For Immediate Release
Thursday, April 23, 2009
AFSCME, Americans United for Change Launch New Television Ad Spotlighting the Republican ‘Party of NO’ and the Middle-Class Priorities They Turned Their Back On
Ad Part of AFSCME’s “Make America Happen” Campaign – A Major Initiative Urging Congress to Get the Economy Moving Through Reinvestment in Public Services, Health Care Reform
Washington, D.C. —AFSCME was joined by Americans United for Change on a press conference call today (download audio as an MP3 file) to announce details of a new television ad spotlighting the Republican ‘Party of NO’ and many important middle-class priorities they turned their back on in Congress since President Obama took office nearly 100 days ago. The TV spot called “Timeline” which will begin airing nationally on cable tomorrow, criticizes Congressional Republicans for their overwhelming opposition to children’s healthcare program for 4 million kids in need; legislation helping ensure women receive equal pay for equal work; a jobs and economic recovery plan that is working to create or save 3.5 million jobs and provide 95 percent of Americans with tax relief; and most recently, the President’s budget blueprint for long-term economic growth through investments in health care, education and clean energy.” See the script for “Timeline” below and view it on the newly launched AFSCME web site: www.makeamericahappen.com/
The new television spot is part of AFSCME’s “Make America Happen” campaign urging Congress to get the economy moving through reinvestment in public services, health care reform and passing the Employee Free Choice Act. The 1.6 million members of AFSCME led an unprecedented effort to pass President Obama’s economic recovery plan and will now turn their attention to upcoming opportunities to strengthen the economy and bring real change to America. On the press conference call, AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee announced that the union has deployed field organizers to legislative swing states across the country, from Maine to Alaska, to union strongholds like Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well as in Southern states like Arkansas and North Carolina.
Gerald W. McEntee, President, AFSCME: “Through this campaign, we are mobilizing our members and the general public to support President Obama’s comprehensive effort to promote jobs and economic recovery, enact health care reform this year and pass the Employee Free choice Act. The Roadblock Republicans can’t hide from the damage their resistance is doing to the recovery our people need. We have important work to do to overcome the opposition of the corporate CEO’s who set the GOP agenda. We’re going to flood Capitol Hill with phone calls and letters to keep us on the road to recovery. And we’re going to make sure that the Roadblock Republicans know that working Americans expect them to put partisanship aside and do what is right for America.”
Tom McMahon, Acting Executive Director, Americans United for Change: “This ad is intended to shine a harsh light on the Republican ‘Party of NO’ for turning their backs on the middle-class at every opportunity since President Obama took office nearly 100 days ago -- whether it was providing health care for 4 million kids in need, helping ensure women will receive equal pay for equal work, or an economic recovery bill that is ahead of schedule towards creating or saving 3.5 million jobs. Republicans in Congress are still marching to beat of Rush Limbaugh’s drum and desperately clinging to the failed economic policies of the past that got us into this mess to begin with: more tax breaks for big oil and multi-millionaires that never manage to ‘trickle-down’ to anyone else and more woefully shortchanged investments in things that will actually grow the economy, like healthcare, education and clean energy.”
Download the script and back-up for "Timeline" (35K PDF)
