WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While conservatives opposing the children's health insurance bill are aiming their vicious attacks against a 12-year-old who receives coverage through the program, children are fighting back on the Internet. In one YouTube video with tens of thousands of viewers, a 10-year old points to a series of photos of House members posing with children, threatening to hold back on future photo opportunities if legislators vote against him. (The video can be viewed at http://youtube.com/watch?v=dMitrtE4N4A).
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"I know you like us kids, but if you want us to keep hanging out with you for the cameras, you need to protect us, not the president," says the child in the video produced by the Campaign for America's Future. "No health care for us, no photo ops for you."
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Campaign for America's Future Communications Director Toby Chaudhuri said this week's SCHIP debate is not child's play, but in fact, the president's veto kicked off a major debate about how we fix the nation's broken health care systems.
"Legislators must decide whether they stand with the president in defense of private insurance company profits or with children in need of health care. You wouldn't think this was a hard choice," said Chaudhuri. "This vote marks the first round in a major national fight about health care. Where legislators stand on expanding children's health care is a good indication of where they will stand on reforms needed to provide affordable health care for all - a question that will be at the center of the debate in next year's elections."
A House vote to override President Bush's veto of the legislation is scheduled for Thursday. The vetoed bill would expand an existing insurance program for lower-income children by $35 billion over five years. The Congressional Budget Office says the measure would reduce the number of uninsured children by 3.8 million.
**NOTE: To view the SCHIP Internet video, please visit http://youtube.com/watch?v=dMitrtE4N4A. A script follows.**
"NO MORE PHOTO OPS"
INTERNET VIDEO SCRIPT:
10-YEAR-OLD: Hey Congress, remember me? I'm one of those children, the kind you say you won't leave behind.
[ON-SCREEN: President Bush with children at a No Child Left Behind photo opportunity.]
10-YEAR-OLD: We've been there for you here, here, here, here and here.
[ON-SCREEN: Photos of children with House members.]
10-YEAR-OLD: We were even there for this guy.
[ON-SCREEN: Photo of children with President Bush.]
10-YEAR-OLD: Now he's left us behind. Without health care. He vetoed health care for kids that a big majority in Congress voted for.
[ON-SCREEN: More photos of children with House members.]
10-YEAR-OLD: I know you like us kids, but if you want us to keep hanging out with you for the cameras, you need to protect us, not the president. No health care for us, no photo ops for you.
Believe me, we got better things to do.
[ON-SCREEN: Video of a child yawning while President Bush is delivering remarks. TEXT: Tell your representative: Stand for healthy kids. Override Bush's veto. Send a message at ourfuture.org.]
SOURCE Campaign for America's Future
