McCain Campaign: Out of Touch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 2, 2008

CONTACT: Greg Denier
Noreen Nielsen
202-721-0660

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Change to Win executive director Chris Chafe released the following statement in response to remarks made today by top McCain campaign advisors Rick Davis and Phil Gramm. Earlier today, Davis told Washington Post editors that, "[T]his election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates." And while speaking at an event in Minneapolis during the Republican National Convention, Gramm stated, "If you're sitting here today, you're not economically illiterate and you're not a whiner, so I'm not worried about who you're going to vote for.''

"The remarks made today by top McCain advisors Rick Davis and Phil Gramm shows just how out of touch the McCain campaign is with working America.

"As workers watch their wages erode and health and retirement benefits disappear, the best the McCain campaign can do is coin them whiners and tell them their issues don't matter. But personality and name-calling won't help the 37 million Americans currently living in poverty.

"Perhaps if McCain's campaign advisors were paying attention, they'd notice from the record high turnouts and increased enthusiasm among voters this election season that Americans are hungry for change -- change in their paychecks, change in their health benefits, and a change from the policies of the past eight years.

"The seven unions and six million members of Change to Win are committing record amounts of time, money and energy to this election to put Barack Obama in the White House and pro-worker majorities in the U.S. Congress to help create a new American Dream for America's workers."

** Note: Media representatives interested in scheduling an interview with Change to Win executive director Chris Chafe should contact Noreen Nielsen at Noreen.nielsen@changetowin.org. **

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