“Phone Booth” highlights Paulsen’s Big Pharma money and record of inaccessibility after “Bigfoot” video with similar message goes viral online
Excelsior, MN – Phillips for Congress today announced the release of its latest TV ad, entitled “Phone Booth,” which highlights Congressman Erik Paulsen’s record of avoiding his constituents while becoming the 6th biggest taker of special interest money in Congress, including more than $1.6 million from insurance and drug companies alone.
In the ad, Dean Phillips helps constituents call Congressman Paulsen’s office from a working phone booth – a relic of the past almost harder to come by than the Congressman himself. The campaign also posted a video of some of those conversations, in which Paulsen’s constituents were repeatedly told the Congressman was unavailable to meet or talk, and had no public events scheduled.
And the message doesn’t stop at the TV screen or online. Phillips for Congress will have the working phone booth on display at their campaign headquarters, dubbed the Conversation Cottage, in Excelsior — including today from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Constituents are invited to stop by and call Congressman Paulsen’s campaign office to try and find out where he is.
“Being accessible and accountable to the people you are seeking to represent should be a minimum requirement for those campaigning for public office,” said Phillips. “And while Congressman Paulsen and the drug and insurance companies funding his campaign are spending millions on negative and false attack ads on TV, I’m spending my time actually talking to people – because representation begins with listening.”
Another Phillips ad, “We Found Bigfoot,” went viral online this week, striking a chord with people in Minnesota’s Third District who are fed up with their hard-to-find Congressman. Despite committing to appear at three town halls alongside Phillips just last month, Congressman Paulsen is now refusing to debate in public, and has only agreed to debate Phillips in closed media venues, with no ability for voters to attend.
Dean Phillips, meanwhile, has made accessibility a hallmark of his campaign, holding more than 120 public events since entering the race, and committing to hold at least four town halls per year if elected. And Phillips may be the only candidate in the country who takes no money from special interest PACs, federal lobbyists or members of Congress.