Common Defense PAC

Campaigns

• Boy Scouts: Take Away Trump's Honorary Presidency

  I served six years as a Marine, but the first uniform I put on was as a member of Boy Scouts of America. In the Boy Scouts, I lived by the Boy Scout Law, learning their code of values. At the Boy Scouts National Jamboree on Monday, Donald Trump showed he shares none of these values, and disrespected tens of thousands of young Scouts and their families by turning a nonpartisan event into a bizarre, offensive campaign rally, leading chants booing his political enemies, praising himself, and bragging about his election. It has long been a tradition for the President of the United States to serve as honorary president of Boy Scouts of America, but it is clear that Donald Trump cannot serve as a role model for Boy Scouts and other young people, and is against the values Scouts live by and the oath Boy Scouts like me swear. Therefore, we demand that Boy Scouts of America take away Donald Trump’s honorary title of president of the organization.

  73,109 of 75,000 Signatures

  Created by Alexander McCoy
• VP Pence: you owe us $1 million for that NFL stunt

  Mike Pence flew 3,300 miles in Air Force Two on a Trump-promoted stunt—spending millions in the process—just so he could insult NFL players taking a knee for racial justice. After some players knelt during the national anthem at a recent Indianapolis Colts game, Pence walked out of the stadium, later saying in a statement "I stand with President Trump, I stand with our soldiers, and I will always stand for our Flag and our National Anthem."2 It was an obvious media stunt, designed to continue the administration's racist attacks on athletes peacefully demonstrating against police brutality and systematic racism. Unlike our vice president and Donald Trump, I actually served in the military, and I am 100% in support of the athletes calling attention to our broken, unjust system. I don't appreciate it when Trump and Pence talk about veterans and the flag to hide their own racist agenda, and I don't appreciate a expensive, taxpayer-funded publicity stunt to advance their politics of hate. Join me in telling Pence to pay us back for his stunt.

  22,539 of 25,000 Signatures

  Created by Perry O'Brien
• Tell the military to report domestic abusers and stop them from buying guns

  A veteran of the Air Force recently committed a terrible massacre in Texas. Adding to this devastating tragedy is the revelation that if the military had reported this veteran's record of violence against his wife and child, he never would have been able to purchase the weapons he used to kill 26 churchgoers. Pentagon policies already require the military to report violent crimes like domestic abuse, but this isn't happening, and this notification failure is putting lives at risk. Tell the Armed Services Committee to instruct all branches of the military to enforce this reporting and conduct a comprehensive review to make sure other violent offenders haven't fallen through the cracks.

  639 of 800 Signatures

  Created by Perry O'Brien
• Join Vets in supporting Kaepernick

  It's electric. All over the country, NFL players are taking a knee and linking arms. They're kneeling in opposition to police brutality. They're linking arms because Black Lives Matter. They're joining together in defiance of Donald Trump, who attacks People of Color but says white supremacists are “very fine people.” Trump has tried to turn the players and teams against each other, but his divisive, racist rhetoric isn't working. It's only strengthening their bonds, and unifying people against the politics of hate. Professional athletes courageously confronted Trump's bullying and bigotry yesterday, despite the fact that he has called on their employers to fire them, and even suggested a boycott of their league. Now, as a veteran, I'm joining them, along with thousands of veterans and military families. The NFL needs to know that Americans--all of us--support patriots like Colin Kaepernick, and all the other athletes who are peacefully protesting for racial justice. This isn’t about the flag, which I have personally taken an oath to defend. It’s about our basic values, like believing in the right to speak out, demand equality, and fight for justice. We need to live our values today--like these NFL teams are--by taking a knee and linking arms. When I was 19, I stood up and raised my right hand to enlist in the US Army, because I believe in our basic values of equality, justice, and free speech. The right to kneel and express oneself is exactly what I swore an oath to protect. And all of us at Common Defense--the organization of veterans and military families I co-founded--will continue our fight to uphold that. Will you join me and send a message to the NFL that we're with them?

  184 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Perry O'Brien
• Tell Congress: No Trump war!

  Donald Trump requested $54 billion in additional funds for things like war jets, air craft carriers, and nuclear weapons--even as his budget cut deeply into the U.S. State Department's diplomatic efforts. A day later, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that "all options were on the table" with regard to addressing increased tensions with North Korea--including, as Tillerson noted, a pre-emptive military strike on North Korea. And, to make matters worse, Trump has taken to Twitter, seemingly seeking to goad or shame China, which is a long-time ally of North Korea. Trump's reckless Pentagon spending, coupled with Tillerson's bellicose rhetoric, should prompt all congressional lawmakers to state right now that they will not support a Trump administration's war of choice. MoveOn members championed strategic and lasting diplomacy with Iran and were the backbone of the resistance to the Iraq war. Let's make it clear to Members of Congress that we're prepared to once again flood the streets in cities and towns across the country to stop Trump’s war making.

  74 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Nate Terani
• Trump: Stop Using Veterans and Military Families as Props

  For those of us who have served in uniform, or belong to military families, there was nothing respectful about Trump's "tribute" to the widow of Senior Chief Owens. Instead, it was a loathsome and gut-wrenching moment - using a family's grief over a slain service member as a political ploy to shield himself from criticism, while refusing to take responsibility for his actions. During the 2016 campaign, myself and fellow veterans joined together to form Common Defense, an organization dedicated to fighting back against Trump's attacks on our most basic values. Now that he is in the White House, it is deeply troubling that Trump continues the pattern of using the military to push an agenda of hatred and division. We need to say loud and clear that we and our loved ones refuse to be pawns in Trump's game. Trump does not speak for the military community, and Trump knows nothing of the sacrifices we and our families have made. Trump's exploitation of Owens' death is just as unacceptable as his disrespect for the Gold Star Khan family during the 2016 campaign, and continues his long history of shameful insults to veterans, including POWs and Purple Heart recipients, as well as the countless Muslims, Immigrants, women, and people of color who served in uniform -- unlike Trump, who still only seems interested in serving himself. Of course the sacrifices of Gold Star families deserve to be honored, but Trump's speech was not a way of honoring Senior Chief Owens, it was taking advantage of a family's grief for his own political gain. This cannot be tolerated. Stand with us in condemning Trump's use of veterans and military families as political props.

  290 of 300 Signatures

  Created by Perry O'Brien
• Secretary Mattis: Denounce Trump's Attack on Transgender Troops

  I am one of thousands of transgender troops and veterans who, unlike Trump, have willingly volunteered to defend this nation. Trump has no right to dishonor our service. This is particularly shameful because Trump seems to have made these statements without consulting the Pentagon or other military leadership. His tweets are already creating chaos and uncertainty among the ranks, and for people seeking to join the military. Secretary Mattis can reassure our troops - and our country - by denouncing these statements, and sending a clear message that hate is not a military value.

  2,917 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by Sophia-Helene Mees de Tricht
• 

  Tell President Biden: Evacuate Afghan interpreters in a safe and timely manner

  Afghan interpreters who put their lives and families at risk deserve protection by the U.S. The U.S. has a moral obligation to act — from speeding up the visa application process and increasing the number of visas available to directly evacuating interpreters. And as veterans, active duty servicemembers, military family members, and civilian supporters, it's our duty to speak up and demand action from the Biden Administration. Will you add your name and tell President Biden not to leave Afghan interpreters behind? >>

  175 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Perry O'Brien
• Tell GOP leaders to disavow Trump and his attacks on veterans

  Over the weekend, Donald Trump publicly insulted the Khan family, making comments—rooted in Islamophobia—about a family grieving the loss of their son, Humayun Khan, a U.S. solider who died in Iraq. This is one in a long line of painful examples which make it clear that Trump cannot be trusted to honor the women and men serving this nation in the armed services. My organization, Common Defense, was started out of a shared belief that Donald Trump is unfit to be our next commander-in-chief. As an Operation Enduring Freedom veteran, I’m appalled at Trump's disrespect for military families and his use of veterans as political props. In the army, I swore to protect the rights of every American. But Donald Trump wants to divide us, and his actions will put us in danger. Sen. McConnell and Speaker Ryan have both released statements that failed to mention Donald Trump by name or outright condemn his attacks. If Republican leaders do not outright disavow Trump's dangerous rhetoric, they are not only endorsing Donald Trump's candidacy, but also his attacks on veterans. We cannot allow these comments to go unchallenged. Tell the leaders of the Republican Party to disavow Trump's attacks on veterans now.

  122,277 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Perry O'Brien
• Senator Portman: Disavow Donald Trump

  After being asked if he would trust Donald Trump with the codes to our nuclear arsenal, Senator Portman recently issued a statement saying that he believes Trump will “keep America safe.” As an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician serving in Iraq, I saw what happens when devastating weapons are left in the wrong hands, and I know Senator Portman is wrong. Throughout this campaign, Trump has shown again and again that he is irrational, impulsive, and utterly unqualified to be President. On the use of nuclear weapons he has said “we need unpredictability,” and that he sees no problem in letting more countries develop nuclear weapons. Speaking with a foreign policy expert about the U.S. nuclear arsenal, Trump reportedly asked “if we have them, why can’t we use them?” These are just a few of the reasons that 50 Republican national security experts wrote a letter warning that Trump, if elected, "would be the most reckless President in American history.” By saying he trusts Donald Trump with the nuclear codes, Senator Portman is putting the safety of our country -- and the world -- into the hands of a man who is clearly unfit to assume the responsibility. It is unacceptable for Senator Portman to choose party loyalty over his duty to keep our country safe. Join me in telling Senator Portman that if he wants to show Ohio that he takes our national security seriously, he must join Governor Kasich and over a hundred fellow Republican leaders in stating that he does not support Donald Trump.

  904 of 1,000 Signatures

  Created by Vincent Hayden