Retirees Lament Departure of Senator Snowe

ALLIANCE FOR RETIRED AMERICANS   
815 16th Street, NW, 4th Floor ¨ Washington, D.C. 20006 ¨ (202) 637-5399 ¨ www.retiredamericans.org

 For Immediate Release                                                                                                                         Contact: David Blank (202) 637-5275 or dblank@retiredamericans.org
February 29, 2012

“An increasingly rare voice of moderation”

The following statement was issued today by Edward F. Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans.

“The retirement of Senator Snowe is yet another reminder of the extreme direction in which the Republican Party is heading.  Senator Snowe has been an increasingly rare voice of moderation and openness.

“While retirees and workers did not agree with Senator Snowe on every issue, her door was always open to listen and engage in meaningful discussion.  She regularly met with Alliance members when they visited Washington and spoke at our Maine Alliance meetings.

“Perhaps Senator Snowe's experience was shaped when her party's leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, announced that his top priority would be to defeat President Obama.  Senator Snowe, like Arlen Specter, Jim Jeffords and others before her, was a throw-back to a day when legislators of both parties sought to forge common ground.

“Retirees want to be able to pay their bills and stay healthy.  That should not be a Republican goal or a Democratic goal, but something that all Americans want.

“The Alliance for Retired Americans congratulates Senator Olympia Snowe on a lifetime of dedication to public service.”
 
The Alliance for Retired Americans is a national organization that advocates for the rights and well being of over 4 million retirees and their families.