Citizens React to McDermott’s Blundering Pledge

Grassfire.org calls on 600,000 Pledge Supporters to voice their outrage

WASHINGTON, DC - Following Rep. Jim McDermott’s (D-WA) omission of the phrase “under God” while leading the House in the Tuesday morning recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, Grassfire.org, a leading activist organization and a front-runner in the battle to save the Pledge, mobilized more than 600,000 Pledge supporters from around the nation urging them to call, fax and e-mail McDermott’s offices in Washington and Seattle and voice their outrage.

“We’re frankly concerned not only by his omission, but his reason for the omission,” says Steve Elliott, president of Grassfire.org. “Our own Grassfire representatives confirmed what was being told by McDermott’s office: he had learned the Pledge without the phrase ‘under God’, and he simply forgot.”

“He’s an eight term Representative, and they have been saying the Pledge every morning on the floor for nearly 16 years,” Elliott continued. “He made a calculated decision to embarrass the House and the citizens of our nation who support the Pledge. Now he’s paying the price.”

McDermott, it should be noted, was one of just seven Democrats who voted against a March, 2003 House Resolution condemning the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision against the Pledge for the phrase “under God.” That Resolution passed 400-7.

“That’s what this is all about,” says Elliott. “McDermott used his position as a public servant to mock the very core values and ideals so many in this nation hold dear.”

Grassfire.org expects the calling and fax campaign to last for several days—or until McDermott makes a sincere public apology for his actions.

Grassfire.org is an online grassroots organization that provides tools to individuals and organizations seeking to expand their impact on many of today’s most important issues. By providing services to more than 1.5 million citizens and dozens of organizations, Grassfire.org is one of the largest online grassroots networks in the nation.

For more information about Grassfire.org, or to schedule an interview with Grassfire President Steve Elliott, contact Max Pulsinelli or Jenise Snyder at 800-539-5920 or email mpulsinelli@sbpublicaffairs.com or jsnyder@sbpublicaffairs.com.