ATLA Launches Ad Campaign in NM

The Association of Trial Lawyers in America are airing ads blaming Heather Wilson for being beholden to corporate interests like Big Oil and Big Pharma. Here's the press release:

The Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) today began running television and radio ads in New Mexico's 1st Congressional district.

The ads urge constituents to contact Representative Heather Wilson, who has voted to put corporate profits of the oil, gas and pharmaceutical industries before the safety and well-being of the public, and tell her to do the right thing when taking future votes.

"Representative Wilson has been doing the bidding of the big oil and drug companies and putting profits of corporate contributors before the health and well-being of her constituents, just as she has repeatedly voted to limit the ability of every day Americans to hold these powerful corporations accountable in our courts," said ATLA CEO Jon Haber.

These ads are a part of ATLA's long-term Fight for Justice Campaign, a campaign to ensure that all Americans have access to justice and can hold negligent corporations accountable. ATLA and its members fight to level the playing field for every day Americans who must use the civil justice systems as their last resort against negligent corporations concerned more about profits than people.

Source: ATLA Press Release

Expect to see a :30 TV ad about her ties to the pharmaceutical industry, and how her votes have put the profits of Big Pharma ahead of the good of the people of New Mexico.

Prescription drug prices for seniors have climbed thirty-five percent in the past six years.

Yet Congresswoman Heather Wilson voted to ban Medicare from negotiating with the drug companies for lower prices.

That's meant a windfall for the pharmaceutical industry which has given Wilson over sixty eight thousand in campaign money.

Source: ATLA ad (mp3)

If you're listening to the radio (probably 770), you'll hear an ad about the rising gas prices.

Woman: Fifty dollars a tank. Why doesn’t someone do something about this?

Man: Yea, you mean like Heather Wilson? Forget it.

Woman: Wilson? Our Congresswoman?

Man: Hey, she's not our Congresswoman. She's big oil's Congresswoman.

Source: ATLA ad (Real Media)

Not exactly the most subtle message.

One thing that I would like to see is that they mention Patricia Madrid. I know running an anti-Wilson ad is easy -- since she's given so much ammo for the ads -- but let's get Madrid's name out there. Let's make sure that we see Madrid's face on all these ads, showing that she won't be in the pocket of Big Oil or other corporations.

I'd like to reiterate something that I've said before -- just because you take money from a group doesn't mean that you necessarily are in their pocket. But when you take money from them, then give them big subsidies or pad their pockets ... that's when things start to look fishy.

And Wilson? It smells like fish.