by Jennifer on 11.30.2009
President Obama is scheduled to address the American people tomorrow about his plans for dealing with the war in Afghanistan, a war he—and our nation—inherited from former President George W. Bush. Neither President Obama nor the American public knew the extent to which conditions had deteriorated in Afghanistan, and those conditions have continued to deteriorate. And now, as nearly all international forces have withdrawn their troops from Iraq, and with the U.S. deployment there expected to wind down in 2011, the monumental task of squarely addressing the complicated problems of Afghanistan confronts our nation.
At the risk of being called a naysayer, a name I’m not often called because of the “can do” attitude I normally adopt, I believe the costs are too great—in human lives and economic resources—to continue along the current path. It is clear to me that America must set a timetable for bringing our troops home from Afghanistan as soon as possible.
Continued in the extended entry
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by Jennifer on 11.23.2009
When 39 Democratic members of Congress joined with Republicans to pass the anti-choice Stupak-Pitts amendment to the House version of health care reform on November 7th, a firestorm of outrage swept across the country. The Stupak-Pitts amendment was an attempt to do through legislation what anti-choice forces have failed to do through the courts. Using the urgency of the need for reform of our nation's health care system, they tied passage of a bill to a legislated and unconstitutional assault on a woman's right to privacy and to make choices about her body and her health.
This was an egregious mistake.
The amendment forbade insurance companies in the newly created pool from receiving payments from federal subsidies if the companies offered insurance for abortion--to anyone, even if women paid separately for the coverage. That's when many women--and many men--said enough is enough.
The Stupak-Pitts amendment reflects a fundamental disconnect between the policies of our nation and the real status of women in our society. Women represent not only a slight majority of our population (51.5%) but a majority of voters (53% in the 2008 general election). As revealed in a study conducted by the Center for American Progress, "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything," women are now more than half of all U.S. workers. Mothers are the primary breadwinners or co-breadwinners in nearly 2/3 of American families. Almost 40% of working wives are making as much or more than their husbands.
Yet, government policy remains stuck in an idealized past, where the typical family was a married-for-life couple with a full-time breadwinner and full-time homemaker who cared for the children and kept the house without pay. Most employers fail to acknowledge or accommodate the daily juggling act their employees perform. Many employers are oblivious to the fact that their employees are now more likely to be women. Many employers ignore the fact that men now share in domestic duties. And, as revealed by the Stupak-Pitts amendment, women's fundamental health care concerns are too readily devalued and used as pawns in a political process that affects real people.
Women still make up only 10% of corporate boards and 17% of the U.S. Senate. As distinguished scholar Linda Tarr-Whelan has documented, a critical mass of women in leadership roles is necessary before we achieve the kind of balanced leadership that reflects the shared experiences and values of men and women in the decision-making process. Only with increased numbers of women in elected office can we expect to see addressed women and family-centered concerns such as childcare, paid sick leave and family leave.
In response to the Shriver Report and concerns about women's health care, I have commenced a series of Women's Forum Panel Discussions throughout Ohio to hear from women and men about their views and experiences with issues specific to women's health care, flexibility in the workplace, child care and elder care.
Continued in the extended entry
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by Jeff on 11.23.2009
Tomorrow afternoon (November 24th) in Marion, Ohio, Jennifer will visit 360 Degree Steel for the fourth stop on her Innovation Tour for Ohio Jobs.
The Innovation Tour is designed to highlight and promote Ohio's tradition of achieving job growth and prosperity through innovation. Ohio has a great tradition of invention and entrepreneurship, and Jennifer recognizes that the real hope for our struggling economy lies not with huge multi-national corporations and Wall Street behemoths but with new enterprises right here at home that are fueled by the creativity, ambition, and hard work of Ohio's visionary entrepreneurs. "There are many great examples of fast-growing enterprises creating new jobs all across the state, and I am thrilled to be able to bring attention and encouragement to them through this initiative," Jennifer recently said about this initiative. "We're going to celebrate the next generation of American innovation right here in Ohio."
Tomorrow's stop follows last Monday's visit to two exciting alternative energy companies in Akron. There she met with executives of reXorce Thermionics, Inc., developer of a proprietary heat engine that recovers thermal energy from waste heat at industrial sites, and Green Energy Technologies LLC, manufacturer of the only cost-effective wind turbine system designed specifically for urban settings. Both companies emphasize stategic partnerships with suppliers and other business counterparts located in Ohio.
360 Degree Steel is a unit of Slob & Sons Pipe & Casing, Inc., which supplies large diameter pipe and casing for water, sewer, and bridge projects. It supplies products for a number of projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, including a new bridge in Dover, Ohio. It has recently expanded into a brownfield rehab location in Marion, transforming a blighted property into an environmentally appropriate manufacturing site.
Read more about the Innovation Tour and submit nominations of businesses or projects to be included by clicking here.
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by Jennifer on 11.19.2009
Cross-posted on Huffington Post and DailyKos
Last week Ohioans and people all across our great nation celebrated Veterans Day. As has become the norm and expected in American politics, professional politicians from Bangor to San Diego rightly heralded the bravery and sacrifice of the men and women who proudly wear our nation's uniform as they selflessly protect our country.
But what do they do after Veterans Day has come and gone? That's when the real work begins. Rather than simply honor our veterans once a year, we need to take the walk of all the great talk by helping to improve their lives on a daily basis. Veterans Day should be more than a celebration of the heroism and dedication of the brave women and men who have fought for our freedom; it should also be a sharp reminder that we need to confront the ongoing struggles facing veterans and their families.
Continue to the extended entry to read about the steps Congress should take to help our veterans.
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by David on 11.16.2009
In our campaign, we have the tendency to name as many things as we can with words that begin with "B." You can sign up to join the "Brunner Brigade," become a "Brunner Backer," or even host one of our "Brunner Barbeques."
This week, a new Quinnipiac poll released Thursday has people talking about a "Brunner Bounce." Jennifer has gained five percentage points since September 16th and her primary opponent has dropped two points, pulling Jennifer into a statistical tie in this race. Jennifer is clearly the candidate with the momentum as the primary vote draws closer. This is because so many of you have stepped up with contributions and monthly pledges that everyday Ohioans can afford--even in these times of slow economic recovery.
Jennifer's momentum is growing because she has been on the road all across the state, demonstrating her ability to connect with Ohio voters. People are responding to her message of bringing people together in a push for clean energy jobs partnered with Ohio's agricultural economy, her vision of retooling our cities' social and economic environments for locally produced energy and food, and her inspiring Innovation Tour for Ohio Jobs.
Ohioans appreciate that Jennifer understands government is for and about people. She has a solid record of getting things done--like cleaning up Ohio's elections and making business services available in Cleveland for all of northeast Ohio. She is a courageous and compassionate leader who is committed to improving Ohioans' lives.
Last weekend, the campaign began fielding canvassers in targeted regions around Ohio. Thanks to your support, we raised enough to train, equip, and deploy 56 canvassers for the next week. Your sponsorships supplied our volunteers with campaign literature, clipboards, pens, and walking-lists to help us spread the word about Jennifer, one voter at a time.
As much as Jennifer is willing to travel, she can not reach as many voters as we can--together--neighbor to neighbor, friend to friend. We have literally thousands of volunteers ready to hit the streets in their neighborhoods and around the state. All they need to get started is a little help from supporters like you.
A gift of $25 sponsors one canvasser for one whole day; $50 is enough to cover the costs of two canvassers; and $100 pays the materials, refreshment, transportation and other costs of four canvassers.
We have set a goal to train and equip 200 canvassers before Thanksgiving. In order to do that, we need to raise another $3,600 THIS WEEK. Can you please give $25, $50, $100, or more to help us meet our goal?
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by Jeff on 11.16.2009
Jennifer's Innovation Tour for Ohio Jobs continues today as the candidate visits reXorce Thermionics, Inc. and Green Energy Techonologies LLC in Akron this afternoon.
The Innovation Tour is designed to highlight and promote Ohio's tradition of achieving job growth and prosperity through innovation. People all around Ohio recognize that the real hope for our struggling economy lies not with huge multi-national corporations and Wall Street behemoths focused primarily on protecting their own, but with new enterprises right here at home that are fueled by the creativity, ambition, and hard work of Ohio's visionary entrepreneurs. "There are many great examples of fast-growing enterprises creating new jobs all across the state, and I am thrilled to be able to bring attention and encouragement to them through this initiative," Jennifer recently said about this initiative. "We're going to celebrate the next generation of American innovation right here in Ohio."
The first two stops on the Innovation Tour were at two exciting and rapidly-growing companies in high-tech medical fields, Meridian Biosciences, Inc. in Hamilton County on October 14th and Arteriocyte Medical Systems in Cuyahoga County on October 22nd. Meridian Bioscience announced last Thursday that its fourth quarter profit rose 16 percent due to strong sales of its rapid flu test, marketed as a potential detector of swine flu.
The first enterprise scheduled for today's event, rexorce Thermionics, Inc., is a privately held company with a mission of pursuing "profit with a purpose" by providing innovative solutions to energy challenges, including development of a proprietary heat engine that recovers thermal energy from waste heat and other sources. The second featured firm is Green Energy Technologies LLC, a privately held company founded in 2006. Green Energy Technologies is developing a cost-effective urban wind turbine system called the Windcube, which captures and amplifies natural wind speed to produce more power than ordinary wind turbines.
Read more about the Innovation Tour and submit nominations of businesses or projects to be included by clicking here.
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by Jennifer on 11.12.2009
Beginning on Monday, November 16th in Akron, I am hosting a series of Women's Forum Panel Discussions throughout Ohio to hear from women and men their views and experiences on issues specific to women's health care, flexibility in the workplace, child care and elder care. The United States does not have a National Child Care Policy or a National Elder Care Policy as many countries do.
The forums will highlight the recent findings of a study conducted by the Center for American Progress, "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything." For the first time in our nation's history, women are more than half of all U.S. workers, and mothers are the primary breadwinners or co-breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of American families. In this recent recession, three out of every four jobs lost belong to men.
There is a desperate need for national child care and elder care policies. Traditionally, male breadwinners have not also borne the primary responsibility for child care and elder care. With more women as the sole or primary breadwinners in households, what changes are needed to U.S. policies to reflect the needs of today's modern families--for both women and men?
Health care, up to this point, has been provided primarily through employment. Often, it is a key issue in a family's decision about who works outside the home and how to meet responsibilities caring for children and aging parents. As the health care reform debate continues, more employment issues emerge about hours, pay, benefits, and leave time. What changes are needed so that employees can continue to be productive while also tending to their family care giving responsibilities?
As a female breadwinner, what are the policies you deal with now? How do they affect your family? What obstacles do you face each day? How would National Child Care or Elder Care Policies help? What should they be?
Join Jennifer Brunner and a panel of local women to discuss how we can make a difference, influence Washington to develop comprehensive policies and speak with a clearer voice on women's health care, elder care and child care for our working families.
The first Women's Forum Panel Discussion will take place at 7:30 p.m. on November 16th at Reservoir Park Community Center, 1735 Hillside Terrace, Akron, OH 44305. For more information, please contact: Jennifer Brunner Committee 614-255-4255 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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by Jennifer on 11.11.2009
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THE HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY
We celebrate Veterans Day on the anniversary of the Armistice ending World War I, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Ninety years ago today, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed this a day of solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service. Congress voted Armistice Day a federal holiday in 1938. In 1953, townspeople in Emporia, Kansas called the holiday Veterans Day in gratitude to the veterans in their town. Soon after, Congress passed a bill introduced by a Kansas congressman renaming the federal holiday to Veterans Day. Beginning in 1954, November 11 became Veterans Day to honor veterans of all U.S. wars.
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Remember to Vote in Honor of a Veteran. You can show your respect and honor for a veteran whom you love and cherish with an ecard tribute to that veteran, and receive a special "Vote in Honor of a Veteran" pin to encourage others to honor their special veterans.
Do you have a relative or friend in the military serving here or overseas? Here's a way to make it easier for them to vote.
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Today we honor almost one million Ohio veterans and some 25 million veterans across the country.
Veterans carry our freedom on their shoulders. Veterans are the ones who didn't stand back and allow others to do the work--they stepped forward. They answered the call.
As we honor our veterans today we return their respect for our country with our respect for their service. It's time that the Senate immediately pass S. 1963, the Caregiver and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009.
The legislation would provide benefits to caregivers of severely injured veterans, expand health care services to women, improve mental health treatment, provide outreach to rural and homeless veterans, and enhance VA medical services by eliminating co-payments for the catastrophically disabled and reimbursing emergency care at non-VA facilities.
In the U.S. Senate I will make a top priority of the cares and concerns of veterans and women and men in the armed services. I am proud of them. We must keep our men and women in uniform the best equipped, best trained and most respected fighters--and peace keepers--in the world.
It's fitting that we celebrate Veterans Day on the anniversary of the final day of a war. "The purpose of all war," said Augustine, "is peace." On Veterans Day may we find fitting ways to express our gratitude to our nation's protectors and peace keepers.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Brunner
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by Jennifer on 11.10.2009
Cross-posted on DailyKos
I am Ohio Secretary of State and a candidate for the United State Senate. I have been an outspoken proponent of health care reform with a strong public option. However, the last-minute Stupak-Pitts anti-choice amendment to the House health care reform bill, adopted late Saturday by a vote of 240-194, is an insult to women and an assault on the right to privacy. While passage of the health care reform bill is on balance a positive step, it is critically important that America not allow the anti-choice forces to achieve through Congressional legislation what the courts have repeatedly refused - the practical elimination of a woman's right to choose a legal medical procedure.
The right to choose is not negotiable. I strongly urge the Senate to protect a woman's right to choose by rejecting this unacceptable change to health care reform.
Continued in the extended entry
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by Jennifer on 11.09.2009
Modern day campaigns cost modern fortunes to run, because the "conventional wisdom" is that only by buying massive amounts of tv and radio advertising can politicians convert voters to their cause.
Ok, maybe that's one way to get to job done ... but it isn't the only way.
People across Ohio already know my name and, by and large, they have a positive impression of the work I've done to clean up Ohio's elections.
People I meet tell me I'd make a good United States Senator. And they are the very best convincers of other people to our cause.
When I get the chance to meet Democratic primary voters, I can convince them I'll help Ohio. But what about the people I haven't met. How will they know?
I need people, like you, who share my view that too much is a stake to give this election to good old boys using old ways. I need reform-minded Ohians to stand with me and help me win this election ...
In a new way that combines good old-fashioned shoe leather with new technology and media.
I'm blessed with legions of volunteers who I know will work tirelessly - going door-to-door, working grocery store parking lots and library steps - to canvass for voters who share our commitment to a different kind of campaign, and a brighter future for Ohio.
So here's how you can help us.
A gift, today, of $25 would sponsor one canvasser for one whole day; $50 would be enough to cover the costs of two canvassers; and $100 would pay the materials, refreshment, transportation and other costs of four canvassers.
What a difference that would make to my campaign ... and to our effectiveness in reaching out to Ohio voters in the critical weeks just ahead!
Please join us! Sponsor a canvasser and help me spread my message to the voters of Ohio, and help make a real difference in this campaign.
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by Jeff on 11.06.2009
Here is an exciting development for Jennifer's historic campaign: the prominent national organization WomenCount PAC has endorsed her bid to be the first woman to represent Ohio in the United States Senate.
In an email message announcing the endorsement, the WomenCount team states that we are now one year away from the 2010 election and "the potential for women to gain – or lose seats – in the Senate" is high. Of the 17 women now in the Senate, six must win an election in 2010 to remain in office (Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Blanche Lincoln D-AR, Patty Murray (D-WA) Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AL)), and one (Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX)) is stepping down. Open seat races like Ohio represent "the best opportunity for women to gain a seat," and WomenCount points out that "it takes women supporting women to increase our numbers."
Praising Jennifer as "an attorney and expert in election law" who has "focused tirelessly on election reform as secretary of state since 2006," WomenCount has made her one of their first three endorsements in the 2010 cycle, along with fellow Senate candidates Robin Carnahan (D-MO) and Cheryle Jackson (D-IL).
WomenCount is a non-profit political organization created in May 2008 that gives women of all generations and backgrounds from around the United States a powerful voice in the political process. Harnessing the power of the Internet as a political tool, WomenCount describes itself as "a watchdog for news about women in politics." Among its recent major campaigns to promote greater inclusion of women's voices in the political discourse were a successful initiative to have language about gender bias included in the Democratic Party Platform for the first time ever; the “I’m a woman. I have issues” campaign to gives women a voice in the political process by encouraging them to tell the personal stories behind the political and social issues that matter most to them; and the current grassroots initiative calling for a Presidential Commission on Women. The organization also hosts a weekly show on BlogTalkRadio, on which Jennifer was interviewed in June.
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by Jeff on 11.05.2009
Following up on the unveiling of her Clean Economy policy in a speech at the Akron Press Club today, Jennifer will be a featured speaker at Ohio Power Shift in Oberlin, Ohio this weekend.
Sponsored by Oberlin College in partnership with the Ohio Student Environmental Coalition and the Energy Action Coalition, Ohio Power Shift is a regional spin-off of last year’s Power Shift 2009, in which 12,000 young people gathered in Washington, D.C., to lobby for environmentally friendly jobs and clean energy. It was the largest ever youth activist event on climate change.
The Ohio regional summit will gather youth from all over the state for three days to focus on environmental justice, green jobs and community planning in anticipation of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on December 7th to the 19th.
Jennifer will be speaking between noon and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday about fostering an Ohio "clean economy" that encourages investment in and creates new manufacturing jobs in emerging renewable and clean energy technologies. A strong supporter of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) now working its way through Congress, Jennifer believes that commercialization of conservation, efficiency and renewable energy technologies and products offers an extraordinary opportunity for revitalizing Ohio's economic development while enhancing environmental protection and preserving the quality of life in Ohio for generations to come.
Registration for Ohio Power Shift is available online here.
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by Jennifer on 11.03.2009
As you receive emails today from candidates posturing that "political pundits" are already judging them for next year on their fund raising totals now, consider this:
Look back one year . . . It was the day before an historic presidential election in the United States of America. What were you doing? Did any of us have any idea how the next day would end? Or what the next year would bring?
Did anyone, really, anyone, imagine what our country would go through in one short year, with one exceptional President? Could we have imagined or predicted major companies and banks collapsing, the shift in the war focus from Iraq to Afghanistan, the appointment of the first Latina woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, or that health care reform would be such a dividing issue?
Do we remember the anticipation and nervousness we felt a year ago? Do we remember how careful so many of us were to fight for and protect the franchise in that all-important election?
Today is another election day. It's just as important as that election, and here's why.
The state and local leaders we elect today may someday be members of Congress or Senators or even the leader of the free world. They may be the people we entrust to decide whether to go to war, change the tax structure, or determine rights to privacy or to bear arms. They may appoint or confirm Supreme Court justices who determine the fair treatment of the accused or decide matters of personal choice like a woman's right to choose, or equal civil rights for people who have been denied rights like the right to freely marry.
Please exercise your right to vote today for tomorrow's leaders. In Ohio, polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. My office's toll-free line is open at 1-877-VOTE-VRI (1-877-868-3874), or visit my state website.
And remember to vote all the way down the ballot. Want to know about the judges on the ballot? Check out the Ohio Judicial Voter Guide. It won't take long to vote today, but your vote may have lasting effects for you, your children and your loved ones. Vote today. Exercise the franchise.
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