O'Rourke Releases New Jobs Campaign Video

Beto O'Rourke has released a new campaign video discussing jobs in El Paso. I'm posting this because I've noticed that video is becoming a bigger and bigger part of campaigns lately. Cheap to produce, easy to share. Technology is finally being utilized on a regular basis in the election cycle, though I think only two campaigns have an actual YouTube/Vimeo channel so far. But expect this type of stuff to be pretty common by the next election cycle.



Here is the rest of his press release:

Jobs: Failed Leadership Fails El Paso How's that "working" for you? November 21, 2011 This Thanksgiving week we have so much to be thankful for... Unfortunately, many El Pasoans are not as fortunate.  Over 30,000 El Pasoans are out of work -- and of those who are lucky to be employed, many are underemployed, unable to utilize their degrees or skills to their highest potential. By now you might've seen Reyes' billboards proclaiming that Jobs for El Paso he "works." He's very fortunate - to have an income, excellent health benefits and a lifelong pension through a job he's had in Congress for the last 16 years. Reyes Works? Before this community re-hires Silvestre Reyes for a ninth term, we should ask how effectively he works for us: Silvestre Reyes has one of the worst records in Congress, having ranked among the top 25 members of with the most missed votes. 95% of the U.S. Congress has a better voting record! [link]  Silvestre Reyes, who's been in Congress for nearly 16 years, has managed to author, pass and successfully enact only 6 bills. Two of them were to rename federal buildings. [link]  While state, city, county and private sector leaders have done as much as possible to grow jobs in El Paso, our federal representative has demonstrated inadequate leadership. Getting El Paso back to work is my single greatest priority. I have an economic development record as your public servant at the City and as one of your small business owners: I have employed dozens of El Pasoans in high-tech, high-wage jobs at Stanton Street, a company I co-founded in 1999.  I served on the executive board of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, helping connect small businesses with capital and create jobs in El Paso's small business community.  I understand the pressures of making a payroll and paying for employees' healthcare -- I understand that the 13,000+ small businesses in El Paso are the backbone of this region's economy.  I know what it means to create jobs. Reyes has never met a payroll. In fact, he's been on the public payroll for over 35 years! Here is my JOBS AGENDA, three areas in which your congressional office will take the lead to help create jobs if I'm elected: INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE THAT CREATES JOBS - 50,000 El Paso jobs are dependent on the efficient, secure flow of people and goods through our ports of entry. These include people working in industries as diverse as retail, manufacturing, logistics, finance and manual labor.  Reyes has failed to convince his colleagues that we need investment in ports of entry-our lifeline to $70 billion of commerce.  Three-hour lines, unmanned inspection booths, and a lack of new infrastructure makes El Paso an obstacle to commerce, not an economic engine.  This failure of leadership translates into a failure to take advantage of our location on the international border to create new jobs and threatens the employment we already have. I will make new infrastructure, new technology and a new focus on investment in the border my priority. CONSTRUCTION JOBS - While Reyes wants us to believe that he single-handedly saved Fort Bliss, what he doesn't talk about is the fact that billions of dollars in contracts and wages are leaving town. This should have been a top priority for our congressman during the last few years of BRAC -- it will be my priority in the remaining years of this process.  Our unemployment rate would be one of the lowest in the state if we could find a way to provide our local companies a level playing field on which to compete for contracts and opportunities.  Even the construction work funded through ARRA - work going on at Loop 375 - was created by the Regional Mobility Authority, an authority I helped create and which Reyes opposed.  We need a congressman who will fight to keep jobs in El Paso and create new ones. HIGH-WAGE HEALTHCARE JOBS - Local government, business leaders, philanthropists and our state delegation have all made significant investments in the Medical Center of the Americas, which will create more new jobs in El Paso than any other institution. This same complex in Houston employees over 93,000 people -- 20,000 of them in high-wage, high-skilled jobs. What's lacking in El Paso's drive to create these kind of desirable jobs?  Federal leadership. I won't wait for an election to make sure the MCA gets the attention and investment that will lead to the creation of the kinds of jobs that will keep our children and grandchildren here in El Paso.  In fact, as City Representative, I made sure we invested in this health sector job creator.  El Paso, how has Reyes worked for you? I say it's time to put El Pasoans - not an entrenched incumbent - back to work.   - Beto

Web: www.betoforcongress.com  Facebook: www.facebook.com/betoforcongress Twitter: twitter.com/BetoForCongress Paid for by the Beto O'Rourke for Congress Committee.