Nurses Union Plans Ad Campaign Against Nevada Republican

Nurses Activism

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The country's largest union of registered nurses will begin a $200,000 advertising campaign Monday aimed at defeating Sharron Angle, the Republican challenger to Senator Harry Reid of Nevada.

Union leaders describe the race as their top priority in the midterm elections, and the advertising campaign is the largest ever expenditure on a political race by the union, National Nurses United, officials said.

The campaign will include television commercials that portray Ms. Angle as bumbling and extremist..... "As your U.S. senator, I'm not in the business of creating jobs," Ms. Angle is heard saying in the advertisement. Other commercials use Ms. Angle's comments about privatizing Medicare and Social Security, as well as getting rid of the Education Department.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/us/politics/04angle.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

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Good, I am glad someone is trying to counter the lies.

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Specializes in Oncology&Homecare.

Being politically active is the only way to effect change. I am happy to see that nursing is involved in the November elections. If we had the lobby that the AMA or the drug companies have, we would be able to attain more of our goals. It is time that we become proactive for our profession.:nurse:

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I am happy about this also. Someone has to counter Big Drug and Big Insurance. I am so shocked that all the reasonable people in this country have allowed the shouters to yell them into a corner with their lies. Kinda reminds me of a recent war.

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Glad to see the comments above. As an officer in a politically active nursing union, I periodically hear from members who say we "shouldn't be involved in politics".

Of course what they actually mean is that they don't like our political choices, but taking the comment at face value, I tell them this:

Every singe aspect of your practice from the day you enter nursing school, is determined through the political process. From the qualifications of your teachers, how many spaces were available for students, what your graduation requirements were, and what was on your licensing exam - all politics.

Then, as a practicing nurse, how many patients you care for, who else can take parts of your job, whether the building you work in is safe, whether your patient can access care or not, what happens if you are accused of wrongdoing, whether you get a lunch break or not - and much, much more - all politics.

If a union that represented nurses did NOT get involved in politics it would be the grossest malpractice.

And the most important way to be involved in politics is to influence who gets elected.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I definitely agree that nurses should be involved in politics. HOWEVER, I am a member of a union that is under the umbrella of the NNU. I DO NOT support their stance on Reid...and I don't think they should spend my union dues on a candidate I would NEVER support. Good ol' Harry needs to go! This wasn't put to a vote with the membership, this was decided by the leaders of the union. Which is garbage. The reasons they supporting Reid don't necessairly directly impact nursing...I'm very frustrated with my union. It seems all they are good for right now is taking my money.

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I definitely agree that nurses should be involved in politics. HOWEVER, I am a member of a union that is under the umbrella of the NNU. I DO NOT support their stance on Reid...and I don't think they should spend my union dues on a candidate I would NEVER support. Good ol' Harry needs to go! This wasn't put to a vote with the membership, this was decided by the leaders of the union. Which is garbage. The reasons they supporting Reid don't necessairly directly impact nursing...I'm very frustrated with my union. It seems all they are good for right now is taking my money.

We have this amazing concept in this country called representative democracy - you elect people to do a job and if you don't like what they do, you elect someone else. The board of our union makes hundreds of decisions on all kinds of issues in the course of a three-year term of office. If we put any significant fraction of them to a vote of all the members, we would do nothing else - and spend all of our dues on the cost of the votes. We work really hard and spend a lot of money to encourage members to vote in the elections of officers every three years and despite all that effort a shockingly small percentage bother to vote. Anyone who does not like the decisions being made in the running of their union can and should run for office themselves. If a large part of the membership are actually unhappy with the incumbents, they'll be voted out. Harry Reid is not my favorite politician, but his opponent is a dangerous lunatic. With many bad ideas that would directly impact nurses.

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Specializes in Oncology&Homecare.

Chico David RN thank you for your nutshell review of the reasons for political involvement. Both of your posts couldn't have put in better. The message is Get involved or be subjected to the will of others.:up:

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I wish Colorado had a strong nurses union. Good on the Nevada Nurses Union. You've certainly got a candidate worse than the typical psych patient over there. So does Colorado but Sharron Angle is worse.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
We have this amazing concept in this country called representative democracy - you elect people to do a job and if you don't like what they do, you elect someone else. The board of our union makes hundreds of decisions on all kinds of issues in the course of a three-year term of office. If we put any significant fraction of them to a vote of all the members, we would do nothing else - and spend all of our dues on the cost of the votes. We work really hard and spend a lot of money to encourage members to vote in the elections of officers every three years and despite all that effort a shockingly small percentage bother to vote. Anyone who does not like the decisions being made in the running of their union can and should run for office themselves. If a large part of the membership are actually unhappy with the incumbents, they'll be voted out. Harry Reid is not my favorite politician, but his opponent is a dangerous lunatic. With many bad ideas that would directly impact nurses.

First off, I don't accept your arguement that issues can't be put to the membership for a vote. With today's access to the internet, a simple survey is easily conducted. In the case of the union for which I am a member, I see a lot of people who are trying to convince me as to how hard they work but see little action.

I am fully aware of the benefits in living in a representative democracy, I vote every time the door is open. And I thank God every day for those who have given their lives so that I have that privilege.

I don't see spending $200,00 of a union's money as a little issue that couldn't be voted upon by the membership. If we have all of that money all of a sudden, there are more important issues that need addressing, not spending money on the current speaker of the house who has NEVER done anything to support my career as a nurse.

I take offense at your statement that Ms. Angle is a lunatic....I didn't call Harry Reid names and find it problematic that you have to resort to name calling in your post. I've listened to both candidates, watched Harry Reid fail MISERABLY in the recent debate..and yet I didn't find it necessary to stoop to your level.

I stand my assertion that the union should have put such an expense to a vote...or at the least, polled the membership as to how such a campaign should have been conducted.

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Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

As a member of CNA I choose to contribute to the political action committee (PAC). Like many other members I filled out a card specifying how much i want to be deducted for the PAC along with my dues.

Giving to the PAC is not required for members.

.

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Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

"they [republicans] say, 'you're too conservative.' was thomas jefferson too conservative? i'm tired of some people calling me wacky." --sharron angle, march 21, 2010

"i hope that's not where we're going, but you know if this congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those second amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around? i'll tell you the first thing we need to do is take harry reid out." sharron angle, interview with talk radio host lars larson in portland, or, january 2010

"the second amendment is the right to keep and bear arms for our citizenry...this is for us...this is for us when our government becomes tyrannical..." --sharron angle

"people ask me, 'what are you going to do to develop jobs in your state?' well, that's not my job as a u.s. senator." -sharron angle, may 14, 2010

"you can make more money on unemployment than you can going down and getting one of those jobs that is an honest job, but it doesn't pay as much. and so that's what's happened to us is that we have put in so much entitlement into our government that we really have spoiled our citizenry and said you don't want the jobs that are available." -- sharron angle, on unemployment benefits, interview with krno, july 14, 2010

"the federal department of education should be eliminated. the department of education is unconstitutional and should not be involved in education, at any level." --sharron angle, july 12, 2010

"when i said privatize, that's what i meant. that i thought we would just have to go to the private sector for a template on how this is supposed to be done. however, i've since been studying and chile has done this." --sharron angle, explaining why social security should be phased out in favor of a system resembling the one created in the 1980s by right-wing chilean dictator augusto pinochet, aug. 12, 2010

sharron angle: what she will do to you and nevada's health care if elected - http://www.examiner.com/democrat-in-las-vegas/sharron-angle-what-she-will-do-to-you-and-nevada-s-health-care-if-elected

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