GRASSROOTS, NON-DLC DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR CONGRESS IN '06

Last week I mentioned that Democracy For America, Howard Dean's old grassroots organization, now being run by his brother Jim, was doing a little on-line balloting to see who we want to be our first endorsed candidate (a prize probably worth as much as $100,000 in online contributions). This week they have the Top 10 vote-getters up and by the end of the week they'll have the winner. Each of the top 10 candidates has written an introductory piece about himself or herself. Some of them are good and some of them... are less good. These are all grassroots candidates who will be fighting in the trenches in the crucial 2006 congressional elections and they all seem worthy of support to me. I was a little disappointed that one of the candidates, Bryan Kennedy, had someone else write his letter, a bad sign of detachment for a challenger in a tough race in a red district. But let me reprint the letters from the candidates who got me most worked up-- Patrick Murphy in Pennsylvania, Francine Busby in California and Christine Cegelis in Illinois.

All 3 had very direct statements, and all were inspiring and spelled out clearly why they deserve support. Christine and Francine are running in open seats. So let me start with Patrick, who is challenging first term incumbent Michael Fitzpatrick in a moderate suburban district near Philly (which includes Bucks County with its large gay population). Fitzpatrick, a cultural right-winger, opposes abortion rights and stem cell research, and is well to the Right of the district. He pretty much toes the DeLay Party Line. As I read about Patrick, Paul Hackett immediately came to mind. An Army Captain, he served as a constitutional law professor at West Point, in Bosnia and in the 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad where he received the Bronze Star. Here's the statement he wrote for Democracy For America that I found so compelling:

"I am leading the charge to bring progressive leadership back to Washington and would appreciate your vote for DFA's early endorsement. Time and again, Republicans have shown they're more concerned about accumulating power than they are about leading or governing. I am standing up against the Bush Administration, standing up for the truth, and standing up for what's right. That is why I am running for U.S. Congress and why I will become the first Iraq War veteran elected.
Too many Americans are one Katrina away from complete ruin—and I don't mean another natural disaster. For many families without health insurance, a serious illness is just as devastating. For working men and women who see their jobs shipped overseas because of a bad trade deal, CAFTA may be their Katrina. For veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and came home needing psychological or physical treatment, only to find their local VA hospital shut down, the President's cuts to veterans' benefits hurt just as much as Katrina.
This administration's failure to lead when the hurricane hit the gulf coast was not an isolated incident. Far too often they have been missing in action. We need leaders who stand up and tell the truth and who provide a vision to make things right. I am that progressive leader and I need your vote today.
If I were in Congress, the bankruptcy bill that trapped people under mountains of debt—even victims of natural disasters, would never have been passed without a fight.
I would never support unnecessary tax cuts for the wealthiest while millions of middle class families are hanging on by their fingernails. It appalls me that many current legislators can look these families in the eye and tell them that these cuts were in the best interest of our country.
The pattern of arrogance that has driven this administration's decisions to ignore experts in favor of cronies and yes-men—whether in Iraq or the Gulf Coast—must end. And I will do my part in Washington by always standing up to speak the truth.
If you're tired of these failures and want leadership that trusts and values the grassroots, I need your support. If you want a progressive leader who will fight for an exit strategy in Iraq, who believes in raising the minimum wage today, who taught constitutional law at West Point and advocates for a woman's right to choose, who believes the equal protection clause applies to all Americans, and who knows it is morally wrong that so many Americans go without basic human needs including health insurance, I need your support!
Make no mistake: voting today is not about me, or about any one of these 10 candidates. It is about building a movement to take back our country and stand up to the administration. It's about standing up for the truth, and having the guts to be truly compassionate to those who need it most.
Thank you for your time and hopefully your vote."

In 2004 Francine Busby ran against Randy "Duke" Cunningham, of whom I've written quite a lot and who will soon be residing in a Federal Penitentiary. He won't be running again. Francine has built a good following in a pretty red district just north of San Diego. Her statement was also well-done:

"I'm running in the seat being vacated by Duke Cunningham—the same Duke Cunningham who is a poster boy, along with Tom Delay, of the culture of corruption in Washington. I'm running to change that culture and restore honesty, integrity and accountability to Congress. We must get back to making government work for the common good of its people.
For too long, national Democrats and beltway pundits have ignored this district because they thought that it was "too Republican". But we know that times are changing and so is this district. I am poised to prove that when we show up and fight in districts like mine, we win.
I ran against Duke Cunningham in 2004, even though he was a powerful Republican in a Republican leaning district, because I felt so strongly that our country was being lead in the wrong direction. Although we didn't win, we created a groundswell of grassroots support and energized a progressive community here in the 50th district. I'm so thankful for all the grassroots supporters.
Now, with an open seat or possible special election, everything has changed. This will be a highly competitive race and we are ready to build on the momentum we created last cycle. It's an example of why it's so important to run strong campaigns in every district every cycle.
I truly believe that people in this district, and in this country, are ready for change. The slow and inept response to Hurricane Katrina showed the American people how out-of-touch and unaccountable our government has become. The Republican "Every man for himself" philosophy has not served us well.
I will continue to speak out with clarity and passion in support of our shared progressive ideals as I campaign to change the direction and leadership of our country. I carry our message of hope and opportunity for every American family. I oppose the policy of unjustified, pre-emptive war that has unnecessarily squandered precious lives, taxpayer dollars and our military preparedness. I demand the political discipline needed to cut our budget deficit because it is immoral to pass that debt to our children. I stand firm in my commitment to preserve the environment, protect a woman's right to choose and ensure that families have accessible and affordable health care and quality education.
I pledge to you that when I am elected to Congress, I will always put the people of the United States first—ahead of personal political gain and powerful special interests. I don't say this out of idealism or as a cheap political promise. I say it because I believe that our democracy depends on it.
Thank you for your passion and commitment to change. I hope you will join my fight to restore honesty and integrity to our government."

Christine Cegelis was also inspiring-- and also ran against an entrenched right-wing incumbent in 2004, Henry Hyde, who she shook up quite a bit, probably helping him decide to finally retire. This time the GOP in the district has managed to come up with someone even more of an extremist loon, State Senator/DeLay clone Peter Roskam. It's a red district and Cegelis will have an uphill battle, but one worth supporting. She's well-known in a district where people are starting to realize extreme ideological positions don't solve real-world problems and they see that the Republicans' answers to the issues facing the country have been disastrous. Christine is clearly playing that up:

"Like many of us, in 2003 I was wondering what had happened to our country. Fewer people could afford health care. Good-paying jobs were heading overseas. Education was becoming less and less affordable. And we had entered a war that seemed foolish and unnecessary.
It seemed that the American Dream was becoming a mirage for my two college-aged sons and their generation. Henry Hyde was doing little about this.
Hyde seemed more concerned with Washington special interests than with the declining state of the country. I decided to do something about it and ran against Hyde in 2004.
Although I was a successful information technology consultant, I didn't have a lot of money, name recognition or a large staff or party support. I didn't have any of the things that "conventional wisdom" says you need in order to do well against an entrenched incumbent in a "conservative" district. But I ran anyway.
What we did have in our campaign were dozens of dedicated, hard-working volunteers. They joined me in the fight for affordable health care, good-paying jobs and education access. With their hard work and support, I earned 44.2-percent of the vote against Hyde, the best ever by a Democrat against the 15-term incumbent. Every vote I received was earned "on the ground." Because of this strong grassroots support, Howard Dean included me in the Dean Dozen.

Not wanting to have to battle for his seat, Hyde opted to retire. But the man slated by Republicans to replace him is even more conservative, even more out of touch with the values and concerns of everyday Americans. A former aid to Tom DeLay, he has fought against workers' rights, against a living wage, against separation of church and state, against well-funded schools and against a woman's right to control what happens to her body.
The stakes are high in 2006. We have all seen what happens when those who do not believe government has a role control the levers of power. But we can change this.
We can bring health care to those without it. We can make education affordable and accessible. We can preserve the rights of workers and women. We can make this a country that works for everybody, not just the rich and powerful in Washington.
That is what this campaign is about. We're not just working to bring progressive values to Illinois's 6th congressional district. Volunteers from the first race are fighting to win local and state elections. The 2004 campaign gave them hope and opened the political process to them. A victory in 2006 will push the movement forward and encourage other future leaders.
We're building on the momentum of the last race to send me to Washington in 2006 so we can work to restore the common values of justice, equality of opportunity, and fair play to Congress. Help me recognize my dedicated volunteers by supporting me as the DFA Grassroots All-Star."

If you go to the Democracy For America website, you can read all the statements and you can vote.
I think tomorrow is the last day. The url is democracyforamerica.com/