AFSCME - Statement of AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee on the Republican Presidential Candidates Debate

It was a sorry show from Simi Valley. We saw a stage full of Bush apologists offer us four more years of fear, failure and fantasy. They defended a misguided and mismanaged war in Iraq and failed to address the most basic issues important to America’s working families.

How can these candidates be so desperately out of touch with the real world concerns of America’s families? The Republicans offered no real plans to provide affordable health care for all, help parents send their children to college and ensure that people who have worked hard all their lives have a secure retirement.

Instead these candidates offered more of the same – tax cuts for the wealthy, an unending war in Iraq, and continued handouts to corporations while working men and women struggle to keep their heads above water.

AFSCME’s 1.6 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in hundreds of different occupations – from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers – AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families.

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American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
1625 L Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036-5687
Telephone (202) 429-1145
Fax (202) 429-1120