Archive for May, 2008

We are writing to state that we have a consensus candidate to represent the 9th District.  His name is U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen.

We elected him in 2006 and he has represented us well in Congress.  As he did in Nashville as a state senator, he has fought for Memphis in Washington.

Steve fought for the state lottery, which provides scholarships for high school seniors.  In Congress, he has fought for ending the Iraq war, health care access for kids, lower prescription drug prices, and lower interest rates on student loans.  And he has brought back over $50 million of our hard-earned tax money to projects that benefit our community.

This is 2008.  We have witnessed white people all over this country embracing the candidacy of Barack Obama for president because of the content of his character and the importance of his message.

Many majority-white congressional districts in our country are represented by African-Americans in Congress.  They have reached a consensus that the candidate who best represents their interests happens to be African-American.  They have judged that person by the content of his/her character, not by skin color.

We elected Steve Cohen to Congress because of the content of his character and his history of fighting for Memphis.  We urge 9th District voters to re-elect him.

Maxine Smith & Russell Sugarmon
Memphis

I know I speak for my constituents in Memphis in wishing Senator Ted Kennedy a speedy recovery from his recent illness.

I have been a friend of the Kennedy family for years and was proud to be a Kennedy delegate at the 1980 Democratic Convention.  His son, Congressman Patrick Kennedy, is a close friend.

Senator Kennedy has been a great Senator for Massachusetts and a great leader for the Democratic Party and our country.  We look forward to his return to the Senate to continue his fight for working families, women, civil rights, health care, and the panoply of issues where he has been a leader for our party.

The Alpha Kappa Alpha Beta Epsilon Omega chapter presented Congressman Steve Cohen with the “AKAward” for Outstanding Public Service in the Area of the Economic Keys to Success.

“Many great women have been members of AKA; Three of my colleagues in the House of Representatives and perhaps the greatest poet to ever grace this nation with her words, Maya Angelou,” Congressman Cohen said.  “I’m proud to represent the members of Alpha Kappa Alpha in Congress, and I will keep fighting for them.”

Alpha Kappa Alpha is celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of its founding at Howard University in Washington, D.C.  It currently boasts 200,000 members in 975 chapters across the United States.

Congressman Cohen and a team of Cohen volunteers teamed up with Obama for President volunteers to canvass the Westwood neighborhood as a part of the Obama campaign’s one hundred city “Vote for Change” drive.

“We’re out here registering new voters and trying to mobilize voters that have been inactive lately,” Cohen said. “I’m enjoying meeting the voters and hearing what is on their minds. Memphis is a city of good, hardworking people, and I’m going to keep fighting for them in Washington, D.C.”

The Obama “Vote for Change” campaign is responsible for registering 200,000 new Democrats in Pennsylvania, 165,000 new Democrats in North Carolina, and more than 150,000 in Indiana.

Congressman Cohen has previously met with Senator Obama to discuss legislative matters before the United States Congress and represented Obama in the “Surrogates Debate” at the Anti-Defamation League Convention.

New polling data released by Cohen for Congress shows Congressman Steve Cohen as the clear frontrunner to retain the Tennessee 9th District seat in the House of Representatives.

The poll, conducted by Lake Research Partners, indicates that if the Democratic Primary was conducted today, Cohen would receive a resounding 63% of the vote. Those votes include 70% of black men, 54% of black women, 86% of white men, and 81% of white women.

On job performance, the respondents spoke out overwhelmingly in favor of Cohen. 40% rated his job performance “excellent”, 38% rated it as “good”, and another 17% rated him as “fair”. Only 1% rated his performance as “poor”.

87% of those polled reported having a favorable impression of Congressman Cohen.

“I knew when I first ran for this office in 2006, I knew that if I tried really hard, that I could be the kind of congressman that the hardworking people of the 9th District want and deserve,” Cohen said. “I believe in the people of the 9th District, and I’m proud that they believe in me.”

Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Federal PAC, the political arms of Planned Parenthood, have endorsed Congressman Steve Cohen in the 2008 Democratic Congressional Primary.

“You have been a strong supporter of women’s health and we know you will continue to be a strong advocate for our organization,” said Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Cecile Richards and Planned Parenthood Federal PAC Chairwoman Pamela Sutherland in a press release.

“I’ve always fought hard to create and preserve health and reproductive choices for women,” Congressman Cohen said.  “The Planned Parenthood endorsement is a badge of honor that I am proud to wear.  This past fall, our local Planned Parenthood chapter presented me with the Bob James Award for a lifetime of commitment to women’s health care issues in Memphis and Tennessee.”

Planned Parenthood health centers provide health care and education to an estimated five million women, men, and teenagers in the United States and abroad every year.

The Memphis MoveOn Council announced that it is endorsing incumbent 9th District Representative Steven Cohen for re-election.

“On issue after issue, Representative Cohen has demonstrated by his sponsorship of legislation, and his voting record, that he embraces the values of liberty and justice of a true progressive,” according to William Treible, Memphis MoveOn Council Coordinator.

“Mr. Cohen has been good for Memphis, good for Tennessee and good for America. We’re fortunate to have him represent us, and we should spare no effort to keep him in office,” he added.

Reorganized in January, Memphis MoveOn is an all-volunteer, grassroots progressive organization of 170-plus Memphis/Shelby County members working in conjunction with the national MoveOn.org.

“MoveOn has done a lot to advance progressive causes in the United States,” Congressman Cohen said.  “Its members are a strong, vital part of the Democratic movement.  I am proud to have their support in my bid for re-election.”

The Alliance for Retired Americans, a progressive advocacy group that works on behalf of retired workers across the United States, has issued its annual report examining the voting records of the United States Congress on issues such as SCHIP/Medicare bills, mortgage reform bills, negotiating Medicare prescription drug prices, and programs for retirees among other issues. Congressman Cohen received a 100% score for his voting record.

“The Alliance for Retired Americans is a great organization,” Congressman Cohen said. “They fight for economic justice and equal rights for all Americans, which are exactly the same things I’ve spent my entire legislative career fighting for. I’m proud to have them for allies in the neverending battle for econimc and social justice.”

The Alliance for Retired Americans is an organization of over three million associated with the AFL-CIO, which has already endorsed the candidacy of Congressman Steve Cohen.