Media Release
| For Immediate Release | Contact | Phone |
| May 30, 2007 | Eve Weissman | 856-966-3091 |
Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-6), NJ State Senator Barbara Buono (D-18), and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-20) joined a Broad-Based Coalition of NJ Citizen Groups including Labor, Veterans, Community, Peace & Justice and Religious Organizations to Protest Bush's Fundraising Visit to New Jersey
New Jerseyans From Across the State Rebuked the President for Failed and Corrupt Policies at Home and Abroad, Telling Bush to End the War and Bring Home Our Troops
Edison, NJ — Today, NJ Citizen Action (NJCA), Americans Against Escalation in Iraq (AAEI), the NJ Democratic State Committee, the Teamsters Union, NJ Million Mom March, Coalition for Peace Action, NJ Peace Action and NJ for Democracy (DFA) were joined by Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ-6), NJ State Senator Barbara Buono (D-18), Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-20) as well as peace & justice groups, religious organizations, labor unions, veterans, community associations and voters from across the state to protest President Bush's visit to New Jersey. The President visited New Jersey today to headline a fundraiser for New Jersey's Republican Party at the nearby New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center.
NJ voters chided President Bush for his Administration's misguided and corrupt policies, especially the war in Iraq and continuous neglect of America's critical priorities including affordable healthcare, a quality education for all, and a secure social security system. The upside-down priorities of the Bush administration have dramatically shifted the tax burden onto the shoulders of working- and middle-class families. In order to pay for large tax cuts that have gone to the wealthiest, the Administration continues to push for substantial reductions in funding for the services on which working families rely.
"While continually neglecting America's working families, Bush's policies consistently favor corporations and the wealthy," said Eve Weissman, NJ Citizen Action Organizer and NJ Spokesperson for Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. Weissman continued, "The time for a change is long overdue. This President is completely out of touch with the will of New Jerseyans and the will of the American people. Bush is becoming further and further isolated by the day. He lost the trust of the American people a long time ago and now, even his longtime political friends are abandoning him, especially when it comes to the war in Iraq. Today New Jersey voters spoke out loudly and clearly against President Bush and the ill-advised policies he stands for; we will not be silenced."
"The President has had over four years to implement a successful policy in Iraq and he's failed," said David Weiner, Co-Chair of NJ Citizen Action Board of Directors and President of CWA Local 1081. "We're now in the fifth year of the war in Iraq and the situation in Iraq is dire and getting worse under President Bush's leadership. The President's strategy – to escalate the war by sending even more troops into Iraq – has only lead to more bombing and death. Clearly the president is not facing the reality of the situation in Iraq. It is time to bring our troops home safely," added Weiner.
Advocates also rebuked the President for threatening to use his veto power to subvert the needs and the will of the American people by stubbornly staying the course on dangerous budget cuts to programs including child care, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), nutrition, and workforce investment – all of which affect millions of American families.
Demonstrators carried hundreds of signs reading 'Iraq War – Wrong Way'. The message to the President was clear: end the war, bring home our troops, and start making real investments in the lives of hard-working Americans. New Jersey voters said they are tired of Bush and his cronies believing they can buy their way out of their woefully mismanaged Iraq war policy and their continuous neglect of America's critical priorities – like affordable health care and quality education. Voters from across the state let the nation and NJ's entire Congressional Delegation know that President Bush does not represent the best interest of New Jerseyans.
The demonstration took place in the parking lot next to the Holiday Inn & Harold's Deli on King George's Road in Edison, NJ. Organizers chose to stage the demonstration on King George's Road and in close proximity to Woodbridge Avenue – widely visible to the public and passersby.
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New Jersey Citizen Action is the state's largest citizen watchdog organization, representing more than 100 senior, labor, faith-based, environmental, tenant and women's organizations and over 60,000 family members.
