DFLer To Draw Contrasts With Coleman On Middle-Class Economic Issues

SAINT PAUL [4/14/08] — DFLer Al Franken will spend this week in conversation with Minnesota’s middle class - a group he says has been ignored by Republican Senator Norm Coleman.

Said Franken, “It’s getting harder and harder for middle-class families in this state to get ahead. Wages are flat or declining, and everything from food and gas to health care and college tuition is getting more expensive. Minnesotans need a Senator who’s got their back - but Norm Coleman isn’t even on their side.”

Meeting with families and community leaders in Golden Valley, Coon Rapids, Rochester, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities, Franken will draw clear contrasts with Coleman on the issues affecting middle-class economic security.

“Norm Coleman and George W. Bush have squandered our precious resources on special tax breaks for millionaires and huge giveaways to the special interests,” he said. “And as we enter a recession, it’s clear that middle-class families are being handed the bill in the form of skyrocketing costs and a government that doesn’t work for them. Incredibly, Coleman wants to stay the course with the Bush economy.”

The campaign is highlighting instances in which Coleman has voted against making it easier for families to afford college tuition, voted against middle-class tax breaks, voted against lowering the price of prescription drugs, and voted for taxpayer-funded subsidies for big oil companies.

Meanwhile, Franken will offer participants in this week’s “community conversations” his ideas for making our economy work for everyone, including tax credits to help middle-class families get ahead, a short-term job-creating stimulus package, a focus on investing in 21st-century jobs, and a temporary moratorium on foreclosures to stabilize the housing market.

“In Norm Coleman’s Washington, the special interests run the show,” Franken said. “But I’ll be a voice for Minnesota’s working families.”

“What makes our middle class great,” he added, “is the idea that if you work hard, you can do more than just survive - you can get ahead. With a new direction in Washington, we can restore that promise of prosperity for the middle class: the ability to send kids to college, own a home, and put something away for retirement.”

For a hi-res headshot of Al, go here:
http://www.alfranken.com/page/content/media

This entry was posted on Monday, April 14th, 2008 at 9:30 and is filed under Press Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.