“Jobs, Baby, Jobs”: Al Franken Wins Fourth Debate By Focusing On Minnesota’s Middle Class

After Four Debates, It’s Clear: Al Franken Is The Candidate Of Change For The Middle Class

SAINT PAUL [10/24/08] - Al Franken won his fourth consecutive Senate debate tonight – not by yelling the loudest or throwing the most elbows at his opponents, but by focusing on his middle-class economic agenda.

Communications Director Andy Barr:

“Al Franken is proving that you don’t need to be a career politician to win debates if you’re the candidate of change in an election that’s all about change. Tonight, Minnesota voters saw that it’s Al Franken who will be a strong voice for the middle class. It doesn’t matter how slick his opponents’ rhetoric is or how many elbows come his way. Al Franken won this debate for the same reason he’ll win this election: he’s the candidate of the middle class, and the candidate of change.”

Perhaps in recognition of Franken’s recent lead in public polls, both Norm Coleman and Dean Barkley frequently attacked Franken, but Franken stayed focused on his core economic message:

The reason I voted against – or would have voted against the bailout package – is that it didn’t really do anything on golden parachutes and bonuses. That’s one of the many reasons. Look, people are hurting and we need to get the economy working again. Now, my mantra is “jobs, baby, jobs,” and here are the things that I would do to keep the jobs that we have and create new jobs.

Franken went on to detail his middle-class jobs agenda.

One, build; build new bridges and roads and schools, things we can – building infrastructure. We’ve always built infrastructure and it always has a multiplier effect and creates good jobs. Secondly, let’s address the housing crisis head on. I agree with Barack Obama: that we have to help families who through no fault of their own are in trouble, stay in their homes.

Third, let’s stop rewarding companies that are offshoring our jobs overseas, American jobs overseas, they’re getting tax breaks. We should stop that. OK, let’s get credit into the hands of small businesses – that’s fourth. Fifth, a green economy. Let’s make Minnesota the epicenter of a green economy that can create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Finally, tax cuts into the hands of the middle class. The middle class is the engine of our economy. We have to stop tilting all these tax cuts and tax giveaways to the special interests.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 24th, 2008 at 20:07 and is filed under Press Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.