News Release

Progressives Urge Obama to “Go Big” With a Bold Jobs Plan Big Enough to Deal with Unemployment Crisis

Speaking in One Voice, 67 Groups Send an Open Letter to the President

Washington, DC – Sixty seven major progressive organizations including MoveOn, Campaign for America’s Future, NOW, and Rebuild the Dream: are today sending an open letter to President Obama urging him to outline a serious jobs plan when he speaks to the nation next week.

Some of the organizations signing the letter, while praising the President for his return to an emphasis on jobs, are concerned that Obama’s plan may not be large enough to convince the nation the President is serious about bringing down unemployment that has trapped millions of families – especially if he crafts all of his proposals to get support of hostile Republicans in the Congress. They also express concern that the President’s intention to give equal weight to deficit reduction in his speech – along with the new “Super Committee’s” focus on deficits – will inevitably undermine whatever initial momentum the speech may create for job creation.

Leaders of the groups are sending the letter to urge President Obama to be bold in his jobs proposals.

Roger Hickey, co-director of the Campaign for America’s Future said, “This letter to the President reflects the growing concern of a majority of Americans that unemployment is at crisis levels. We want a jobs program that does not just tinker around the edges. And we want the President to present a plan next week that is big and bold enough to actually reverse our economic decline and put people to work – even if such a program can’t succeed until a new Congress is elected. If the President is bold, he will help get America a Congress that will actually act to create jobs and rebuild the American Dream.”

To read the Open Letter to the President and see the list of 67 signers click here: http://www.ourfuture.org/files/documents/lettertopresidentonjobsfnl.pdf