As the first openly gay candidate in Missouri’s history, we cracked the horrifically biased system which has existed for centuries. Families like ours genuinely represent the future of this state and this nation.
I’m proud to endorse Trudy Busch Valentine. The reason is simple; whether we like how power works or not, she represents our best hope of restoring honor to Missouri’s place in the United States Senate. The Republican field is utterly lacking honor.
Missourians deserve a Senator who will fight for, “we hold these truths self-Missourians deserve a Senator who will fight for, “we hold these truths self-evident that all are created equal.” While I believe that whole-heartedly, Trudy does as well and is the candidate who can win. I hope you’ll join me in throwing your whole heart into electing her to be Missouri’s next U.S. Senator.
Friend, too much is at stake for America’s place in the world. We can not entertain any current Republicans from getting anywhere near the U.S. Friend, too much is at stake for America’s place in the world. We can not entertain any current Republicans from getting anywhere near the U.S. Senate. Only one candidate has the resources, name recognition, honor, and bravery to stand up and lead this state in a direction that remotely resembles America. I call on the remaining candidates in the field to join myself and Scott Sifton, drop your names from the primary ballot and endorse Trudy Busch Valentine.
Tim Shepard endorses Abby Finkenauer for U.S. Senate in Iowa
Friend,
Join me in my hearty endorsement of Abby Finenauer for U.S. Senate in Iowa. She’s an amazing candidate with the drive, grit, determination, and passion for Iowa.
Tim Shepard
Catch Up with Tim
I’M ENDORSING TRUDY BUSCH VALENTINE
I’m proud to endorse Trudy Busch Valentine. The reason is simple; whether we like how power works or not, she represents our best hope of restoring honor to Missouri’s place in the United States Senate. The Republican field is utterly lacking honor.
Super PACs pose a threat to American Democracy
Since Citizen’s United became the law of the land, we’ve seen a new type of political action committee emerge called the SuperPAC, a tool that allows for the ultra-rich to donate hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars every political cycle. That is, a few wealthy individuals can have a greater influence on elections with their money than We the People can with our vote. This has undermined the core principle of American democracy, that “we hold these truths to be self-evident that all [people] are created equal.”
Continue Reading Super PACs pose a threat to American Democracy
Tim Shepard’s Statement on Nixon’s Decision not to Run.
“Governor Nixon did his best job in his tenure as Missouri’s governor, and we welcome his decision not to run in light of his missteps with his reaction to Ferguson, MO. We must have the strongest possible candidate for the 2022 Senate race. I’m confident that our message of a Missouri UnCompromised as well as my candidacy as the only candidate in the race with receipts that I can’t be bought by dark money is exactly what Missourians are looking for in their elected representatives.”
Continue Reading Tim Shepard’s Statement on Nixon’s Decision not to Run.
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Super PACs pose a threat to American Democracy
Since Citizen’s United became law, we’ve seen a new type of political action committee emerge called Super PACs. A fancy way of saying Super Political Action Committee. Super PACs are a tool that allows for the ultra-rich to individually donate hundreds of millions every political cycle. A few wealthy individuals have a greater influence on elections with their money than millions of us combined. We just aren’t all billionaires. This has undermined the core principle of American democracy, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all [people] are created equal.” What’s more, the same wealthy individuals can use these Super PACs to bribe politicians to take a stance against the interests of The People. All in, Super PACs lacking contribution limits have created gridlock in Washington.
How Super PACs work
With unrestricted donations, any ultra-rich family can give unlimited money to Political Action Committees. My call-time sheets are rife with political donors who give tens and hundreds of millions of dollars per election cycle. Which beg’s the question, how can the super-rich people be giving hundreds of millions of dollars if campaigns have contribution limits?
Politico recently published the re-emergence of Republican megadonor Miriam Adelson. Writing that, “Despite her husband’s death, Adelson plans to dole out big checks and be an influential player shaping the future of the party, which over the past decade has reaped more than a half-billion dollars of the family’s fortune.”
And while I’m citing a Republican mega-donor, this is something that has accelerated on all sides of the political aisle. So you may be asking, given that it’s happening on all sides, and it’s legal, what’s wrong with it?
Donate $1 for Democracy to Elect Tim
Then invite three of your friends to do the same. When the people unite, we can put an end to unlimited contributions and the corrosive influence of money in politics. And we must demand that candidates and politicians do the same.
The Problem With Super PACs
I’m so glad you asked. Since the Supreme Court made Citizen’s United law, American politics exploded into a maelstrom of finger-pointing, brinksmanship, outrage, and hate. With Donald Trump, we saw the damage of combining the structural problem of unlimited money in politics with fear.
Sadly, the lesson all sides have taken is to utilize that fear in a quest to raise more and more money with no end in sight. That’s what’s driving the brinksmanship and the choice of each partisan group to lean into our respective base. If we can provoke enough outrage with our core constiuents, then we can raise more grassroots dollars and take the message to our people that our side alone can save America.
We’re in a race to the bottom, and the way to end it isn’t through winning more power for our team by leveraging the instrument that’s driving us all apart as Americans. It’s to level with you that Super PACs opened a pandora’s box that has brought us to the brink of civil war, and the only way we’re going to end it, is to put contribution limits on them and contain the outrage machine and outright bribery that followed suit.
How to Correct Super PACs
On the campaign trail, I get asked over and ever again how we can save America from tipping into an Autocracy or from becoming more and more like a Russian-style oligarchy or medieval feudalism. The answer is shockingly simple, we have to put contribution limits on Super PACs.
The fact of the matter is that the ultra-rich will use their wealth to purchase influence in our elections regardless of whether they disclose who they are. Dark money is bad, but it’s a distraction from our core problem. As long as we allow unlimited donations from the world’s wealthiest few, our democracy is at risk. Partisanship is at an all-time high, families are under intense stress, and neighbors are looking at each other as fundamentally un-American.
All of this is being driven by the fuel of the ultra-rich holding onto the status quo and vying for outsized representation in a nation that is supposed to be equally governed by all of us. We need to immediately push for contribution limits at Super PACs that limit the amount of influence they can buy and we need to ensure that we actually enforce.
Join Our Movement to Restore American Democracy
Join me as we seek to reclaim the Senate and most importantly, our democracy. Safeguard representation for every American and join our movement to demand that your representative and candidates pledge to call out Super PACs until we get contribution limits back in place. Watch how you can act to save our democracy.
Donate $1 for Democracy to Elect Tim
Then invite three of your friends to do the same. When the people unite, we can put an end to unlimited contributions and the corrosive influence of money in politics. And we must demand that candidates and politicians do the same.
More Articles in the Shepard Post
I’M ENDORSING TRUDY BUSCH VALENTINE
I’m proud to endorse Trudy Busch Valentine. The reason is simple; whether we like how power works or not, she represents our best hope of restoring honor to Missouri’s place in the United States Senate. The Republican field is utterly lacking honor.
Tim Shepard endorses Abby Finkenauer for U.S. Senate in Iowa
Friend, Join me in my hearty endorsement of Abby Finenauer for U.S. Senate in Iowa. She’s an amazing candidate with the drive, grit, determination, and passion for Iowa. Tim Shepard Catch Up with Tim Stay in the Loop – Subscribe for Updates!
Continue Reading Tim Shepard endorses Abby Finkenauer for U.S. Senate in Iowa
Tim Shepard’s Statement on Nixon’s Decision not to Run.
“Governor Nixon did his best job in his tenure as Missouri’s governor, and we welcome his decision not to run in light of his missteps with his reaction to Ferguson, MO. We must have the strongest possible candidate for the 2022 Senate race. I’m confident that our message of a Missouri UnCompromised as well as my candidacy as the only candidate in the race with receipts that I can’t be bought by dark money is exactly what Missourians are looking for in their elected representatives.”
Continue Reading Tim Shepard’s Statement on Nixon’s Decision not to Run.
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Tim Shepard’s Statement on Nixon’s Decision not to Run.
For Immediate Release
July 29, 2021
Contact:
816-200-7448
Statement from Democratic Candidate Tim Shepard on Governor Jay Nixon’s announcement not to run.
Following Governor Jay Nixon’s announcement not to run for U.S. Senate in 2022, Tim Shepard released the following statement.
“Governor Nixon did his best job in his tenure as Missouri’s governor, and we welcome his decision not to run in light of his missteps with his reaction to Ferguson, MO. We must have the strongest possible candidate for the 2022 Senate race. I’m confident that our message of a Missouri UnCompromised as well as my candidacy as the only candidate in the race with receipts that I can’t be bought by dark money is exactly what Missourians are looking for in their elected representatives.”
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Raising the Wage Floor – The Fight for $15
Pitting small businesses against the minimum wage workforce is not working. All that fight will achieve is a win for the Walmarts, Dollar Generals, and Amazons of the world.
To raise the wage floor and win this argument, In the Fight for $15, we need to grow our coalition and include small business owners. Our current economy works against entrepreneurs, small business owners, and workers alike, but it doesn’t need to stay like this.
You and I, and everyone else, can band together in the fight for a livable wage. We can demand that we raise the federal minimum wage to $15 while also demanding that America’s small businesses are empowered and given what they deserve.
When I’m in the United States Senate, I promise to strengthen the Small Business Administration with funding to ensure that our small businesses can be allies in our fight to increase the minimum wage.
To ensure that America thrives, we need a significant restructuring of the economy. We need to move away from subsidizing monopolies that drive mom-and-pop businesses into bankruptcy. Entrepreneurs and small businesses alike are hungry for the best workers and talent. But they can’t afford to attract workers because they can’t afford to compete with massive corporations. Meanwhile, those very same corporations like Walmart and Amazon win out and only further harm the small businesses. This cycle is crippling the American economy while empowering the monopolies and oligarchies to further oppress those who can barely survive.
The good news is that we have the tools we need to get the economy working again, for us, not them! We can use anti-trust laws to break up the monopolies that are engaged in competition-killing practices. We can increase the funding for the Small Business Administration and help small businesses pay competitive wages and reward talent. And we can enhance our credit scoring system to enable entrepreneurs to take those risks when launching small businesses without potentially ruining their entire future.
Move over Mark McCloskey. Meet Tim Shepard
As Mark McCloskey announced his run for US Senate, it’s evident that many Missourians are fighting for a backward view of our national identity. As was enshrined in the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Here at Tim Shepard for United States Senate campaign, we are fighting for a MissouriUnCompromised. When Drek and I decided to get into public service, we did so, knowing that our existence in this race is an act of defiant protest. We need you to stand with us. Too many in our state, including many powerful Democrats, have misread what the rise of Trumpism in Missouri means. They see a racist, backwoods, and backward electorate.
But here’s the secret, Missouri isn’t as racist, homophobic, and backwoods as we all try to tell each other that we are. Trump carried Missouri in large part because he spoke to the needs of a lot of Missourians; he made them feel heard. We Democrats do such a fantastic job at explicitly calling out so many groups; black and brown communities, people of color, women, indigenous communities, LGBTQ folks, and the list goes on. Don’t get me wrong, it’s critical and vital that we address every marginalized community, but we are missing one which has allowed the Republicans to wedge neighbors apart.
We have many white working and middle-class people on edge, people who don’t have access to high-wage jobs, education, rural broadband, healthcare, good infrastructure, etc. And when we talk about the idea of white privilege, it makes them feel excluded.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
Declaration of independence
It’s true, Mark McCloskey is a symbol of Missouri’s past and present misdeeds. But we will only make a new future when we demand the opposite. Demanding a Missouri UnComomprimised means we have to embrace and live our values with pride. Our Declaration of Independence has aspirational words that Martin Luther King refers to as our national creed. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” These are the words that have animated the debate over the very soul of our nation. The debate raged at the nation’s founding, again in 1820 when the federal legislature passed the Missouri Compromise, and in the present. We are debating whether it is okay for a few to profit at the expense of human suffering and exploitation. It gets played out in the question of whether Black Lives Matter, whether or not our rural and urban communities are created equal, whether or not every single American deserves healthcare, and education, and a living wage.
As you’re sharing on social media, stop elevating the Missouri Compromise. Don’t share about Greitens or the McCloskeys; that promotes the suffering side of the debate. Instead, proudly declare that we are a Missouri UnCompromised! Proudly share with the world and your neighbors that we have a candidate who truly is here to fight for all of us. Meet me, Tim Shepard, an LGBTQ activist with a beautiful mixed family representative of America’s future. We can choose to have a senator who has blended urban and rural lives and believes in traditional American values, that our diversity is our strength, and democracy is what makes us great.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has!” – Margeret Meade
Now let’s get to work!
-Tim
