Wampum

In my best "Do it For Johnny" voice I am going to attempt to explain why it is important to get on board with my race and why we can win in November. I get asked all the time why I am running for Congress and I always answer in a different way because there are so many reasons why I have taken this on.

My first answer always is because I have a very persuasive wife -- she is my greatest supporter and believes in my abilities; which makes me believe I can win. I am running for Congress because I want my children to grow up in a world where everyone has an opportunity to live the American dream and I want to leave them a respectable legacy that we all can be proud of. I am running for Congress because I am sick of watching our armed forces be used as the one and only diplomatic tool for our government. I am running for Congress because I believe hard-working Americans deserve better wages and healthcare for their efforts to make America what it is today. And finally, I am running for Congress becauseI can no longer sit back and watch our government destroy every civil liberty we have fought for in the last 50 years. We cannot permit the legislation of discrimination be the norm, especially when are trying to shove democracy down the throats of so many other nations around the globe. Who are we to do this when we can't even allow voting, free speech, or basic human rights to the citizens of this country?

My opponent has voted lock-step with Tom Delay 94% of the time and has abandoned his district for the easy money of K-Street lobbyists and special interest groups. I know we, as Americans, can do better and I know Texans deserve better. I am in this race for the people of District 6 and for all people who go to bed at night wondering what has happened to our beloved democracy. I am not a politician -- I am your average hard-working American that still lives paycheck to paycheck and is fed up with the way this administration has run our country into the ground domestically and internationally. We used to be seen as the beacon of hope for the world, now we are seen as the backyard bully and I want to change that image.

I was not always so involved in politics but I got here as fast as I could. After a very bright academic career in high school, my earlier college days are filled with mediocrity and lots of apolitical moments. I have been searching for a long time to discover what I want to be when I grow up and it just happened - politics found me, I didn't find it. I didn't wake up one day and say I want to run for Congress, and then set a path to achieve it. It really wasn't until I had a few years of military service under my belt, Officer Candidate School, a tour to Kuwait, and an opportunity to go back to school to finish my degree in Government, did I decide really get involved in politics and try to make a difference. This is also where I met my wonderful wife and the world's greatest campaign director. We started off as classmates and ended up married after our time in school together. We worked on our degrees in Government and I became very involved in grassroots politics in Texas. We in terned for the local party, walked blocks, hammered signs in the ground, and stuffed envelopes with the best of them. This drove home the importance of a strong and effective grassroots campaign strategy. Local level politics is where the difference can be made and people need to understand the importance of their vote.

We have spent the last eight months leading up to the primary building this grassroots network for our campaign. We have reached out to the netroots community, which has been extremely welcoming and accepting of us as one of their own. The netroots community has been instrumental in our success to date and we look forward to strengthening the relationship in the months to come. We can win this election with your help and the help of the 25-30 other people you have on your email contact lists ... help us spread the word.

I have worked the district for months now -- from right here in Tarrant County down to Houston County and I will tell you people are fed up and they want change. I call it being tired of the "Status Joe." My opponent is completely out of touch with this district; just go read his "campaign" website that he hasn't changed in over four years -- enough said. We can win; I have done the research on the issues, on the numbers, on the future -- Texas 06 will be ours in '06 with our help.

Let me give you some more details about how we can win:

There are 660,000+ people in Congressional District Six and the district has been trending upward (for Democrats) in the last 3 elections. Joe Barton had his smallest margin of victory over a challenger to date in the 2004 election. See below:

2004
Joe Barton 66.02%
Morris Meyer 32.70%

2002
Joe Barton 70.34%
Felix Alvarado 27.67%

2000
Joe Barton 88.10%
Frank Brady 11.89%

During the 2002 election cycle only 110, 000 people came out to vote in an off year election. In 2004, Joe Barton's challenger received 80,000+ votes in the general election. If you model 2006 after the 2002 election it looks like this - 110,000 people in an off year election, minus out the 80,000 we had good GOTV with on in 2004 with and viola, a win in 2006 for the good guys! Its kind of an oversimplification, but you get the picture. We have a great base to start with here in District 6. Another key component that has not been fully tapped in prior years is the vast numbers of veterans in this district. There are approximately 72,000 veterans (13%) in District 6 and I intend to contact as many as possible and get their vote. There are many intangibles out there and no one can predict the future, but I can tell you that as I have been knocking on doors and shaking people's hands they are fed up. They are fed up with the amount of corruption in government. There are fed up with hearing more and more soldiers dying by the day, and for what? -- An unjust, unnecessary, and unwinnable war of choice with Iraq. They are fed up that over 48 million Americans are uninsured and have no health care insurance. And fed up with Joe Barton and his energy buddies that continue to bankroll his campaign (75% percent comes from PACS) and gouge us at the pumps, while reaping the largest profits in U.S. history. I can go on for days about Barton's voting record and the damage his legislation has done to his constituents and all Americans but I won't. I will let you make up your own mind because I know his record speaks for itself.

I don't have a record producing legislation, but what I do have is Democratic voting record in 3 states. Michelle and I were County, State, and National delegates in 2004 and are members of many Democratic grassroots clubs and organizations. We will not make any promises we can't keep during this campaign. I understand the realities of what a freshman in Congress can truly achieve, so I am not going to tell you I am going to fix the corruption, the apathy, and the mistakes of this elected official. But what I will tell you is you can count on me to fight for the average American taxpayer and the residents of District 6. Joe Barton has had his time to effect change in government and he has squandered it -- 93 20 years is more than enough time to accomplish what you want to, but he has done nothing but cater to special interests, not the interest of the people. The people of this district are ready for change, and I intend to be that change.

Again, we need your help. We need you to spread the word about our campaign and to tell people Tom Delay is not the only corrupt politician in Texas. Joe Barton far surpasses Tom Delay in the amount of campaign contribution from special interests. We need you financial support. To date, we have only received money from one progressive PAC, the Searchlight Foundation that typically only supports candidates for Senate, the rest has been from people just like you and me. You can log onto our website and there are many ways to contribute -- PayPal, Act Blue, and via personal check. You can do a one time contribution or our preferred method is for you to become a sustaining member, by doing a monthly contribution. If we can get 1000 people to give $10 dollars a month until the election, we will have plenty of money to run our campaign. We are not using money to run a campaign office; instead we are using the money that would be spent on this to advertise in the netroots community and here local in Texas. A little money goes a long way for us. Help us help America by contributing to our campaign. The last thing we need help with is getting people actually to the polls on Election Day. Take 1, 10, or whatever you can fit in your car and make sure Democrats vote. If we want to change what is going on, people need to vote. It is basically the only thing we have left on our side, and after Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004, even that is in question.

I know you will have many more questions than I could possibly answer in one blog, so I encourage you to post comments to this piece with your questions and concerns and I will do my best to answer them. We certainly welcome your feedback.

It will not be easy, I know that. But the harder we fight for something, the greater the triumph will be when we win in November. If it was a simple as calling Gort and Klatu to Earth to teach people in Washington a lesson about warfare and humanity, I would have already molded my tinfoil hat and started sending messages from my through keypad on my Intellivision video game console.

As always, I wish all Democratic candidates good luck and I hope that you will FOLLLOW ME TO DC.