At the Democratic National Convention, I was honored to stand in support of President Barack Obama and speak about the clear choice in this election for families here in the Commonwealth.
As I stood on that stage in Charlotte, N.C., my heart was with all the people back home that I have been meeting with, listening to, and learning from over the last ten months.
From Hibernian Hall to Franklin Park, at community meetings, summer festivals and in one-on-one conversations, people have shared their stories of hope and resilience despite crushing economic times.
But economic struggle isn’t something that we have to accept. It is a problem made worse by a system that has been rigged for the big guys: big corporations, big oil and billionaires who can afford to hire an army of lawyers and lobbyists.
Instead of coming closer, the dreams of millions of Americans have moved further out of reach. Here in Massachusetts and across the country, for a generation, families have worked their hearts out, but they have been hammered financially. But at the same time lobbyists and the corporations that hire them run the show in Washington.
Yet Scott Brown and the Republican Party have shown they will block President Obama’s agenda, standing with Wall Street and the big corporations instead of with working families and small businesses here in Massachusetts.
I am proud to stand with President Obama, who has been working hard to build a future for all of us during the past four years. I want to go to Washington to continue supporting the President on behalf of working families, to help create a level playing field and ensure that everyone who works hard has a fair shot at success.
It’s clear how much is at stake in this election. During the Republican National Convention, the GOP presented its vision of the future of the country — and it isn’t good for working families. Scott Brown, Mitt Romney, and Paul Ryan want an America that says, “I’ve got mine and the rest of you are on your own.”
I believe in an America that puts the investments in place so the next kid can get ahead, and the kid after that, and the kid after that.
That means protecting the President’s health care reform law, which is already making a difference for working families here in Massachusetts. It means strengthening Medicare and Medicaid.
But Republicans like Scott Brown want to repeal the entire law, cut benefits, and start the same old fights with the President once again.
Building opportunities for the future also means investing in education, infrastructure, and research, so that all our children — all our children, not just the privileged few — have the opportunity to succeed, and so our small businesses can compete on a level playing field.
Republicans have already outlined plans to cut funding for education, transportation and infrastructure, science, and other critical investments in children and families by nearly $400 billion.
Scott Brown has joined his fellow Republicans to block President Obama’s agenda and protect Big Oil, Wall Street and big corporations. Meanwhile, our families and our communities continue to contend with issues that affect all of us – youth violence on our inner city streets, bullying in schools and unemployment.
Scott Brown voted against three jobs bills. He voted against summer jobs. And he voted to stop tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses because he said there weren’t enough tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and the largest corporations.
We need a Senator who prioritizes creating jobs and improving our job training programs.
This election will be about whose side you stand on and what kind of country we’re going to build.
I’m proud to stand with President Obama and will continue fighting in Washington to create opportunities for all of America’s working families.
Please join me in this fight — please visit and lend a helping hand at one of our campaign offices in Grove Hall, Dorchester, or the South End.
And above all, I’d be honored to have your vote on November 6th.
