In New Television Ad, Fire Fighters Union Hammers McCain for Ludicrous Health Care Proposals

Media campaign to include television, Internet and direct mail pieces

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fire fighters are taking aim at Senator John McCain with a new television ad.

“In the final two weeks before Election Day, we hope our ads reinforce the message that McCain’s health care plan makes fire fighters and working Americans sick”

The 30-second ad criticizes McCain for his misguided proposal to tax health care and threaten employer-sponsored health care. The ad will begin appearing today in six battleground states – Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.

“Voters need to know that John McCain’s unprecedented plan to tax health care is one of the most unenlightened ideas ever cooked up in Washington. This isn’t the revolutionary proposal of a maverick politician. It’s the half-baked plan of someone who’s out of touch, and it threatens working families,” International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold A. Schaitberger said.

Additional versions of the ad that will also appear in New Hampshire and North Carolina, where close Senate races are being held, link Senator John Sununu and Senator Elizabeth Dole to McCain. The IAFF also will send campaign mail to thousands of households in New Hampshire and North Carolina that mirrors the television ads.

Fire fighters believe McCain is unable to resolve the nation’s health care crisis. In June, a survey of IAFF members found that 81 percent believed health care was a significant issue in this election, but 62 percent said they were less likely to vote for McCain because of his position on health care.

The IAFF television ads, Internet campaign and mail pieces will target voters in key regions within each of the six battleground states identified. The IAFF is participating in labor’s overall voter mobilization program and conducting a comprehensive get-out-the-vote effort among its members in additional battleground states.

“In the final two weeks before Election Day, we hope our ads reinforce the message that McCain’s health care plan makes fire fighters and working Americans sick,” Schaitberger said.

View the ad on www.youtube.com here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlHrS9o2vS4

DVD and Beta versions of the spots are available by calling the contact.

The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, DC, represents more than 292,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics who protect 85 percent of the nation’s population. More information is available at www.iaff.org and www.firefightersforobama.org.