Ron Kirk: the Clear Choice for Texas Working Families

When Texas Sen. Phil Gramm (R) announced his retirement after compiling one of the most anti-worker records in the Senate, it opened up a unique opportunity for working families to take back this important seat in November.

That is exactly what will happen if Texas voters elect former Secretary of State and Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk (D), a strong leader committed to adding comprehensive Medicare prescription drug benefits, strengthening Social Security, fully funding education, and improving the quality of life for Texas working families.

By contrast, Kirk’s opponent, Texas Attorney General John Cornyn, can be expected to follow in Gramm’s footsteps, and, as one of the top recipients of Enron’s campaign largesse, side with the forces of corporate greed.

On a host of critical issues, Kirk and Cornyn come down on opposite sides of the table.

• Kirk is adamantly opposed to the president’s scheme to privatize Social Security, which would put Americans’ retirement security at the mercy of the stock market. But Cornyn wants to do precisely that, draining $1 trillion from the Social Security Trust Fund and turning a sure thing into something more like an Enron 401(k) plan.

• Kirk will fight to provide comprehensive prescription drug coverage for Medicare recipients and to save the American people an estimated $60 billion over the next 10 years by speeding the introduction of low cost generic drugs. However, Cornyn has received large campaign contributions from giant insurance and prescription drug companies that oppose these bills.

• Kirk is opposed to private school vouchers that drain desperately needed resources away from public schools and students that need them most, while Cornyn supports them.

• Kirk has made clear that he will not hesitate to oppose the judicial nominations of extremists who threaten to undermine human, civil and worker rights. Cornyn has criticized Kirk for this principled stance and can be expected to rubber stamp any nominations from the current administration.

• Kirk supports tough corporate accountability measures designed to prevent a repeat of the Enron and WorldCom scandals, strengthen auditor integrity, stop conflicts of interest, and protect employees, pension holders and investors against fraud and deception. By contrast, Cornyn received so much money from Enron he had to recuse his entire office from the investigation into that company’s wrongdoing.

Kirk will be a strong supporter of CWA’s working families agenda. He will fight for strong workplace health and safety protections. And he backs a real, enforceable Patients’ Bill of Rights that puts patient care ahead of corporate profits and ends managed care abuses.

Kirk brings to his campaign not only the values working families share and a program to improve people’s standard of living, but also a stellar record as mayor of Dallas, having brought people together to help create an estimated 45,000 new jobs, cut crime and improve education.

The significance of this race extends far beyond one vote in the Senate. The outcome could determine which party controls the Senate for the next two years, with major consequences on every policy and budget issue that matters (see U.S. Senate: One Vote Makes All the Difference).

Kirk has shown he has the courage and commitment to stand up for CWA members and fight for our working families agenda in the Senate, while Cornyn sides with the forces of corporate greed and ideological extremism.

This portion of this website is paid for by the CWA Committee on Political Education - Political ontributions Committee, with voluntary contributions from union members and their families, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.