ECHO BASE

Thanks to our friends at Watch Your Reps MN for this info. With the resignations of Representative Tony Cornish (MN House District 32B) and Senator Dan Schoen (MN Senate District 54) each will be replaced via special elections before the legislative session starts on Feb 20th. You don't have to live in these districts to help (but if you do, be sure to track what's happening and go vote!). This means that over the next two months, in the midst of the holidays, there will be both primaries and special elections to replace these candidates. It's expected that a LOT of money is going to flow in the race for Schoen's seat because the GOP majority in the Senate is so slim. Having one more vote on their side would allow them to push through a lot more legislation without compromising with the DFL.They want that seat. Voter turnout will be key in keeping Schoen's seat and flipping Cornish's. Special elections have notoriously low turnout. Most peop...

Please re-post this entry! The Republican-led Federal Communications Commission recently voted to loosen the rules on owning multiple TV and radio stations in the same market. The FCC’s announcement helps pave the way for a mega-merger between Sinclair Broadcasting (a right-wing media company and also the nation's largest TV broadcaster) and Tribune Media-- a deal that would give Sinclair well over 200 TV stations, including in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, the country’s three biggest media markets. The FCC has also voted to remove the 40-year-old ban on a company owning a newspaper and a TV or radio station in the same media market. More info One troubling aspect of Sinclair's expansion: the company frequently imposes "must run" segments in local news broadcasts, forcing local news stations to give air time to former Trump aide (and now Sinclair employee) Boris Epshteyn. Epshteyn, unsurprisingly, parrots White House talking points. In essenc...

The GOP is trying to ram through tax legislation amounting to massive corporate welfare at the expense of the poor and the middle class. The bill is deeply unpopular with the American public, and resistance is growing even among the Republican Senators whose votes are key to its passage. This fight is winnable. And losing would be a disaster. WHAT TO DO: Call your U.S. Senator. Find your Congressional representatives here: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members If you're in Minnesota: Senator Al Franken: (202) 224-5641 / 651-221-1016 Senator Amy Klobuchar: (202) 224-3244 / 612-727-5220 Btw: If you already know that your Senator opposes the bill, please encourage them to withhold consent as a tactic to slow the process, thus increasing the chance that the bill will fail-- as happened with health care, success is less likely the longer public opinion has to coalesce against it. "Hello. My name is _______. My zip code is _____. I don't need a personal r...

Please re-post this entry! Republicans are trying to sell the American public a massive giveaway to corporations and the welathy, disguising it as "tax reform". In addition to taking part in (or organizing) a protest this week, please take a few minutes to call your Congressional reps to make sure their constituents oppose this tax scam! SENATE ACTION: WHAT TO DO: Call your U.S. Senator. Find your Congressional representatives here: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members If you're in Minnesota: Senator Al Franken: (202) 224-5641 / 651-221-1016 Senator Amy Klobuchar: (202) 224-3244 / 612-727-5220 SCRIPT, if you need it (if you know your rep already supports what you're asking for, adapt your script as a thank you— yes, this is important to do too!): "Hello. My name is _______. My zip code is _____. I don't need a personal response. I'm calling to let the Senator know that I strongly oppose the tax bill released by the House Repu...