Ads Begin Today

Portland, OR - SEIU's 50,000 members in Oregon will begin airing a new television ad today, titled "Middle,"highlighting Senator Gordon Smith's support of George Bush's political agenda and collecting large political contributions from drug and oil companies in return.

The independent ad buy of $500,000 is in response to Smith's attempts to distance himself from the widely unpopular President Bush while campaigning in Oregon. While he ties himself to Barack Obama on the campaign trail, in Washington he supports the Bush-Cheney agenda.

The ad can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLxCaAFyu2o  

The script follows:

"Middle"- 30 seconds

What's Gordon Smith been up to?

He hasn't been helping Oregon families deal with the high cost of gas or health care.

But he has made time to help George Bush by voting for BILLIONS in tax breaks for oil companies, BILLIONS for big drug companies, and BIG tax cuts for the richest 1 percent of all Americans.

In return, drug and oil companies have given him hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions.

Maybe that's why Gordon Smith says he's so happy to be in the middle.

This year, send Gordon Smith home.

SEIU COPE is responsible for the content of this advertising.

"

###