WASHINGTON, DC–(ENEWSPF)–June 18, 2012. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Priorities USA Action today released the second round of television and radio ads in their groundbreaking, joint $4 million Hispanic media ad campaign (“Mitt Romney: In His Own Words”). The ads are running in the key battleground states of Colorado, Nevada and Florida.
The second round of ads focus on Mitt Romney’s stand on the DREAM Act and immigration reform. In the ads, Hispanic voters react to video clips of Romney’s incendiary campaign rhetoric. For example, during the recent GOP Primary contest, Romney resorted to stereotyping and accused immigrants of coming to the United States looking for government support or a “free deal.”
Denver voter Tomas Perez, a naturalized citizen, said he considers Romney a danger for the Latino community, and he will not vote for him November.
“I don’t know what he means with ‘free,'” said Perez, a member of SEIU Local 105. “We contribute to the treasury, we work, we try hard, we pay our taxes.”
Romney has repeatedly said he would veto the DREAM Act, legislation that would create a path to citizenship for children who were brought to this country without documents. Further, Romney criticized President Obama’s decision last Friday to grant administrative relief to DREAM-eligible students.
“When I heard what Mitt Romney said, about why he thinks we as immigrants come to this country, and that he opposes the DREAM Act, I thought this is not right, he should not be our President if he does not understand that we value hard work and we come here seeking better opportunities for our families,” added Perez, the Denver voter.
“Not only is Romney offensive, he is wrong,” said Eliseo Medina, SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer. “Let us be clear-Romney opposes the DREAM Act, devalues immigrants by not recognizing our hard work and contributions to this country, and supports Arizona like lawsthat want to make life so miserable for immigrants that we would self-deport.
“He insults the intelligence of every voter and assumes we will all gullibly follow his twists and turns of his positions,” Medina added. “But Latino voters are not confused about where Romney stands on issues such as jobs and immigration, and they know he has no understanding of the everyday lives of Latinos and all working families.”
The ad campaign highlight’s Mitt Romney’s position on issues that Hispanic families care about. The first round of ads focused on Mitt Romney’s statements about jobs and the economy. Those ads, along with the immigration ads, will continue to air in these battleground states of Colorado, Nevada and Florida.
Bill Burton, senior strategist for Priorities USA Action, said, “Mitt Romney could not be more out of touch with Latino families. Romney says immigrants come to American because they ‘are looking for a free deal,’ while calling the DREAM Act a ‘handout’ and promising to veto it. Instead of proposing meaningful policy ideas to reform immigration, Mitt Romney is more interested in questioning motives of hardworking families aiming for the American Dream.”
“With each passing day, Mitt Romney continues to clarify why President Obama is by far the better choice for Latino voters and all working families,” said SEIU National Political Director Brandon Davis. “The president remains committed to focusing on good job creation, ending devastating cuts to programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, calling on the rich and large corporations to pay their fair share in taxes and signing into law Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”
The immigration-focused ads will begin airing on the same day that SEIU announces its largest and most-targeted political field campaign in the union’s 91-year history.
To watch the new ads, visit, http://action.seiu.org/page/content/06152012/
Source: seiu.org
