Jerry McNerney's website

Thank you Lilly Ledbetter

Dear Friends,

 

In 1979, a woman named in Lilly Ledbetter, the wife of an Army veteran and the mother of two daughters began work at a tire manufacturing plant in Alabama.  She worked on the night shift from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. as a supervisor and was one of just a few female managers.  When she retired twenty years later, Lilly was making $599 a month less than the lowest paid male manager and $1509 a month less than highest paid male manager.  Determined to right this wrong, she made her case in court, only to ultimately have a decision in her favor overturned by the Supreme Court. 

One of the first votes I cast in 2009 was for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help close the income gap between women and men. One year ago, this bill was signed into law with Lilly present at the ceremony.  It was a historic and moving day.

Fair treatment for everyone in the workplace is critically important to me.  Unfortunately, across our country there are still too many women like Lilly Ledbetter - hardworking women - mothers, sisters, and daughters, who provide for their families and want nothing more for their hours than to receive equal pay for equal work.  Thanks to Lilly's courage and the Fair Pay Act we are one step closer to making that a reality.

We still have work to do.  Women are making only 81 percent as much as men.  At the end of 2009, women made an average of $670 per week while men made an average of $825 per week.  We need to leave a better legacy for our daughters and future generations. 

When my daughter, Windy, was growing up she loved solving puzzles, but hated math because she felt overshadowed by her math and science oriented brothers.  My wife, Mary, and I, continually encouraged her to develop her math skills.  Today, she has the equivalent of a master’s degree in statistics and is working toward a PhD in neuroscience where she uses complex calculations daily.  I want to make sure that she, and all children in our country, has every opportunity to succeed.

The changes we’re making today will strengthen future generations.  Thank you for standing with me and for a better America.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jerry
Congressman Jerry McNerney

I need to hear from you

We are at an historic moment in our country's history.

I need to hear from you to do my job. 

Our nation is at a crossroads and we face significant challenges, but the moment for transformative change is here.  The decisions we make today will shape the world of our children and grandchildren.  I need to hear from you: tell me what issues are most important to you, your personal story, or whatever your thoughts may be at this critical time. 

Click here to tell me what you think.

I am excited for the future.  I know that our great country will soon be back on track, stronger and more sustainable than ever.  In the new Congress, I am now on the Energy and Commerce Committee, with seats on the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment and the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet. I am excited to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, those concerning the economy, health care, energy and the environment.

It is up to all of us to come together during this time and find the real solutions for our future.  Please take a moment and help melead the way.

 

Sincerely,

Congressman Jerry McNerney

PS - Please take moment to forward this page to your family and friends.  Ask them to tell me their thoughts on setting our country back on the right track.

Have you heard the new attacks on me?

"Jerry McNerney (is) a Goliath-slaying changer who has sprinted since arriving in Washington, D.C. He's already in the Republican Party cross hairs, so it remains to be seen if the Democratic representative from Pleasanton becomes a political Halley's Comet." ~ Mike Klocke, Editor, Stockton Record, May 27, 2007

A few days after those positive words were printed in the Stockton Record, Karl Rove and his Republican cronies unleashed their latest unprecedented negative attack on me.   

When a Congressional investigation a few months ago revealed that I was #3 on Karl Rove’s “hit list,” we could only imagine what that meant Rove’s political hacks in Washington were planning. Well, an incredible 17 months before the election, the National Republican Congressional Committee has launched a new multimedia misinformation campaign to smear me and our people-powered movement.

Last week, just as a “longtime friend” of Richard Pombo was announcing his candidacy to defeat me, the NRCC started airing attack ads on local radio stations grossly distorting my voting record. As if that wasn’t enough, the NRCC is now following up these radio ads with automated “robo-calls” to people’s homes. Both the radio ads and the robo-calls direct listeners to a slick Swift Boat-style web site that smears my record of service in Congress, including my votes to stand up to President Bush on the war in Iraq.

We need to show Karl Rove and the NRCC today that every single time they attack, we will fight back. Please help me respond right now by clicking here:

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/fightback

Washington Republicans are attacking me for saying “No” to Bush on the war? That’s right. On the NRCC’s slick attack web site, under a section titled “Out of Touch with California,” the NRCC says that I “voted to defy military commanders on the ground and cut off funds for the troops in harm's way.”

Of course, you and I both know that is absolutely ridiculous. From my first days in office, I have honored our soldiers by supporting a strong framework to end the violence and bring our troops home as soon and as responsibly as possible. Just last week, I voted against the Iraq supplemental funding bill because it did not include enforceable benchmarks, a reasonable timetable for withdrawal, a diplomatic strategy, or provisions to protect our soldiers and veterans. I could not, in good conscience, give Bush another blank check.

So, who is actually “out of touch” with Californians on the war? President Bush, Karl Rove and their hatchet men in Washington? Or you?

I said “No” to President Bush. Now it’s time for you to say “No” to Karl Rove. Can you send a powerful message right now to the pundits and power-brokers that our movement will not be intimidated by the NRCC’s fear-and-smear campaign?

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/fightback

Rove and his cronies will stop at nothing to take back this seat.  And now they’ve got a candidate to carry out those attacks against me.

This radio attack ad, the robo-calls and the smear web site are running just as the NRCC has given its unofficial rubber-stamp of approval to a Republican candidate praised by a GOP consultant who knows him as "one of the most conservative members who ever served in the (California) state legislature.”

We don’t know what this “longtime friend” of Richard Pombo is planning, but if it’s anything like the campaign currently being waged from Washington, we will need to stand strong together. The Federal Election Commission’s second quarter deadline is June 30 -- the first to include this Republican opponent –- and the media will be scrutinizing the strength of both of our campaigns.

No matter what Rove’s hit men have in store for us, our people-powered campaign needs to stand strong together before June 30. Can you contribute $50, $100, $250, $500 (or any amount up to the federal maximum of $2,300) today?

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/fightback

You sent me to Congress to work every day on issues long ignored by the Bush Administration, from enacting ethics reform to fixing the Medicare prescription drug bill to making our nation energy independent and stopping global warming.

Just as I said I would, I am also working to make sure our veterans receive the highest quality of care when they return home from Iraq and Afghanistan. That means doing everything in my power to keep the Livermore VA hospital open and expand its services to treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

I couldn’t do this important work without your support. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent you in the People’s House. I will continue to do everything I can to make you proud.

P.S. You sent me to Washington to give our country a new direction, but I need your ongoing support to actualize that change. Please contribute whatever you can afford right now to prevent Rove’s right-wing attack machine from stopping our people-powered movement before it actually changes Washington:

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/fightback

An urgent and important request

I have an urgent and important request.

Please take just a few seconds to vote for Charlie Brown right now in the second and final round of Democracy for America's "Grassroots All-Star" congressional campaign competition, ending Wednesday at midnight.

Your vote last year made me DFA's 2006 "Grassroots All-Star," giving me a critically early boost in our campaign to defeat Richard Pombo. Your vote today can make Charlie Brown -- the only California candidate in the competition -- DFA's 2007 "Grassroots All-Star" and help him defeat scandal-plagued Rep. John Doolittle.

From our district to Charlie's district, we're building a movement to clean up the GOP's culture of corruption in Congress. Join us by voting for Charlie now at:

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/allstars

Thank you!

Putting your people power into action

I have some great news for our grassroots and netroots community.

When I asked you to dig deep to help our campaign reach a crucial $300,000 fundraising goal by the March 31 Federal Election Commission deadline, I was overwhelmed by your outpouring of support.

Just as Karl Rove's cronies at the National Republican Congressional Committee launched a Swift Boat-style web site smearing me, you responded by raising over $347,000 by the end of the quarter, showing Rove's Republicans that "when they attack, we fight back." Your generosity did not go unnoticed. The day after we posted our FEC report, local press reports heralded our -- as one reporter described it -- "€œeye-opening"€ fundraising success.

Your response to the NRCC attack has made it possible for our people-powered campaign to put boots on the ground far earlier than planned.

Today, I am thrilled to announce that we are hiring Martha Gamez as our new Grassroots Coordinator, centrally located in San Joaquin County. As many of you know, Martha directed our field campaign in Tracy and Mountain House in 2006, managing and recruiting hundreds of volunteers who canvassed thousands of voters.

Talking with Judy and Sean, McNerney for Congress precinct walkers, at Martha's house in Tracy

I am bringing Martha on-board early in this election cycle because of her unique ability to recruit, mobilize, and organize our grassroots supporters, as she demonstrated so impressively when she helped elect me to Congress last year. Martha’s laser-beam focus on channeling volunteers to engage voters in Tracy and Mountain House yielded remarkable results in 2006. In Tracy, former Congressman Richard Pombo's home town, we garnered an amazing 57% of the vote.

The results in Mountain House were even more impressive. In a town with 44% registered Democrats, I received 64% of the vote. Martha recognized early on that large numbers of likely voters had recently moved into Mountain House, a relatively newly planned "€œexurban"€ community, but that very few people had actually re-registered to vote. Recognizing that this could be ground zero in our campaign for change, Martha made it our mission to increase voter registration in Mountain House and get out those crucial votes on Election Day.

As one supporter wrote about Martha after walking precincts in Tracy one day:

"€œI can't think of a more pure expression of renewed grassroots citizen involvement and revitalization of our democracy than what Martha Gamez is doing in her home town."€

Of course, you are at the heart of this “revitalization of our democracy,” providing the generous contributions and priceless volunteer time that will help Martha Gamez continue to organize, mobilize, and inspire our grassroots volunteers across the 11th Congressional District.

As I've said so many times before, without your ongoing support and commitment, none of this would be remotely possible.

Thank you, again, for everything you continue to do.

Supporting one of our own in a time of need

As some of you in our community may know, Vicki Cosgrove -- one of the first grassroots organizers to get behind my campaign early on in 2004 -- is now experiencing a very difficult family crisis. Vicki's husband, John, is suffering from a potentially life-threatening disease.

John is a gentle man who is both hard-working and honest. I first met John, Vicki and their children in 2004, when Vicki joined my write-in campaign for Congress as a relentlessly dedicated volunteer. John's support for Vicki's activism made it possible for her to join our campaign full-time as a staff member in 2006, dedicating much of her life and family time to my eventual election to Congress.

As one friend has written, Vicki "could never have been as committed and effective without the complete and total support of her husband and children. Vicki's activism has truly been a family affair."

While John is scheduled to undergo exploratory surgery this week, the good news is that the McNerney community, the grassroots, and the netroots are rallying around Vicki and her family in this time of need.

Several supporters have contacted me, wondering how they can help. As you may know, this health crisis will have a great impact on the Cosgrove family financially. As a result, I would heartily recommend supporting Vicki, John and their children with a donation in whatever amount you can afford. I have made a personal contribution to the Cosgrove family and I would encourage you to do so as well.

If you would like to support Vicki, John and their children during this difficult time, please click the following PayPal link to donate. This account has been set up by the Cosgrove family and any contribution is welcome, no matter the amount:      

If you do not feel comfortable contributing online, you can also send a personal note or write a check to Vicki's family (payable to "Vicki Cosgrove") and mail it to our campaign headquarters mailing address. I will make sure it gets to her ASAP:

P.O. BOX 12022
Pleasanton, CA 94588

Or you can email your personal note for Vicki to jerry@jerrymcnerney.org and I will forward it to her.

Thank you for your consideration of this personal request.

As we await further news on John's condition, please join me in keeping Vicki, John and their children in our prayers.

Sincerely,

Jerry McNerney
Member of Congress

P.S. We have set up a special page on our web site for Vicki. If you would like to spread the word via email, please direct your friends to the following link:

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/vicki.asp

March Madness: I need your vote today!

I need your help urgently.

Senator John Kerry has just launched an online Congressional competition today called “March Madness”. Similar to the NCAA Final Four, eight candidates are competing and the stakes are huge. If we win this, Senator Kerry will ask his 3 million supporters to support my campaign financially before the crucial March 31st Federal Election Commission deadline.

We can win with your help! Please take just a few seconds to vote right now:

http://www.johnkerry.com/action/marchmadness/

IMPORTANT: although the directions ask you to vote for two candidates, you will increase our chances of victory if you vote for just ONE candidate.

I can’t emphasize enough how important this online opportunity is for our ongoing campaign for change.  Your netroots and grassroots activism planted the seeds of our victory over Richard Pombo in 2006 when we won three online congressional competitions in June –- five months before the general election. As many of you know from voting in those competitions, the money we raised in June made it possible to hire staff immediately and put volunteer boots on the ground early that led to our historic victory in November.

Your participation in these competitions made my service in Congress possible. And I am working hard for you every day on the pivotal issues facing our country. The War in Iraq. Global warming and energy independence. Health care. Treating our veterans with dignity and respect. Creating good jobs.

However, if we are going to build this bridge to the future together, I need your help today. Can you vote for our campaign right now?

http://www.johnkerry.com/action/marchmadness/

As you know, from my first day in office, the National Republican Congressional Committee has launched an all-out assault. And they don’t even have a candidate yet. Still smarting over your defeat of Richard Pombo, the Republicans want this important seat back and they will stop at nothing to win.

We need to show the Republicans in Washington that we’re not going to sit on the sidelines while they launch baseless attacks from their command-and-control center inside the beltway. We’re going to go on offense. Right now.

Senator Kerry’s “March Madness” congressional competition is an excellent opportunity to go on offense. Help me show them that we’re in it to win it:

http://www.johnkerry.com/action/marchmadness/

Your vote is just the first step and it only takes a few seconds. Tomorrow, I'll let you know about the second bite-sized action you can do to help me take this online competition to a whole new level. Please watch your email in-box for my message.

Thank you for everything that you are doing!

P.S. To win this competition, we need you to vote as soon as possible.  Votes are already being cast and the deadline is Sunday at 9 p.m. PST!

VOTE: http://www.johnkerry.com/action/marchmadness/

IMPORTANT: although the directions ask you to vote for two candidates, you will increase our chances of victory if you vote for just ONE candidate.

WIRED connects with Congressman McNerney

The March 2007 issue of WIRED magazine includes a brief Q&A with Congressman Jerry McNerney. Among the nuggets:

How has the reception been on Capitol Hill?
It's been incredibly warm. When Senator Jon Tester learned who I was, he did a bow with his hands stretched out. That was cool.

What’s first on your agenda?
Doing away with subsidies to oil companies and reforming the oil royalty system. A lot of companies have been drilling without paying royalties, and that has to stop. It’s up to government to collect that money, a lot of which will go to developing renewable energy.

You can read the rest of the interview as well as check out a unique WIRED photo of the Congressman here.