WI Darling Ad Release and Press Call

Democracy for America and Progressive Change Campaign Committee Release NEW Campaign Ad in Alberta Darlings District; Contact Hundreds of Thousands of Voters on the Phones and at Their Doors

***************Watch the New Ad here: http://bit.ly/pkjHk6*************** ***************Listen to the recording of live press call from July 29***************

Madison, WI Democracy for America and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee released a new ad today in Alberta Darlings district. The TV ad features Sylvia Adair of Germantown, WI.

Sylvias statement:

This is my daughter, Connie, and my grandson, Gabriel he just turned six last Saturday.

Hes on BadgerCare and Im thankful for that every day. Nothing can replace the peace of mind of knowing that comes with knowing that your grandchild can see a doctor if he gets sick.

But Senator Alberta Darling wants to take that away from us. She led the effort to cut Badgercare and she wants to end Medicare and privatize it for people like me. Shes hurting our families.

We need someone on our side. Im voting for Sandy Pasch for State Senate.

(Citations attached below.) This is the second in a series of ads released in districts in Wisconsin confronting Republican Senators and how their votes hurt middle class families back in their districts. Today DFA and PCCC hosted a conference call with two of the Wisconsinites from these ads, Sylvia Adair from Alberta Darlings district, and Jay Jones from Luther Olsens district. (Listen to the recording of the press call from July 29th here.)

PCCC and DFA announced today the new $150,000 ad buy -- split between this new ad in Milwaukee and an extension of last weeks ad holding Olsen accountable in Green Bay. Both are broadcast and cable. This brings the two groups ad spending in the last week to $250,000. Total spending on ads and grassroots activity by the two groups is over $1.5 million. Both groups are sending fundraising emails to their national lists on Friday, raising money for more ads.

"The people of Wisconsin are fighting back against Republicans like Alberta Darling and Luther Olsen who continue to choose wealthy corporations over middle class families, said Nick Passanante, DFA Field Director for Wisconsin. The voters of Wisconsin will be heard in this recall election and the reverberations will be felt around the country."

The two groups will contact hundreds of thousands of voters through door-to-door canvassing and a volunteer phone bank in the next two weeks. DFA and PCCC Volunteers are giving money and time to keep the campaign on the air, on the phones, and on the ground. DFA and PCCC volunteers are making calls to voters in all 6 Republican recall districts and DFA local staff are canvassing in Districts, 8, 10 and 32.

Two recent polls showed this a neck-and-neck race in Darlings district. Mellman Group showed Pasch up 2%, Daily Kos PPP poll showed Darling up 5% -- both near margin of error. Mellman and PPP both show Clark up 2% against Olsen.

ABOUT DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA

Democracy for America is a people-powered Democratic Political Action Committee. With over one million members nationwide and 25,000 members in Wisconsin, DFA is a grassroots powerhouse working to change our country and the Democratic Party from the bottom-up.

ABOUT THE PROGRESSIVE CHANGE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (BoldProgressives.org) elects bold progressive candidates to office and advocates for progressive policy issues. It has over 750,000 members -- including nearly 26,000 in Wisconsin. http://www.DemocracyForAmerica.com

Paid for by Democracy for America, http://www.democracyforamerica.com, and not authorized by any candidate.

CITATIONS

Sylvia Adair, Germantown, WI

[Text on Screen: Sylvia Adair and Family, Germantown, WI]

This is my daughter, Connie, and my grandson, Gabrielle he just turned six last Saturday.

Hes on BadgerCare and Im thankful for that every day. Nothing can replace the peace of mind of knowing that comes with knowing that your grandchild can see a doctor if he gets sick.

[Text on Screen: Alberta Darling Cut Badgercare][1]

But Senator Alberta Darling wants to take that away from us.[1] She led the effort to cut Badgercare [2] and she wants to end Medicare [3 and 4] and privitize it for people like me. Shes hurting our families.

[Text on Screen: Alberta Darling wants to end Medicare] [3 and 4]

We need someone on our side. Im voting for Sandy Pasch for State Senate.

Ad Disclaimer Text on Screen: Paid for by PCCC Recall Fund, Adam Green, Treasurer and DFA Wisconsin, Mia Moore, Treasurer. Not authorized by any candidate or candidates agent or committee.

1. Darling-Backed Budget Makes Drastic Cuts to BadgerCare. The Associated Press reported: The budget cuts $500 million from the health care program. As reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the budget that Alberta Darling steered to passage allowed for cutting, $466 million in costs from the programs over the next two years. [Journal Sentinel, 6/20/11 http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/124170184.html; AP, 6/30/11, http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/wisconsin/the-wisconsin-budget-and-you]

2. Darling is Co-Chair of Powerful Joint Finance Committee. Alberta Darling serves as the Chair of the Joint Finance Committee, the body responsible with shepherding the budget through the Wisconsin legislature. In the legislatures own words: The Committee's primary responsibility is to serve as the principal legislative committee charged with the review of all state appropriations and revenues. [JFC Website, 7/27/10 http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/jfc.html]

Plan to Cut Badger Care Originated in Darling Committee. The plan to cut $466 million from Medicaid and other health programs, including Badger Care originated in the Joint Finance Committee and passed with her support. [AP, 5/25/11; Save Badger Care Coalition, http://www.savebadgercare.org/press/sbc_statement_052511.pdf]

3. Asked specifically about Rep. Paul Ryans Medicare plan, Darling declared: Paul Ryans doing the exact right thing.

[John Nichols: Alberta Darling works with Ryan to cut Medicare, The Cap Times, June 19, 2011 http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/john_nichols/article_5f7ca108-9500-5b4b-9030-14db7bb9a04c.html#ixzz1TQ1FFA6g]

4. Paul Ryans Plan to End Medicare: On May 16, 2011, economist Paul Krugman (Nobel winner for economics) wrote in the New York Times, I know that serious people are supposed to be shocked, shocked at the Democrats calling the Ryan plan a plan to dismantle Medicare but thats just what it is. If you replace a system that actually pays seniors medical bills with an entirely different system, one that gives seniors vouchers that wont be enough to buy adequate insurance, youve ended Medicare. Calling the new program Medicare doesnt change that fact. [The New York Times, May 16, 2011, http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/whats-in-a-name-4/] On June 3, 2011, when national Republicans challenged an ad saying Paul Ryans plan would end Medicare, Nobel economist Krugman wrote, the fact is that Republicans are trying to end Medicare. He added, if they can get away with this, it will amount to a serious infringement of free speech, preventing people from running truthful ads. [The New York Times, June 3, 2011, http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/whats-in-a-name-5/] On June 3, 2011, Comcast denied the national Republican request to take down ad saying the Paul Ryan plan would end Medicare. The Washington Post reported: We are continuing to air the ad, Chris Ellis, a spokesman for Comcasts ad sales division, tells me. Weve reviewed the materials provided by the NRCC and the documentation provided by the advertisers, and weve decided that the ad does meet our guidelines. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/happy-hour-roundup/2011/03/03/AGaSJNIH_blog.html