Gov. Mitt Romney has dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination, leaving Sen. John McCain as the only candidate with a reasonable path to the nomination. That means we have an opponent, and one we'll have to define early if we want to win this race for working people across
America.
It's up to all of us to make sure union members know that Sen. McCain is not the
moderate many make him out to be, and certainly not on the issues that count for working men and women. At a time when the economy is the top concern for a majority of Americans, Sen. McCain has stated that economic issues are something he's "never really understood."
A quick look at his record makes that all too clear. Download attachments at the bottom of the page
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October 8
Subject: this makes it all very clear from an outside commentator Newsweek: must read ,,, Vetting McCain's Health Plan
Tax credits would move people out of group plans and into individual policies where the benefits aren't as good.
Jane Bryant Quinn
NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Oct 13, 2008
If you think that "The Market"-whatever market-always works for the best, you'll love John McCain's version of health insurance reform. It uses the tax code to shove you toward individual policies (more "choice!") and away from comprehensive, employersupported plans. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center puts the cost of his proposed subsidies at $1.3 trillion over 10 years.
But a funny thing happens on the way to spending that much money. Almost all of the subsidy goes to people who have health insurance already, says Sherry Glied, a professor of health policy at Columbia University. The Tax Policy Center figures that, after 10 years, the plan cuts the number of uninsured by only 1 million, out of 45.7 million now. Barack Obama's $1.6 trillion plan would take 34 million off the rolls of the uninsured.
McCain's idea is pretty simple. Tax the value of employer-paid health insurance as part of your regular income (62 percent of the nonelderly are in these plans). In return, he'd give everyone a refundable tax credit-$2,500 for individuals, $5,000 for family coverage-to offset the cost of any health policy they choose. Here's how the McCain plan falls out:
- Initially, most of the people in employer plans would get a bonus from the government . Their new tax credit would exceed the amount of extra taxes they owed. For the young and healthy, the bonus could be quite large. Older workers with health problems might get a minimal bonus but still do OK. Over the years, however, the value of the credit would be eroded by health-care inflation, and your tax cost would rise.
- If you already buy your own health insurance, the tax credit would chop your premium cost by $2,500 or $5,000 . The self-employed lose the deduction they get for health-insurance premiums but would generally still come out ahead (again, until inflation intervened).
- If you ' re uninsured, the tax credit helps you purchase coverage . The only hitch-a big one-is that you have to be able to afford the premiums up front. The tax credit comes later. The government will send it to the insurance company, which will apply it to your account.
To see how much the McCain plan helps, I asked Scott Leavitt, president of the National Association of Health Underwriters, to price typical policies for healthy singles, couples and families in the Chicago area. It appears that the credit could pretty much cover the premium in your 20s and 30s, even early 40s, making it a good deal. At 55, however, a couple might pay more than $12,000-difficult for older people with modest incomes.
• The Tax Policy Center estimates that 20 million workers will leave the employer-based system, not always voluntarily . Midsize and smaller companies are likely to drop their plans and tell you to use the credit to buy a policy yourself.
• It ' s a shock to move from group plans into the harsh world of individual insurance . You get "choices" (rah, rah). But the policies cost more and cover less than company plans do-especially for women, older people and those whose health is less than perfect.
That is, if you can find coverage at all. In 2006, the Commonwealth Fund studied working-age adults hunting for individual policies. One fifth were charged more or rejected for health reasons. More than half found it hard or impossible to secure a policy they could afford.
Conservatives love health plans that throw more of the costs on you. When it's hard to pay the bills, you see the doctor less. Through the "magic of the marketplace," that's supposed to slow the rate of increase in medical costs.
Friends, there's zero evidence that that works. In the long run, tax credits will raise your costs without changing the game. And we still won't have helped most of the uninsured.
With Reporter Associate: Temma Ehrenfeld
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October 2
McCain's Miserable Record of Not Supporting America's Troops and Veteransby: Brandon FriedmanVet Voice Wed Oct 01, 2008 at 11:13:26 AM EDT |
| On Friday, September September 26, 2008, John McCain said the following [1]:
This statement--made near the end of Friday's debate--immediately infuriated veterans across America and overseas. In fact, Senator John McCain has a very clear, long, and illustrious history of not supporting troops and veterans one bit. Now, I've seen legislative examples, I've watched the YouTubes, and I've lived this lack of support in more ways than one. But now, for the first time, I've tried to compile as much of this non-support as possible into a single document--from a variety of sources--complete with links, quotes, and video clips. It's something that readers often ask me about, so I hope this helps. I'm sure there's a lot missing, so feel free to add more in the comments. But for now, I think this should give us a good start in exposing John McCain's abysmal of record of supporting troops and veterans. Here we go:
|
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September 19
AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS AFL-CIO
Straight Talk About the Real John McCain: John McCain & George Bush - Is There Really a Difference?
The Same as Bush In His Own Words: After President Bush said, "To keep our economy growing, we need to ensure that you keep more of what you earn, and Congress needs to make the tax cuts permanent," [Presidential Weekly Radio Address, 1/7/06] Senator McCain said, "I think it's very important that we make the Bush tax cuts permanent. I voted to make them permanent twice already, and if we don't make the tax cuts permanent, then they will experience what amounts to a tax increase." [Republican Presidential Debate, MSNBC, 1/24/08].
Sound like someone who understands and values working families?
Senator McCain has long promoted the idea that he is a maverick who challenges his party and stands up to his president. However, the reality is John McCain has not strayed far from President Bush's line. Senator McCain is running to extend the agenda laid out by Bush in his first two terms: tax cuts for the rich, privatizing social security, and outsourcing jobs.
Senator McCain Voted for Tax Cuts for the Wealthiest Americans at the Expense of Working Families. He voted for President Bush's $60 billion tax cut bill benefitting families with incomes of $100,000 or higher. The tax cuts would follow equally drastic cuts in spending on programs vital to working families. And he now supports not only making the Bush tax cuts permanent, but increasing the tax cuts as well, and would do so if President. [S. 2020, Vote #26, 11/18/05].
Senator McCain Voted for Bush's Social Security Privatization Plan. In 2006, John McCain voted for the Social Security Reserve Fund. The GOP proposal would shift Social Security's annual surpluses into a reserve account that will be converted into risky private accounts. [SCR 83, Vote #68, 3/16/06]. He has since made privatizing Social Security a campaign promise. With this week's devastating stock market crash, can you imagine what would have happened to already unstable retirement security in this country if the Bush/McCain plan to privatize Social Security had taken effect?
Senator McCain Supported the Bush Administration's Plan to Privatize and Outsource Federal Jobs. John McCain voted to support Bush's efforts to privatize federal jobs. The Bush administration has led a major effort to outsource and privatize hundreds of thousands of federal jobs, including those of 350 workers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. [H.R. 5631, Vote #234, 9/6/06].
With a record like this, ask yourself:
DOES SENATOR McCAIN SHARE
WORKERS' PRIORITIES?
Vote on November 4, 2008 for a U.S. President Who Shares Workers' Priorities.
For more information, visit www.massaflcio.org/mcsame-bush-bad-working-families [79] or visit http://www.mccainrevealed.org/ [80].
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September 8
[81]
Seattle Times [82]
Thursday, September 4, 2008 - Page updated at 12:16 AM [83]
Revisiting McCain's Keating 5 history
By Los Angeles Times
At one time, John McCain said the worst thing that ever happened to him, Vietnam included, was the so-called Keating 5 scandal. "The Vietnamese," he would say, "didn't question my honor."
Among McCain's earliest benefactors in Arizona was Lincoln Savings and Loan chief Charles Keating Jr., who filled McCain's campaign coffers with more than $100,000 and hosted the McCains multiple times at his vacation home in the Bahamas.
Keating expected his largesse to be rewarded, and when federal regulators began looking into Lincoln's questionable lending practices and investments in the late 1980s, he turned to five senators whose coffers he had lined - Alan Cranston of California, Donald Riegle of Michigan, John Glenn of Ohio and both Arizona senators, Dennis DeConcini and McCain.
McCain attended two meetings with regulators at Keating's request. McCain's view was that he was seeking information on behalf of a constituent who was an important employer in his state. The regulators' view was that they were being pressured to act favorably for Keating.
Lincoln's collapse, the biggest of many savings and loan failures, cost taxpayers $2.6 billion. Keating spent four years in jail, before his sentence was overturned on a technicality, and the Keating 5, as the senators came to be known, lived under an ethical cloud for years.
During the investigation, McCain revealed he and his wife, Cindy, had not reimbursed Keating for thousands of dollars in flights on his company jet to the Bahamas. The McCains blamed each other, reported McCain biographer Robert Timberg, causing the first rift in their marriage.
Then, The Arizona Republic published a report about an investment that Cindy McCain had made with her father in a shopping-mall project owned by a Keating company.
In 1991, McCain, along with his four Democratic colleagues, was found guilty by the Senate Ethics Committee of using "poor judgment" for attending the meetings with regulators on Keating's behalf.
"I watched John just crumble," Cindy McCain told Timberg. "I've seen the glow go out of him. This is a guy who could reach for the stars, and now he can't - or he won't."
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Click here for more information on the Keating 5 and the Savings and Loan scandal [84]
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September 7
Submitted by Peter Arsenault NALC - 18
From AlterNet - See Video Here [85]
Wednesday night on "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart hit Karl Rove and Bill O'Reilly with damning evidence of their hypocrisy regarding Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
While Rove recently praised Palin's experience as the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Stewart showed video of Rove trashing Virginia Governor -- and former Richmond Mayor -- Tim Kaine's executive experience, listing all the cities that are bigger than Richmond and calling such a pick "political."
Then, after recent video of O'Reilly describing Bristol Palin's pregnancy as a family issue, Stewart showed a clip of the Fox News host blaming Jamie Lynn Spears' parents for her teenage pregnancy.
Finally, after showing video of Dick Morris complaining about the rampant sexism in the media coverage of Sarah Palin, Stewart unveiled a clip of Morris saying that Hillary hides behind the sexism defense, and that anytime "the big boys" pick on Hillary, "she retreats behind the apron strings."
"In Dick Morris' defense," Stewart said, "he is a lying sack of sh*t." ############################################################################################################################
September 4
From MoveON.org
Did you watch Sarah Palin's speech last night? The speech told us a lot about her.
It told us that she can distort the facts and deliver mean-spirited zingers with the best of them. It told us that if Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter ever need a stand-in, she'd be a great pick.
It told us that she can be condescending and dismissive of the real work Barack Obama did helping real people on the South Side of Chicago. It told us that she can uphold the long Republican tradition of lying about Democratic tax cuts-even though Obama's plan would give Americans a bigger break than McCain's.
But the speech-written by one of President Bush's speechwriters-didn't tell us the truth about Sarah Palin's extremist positions. And the more that people know her far-right views, the less they support her. (There's a partial list below.)
Palin's speech and the reaction to it also made clear why McCain picked her. It wasn't a decision about who's most qualified to serve a heart-beat away from the presidency-it was a political decision about pleasing the far-right base of the Republican party.
-
Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much-just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." 1, 2
-
Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group-who advocate for a vote on secession from the union-to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" 3
-
Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.4
-
Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." 5
-
Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. 6
-
Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. 7
-
Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. 8
-
As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them-shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." 9
-
She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." 10
The plain fact of the matter is that Sarah Palin did a bang-up job delivering a Karl Rove-style political attack speech last night. That makes her a skilled politician but it doesn't make her views any more palatable for voters. Americans don't really want another far-right, anti-science ideologue in the White House.
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August 31
From MoveOn.org
Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.
Huh?
Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:
-
She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.1
-
Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.2
-
She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3
-
Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4
-
She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.5
-
She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species-she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6
-
How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.7
This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.
We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:
She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. -Rose M., Fairbanks, AK
She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. -Christine B., Denali Park, AK
As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. -Karen L., Anchorage, AK
Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.-Sherry C., Anchorage, AK
She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. -Marina L., Juneau, AK
I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.-Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK
So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.
In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.
In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.
Thanks for all you do.
-Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin [86]
2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-7774355-EAT1ZHx&t=1 [87]
3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-7774355-EAT1ZHx&t=2 [88]
4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-7774355-EAT1ZHx&t=3 [89]
5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin-ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-7774355-EAT1ZHx&t=4 [90]
6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-7774355-EAT1ZHx&t=5 [91]
"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-7774355-EAT1ZHx&t=6 [92]
"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-7774355-EAT1ZHx&t=7 [93]
7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-7774355-EAT1ZHx&t=8 [94]
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August 22
USW VIDEO UPDATE: Obama for Harley-Davidson; McCain opposes 'Buy American' [95]
==================================
Cafferty File: GOP Voter Registration Declining Since 2005?
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August 21
McCain Doesn't Remember How Many Houses He Owns
John McCain said in an interview with Politico [96] on Wednesday "that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own."
"I think -- I'll have my staff get to you," McCain said. "It's condominiums where -- I'll have them get to you."
The answer, according to the group Progressive Accountability, is an even 10 homes, ranches, condos, and lofts, together worth a combined estimated $13,823,269.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE [97]
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August 19
Unions Say: It's Time for Some Real Straight Talk About John McCain
Last update: 9:38 a.m. EDT Aug. 18, 2008
WASHINGTON, Aug 18, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Change To Win Launches Nationwide Truth Campaign on John McCain
Truth Squad to Hit 10 Battleground States in Seven Weeks
Workers to Directly Question McCain on New Website
Online Video Series to Showcase Controversial McCain Agenda through Parody
WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- A new campaign by the seven unions and six million members of Change to Win is telling working families about John McCain's anti-worker agenda.
In a multifaceted, multimedia effort, Change to Win is launching a McCain Truth Squad tour; starting a new website, http://www.worsethanbush.org/ [98], that allows workers to directly question McCain and his agenda; and premiering after Labor Day, a two-part online comedy video series showcasing McCain's anti-worker policies through humor.
The Squad of 9 workers starts its journey today in Nevada and will travel through three states using direct action and creative events to educate members on controversial McCain positions on America's mortgage crisis, Yucca Mountain, Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons and McCain's own negligence in the Senate.
"It's time for some truth about who John McCain really is and what a McCain presidency would mean for America's workers," said Anna Burger, chair of Change to Win. "Change to Win's Truth Squad is standing up to John McCain's campaign of distortion, which disguises a Bush-inspired agenda that will bankrupt our economy for four more years. At the same time, the Squad is standing up for Barack Obama whose presidency will help build a new American Dream for working families by delivering the change our members desperately need on the issues that matter most -- the economy and jobs, health care and workers' rights."
The Change to Win Truth Squad is comprised of workers from Nevada, Illinois and Florida, including waitresses, cashiers, dishwashers, homecare workers and government employees. The Squad will highlight McCain's agenda through dramatic demonstrations such as:
-- Foreclosure funerals in Reno and Las Vegas: These memorials symbolize the disastrous effect the mortgage crisis has had on Nevada and the completely inadequate response of John McCain. The events will feature speeches by workers who have lost their home, a coffin filled with mortgage statements and workers dressed up as the "McCain Mortgage Reapers." The Foreclosure Funerals will take place at Washoe County Republican Party headquarters and John McCain's Nevada campaign headquarters.
-- Jim Gibbons Rally in Carson City: John McCain has called Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons a "Great Governor" despite an FBI investigation into Gibbons' congressional past, allegations that he got his property taxes lowered from $5,000 to $15, and using a state cell phone to text his mistress 860 times. The Squad will highlight McCain's dedication to the embattled governor with a mock rally at the Nevada State capital featuring the "True McCain" explaining his support for Jim Gibbons based on their united anti-worker agenda.
-- Yucca Mountain Disaster Prep in Pahrump: To highlight John McCain's strong support of storing nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, the Squad will hold a disaster preparation rally. The event will feature the "Truth McCain" demonstrating procedures and outfits workers will need to use on the job in the event of a nuclear spill to prevent side effects such as cancer and radiation poisoning.
The Squad's mission is also spread online through http://www.worsethanbush.org/ [99]. A main feature of the site is called "Ask McCain" - videos of workers across the country telling their stories of what life has been like over the last seven years and asking John McCain questions about his record and agenda. In addition, http://www.worsethanbush.org/ [100] is a hub for videos featuring candid and entertaining McCain moments, up-to-date news on McCain flaps, and "Who Said It?," an interactive game featuring prominent, and comic, McCain quotes.
The website will also host an online comedy video series highlighting through parody the consequences of McCain's agenda for working families. The videos will be produced by Olde English, a New York-based comedy group formerly of Turner's SuperDeluxe.com and featured monthly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.
The following is the schedule for the Truth Squad's three tours:
Tour 1 Tour 2 Tour 3
8.18 - Reno, NV 9.5 - St. Paul, MN 9.26 - Grand Rapids, MI
8.19 - Carson City, NV 9.6 - La Crosse, WI 9.27 - Lansing, MI
8.20 - Las Vegas, NV 9.7 - Cedar Rapids, IA 9.28 - Detroit, MI
8.21 - Pahrump, NV 9.9 - Kansas City, MO 9.29 - Toledo, OH
8.22 - Phoenix, AZ 9.11 - St. Louis, MO 9.30 - Cleveland, OH
8.24 - Denver, CO 10.1 - Pittsburgh, PA
10.3 - Scranton, PA
On February 21, 2008, Change to Win endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president of the United States of America. The Change to Win political program is conducting a comprehensive mail, phone and canvass effort in 13 battleground states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nevada, Colorado, Michigan, Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia. Change to Win plans to send 10 million pieces of direct mail, make 20 million phone calls, and run a full-time, coordinated member-to-member canvass with 1,500 member organizers. Change to Win unions also plan to recruit over 50,000 volunteers for Election Day.
About Change to Win
Change to Win is a partnership of seven unions and six million members founded in 2005 to organize workers of the new American economy. Change to Win is committed to restoring the American Dream so that all workers have a paycheck that can support a family, affordable health care, a secure and dignified retirement, and the opportunity for the next generation to be better off. The seven affiliated unions are: Service Employees International Union, UNITE HERE, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Laborers' International Union of North America, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and United Farm Workers of America.
Paid for by the Change to Win Committee for the American Dream Not authorized by any Candidate or Candidate Committee
SOURCE Change to Win
http://www.worsethanbush.org/ [101]
Copyright (C) 2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved
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July 23
As Barack Obama began his trip to the Middle East and Europe, the media was already speculating about the possibility of a gaffe. Obama's travel "carries political risk," the New York Times reported, "particularly if Mr. Obama makes a mistake."
But the only foreign policy error made in the last few days came this morning on ABC's Good Morning America, when John McCain made yet another geography gaffe, claiming it was a "very hard struggle" to combat extremists on the "Iraq/Pakistan border." There's just one problem: Iraq and Pakistan don't share a border.
[102]
Click here for details and full video of the gaffe. [103]
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August 8
Straight Talk About The Real John McCain: Retirement
John McCain Would Gamble With Our Retirement
Retirement In His Own Words:
"Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today.
And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace, and it's got to be fixed."
Sound like someone who understands and values working families?
Senator McCain strongly supported President Bush's efforts to privatize Social Security, a move that would cut guaranteed benefits,
further threaten the program's solvency, jepoardize retirement income and jeopardize benefits for people with disabilities.
Senator McCain Voted for Risky Private Investments. In 1998, Senator McCain voted twice to replace Social Security's guaranteed benefits with risky private investments. (S.C.R. 86, Vote 56, 4/1/98; S.C.R. 86, Vote 77, 4/1/98)
Senator McCain Made Privatizing Social Security a Centerpiece of his first Presidental Campaign in 2000. During his 2000 presdiential bid, a plan to divert a portion of Social Security payroll taxes to fund private accounts was a centerpiece of John McCain's campaign. (Wall Street Journal, 3/3/08.)
Senator McCain Again Made Privatizing Social Security a Top Priority of his Presidential Campaign in 2008. Senator McCain has made it clear that if elected president he intends to bring back President Bush's privatization plan that turns Social Security into a gamble rather than a guarantee: "I'm totally in favor of personal savings accounts... along the lines that President Bush proposed." (Wall Street Journal, 3/3/08.)
Senator McCain Does Not Value Promises Made to Retirees. This year, Senator McCain's chief economic aide said he had not ruled out raising the retirement age to 68 and reducing cost-of-living adjustments. "You can't keep promises made to retirees," said aide Douglas Holtz-Eakin, referring to future benefits. (Wall Street Journal, 3/3/08.)
Senator McCain's Former Top Aide Supports Buy-Outs of Pension Plans. BusinessWeek has reported that the same John McCain insiders who brought us the mortgage mess, now want to buy and run troubled corporate pension plans; the move would turn pensions into for-profit enterprises putting current and future retirees at great risk. (Business Week, 8/5/08.)
With a record like this ask yourself:
DOES SENATOR McCAIN SHARE
WORKERS' PRIORITIES?
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July 30
From MoveON.org
Standing before a room of oil company executives in June, John McCain flip-flopped and declared support for coastal oil drilling. Now the Washington Post is reporting that, within days, oil and gas execs ponied up nearly $1 million to elect McCain.1 It's another piece of evidence that in a McCain White House, oil companies will call the shots-just as they have with President Bush.
Yesterday, MoveOn members jumped into action in response to the Post story, placing "For Sale" signs on McCain headquarters in 10 battleground states to call public attention to it.2 At the same time, McCain made our point for us, holding a photo-op yesterday in front of a California oil well and renewing his push for offshore drilling.3
McCain's hoping to use gas prices as a wedge issue to win the election. That's why it's so critical that we keep spreading the message that McCain's been heavily influenced by the oil companies-and so we can't count on him to solve the energy crisis. When people think of Bush, they think "oil," but that's not true of McCain yet-even though his energy policy is almost identical to Bush's and his campaign is literally run by oil lobbyists!4
Here's a video that makes the case, from our friends at Progressive Accountability. Please check it out, then forward it to a few friends, post it on a blog, or stick it on your Facebook page.
Click here to watch the video:
[104]
Click here [105]
The energy crisis is shaping up to be a decisive issue in the election. MoveOn's ongoing campaign on the energy crisis has two goals: 1) highlight the progressive solution-a huge plan to shift our economy to clean energy, prevent climate change, and create millions of jobs, and 2) work together to block McCain and the Republicans from pushing gimmicks like drilling to win votes.
In response to the news of John McCain's big influx of oil company cash, MoveOn members posted "For Sale" signs on McCain headquarters in 10 battleground states yesterday. Here are a few photos.
-Noah, Daniel, Tanya, Karin and the rest of the team
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July 17, 2008
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July 15, 2008
From New Bedford Standard Times [109]
McCain touts free trade agenda to Hispanic group
July 15, 2008 6:00 AM
SAN DIEGO - In one of his strongest endorsements of free trade, Republican presidential candidate John McCain called himself "an unapologetic supporter of NAFTA," an agreement that many Americans feel has cost them jobs.
"I reject the false virtues of economic isolationism," McCain told the National Council of La Raza, a major Hispanic organization.
"Any confident, competent country and its government should embrace competition. It makes us stronger."
The Arizona senator has often defended free trade, but his speech Monday was among his most detailed and full-throated commentaries.
"Lowering barriers to trade creates more and better jobs and higher wages," he said. "It makes goods more affordable for low-and middle-income consumers."
Citing his recent visit to Colombia and Mexico, McCain said he understands "how vitally important it is to the prosperity and security of our country to strengthen our trade, investment and diplomatic ties to other countries in our hemisphere."
He said he fully supports the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Central American Free Trade Agreement and the Colombian Free Trade Agreement.
Congress approved the NAFTA agreement with Mexico and Canada in 1993 and the agreement with six Central American nations in 2005 but has blocked the agreement with Colombia.
"I believe a hemispheric free trade agreement is a worthy and necessary goal whose time has come," he said of a proposal he unveiled during the campaign.
Acknowledging that some Americans do lose jobs "to foreign competition," McCain said he has proposed "a comprehensive reform of our unemployment insurance and worker retraining programs."
McCain said he has earned the trust of Hispanic voters by championing an immigration reform bill that nearly killed his presidential bid.
Obama, he said, failed to take a similar stand on the politically explosive issue of illegal immigration.
Obama has criticized McCain for turning against his own immigration bill.
Reminding the group that Congress failed twice in the past three years to overhaul the nation's immigration laws, McCain said he did not want to try a third time until the government can "prove we have the resources to secure our borders and use them."
McCain said the two failed bills, which he supported, would have dealt "practically and humanely" with illegal immigrants "without excusing the fact they came here illegally or granting them privileges before those who have been waiting their turn outside the country."
However, critics of the 2006 bill that he backed said it would have granted just such privileges to some illegal immigrants. It would have allowed those who have been in the country five years or more to remain, continue working and eventually become legal permanent residents and citizens after paying at least $3,250 in fines and fees and back taxes and learning English.
Obama told the La Raza gathering Sunday that he supports up to a 50 percent tax credit for small businesses providing health insurance to their employees, a program he hopes has special appeal to Hispanics and other minority groups struggling for a toehold in the U.S. economy.
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July 11, 2008
The Week That Should Have Ended McCain's Presidential Hopes [110]
Max Bergman
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For Immediate Release Contact: Andrea Gage 262-309-0754
AFL-CIO Launches TV Ad in Several Wisconsin Markets
Featuring Union Veteran on McCain's Economic Record as
First Action of New Union Veterans Council
"Every Vet Respects John McCain's War Record; It's His Record in the Senate
I have a Problem With," Union Vet Jim Wasser Says in Ad
http://www.unionveterans.org/ [111]
(Milwaukee, July 9) -- The AFL-CIO today announced the launch of a television advertising campaign featuring union veteran Jim Wasser, a Vietnam combat veteran, calling on working people to let Sen. John McCain know that his economic agenda is "not what we need." The ad is the first major action of the newly formed Union Veterans Council, which will be announced tomorrow in Dayton, Ohio. A Wisconsin Union Veterans Council will be announced at a workers' roundtable event tomorrow at the Building Trades Council in Milwaukee.
The Union Veterans Council will enlist millions of veterans to improve urgent veterans' and pocketbook issues and expose the records of candidates for office at every level on these issues. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said the new council will reach out to 2.1 million union veterans as well as other veterans and current enlistees in the Armed Services who are union members.
The ad will begin running in the Green Bay, La Crosse and Wausau media markets tomorrow and will air through the end of July.
Wasser, an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) union electrician and US Navy veteran who served in Vietnam, says that McCain's record shows his priorities on issues like job investment and veterans' health care are not those of veterans and working families.
"Every vet respects John McCain's war record," Wasser says in the ad. "It's his record in the Senate I have a problem with."
Wasser goes on to point out that the $10 billion McCain supports spending in Iraq could be used to help create jobs in states like Wisconsin, which have been especially hard hit by the sinking job market, housing crisis and skyrocketing costs of gas and food.
"Our nation's veterans deserve much better than the failed Bush economy has given them," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "With the formation of the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council, veterans will be front and center in the effort to put our country back on track."
In addition to airing in Wisconsin, the ad will also run in Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The ad will run in communities in those states that have been hard hit by the failed Bush economic agenda and rapidly souring economy. The ad will run for three weeks, through the end of July. View the ad at http://www.aflcio.org/issues/politics/unionveterans2008_videos.cfm [112]
The formation of the national Union Veterans Council coincides with the formation of state councils in five states -- Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Ohio and West Virginia. In the coming weeks, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Virginia and other states are expected to form councils.
The effort is part of the broadest mobilization of working people in history. The AFL-CIO is currently engaging more than 13 million union voters in 24 priority states, including Wisconsin, on issues such as health care reform, good jobs, fair trade and the freedom to form and join unions. In early March, the AFL-CIO launched its national "McCain Revealed" campaign, which focuses on educating union voters about John McCain's anti-worker record and plans and calling on McCain to chart a different course that puts working families above corporate interests.
For a full script of the "Not Now" ad, please contact the AFL-CIO Media Outreach Department at 202-637-5018.
###
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Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney
on Sen. John McCain's Trip to Colombia and Mexico
July 1, 2008
Sen. John McCain's trip to Colombia and Mexico is yet one more example of how out of touch he is with working families, and how close he is to corporate special interests. Working people have seen bad trade deals send their jobs overseas and decimate their communities, yet McCain enthusiastically supports the proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement and celebrates the effects of NAFTA.
McCain has said he would negotiate a "free trade" agreement with "almost any country willing to negotiate fairly with us" - without any consideration of the negative job impact on American workers or the egregious abuse of workers' rights abroad. In Colombia, hundreds of trade unionists have been systematically murdered, tortured, kidnapped and threatened by paramilitary organizations during the tenure of President Alvaro Uribe. Yet Sen. McCain will tout the supposed benefits of the proposed U.S.-Colombia FTA in the resort city of Cartagena, Colombia, while ignoring the real threats that workers in Colombia face every day.
And in Mexico, real wages have stagnated in the 15 years since NAFTA went into effect, while income inequality has increased. Illegal immigration flows from Mexico have doubled since NAFTA, since it is harder and harder to earn a decent living - despite the inflow of foreign capital along the border.
The business leaders McCain will talk to on this visit have done very well under these deals, not surprisingly. However, working people in Canada, Mexico, and Colombia have borne the brunt of these failed corporate trade policies - just like workers here in the United States.
The issue goes beyond trade agreements. We need a global economic framework that works for ordinary people. Working people around the world are clamoring for real change, not agreements that benefit the corporate elite at the expense of working families.
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June 11
It's shocking how many people still think Senator John McCain's positions are "moderate" when it comes to reproductive health care and rights, when the opposite is true. Do your friends and family know that John McCain's views on important issues like women's health are just as bad as or worse than President Bush's? Do your part to dispel the myth! Your words today and during the next few months matter.
From Planned Parenhood 08
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June 9
Here is an eyeopener from the United Steelworkers that shows plain and simple who John McCain really represents
Click here to show your members which side John McCain is on [112]
You can download this and other items at the bottom of the page
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Play the Bush-McCain Challenge!
Can you help spread the word that Bush and McCain are so similar? If you get 5 friends to take the Challenge, we'll send you a free bumper sticker. Use this special link so we can track how many of your friends take the Challenge:
http://Bush-McCainChallenge.com/?rc=challenge-friends&r_id=12584-7774355-md3L5H [113]
If 5 people take the Challenge from your special link, we'll email you instructions on ordering your free bumper sticker.
Thanks,
The Bush-McCain Challenge Team
P.S. Here's a sample message you can send to your friends:
Hi,
I just took The Bush-McCain Challenge -- an online quiz to see if you can tell the difference between George W. Bush and John McCain. Check it out, and see if you can do any better than I did!
http://Bush-McCainChallenge.com/?rc=challenge-friends&r_id=12584-7774355-md3L5H [114]
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/ [115]
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee
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JOHN McCCAIN REVEALED - THE BRIEFING BOOK [116]
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May 16 - The Bush-McCain Challange from MoveOn.org
If you would like to do a Bush-McCain Challenge May 28 click here [117]
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April 28 - Senator McCain is announcing his health care policy today - and it's bad news for working families. He would like to tax people's employer-provided health care benefits, and would ultimately drive people into the private market to deal with insurance companies on their own. Attached are some talking points and a flyer on McCain and health care that you can use in talking with the media and other audiences.
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Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney
on Sen. John McCain's Economic Proposals Unveiled Today in Pittsburgh
April 15, 2008
Sen. John McCain's economic proposals today badly missed the mark, offering little more than a repackaging of President Bush's failed economic agenda. For months, Sen. McCain has ignored the economic crisis facing working families, opting instead to join President Bush in burying his head in the sand while hoping our economy magically improves. Today he finally offered some recognition that our economy is in trouble but instead of offering long-term solutions, he focused on shortsighted proposals that would do more to pad the profit margins of large corporations than help struggling working families.
The centerpiece of Sen. McCain's economic package is his ill-conceived plan to extend the Bush tax breaks for the wealthy. McCain's plan to shower the wealthy with more tax giveaways at a time when families are struggling just to make ends meet shows just how out of touch with working people's kitchen-table concerns he is. McCain's tax breaks for the rich would cost more than $2 trillion over the next 10 years, draining vital resources that pay for education and health care. McCain also favors billions in cuts to programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which are a lifeline for working families.
McCain offered no measures that would give working families equal footing in this economy or rein in out-of-control corporations. In fact, he proposed a massive tax break for corporations at a time when many are avoiding their tax responsibilities through loopholes created by the Bush Administration.
In today's speech, Sen. McCain didn't even mention the economic impact of the war in Iraq, which is costing America's taxpayers trillions of dollars and creating a massive drag on the economy. McCain's 100-year Iraq plan would mortgage our children's future for a war the majority of Americans oppose.
Sen. McCain's proposal to suspend the federal gasoline tax is nothing but a stopgap measure that ignores the underlying cause of the spike. With gas prices hovering near $4 a gallon, families need our leaders to put forth responsible energy and foreign policies that lead to a dramatic reduction in costs, not just a few pennies for a few months. McCain's other recycled Bush proposals - billions in tax breaks for the health insurance industry and Big Oil, promoting unbalanced trade deals and privatizing Social Security --
would take us further down the wrong economic road. His new proposal to address the housing crisis offers far too little help to working families in crisis while doing nothing to address the root causes of the collapse.
We need leaders who understand the economic needs and concerns of working families. America's workers deserve a plan that will deliver good jobs, a secure retirement and health care for all. Today's proposals glossed over those needs in favor of policies skewed to the privileged few. Working people across the country call on Sen. McCain to reject the failed policies of the past that put corporate profits and the interests of the wealthy few above our families' needs.
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From MoveOn.org
For all the coverage this week of Senator John McCain's background, there are some important things you won't learn about him from the TV networks. His carefully crafted positive image relies on people not knowing this stuff-and you might be surprised by some of it.
Please check out the list below, and then forward it to your friends, family, and coworkers. We can't rely on the media to tell folks about the real John McCain-but if we all pass this along, we can reach as many people as CNN Headline News does on a good night.
Click here to tell us how many people you can pass it on to-and to see our progress nationally:
http://pol.moveon.org/mccain10/?id=12407-7774355-yJFeY1&t=231 [118]
10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3
4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4
5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5
6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6
7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0-yes, zero-from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10
John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out-forward this email to your personal network. And if you want us to keep you posted on MoveOn's work to get the truth out about John McCain, sign up here:
http://pol.moveon.org/mccaintruth/?id=12407-7774355-yJFeY1&t=232 [119]
Thank you for all you do.
-Eli, Justin, Noah, Laura, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Saturday, April 5th, 2008
Sources:
1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3543&id=12407-7774355-yJFeY1&t=233 [120]
"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/ [121]
2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3552&id=12407-7774355-yJFeY1&t=234 [122]
"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/ [123]
3. "McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/ [124]
4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/ [125]
5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007
"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/ [126]
6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3545&id=12407-7774355-yJFeY1&t=236 [127]
"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3551&id=12407-7774355-yJFeY1&t=237 [128]
7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022 [129]
"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3547&id=12407-7774355-yJFeY1&t=238 [130]
8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What The Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/ [131]
"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251 [132]
9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3519&id=12407-7774355-yJFeY1&t=239 [133]
"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/ [134]
"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/
[135]
10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/ [136]
Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.2 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:
http://political.moveon.org/donate/email.html?id=12407-7774355-yJFeY1&t=241 [137]
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/ [138]
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
For Immediate Release Contact: Steve Smith & Alison Omens
202-637-5018
Sen. McCain Refuses to Meet with Workers Struggling with the Healthcare Crisis
McCain Invited to Sit Down With Workers, Chooses Fundraiser
(Jacksonville, FL, Apr. 3) Sen. John McCain today declined to participate in a roundtable with Jacksonville workers dealing with the healthcare crisis and instead chose to host a $2,300 a plate fundraiser. The roundtable participants took their message on health care to his fundraiser, and called on him to meet with working families struggling in Jacksonville instead of the wealthy few.
Participants also detailed what healthcare $2,300 could provide for a family. In general, it would cover 33-57 percent of what a family pays-on top of any premium-for the most common type of employer provided plan. According to participants, this is a type of plan that workers would be at risk of losing under Sen. McCain's healthcare proposal.
At the roundtable, participants planned to discuss how the healthcare crisis is impacting their families and communities and ask Sen. McCain what specific steps he would take to remedy it.
Fran Benso planned to ask about retiree benefits and Sen. McCain's votes to decrease Medicare and Medicaid spending. She said, "Retired workers are often confused and unable to deal with the intricacies of healthcare today. When policies change and premiums go up, retirees can't afford to pay the increase and are left in the cold. Sen. McCain needs to hear how much retired workers need help now."
Ken Carter, a union worker, struggles with healthcare costs. "Every year, our healthcare benefits are chipped away more. We need healthcare for all, and nothing less. Sen. McCain's plan doesn't deliver."
The roundtable was to take place immediately after Sen. McCain's campaign event as part of his "Service to America" tour.
AFL-CIO working families issued invitations to Sen. McCain in the cities where he is visiting this week. The purpose of the roundtables is to further the dialogue about how to help families struggling in the economy and to give Sen. McCain an opportunity to hear how the economic crisis is impacting the real lives of America's workers.
"McCain Revealed," is an AFL-CIO national campaign to expose Sen. John McCain's economic record and plans to continue the failed Bush economic agenda and to generate public pressure on him to support policies that advance their interests. To learn more, go to
http://www.mccainrevealed.org/ [139].
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John McCain is in California this week and working people will be there to greet
him! While he will be raising money from his corporate and business lobbyist
friends, we will be there to ask him about his role in exporting American jobs
overseas by supporting Bush's Free Trade Agreements and helping foreign
companies beat out American unionized companies for government contracts.
As McCain travels up and down the California coast raising money and giving
speeches about foreign policy, we'll be reminding the public that those
contributions will be funding a candidate who worked to award a defense contract
to French company EADS/Airbus over American company BoeingAm, resulting in the
loss of thousands of American jobs.
And this is the same candidate who has made it a point to tell audiences that
the jobs we've lost "aren't coming back." Incredible. You can read more about
McCain's involvement in exporting these jobs on the AFL-CIO blog:
http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/03/12/mccain-stiffs-us-workers-helps-europeans-win-a
ir-tanker-deal/ [140]
Sen. McCain spent this last weekend in France, meeting with French President
Nicolas Sarkozy. Our brothers and sisters at IFPTE took the opportunity to take
McCain to task for selling out American workers, issuing a statement that was
reported by the Baltimore Sun:
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/boeing_union_rips_mcc
ain.html [141]
And in Washington, our brothers and sisters at IAM and SPEEA joined with the
Washington State Labor Council to hold a rally with Gov. Christine Gregoire and
other elected officials to protest John McCain's betrayal of American workers. A
full rundown of the event can be read here:
http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/03/20/boeing-workers-rally-to-stop-bad-tanker-deal/ [142]
( http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080320/BIZ/478589108&news01ad=1 [143] )
Many union members will be turning out for the following events being held in
California this week. We (and Senator McCain) will be in the following cities:
March 24th 2:30 p.m. - San Diego - La Jolla Marriot
March 25th 2:30 p.m. - Newport Beach - Island Hotel
March 26th Time TBD - Los Angeles - Westin Bonaventure
March 26th 2:30 - Pebble Beach - Spanish Bay
March 26th 6:30 p.m. - San Francisco - Ritz Carlton
For more information on the California events, please contact Kathy Casavant at
kcasavan@aflcio.org [144]. Lastly, I've attached a flyer on McCain and the EADS/Airbus
deal that should be circulated widely to members, friends, and family.
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Attachment 1: tps, field, 3-7.doc [144] (application/msword)
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There is a stark contrast between who the general public and union members believe John McCain is and what he actually represents.
The facts are that McCain has voted against economic and social programs for working and middle income families, voted against S-CHIP, voted for every free trade bill and has stood consistently with Bush administration policies. McCain's carefully crafted straight-talking image has only given cover for policies that have been disastrous to our members and their families. Our job is to get this information out.
NEW!!! - Attached is the PowerPoint presentation titled EC Presentation that outlines the challenges ahead and the intense campaign plan for the next three months. We encourage you to distribute this information widely among your co-workers, your families, your local unions' members and the labor movement at large.
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The current mortgage crisis in America is a leading concern on the minds of voters and has become a flash point for Americans' anxieties about the economy. The extent to which Presidential candidates plan to tackle this problem head-on will say much about their sensitivity to these anxieties.
In the case of Sen. John McCain, we find that yet again he is out of touch with working Americans but well in sync with corporate interests and the Bush policies that got us here in the first place. Sen. McCain has shared few details over what he would do as President to ease the wave of foreclosures impacting people throughout the country. McCain has hinted that government should consider intervening, but only if President Bush's current efforts to help banks do not succeed.
Like Bush, McCain is forgetting that it's people who are losing their homes, not the banks who created this crisis in the first place. But if it seems like John McCain is just borrowing a page out of the Bush playbook instead of coming up with real solutions for working people, it's easy to see why -- he's too busy raising money from the very people that these pro-corporate policies are designed to bail out. According to our research, McCain leads among all presidential candidates in campaign "bundlers" from Real Estate and Commercial Banking industries.
Labor is leading the charge to get the word out. In Cleveland, a city that ranked sixth highest in 2007 foreclosure rates nationally with 49,000 foreclosures, union activists gathered outside of a McCain campaign event to expose his indifference to this mounting crisis. You can read more about that event on the AFL-CIO blog:
http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/02/25/cleveland-families-challenge-mccains-ties-to-subprime-housing-corps/ [145]
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John McCain on NAFTA
McCain on Trade
Sen. McCain has cast vote after vote for every free trade agreement under the
sun, including the most devastating agreement in our history, NAFTA. He's gone on to praise NAFTA
and its effects, and has voted to make it easier for the President to enter into
agreements without strong Labor protections.
McCain on Workers
Sen. McCain supported a Republican filibuster of the Employee Free Choice Act
and supported a national Right-to-Work-for-Less law. He went on to support
President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while voting against
raising the minimum wage.
McCain on Jobs
Sen. McCain has made it a point to tell audiences that some jobs "aren't coming
back" What he doesn't often explain is his role in exporting those jobs in the
first place. McCain voted against an amendment that would prohibit the overseas outsourcing of government contracts and voted for the privatization of federal
jobs. He also voted to support the contracting out of federal jobs. And McCain
has certainly done little to aid those who have lost their jobs, voting against
the extension of federal unemployment insurance benefits.
McCain on Social Security
Sen. McCain voted for President Bush's Social Security privatization plan, and
has stated that the only solution to fixing Social Security is through private
accounts.
McCain on Health Care
Sen. McCain has routinely ignored the issue of America's health care crisis
throughout his campaign. His plan will force working families out into the
private market to fend for themselves, and will chip away at employer-based
health care. In addition, Sen. McCain has voted to slash funding for Medicare
and opposed the reauthorization and new funding for SCHIP.
As you can see, we'll have a real fight on our hands. Take a look at the
attached document for more. Also, as I mentioned in my last update, we will be
doing McCain focus groups of union members in Ohio on Sunday, Feb 10 starting
at 2:30PM EST. The focus groups will be webcast.
To watch, visit the following
link and click the "Login" button:
https://www.focusvision.com/default.asp?u=FVS114428&p=794K48 [146]
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Here are links to a few recent opinion pieces ones by local and national
union officers:
R. Floyd Suggs, Pres. West Central FL CLC and John Sweeney:
A Prescription For What's Ailing The Economy, Tampa Tribune:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/20/na-a-prescription-for-whats-ailing-the-e
conomy/ [147]
Vince Beltrami, Alaska State Fed President
America Still Needs Unions, In Fact, More Than Ever, Anchorage Daily News:
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/314765.html [148]
Mark Gaffney, Pres. MI AFL-CIO, Millionaire Leaders Stiff Working Class, Detroit
News: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080215/OPINION03/802150313 [149]
Rich Trumka, AFL-CIO Sec-Treas., Economy's Long Been Weak, Charleston Gazette:
http://wvgazette.com/Opinion/Op-EdCommentaries/200802160164 [150]
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