Mr. Bush, You're No FDR
When a GOP full court press ran Tom Daschel out of office and the job of Senate minority leader fell to the anti-choice Harry Reid (D-NV), I was less than thrilled. But one of ex-boxer Reid's first announcement was the creation of a Carville-style quick response team he dubbed a "war room." Their first high-profile effort: a response to the new GOP sponsored ads attempting to dismantle social security featuring FDR.
Within 24 hours after the ads first showed on Fox and CNN, Reid's team located one of FDR's grandsons and released this letter from him addressed to "Progress for America," the firm running the ads:
It has come to my attention that your organization has begun running an advertising campaign to promote President George W. Bush's plan to privatize Social Security and cut benefits. The advertisements that are currently being aired feature President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his signing of the original Social Security legislation. I find the use of my grandfather's image and legacy in your campaign to be highly inappropriate.I have to give it up to Reid on this one -- good job with the gloves off.
For seventy years, Social Security has been the bedrock of retirement security for millions of Americans thanks to the efforts of President Roosevelt. My grandfather would surely oppose the ideas now being promoted by this administration and your organization. Not only that, but to compare the courage it took to provide a guaranteed insurance program for our seniors and the disabled to the courage it will take to dismantle the most successful social program in history is simply unconscionable. We should be working to protect and promote Social Security, not cutting benefits for our seniors.
On behalf of my family, I would ask that you cease using my grandfather's image in your advertising campaign.
Respectfully,
James Roosevelt Jr.
posted by Jane Hamsher @ 1/14/2005 01:31:00 AM
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