Nation's Building News Online

NAHB Leaders Put Focus on Housing Issues at Democratic Convention

In an ongoing effort to promote a national housing agenda for the federal government, leaders from NAHB attended last week’s Democratic National Convention in Boston.

During the four-day convention, which culminated in the nomination of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) as the Democratic candidate for President of the United States, NAHB, along with other housing and banking groups, hosted a special event attended by the Democratic leadership of the House and Senate, scores of other members of Congress and several governors.

NAHB Senior Officers were on hand to discuss priority housing issues with top Democratic leaders. NAHB also hosted several lunches and meetings with key congressional leaders during the week.

The association will co-host a similar gathering for GOP lawmakers during the Aug. 30-Sept. 2 Republican National Convention in New York, in an effort to ensure that both political parties make housing a national priority in the upcoming election.

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In addition, NAHB ran three separate full-page advertisements on the benefits of housing in the National Journal's special daily convention newspaper, which was widely distributed to Democratic lawmakers and delegates. The advertisements will also appear during the Republican National Convention.

NAHB also served as an official co-sponsor of two daily convention media briefings hosted by the National Journal and MSNBC. The briefings featured analysis of the race for the White House and the battle for Congress from Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of The Cook Political Report; MSNBC “Hardball” host Chris Matthews; Chuck Todd, editor-in-chief of The Hotline; and key Kerry campaign insiders.

The briefings attracted dozens of reporters from across the country, and provided NAHB Senior Officers and staff a unique opportunity to discuss the association’s legislative priorities with members of the media and to underscore the important role that housing plays in creating new jobs and moving the economy forward.

About a month prior to the convention, NAHB testified before the Democratic Party Platform Committee on specific builder policy recommendations for a national housing agenda.

NAHB has contacted officials from the Republican Party Platform Committee and is expected to formally present its housing agenda to the GOP panel later this month.

Expressing broad-based support for housing, the Democratic Party’s 2004 platform states that, “We will support quality housing opportunities and a balanced housing policy for all Americans, defending good rental housing and extending the American dream of homeownership to more families.”

NAHB has sent a series of questions to President George Bush and Senator Kerry about their positions on a broad range of housing issues, and their responses will be published in NBN Online in September.

For more information, e-mail Michael Strauss or call him at 800-368-5242 x8252.

To read NAHB's 10-point housing platform that highlights why housing could be critical to the outcome of the November elections, click here.
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