Some may think this is about wealthy Democrats or wealthy Democratic candidates. Rather this is about (7) individuals I have selected, who are Diamonds in the Rough, as it were but whose elections could signify great change in Congress.
As a former statewide candidate for Lt. Governor of Arkansas as well as recently seeing my brother with an excellent resume' but frustration at the inability to raise the funds to compete with a Rubber Stamp Republican, I understand the frustrations of fundraising.
In fact, I marched with Granny D, the late Senator Paul Wellstone, Congressman Rush Holt, and other in D.C. as well as walked with Ms. Doris Haddock in three states during her push for Campaign Finance Reform. In fact, Ms. Haddock learned firsthand the frustration of the system when she stepped in and ran for U.S. Senate in 2004.
So I picked these first seven candidates on the criteria of 3 "P.A.C." standards. (1) Progressive nature overall in their beliefs. (2) Ability to win or probability to win if properly financed. (3) Change that their win will bring to Washington, D.C. if elected. I also have the privilege of being friends with three of them.
I am asking you to contribute $20.08 to each of these candidates. Then get 7 other friends to do the same. We have the Economic Stimulus Package coming from George W. Bush and others just have the money to invest. Some like me really don't but we do otherwise. I have set up an ActBlue page for six of the candidates at http://www.actblue.com/... Please go there and donate $20.08 However, Jill Derby who is running in Nevada has yet to set up a page. You'll have to go to https://services.myngp.com/... to contribute to her cause. We need to turn this country around and these candidates can do that for us. They are not show horses but work horses!
A QUICK WORD ON THESE CANDIDATES THOUGH.
Jim Neal is openly gay but is not running as a gay candidate. I mean its a paradox to even consider that Jesse Helm's Senate seat could be occupied six years after he left the Chamber by a member of the GLBT Community. Yet Neal is not running as a gay candidate but rather as someone who is accomplished in business and who can be an effective representative of North Carolina's interests. Also, in the past, Neal has contributed and invested in other Democrats. Lets invest in his campaign now.
Bob Tuke is running against Lamar Alexander. Alexander is a good guy who at one time did good things. But now, Alexander has become a paradox himself, who says the nicest things and has the nicest personality, but has the nastiest voting record. Tuke gets it and understands feigning patriotism while destroying America's Military with senseless war for all the wrong reasons, pretending to care about America's Troops, while cutting veteran's benefits and failing to provide even a minimum standard of care for our wounded, and wearing a Communist Chinese manufactured American flag lapel pin while simultaneously questioning the patriotism of others, and voting to allow and even encourage American Factories to close and send good honest workers to the unemployment line while their jobs get sent overseas in order to enrich multinational corporations is wrong. Tuke can do something that no one has done in Tennessee since 1974, defeat Lamar Alexander. You could say as a jibe to Alexander, Bob Tuke walks the walk as well as talks the talk!
Jane Mitakides is what is good and decent about the Ohio Democratic Party. Here is a woman who has stood up and spoke out, walked the picket lines, fought the fights that deserve to be fought, been a candidate, but also a worker. There is no sense of entitlement with Jane Mitakides, unlike the incumbent Mike Turner, because Jane Mitakides understands its about working and earning, not entitlement and endowments. As a member of Congress, Mitakides will leverage her friendship with people like Governor Ted Strickland and Senator Sherrod Brown to get Ohio's 3rd District working again. We need Jane Mitakides in Congress. We should have elected her in 2004. Lets not let her get snowed under by special interest money and the financial edge of one of Bush's Rubber Stamps, Mike Turner!
Jill Derby is the personification of quiet waters run deep. Derby was able to was able to connect with many people in all 17 of Nevada’s counties during her first run for Congress in 2006. The 2nd Congressional District has not even had two parties for a longtime but Derby has worked with others to revive a choice for the people there. Now as their voice in Congress, Derby will go to Congress, to fight for good paying jobs with good benefits for the West, especially the 2nd Congressional District, and provide a perspective on conservation and water issues, as well as be a voice of reason. Derby understands we cannot win if we only talk to those who already agree with us. We must reach out to independent voters and independent-minded Republicans. There are a growing number of disenchanted Republicans willing to look elsewhere for candidates to support and her candidacy was clear proof of that. Let’s reach out to them.
Leslie Byrne is a fighter and thats what makes her so attractive. She was a fighter for Jim Webb, who is also a fighter for Virginia, but prior to that she has been a fighter for the progressive cause in Virginia when it wasn't popular. She also will work. When she first ran for the House of Delegates, Byrne knocked on 10,000 doors and won. Now for 20 years as a House of Delegates member, State Senator, U.S. Congresswoman, and a Lt. Governor candidate, Byrne has stood up and worked and fought long and hard for the progressive cause. She sees problems that need to be solved and works to fix them. She sees people whose lives could be better and fights for a better life for them. We need Leslie Byrne now more than ever.
Max Yashirin has done more in 25 years than some do in a lifetime. My heart and support goes out to Yashirin, who is 25 yrs. old, and already served as a Marine in the Iraq. Shortly after Yashirin announced his candidacy, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry and his Nebraska cohorts, trolled Facebook and started to smear Yashirin for having been photographed smoking a cigar and drinking alcohol. I myself have been the target of stupid attacks on here as well as other places on the internet. Its stupid and its what keeps good people from running for office. But Yashirin has a straight talk sense that we need in Congress. Yashirin doesn't want to argue whether we should have gone to war or not. Rather he wants to find a solution to get others out because its happened, we are there, now how do we get out? I don't know how serious of a challenge Yashirin will honestly put up against Fortenberry, but it's obvious the Nebraska GOP isn't taking any chances - or holding on to any dignity. After less than a month as Executive Director of the Nebraska Republican Party, it hasn't taken Matt Miltenberger long to adopt the Rovian tactics of his mentor, Jessica Moenning. But we can fight back and help this young man fight for Nebraska in Congress.
Karen Hartley-Nagle is an anomaly. She is a pro-choice, progressive, female candidate running as a Democrat in Delaware, but she hasn't been elected. Yet, aside from the erratic move to get "half of her filing fee refunded", I took a second look at this indigent candidate because of something she is talking about is VERY IMPORTANT. She says she suffered through an abusive marriage, hasn’t seen three of her four children in 22 months. But she knows her situation isn’t unique. Prompted by her own ordeal, Hartley-Nagle began researching domestic violence, crimes against children and family, on both a local and national level. What she found shocked her. She found that every 15 seconds a woman is battered in the United States. She found batterers are able to convince authorities that victims are unfit or undeserving of sole custody in roughly 70% of challenged cases. She found that children whose fathers beat their mothers are 6.5 times more likely to be sexually abused by those fathers. Hartley-Nagle, who is currently a stay-at-home mother, wants to stop the secrecy and corruption that she says plagues the Family Court system. She is an advocate of an open court, so people can view court proceedings and no longer be in the dark about their legal system – such systems are already in place in the neighboring states of Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. She wants more money and education to be focused on the issue of domestic abuse. While Hartley-Nagle said she has not been receiving much support in Delaware, those outside the state have been stressing the importance of her platform.
Look it takes all kinds of candidates to bring about change. We need a Congress of many Colors like the Coat of many Colors with different viewpoints that are all moving towards a common goal. I hope you will support some or all of these candidates with $20.08
You can go to the ActBlue page at http://www.actblue.com/...
Also, no personal attacks on me or these candidates. Lets just work for a common goal. Thanks!
The candidates are (2) for the United States Senate :
* Jim Neal of North Carolina
Jim Neal of North Carolina
* Bob Tuke of Tennessee
Bob Tuke
As well as (5) for the United States Congress :
* Jane Mitakides of Ohio
http://www.JaneMitakides.com
* Max Yashirin of Nebraska
http://www.MaxforCongress.com
* Jill Derby of Nevada
http://www.JillDerby.com
* Karen Hartley-Nagle of Delaware
http://www.Hartley-Nagle.com
* Leslie Byrne of Virginia
http://www.LeslieByrne.org