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January 13, 2005
Courage

Your really have to hand it to the right wing, their shamelessness truly seems to know no bounds. Via Daily Kos, we see that a conservative interest group has started running an ad (watch here) promoting Social Security reform featuring Franklin D. Roosevelt. That's right, they're using images of the man in a campaign to completely gut his most lasting and important achievement.

fdr

The Democrats aren't sitting on their hands this time, though. Their new "war room" quickly found a Roosevelt (FDR's grandson) to write them a letter asking that they stop using his grandfather's image.

It has come to my attention that your organization has begun running an advertising campaign to promote President George W. Bush's plan to privatize Social Security and cut benefits. The advertisements that are currently being aired feature President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his signing of the original Social Security legislation. I find the use of my grandfather's image and legacy in your campaign to be highly inappropriate.

For seventy years, Social Security has been the bedrock of retirement security for millions of Americans thanks to the efforts of President Roosevelt. My grandfather would surely oppose the ideas now being promoted by this administration and your organization. Not only that, but to compare the courage it took to provide a guaranteed insurance program for our seniors and the disabled to the courage it will take to dismantle the most successful social program in history is simply unconscionable. We should be working to protect and promote Social Security, not cutting benefits for our seniors.

On behalf of my family, I would ask that you cease using my grandfather's image in your advertising campaign.

Respectfully,
James Roosevelt Jr.

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