Last week, Indiana Republicans upped the ante by raising their fines against the Hoosier 39 – from $250/day to $350/day.
The Democrats held strong.
So today, we see the GOP’s $100, and we raise.
It's time to take the case for working families directly to the people of Indiana:
Please join us after the jump for more background on the fight for worker’s rights in Indiana.
But first please help us keep ads like this one on the air – contribute today at www.actblue.com/page/DanielsExposed.
Our new ad represents a substantial buy in the Indianapolis media market, and it is the first television ad we’re aware of that brings the progressive case for working families directly to the people of Indiana.
TPM’s Evan McMorris-Santoro, who got an advanced copy of our new ad, explained this morning why Indiana is such a vital front in stopping the GOP’s war on unions and education:
Just as they did in the Wisconsin Senate, Democrats in Indiana took advantage of the state House's quorum requirement to shut down a worker's rights law they didn't have the numbers to shut down legislatively. After the Republicans introduced a right-to-work law that endangered labor organizing in the private sector, 39 of the House's 40 Democrats fled to Urbana, IL Feb. 22. That shut down the state legislative session, as Indiana rules say no bill can move forward without a quorum (in Wisconsin, only fiscal bills require a quorum).
That rule gives Democrats incredible leverage as they cool their heels in Illinois. And they've shown they're willing to use it, choosing to remain out of state after the Republicans -- at Daniels' urging -- dropped the right-to-work law. The Democrats' new target is one of Daniels' top personal priorities: a sweeping education reform plan that, among other things, would offer state-funded vouchers to parents they could use to pay for private schools. State teachers and their Democratic allies in the legislature have balked at the plan.
And as we’ve explained in earlier posts, Daniels’ and the Republicans’ voucher scheme, combined with other cuts the Hoosier 39 are fighting to stop, would drain an additional $600 million from Indiana public schools, bringing the cuts to schools to a total of $1.2 billion in just two years.
When we say Republicans are trying to balance the budget on the backs of our kids and working families, Indiana is the perfect example. That’s why the Hoosier 39 have spent the past four weeks in a motel in Urbana, Illinois in an effort to slow down and stop Governor Daniels' radical agenda.
Supporting this type of ad is one of the best ways for progressive activists to help fund the “air cover” needed to push back against Daniels’ agenda.
Help support this campaign by contributing $14 at
www.actblue.com/page/DanielsExposed.
For those wondering, even as we engage in Indiana, our commitment to the fight for workers’ rights in Wisconsin and elsewhere across the country is as strong as ever. We are continuing to run our ad demanding that Wisconsin state Sen. Luther Olsen end his betrayal of working families, with more hopefully to come.
We’ve said all along that the GOP’s anti-worker agenda is happening nation-wide, but so is our effort to fight back.