Myers Welcomes "Modern-Day Herbert Hoover" Into District, 
Accepts Campaign Cash From President Who Allowed Economy to Spin Out of Control, Forcing Taxpayers To Clean Up The Mess

Mt. Laurel, NJ – Democratic congressional candidate John Adler said today that President Bush's trip to New Jersey today to raise money for Mayor Chris Myers is an affront to the district's residents and Myers embraces Bush amid greatest economic turmoil since the Great Depressionshows that Myers is hopelessly out of touch with their fears and concerns. Adler said that welcoming Bush into New Jersey with open arms - as the nation sits in the very eye of an economic hurricane - shows a blatant insensitivity to the voters by Myers and exposes where his true sympathies lie: with George W. Bush and the corporate elite who triggered this crisis, not the middle-class taxpayers who will be forced to pay for it.

"If Mayor Myers had any sense of the fear and feeling of utter helplessness gripping Americans being punished by this economic meltdown, he would not be standing arm in arm this afternoon with the very symbol of that failure, " Adler said. "Not since Herbert Hoover have we had a president whose blind spot on the economy had such a devastating impact on all Americans. For Chris Myers to be celebrating his friend and ally in the White House, especially at this time, demonstrates in the starkest possible way that he could never be trusted to be an advocate for the taxpayers of this district."

Adler said that Myers, given the severity and immediacy of the crisis rocking the economy, should have told Bush it would be inappropriate to go ahead with today’s high-priced event to raise money for his campaign. But like everything else about his campaign, Adler said, Myers has put his own political needs, as well as his absolute allegiance to President Bush and his eight years of failed policies, ahead of the people in the 3rd District. Adler said the fundraiser "is all about payback" from the White House for Myers' steadfast support for Bush's legacy of failure, including the Iraq War, the damaged economy and the staggering costs of education and health care.

"It is nothing short of an insult to the hard-working people of this district for Mayor Myers to be wining and dining with George W. Bush tonight – and accepting his money – at the very instant Washington is seeking a solution to the most serious economic situation in our lifetime, " Adler said. "It's as if my opponent hasn't the slightest comprehension that this crisis is not limited to Wall Street. It has spread to Main Street, affecting the quality of life of each and every American."

Adler noted that Myers is one of the few Republican congressional candidates making campaign appearances with Bush this year. Adler said that is not surprising because Myers has marched in lockstep with the president on everything from the Iraq War to huge tax break for giant corporations. Myers, Adler said, remained silent as Bush treated the growing economic problems of recent months with the same casual indifference he has displayed toward other critical issues. Adler said that Bush was as late responding to the current economic crisis as he was to Hurricane Katrina – only this time the pain is being felt far beyond the borders of New Orleans.

"And through it all, through the incompetence and arrogance that has marked the last eight years of this president's administration, Chris Myers has remained George Bush's  loyal foot soldier, " Adler said. "Enough is enough. The people in this district deserve a forceful advocate for them in Washington. I am eager to bring the kind of new leadership that offers fresh approaches to our foreign and domestic challenges, the kind of leadership that puts the needs of the average taxpayers of this state and nation above those of the special interests that have too much influence in Washington."