*NOW UPDATED WITH CORRECTED LINKS* With all the bad news from the Gulf Coast, here's some good news: Looks like another House Republican is going to face a serious challenge. Talkingpointsmemo.com reports that Iraq War veteran Bryan Lentz will run against Curt Weldon (PA-7).
Lentz's site describes him as a decorated veteran of the Iraq War and a former prosecutor. He seems to be following the effective Paul Hackett model of telling it like it is about the Rs.
More and more, Pennsylvania is looking like fertile ground for taking back or making serious gains in Congress next year. And nationally, we should take the offensive on veterans' and military issues.
With all the bad news from the Gulf Coast, here's some good news: Looks like another House Republican is going to face a serious challenge. Talkingpointsmemo.com reports that Iraq War veteran Bryan Lentz will run against Curt Weldon (PA-7).
Lentz's site describes him as a decorated veteran of the Iraq War and a former prosecutor. He seems to be following the effective Paul Hackett model of telling it like it is about the Rs (referring to Weldon as a "rubber-stamp" and blasting Weldon's votes for "George Bush's disastrous economic agenda.") To be fair, Lentz isn't the only Democrat running -
Paul Scoles is also looking to send Weldon home. But against a longtime incumbent with lots of seniority on the Armed Services Committee, an Iraq War veteran might be our best bet. This makes two Democratic Iraq War veterans running against beatable Republicans in the Philly region alone -- Dem
Patrick Murphy is in the primary race to take on Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8).
Pennsylvania is looking like fertile ground for taking back or making serious gains in Congress next year (so long, Santorum; goodbye, Gerlach). And whether or not veterans win all the nominations they are seeking for '06, veterans' and military issues can and should be at the heart of our effort to elect a Congress that will get serious about the challenges America faces (gotta wait til '08 to get a serious president). Besides the obvious (Iraq), Republicans have been breaking faith with veterans and our military. Latest example: To Support the Rich, GOP Cuts From Our Troops.
Giving credit where credit is due, there are already diaries on the growing number of Iraq War veterans running for Congress and the tons of winnable GOP seats in PA.
If you want to throw out the Republicans in the state legislature to keep them from gerrymandering the 6th most populous state again, blocking an increase in the state minimum wage, etc., check out the PA House Democratic Campaign Committee or the PA Democratic Party. (Know anyone who wants to run against a Republican state legislator in PA?)
P.S. Howzabout recommending this diary? :-)