One question I often hear is: "How do I know that you won't be like the rest of them once you get to Washington?"
Voters' mistrust of politicians is well founded. Our elected officials have disappointed us over and over again. The current Congressional scandal and disgraceful behavior of resigned Rep. Foley (and imprisoned "Duke" Cunningham) puts a public face on the deceit, immorality and hypocrisy that most voters suspect. Many voted for George W. Bush because he touted that he was not a Washington insider. He wore his Christianity on his sleeve and people believed him because they wanted leadership that reflected their core values of honesty, courage, and compassion for our fellow human beings. Instead, they got lies, bully tactics, intolerance and mass manipulation of all Americans through fear mongering. And still the lies continue!
Here in the 49th District, compare Congressman Darrell Issa's list of campaign contributors with his voting record and see that he is vulnerable to influence peddling. His top contributor is defense contractor L-3 Communications - a cloak that envelops Titan Corporation, a war profiteer whose contract was recently renewed despite being implicated in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal. Issa supported the donut-holed Medicare drug plan with a ludicrous stipulation that forbids the U.S. from negotiating with drug companies for better prices. He was rewarded with over $64,000 in contributions from the grateful pharmaceutical industry. Issa continues to push for the Sunrise Powerlink and the LEAPS hydro-electric dam even when the citizens he's supposed to be representing overwhelmingly oppose these projects. But, oh yes, electric utilities dumped $35,000 into his campaign coffers for this election.
Is it possible that the man entrusted to represent the people in the 49th is actually representing ONLY wealthy special interests? In June last year, when the story about Duke Cunningham broke, Darrell Issa defended his colleague. He told North County Times reporter, William Bennett, that he "believes too much in Cunningham's integrity to think he would be capable of doing anything dishonest." With what we know now about the disgraced Cunningham's "price list" for favors, one has to conclude that Issa is either incredibly naive (highly doubtful) or his standards of integrity are incredibly low. Two days after making this statement, Issa voted yes on Cunningham's proposed amendment to the Constitution to prohibit flag desecration, while his good buddy was flagrantly desecrating Congress itself.
No wonder the people I talk to are so skeptical of politicians. They should be!
I offer as reassurance that I am not "one of them" and will never become one of them. Period! I believe actions speak louder than words and I offer my campaign and my life as validation of my honesty. You will see no special interests listed on my campaign contributions. It's public record. Click to see where my contributions are coming from compared to Issa's. I've been campaigning for eighteen months as an activist candidate. That means, I've been out there working for the people in my district even before being elected. And because I'm not beholden to any special interests, I tell it like it is, whether or not it's politically helpful. I believe that when it comes right down to it, people are just plain tired of wishy-washy liars. They want to know they can count on me to tell the truth and to be their champion against the bullies pulling the strings in Washington.
What has Issa actually done for the people in his district in his past three terms? NOTHING!
Has he ever gone to bat for them against the special interests? NO! If you doubt it, take a look at his voting record.
I live by the standard of Voluntary Simplicity, which means that I only buy what I need to live comfortably. I offer this to my voters as evidence of my commitment to serve them while standing above the muck and mire that far too many of our leaders have fallen into. Issa is one of the wealthiest members of Congress. The difference between us goes far deeper than where we stand on the issues: It goes right to the core of who we are.
Again, I ask for your support. Volunteer from the convenience of your home, wherever you live. Your cell phone service is probably free on weekends. We can provide a list of 49th District voters for you to call on your cell phone. That would be a big help! We can also accept contributions via check or by credit card at www.JeeniForCongress.com.
Thank you for joining me in this effort to restore integrity to our government!
Jeeni
Jeeni Criscenzo for Congress
www.JEENIforCONGRESS.com
PO Box 927, Oceanside, CA 92049-0927
"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model which makes the existing model obsolete." --Buckminster Fuller