan (dgsma.wordpress.com)
“Where Are You?” (dgsma.wordpress.com)

MT Democrats: Rehberg’s Standing Against Jobs And Tax Relief

Dec19 by D Gregory Smith

From The Montana Democratic Party press release:

Ted Dick, the executive director of the Montana Democratic Party, released this statement following news that despite an earlier agreement, the U.S. House of Representatives now plans to vote against a bipartisan payroll tax holiday extension.

“This week, as Montanans look forward to time with their families and hope for the future, they will wonder why Congressman Dennis Rehberg continues to be an out-of-touch Grinch who refuses to stand with Montana. Instead of working together to create Montana jobs and provide tax relief for middle-class families, Congressman Rehberg is choosing to stand on the side of his party bosses in Washington–against the Keystone Pipeline, against creating jobs and against middle-class tax relief.”

The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan payroll tax holiday Saturday with a vote of 89-10. The measure includes specific language by Montana’s two U.S. Senators to require a quicker decision on the future of the Keystone XL pipeline–while protecting private property rights. The Keystone Pipeline will create thousands of jobs.