The Great 2020 Free-For-All (Gameplay Thread)

[adamevans]

Dignity of Work Tour Announcement

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In the long run, this tour is conducted to boost name recognition as well as promote Sherrod's vision for the country.

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown's Schedule
January 28th-2nd: 'Dignity of Work tour', Iowa, Nevada, Ohio
February 3rd: Meets with former President Barack Obama, considering presidential run.
February 4th: Meets with AFL-CIO officials, to discuss labor union issues
February 5th-10th: Continue 'Dignity of Work tour' of town halls, Iowa, New Hampshire
February 11th-13th: Deliberate on campaign preparation, hire staff, aides, advisers, etc
February 14th: Deliver speech at Rockefeller Centre on trade policy
February 15th-20th: Resume 'Dignity of Work tour', Iowa

In major press conference,
AFL-CIO Urges Sherrod Brown to Run
& Endorses A Potential Candidacy

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka made the following remarks at a press conference:

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Sherrod Brown launches 'Dignity of Work' Tour

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Update: Congressman Gabbard (GOTFan) has added her name as a cosponsor of the Raise the Wage Act.

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Extracts from Senator Brown's Speech at the Rockefeller Centre

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Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Announcement Speech

"It's great to be back home in Mansfield!

Y'know, there was a lot of people telling me to host this speech in Iowa or New Hampshire, or even Cleveland, but there's no place I'd rather make such an important announcement than in my birthtown, the 'Fun Center of Ohio,' as it's nicknamed.

Today, here in my birth city, Mansfield, and in the great state of Ohio – the buckeye state, the mother of Presidents, the birthplace of aviation, the heart of it all – I am proud to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America.

'Equality of opportunity… Jobs for those who can work… Security for those who need it… The ending of special privilege for the few… The preservation of civil liberties for all… a wider and constantly rising standard of living.' That is the promise of America. It's America's basic bargain, it was President Roosevelt's testament to our nation's unmatched aspiration. His legacy lifted up a nation and inspired presidents who followed.

And so, we embark on this journey together; to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth. We come together because we believe that in America, your success shouldn’t be determined by the circumstances of your birth.  If you’re willing to work hard, you should be able to have and maintain a good-paying job.  If you’re willing to meet your responsibilities, you should be able to own a home, maybe start a business, give your children the chance to do even better - no matter who you are, or where you come from, or what you look like: that is the basic dignity of work.

We come together because our country had strayed from these basic values.  Too many small businesses have shut down. Wages have stayed stagnant. Manufacturing has left our shores.  A shrinking number of Americans did fantastically well, while most people struggled with falling incomes, rising costs, and slower job growth. It's time we took the mantle and begun the work of rebuilding America. Tonight, we create a vision for our country.

And we begin our message on one simple vision: rebuild America. To understand how we can do that, we have to realize who built America to begin with; and we built it together. We built railroads and highways, the Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge together.  We instituted a minimum wage and worker safety laws together.  Together, we touched the surface of the moon, unlocked the mystery of the atom, connected the world through our own science and imagination.  We did these things together, not because they benefited any particular individual or group, but because they made us all richer.  Because they gave us all opportunity.  Because they moved us forward together, as one people, as one nation.

It's because I've seen the promise of America in my own life. My parents would have never dreamed that their son would be a U.S. Senator, let alone run for president. But for too many of our fellow Americans, the dream of progress and opportunity is being denied by the grind of an economy that funnels all the wealth to the top. During periods of great depressions and recessions, the middle class has continued to be beaten down repeatedly. Massive tax breaks given to the wealthy, borrowing money to pay for two endless wars, and falling incomes for middle class families. Wealth trickled up from the middle class to the rich. You know where we ended up.

But, as we have since our founding, Americans made a new beginning. You worked extra shifts, took second jobs, postponed home repairs… you figured out how to make it work. And now people are beginning to think about their future again – going to college, starting a business, buying a house, finally being able to put away something for retirement. Now is the time for millions of middle class working families to come together to revive that dream, to revitalize American democracy, to end the collapse of the American middle class and to make certain that our children and grandchildren are able to enjoy a quality of life that brings them health, prosperity, security and joy – and that once again makes the United States the leader in the world in economic prosperity for it's middle class.

We can live in a country where:
- we keep American jobs and industry here in America.
- the minimum wage is one people can live on.
- voting rights are extensively protected.
- workers have the freedom to organize for fair wages by repealing Taft- Hartley.
- childcare and college is affordable and universal.
- billionaires and millionaires don't control our democracy with tougher campaign finance laws.
- civil liberties are protected by repealing the so-called 'PATRIOT Act.'
- big banks cannot gamble with your money by re-implementing Glass- Steagall
- our infrastructure is no longer crumbling and re-invested in.

That is the nation we can build together, and I ask you to join me in this campaign to build a future that works for the hard working middle and lower class families. Today, I ask you on this wonderful day in Mansfield, Ohio, to join me on this journey. Thank you, Ohio, and god bless our country."

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Schedule
February 21st-30th: Senate duties
March 1st-10th: 'Dignity of Work' bus and listening tour, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina
March 11th-20th: Deliberate on campaign preparation, hire aides, staff, advisers, etc
March 21st: Meet with agricultural leaders in Iowa, to discuss agricultural policy
March 22nd: Meet with Senator Bernie Sanders, discussing policy and campaign prep
March 23rd-31st: 'Dignity of Work' bus and listening tour, Iowa, Nevada
April 1st: Conclude 'Dignity of Work' tour, announce decision on Presidential run within a month
April 2nd-9th: Week of media interviews, senatorial duties
April 10th-20th: Conclude final campaign preparation phases
April 21st: Announce candidacy in Mansfield, Ohio rally
April 22nd-30th: Tour southeastern Iowa, hold a rally in Iowa City & Ottawa
May 1st-3rd: Visit to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to open Campaign HQ, and hold a rally in Davenport, Iowa
May 4th: Meet with high-profile progressive activists, to discuss policy
May 5th: Rally with Senator Jeff Merkley, in Des Moines, Iowa
May 6th-10th: Senate duties
May 11th: Fundraiser with Senator Bernie Sanders, in Manchester, New Hampshire
May 12th: Campaign BBQ and 'meet and greet' with supporters of Senator Brown, Concord, New Hampshire
May 13th-20th: Bus tour across New Hampshire, town halls, rallies, etc
May 21st-31st: Travels to Texas, Nevada, California, Florida, and Ohio, for fundraising.

Sanders praises Brown's $15 Minimum Wage bill:
"absolutely in the right direction"

"Over the past 40 years, the U.S. economy has not been working for most working people. As productivity has gone up, the cost of living has gone up, but median wages have fallen relative to inflation. Not only are people’s jobs under threat of being sent overseas, but American workers are now forced to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. 66.5 percent of women and 85.8 percent of men are working more than 40 hours a week, many without paid vacation or paid sick leave. Over the last few decades the decline of the middle class has mirrored the decline of unionized workers in America. Corporations and their lobbied counterparts in Washington, D.C. have been ferociously attacking the organizing and collective bargaining rights of public and private sector union members. This hostile environment towards labor unions benefits the multibillion dollar corporation’s bottom line, its CEOs, and its shareholders, not the average worker. In order to rebuild the American middle class, we have to rebuild the American trade union movement and expand employee ownership and participation in the industry.

The dirty reality of our economy is that since the mid-1980s there has been an enormous transfer of wealth from the middle class to the absolute wealthiest, and middle class wages have remained stagnant. That is the Robin Hood principle in reverse. That is unacceptable and that has got to change. Despite huge advancements in technology and productivity, millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages. The real median income of male workers is $783 less than it was 42 years ago; while the real median income of female workers is over $1,300 less than it was in 2007. That is unacceptable and that has got to change.

That is why I am so proud to have the support of the United Mine Workers of America today. Unions like the UMWA have spent their entire existence fighting for higher wages, work benefits, workplace safety, etc. It is a shame that multimillionaires, multibillionaires, and large corporations have done all they can to suppress union movements, and it is a shame that virtually every Republican in the other primary supports suppressing labor unions that fight for better work benefits. As a Senator and Representative, I have, more consistently than anyone else, fought for the right to organize and bargain for workers, and as President, I will seek to repeal Taft- Hartley and other laws that have suppressed union membership and suppressed middle class working wages."

Senator Jeff Merkley joins Brown at Rally in Des Moines

"It's great to be here with my colleague Senator Sherrod Brown. This year, we need someone with the courage to tell the President what millions of average Americans are feeling right now: the economy isn't working for everyone. I think my friend Sherrod has that courage. He's offered a clear vision for this country and for the millions of workers who live in it, that it's time to revive the dignity of work and it's time to rebuild America. People say Sherrod is unpolished, unvarnished: that's right, he is. He's not a President years in the making by the Washington establishment. He's someone that working class people can get understand, someone who is a reliable fighter on their side. And also, someone we need in the White House"[/quote]

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Highlights

Sherrod Brown: "I will fight to hold these drug companies accountable."

Early on the campaign trail, Sherrod Brown made the following remarks at a speech in New Hampshire:

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Sherrod Brown outlines $1T infrastructure plan at Iowa town hall

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[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Ad: Dignity of Work.

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Aired in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Ad: Consistent, Principled.

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Aired in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Schedule
June 1st: Open new campaign HQ, in Ames, Iowa
June 2nd-7th: Campaign rallies throughout Iowa with Sen. Bernie Sanders
June 8th: Roundtable discussion w/ farmers on agricultural issues
June 9th: Delivers speech about farmer's issues, Waterloo, Iowa
June 10th-13th: Rest, campaign deliberation
June 14th: Launch '99 Counties' tour
June 15th-20th: '99 Counties' tour, Iowa
June 21st: Visit to Manchester, New Hampshire to open new campaign HQ
June 22nd: Rally in Concord, New Hampshire, with Connie Schultz
June 23rd-25th: Tour local colleges in Southeastern Iowa
June 26th-30th: '99 counties' bus tour, across Northeastern Iowa

Sherrod Brown: "Strengthening our economy starts in our classrooms"

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Sherrod Brown outlines plan to boost rural economy at Iowa rally

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[adamevans]

1st Democratic Presidential Debate
Sherrod Brown

Debate Responses

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Thank you, Wolf. I think there's a fundamental choice in this election as to what direction we take. For the past 40 years, we've seen the shrinking of the middle class, their wages, their right to bargain collectively, and overall economic mobility, all the while, we've seen a rise in endless wars, income inequality, Wall Street greed, and Washington corruption. But it doesn't have to be this way. When work has dignity, everyone can afford healthcare, education and housing. They have power over their schedules and the economic security to start a family, pay for daycare and college, take time off to care for themselves or their families when they are sick, and save for retirement. When work has dignity, people come before corporate profits and Wall Street greed. When work has dignity, our country has a strong middle class.

I'm here tonight on this stage to speak a message on behalf of the middle class. Do we continue the 40-year decline of our middle class, or do we fight for a economic agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and fights for our middle class? Are we prepared to take on the enormous economic and political power of big donors, or do we continue to slide into political oligarchy with dark and soft money controlling our democracy? These are the most important questions of our time, and how we answer them will determine the future of our country.

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I think this campaign has gained some considerable momentum. That's because our message is not geared towards appealing towards one separate voter bloc: Instead, it's about when you love this country, you fight for the people who make it work. Too many pundits today believe you're either campaigning to progressives or you're campaigning to workers. But this campaign has done both; you have to do both. I believe that's one thing our campaign really stands out on.

Our message celebrates the dignity of work, all work. When we fight for workers, we fight for all people, whether they punch a clock or swipe a badge, earn a salary or make tips. Whether they are raising children or caring for an aging parent. And as we celebrate the dignity of work, we unify. We do not divide.

I don't believe that's a polarizing message. As my campaign in Ohio just a year ago showed, progressives can win - and win decisively - in the heartland, in a state where President Romney won twice. We showed that we do it without compromising on women’s rights or civil rights or LGBTQ rights. We do it without caving to Wall Street or the drug companies or the gun lobby. Our message represents a progressive message that can win anywhere.

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My dad was a doctor from Mansfield. We didn't grow up with much wealth, we weren't fortunate enough to have that. I think it would have been beyond his wildest dreams to see his son up here on this stage today running for president.

I love this country and my dad loved this country, and he was the most proud American because of what it gave him in terms of raising his family, even though we never had much money. But today in America, we are the only major country on earth that doesn't guarantee health care to all people, that doesn't guarantee paid family and medical leave. We have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on earth. We are seeing millions of families unable to send their kids to college in the United States of America.

I'm running for president because I believe progress doesn’t happen on its own. It happened because your parents and your grandparents stood up and demanded their government work for them. It was citizens and workers. In union halls and church basements, it was civil rights activists and child advocates who took on powerful special interests and changed this country for the better. When we see a White House that looks like a retreat for Wall Street executives, we know that our fight is far from over. We have so much left to do to raise wages, lower healthcare costs and make sure everyone who works hard can retire with the dignity that they have earned.

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

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(sorry I couldn't get this response finished earlier, I couldn't do it until today)

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Ad: War.

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Aired in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, North Dakota, and Nevada

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Schedule
July 1st: Roundtable discussion w/ manufacturing workers
July 2nd-10th: '99 Counties Tour' of town halls in Southeastern Iowa
July 11st: Rally in Dubuque, Iowa with Senator Jeff Merkley
July 12th-16th: Tour Iowa union halls in Southeastern Iowa, with Secretary Robert Reich
July 17th: Roundtable discussion w/ local teachers
July 18th: Deliver speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on manufacturing jobs
July 19th-25th: '99 Counties Tour,' Southwestern Iowa
July 26th: Rally in Davenport, Iowa with Senator Bernie Sanders
July 27th-31st: Fundraising trip to New York, Ohio, California

Brown slams 'unstable' economy, calls for Wall Street reform

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Speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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[adamevans]

2nd Democratic Presidential Debate
Sherrod Brown

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Thank you, Wolf. On my lapel, I wear a pin depicting a canary in a birdcage. In the early days of the 20th century, coal miners took a canary down into the mines with them to warn them of poisonous gases. Those workers didn’t have a union strong enough or a government that cared enough to protect them.

Through organizing, we changed that. We passed worker safety laws and overtime pay. We banned child labor. We passed clean air and safe drinking water laws. We enacted Social Security, Medicare, workers’ rights, women’s rights and civil rights. But we have so much work left to do to make this a country where anyone can get ahead. That's what this pin means to me. It represents the progress we have made—and the society we continue to fight for every day.

I think Americans understand that we need to take unprecedented action to reverse the past 40 years of wage decline, shrinking economic mobility, and growing corporate influence. We must tell Wall Street that they can no longer risk the livelihood's of millions of Americans with risky gambling; we must reform our campaign finance system to end the system of legalized bribery that allows politicians to be bought and sold; and we must take the necessary action, just like we did generations ago, to build back up our middle class and restore the dignity in all work, whether you're black, white, hispanic, or gay.

I stand on this stage tonight to represent that message.

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Let's be clear, Wolf, I am in favor of aggressive climate change action. Climate change threatens the environment, future economic output, and the world our kids will live in tomorrow. For the past 8 years, we've allowed our environment to be chipped away at the profit of corporate energy executives, and we haven't seen the President take action against this existential threat about the future of our planet and it's great lakes, forests, and other natural resources. All the while, Climate scientists tell us every day how our planet’s climate is warming and how it will have a compound negative effect in all areas of our future. We cannot allow our future to continue to be sold out. I've been backed by multiple environmentalist giants such as Governor Inslee. I think my progressive credentials speak for themselves; my votes in the Senate have consistently been pro-environment.

In essence, I support the idea of achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the next couple decades. The crisis of democracy is largely fueled by the unprecedented power of transnational corporations, and, more often than not, the most powerful of them is big oil. Not only does it influence elections, in many countries, it often sets domestic and international policy. Big oil companies have been excluded from being accountable for basic environmental standards, all the while they have been allowed massive tax breaks and direct taxpayer subsidies. In order to save our environment, we need to reign in the power of big oil by revoking those subsidies, and investing historically into good-paying, renewable energy jobs, as well as accessible, clean water, and it would be a core part of my infrastructure plan as President.

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When you love your country, you fight for the people that make it work. That is what I get up every day fighting for in the United States Senate for all the workers across our country. Along this campaign, I've heard the stories of middle class families working 40 hours a week being squeezed by an economy that doesn't work for the workers in it; in factories, in offices, in grocery stores. They see millions of their jobs sent overseas for the interests of corporate profits over their own lives, they see a Congress that rams through a tax bill where billionaires and millionaires get thousands in tax breaks while Congress then claims they have to pay for it through cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

People are angry about that for a reason. They're angry that special interests and Washington lobbyists get their say in Washington and there's not much voice left for working families. Washington doesn't understand the dignity in work. Frankly, a lot of the leverage corporate executives get is thanks to our corrupt campaign finance laws that allows Wall Street to get a bailout and the working class to get a layoff. That is unacceptable. We must transform our economy in order to revitalize the American middle class and build an economy that raises wages, promotes economic mobility, and restores the dignity in our work.

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Ad: Dignity.

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Aired in Iowa, New Hampshire, California, North Dakota, and Nevada

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Ad: The Dream.

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Aired in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama

(there are 2 ads to make up for last week)

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Schedule
August 1-2: Senatorial duties
August 3-15: Campaign visit to Iowa, '99 Counties' tour
August 16-19: Rest, campaign deliberation, interviews
August 20: Roundtable discussion w/ young democrats
August 21: Roundtable discussion on gun violence, in Chicago
August 22: Deliver speech in Chicago on gun violence: "An Epidemic"
August 23: Speech to Young Democrats in Bismark, North Dakota
August 24-31: Campaign swing through North Dakota
September 1: Visit to South Carolina to open new campaign HQ
September 2: Meeting with African-American leaders in South Carolina
September 3-8: Bus tour and rally events through South Carolina
September 9: Rest and campaign deliberation
September 10-21: Continue '99 Counties' tour in Iowa
September 22: Conclude tour
September 23-28: Campaign swing, bus tour through Nevada
September 29: Meeting with local union halls in Las Vegas
September 30: Live town hall w/ NowThis, campaign deliberation

New Endorsements

Service Employees International Union

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National Education Association

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Rep. Brenda Lawrence

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[adamevans]

3rd Democratic Presidential Debate
Sherrod Brown

Debate Responses

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Thank you, to my fellow candidates for joining me, and thank you, John and Wolf.

I began this campaign to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth; to rebuild the idea that your success shouldn’t be determined by the circumstances of your birth. Because if you’re willing to work hard, you should be able to have and maintain a good-paying job.  If you’re willing to meet your responsibilities, you should be able to own a home, maybe start a business, give your children the chance to do even better - no matter who you are, or where you come from, or what you look like: that is the basic dignity in labor.

Because for too many Americans the dream of progress and opportunity is being denied by the grind of an economy that funnels all the wealth to the top. Wages are hardly budging. Student loan debt is at reaching unstable amounts. Millions of workers receive paychecks they cannot live on. Childcare, college, and pharmaceutical drug prices are all skyrocketing, well past the rest of the developed world. All of this is at the profit of large corporate executives who continue to abuse our rigged system to pay off politicians to work in their interests. This must stop and this must stop now.

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I've gotten to meet the great people of Iowa in all 99 counties over the past several months. Iowa's a lot like Ohio; four letters, three vowels, lots of corn, so it was easy to get used to the terf. But just like in Ohio, communities in Iowa show just how much Wall Street and Washington has mistreated workers, and moreover, it's an example of how we, Democrats, need to campaign better to workers. I believe we don't have to sacrifice progressive values in order to win back these communities and win back workers as a whole. Iowan communities understand just as any other community of the massive income inequality, unprecedented wage stagnation, the decline of labor unions, and Wall Street's growing influence that this whole country has been feeling over the past 40 years.

If that's a risky strategy, it's a risk I'm willing to take, but I think it's not just Iowans who will hear our message. It's Nevadans, South Carolinians, North Dakotans, and the rest of the nation because they know as much as any other part of the country that we need to have an advocate for America's middle class in the White House to take on Wall Street's influence, rising drug, childcare, and tuition prices, and finally rebuild this country's middle class as the most prosperous in the world.

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I began this campaign on one simple vision: rebuild America. To understand how we can do that, we have to understand that we built America. We built railroads and highways, the Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge together.  We instituted a minimum wage and worker safety laws together.  Together, we touched the surface of the moon, unlocked the mystery of the atom, connected the world through our own science and imagination. That's how we built America's promise.

I've seen that promise of America in my own life. My parents would have never dreamed that their son would be a U.S. Senator, let alone run for president. But for too many of our fellow Americans, the dream of progress and opportunity is being denied by the grind of an economy that funnels all the wealth to the top. It's time for millions of middle class working families to come together to revive that dream, to revitalize American democracy, to end the collapse of the American middle class and to make certain that our children and grandchildren are able to enjoy a quality of life that brings them health, prosperity, security and joy – and that once again makes the United States the leader in the world in economic prosperity for it's middle class.

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Surrogate Performances

Jay Inslee: 'Sherrod Brown is the candidate environmentalists can trust'

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Tammy Baldwin endorses Sherrod Brown at Iowa rally

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Murphy joins the stump for Sherrod Brown: 'top candidate for common-sense gun control'

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Surrogate Schedule

Senator Bernie Sanders - Sanders spent August doubling down on his support of Sherrod Brown, declaring him the "epicenter of the political revolution" and "my closest colleague in the Senate" during rally appearances in Iowa. He'll record a series of online video ads with Senator Brown touting his record as a middle class fighter and the best candidate to "tackle Wall Street and this corporate administration." In September, Sanders would undergo a series of outreach events to local colleges in Iowa to promote Brown's vision of tuition-free, debt-free college.

Governor Jay Inslee - Inslee would spend August undergoing a series of interviews promoting his decision to endorse Sherrod Brown, calling him 'a staunch environmentalist who will take on big oil.' In September, he would take flights to Iowa and hold outreach events and roundtable discussions with local colleges and environmentalist groups, jabbing at Kerry's support among them, continuing the rhetoric used in previous interviews.

Senator Tammy Baldwin - Baldwin would take a trip in Iowa to join the Sherrod Brown team in Iowa, appearing at events with Brown and promoting his middle class rhetoric. Baldwin would tour local union halls and meet with local Democratic groups to double-down on Sherrod Brown's pro-main street, "take on Wall Street" rhetoric. In later weeks, she would reach out to LGBTQ groups and promote Sherrod Brown's staunch pro-equality positions and vote against the Defense of Marriage Act.

Senator Jeff Merkley - Merkley, a staunch progressive, will join the campaign in reaching out to large workplaces in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids area to promote Sherrod Brown's support of a $15 minimum wage, paid family leave, and staunch pro-labor union positions, as well touting endorsements from the AFL-CIO, NEA, and the SEIU. In later weeks, he would make a reach out to local Young Democratic groups promoting his consistent support for tuition-free, debt-free college and environmental justice.

Senator Amy Klobuchar - Klobuchar would make trips down to Iowa to focus on agricultural policy and would promote Senator Brown's bold agricultural plans, such as investing tens of billions into expanding rural broadband access, take on large agricultural companies who abuse farmers, and invest in low-income solar power.

Senator Patrick Leahy - In preparation for Vermont's primary, Leahy will tour his home state promoting the Senator's progressive message on campaign finance reform, $15 minimum wage, and paid family leave. He also declared that Brown was 'the best candidate for Vermont's family farmers' citing his agricultural plans.

Senator Chris Murphy - Murphy got to join the campaign trail in urban Iowa where he promoted Brown's 'common-sense gun control views' and called him the 'top candidate for common-sense gun control' reaching out to local colleges and young Democratic groups. As a prominent proponent of gun control, he would use his credentials to cite Sherrod Brown as 'one of my top allies in the Senate when it comes to gun control... I was proud to endorse him.'

Governor Howard Dean - Joining the campaign as a chief adviser, Howard Dean will aid the campaign in building a large grassroots, internet base similar to the one Bernie Sanders built in 2016 to boost long-term small donor fundraising. Dean also traveled to New Hampshire and promoted Brown's anti-interventionist message, touting his votes against the Iraq War, appealing to the Democratic younger activist base.

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Highlights (1/2)

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Sherrod Brown at Iowa event. "Time to hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable," lambasts corporations for "buying out politicians" and calls for transparency to reduce drug prices.

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Sherrod Brown scores major endorsement with Howard Dean

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[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Highlights (2/2)

Sherrod Brown shakes up campaign, adds new strategists

On September 9th, the Sherrod Brown campaign announced it would be shaking up the campaign and adding new advisers and strategists to the campaign to boost performance and momentum in the coming weeks. Sherrod Brown announced that Joe Trippi would be joining the campaign as a strategist, who is a longtime Democratic strategist, and has worked on several Gubernatorial, United States Senate and Congressional campaigns, including Howard Dean for President 2004, Jerry Brown for Governor of California and, most recently, Doug Jones for U.S. Senate in Alabama.

Joel Benenson also joined as the campaign as a pollster, who had done polling for Obama since joining the Obama campaign in Jan. 2007. Sasha Bruce was, as well, named to become a strategist on the Sherrod Brown campaign, who currently serves Senior Vice President for Campaigns and Strategy for NARAL Pro-Choice America. Campaign Comm. Director Jennifer Donohue said these new strategists and advisers are part of a continued effort to "message our progressive values" and "build a grassroots movement of millions of working families."

Brown touts vote against DOMA, claims status as most pro-LGBT candidate

"LGBTQ rights are human rights and civil rights, and we must be committed to ensuring that America lives up to its promise to treat all of its citizens with dignity, love and respect. Since entering public office more than two decades ago, I gladly stood shoulder to shoulder with the LGBT community. We must honor the bravery of the countless lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals who continue to fight for full civil rights and for a more just and inclusive society, and oppose any form of discrimination. I believe that all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation, deserve the equal protections guaranteed under the Constitution.

Long before it was a politically popular position, I gladly casted a 'no' vote on the anti-LGBT Defense Of Marriage Act in the 1990’s and I'll fight against any efforts to deny LGBTQ Americans the right to marry whomever they love. Any American who honorably serves our country in uniform should be treated like the patriots they are. Since the beginning of my career, I've opposed the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and pushed to repeal the policy in 2010. Even though this progress has been made, it’s still legal in many states to discriminate against someone based solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

That’s why we must lead the charge on legislation that would expand federal civil rights protections and backed other bills to fight LGBTQ discrimination in housing, the workplace and around the world. LGBTQ youth are especially at risk to harassment and discrimination. We must move to outlaw fraudulent, unfair, and deceptive 'conversion therapy.' As President, I would push an aggressively pro-equality agenda because building a more free and equal society begins with helping those who will inherit it."

Bernie Sanders joins Sherrod Brown in Iowa rally: "He is the real deal"

In a continued attempt to woo progressive voters (from Abrams and other candidates), Senator Bernie Sanders made a rally appearance in Iowa.

"I am so glad to join here with Senator Sherrod Brown. This movement he has amassed in the past several months is unlike any other; he has built a movement of millions of working families who are ready to revitalize American democracy and take on corporate greed. As someone who has worked with Senator Brown for a very long time, I can verify that he is the real deal. He has rejected big money donations throughout his career and he is a staunchly progressive Senator.

We need to send a clear message to the billionaire class and Wall Street in this upcoming election. My colleague, Senator Sherrod Brown, has been there at every vote standing for working families and not the bidding of Wall Street. He led the fight for sane labor and environmental protections in our trade agreements to protect middle class workers in Ohio and Iowa and across the country. He is running for President, not for his own gain but, to finally, aggressively push a pro-middle class, pro-main street, and pro-wage growth agenda to make our economy work for all of us.

We must bring this political revolution straight to the White House. My friend, Sherrod Brown, is a qualified, consistent progressive that will finally put the American middle class first, and on February 3rd, Iowa is going to send a message to Washington and Wall Street: you can't have it all while our middle class working families are scraping by. "

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Schedule (1/2)

Oct. 1 to Oct. 7: Senator Brown continues his campaign visit to Nevada. With Congresswoman Dina Titus, who recently announces her endorsement in a press release, he holds three rallies sporadically in Las Vegas discussing his plan for immigration reform and collective bargaining advancement, pledging "humane immigration reform that allows a pathway to citizenship for law-abiding immigrant workers and children" as well as "ensuring dreamers get a chance at citizenship" while "cracking down on corporate mistreatment of undocumented immigrants." While still in Las Vegas, he holds meet & greets in local union halls and, later, receives the endorsement of UNITE HERE, a major Nevada union which represents nearly 30% of Nevada workers. During these meet & greets, he pledges to be the "most pro-labor candidate." Congresswoman Dina Titus joins him as often as her schedule allows.

Oct. 8 to Oct. 19: Senator Brown takes a flight from Nevada to take another campaign swing around North Dakota, joined by Senator Tammy Baldwin. He spends most of the early days holding a series town halls & meet and greets in somewhat dense rural, agricultural communities, where he outlines a progressive plan for rural America, including heavy investments in access to rural broadband, stronger antitrust laws against corporations who abuse family farmers, investments in our dams, levees, and electric grid, stimulating the declining dairy farming economy, and reform farm subsidies to ensure benefits to family farmers. Brown remarks that "rural broadband is necessary for 21st century commerce in communities like these" and that "family farms drive our rural communities." Later, he held rallies in Bismarck and Fargo where he urged the necessity to "rein in Wall Street... reform our campaign finance laws and revitalize American democracy." He concluded the trip meeting with various colleges and promoted his message of tuition-free, debt-free college to "ensure everyone has the education they need to make a good living."

Oct. 20 to Oct. 22: Senator Brown takes a break from campaigning in these days to settle down with Connie and the family, while high-level strategists conduct campaign deliberation.

Oct. 23 to Oct. 26: Senator Brown drove to Milwaukee, WI with Senator Tammy Baldwin to hold a roundtable discussion on African-American issues in urban cities. Coming out of the meeting, Brown urged the importance of "revitalizing the dignity in all work" and "heavily reforming our criminal justice system... ending the era of mass incarceration that has destroyed so many lives, disproportionately African-american." Additionally, he met with local Democratic party volunteers and did local door-knocking with them.

Oct. 27 to Oct. 28: Senator Brown flew down to St. Louis, MO to hold a massive rally and rile up support for their cause along with Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, using the rally to promote campaign finance and wall street reform. Brown said during the rally that "Big money has continued to control our politics and it's time for millions of working families to come together and tell Wall Street that you can't have it all." Tulsi Gabbard joined the rally to promote Brown's vote against the Iraq War and criticized John Kerry's vote for the Iraq War and continued defense of it in 2004, "We can no longer steal from our communities to conduct another one of these regime change wars" and "We need a President who will really invest in our communities, not overseas wars." During the rally, spokesmen for the AFSCME joined and announced their endorsement for Senator Brown, calling him "America's #1 advocate for labor" and "proposes the most aggressively pro-wage growth agenda of all the candidates."

The day after, Senator Brown held a press conference to accept the endorsement of the United Food and Commercial Workers and the United Auto Workers labor unions. Brown said the "these unions have fought every day to give these workers a chance at higher wages and better benefits. I'm glad to have cast every vote pro-labor in Congress and I'm glad to receive their support now." The spokesmen touted Brown as a "staunch ally of organized labor." Later in the day, Brown delivered a speech on reproductive rights with NARAL Pro-Choice America, who have endorsed Brown's campaign, saying that "We must always protect a women's right to choose" continuing to tout his consistently pro-choice positions.

Oct. 29 to Nov. 15: Senator Brown took another flight to Iowa to take another tour through the state. He would hold a series of meet & greets in large workplaces in urban cities, where he promotes his plan to raise the minimum wage to $15, ensure paid family and sick leave, and crack down on tax loopholes abused by corporations to "create growth for main street, including our local, small businesses" and as well said that President Romney has "betrayed Iowa's workers" by cutting taxes for the rich over investing in growth for the middle class. After these meet & greets, he held rallies in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, calling for the "next chapter in American history... one of economic, racial, and environmental justice." At the rally, he called for the revitalization of the labor movement and a great expansion of worker's rights, including $15 minimum wage, paid family and sick leave, and workplace democracy. Later, he toured agricultural communities and promoted his plans for growing the rural economy, previously campaigned on in North Dakota, and called for raising social security benefits to lower senior poverty. Brown finished his swing through Iowa by door-knocking and phonebanking with volunteers in Mason City.

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Schedule (2/2)

Nov. 16 to Nov. 22: Senator Brown takes his campaign from Iowa to New Hampshire for an extensive visit, kicking it off with a rally in Concord, joined by Senator Leahy and Governor Dean, where he proclaimed that "We are going to fight for every vote" and "shock the washington establishment and defeat all expectations." Hitting the trail, Senator Brown goes on a meet & greet New Hampshire Diner tour, visiting iconic locations like the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester, Mary Ann's Diner in Derry, and the Tilt'n Diner in Tilton, emphasizing on a "dignity of work" message, promoting his pro-worker policies, and stressing how "we must reach out to workers and focus on worker's issues." Additionally, he held a series of town halls discussing his plan to protect seniors, by expanding social security, provide universal childcare, and expand the earned income tax credit.

Nov. 23 to Nov. 28: Senator Brown took a Thanksgiving break from the trail after delivering a pep talk to staffers in Manchester. Campaign Communications Director, Jennifer Donohue, delivered a Thanksgiving address.

Nov. 29 to Dec. 6: Brown would hit off the trail in New Hampshire again, holding a series of rallies in Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, and Salem, joined by Senator Bernie Sanders in each reaching out to progressive Abrams voters, pushing equal pay for equal work, historic infrastructure investments, and wall street reform. He also took jabs at Senator Kerry for his vote for the Iraq War, calling it "the biggest disaster of the 21st century." Preceding these rallies, Brown took to hold several meet & greets and speeches across New Hampshire in colleges and young democratic groups promoting a youth jobs training program to lower youth unemployment and tuition-free, debt-free college, saying that "Young people have been at the forefront of every great political movement." With the remaining days, he'd hold a few town halls in union halls to, once again, promote his labor reputation, endorsements, and his plan to bolster unions, including cracking down on companies who attempt to diminish unions.

Dec. 7 to Dec. 8: Senator Brown holds a roundtable discussion on the opioid epidemic in New Hampshire to discuss a solution to the epidemic. Coming out of the meeting, Brown declares "the way to end this epidemic is to tackle opioid-dumping from drug companies and make strong investments in access to opioid abuse treatment." The day after, Senator Brown made a speech on the opioid epidemic, saying "we must be vicious in holding the drug companies accountable for their actions to inflate the opioid epidemic and take it with significant priority." From New Hampshire, he takes a flight to South Carolina.

Dec. 9 to Dec. 17: In South Carolina, Senator Brown takes another campaign swing, joined by Congressman John Lewis. Brown takes to hold four rallies across the state to discuss his plan to advance voting rights, including automatic voter registration, making election day a federal holiday, and curbing voter suppression at the state level. Joined by Rep. John Lewis, Senator Brown holds several outreach sessions and meet & greets with members of the African-American community and Abrams supporters, using it to promote his policies to end mass incarceration, raise the earned income tax credit, and progressive reputation in Congress. Concluding the swing, Brown took several interviews on local radio stations where he promoted his base campaign message that "we must restore the dignity of work and rebuild America's working class," "we're seeing stagnant wages while prices rise" and promoted expanding the earned income tax credit, universal childcare, healthcare, and college, and large infrastructure investments to fix roads, bridges, levees, dams, etc and create millions of good-paying jobs.

Dec. 18 to Dec. 19: Senator Brown takes a train from South Carolina to North Carolina. He holds a breakfast meet & greet with in Charleston with local Democratic Party volunteers. Then, the Senator holds a sit-down interview with CBS News. The day after, Senator Brown conducted a meeting with several labor unions backing the Senator and organized to expand organizational support in the campaign to get out the vote for Brown in preparation for next year's primaries. As well, they discussed several issues revolving around labor.

Dec. 20 to Dec. 25: Senator Brown takes a Christmas break after flying out to Iowa to deliver a Christmas address to staffers. Afterwards, it's sent out through a press release. Senator Brown will spend Christmas with Connie and the family back home in Ohio.

Dec. 26 to Dec. 31: Brown takes a flight out to Iowa for a final campaign visit to Iowa, joined by Senators Klobuchar, Baldwin, and Sanders, aswell as Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. Senator Brown prepared to rally the base, holding large rallies in Cedar Rapids and Davenport where he boosted his credibility and reputation as a progressive lawmaker and said "we're ready to take on wall street and Washington" and "We have a movement building here! It started in Ohio and it's spreading to Nevada, North Dakota, Iowa, and the rest of the country."  He attempted to cut into Kerry's support by further lambasting him for his "wrong judgement" on the Iraq War, which was doubled-down on by Tulsi Gabbard. Leading into the New Year, Senator Brown called his caucus organizers and precinct captains for a series of conference calls leading into the caucus and, as well, carry out a series of outreach phone calls to supporters of Governor Abrams promoting a progressive tone.

[adamevans]

I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm getting close to being forced to drop out; busy, like Peanut is. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. Anyways, thanks for playing, Peanut!

[adamevans]

Sherrod Brown 2020
Rebuild America.

Campaign Highlights

Tulsi Gabbard asks Kerry: "Would you still vote for the Iraq War?"

Speaking at a Sherrod Brown rally, Tulsi Gabbard criticized Kerry for his Iraq War vote and said the following:

"In 2004, I volunteered to deploy with my fellow soldiers in Iraq, serving 2 different tours of the middle east. I felt a sense of duty to my country to fight along my fellow Hawaiians. Politicians sent me and so many others to fight as pawns for a reckless, regime change war that took billions out of communities like these at the profit of the military-industrial complex. It was progressive congressman Sherrod Brown who rejected reckless intervention and casted their vote against the Iraq War. It was Sherrod Brown who had the correct judgement to predict the disasters of the Iraq War that I served in. We need a commander-in-chief who has the kind of correct judgement to reject unnecessary and costly intervention.

And while we have brave public servants who have the judgement to foresee the biggest disaster of the 21st century, there were still 77 senators who cast their vote for it: Among them, Senator John Kerry. He cast one of many votes to send people like me to fight a predictably disastrous war. The lesson over the past several decades is that we need a President who has the foreign policy vision and judgement to prevent the next Iraq War, but John Kerry continued to stand by his vote in his last presidential election.

So, I have one question for John Kerry: would you still vote for the Iraq War?"

Sherrod Brown proclaims "We're going to fight for every vote" in New Hampshire

"Y'know, I've been told by people in the media that I shouldn't even come down to New Hampshire, that it's a waste of time. They say our progressive message won't resonate with the people in New Hampshire, I even heard an article that said I'm 'rumpled, discheveled, and just not charismatic.' But of course I'm going to fight in New Hampshire. Because it's not just in Iowa and South Carolina and North Dakota where workers are forced to live paycheck to paycheck while the cost of living increases. It's not just Iowa and South Carolina that is being ripped off by a corrupt political system that favors those at the top. The people of New Hampshire understand that too.

We're going to fight for every vote.

We're going to get out and spread our message. We'll volunteer, door knock, phonebank, but we are not surrendering the state of New Hampshire. All the gains don't have to flow to the top 1%. Our campaign finance system does not have to allow billionaires to donate millions to candidates benefiting only themselves. We are not giving up in New Hampshire."

Opioid Epidemic Speech

Excerpt

At least 63,000 Americans died from opioid overdoes in 2016 alone - more than the number of Americans killed in the entire Vietnam War - and the epidemic is projected to kill nearly half a million Americans in the next decade. We know that there’s no one solution to the opioid addiction epidemic. That’s why we must propose a comprehensive public health campaign to combat this crisis, and call on the federal government to launch a long-term campaign that includes widespread education and prevention efforts, expanding access to affordable addiction treatment, and recovery that includes better screening and protections against relapse.

First and foremost, any long-term solution to ending the opioid crisis must include providing people suffering from addiction and mental health issues with the tools to get their lives back on track. We must work to expand medicare for all to ensure everyone has access to professional, quality care in tackling the opioid epidemic. Additionally, we must fight to lower the amount of prescription drugs that manufacturers and distributors pump into our healthcare system, and to make their these processes more open and transparent. For years, big pharmaceutical companies have failed to warn doctors and patients about the dangers of opioids and have made billions in profits by pumping their products into the health care marketplace using highly aggressive advertising schemes and without adequate warnings.

We must be vicious in tackling this epidemic and take it with significant priority. While pharmaceutical companies save many lives while manufacturing their products, we must acknowledge their abusive and irresponsible actions to fuel the opioid epidemic at their own profit. At a time when local, state and federal governments are spending many billions of dollars a year dealing with the impact of the opioid epidemic, we must hold the pharmaceutical companies and executives that created the crisis accountable.