Obama's Truth Team Tip Sheet

                                                                                       

I'm not making this up, folks. Today, I got an e-mail from Stephanie Cutter of the "Truth Team". Here it is: Friend -- Welcome to the Truth Team tipsheet. You signed up to be part of the team that fights back, and there's no time to waste. (I did?) This is the first of regular updates we'll be sending with actions you can take immediately to help support the President -- to debunk false attacks and make sure folks hear about what we've accomplished. Here's how it works: We'll round up the best of our posts and turn them into short items, with Facebook and Twitter buttons after each so you can instantly share them with friends and family as you go down the list. Read through this week's news, then do something about it: #1 ROMNEY FLIPS ON EARMARKS This morning, Mitt's up with a new ad in Michigan slamming Rick Santorum for supporting earmarks. The thing is, before he ran for president, Mitt Romney was a pretty big fan of earmarkshimself. In 2002, he requested "hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid" for the Salt Lake City Olympics. He did it as governor of Massachusetts for the Big Dig project too, saying "I'd be embarrassed if I didn't always ask for federal money whenever I got the chance." Call him on his hypocrisy while the story's still breaking: #2 SANTORUM'S BIG BUDGET PLANS This week, after President Obama released his 2013 budget plan, Rick Santorum called it "preposterous, not only in overall funding but in priorities." But a closer look at Santorum's planshows he'd cut taxes for the wealthy, raise taxes for some families with children, and slash Social Security and Medicare under the "Cut, Cap, and Balance" plan. Here's the best part: Santorum's plan won't balance anything -- it actually adds to the deficit. Preposterous, indeed. Fight back: #3 RUBIO'S CONTRACEPTION PLAN In response to President Obama's decision that all women should have access to contraception, free of cost, Senator Rubio introduced a bill that would let any organization, religious or not, sidestep this rule, putting a woman's access to contraception at the whim of her employer. His solution for women who still would like it? Pay for it themselves, or find somewhere else to work. Folks need to hear what the GOP's trying to do. Pass it on: #4 "LET DETROIT GO BANKRUPT" When it comes to the auto recovery, Romney and Santorum continue to argue that a "managed" bankruptcy would've been better. Romney's famously said "Let Detroit go bankrupt," and Santorum would've preferred an industry "meltdown." This week, GM posted its largest profit in its history, and last month, it reclaimed its title as the "World's Largest Automaker." 1.4 million jobs were saved under the auto recovery. They're refusing to admit that the recovery's working, and it's time to call them on it. Show that we will: And now for Good News... #5 KEEPING HIS WORD ON HATE CRIMES As a senator, Barack Obama co-sponsored hate crime legislation because he believes that "...nobody in this country who should suffer violence because of who they are, what they look like, what they believe in, what faith they worship." As President, he kept his word, signing the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act to strengthen protection against crimes based on race, color, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, or gender. This is a promise kept. Spread the good news: #6 RECOVERY ACT ANNIVERSARY Three years ago today, President Obama signed the Recovery Act into law. Since then, more than 70,000 small businesses were able to receive loans to get started or stay on their feet. We put together a short video on the story of Bill, one business owner who has benefitted from the Recovery Act. Pass it on: Every day from now until November, there will be misleading news stories, attacks, and flat-out lies about the President's record. It's our job set to them straight -- and nothing works better than the truth, backed by sound sources. Fight back by spreading the word today. Until next time, Stephanie P.S. -- Here's a fun fact: Did you know President Obama is Irish? Last year, he visited his ancestors' town in Ireland and joked, "My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall Obamas, and I've come home to find the apostrophe we lost somewhere along the way." So we created new "O'bama" shirts, just in time for St. Patrick's Day. Check them out. Contributions or gifts to Obama for America are not tax deductible.

A fun fact, indeed. I can hardly wait for the next exciting episode of "The Truth Team".