We’ve been busy working on our campaign to expose the GOP Health Care Hypocrites for the last several weeks, along with Daily Kos and Americans for America, so we’ve started to unveil the fruits of our labor — and of course, your generosity. You can still donate to this effort here. We have ads scheduled to run against a host of candidates, starting this weekend.
I trust you’ve been following the campaign Blue America, Daily Kos, Americans United For Change and the Americans For America PAC cobbled together over the last couple of weeks to spotlight the gross hypocrisy of Republicans voting to repeal health care legislation for the constituents who pay their salaries– and subsidize their own and their families’ health care!– while keeping it for themselves …read on
We’ve targeted Paul Ryan, one of the biggest health-care hypocrites of all and a guy who should probably be rooting for the Green Bay Packers. By the way, Think Progress is reporting that Ryan was also at the Koch Brothers Billionaire Caucus meeting that I protested on Sunday. The Packers are the model sports franchise, because there are no greedy owners demanding profits over people and players above everything else. Check out this great article on ESPN, written by Patrick Hruby, called: “The right way? The Green Bay way Here’s how to fix professional sports in one simple lesson: Use the Packers model”
Since 1923, Green Bay has been the only publicly owned, nonprofit major professional sports team in the nation. And that doesn’t just make the franchise a charming anachronism, or the answer to a barstool trivia question.
It makes them an example. A case study. A working model for a better way to organize and administer pro sports.
Namely, through public ownership, a system that could mitigate some of the most irritating ills plaguing our games — and with little downside, to boot.
Provided you’re a fan, that is. And not, say, Jerry Jones…read on
It’s a fascinating article that explains how incredible their franchise is and how it differs from the ideas of the Paul Ryans of the world. It’s also a non-profit entity, which fundamentally is everything that Ryan stands against. Let’s face it, he had the chance to proclaim his radical views on how to fix our economy to America when he gave the first GOP SOTU rebuttal, but he instead ignored his own frightening Randian bill because he was either too embarrassed to say it out loud or was ordered by the Big Shots of the GOP to keep quiet about it. When a man wants to privatize Social Security and turn Medicare into a coupon-cutout system — well, let’s just say the rest of his party wasn’t too keen to be tarred with his ideas.
In other words: Compared to mortgaged-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations and some of the other complex — read: crappy — financial products pushed by Wall Street in recent years, owning an NFL club might be one of the least risky investments going. Likewise, while publicly owned franchises theoretically ought to labor under the same inefficiencies common to municipal bureaucracies, Green Bay is a remarkably well-run club, financially and competitively.
Can the privately owned Cincinnati Bengals say the same?
Stability. Security. A shared sense of purpose between fans and teams. If the Packers model seems too good to be true, that’s because it is: In 1960, the league wrote a rule into its own constitution prohibiting additional nonprofit, publicly owned teams. Why should the great unwashed enjoy any of the money-printing, antitrust-exempted fun? Nevertheless, when Green Bay takes the field for Super Bowl XLV — possibly the last pro football game of the calendar year — it will be nice to imagine a better alternative.
Actually, you won’t have to imagine.
One of the stations we’re running the Packer ads on in Milwaukee is owned by Willie Davis – he was a Green Bay Packer for 10 years and never missed a game. His story after football is quite remarkable.
Here’s the script for the ad:
GREEN BAY PACKER VALUES
On Sunday, everyone will be rooting for the Packers. Except Congressman Paul Ryan.
See, the Pack is community-owned, and run to benefit the people – not some greedy owner.Beer is affordable. Profits go back to the Team. And no billionaire is going to lock out the Pack, but Congressman Ryan doesn’t like putting people before profits.
Take health care.
The Affordable Care Act makes health care more affordable for all Americans. It cuts $200 billion from the debt. It doesn’t hurt companies, but puts people before profits.
Paul Ryan led the charge to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He wants Insurance Companies running the show.
It’s like Paul Ryan prefers greedy NFL owners over the Green Bay system.
Coach Lombardi said, People who work together will win against any challenger – a tough defense or modern society problems.
Congressman Ryan, take a page from the Green Bay playbook.
Put the people before profits. Support the Affordable Health Care Act – and root for the Pack.
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