Stewart Acuff, director of the AFL-CIO in Georgia, said the picketing wasn’t coordinated to coincide with Coles’ TV ad against Coverdell. “This is big issue for us all over the country,” said Acuff. “We’re doing this in places where senators aren’t up for election. This is not an election campaign, this is an issue campaign.” And Coles spokesman Peter Kennedy said he wasn’t even aware of the picketing at the former Coverdell business. However, the AFL-CIO announced in July it was targeting Republicans in Iowa and Ohio for their failure to support the Democratic version of the patient bill of rights. With the November elections barely eight weeks away, the exchange between the Coles and Coverdell campaigns over the HMO issue among others indicates the Senate race has begun in earnest. The Coles ad, which first aired Wednesday night, came only two days after Coles opened his television ad campaign with a commercial that showed people who had suffered as a result of insurers denying coverage. Days earlier, Coverdell began airing two ads: one that emphasized his strong work ethic and a second that touted his role in education reform. The education ad claimed Coverdell had “done more to improve education in America than many senators do in a lifetime.” “More in one term than most senators have done in a lifetime? I find that offensive,” Coles said. “I’d like to see if Sam Nunn [agrees with that].” Coles said that in the past five years none of the four Coverdell bills that have become law have anything to do with education. Coles also said Coverdell’s recent proposal to allow $2,000 tax-deferred education savings accounts was doomed from the start because of President Clinton's promised veto. But Coverdell said his most significant education initiatives including a $500 education savings account for college expenses were enacted as amendments to other bills. |
