by Jeff on 03.11.2010
Visit our new Brunner Bazaar page on ActBlue to get your Brunner for Senate gear. Lapel stickers, Courage cards, bumper stickers, and T shirts - all featuring our Courage logo with Rosie the Riveter.
T shirts come in Medium, Large, Extra Large,and Extra Extra Large.
Get some for you, and get more to hand out to your friends and neighbors. Show the world that you stand with a Senate candidate with courage!
by Jeff on 03.10.2010
Here is a letter from Jaladah Aslam, President of the Youngstown Warren Black Caucus, fourth from the left in the photograph, endorsing Jennifer in the race for the U.S. Senate:
Dear Secretary Brunner,
It is with deep pride and affection that I can announce to you that the members of the Youngstown Warren Black Caucus have decided to endorse your candidacy for United States Senator from Ohio.
Very few public officials have embraced and encouraged diversity like you have in your professional career. Whether it was your time on the bench in Franklin County or your excellent service to our great state as Secretary of State, you have proven yourself an advocate for civil and human rights of all people.
We are proud to stand with you in this campaign and are committed to assist in any way we can. Please feel free to call on us as you continue your journey to victory on May 4 and then in the General election this coming November.
Sincerely yours,
Jaladah Aslam, President
Youngstown Warren Black Caucus
by Jennifer on 03.08.2010
Right now, there are only 17 women in the U.S. Senate out of 100 Senators. Ohio has never had a woman U.S. Senator--not even one nominated in a contested primary. We have a chance to change this.
Of the admirable women who have run in the past, none has held statewide office before running for the Senate. I do--elected in my own right with a 15% margin of victory and winning in 52 of Ohio's 88 counties. I've been told, "It's not your turn." But I know differently, and I believe you do, too.
A woman in the U.S. Senate from Ohio, the nation's 7th most populous state, will mean:
* Stronger representation on health care concerns unique to women,
* Practical, collaborative and focused approaches to helping small businesses and to creating jobs,
* A zeal for public service to help retool our manufacturing and construction economy to make Ohio a leader in clean energy jobs, and
* Fighting for the working conditions and concerns of our growing group of service workers in the health care and retail industries, many of them women.
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| People and horses draped in black walk in a procession of 100,000 in memory of the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of March 25, 1911 in New York City. |
Today, March 8th, is designated as International Women's Day. It is observed officially or unofficially in many countries throughout the world. In the U.S., it has been a basis for commemorating the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City in which 146 garment workers, most of them women, lost their lives as a result of the fire and 70 others were injured. Most of the factory's 500 workers were young Italian and Jewish immigrant women who normally worked nine hours a day during the week and seven hours a day on Saturdays. It was the worst workplace disaster in New York City until the horrific events of September 11, 2001.
International Women's Day is not officially celebrated in the U.S. Yet, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire brought the increased political involvement of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, and it helped inspire Frances Perkins, who had actually witnessed the fire from the street below, to push for comprehensive safety and workers' compensation laws as the future U.S. Secretary of Labor in Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidential administration and an early woman leader in U.S. government.
We need more women in the U.S. Senate. And we need more women who understand that things in the Senate must change. Politics is not a game--it is how we get things done for real people--to help them provide for their families, to make sure our food is safe to eat, our water clean to drink, our workplaces safe and our homeland secure.
And maybe the U.S. could even begin to recognize International Women's Day. Please help me get to the U.S. Senate by volunteering, telling your friends, contributing and voting.
by Jeff on 03.05.2010
Last night at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Wood County Democratic Party, Jennifer Brunner received the county party's endorsement in the May 4th primary election by the solid margin of 28 votes for Jennifer, 20 votes for her principal primary opponent, and 5 abstentions.
Jennifer and her primary opponent were both present for the endorsement meeting. Her opponent had attempted to influence the Executive Committee members by means of a robocall prior to the meeting, and at the meeting itself his surrogate demanded a roll call vote instead of the customary voice vote followed by a stand-up vote if necessary. This old-school intimidation tactic was unavailing, as the majority of members present responded favorably to Jennifer's message and showed that they had the courage to go against the wishes of the party establishment.
More than 75 people turned out to hear the candidates' presentations at the meeting.
UPDATE: Here is a statement from Wood County Democratic Party Chair Mike Zickar, via Glass City Jungle:
Last night, the Wood County Democratic Party Executive Committee endorsed Jennifer Brunner for United States Senate. Committee members heard presentations from Ms. Brunner, Lee Fisher, and Charlena Wells-Bradley as well as asked them questions relating to health care, promoting small business, and recent Supreme Court decisions. Democratic Party Chair Mike Zickar said, “Wood County Democrats have had a long tradition of giving equal time to all candidates, no matter how well known or obscure. We give everybody an equal chance to win our endorsement.”
The committee voted 28 for Brunner, 20 for Fisher, with 5 abstaining. Zickar said “Democrats are blessed with two great candidates, Lee Fisher and Jennifer Brunner. Our committee voted for Brunner and will be enthusiastically supporting her in the May 4th Democratic Primary.”
by David on 03.04.2010
In two months Democratic voters will go to the polls in Ohio to choose a candidate for the U.S. Senate. They will have much to consider as they make their choice. They will think about critical bills like health care reform and clean energy legislation and banking regulation reform that have stalled in the Senate, despite the commanding majority held by the Democratic Party. They will think about the lifelong Democratic politicians in the Senate who have repeatedly backed down from their principles and compromised away the heart of the Democratic agenda, worried about their political careers and squeamish about displeasing the corporate interests who have bankrolled their campaigns. And reflecting on all of that, they will reach one conclusion:
The Democratic Caucus in the U.S. Senate needs a little more courage.
Fortunately Ohio Democrats have a candidate in this primary election who can fill that need, and you can help her win this primary. Jennifer Brunner has cleaned up Ohio's elections as Secretary of State and won the John F. Kennedy Library Profile in Courage Award for her success in protecting our votes. She has taken courageous stands on the issues that matter most to the people of Ohio. She is determined to put people ahead of corporations. And she has pledged to do what she knows is right, every time, without regard to how it affects her chances for re-election.
Opportunities to elect a leader with Jennifer Brunner's vision and resolve are rare. Please contribute $100, $50, or even just $25 to help elect a true progressive champion as the first woman to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate.
Continued in the extended entry
by Jennifer on 03.02.2010
Last week retiring U.S. Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY), managed to halt an emergency extension of unemployment benefits and COBRA assistance, even though he knew they'd expire on Sunday night. He punched hundreds of thousands of out-of-work Americans right in the gut.
What's wrong with this guy? By threatening to vote against "cloture" (closure of filibuster debate) he stymied the efforts of the rest of Congress to help hard-hit American families muddle through a little longer on unemployment benefits until the recovery from the worst economic crisis in generations finally reaches them. Sen. Bunning is so out of touch he complained that maintaining his opposition caused him to miss a college basketball game.
Despite his claimed concern for the deficit, I'd say Sen. Bunning's real game has been the money game. Banks get bailed out, CEOs get their bonuses, but when it's time to help American families, federal deficit means no relief for them. Sen. Bunning and the party that has historically taken us in the wrong direction are using the 1994 playbook once again on America. If power and self aggrandizement is your real game, you'll take money from the highest bidder, and it's to your advantage to sack progress even if it means you miss a basketball game.
There are signs the economic recovery is stirring, but the recession has cost our fellow Americans eight million jobs. The unemployment rate remains staggeringly high, and in reality is higher than reported because it doesn't account for Americans who've stopped looking for work.
No matter what a lame duck Kentucky Senator thinks, I know Ohioans are hard working. They are frustrated, because they just want to work. When Senators are as out of touch as Jim Bunning, it's a sign of the times. How long will an unresponsive Congress whittle away at the middle class and push down hard working Americans who just want to work and take care of their families?
Continued in the extended entry