"
Fighting Democrats [part of Veterans for a Secure America] today, and Democrats around the country, campaign and will govern in the tradition of Jack Kennedy of standing for strength and idealism, of standing for our troops and with our allies in the world, and of standing for the power of American force, always standing for the force of American ideas,"
writes Brent Budowsky.
[The Fighting Dems] know that a band of brothers and sisters is more than the title of a great book ... and even more than the well earned standing ovation for the great generation. It is about a way of life, a brotherhood and sisterhood of men and women who risk their lives together, who share a patriotism and spirit of the land we love ...
The Fighting Democrats believe this, they have fought for this in war, they are fighting for this today, it is in their blood and their heart and their soul, as it is, in ours, and it is high time that we as a nation reclaim it.
Jim Webb. Joe Sestak. Eric Massa. Jack Davis. Jim Marcinkowski. Tammy Duckworth. And so many others, we are proud of them all, and proud that they have a privileged seat at the table of the Democratic Party.
The DCCC says that Marcinkowski is now in a position to beat Bush loyalist Mike Rogers, and has added Jim to its "emerging race" list for Michigan's 8th congressional district.
Jim Marcinkowski stands strong for the best of American values:
[C]hallenger Jim Marcinkowski (D-Lake Orion), a former CIA field agent and Royal Oak assistant city attorney, [aims] for the seat held by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Brighton) in District 8. Stretching from the northern edges of Oakland County, the district includes Livingston, Ingham and Clinton counties and part of Shiawassee.
Marcinkowski, 51, a former Oakland County assistant prosecutor ... says the Republicans and their policies are decimating civil rights, providing too many specialized tax breaks and ruining the Michigan economy. He likens Bush administration policy to how the Soviets did business during the Cold War, which he fought as a field agent in Central America.
"They used torture. They used secret prisons. They tapped phones on executive orders. They bypassed justice. They rubber-stamped legislation. They didn't debate any issues. They determined economic policy behind closed doors much like the oil industry with Cheney," he says.
"You can either sit back and bitch or you can get off your ass and do something about it." (MetroTimes)
In "Marcinkowski: Free trade hurts Michigan," The State News adds:
Part of Marcinkowski's platform is based on creating jobs that have been outsourced due to unfair free trade agreements. These legislative initiatives have had a direct impact on the welfare of college students and graduates, Marcinkowski said. "These guys are voting against you," Marcinkowski said of recent legislation that has slashed millions of dollars to higher education institutions.
In early 2006, Rogers voted in favor of a $40 billion cut in the federal budget. The money was pulled from welfare, child support and student lending programs, according to a report by The Washington Post.
"College students are the country's best customers," he said, adding that recent legislation has left college students disenfranchised and lacking needed federal financial support.
Everything Michigan reports that Esquire magazine backs Marcinkowski:
Esquire also slammed U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, for supporting private firms doing border security, sarcastically noting the "bang-up job such contractors have done in stabilizing Iraq."
The magazine's choice for the 8th District seat is CIA veteran Jim Marcinkowski.
In "Marcinkowski banking on common sense," MLive reports:
Marcinkowski, who likes to say he became a Democrat "when the Republicans lost their minds,'' says common sense dictates his politics.
"I started looking at what (Republicans have) done both domestically and internationally, and I can't agree with them on either area,'' he said. "Internationally, we're acting as a cowboy and that's not the way to go about solving the world's problems, where the only answer is the use of force. (Is the Middle East) more or less stable than when Bush took over? I think it's clear the world is a much more dangerous place six years into this administration.'' [...]
Marcinkowski does not entirely reject his Republican background. He said he "absolutely'' maintains the principles Reagan stood for, and that Marcinkowski campaigned for in the 1980s.
"Reagan said get government out of the way, and I still believe that,'' he said.
The issues have changed, Marcinkowski said, and so has the Republican Party. For instance, Marcinkowski said the U.S. never broke off negotiations with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Yet, he said, the Bush administration breaks talks with every nation deemed an enemy.
"We're quick to jump from one country to another and make strong accusations, and it has angered our closest allies,'' Marcinkowski said. "Diplomacy has nothing to do with talking to your friends. Diplomacy, by definition, is talking to everybody and establishing relationships with everybody, whether friend or foe. The fact that the Bush administration only talks to friends and ignores those that may be hostile only fosters hatred toward the United States.'' [...]
"Moderates view a number of issues one at a time,'' Marcinkowski said. "We're not super-emotionally tied to one particular issue. But I think on both sides of the spectrum, we have single-issue voters who are very vocal, very engaged in that one issue and are almost oblivious to the rest of the issues that confront us as a country. What we have to do is place the focus back to where most Americans are looking: jobs, health care and the economy - not an extremist view on the left or the right.''
Social issues, like abortion and gay marriage, which at times dominate the national conversation, have prevented Americans from thinking about real issues, Marcinkowski said. [...]
Marcinkowski has called for troop withdrawal to begin by the beginning of next year. Rogers counters that withdrawal would open Iraq to greater instability and more terrorism. Marcinkowski says it's time for the Iraqis to deal with those issues themselves.
"The purpose (of withdrawal) is sending a clear message to Iraq that they need to get serious about the security of their country. Whether they split the country or remain unified, we need to (withdraw) to let them know they have to make decisions about their future ...
"Every intelligence officer knows our presence in Iraq is beginning to create more of a problem than we're capable of solving.''
Visit Jim's campaign site.
Originally posted at No Quarter.