Dear Kossacks,
My name is John Laesch, the Democratic Nominee who is running against Dennis Hastert.
Tonight I am going to be blogging with Dr. David Gill's Campaign Manager, Jeremy Bowling and asking Kossacks to give Doc Gill your ear, and to support us both in Mark Warner's Map Changers contest.
David Gill is an E.R. Physician from Clinton, IL who is running for U.S. Congress. Does everyone remember Dr. Frist's video-diagnosis of Terri Schiavo? Imagine a Dem Doc fighting for single-payer national healthcare! OK - from Doc:
"On the day that Paul Wellstone's plane crashed, I cried and I thought, if 100 people stepped up to run for office like Paul did, we would have a better world."
~ David Gill, M.D.
Do I have your attention?
Before I go into this, I want to be very specific in asking for your help. I am asking you to vote for both myself, John Laesch, and David Gill on
Mark Warner's Map Changers contest. I am currently placed 5th and we need to get Doc Gill "on the radar."
About Doc Gill:
This is a photo of Doc Boone, Doc Gill and Doc Quentin Young on our "Healthcare for all" tour in 2004. Dr. Young founded PNHP, Physicians for a National Health Program.
I first met David Gill back in Sept. 2003 when he showed up to a Kucinich Meet-Up to tell us why he was running for Congress.
I continued to bump into the man who is now affectionately know as, "Doc" throughout Illinois' 15th Congressional District and I knew that he was a grassroots candidate that I could work for. In May of 2004 we sat down to chat about his campaign.
When he told me that he started running for office the day after Paul Wellstone died, I knew that I couldn't step away from this campaign. For the next 5-months I slept on a couch in the campaign office and helped Doc stengthen a grassroots structure throughout the district.
I believe and continue to advocate for Doc Gill because Democrats need a doctor in the house who can articulate our message on national healthcare. Not only is "doc" an advocate for a single-payer healthcare program, he is a member of PNHP (Physicians for a National Healthcare Program).
I hope that you get to hear some of his stories from the E.R. the next time that he comes on-line. Here are a few other quotes to let you know that he is the progressive choice/voice for Illinois 15th District.
"Back when people - Democrats even - were ready to throw tomatoes, I was speaking out against this war."
"Not only will I defend a woman's right to choose, I volunteer for Planned Parenthood."
About Tim Johnson:
Johnson is a posterchild for family values </snark>. He has been divorced three times and has 9 children.
Johnson would rather campaign than vote or do any committee work in Washington. Johnson missed 79% of his Agricultural committee meetings during the 2004 cycle and is well known for adhering to his eccentric exercise habits while calling voters back home. News articles show Johnson on a treadmill in Washington, chatting on his cell phone.
He has never lost an election and wins by painting himself as a moderate Republican. Johnson's parents were Democrats, but don't be fooled. Johnson voted with Tom DeLay over 80% of the time and he maintains a close political relationship with Dennis Hastert.
About the race/distict:
Illinois' 15th District, like many other places in this country has been written off by the state and national party. It was gerrymandered in 2000 after Johnson almost lost to another tough campaigner, Mike Kelleher.
The district is geographically larger than Illinois' 14th; encompassesing 22 counties. The largest County, Champaign County, has at least 1/4 of the voting population and is home to Democratic State Representative, Naomi Jacobbsen.
There are two key reasons why Dr. Gill is going to win.
1) He ran in 2004 and the thousands of Gill for Congress yard signs helped build significant name recognition.
2) Johnson's moderate leanings mean that he has been somewhat alienated by the GOP's far right wing. He has not raised enough money to compete. Gill on the other hand has already reached the $100K that he raised in 2004.
2006 Update from Campaign Manager, Jeremy Bowling
Doc has a family engagement this evening and so I have asked Jeremy Bowling to provide us with a campaign update. We will both stick around to answer questions.
Again, I would like to thank you for your support throughout this race and I would be grateful for your vote in the ongoing Mapchangers competition. You can vote for 10 candidates and all 10 winners will earn $5K.
Take care and keep fighting for our country!
Respectfully,
John Laesch