Hey Kossacks,
First, to all of you who commented on my last entry - thank you. I've taken all of your advice and encouragement to heart, and I'm happy to say that since that article my political plans may have improved (keeping fingers crossed, of course). I'm grateful to all of you for helping my spirits up. I'm not going away from politics, and I'm going to help make a Democratic victory possible in 2006 and 2008, and a liberal victory...someday.
Part of that effort is electing strong, proud Democrats to Congress in 2006. So I contacted John Laesch(http://john06.com/), the Democrat challenging Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. Hastert, as you all know has been in a little trouble as of late with the FBI, making the possibility of him being toppled in November all the better. John is not only a Kossack himself (http://john-laesch.dailykos.com/), but will be attending Yearly Kos's inaugural event next week.
John was more than happy to answer my questions, and my Q&A with him is below. Happy reading!
THE QUESTIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
#1 and #2 are biographical
#3 is about John's early political experience
#4 is on John's definition of a "Democrat"
#5 is about Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert
#6 is on John's campaign strategy
#7 is on Iraq
#8 is on Immigration
#9 is on Stem Cell Research and the Minimum Wage
#10 is on President Bush (should he be impeached? Read on)
-----------------------------------------------------------
1)Tell us a little bit about your early life - what experiences did you have that helped shape your worldview/mindset?
I grew up in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa. My parents were missionaries and we lived in a small village with less than 500 people. We would remain in the jungle for 3-6 months at a time and the only methods of communicating to the city of Monrovia were a small 4-person airplane and ham radio.
I learned to be very independent in Africa. I am okay running this campaign without a lot of help from the rank and file Democratic Party because it allows me some independence when I get there. My independence has also contributed to the fact that I am a 32-year old bachelor (finally engaged to a beautiful, recovering republican).
Liberia was almost always facing internal wars and violent conflicts between rivaling tribal factions. Liberia was one of the countries where Southern American states shipped slaves after the 1865 Emancipation Proclamation. Americo-Liberians took over the country's political system and retained close ties to America. The Liberian Flag looks very similar to America's, only bearing one star instead of fifty.
We left the country in 1986 when a tribal faction attempted a military coup of then President Doe. We lived three houses away from Liberia's Vice President. I will never forget hiding behind a second-floor piano and looking out over our balcony and watching soldiers riddle the VP's house with bullets. We used to play with the children who lived in that house.
I decided early on that war is never the answer and I have always believed that good communication is the best way to prevent conflict. My world view is built upon the following philosophy:
Fear breeds greater fear
Hate breeds greater hate
Violence only breeds more violence
Hope breeds greater hope and only Love conquers all
Love of Country, Love of Democracy, Love of Freedom and Love for humanity; with the understanding that we are all one people - made equal under God and guaranteed equality under Government.
-----------------------------------------------------------
2) You joined the Navy at a time of relative global peace; the Cold War was over and terrorism was not a major concern for most Americans. Why did you join the Navy when you did, and what did being in the Navy teach you?
I would disagree that the mid-to-late 90's were a time of global peace. Al Quaida was in its infant stages and two factors helped terrorism grow.
1) Bin Laden realized early on that the United States would strengthen our presence in the Persian Gulf region following the 1991 Gulf War. Bin Laden thought that Al Quaida and the Mujahadeen could defend Kuwait and Saudi Arabia from Saddam Hussein. As a member of an influential Saudi family, Bin Laden caused lots of headaches for the Saudi leadership and finally returned to Afghanistan to start his own Jihad (holy war). He founded Al Quaida, meaning "The Base" and funded the operation by running business ventures in Sudan. Al Quaida started attacking American institutions and ships; primarily in the Middle Eastern Region.
During my first month (1996), at COMUSNAVCENT, Bahrain, I awoke around 6:00 A.M. when a bomb across the causeway (bridge connecting Saudi and Bahrain) rocked the ground in Bahrain. The bomb killed 19 U.S. servicemen and put American institutions on high alert throughout the region.
In 1997, Bin Laden took out an ad in the Gulf Daily News (Bahraini newspaper) and said that he would attack U.S. Servicemen in nightclubs. We were put on indefinite curfew and forbidden from bars and nightclubs. Intelligence assets doubled efforts to dissect Al Quaida's links and nodes throughout the world. To suggest that America's intelligence assets were asleep on Clinton's watch is insulting to all of those who were transitioning from a cold-war mentality to a counter-terrorist mentality.
The United States Military started exercising greater joint warfare and multi-lateral war fighting capabilities. Bright Star 97 was the first war game played in a desert environment (preparing for war in the Middle East) instead of an arctic environment (preparing for war with Russia). I worked as a bilateral intelligence liaison with unnamed countries during this military exercise.
In 1998 Bin Laden and crew attacked U.S. Embassy's in Kenya and Tanzania. We retaliated with Operation Infinite Reach (cruise missiles launched into Afghanistan and Sudan). We missed Bin Laden by 20 minutes and of course the Republican Party started screaming, "Wag the Dog."
Sadly, in 1998, Republicans turned the war on terrorism into a political game.
Now to answer your question - I joined the Navy to become a Navy Seal. I had already started climbing the corporate ladder of Amoco without a college degree and I had made some gutsy moves that led to the firing of some middle-age, middle-management types. At age 21, I felt pretty bad that some guys with families had lost their jobs because I had recommended "better ways to do things."
I also wanted a more physical challenge. This is exactly why I also chose to be a carpenter throughout this campaign. I know the craft and the physical exercise keeps my head clear.
Being in the Navy taught me leadership. I have always learned quickly and accepted leadership roles in every job that I have held, but never has so much responsibility fallen on my shoulders. I also learned tolerance in the Navy. You learn to tolerate and get along with other people from different backgrounds. Those who can't adjust don't make it in the military. I believe that it takes great patience and tolerance for other peoples' ideas to be a politician.
Most importantly, I learned quite a bit about Arabic and Persian culture. I became very knowledgeable about foreign military leadership structures and personalities. In addition to knowing which country could hurt America with what weapon, I also had experience working the counterterrorism picture.
-----------------------------------------------------------
3) How did you get involved in politics? What campaign/s did you feel prepared you the most for your current race?
Shortly after Congress gave George Bush a blank check to go to war in Iraq, I wrote my first letter to the editor. I had just graduated college and enhanced my Middle East experience by choosing history and political science classes that covered some of my favorite areas of the world, Iraq, Iran and Israel. I thought that the local paper in Bloomington, IL would be interested in my background.
They published the letter and I started googling the McLean County Democratic Party and presidential candidates for the 2004 election.
I started volunteering for John Kerry until I took a MoveOn.org on-line primary poll. I found Dennis Kucinich and myself were closer ideological matches so I started working for him in the 2004 Primary.
I quickly realized that there was very little organization in this campaign and it didn't take long for me to become the statewide labor coordinator. Over in Galesburg, IL, I met with a group of Maytag workers who would be loosing their jobs because the plant was moving to Mexico. That night as I drove home, I decided to abandon all thoughts of getting back into the intelligence field and I gave up my small, start-up business venture. I started sleeping on couches and working as a full time volunteer for Congressman Kucinich. I tended bar and waited tables to keep up with rent, but at least 60-hours/week was dedicated to politics.
After the Illinois Primary, I had three options. First, I was offered a paid staff position in Oregon with Dennis Kucinich. Secondly, I had recently completed the AFL-CIO's Organizing Institute and was planning on becoming a labor organizer, and then, a third choice came along. Dr. David Gill was running for Congress in Illinois' 15th District. He asked me to run his campaign and although it paid less than my other two offers, I took the opportunity.
For $400/month I worked for Dr. Gill; putting in 80-90 hours most weeks. I worked weekend nights at the same restaurant/bar in Bloomginton, IL to keep the lights on in my vacant apartment.
The Kucinich campaign taught me tolerance. The campaign was filled with multiple, strong personalities and very few with political experience. I also learned how to campaign door-to-door. All of these skills were enhanced in Dr. Gill's campaign.
Like many underdog candidates, Gill was running a real campaign and challenging the entrenched Republican for the first time in decades. Raising just over $100,000, we were able to win 39% of the vote (a 7% increase over the last Democrat to run). This was the most efficiently run campaign for a challenger in the state of Illinois. Gill is running again in 2006, but I had to move on to something different.
In 2005, several life-changing events took place at roughly the same time. My brother received orders to Iraq, the legislation I was working on as an SEIU Healthcare organizer was hitting a wall in Illinois' General Assembly (even Democrats are afraid of insurance companies) and Dr. Gill and myself were not seeing eye-to-eye on how to run his 2006 campaign. It wasn't long before I moved back to the 14th District and took my younger brother's 2003 advice; run against Hastert.
-----------------------------------------------------------
4) Democrats in power today are often faced with a problem of "defining" themselves. To you, what is a Democrat?
First let me say that this campaign is one that has the potential for defining the Democratic Party. Defeating a sitting Speaker of the House has only been done once in modern history (1994 Foley vs. Nethercutt). Winning this election is going to be about communicating our message to the voting population.
I believe that we have to go back to being the Party of Franklin Roosevelt; standing up for people who on their own cannot stand. Enabling more Americans to achieve the American Dream and reach middle class status can be done by fighting for the four pillars of the Democratic Party.
1) An affordable national healthcare plan that covers all Americans
2)A renewable energy policy that ensures that America will remain at the cutting edge of technology as we embark into the 21st Century.
3)A strong, "Made in America" economy that brings good paying jobs back to this great nation.
4)Ensuring that every American has access to equal education opportunities; from Kindergarten-College.
-----------------------------------------------------------
5)Speaker Hastert has clearly emerged into the spotlight with the ABC News report that he is under investigation from the FBI; however, he's also been in Congress since 1986. What other aspects of Speaker Hastert's time in Congress have been poor for his district and for the nation?
Dennis Hastert's greatest weakness is something that has always been a Hastert strength. He has done a good job of defining himself as "the coach" who "brings money back to the district."
His legacy project, The Prairie Parkway (A.K.A. Hastert Highway) will be his greatest vulnerability. This is a proposed north-to-south highway that will connect I-88 with I-80 and it has infuriated his base, farmers. It cuts through some of the world's richest farmland. When I say the world's, I mean that DeKalb County is where a Russian delegation came after the cold war ended because we had the best soil for growing crops.
Folks who live in small towns live there because they like peaceful, small-town living. Farmers and most of the small towns surrounding the highway, are not relishing the idea of moving west over the next two years.
Another big vulnerability of Hastert's is the Medicare Part D bill. He is the architect who kept the house floor vote open for three hours (3:00 A.M. - 6:00 A.M.) to get the votes on this disaster. Seniors still hate it and most are paying too much for coverage. I could campaign to seniors with this issue alone and win this election.
------------------------------------------------------------
6) You've been running against Hastert for several months now, and running against a (relatively) untarnished Speaker of the House (before the ABC report) is daunting, to say the least. What is/was your strategy against Hastert, and what kind of resources did you plan on using?
FUNDRAISING: We have raised $70,000 within the last six months of campaigning. The average contribution is $144/person and this includes all PAC money. This total is more than any candidate has raised in the last 20 years against Dennis Hastert. One self-financed candidate spent $125,000 against Hastert and lost in 1996 because he had no campaign experience. Our campaign continues to gain momentum and we are on the radar for the "players in Illinois." The players include, Sen. Durbin, Sen. Obama, Jan Schakowsky and my political hero, Rep. Lane Evans (himself a Veteran "long shot" who won with 52% of the vote in 1982).
THE RIGHT CANDIDATE: As a candidate, I bring both grassroots organizing skills, campaign experience and an attractive resume to the table. I am young, exciting and I have the ability to attract voters from all walks of life. Grandparents see me as a breath of fresh air; a young person with new ideas. College students see my campaign as hope and opportunity for the future while working parents identify with me as a guy who gets up and goes to work everyday.
A GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN: We have a very active campaign that is always asking people to get involved. Asking people to make a difference in their world is the key to building a successful grassroots campaign. We go door-to-door every weekend, march in parades and I personally attend 10-20 events/week. We have helped county organizations build their precinct committee structures and get local candidates on the ballot. This was a key to winning my primary race with 66% of the vote against the Dem who ran in 2004.
As to my message, just refer to question 4, The 4 pillars of the Democratic Party.
(Note: John sent me this attachment with his anticipation of what he and Hastert will paint the other and themselves as a candidate)
"Hastert paints Laesch:
Young and inexperienced (anticipated)
Glad you are running, but no thanks we have the Speaker
Hastert Paints Hastert:
Good ol' boy who drives a pick-up
Small town livin'
Teacher/wrestling coach
Brings money to the district
Laesch paints Laesch:
Proven leadership and experience
Honest, the son of Christian missionaries
A carpenter and farm-boy from Newark, Illinois
Young, fresh ideas for the 21st century
"John Laesch cares" about...
Laesch Paints Hastert:
Washington insider
Mr. Big oil & gas
Ringleader of the culture of corruption in Washington
Out of touch with the middle class"
STRATEGY: Winning elections depends on a campaign's ability to IDENTIFY voters and GET THEM TO THE POLLS (GOTV) on Election Day. We use the attached sheet to ID voters. A strong GOTV depends on financing.
-----------------------------------------------------------
7) Going on to some issues now: As a Naval veteran yourself, how would you resolve the situation our troops have in Iraq? And how do we deal with the issue of global terrorism in the 21st century?
This is the issue that is first and foremost on my mind when I wake up in the morning or prepare a campaign speech. My brother is currently stationed in Iraq and I will be damned if he dies because George Bush and Dennis Hastert failed to admit a mistake and lead us out of this mess.
The Iraqi people have lost trust in President Bush and Osama Bin Laden now has a perfect recruiting slogan; "America attacked Arabs and Arabs must fight back."
The only solution is to win back the trust of the Iraqi people by communicating our intentions to leave Iraq. The first step towards peace is to sit down with the Iraqi Parliament and agree upon a timeline for withdrawal of U.S. forces. This timeline must be honored immediately and the first withdrawal of troops should happen within weeks.
Secondly, the only way to prevent expansion of the civil war into a regional war is to re-deploy troops to Kuwait or Turkey. This effort and peace-keeping efforts should be turned over to the United Nations or Arab League.
We need to treat our troops and Veterans with the highest level of respect and make sure that those who have lost so much in this war are given the best treatment and reception that America has to offer.
-----------------------------------------------------------
8) The immigration issue is certainly complex, with the nation essentially divided on possible resolutions of the immigration conflict. Where do you stand on this, and how would you work in Congress to change the situation?
None of the proposals in Congress or the Senate will work. As long as a factory job in America pays more than a factory job in Mexico, people will continue to migrate through our porous borders.
As recently as April 20, 2006, two striking workers in Mexico were shot and killed while another 40 were injured from police gunfire. The Mexican people are fighting for freedom, democracy and living wages, but there was nobody to back them up.
Changes to our trade laws are the only solution to the immigration situation in America. When our military starts enforcing fair trade agreements and workers' rights in other countries, we will achieve the following three objectives that I see as vital to the future of a global marketplace.
1.An end to illegal immigration begins by eliminating the reason for migration.
2.An end to the off-shoring and outsourcing of good paying American jobs to foreign countries that use sweatshop labor.
3.The expansion of democracy begins in the work place. People who fight for fair wages will also fight for representation in government.
America must leverage the power of trade to make sure that workers in Mexico are on a level playing field with workers in America. Worker rights' groups, women's rights groups, environmental groups and human rights groups must band together and create a World Economic Organization (WEO) that will offset the power of the World Trade Organization (WTO). When the United States military starts to assist those who want freedom (Mexico and Bangladesh) instead of those who accept tyranny (Iraq), then Freedom will once again be on the march!
-----------------------------------------------------------
9)The Democratic Party in Congress has proposed, among other things, two pieces of legislation: raising the minimum wage and funding stem cell research. Would you support these bills if elected, and what other ideas would you have for improving the economy?
I think that they have proposed more than that, but I do support raising the minimum wage to a living wage. The only way to get people off of welfare programs is to offer them good paying jobs that allow them to live in the communities that they work in.
I would support stem cell research if it was part of a national healthcare plan.
-----------------------------------------------------------
10) Should President Bush be held culpable for the events during his Presidency? And if so, how?
Every elected official should be held accountable by voters in his or her district. Congress must hold the president accountable. I have openly said: "one of my first acts in Congress will be to demand a Congressional investigation into the pre-war intelligence that took us to Iraq. If the president lied to the American people then he should be impeached. We need open and honest government and we are only going to get that with new leaders in Washington who have not been bought off by special interest groups.
-----------------------------------------------------------
11) Anything else you want to mention?
This race, like most, is winnable. At the very least, this should be part of a national strategy. Dennis Hastert raised money for 200 Congressional candidates in the 2004 election cycle and he is on pace to do it again.
-----------------------------------------------------------
What I learned from my interview with John Laesch is that in Dennis Hastert's district, there is a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain; a proud Democrat and a fighter for true progressive principles; and a candidate worthy of our support and respect. So feel free to say hi to John Laesch when he next posts, or at Yearly Kos - and tell him you're on his side in 2006!