TV Spot Highlights McCrery 'Snow Job' On Social Security

WASHINGTON – The Campaign for America's Future began airing ads today on Louisiana television about the Washington-style "snow job" Rep. James McCrery, R-La., is pulling on the people of Louisiana on Social Security. Treasury Secretary John Snow plans to visit Louisiana this week to bolster Rep. McCrery’s support for President Bush’s privatization plan that cuts guaranteed Social Security benefits.

Rep. McCrery is under fire for taking campaign contributions from banks and security firms that make him beholden to Wall Street interests pressing privatization. The Campaign for America’s Future’s ads will run all week.

“U.S. Rep. James McCrery is running a classic Washington snow job on the working people of Louisiana,” said Campaign for America’s Future Co-director Roger Hickey. “Congressman McCrery and President Bush’s privatization plan benefits Wall Street and cuts guaranteed benefits for people on Main Street.”

The Campaign for America’s Future and Americans United to Protect Social Security – a new coalition created by the Campaign for America’s Future, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, USAction and more than 200 groups opposed to the president’s privatization plan – also announced today that they will keep the heat on Congress in the wake of the successful anti-privatization campaign waged by citizen groups at Congressional town hall meetings over the last week. Thousands of citizens opposed to privatization will call their representatives and senators this week as they return to Washington from recess. The Campaign for America’s Future last week highlighted Rep. McCrery’s ties to securities and commercial banking industries and questioned who stands to benefit most from the decisions Rep. McCrery will make as chair of the House Social Security Subcommittee.

The Campaign for America’s Future released an analysis of Rep. McCrery’s record last week and kicked off a multimedia ad campaign in his backyard. The group ran its first ads in the Shreveport Times and Shreveport Sun. Secretary Snow and President Bush are coming to Rep. McCrery’s aid. Rep. McCrery told the Associated Press that he advised President Bush to visit Louisiana early next month.

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**NOTE: Media representatives interested in a beta of the ad should contact Andrea Miller at 202-955-5665 or miller@ourfuture.org [1]. An electronic version of the ad and the report on Rep. McCrery will be available at www.ourfuture.org [2] this afternoon.**

“SNOW JOB”:30

ONSCREEN: “The Snow Job Rag,” photo of snowman and ragtime music.

VOICEOVER: Huh? Typical Washington Snow job.

ONSCREEN: Photo of Rep. Jim McCrery, text: “Snow Job!”

VO: Congressman McCrery wants to privatize Social Security and cut our guaranteed benefits.

ONSCREEN: Photo of Wall Street, text: Rep. James McCrery received nearly $200,000 from securities and banking firms. (Source: Center for Responsive Politics.)

VO: After taking campaign money from the very Wall Street firms that’d profit from privatization.

ONSCREEN: Photo of Treasury Secretary John Snow, text: “Snow Job!”

VO: Now, Treasury Secretary Snow, a former big time CEO is coming down here to defend him?

ONSCREEN: Photo of Rep. Jim McCrery.

VO: You know, maybe Jim McCrery’s been in Washington so long, he forgot who

ONSCREEN: Photo of senior woman

VO: He’s working for!

ONSCREEN: Campaign for America’s Future logo.

VO: Paid for by the Campaign for America’s Future.

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