NDN Blog

Senator Kennedy just issued a statement in response to the GOP's ridiculous new immigration legislation.

KENNEDY RENEWS FIGHT FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM

(As Entered into the Record)

I regret to see that the Republicans are at it again-offering unworkable solutions to complex immigration issues that only make the problem worse and cater to the basest instincts of the far right fringe.

For seven years, Republicans have failed to fix the broken immigration system, offering only empty rhetoric and unrealistic proposals.

Democrats recognize that our country deserves better - we need to overhaul our broken system, uphold our values as a nation of immigrants, ensure our national security and protect American jobs.

It is unacceptable to have 12 million people in our country who are outside the system. Our illegal immigration problem has skyrocketed because employers know they can get away with breaking the law and abusing illegal workers. And the past seven years have shown us that deportation alone is not the solution.

It is time to stop coddling employers who break our laws and undercut American workers. It is time to make sure employers follow our immigration and labor laws so that the law is respected, wages are fair, working conditions are decent, workers' rights are valued, and unscrupulous employers are punished. And it is time to treat immigrants with the dignity and respect that they deserve.

I have to ask why the Republicans have failed to address these very real problems. They controlled Congress for six years. They've occupied the White House for almost eight years. Where have they been this whole time?

I can tell you where they've been. They've been cynically using the immigration problem to stir up local resentment and fear to divert attention away from their inaction. They've vilified immigrants, especially Latinos, making them the new unwanted class, the new untouchables. They've tried to convince Americans that declaring English the official language will solve our problems, when in fact English is already our national language, but the government sometimes needs to use other languages to respond to health care and law enforcement emergencies. They've engaged in targeted attacks on people who are contributing to our communities.

Click here to read the full statement on Senator Kennedy's website.

If you haven't yet heard the news, Senate Republicans are introducing insane immigration legislation. From the LA Times:

WASHINGTON -- Senate Republicans are set to announce today the hardest-hitting package of immigration enforcement measures seen yet -- one that would require jail time for illegal immigrants caught crossing the border, make it harder for them to open bank accounts and compel them to communicate in English when dealing with federal agencies.

Most of the bills stand little chance of being debated in the Democratic-controlled Congress. But the move by some of the Senate's leading Republicans underscores how potent the immigration issue remains, particularly in a presidential election year.

The bills give Republicans a way to put pressure on the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates to take a tougher stance on immigration. They also reflect a shift toward harsher immigration rhetoric and legislative proposals from both parties since Congress failed to pass a comprehensive overhaul in 2007.

Senator Bob Menendez, who has spoken at numerous NDN events and has been an integral part of our work, was quick to release a statement challenging GOP nominee John McCain to reject the legislation:

"I am calling on Senator McCain, as his party's presumptive nominee, to reject this draconian approach to immigration reform, which would demonize the Latino community. As a past sponsor of comprehensive immigration reform who has since said he would have voted against his own bill, it is important for Senator McCain to define his position on this cynical Republican effort. The mainstream of America knows full well that the immigration system is broken, but they also recognize that an unbalanced, narrow approach won't fix it. We need a system that is tough but smart and civil and actually works for our economy - a system that protects the borders while protecting our legacy as a nation of immigrants. Many of the 44 million Latinos in this country will be eager to hear where Senator McCain stands.

The Republican Party might think this is a wedge issue for November, but their strategy only dims their chances this year and for generations to come. Latinos are not a group on the fringes of our society that can be manipulated to score political points. If this presidential primary season has shown us anything, it is that Latinos are no longer the sleeping giant in American politics - they are fully awake, active and making a difference. This is the type of cynical effort that serves to deepen the divisions in our nation that we should be working to bridge."

What a predicament Senator McCain has gotten himself into! We know he won't return to his own legislation. So it seems that, given the eagerness within the Hispanic electorate to vote Democratic, his honeymoon as the nominee of his party ends with a consequential test.

Update: Senator Menendez wrote a letter to Senator McCain urging him to reject the new GOP legislation. You can download a pdf of it on Menendez's website.

Here are the victory speeches from last night's primaries courtesy of Veracifier. First, Senator Hillary Clinton's speech from Ohio:

And here's John McCain in Dallas after clinching the Republican nomination:

Walking the walk, NDN is now up with a blog ad to promote our March 12th event, "A Moment of Transformation?" (If you haven't already RSVP'd, do so here.)

We took the advice of Henry Copeland, who recently penned a fantastic memo for our New Politics Institute on advertising online, and are up on a variety of blogs. We'll be tweaking the ad in the days ahead, but for now be on the lookout for this image. 

As I was getting the URLs for my ad roundup, I noticed something in Barack Obama's YouTube channel that I've never seen before. I'm sure I'm really late to notice this, but I saw an option to contribute to Obama's campaign in the video's description box. You can see what it looks like in the screenshot below. (To be fair, the option wasn't in either Hillary Clinton or John McCain's videos.)

When you click on the Contribute button, you are directed to a Google checkout site (like this one) similar to every other contribution page. Yet to have the option to contribute via sites like YouTube just goes to show you how campaigns are becoming more interactive.

As we near the March 4th primaries, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are hoping to end their campaigns on a strong footing by hitting the airwaves. Aside from "Children", her now infamous ad that caused quite a stir, Senator Clinton is finishing strongly with "Partner" and "True", which is below:

Then there are Obama's ads. He responds to Senator Clinton's "Children" with "Ringing". Obama can afford deep saturation, airing "Safe", "Moving", and "Leader", which is below. Note: "Leader" is the first two-minute ad Obama has aired since Iowa. A lot of us wondered why he didn't air one in New Hampshire. Perhaps he learned his lesson, as some version of "Leader" will air in Texas and Ohio.

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

Top Experts coming together for this day-long event on March 12th in Washington D.C. to discuss how multiple transformations in America and the world could be catalyzed by a transformation in politics

The political world is in a moment of transformation with many unprecedented developments rapidly coming together amidst widespread calls for deep, systemic change. But our politics is part of a larger series of transformations happening in many fields across America and the world.

Come to a day-long gathering in Washington D.C. on March 12th where NDN and the New Politics Institute bring together leading thinkers and experts as they lay out the potential for transformative change in their fields and talk about the implications for politics and governing:

• On the unprecedented evolution of the global economy into one increasingly integrated whole, join Dr. Robert J. Shapiro, author of the new book, Futurecast: How Superpowers, Populations, and Globalization Will Change the Way You Live and Work.
• On the vast array of practical, ready-to-implement new technologies and efficient practices to green the economy, join Amory Lovins, the famous head of the Rocky Mountain Institute and author of Winning the Oil Endgame.
• On one big, bold initiative about how to quickly scale up an overhaul of transportation from gas-powered to electric, join entrepreneur Shai Agassi, founder of Project Better Place.
• On game-changing government policies, join Elaine Kamarck, soon to be co-chair of the Climate Task Force, a new organization bringing business and environmentalists together around the most effective ways to address climate change.
• On the new emerging world order, particularly the rise of the 21st century Asian powers of China and India, join Orville Schell, author of nine books on China and Director of the Center on US-China Relations at the Asia Society.
• On the massive demographic shifts going on in America, such as the rise of the young Millennial Generation, join Morley Winograd and Michael Hais, coauthors of a brand new book, Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics.
• On how these transformations in the private sector and civil society may or may not be catalyzed through politics and enacted by government, join a top panel of big picture political journalists, among them Matt Bai of the New York Time’s Sunday Magazine, Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post and John Heilemann, who writes for New York Magazine and formerly worked for Wired magazine.
• On how all of this is integrated together and impacts politics, join hosts Simon Rosenberg, NDN President, and Peter Leyden, Director of the New Politics Institute.

The day will be organized around a series of relatively short presentations and discussion with the audience all integrated around the overarching theme of what’s really possible after this historic election in 2008. With all the talk on the campaign trail about change and transformation, what will it really mean to governing in the years ahead?

Come to this March 12th gathering and find out. Be sure to spread the word to all those who may be interested. The entire event is free and open to all, and includes lunch and a cocktail party. So RSVP today, invite your friends on Facebook, and forward this e-mail along to your network.

Date: March 12th, 10:00am - 6:00pm
Location: Capital Hilton, 1001 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
RSVP: Click here to RSVP

If you have questions about the event, contact Courtney Markey at 202-544-9200 or email at cmarkey@ndn.org.

A Moment of Transformation?
A look at just how big a change may be coming to politics, America and the world

Top Experts coming together for this day-long event on March 12th in
Washington D.C. to discuss how multiple transformations in America
and the world could be catalyzed by a transformation in politics

The political world is in a moment of transformation with many unprecedented developments rapidly coming together amidst widespread calls for deep, systemic change. But our politics is part of a larger series of transformations happening in many fields across America and the world.

Come to a day-long gathering in Washington D.C. on March 12th where NDN and the New Politics Institute bring together leading thinkers and experts as they lay out the potential for transformative change in their fields and talk about the implications for politics and governing:

• On the unprecedented evolution of the global economy into one increasingly integrated whole, join Dr. Robert J. Shapiro, author of the new book, Futurecast: How Superpowers, Populations, and Globalization Will Change the Way You Live and Work.
• On the vast array of practical, ready-to-implement new technologies and efficient practices to green the economy, join Amory Lovins, the famous head of the Rocky Mountain Institute and author of Winning the Oil Endgame.
• On one big, bold initiative about how to quickly scale up an overhaul of transportation from gas-powered to electric, join entrepreneur Shai Agassi, founder of Project Better Place.
• On game-changing government policies, join Elaine Kamarck, soon to be co-chair of the Climate Task Force, a new organization bringing business and environmentalists together around the most effective ways to address climate change.
• On the new emerging world order, particularly the rise of the 21st century Asian powers of China and India, join Orville Schell, author of nine books on China and Director of the Center on US-China Relations at the Asia Society.
• On the massive demographic shifts going on in America, such as the rise of the young Millennial Generation, join Morley Winograd and Michael Hais, coauthors of a brand new book, Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics.
• On how these transformations in the private sector and civil society may or may not be catalyzed through politics and enacted by government, join a top panel of big picture political journalists, among them Matt Bai of the New York Time's Sunday Magazine, Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post and John Heilemann, who writes for New York Magazine and formerly worked for Wired magazine.
• On how all of this is integrated together and impacts politics, join hosts Simon Rosenberg, NDN President, and Peter Leyden, Director of the New Politics Institute.

The day will be organized around a series of relatively short presentations and discussion with the audience all integrated around the overarching theme of what’s really possible after this historic election in 2008. With all the talk on the campaign trail about change and transformation, what will it really mean to governing in the years ahead?

Come to this March 12th gathering and find out. Be sure to spread the word to all those who may be interested. The entire event is free and open to all, and includes lunch and a cocktail party. So RSVP today, invite your friends on Facebook, and forward this e-mail along to your network.

Date: March 12th, 10:00am - 6:00pm
Location: Capital Hilton, 1001 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
RSVP: Click here to RSVP

If you have questions about the event, contact Courtney Markey at 202-544-9200 or email at cmarkey@ndn.org.

Just a reminder: Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are set to debate tonight on MSNBC at 9pm EST in Cleveland, Ohio. NBC's Brian Williams will moderate. He will be joined by "Meet the Press" moderator and NBC News Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert. The debate will also be streamed live on msnbc.com.

In advance of the main event, check out a preview of tonight's debate from the Cleveland Plain Dealer below:

Washington Post editorial writer Ruth Marcus has just been added to the incredible list of speakers participating in our March 12th event in DC, A Moment of Transformation. Ms. Marcus will be joining Matt Bai and John Heilemann on our
journalist panel to discuss how the changes we're seeing throughout
society and the private sector with respect to the challenges we face
as a nation may or may not be catalyzed through politics and enacted by
government.

It's going to be a great panel. Be sure to tell your friends that anyone can RSVP online or through Facebook.

You can find the schedule as well as more information about the event on our website. And if you haven't already done so, RSVP for the event today.