They Said What?!
August 29, 2012
The Republican National Convention kicked off yesterday in Tampa, Fla., with a long night of speeches, including remarks from a string of anti-worker governors infamous for bashing working families, Social Security and Medicare, and unions. Here are a few that had us scratching our heads.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
“We believe in telling seniors the truth about our overburdened entitlements.”
–New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is prone to yelling at citizens who disagree with him at public events.
Eddie Perez, AFSCME member from Jersey City, N.J., says: “By choosing Chris Christie to open the convention, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are signaling that they, like the governor, will try to bully working Americans into paying for corporate tax cuts by slashing Medicare and Social Security. America is at a crossroads. We can help Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan further rig the system to favor the super-rich, or we can support President Obama and Vice President Biden’s plan to give everyone a shot at the American Dream.”
Ohio Gov. John Kasich
“The actions that we took were not always easy. The actions that we took were not always popular.”
–Ohio Gov. John Kasich, whose pet bill targeting collective bargaining was defeated by 20 percentage points in a citizens veto and who consistently polls among the most unpopular governors in the U.S.
Jean Fightmaster, an OCSEA retiree from Columbus, Ohio, says: “Governor Kasich knows all too well how voters in our state feel about the Romney-Ryan attacks on working Ohioans. Last year, voters rejected Kasich’s attempt to steal the rights of working people by a two-to-one margin. Romney endorsed that attack, so you better believe we will turn out this November to vote for the candidates who will put Main Street ahead of Wall Street. John Kasich’s appearance tonight reminds us where the candidates for president stand. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are not on the side of working Ohioans. President Obama and Vice President Biden will protect the rights and freedoms of the working middle class. The choice is clear.”
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
“We improved the economic climate for job creators.”
–Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who was caught on tape telling a billionaire donor that he would “divide and conquer” to crush workers’ rights in the state.
Jim Garity of Palmyra, Wis., says: “Americans saw firsthand the dirty, ‘divide and conquer’ politics Scott Walker employed to steal rights away from Wisconsin’s teachers, EMTs, corrections officers and other public sector workers. The Koch brothers may have Governor Walker on speed dial, but for the sake of working Americans everywhere, let’s make sure they don’t get an open line to the White House. Like Scott Walker, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will continue the war on working people by ramming through an agenda that lowers taxes on the rich, raises them on everyone else, and robs seniors of Medicare and Social Security. President Obama and Vice President Biden will unite us to secure an economy where everyone has a fair chance at success and economic security.”
