Key Lawmaker Endorses “Divided We Fail” Initiative on 150th Anniversary of Lincoln’s House Divided Speech
By: AARP Iowa | Source: AARP.org
On the 150th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s “House Divided” Speech, Iowa’s Fourth District Congressman Tom Latham (R-Ames) joined a growing list of elected officials calling for bipartisan efforts to address health care and financial security issues.
Latham publicly signed an oversized version of the Divided We Fail Pledge. Divided We Fail volunteers and team members joined Congressman Latham at Bickford Cottage Assisted Living Facility in Ames at the signing ceremony. Latham joins Congressman Bruce Braley (D-Waterloo) as the initial signers from the Iowa’s U.S. House delegation.
Divided We Fail’s National Coordinator Pete Jeffries and Congressman Latham made brief remarks. Jeffries stated, “On the anniversary of the momentousoccasion when Abraham Lincoln called on Americans to come together and work for the greater good, we are pleased Congressman Latham is joining the Divided We Fail effort and is working with other lawmakers to deliver solutions on the critical issues of health and financial security”.
Latham said, “Partisan bickering and posturing do not take Americans a single step closer to health and financial security. This effort puts a broken Washington on notice that we will accept no more excuses, no more empty promises, and no more political partisanship. It is time to roll up our sleeves and work together to get the job done for the American people.” (See Other Resources below for full text of comments and audio.)
AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond welcomed Congressman Latham’s addition to the debate and said in a statement, “We need our elected leaders to realize that the political environment exists for serious discussion to take place. Instead of groups working to kill reform, we should all agree to sit down at the table and work toward solutions.”
More than a half-million people nationally have already signed or endorsed the Divided We Fail Pledge, including nearly 14,000 Iowans, Presidential candidates Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama and more than 300 Members of Congress.
Other Resources
Divided We Fail
The Latham Report: A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand
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