NEW PROGRESSIVE GROUP LAUNCHES ADS ON ASBESTOS BILL
Vows to hold members of both parties accountable for their positions

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 29, 2005 – The Senate Accountability Project, a new progressive “527” organization, announced today the launch of a major new advertising campaign to defend progressive values in the United States Senate. The group seeks to hold both Democratic and Republican Senators accountable for their actions, and begins that effort today with advertisements on the pending asbestos legislation. (Deaths From Malignant Mesothelioma In 1999) The ads will run in Arkansas, Nebraska, Montana, and Washington, DC.

“Voters deserve to know where their Senators stand on important issues, regardless of party,” said Senate Accountability Project President Mark Iola. “We are committed to progressive causes, and we are going to hold our Senators accountable for upholding the progressive values we believe in.”

The ad, entitled “Emergency,” places the viewer in the role of a victim of asbestos cancer, and asks voters to reject an unfair asbestos bill which shortchanges victims while letting insurance companies and corporations off the hook. It will run at significant levels over the next week as the Senate moves this unfair bill forward.

“This asbestos bill is unfair to men and women who did nothing but their jobs, while letting those responsible off the hook. We’re asking voters to put themselves in the same situation – they’d want their senators looking out for them, not the big corporations,” said Iola.

The Senate Accountability Project, a recently formed 527, is dedicated to advocating on behalf of progressive causes. The group seeks to hold ALL U.S. Senators, regardless of their political party, accountable for their views and actions on issues like tax reform, social security, civil liberties and other progressive causes. In the coming months, the Senate Accountability Project will work to bring these issues to the attention of voters through television, radio, print, or Internet advertising, or other means.

Senate Accountability Project :30 TV
Audio		Visual
What if it were you?		Woman sees man on stretcher being taken off an ambulance, then sees herself on the stretcher.
What if you were diagnosed with a terminal disease because of a company’s negligence or wrongdoing?
Wouldn't you want your representatives looking out for you.		Woman, walking through hospital, sees nurse helping a sick woman walk, then sees herself being helped by the nurse.
But some Washington politicians want to abolish your right to hold the guilty fully accountable if you're a victim of asbestos cancer.		Woman sees man in wheelchair, then sees herself in the wheelchair.
Contact your senators today and tell them to protect your rights,instead of insurance and asbestos companies.		Woman sees doctor helping a patient, then sees herself being helped by the doctor.
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April 29, 2005 (PDF file)