Luetkemeyer pitches rosie view of Missouri’s economy just days
before 1,200 Chrysler workers will be laid off as the Fenton Plant shuts its doors

Republican Congressional Candidate Blaine Luetkemeyer told a rally of supporters that Missouri’s economy has “turned around” and has been “decent” for the last year and a half. His out-of-touch comments come just days before 1,200 workers at the Fenton Chrysler plant will lose their jobs that will be outsourced to Canada.

“Blaine Luetkemeyer is so out of touch with everyday people, he thinks our economy is decent. He doesn’t feel the pain working families are feeling as unemployment rises, health care access decreases and the mortgage payment becomes tougher to manage,” said Baker spokesperson Paul Tencher. “If we do not fundamentally change the economic policies that have led to this mess, families will lose the hope they are clinging to. Blaine Luetkemeyer is the wrong person to represent so many struggling Missouri families.”

A week ago today, Luetkemeyer told supporters:

“That being said: You know up until a year and a half or so here we’ve had a decent economy and we’ve turned our economy around. The figures are there.”

Baker launched a new commercial that highlight’s Luetkemeyer’s out-of-touch comments on the economy. The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a64iRMlMUEI and the text is below.

“The working families of Missouri have been making Chyrsler trucks and vans for almost 40 years. But this Thursday, more than 1,200 men and women will walk out of the Chrysler Plant and the gates will be locked behind them. Now these same families are worried about how they’ll afford the payments on the minivans they use to make. Not to mention how they’ll pay for the mortgage, or for college or even groceries. So do you trust a politician that thinks this economy is turning around? (Blaine) That being said: You know up until a year and a half or so here we’ve had a decent economy and we’ve turned our economy around. The figures are there. Blaine Luetkemeyer: Just Plain Wrong for Working Families in Missouri.”

The Associated Press reported yesterday that Luetkemeyer has spent $1.12 million of his personal fortune on financing his campaign. Luetkemeyer ranks 12th among all self-funding U.S. House candidates, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

“No Missouri family could imagine spending a $1 million on a political campaign and that is why Blaine Luetkemeyer cannot possible know what working families need,” Tencher said. “Missourians aren’t going out to eat or to the movies. Blaine Luetkemeyer is spending millions on his hobby: running for Congress.”