Kennedy on President's Broken Promises

Press Release

Kennedy on President's Broken Promises

I predict that after hearing the President's speech Monday night, Americans will be more convinced than ever that it's time for change.

They've heard seven long years of broken promises from this Administration.

That's what this election is all about. Electing leaders who will keep faith with the hopes and needs of working Americans.

On Monday night, I fear we won't hear a plan for the issues that matter most to Americans.

We won't hear a plan for tackling health care or education, our economy or the housing crisis, or even the war in Iraq, but we have a chance this year to elect a President who does.

You won't hear this President talk about the crushing burden of high health costs on working families.

Yet, on his watch, the cost of health insurance has risen four times faster than wages. 47 million Americans lack health insurance, and are disenfranchised from the advances of this life science century.

America needs a president who understands that health care should be a right, not a privilege.

You won't hear this President put the needs of working Americans at the heart of any economic stimulus package.

He promised us in 2001 that hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts would stimulate the economy and help all Americans. Instead, our national debt has soared, and working families have suffered under skyrocketing costs and stagnant wages.

America needs a president who will rebuild the economy so it works for working people.

You won't hear this President talking about addressing the needs of the 3.2 million students who have been left behind by his failure to keep his promises to fund school reform and you won't hear the President laying out a plan for addressing the dropout crisis as 7,000 students drop out of school every day.

America needs a president who will invest in our schools - in smaller classes, preschool and afterschool programs - so all students have the tools they need to succeed in a global economy.

You won't hear this President provide meaningful relief for families who've lost their homes.

In just one month, over 200,000 families have lost their homes. The housing crisis is expected to lead to 2 million foreclosures in just the next two years.

We need real solutions to keep families in their homes, but you won't hear any on Monday night.

You also won't hear this President talk about bringing our troops home from Iraq.

We've given the Iraqis nearly five years of American blood and treasure. It's time for the Iraqis to work out their differences, stand on their own, and for American troops to come home.

Each month, American taxpayers are spending $10 billion on the war in Iraq. That is real money that could be used to better the lives and opportunities of American families.

You won't hear the President provide the constructive solutions the nation needs for these challenges.

But we have a chance this year to elect a President who does care about these issues----Someone who will make the needs of working Americans, not corporations, the highest priority; someone who will work to make health care and education more affordable, and who will finally bring the troops home.

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