I’m Lee Fisher, and I’m running for the Democratic nomination to replace George Voinovich (R-OH) in the U.S. Senate.
I’m here at Netroots Nation in Pittsburgh today, and it’s wonderful to be surrounded by so many committed progressive activists. I know only a fraction of the online community is at the convention center this week, so I thought this would be a good time to have my first live blogging session on DailyKos. I’ll be responding to comments below for at least another half hour, so I hope you'll ask any questions you have about the race or my candidacy.
But first, I’d like to lay out some of my priorities and a couple of the things that have driven me throughout my career to fight for the hardworking men and women of Ohio.
I don't need to tell you what's at stake in this election. Across Ohio and the nation, families are struggling to find and keep jobs, pay for health care and provide for their children. We simply cannot afford to go back to the failed economic policies of the Bush Administration that got us into this mess. And yet, the likely Republican nominee in this race is Rob Portman, Bush's former Budget Director and Trade Representative who was a chief architect of the policies that devastated Ohio. He is well-funded and well-connected, and he will spend whatever it takes to try and obscure his role in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. As Ohio's Lt. Governor, I spend every day trying to reverse the damage that's been done -- fighting to keep good-paying jobs in Ohio, working to attract new companies and investment and aiming to make Ohio a hub of the advanced energy industry of the future. I want to continue that fight in the U.S. Senate, because I believe we have no greater mission than rebuilding America's middle class and growing an economy that will provide for our children and grandchildren.
You can read more about my positions on key policy issues at my website, and I encourage you to learn more at www.FisherforOhio.com/Issues. But there are two issues in particular that I would like to highlight today: health care and jobs. In our current economic state, one cannot be discussed without the other since so many families rely on their jobs to provide their health care.
I believe that health care reform is both a moral and economic imperative, and it should include a choice for a public health insurance option to compete alongside private insurers, hold them accountable, provide families more choices, and help to hold down overall health care costs. When I was in my 20s I was in a serious car accident. I could not imagine what I would have done if I had no access to health care. Families are forced to make choices and sacrifices they should not be asked to make because of the state of our health care system. Now with the job losses inflicted by misguided and failed economic policies of George W. Bush and Rob Portman, families are not only going to lose their income, but their health care as well. It is clear that we cannot have a full economic recovery unless we rein in health care costs and reduce the burden on our small businesses and hardworking families.
When I was asked by Ted Strickland to run as his Lieutenant Governor in 2006, Ohio was already feeling the effects of the Bush Administration’s disastrous fiscal stewardship -- policies that the Republican frontrunner in this race, Rob Portman helped create. Portman was one of George W. Bush’s most loyal friends in Congress and was rewarded later with appointments as Bush’s Trade Representative and then as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. After the economic ditch they have put us in, how can our country afford to go back and make the same mistakes again by electing Rob Portman?
My philosophy is simple -- every job matters and is worth fighting for. When I found out that a family furniture company in tiny Norwalk, Ohio, was planning to shut its doors and put hundreds of people out of work, I jumped in the car and immediately went to the town to see if there was a solution that could keep the factory open. After weeks of negotiating, we were able to find a new buyer to keep the company operating in Norwalk, and keep people employed. Every day brings a new challenge and a new fight, but every job is worth it.
Even as we fight to keep jobs in Ohio, we must make smart investments that make America the leading green energy and technology economy in the world. Our administration has made historic investments in wind, solar and biomass and passed the first renewable energy standard in the state's history. It is vital that we focus our efforts at the national level on transforming our economy and laying the groundwork for a clean energy future that will provide new jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and help preserve our environment.
I am committed to taking this fighting spirit to the U.S. Senate, where America's working men and women deserve strong advocates. Rob Portman spent two decades in Washington, and we're now living through the disastrous results of his work. The choice in this race is clear: we can return to the failed economic policies of the past, or we can move forward and create the good-paying jobs of the future by making America the world's green energy leader.
Despite these tough times, I continue to believe in the innovative, entrepreneurial spirit of America and the power of economic growth and fair competition to create shared prosperity. With the right policies in place, I am confident we can create good jobs and grow our economy in a way that benefits all Americans.
With that, I’d like to hear from all of you. Do you have any questions for me about our campaign or this race?
Update (5:05pm): I have to run to meet with other bloggers and progressive activists here, and to go to the netroots candidate reception later this evening. But I really enjoyed having a conversation with fellow progressives and I look forward to doing it again soon.
I believe that having netroots and grassroots support in our campaign for the U.S. Senate is critical to our success against Rob Portman, one of the chief architects of the disastrous Bush economic policies. I look forward to future conversations, and if I haven't already, I hope to earn your support.