Tomorrow, after nearly seven years, our country will end its combat mission in Iraq. Ending the war was one of Barack Obama’s most important campaign promises—and so far this Administration has brought home more than 90,000 troops, with all troops coming home by the end of next year.

Tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the President will deliver his second Oval Office address to mark the end of our combat mission in Iraq and thank our troops and their families for their service.

President Obama has also invited all Americans to join him in sharing a message of support for our troops. Take part and salute our troops through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Flickr.

In his weekly address, President Obama paid tribute to men and women in uniform and pledged that his Administration will do everything possible to care for veterans when they come home.

President Obama:

"As we mark the end of America’s combat mission in Iraq, a grateful nation must pay tribute to all who have served there.  Because part of responsibly ending this war is meeting our responsibility to those who have fought it.

"The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now make up America’s longest continuous combat engagement.  For the better part of a decade, our troops and their families have served tour after tour with honor and heroism, risking and often giving their lives for the defense of our freedom and security.  More than one million Americans in uniform have served in Iraq – far more than any conflict since Vietnam.  And more than one million who have served in both wars have now finished their service and joined the proud ranks of America’s veterans.

"What this new generation of veterans must know is this: our nation’s commitment to all who wear its uniform is a sacred trust that is as old as our republic itself.  It is one that, as President, I consider a moral obligation to uphold."

This weekend marks the fifth August since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. It is a solemn anniversary, one marked by still empty New Orleans homes and still scattered New Orleans neighbors. Yet it is also a hopeful anniversary, one marked by the tremendous progress made since the levees broke and the water washed so many peoples’ homes and hopes away.

This year, for the first time since the storm, my own family is back in New Orleans, together and whole. I have spent portions of this summer with them in the City of Jazz, renovating their new homes. As we put the finishing touches on those clean, mold-free houses we looked back on Hurricane Katrina with immense gratitude for our good fortune – though my family lost their belongings and their home, they all survived, thanks to the incredible kindness of strangers.

When the storm made landfall, the government response was painfully slow. There was a breakdown in communications. People - many of whom were too frail or simply without the means to evacuate - were stuck waiting to be rescued. Then, the levees failed.

I will never forget the generosity of people from across the country as they rose to the occasion to help so many people rebuild their lives. Regardless of race or background – people came together and helped one another. Our common humanity rose to the surface. It is that common humanity that I am thinking about today, as the people of New Orleans and the entire Gulf coast continue the process of rebuilding their lives.

So on this anniversary, let us offer our remembrance to those who perished in the storm, our gratitude to those brave individuals who offered their aid to others caught in the storm, and our own kindness and goodwill to all those around us – because as Hurricane Katrina showed us, we are all dependent on one another, and a little human kindness goes a long way.

This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of the Gulf Coast. In commemoration of that anniversary, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement:

“This weekend we have cause to remember all that was lost when Hurricane Katrina battered the shores of four states and wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast. More than a thousand lives were lost in the storm, more than a million people were displaced, and American towns were left in ruins. The images from that time—of homes under water, families stranded on rooftops, and displaced people seeking shelter in stadiums—remain a sober reminder of nature’s strength and its potential for devastation.

“Now, five years after Hurricane Katrina, it is important not only to pay our respects to those who died or were displaced and to their families, but it is also important to renew our commitment to ensuring that our government never again fails its people in the wake of such a disaster. To that end, President Obama has made it easier for residents of the Gulf Coast to get the support they need to recover from Hurricane Katrina, and he has worked to improve America’s disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, so that our country will be better able to handle future disasters on the Gulf Coast or wherever they occur. But our work is not yet finished. It will not be finished until communities damaged by Hurricane Katrina are restored and those who wish to return to their communities are able to do so. Even then, we must continue to honor the lives lost and survivors harmed—by better preparing ourselves and responding more effectively to those in need as future emergencies occur.

“So on this anniversary, as America commemorates a tragedy that changed the face of a region and tested the resolve of its citizens, I offer my support to President Obama for his efforts to ensure that our country is adequately prepared for any disaster that may reach our shores and as he strives to build a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America.”

Today the Democratic National Committee launched a new web video, “GOP Tea Party: These People Could Be in Charge” as part of a coordinated effort across Democratic campaigns and committees to highlight the corrosive trend developing within the Republican-Tea Party.

The new web video highlights radicalized candidates, whose extreme agenda would not just take America back to the days of failed Bush policies, but rewind the clock to the days before Social Security, Medicare, civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, and before social safety nets like unemployment insurance were in place. As the Tea Party takes over the Republican Party, they are purging anyone who would dissent from their extreme agenda and pushing once-reasonable Republicans to fall in line to survive.

DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse said:

“After Tuesday's primary results, the trend could not be clearer. It’s not just that the Tea Party has devoured the Republican Party and that Republicans want to take us back to the Bush era. The new Republican-Tea Party has offered a slate of candidates across the country who would fight to bring America back to the days before women had equal rights and before Americans could rely on programs such as Social Security and Medicare. The choice before the American people was made clearer with the nomination of extreme candidates like Rick Scott, Ron Johnson, Sharron Angle, Daniel Webster, Rand Paul, Ken Buck, Linda McMahon and Joe Miller. Do we want to go forward with our common values and continue to get the economy back on track or do we want to put the Republican-Tea Party with their extreme agenda in charge and take the country backward, not just years, but decades? The prospect that these people could be in charge is a scary one indeed.”

This Saturday, August 28, is the 47th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, which drew more than a quarter million people to the capital in advance of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In recognition of that anniversary, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement:

“Forty-seven years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. laid out his dream for America: that our nation would one day recognize true equality for all Americans, that our country would guarantee justice and opportunity for all Americans, and that all Americans would one day come together – regardless of each other’s race or background – in common spirit and kinship. The quarter million people who had gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC to hear Dr. King speak shared in that dream – as did millions more who heard him on television or read of his speech in the papers the next day.

“In the almost fifty years since that day, our nation has made tremendous progress toward realizing Dr. King’s dream – and the dream of all those hopeful Americans who marched and demonstrated in common cause with him. Our country has done away with the most grievous remnants of the legacy of slavery, including segregation, and we have passed laws protecting civil rights and stating that Americans of all races and backgrounds are equal in the eyes of the law. The American people have made progress not only toward removing racial biases in our laws, but also toward removing their own racial blinders – toward a world in which, in the words of Dr. King, we are able ‘to stand up for freedom together.’ Let us continue to work together to meet Dr. King’s goal of making ‘justice a reality for all of God’s children.’

“As a long-time civil rights attorney, I know that inequality and injustice persist, but I take heart in how far our country has come and I have faith that, under the leadership of President Obama, our country will continue to move forward toward becoming a more perfect union for all.”

From DNC Executive Director Jen O'Malley Dillon:

If there's one thing that we learned from 2008, it's that hard-fought elections are won on the ground. On the doorsteps and the phone lines. In face-to-face conversations with friends and neighbors. At house events, where people gather to support a common cause.

That's how we were able to get 15 million people out to vote for the first time in 2008 -- helping us achieve a victory for the President and win majorities in Congress.

And this is just what volunteers will be working to do this weekend in competitive districts across the country: They'll be mobilizing on the ground for our party-wide "Moving America Forward" Day of Action on August 28th -- securing commitments to vote and discussing what's at stake this November.

Our goal is to knock on 200,000 doors in 48 hours -- and we need your help to get it done.

Can you join us? Click here to find an event near you.

It's an ambitious target -- but the doors we'll knock on this weekend aren't simply tally marks. Those doors open into the homes of Americans whose lives will be affected by the outcome of this fall's elections.

Each door presents us with the opportunity to secure these folks' commitment to vote -- and to illustrate how that vote will affect the direction the country takes.

"Moving America Forward" isn't just a catchy name. It's also our larger message heading into the fall, and for good reason.

Democrats aren't just fighting to protect the historic progress we've achieved together -- from health insurance reform to the strongest consumer protections ever put in place -- we're fighting for the opportunity to continue moving forward with reforms that go to work for the American people.

Given the opportunity, Republicans would repeal our historic reforms, taking us backward to Bush-era policies that work only for special interests and the privileged few. We simply can't let that happen.

This is our chance to make sure it doesn't.

Weekends like this one help us to lay the foundation for victory this fall -- but we can't get folks to show up at the polls unless we first show up on the ground.

I hope you can make it out. Sign up to RSVP for an event today:

http://my.democrats.org/MAFevents

Thanks,

Jen

Jen O'Malley Dillon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee

This year, we’ve seen Republican primary voters nominate a bumper crop of far-right Republican candidates – from Sharron Angle in Nevada to Rand Paul in Kentucky – and as the primary season has continued, the list of extreme conservatives on the ballot this fall has only gotten longer.

Now, with the fall elections just around the corner, the Republicans have recruited an incredible number of far-right fielders– but unfortunately, that’s just not a winning team. These candidates might be the Tea Parties ideal leaders, but they aren’t the sort of leaders mainstream Americans will support. Let’s take a look at Republicans’ roster:

Alaska Senate Candidate Joe Miller

A Palin-endorsed, Tea Party-backed candidate, Joe Miller has said that unemployment benefits are “not constitutionally authorized.” If elected, he’d vote to leave millions of Americans – who lost their jobs through no fault of their own – high and dry with no support whatsoever to get their families through these difficult times.

In addition, Joe Miller has called for “phasing out” Medicare and Social Security. In so doing, he would strip seniors of a vital safety net, leaving millions of retired Americans without any source of reliable income or health care.

Colorado Senate Candidate Ken Buck

Ken Buck has called Social Security – a lifeline for American seniors – “horrible, bad policy;” he has called for the elimination of the Department of Energy; and he has called the Department of Education “unnecessary.”

Florida Senate Candidate Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio has demonstrated his extreme conservative bonafides by offering his support for Paul Ryan’s plan to end Social Security as we know it – raising the retirement age and reducing benefits for seniors. For the one in two working Americans who lack access to an employer-provided retirement plan, that’s very bad news.

Kentucky Senate Candidate Rand Paul

Rand Paul’s many extreme positions have been documented extensively – from his desire to shut down the Department of Education, to his opposition for federal funding for education, to his denunciation of Social Security as a “ponzi scheme,” to his criticism of support for American farmers, among other things.

Nevada Senate Candidate Sharron Angle

Sharron Angle is so far to the right that she’s been caught running away from press to avoid answering questions about her extreme positions, which include advocating the privatization of Social Security and Medicare, encouraging Americans to pursue their “Second Amendment” options for making their opinions known to government, calling out-of-work Nevadans who depend on unemployment “spoiled” and saying that when a young girl is raped she should turn “a lemon situation into lemonade.”

Wisconsin Senate Candidate Ron Johnson

Ron Johnson has called Social Security a “giant ponzi scheme” and has advocated privatization of this critical program.

Colorado Gubernatorial Candidate Dan Maes

While most candidates this year are talking about saving and creating jobs, Dan Maes has gone in the other direction – he’s said that he would lay off 2,000 critical government workers “just like that.”

Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Rick Scott

Rick Scott, the long shot Republican gubernatorial pick in Florida will be an even longer shot this fall. He carries with him into the general election questions regarding the $1.7 billion his health insurance company was forced to pay to settle a federal criminal investigation alleging fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid billing practices.

Arizona Congressional Candidate Jesse Kelly

A number of extreme conservative Republican nominees have said this year that they would work to end Social Security as we know it, but few have gone as far as Jesse Kelly, who has said that ending Social Security and taking away seniors’ retirement security is something he “would love” to do.

Arizona Congressional Candidate Ben Quayle

Although Ben Quayle would certainly fit in with the extreme Republican conservatives on the ballot across the country, his unelectability stems more from his personal quirks. Although Ben Quayle comes from a political family, his own professional history has one notation not found in most candidates’ biographies – he contributed to a risqué website under the pseudonym ‘Brock Landers,’ the name of a porn star character in the movie “Boogie Nights.”

Florida Congressional Candidate Daniel Webster

If elected, Daniel Webster would join the cadre of Republicans dedicated to taking America backwards. He has said that one of his first priorities in Congress – rather that working to rebuild the American economy or move our country forward – would be to cut programs like Social Security.

Florida Congressional Candidate David Rivera

It’s hard to know what far-right priorities David Rivera would embrace in Congress. In fact, it’s hard to get a straight answer out of David Rivera on just about anything – he’s lied about domestic violence allegations against him, lied about driving a vehicle carrying a rival campaign’s literature off the road, and lied about foreclosure proceedings on a home he co-owns with Marco Rubio, among other things.

Today is Women’s Equality Day. In recognition of that occasion, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement:

“Today marks the anniversary of the day, ninety years ago, when the U.S. Secretary of State certified the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. In the nine decades since – and even in the four decades since Women’s Equality Day was officially declared – women have made tremendous progress. They have used their votes and their voices to press for equality not only in the voting booth but in every facet of American life – from the workplace to the sports field and everywhere in between.

“On this day, we celebrate that incredible progress and the ability of all American women to participate freely in public life on an equal basis with American men. But we must also acknowledge that the fight for full equality has not ended – the wage gap between women and men persists, the Glass Ceiling persists, and other challenges persist. President Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress are working hard to help women overcome those challenges and to tear down the remaining barriers to equality. Through laws such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first act signed by President Obama after he took office, and historic steps such as the nomination and confirmation of two incredibly qualified women to the Supreme Court – as many women as had previously served in the entire history of our country – we are making progress, but there is still much to be done.

“So this Women’s Equality Day, I join women and men across America in reaffirming the fundamental truth that a group of forward-looking women’s activists asserted more than 150 years ago: that all men and women are created equal, and recommitting to supporting our leaders as they work to ensure that our country recognizes and fosters that equality in every aspect of American life.”

Chairman Tim Kaine sent the following message to supporters:

On Monday, Republican John Boehner escalated his campaign to become the next Speaker of the House. He gave a "major speech" in Cleveland -- much-hyped by his staffers, who told reporters that this, finally, was the moment when the GOP would introduce its economic agenda.

After all the build-up, all we heard was another list of what Republicans are against.

Every supposedly new idea was more of the same. He wants to extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich. He wants to repeal health insurance reform. He opposes clean-energy legislation.

Nothing he offered would move America forward.

The only thing Boehner seems serious about is raising campaign cash. After the speech, he told reporters that he's prepared to help Republicans spend $50 million to win back Congress.

We can already guess what he'll do: tap the special interests. He'll work the phones and call in every favor. He'll lean on the big-dollar donors and the corporate lobbyists.

Democrats have a different plan. We're asking supporters like you to make a contribution to the By the People Fund. If we can collect 3 million grassroots donations, we can compete with the Republicans in every race. And so far, that's exactly what we're doing.

Can you chip in $3 or more to help keep up the pace?

On Tuesday, Boehner said his party deserves to win because it's time to "put the grown-ups in charge." What a bunch of nonsense.

The last time he and Republicans were in charge, they took a $237 billion budget surplus and transformed it into a $1.3 trillion deficit. They doubled the national debt and drove the economy into a ditch.

Under Boehner, this country would go right back to the failed Republican policies that cost us 8 million jobs, left the middle class in economic peril, and shifted our tax burden to the middle class by giving $100,000+ tax breaks to the wealthy.

To make sure that doesn't happen, we're planning to outwork the GOP in every district with a competitive race. We will knock on doors, make calls, and build the case for Democrats across the country.

But we're talking about the most aggressive voter turnout campaign for a midterm election in history. We need your help to get it done.

Please donate $3 or more today:

http://my.democrats.org/BeatBoehner

Thanks,

Governor Tim Kaine
Chairman

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine released the following statement congratulating Kendrick Meek and Alex Sink on winning their primary elections in Florida last night:

“On behalf of the Democratic National Committee, I want to congratulate Kendrick Meek for winning the primary election for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate. Kendrick waged a fierce campaign on behalf of all Floridians, and Floridians responded. I want to congratulate him on this win and look forward to working with him and the other Democratic candidates to win in November.

“Kendrick Meek is the best choice to represent Floridians in the U.S. Senate. Kendrick is the first candidate in Florida history to qualify for the ballot by submitting more than 140,000 petitions from Floridians across the state. He has a strong law enforcement background. He also has a long record of standing up for the middle class, working to protect Social Security and fighting for middle-class tax cuts. Kendrick Meek is the candidate Floridians need to help turn around the economy and put Floridians back to work.

“I also want to congratulate Alex Sink for officially becoming the Democratic nominee for governor. Alex is well-positioned as we head towards November, and I have full confidence she will make an excellent governor for the State of Florida. The Sunshine State needs a Governor with real-world experience who can get the state’s economy back on track and Alex Sink is that leader.

This morning, House Minority Leader John Boehner delivered an address at the City Club of Cleveland, ostensibly to lay out the Republican Party’s economic agenda. Unfortunately, rather than providing a real forward-looking agenda, Republicans are offering the same failed Bush-era policies that sent the nation into recession and cost eight million Americans their jobs. Minority Leader Boehner and other Republican leaders haven’t indicated that they would do anything differently than they did when they were in charge before – when they turned record surpluses into record deficits and the American economy collapsed. And we’re not the only ones who have noticed.

As The Hill reported today:

‘Before we arrived in the West Wing, Mr. Boehner and the Republican Party ran the economy literally into the ground,’ he said.

‘They think that the policies they had in place for eight years during the Bush administration were the right ones,’ he added…

‘Mr. Boehner is nostalgic for those good old days, but the American people are not...They want to move forward.’”

To see more about how John Boehner would really lead, please check out our new web ad, below.

For too long, credit card companies have taken advantage of customers with unfair fees, rate hikes, and a lack of clear information. But over the weekend we saw an end to some of the worst credit card practices, thanks to new legislation signed by the President that went into effect on Sunday.

President Obama signed the CARD Act last year, which puts a stop to deceptive practices and makes sure credit card companies are accountable to their consumers.

Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, highlighted the key new rules that will help you:

Limits on the size of late fees: Credit card issuers will no longer be allowed to charge you a late payment fee that is larger than your minimum payment. Banks also cannot charge a late fee higher than $25 unless one of your last six payments has been late or if the bank can show that the costs associated with the late payment justify a higher fee.

Ban on multiple penalty fees for single violations: You cannot be charged more than one penalty fee for a single violation of your credit card agreement. For example, you cannot be charged both a late fee and a returned payment fee based on a single botched payment.

Ban on inactivity fees: Card issuers will no longer be allowed to charge you a fee for failing to use your account enough or for terminating your account. Your account can still be closed for inactivity by your card issuer.

More information about why your rate is going up: Since August 2009, card issuers have been required to give 45 days notice before raising your interest rate on future purchases. Now they must notify you of the reason they are imposing a rate hike, such as market conditions or a reduced credit score.

In the weekly address, President Obama urged Republicans to stop obstructing a bill that would rein in corporate influence over elections and require corporations to disclose what ads they’re funding. The President called on elected officials to either denounce these corporate and foreign-funded ads, or join the bipartisan effort to pass legislation in response to the Supreme Court’s harmful Citizens United decision.

We cannot allow the corporate takeover of our democracy.  So we’re going to continue to fight for reform and transparency.  And I urge all of you to take up the same fight.  Let’s challenge every elected official who benefits from these ads to defend this practice or join us in stopping it.

At a time of such challenge for America, we can’t afford these political games.  Millions of Americans are struggling to get by, and their voices shouldn’t be drowned out by millions of dollars in secret, special interest advertising.  Their voices should be heard.

Let’s not forget that a century ago, it was a Republican President – Teddy Roosevelt – who first tried to tackle the issue of corporate influence on our elections.  He actually called it “one of the principal sources of corruption in our political affairs.”  And he proposed strict limits on corporate influence in elections.  “Every special interest is entitled to justice,” he said.  “but not one is entitled to a vote in Congress, to a voice on the bench, or to representation in any public office.”

We now face a similar challenge, and a similar opportunity to prevent special interests from gaining even more clout in Washington.  This shouldn’t be a Democratic issue or a Republican issue.  This is an issue that goes to whether or not we will have a democracy that works for ordinary Americans – a government of, by, and for the people.  Let’s show the cynics and the special interests that we still can.

When voters go to to the polls this November, they’ll have a clear choice—a choice between the Republican Party focused on Tea Party extremes or Democrats working to continue the progress we’ve made. Vice President Joe Biden laid out this choice in his speech earlier today at the Democratic Party’s summer meeting in St. Louis.

“When people start to look at the alternative, they’ll find this ain’t your father’s Republican Party. This is the Republican Tea Party. And what they’re going to find out is the choices are pretty stark. They’re going to see a Republican Party that is a combination of the old failed Bush policies and a new set of Draconian rules. They’re offering more of the past but on steroids. They have some new ideas, but the new ideas are taking the old ones and even further squeezing the life out of them....”

To determine what happens in November, it’ll take some serious work between now and Election Day. Here are two great ways you can help:

Commit to vote. Make sure your voice is heard in the important races in your area.

Host a door-to-door canvass next weekend to make sure your neighbors know about the upcoming elections. Our goal is to knock on 200,000 doors that weekend—it’s an ambitious one, but you can help us reach it by hosting an event.

As the Vice President said today, this election is about a choice “between Democrats and the Republican Tea Party, between Democrats and the party of repeal and repeat.” The President is moving the country forward, but we all need to get involved to make sure we keep making progress.

In less than two years in office, the Obama Administration has made some incredible progress, from passing historic health reform to reining in Wall Street and fighting to create new jobs.

Even so, sometimes it can feel like all of the day-to-day news is focused on the negative, without much emphasis on the real changes the President has made with the help of supporters around the country.

For a look at some of the great accomplishments in just the past few weeks—including troops leaving Iraq, bringing the auto industry back from the brink of collapse, and containing the oil spill in the Gulf—check out Eugene Robinson’s column in today’s Washington Post.

This is a radical break from journalistic convention, I realize, but today I'd like to give credit where it's due -- specifically, to President Obama. Quiet as it's kept, he's on a genuine winning streak.

It's hard to remember that the inauguration was just 19 months ago. Expectations of the new president were absurdly high. If Obama had done back flips across the Potomac River, when he reached the other side he'd have faced probing questions about why it was taking him so long to cure cancer, solve the Arab-Israeli conflict and usher in an age of universal peace and prosperity.

But look at what he's accomplished in just the past few weeks. Let me highlight four recent headlines.

"Last U.S. combat troops leave Iraq": Obama campaigned as an early and vocal opponent of the Iraq war, calling it a distraction from the more important conflict in Afghanistan. When he took office, there were about 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq on the heels of George W. Bush's combat surge. Obama said he would bring our combat forces home and he did -- ahead of schedule....

"General Motors to launch stock offering": One of the many crises Obama faced when he took office was the imminent collapse of an iconic industrial giant....

Obama ended up pouring $50 billion into the company, acquiring a 61 percent ownership stake. Critics complained about the advent of "Government Motors" and raised the specter of bureaucrats in Washington holding public hearings to redesign the Corvette. But now, after making more than $2 billion in profits so far this year, the restructured company is confident enough to sell stock on Wall Street -- and begin repaying the government's investment.

The company was saved, workers kept their jobs, and taxpayers are going to get their money back. That's nice work.

"Gulf oil spill contained": When BP's Deepwater Horizon well went rogue, the Obama administration was criticized for being slow off the mark. Some of the criticism was justified -- the initial response did seem unfocused. But the administration managed to turn things around and quiet any talk of "Obama's Katrina."

Obama persuaded BP to put up $20 billion as a guarantee that the Gulf Coast residents whose livelihoods were damaged or destroyed by the spill would be compensated....

And finally, "President wades into mosque controversy": Yes, I'm serious. Supporting the mosque in Lower Manhattan didn't score any political points. But Obama saw his duty to uphold the values of our Constitution and make clear that our fight is against the terrorists, not against Islam itself. Instead of doing what was popular, he did what was right.

He still hasn't walked on water, though. What's wrong with the man?

As the Democratic Party steps up our ambitious efforts this election season, today we're launching our party's first iPhone and iPad apps—allowing Democrats across the country to stay connected and get involved in new ways.

This is the first mobile app released by the Democratic Party, and the first iPad app ever released by a political party, committee or candidate. We've taken the successful Obama '08 app and improved it, giving supporters great new ways to participate from wherever they are.

Using the app’s calling feature, you can make your voice heard on the issues and campaigns that matter to you. You can find local events in your area and connect with other grassroots Democratic supporters. And you'll get access to the latest photos, videos and political news.

We've also implemented a new platform, 'AirMail,' that lets app users receive messages on a special action inbox where they get the most up-to-date ways of getting involved and taking immediate action.

These features are a key part of our strategy to connect with voters, supporters and volunteers around the Democratic Party’s $50 million Vote 2010 campaign. They’ll play a role in our lager goal of turning out the 15 million first-time 2008 voters to support the President’s allies in House, Senate and Governor’s races this fall.

These free apps were put together in collaboration with Small Society, the company behind the Obama '08 app, and Urban Airship, who provides the new AirMail function. They’re just two of the latest ways we’re using technology to connect with supporters in new ways. Earlier this month we launched RaiseYourVote.com, where users can receive personalized voting information and a widget to embed in their sites. And soon we’ll be announcing the Open Democrats API to engage supporters with our technology and targeting work.

We're cooking up new features every day, so stay on the lookout for what we'll be rolling out as we get closer to November’s elections.

You can download the iPhone or iPad app here.

Good morning.

This morning, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine appeared on the Warren Ballentine Show, one of the highest-rated African-American talk shows in the country. During that interview, Chairman Kaine highlighted the DNC’s Vote 2010 effort to bring more of the President’s supporters back to the polls this fall to help him continue to move his agenda forward by electing strong Democratic allies who will stand with him to address America’s biggest challenges. Said Chairman Kaine:

“Our main focus at the DNC is really going to be the 15 million Americans who voted for the first time in 2008, who wanted to be part of an historic election. We know that they are disproportionately minorities, disproportionately young, more women than men, but we also know that they would not normally participate at a heavy level in a midterm election…so we’re focused very significantly on this group of 15 million to try and increase that turn-out.”

“We do have to have very significant turn-out in the African American community…Here we have a President who walked in after a historic election to the toughest circumstances since FDR was inaugurated in 1933 – a horrible economy, two wars , all kinds of other issues – and whether it’s been turning the economy around…or getting health insurance reform passed…this President has tackled all the tough issues. But he’s only going to be able to be successful in the second half of this term if he’s got good colleagues to work with in Congress and in the Governors’ mansions, and it’s absolutely critical that African-American supporters who stood so strongly with the President in 2008 continue to help him have partners who will enable him to get the job done.”

You can listen to the full interview below, and visit RaiseYourVote.com to find out how you can register to vote and make a difference this year.

Last week, Congressman Joe Barton, the highest ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, called the $20 billion BP fund created by the President to pay damages to oil spill victims a “shakedown” and personally apologized to BP and BP CEO Tony Hayward.

Afterward, Joe Barton recanted his apology. But today he made it clear that he still thinks BP – not the people of the Gulf Coast – deserves his apology. As the Washington Post reports:

“Hours after getting a respite from House Republicans, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) has cheekily responded to criticism over his ‘apology to BP’ by tweeting a link to an American Spectator article titled ‘Joe Barton was right.’”

And Congressman Barton isn’t the only BP apologist. While President Obama and Democrats in Congress continue to stand up for the people of the Gulf Coast and demand accountability from BP in the wake of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Republicans from across the country continue to defend their oil industry donors and allies.

Sen. John Cornyn said he "shares" Barton's concern. Rep. Michele Bachmann said that BP shouldn't agree to be "fleeced." Rush Limbaugh called it a "bailout." The Republican Study Committee, with its 114 members in the House, called it a "shakedown." And not a single member of the 114-member Republican Study Committee disagreed with the RSC’s attack on the accountability fund.

As DNC National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan said:

“It's not just Joe Barton who thinks 'Joe Barton is right' in taking the side of oil companies instead of our families. Republicans have repeatedly proven that they agree with him. They proved it by making him the top Republican overseeing oil companies in the first place and allowing him to keep that job now. They proved it in their opposition to lifting the liability cap on oil companies which caused this kind of devastation. They proved it in their opposition to the BP accountability fund. They proved in their opposition to the President's call for an energy policy that ensures we are never in a position again where we are reliant on oil and oil companies. Joe Barton defiantly saying he was right and Republicans keeping him in a position to oversee oil companies says everything you need to know about the sincerity of Republican protestations about the behavior of BP and the oil industry. This is how they truly feel.”

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine is in Ohio today, speaking on the Recovery Act’s role in new economic growth and Democrats’ work to create jobs and strengthen the economy. Chairman Kaine’s speech comes on the heels of President Obama’s trip to Ohio last week to break ground on the Recovery Act’s 10,000th roads project.

Watch the event live beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time.