Press Center: News Releases
Divided We Fail's First Year Shows Impressive Support from Members of Congress, Business, Consumers and Labor
53 million represented by DWF; 49 Senators and 169 Members of the House signed DWF pledge; 150+ forums to be held in 2008 – all to bring Americans health care and long-term financial security / News Release
January 16, 2008
WASHINGTON— Divided We Fail marks its first anniversary this week as the initiative continues to press candidates and elected officials to make access to quality, affordable health care and long-term financial security top issues in the national political debate.
“This initiative now represents more than 53 million Americans from throughout the political spectrum, all united behind the goal of influencing the national debate to address issues that affect every one of us,” said AARP CEO Bill Novelli. “Divided We Fail has worked to ensure detailed policies on health care and financial security are being offered by candidates; now we must continue to work to generate the political will necessary to tackle these critical issues.”
"A year into our strategic partnership and our country still faces rising health care costs that continue to burden America's workers, consumers, employers and government,” said Business Roundtable President John Castellani. "We will continue to urge elected officials and presidential candidates to take actions that improve our health care system and make coverage more affordable to all Americans.”
“The time to fix the health-care system is now. Never has there been a more clear demand for action, especially from our country’s job creators – small businesses” said Todd Stottlemyer, president and CEO, NFIB. “The Divided we Fail movement is growing, gaining support nationwide from candidates and policymakers who are as committed as we are to ending the political gridlock in Washington. Our four organizations have successfully put aside our ideological differences to truly encourage change, and we will continue to urge politicians to do the same.”
“It doesn’t matter if you are a business owner or a worker: all Americans need financial security and quality health care they can afford,” said SEIU President Andy Stern. “Too many hard-working, tax-paying, middle-class families are struggling to stay afloat. And one thing is certain – the longer we wait, the worse it gets. We need real solutions to these problems, and we need them now.”
Divided We Fail, launched nationally in January 2007, has worked to engage the American people, elected officials and the business community to find broad-based, bi-partisan solutions to the most compelling domestic issues facing the nation: health care and the long-term financial security of Americans.
The national effort encompasses traditional grassroots and legislative work, speaking engagements, media events, private meetings with legislative leaders and opinion leaders, advertising in national outlets and in the primary states, and online activities which engage the public, business and elected officials in the debate, encouraging public leaders to offer solutions:
* December 2007: Divided We Fail sends AARP members in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Florida who identified themselves as likely caucus and primary voters “In Their Own Words,” a side-by-side look at the presidential candidates’ positions on affordable health care.
* December 2007: Underscoring the group’s commitment to bipartisanship, Divided We Fail announces the endorsement of the centrist organization, the Republican Main Street Partnership.
* November 2007: Divided We Fail brings private and financial sectors, unions and consumer interest groups together to discuss the plausibility and effectiveness of hybrid pension plans.
* October 2007: The leaders of AARP, Business Roundtable and SEIU speak at the White House Fellows Annual Meeting;
* August 2007: Divided We Fail signs a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson asking him to suspend regulatory actions that would penalize employers that provided workers affected by a cash balance conversion with certain favorable protections and to seek regulatory solutions to this issue.
* July 2007: The Divided We Fail leaders lead a Capitol Hill rally with over 2,000 people fanning out across the Hill to meet with their members of Congress about the Divided We Fail pledge;
* June 2007: Divided We Fail endorses the “Wired for Health Care Quality Act,” introduced by Senators Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and Michael B. Enzi (R-WY), a bill which would spur adoption of a nationwide interoperable health information technology (HIT) system.
* June 2007: Divided We Fail endorses the “Medicare Quality Enhancement Act,” introduced by Senators Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY), which would provide Medicare enrollment, claims, and survey and assessment data to private organizations to develop reports that measure health care quality for public use.
* June 2007: Divided We Fail leaders travel to New Hampshire for the kickoff of Divided We Fail in the Granite State;
* June 2007: Divided We Fail hosts a pension conference geared toward identifying pension models that can work for individuals and business;
* April 2007: The leaders begin a series of joint meetings with Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle;
* March 2007: Divided We Fail hosts a 2020 Vision Forum with leading pollsters on boomer views on health and financial security;
* February and March 2007: Divided We Fail leaders address the AARP and Business Roundtable boards of directors;
Divided We Fail will continue to secure pledges from members of Congress and the presidential candidates in support of the effort. To date, a total of 218 Members of Congress including 49 Senators & 169 Representatives have expressed support; 177 have signed the pledge and 41 have sent letters of support. Of the Presidential candidates, the following have either signed the pledge or sent a letter of support: Clinton, Edwards, Gravel, Huckabee, McCain (sent letter of support) and Obama. (Three additional candidates who have since dropped out of the race - Biden, Dodd, and Richardson – also signed the pledge.)
In the near future, members and representatives of Divided We Fail will ramp up outreach to Congressional leaders, opinion leaders, and the American public, including appearances for top level speeches at economic clubs nationwide; as well as continued – and increased – activity in key battleground states.
More information about Divided We Fail efforts can be found at www.dividedwefail.org.