Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Democratic leaders participated in a conference call Tuesday to give Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney a "proper Texas welcome" before he arrives here tomorrow on a fundraising trip.
Romney initially planned to attend a noon fundraiser in Fort Worth Wednesday but ended up combining the event with an evening gathering in Dallas because of time constraints.
Congresswoman Johnson was joined by Congressman Charlie Gonzalez and State Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio. The Democratic leaders criticized Romney on issues ranging from his proposed budget to the Dream Act to immigration reform.
"Mitt Romney may think he can Etch a Sketch his way back from the extreme positions he has taken to pander to the far right wing of his party," said Congresswoman Johnson, alluding to a Romney aide's comment last week about offering more moderate views when the campaign shifts into general election mode. "No amount of shaking can make voters forget how out of touch Mitt Romney really is."
Congresswoman Johnson, a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, focused on Romney's embrace of the budget proposal issued by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Echoing oft-repeated Democratic attack points, she asserted that the Ryan plan, by turning Medicare into a voucher program, would boost costs for seniors, "end Medicare as we know it" and hurt the middle class, "all while giving massive tax cuts to the wealthiest and protecting taxpayer subsidies for oil companies and hedge fund managers."
"I was a nurse for a long time but we don't have to be a nurse to know that Romney-Ryan budget fails big time for Texas families," Johnson said. "It's shameful and its failed approach is very extreme."
"We thought it would be good ... to give him a proper Texas welcome," Johnson said.
