‘We can put Washington to work for Arizona families’

PHOENIX – Former Clinton White House aide and Arizona prosecutor Andrei Cherny launched his bid for Congress today, and said he’ll fight the special interest takeover in Washington to put government back on the side of the middle class. 

Cherny released a video to make the announcement: http://youtu.be/M34Mk9h89iI.  A complete transcript of Cherny’s video is below. 

“The problem isn’t that Washington’s not working,” he said.  “It’s that it’s not working for us.  The truth is that Washington works great for the people with the campaign cash and the connections.  Some big corporations don’t pay a dime in taxes while Congress tries to raise taxes on the middle class.  We can change that but it won’t happen with politics as usual or the usual politicians.”

Cherny said the armies of lobbyists who control Congress have made advanced their own interests at the expense of middle class families – and that as a result, many are stuck in place or falling behind.  He is running on his unique 15-year track record of delivering real results for the middle class. 

Cherny will run in Arizona’s Ninth Congressional District – a new competitive district made up of north and central Phoenix, Arcadia, Ahwatukee, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, and south Scottsdale.

Cherny Announcement Video Transcript and Fact Check

The promise of America is that if you work hard enough, you can get ahead.  But in neighborhoods like this all across our community, families are struggling. Working longer hours, spending less time with their families, and finding themselves stuck in place or falling behind. 

I’ve seen that American promise first hand.  I grew up the son of two immigrants in a small upstairs apartment, and I watched them work so hard every single day.  But we weren’t alone.  When times were tough it was unemployment benefits that put food on the table and helped us pay the rent.  And because of public schools and public libraries and Pell Grants I was able to go from being a kid whose parents didn’t speak much English to working in the White House for the president of the United States.

And ever since then I’ve devoted myself to working for families just like mine.  In the Clinton White House, we overcame tough opposition to balance the budget and create millions of new jobs.  I became an Arizona prosecutor to take on the corporate criminals and mortgage fraud artists and put them where they belong – behind bars. 

And with a little known law professor named Elizabeth Warren, we launched the push for the new consumer watchdog agency to stop the mortgage brokers and the credit card companies from preying on working families. [Source: The Journal Behind the CFPB, Politico, July 21, 2011]

We faced off against the biggest army of Wall Street lobbyists ever assembled – and we won. 

But today too many politicians have broken faith with the promise of America. 

Some big corporations don’t pay a dime in taxes while Congress tries to raise taxes on the middle class.  [Source: General Electric Paid No Federal Taxes in 2010, ABC News, March 25, 2011; ExxonMobil Paid No Federal Taxes in 2009, ThinkProgress, April 6, 2009]
 
Washington spends billions to bail out irresponsibility on Wall Street but won’t help the families whose homes are under water.  [Source: Too Little, Too Late: Banks Finally Sanctioned For Violating Anti-Foreclosure Program, ThinkProgress, June 9, 2011; Mortgage Modifications Dwindle Further, Huffington Post, Sept. 1, 2011]

Retirement accounts shrink while the too big to fail banks get even bigger.

Don’t tell me Washington is broken.  The truth is it works great for the folks with the campaign cash and the connections. [Source: 29 Companies That Paid Millions For Lobbying (And Didn't Pay Taxes), Forbes.com, Dec. 14, 2011; How Corporations Pay More for Lobbyists Than in Taxes, Public Campaign, December 2011]

The problem is not that Washington’s not working, it’s that it’s not working for us.  [Source: Middle Class May Be Losing Political Influence, The Arizona Republic, Sept. 4, 2011]

But we can put government back on our side again.  But I need your help.  Because this campaign isn’t about me – its about citizens coming together to do something bigger than ourselves.  Rebuilding the ladder of opportunity.  Creating jobs by making Arizona the Solar State.  Breaking the chain between Wall Street and Washington.  Saving the middle class. 

It won't happen through politics as usual or the usual politicians.  But it can happen. We can make Washington work for the people again.  And we can start right here – at home.