CAN chides Rep. Rodney Alexander’s response

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Brad Woodhouse, (202) 263-4576, Jeremy Funk, (202) 263-4576
DATE: December 11, 2006

Change America Now! campaign chides Rep. Rodney Alexander’s response to calls for Middle Class Agenda for Louisiana: “I won with 68 percent of the vote.”

Rep. Alexander dismisses calls to support popular agenda for Middle Class in new Congress, including Raising the Minimum Wage, Making College Affordable, Repealing Big Oil Tax Breaks/Investing in Alternative Energy, and Allowing Medicare to Negotiate Lower Rx Drug Costs for Seniors

Washington D.C. – The Change America Now (CAN) campaign took issue with remarks made by U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-Quitman) appearing in the Baton Rouge Advocate on Saturday dismissing a popular agenda for Middle Class families in Louisiana, which will come to the floor for a vote in early January in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Alexander suggested he didn’t need to support an agenda to help Middle Class families get ahead because: “I won with 68 percent of the vote…I thought that was pretty good.” Congressman Alexander’s comments were in response to the launch of a new campaign called Change America Now! – a national effort being mounted by nearly 40 organizations in 31 states to pass the economic elements of the 100 Hour legislative agenda through Congress as outlined by incoming Democratic House Leadership.

The CAN Campaign is calling on Members of Congress, including Rep. Alexander, to support legislation which would increase the minimum wage, lift the prohibition on Medicare negotiating with pharmaceutical companies for lower prescription drug prices as part of the Part D prescription drug plan, cut the interest rate on student loans in half to make college more affordable and end tax breaks for big oil companies and invest the savings into alternative sources of energy.

“For Rep. Alexander to complain about being asked to support popular Middle Class initiatives in Congress next year simply because of his margin of victory in the November election, says a lot about the disappointing brand of politics the people of Quitman may be in for from their Congressman in the next two years,” said Jeremy Funk, Press Secretary for Americans United and a spokesman for the Change America Now (CAN) campaign. “This isn’t a popularity contest – this is about meaningful change for real folks in Louisiana. This is about making prescription drugs affordable for our seniors and college more affordable for our children. This is about helping working Louisianans living just shy of the poverty line thanks to a minimum wage that hasn’t risen in 12 years. This is about investing in more alternative sources of energy in Louisiana’s backyard rather than in more tax breaks for the big oil companies. Unfortunately, Congressman Alexander seems perfectly content with the direction our nation has headed and more content to rest on his laurels.”

The Change America Now campaign is seeking to pass the 100 Agenda with large bipartisan majorities in the House of Representatives in an effort to build momentum for passage in a closely divided U.S. Senate and to apply sufficient pressure on President Bush to sign these initiatives into law. In addition, the CAN campaign is uniting folks from across America to champion these issues and pass them into law as a down payment on advancing a broader agenda for American families in a number of areas including jobs and wages, healthcare, the environment and education. CAN will utilize high intensity ‘grassroots’ campaign tactics to convince Members of Congress to support the 100 Hour Agenda, including: aggressive press events at Members’ offices, town hall meetings, demonstrations, petition drives, phone banking, and Op-Eds/Letters to the Editor in local markets. Americans who want change now are invited to visit www.CANCampaign.com where they can participate in the first major grassroots action of this campaign by sending an online ‘CAN Gram’ to their Representative calling on them to support the CAN 100 Hour Agenda. The CAN Campaign goal is to deliver half a million ‘CAN Grams’ to Members before December 31st.

“All boats should rise with the tide, not just the yachts,” added Funk. “Under President Bush and conservative rule in Washington, a reverse Robin Hood effect has dramatically shifted the distribution of wealth and power in America from the poor and the middle class to the wealthiest of Americans and corporate America. In the November election, Americans demanded change. It is our hope that Congressman Alexander will stand with us and the people of Louisiana as we help return the nation to the type of broad economic prosperity that gave rise to the concept of the ‘American Dream.’ The era of the ‘do nothing Congress’ is coming to an end and it’s time for Congressman Alexander to show the people of Louisiana where his priorities really lie.”

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