Democrat Becky Greenwald has been low on cash the last few weeks, but her campaign bought 60 seconds of air time on the CBS and NBC affiliates in Des Moines and Mason City immediately before Barack Obama’s prime-time special on October 29.
Greenwald’s ad was outstanding and could not have been more clear about the contrast between her and incumbent Tom Latham. Click the link to watch the commercial, which made clear that Latham is a Republican who’s voted with George Bush 94 percent of the time–even more often than John McCain. Meanwhile, the ad made clear visually and in the voice-over that Becky Greenwald is a Democrat who will support Barack Obama’s policies.
I hope they will be able to air this commercial during the final days of the campaign. Please donate to Greenwald’s campaign if you can afford to, so that more viewers will be exposed to this message. It’s much stronger than the biographical ad Greenwald was running in late September, which didn’t make much of a case against Latham.
We’ll find out next Tuesday if Obama’s coat-tails are enough to overcome Latham’s big edge in paid media. It’s a D+0 district where Democrats have made huge gains in voter registration in the past two years.
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the United Auto Workers PAC has been running a radio ad criticizing Latham for voting for tax breaks for corporations and against equal pay for women. The ad also says we need Becky Greenwald in Congress.
The campaign schedule has been pretty intense over the last week and will continue to be so until the BIG day on Tuesday, November 4th. I want to congratulate everyone for putting so much effort into this year’s election, not just for an individual campaign, but for the entire Democratic ticket. I’ve seen people in every community throughout the 5th district working to make sure the message is getting out.
I want to remind everyone it is important that we finish strong. Don’t take anything for granted, ignore the polls and work like the polls show our candidates 5 points down. Remember, while all indications show Barack Obama will be our next president, if we believe the polls, Al Gore would be concluding his second term or we would be working to re-elect President John Kerry right now.
On a personal note specifically dealing with our campaign for the United State Congress, I want to assure everyone that I am working as hard as I can heading into the final week of the campaign. Back in January when Kelly and I decided we would enter the race we knew that 2008 would be a difficult year for our family. We’ve missed opportunities to do things as a family but we knew solving the problems besieging our nation required a sacrifice. What is encouraging is watching the work everyone is doing and seeing people giving of their time and donating their personal skills to bring a positive result on November 4th.
For the final week, I ask that everyone keep in mind what the real goal is. The real goal isn’t just to win an election, what we are working for in 2008 is to take back our future. I’ve been stressing to voters the last couple of weeks to realize over the last 8 years poor decisions in Washington have put the future for our children and grandchildren in jeopardy. The one issue more apparent than any other is the outrageous deficit and debt that George W. Bush will leave behind when he moves out of the White House in January.
My Republican opponent constantly says the “Bush tax cuts are our tax cuts” when the real truth is the Bush debt is our debt. The only way we are going to get our future back is by voting for the right people on November 4th who will make the tough decisions to put our country back in order. It all starts with making our federal government fiscally strong so we can invest in our nation and make the lives of all our citizens better. Sacrifice will be necessary, but in the end our country will be better.
A Very Important Endorsement:
I am please to announce that my candidacy has received the endorsement of the Veterans and Military Families for Progress. In the letter informing our campaign of the endorsement the organization stated “Veterans and Military Families for Progress has chosen to endorse your campaign. We do this in recognition of your support of veteran, active duty, guard, reserve, and military family issues. We hope that in some way our endorsement provides you an electoral advantage and ultimately ensures your election to the Pennsylvania Fifth Congressional District seat”.
This is a very important endorsement to receive from a prestigious organization that is dedicated to supporting the issues important of the active military and their families along with our veterans. This is an endorsement our campaign can be very proud to receive.
Campaign Commercial:
We are getting our message of fiscal responsibility out to the people of this district. We have a plan to right the ship and move in a new direction that includes balancing the budget, paying down the debt and investing here at home.
We can’t afford any more of the “borrow and spend” mentality that has gotten us in this situation. This debt is a national security issue and we intend to confront it with the experience and even-handedness it requires.
Review of the Past Week on the Campaign Trail:
I participated in 4 more candidate debates this week. We started off Monday evening with a 2 hour debate from Mansfield University in Tioga County that was broadcast live on PCN. Tuesday and Wednesday brought debates in smaller venues with stop in Bellefonte on Tuesday and an event on Wednesday in Lewistown. On Thursday all 3 candidates participated in a live 1 hour debate broadcast live on WPSU-TV.
The one thing I’ve taken out of all these debates that I’ve participated in, some just with my Republican opponent and others that also included the Libertarian candidate, is I am on the right side of the issues that affect the majority of the people in the 5th district. When you list off the issues we are regularly asked about in the debates — Fiscal Responsibility, Health Care Reform, Social Security, Public Education Policy, Energy Policy and the Iraq War, the stances I take which mostly mirrors the rest of the Democratic Party platform are in line with what I am hearing from voters in the 5th district. We won’t know until next week if what I’m saying is really resonating with the voters in the 5th district but I feel confident that our message is strong and voters are listening.
Saturday finished the week with a strong day of campaigning. I started out the day at 1 PM in Emporium, Cameron County for the fall Democratic luncheon. I then made a 70 mile dash to Lock Haven to attend a 3 PM GOTV rally headlined by Gov. Ed Rendell. I shared the stage with Rep. Mike Hanna, Obama campaign rep. Jayson Harpster, Clinton County Commissioners Joel Long and Adam Coleman, Lock Haven Mayor Rick Vilello and Clinton County Democratic Chairman Dave Wallace. Then it was on to a 5 PM appearance in Boalsburg at the Centre County Democratic Fall banquet with Gov. Rendell and all the Democratic candidates representing Centre County. The long day ended with a final stop after 7 PM in Lewistown for the Mifflin County Democratic Fall banquet.
Schedule for Upcoming Week:
Monday — 6 PM — Meeting with Federal Credit Union Members — Hampton Inn DuBois
Tuesday — 8 AM — Radio Interview WRSC
Tuesday — 9:30 AM — Tour of AccuWeather
Tuesday — 6:30 PM — Debate in New Bethlehem / Clarion County sponsored by League of Women Voters
Wednesday — 7 PM — Penn State Political Science Debate — West Hall Commons Building — Main Campus
Thursday — 8 AM — Radio Interview — DuBois
Thursday — 7 PM — WPSU Radio Debate
Friday — 8 AM — Radio Interview with Jerry Fisher — State College
Saturday — Time TBD — GOTV Rally in Clarion County
Sunday — Time TBD — GOTV Rally in State College
FUNDRAISING REMINDER — Keep talking with people about the 5,000 Friends to Flip the Fifth project. We can win the 5th District Congressional District for the first time in 32 years but we need to be organizing our forces heading into the final weeks. The only way to turn this country around is to send people to Washington who will make the tough decisions. The choice in the 5th district is clear. My opponent regularly states that he supports the fiscal policies of the Bush administration AKA “the Bush tax cuts” and will continue them — More of the Same. While I continue to stress that we must balance the budget, built a surplus and pay down the debt.
In order to get the message out to voters we will need to advertise which costs money. Please contact your family and friends and urge them to financially support our campaign as we move into the final weeks. Donations can be made online through www.actblue.com or by direct mail to McCracken for Congress, PO Box 332, Clearfield PA 16830.
Mark B. McCracken
Your Candidate For Congress
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This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth
There doing this same thread at Daily Kos and I disagree with some of brownsox’a analysis but its a good start.
One of the things you have to keep in mind, is that unless he appoints himself he’s probably facing a stiff primary opponent. I know a little bit about Illinois politics, so here’s some of the names who will be tossed around:
1. Blagojevich: I don’t think its out of the realm of possibility that Blago appoints himself. Having said that, it would be incredibly stupid on his part to do so. He’s not particularly popular in Illinois and this move would make him look pretty bad.
Odds: 50-1
2. Lisa Madigan: This is almost as bad as him appointing himself. This would look like a purely political move, a complete quid pro quo. The worst part is that while Madigan would be his toughest primary opponent both Dan Hymes and Alexi Giannoulas could still knock him off. (This same logic applies to choosing Himes and Giannoulas as well)
Odds: 35-1
3. Jan Schakowsky: This move would please a lot of prgoressives and be heralded around these parts. But, she’s got some baggage due to her husband and there’s another factor that I’ll lay out later as to why I don’t think she’ll be the choice.
Odds: 20-1
4. Jesse White: This is the move that on paper looks perfect. Historic African-American leader who is universally respected by Republicans and Democrats in Illinois, alike. The problem with this pick is that White is 74 years old and would be 76 on election day 2010. Meaning, he probably doesn’t run for re-election and an open Senate seat in Illinois could get very crowded and very ugly.
Odds: 15-1
5. Jesse Jackson Jr.-This is who I think it will be. My main disagreement with brownsox’s analysis is that he didn’t include the role race will play in this decision. Their is only 1 African-American senator right now and if he wins the presidency and is replaced by a white person, Blago could alienate a large slice of the Democratic electorate. This issue would be compounded by the fact that, other than Erik Fleming against Thad Cochoran, there are no African-Americans running for US Senate this cycle. That means the 09-10 Congress will ahve no African-American represenation. If you don’t think Blago’s primary opponent will use that to his advantage, your out of your mind. The one concern about Jesse Jackson Jr. is his dad and the view that this could make him unelectable statewide, but he’s not his dad.
Former Gov. Gaston Caperton explains why Anne Barth would be a tremendous representative for the people of West Virginia.
I attended the Campaign for Change event in Martinsburg, West Virginia today. It was rainy, autumnal day. We had a boisterous, fired up and ready to go crowd in attendance. Most of those who arrived early did visibility for our candidates outside the headquarters. We let our voices be loud enough so even those across the street at the Shelley Moore Capito headquarters could hear us even though she’s tried to not listen to her constituents for years.
Today’s event featured former Gov. Gaston Caperton, former Gov. Bob Wise, who also had served as the Congressional representative for the district, and West Virginia native son and U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper of Delaware, currently the junior senator of his state and soon to be the senior senator once Sen. Joe Biden is elected our vice president.
More on the event and additional photos below.
Ywatta “Nessy” Mitchell is making her second bid for magistrate judge. She was out doing visibility in front of the headquarters. The Campaign for Change is not just about the presidential race, but also the down ticket races. I really hope she wins. I don’t like putting stickers on my vehicle, but I’ve got three this year: Anne Barth, Barack Obama and Ywatta “Nessy” Mitchell’s. There’s other candidates I really want to see win, but too many bumper stickers and they become less effective in my opinion.
Many of our Democrats arrived early so they joined Mitchell in a sign wave (early voting was on King Street just around the corner from our Queen Street office).
And then more…
People held up other candidate signs and began chants: “Anne Barth Anne Barth Anne Barth” and “Barack – Obama – Barack – Obama” and also the names of our other candidates as they arrived and joined us. This is earlier but eventually the area out of the rain was jammed with people with signs.
Across the street, not so much enthusiasm for their candidates.
“I’ve never seen anyone better prepared running for this seat than Anne Barth and that includes me when I ran the first time,” said former governor and U.S. representative Bob Wise. He vacated the seat in 2000 to run for governor. Barth was Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s state director before she left to run for this seat.
“Think of that team – Robert C. Byrd in the Senate, his most trusted confidant in the HOuse,” Wise said.
Former Gov. Bob Wise
Wise introduced Sen. Thomas Carper, the junior senator from Delaware and soon to be senior senator when Sen. Joe Biden is elected vice president.
Carper is a West Virginia native son, born in Beckley. “We grow them here and send them to other parts of the country,” Wise said.
Carper said he was happy to be in his native state to campaign for Anne Barth and Barack Obama and Joe Biden. When he was elected to the Senate, his mentor was Senator Byrd. He once offered to do anything to help Senator Byrd and Byrd said he needed him to go represent him at an event at Stonewall Jackson State Park that he was unable to attend. There he was to look up Byrd’s state director, Anne Barth.
He was impressed by her intelligence and her deep knowledge of the people of West Virginia.
“Anne Barth gives politics a good name,” Carper said.
Anne Barth, Sen. Thomas Carper, former Gov. Bob Wise, former Gov. Gaston Caperton.
Anne Barth spoke next, describing how many people are being hurt by the current economy except for the people who “don’t know how many houses they own, then they probably think the economy is doing well.”
That got a good laugh. She pointed out how Capito voted for Bush four out of five times over the past eight years.
“It’s not about us, it’s really about the future of our country,” Anne Barth said.
Former Gov. Gaston Caperton went next, who defeated former Gov. Arch Moore (Moore is Capito’s father).
“Now Anne I ran against a Moore,” Caperton said. “They said I couldn’t beat him. I did pretty good.”
The same group had been in Morgan County earlier and left Martinsburg to go to Jefferson County. It was a good event.
You can see the entire set of photos here, including Bobby the Obama dog.
I am watching Keith Olbermann here on the West Coast and he reported that the Obama campaign will NOT send money downballot. The feel good about where the campaign is going but they don’t want to take chances and plan to bear down on the next two weeks into the finish line. Personally I think this is a good idea. The Congressional committees are flush with cash and the DNC may soon spend on the state legislative races. Don’t worry guys, there is enough money to go around.
Today Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama quite eloquently on Meet the Press.
But why did the lifelong Republican endorse Barack Obama, a Democrat? In part beacuse of our very own agent of hate, Michelle Bachmann.
This business from the congresswoman from Minnesota saying, let’s examine all congressman to see who is pro-American or not pro-American. We’ve got to stop this kind of nonesense and pull ourselves together. And remember that our great strength is in our unity and diversity and so, that really was driving me.
I’ve had some disagreements with Colin Powell in the past to put it lightly. But he hit the nail on the head. Even Colin Powell, a man who probably could have become the Republican nominee for President in 1996 realizes the hateful fear mongering of Michelle Bachmann hurts our image abroad and hurts the political debate in our country by bringing it into the gutter.
Hopefully Powell will take some time out of his busy schedule and come to Minnesota to endorse and campaign for El Tinklenberg, the common sense candidate who is running against Michelle Bachmann.
But even if Powell isn’t able to do that, I hope you donate to El Tinklenberg through the Netroots for El page. So far we’ve raised 1,415 from 28 donors and I’ve set a goal of 2,300, the equivalent of one maxed out big money donor. Let’s prove that a politics of hope can win and can defeat a agent of hate like Michelle Bachmann
Securing the votes in Congress to pass real immigration solutions into law isn’t going to be easy. The next President – no matter who wins – will need to lead his own party first to get it done.
Senator Obama would surely have an uphill climb, even with a Party Platform that favors comprehensive reform. But, given an enforcement-only Party Platform and the policy positions of most Republicans in Congress, Senator McCain may need to scale a brick wall to bring his party on board!
Nevertheless, both candidates continue to talk about reform (at least in Spanish).
Well, we’ve already heard enough rhetoric- we want a roadmap. We’re asking the Senators how they will unite their own parties to pass real immigration solutions into law.
We’re saying, Show America the Immigration Reform Roadmap during the next presidential debate on October 7th!
Last weekend, I was lucky enough to see the state of the race for myself. I traveled to the heart of Battleground Country. Because Nevada’s 5 electoral votes are up for grabs and two Nevada Republicans may lose their House seats this fall, I wanted to do something to help. That’s why I packed my bags, took some spare change for my favorite slot machines (NOT!), and made sure my family in Henderson had an extra bed for me to crash on.
I went to Vegas, baby, and I’m giving you the full report on what’s happening there!
Luckily for me, my cousin’s house is in the eye of the electoral storm. She lives in the 3rd Congressional District, the part of Nevada where Obama needs to win to carry the state… And the district where a Dina Titus win will give Democrats the majority in Nevada’s Congressional Delegation. So when I left my house on Friday, I was thrilled to go to a place where I can double the impact with the same amount of time!
When I arrived in town on Friday night, the Presidential Debate was just ending. I had listened on the radio while my friend Harriet and I were driving up the 15, and I was personally impressed by Obama’s performance. Still, I was anxious to find out what my moderate-conservative Republican cousin in Henderson thought about it. And to my surprise, she was also impressed!
Believe it or not, my Republican cousin will be voting for Democrat Barack Obama this fall. Why? Believe it or not, she may be upper middle-class… But she and her husband are still only a couple paychecks away from losing their home. Their house has now lost about $80,000 of its value while they still have to pay an “interest only mortgage” that’s now after the “interest only” period. They consider themselves blessed that they have a beautiful house in a great neighborhood just down the hill from the most exclusive estates in the Las Vegas Valley, but they still fear what would happen to them and their two kids if one of them were to have a health scare or lose a job. That’s why both my Republican cousin and her Democratic husband are voting for Obama.
And you know what? This isn’t an isolated case. In fact, I would find more of this the following two days when I strapped on my tennies and hit the pavement.
On Saturday morning, I regrouped with Harriet and joined with all the other California Obama volunteers who drove to Nevada for the weekend. Before we were sent off to knock doors, we were given the lay of the land. In just four years, Nevada has turned from a Republican plurality state into a state with 80,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans! In the 3rd District alone, Democrats now have a 29,000 voter registration edge! And now in previously GOP friendly Vegas suburbs like Henderson, voters are afraid of losing their jobs, losing their health care, losing their houses, and losing the middle-class American Dream they thought they had achieved. That’s why it was critical to get volunteers like us on the ground here to explain to voters what Democrats like
So that’s what we did over the next two days. We knocked doors. We talked to voters who still had doubts about Obama. We urged Obama voters to vote early. We reminded everyone not to forget Dina Titus and the state legislature candidates.
Oh yes, and we also listened. We listened as retirees told us about their health care worries. We listened as young people were telling us about their plans to finish college and get a real career. We listened to parents telling us about how they want to leave to their kids a better nation and a healthier planet. We listened to Democrats thrilled about a chance for us to make history (in a good way!). We also listened to Indpendents and Republicans, who have never voted for a Democrat before in their lifetimes, tell us that Barack Obama is the only candidate who they can trust with our nation’s future.
And believe it or not, I could count the number of McCain supporters we encountered on our walks with one hand. Even though we were mainly walking middle-class and upper middle-class neighborhoods in leafy (for the desert) suburban Henderson, hardly anyone on our lists turned out to be McCain supporters. This just goes to show how Southern Nevada’s changing and how much the people who live here are yearning for real change.
There’s plenty we can all do to help Democrats win this year. We can drive. We can walk. We can call. And yes, we can give. So please join us in helping in any way you can. The stakes are too high, and we can’t afford to lose this time. Let’s win, and let’s take our country back!
Unfair, you say? Voters shouldn’t judge a candidate by his skin color. Maybe, but is it any more unfair than, for example, saying that because McCain and President Bush are both Republicans that a McCain administration would produce a third Bush term? No, it isn’t.
Congressman Frank Pallone and I hosted a conference call earlier today to discuss what the war in Iraq has cost New Jersey and why New Jersey can’t afford another four years of the failed Bush policies in Iraq that Chris Smith and John McCain want to continue. To see exactly what the war in Iraq has cost New Jersey, go to National Priorities.org.
On the call I emphasized the following:
· I support a responsible end to the war in Iraq so that we can invest in America’s urgent domestic priorities like renewable energy, and break our addiction to foreign oil as well as lower gas and electricity costs.
· Chris Smith and John McCain have supported George Bush every step of the way on Iraq, from believing faulty intelligence, to believing we would be greeted as liberators, to believing the war will pay for itself with Iraqi oil.
· Each month, the United States spends $10 billion a month in Iraq – money which could be used to address domestic priorities like ensuring affordable health care, rebuilding our infrastructure or hiring more teachers or public safety officers.
· Incredibly, Iraq is right now holding onto $79 billion in excess oil revenues. We’re spending $10 billion a month to rebuild Iraq instead of using that money to create jobs here in America.
· The citizens of the 4th Congressional district have paid $2.2 billion for the war effort. That money could have been used to provide every home in the 4th Congressional District with Renewable Electricity, with enough money left over to help provide affordable health coverage for our residents.
That $2.2 billion could:
· Provide 203,137 People with Health Care for One Year
· Power 3,096,562 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year
· Hire 37,775 Public Safety Officers for One Year
· Provide 724,756 Children with Health Care for One Year
· Provide 28,856 Port Container Inspectors for One Year
· We can’t keep doing what we’re doing. We need change at all levels of government.
· Chris Smith and John McCain have no plan to bring our troops home.
· We need to elect a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress to bring our troops home and invest in our country’s future.
The campaign is entering a critical phase and I need your support. You can contribute at my ActBlue page. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact ian_at_joshzeitz_dot_com. Please visit Josh’s website to learn more about what I stand for.
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