Tomorrow beginning at Noon (Eastern time) we will begin a 24 hour Fundraiser to support Steve Marchand as a candidate for Senate in New Hampshire. Marchand is running in a primary up against Katrina Swett, who Kos mentioned on the front page the other day in his post, NH-Sen Lieberdem Swett. Jay Buckey is another primary challenger. Marchand is clearly the most progressive candidate in the race. He's the only 100% pro-choice candidate in the race, he has a strong environmental record as Mayor of Portsmouth, he has been a long-time supporter of working people, and he's supported efforts to improve education (and I'm just getting started here...there's much much more).
Once the Primary is over, Marchand (hopefully) will be up against John E. Sununu. In November SUSA asked New Hampshirites whether or not they approved of their Senator, and only 47% approved. Those numbers may be MUCH worse now due to Sununu's continued support for the failed Bush policies in Iraq, his vote against Stem Cell research, research that 62% of New Hampshirites support, and his claim that we should "stop complaining about health care." (Yes, he really said that.)
Sununu is out of touch for New Hampshire and he must be voted out of a job in November of 2008. The best Democratic candidate that will make that happen is Steve Marchand.
This is Steve and his family --
Steve Marchand on Iraq:
I strongly oppose the Bush/Sununu agenda to escalate our military presence in Iraq. I believe a planned, phased withdrawal and redeployment of our forces is the proper course of action. We must begin to bring our troops home now while properly preparing the Iraqi government to assume genuine national autonomy.
There are few priorities higher for America than effectively and aggressively fighting and winning the War on Terror. We must not be afraid to openly discuss the best way to do that, including beginning the process of bringing our troops home from Iraq.
Steve Marchand on Personal Freedoms:
New Hampshire has always been a leader in the preservation of the individual rights and freedoms that make us Americans. We must be vigilant in defending these rights for all Americans into the 21st century. As a strong believer in individual freedoms, I:
* Am 100% pro-choice and will strongly defend a woman's right to choose.
* Support a reform of the Patriot Act to end measures that erode our individual rights;
* Oppose a National ID program;
* Support the Second Amendment right of law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms;
* Support established law in end-of-life decisions.
Marchand notes that he is 100% pro-choice. His opponents in the primary can't claim the same beliefs. Jay Buckey hasn't disclosed his position on choice yet. Katrina Swett supports the so-called "partial birth abortion ban" and there's some question (but I was unable to find a solid answer) as to whether or not she supports parental notification laws.
This is just a taste of where Marchand stands on a few issues. Tune into several diaries tomorrow starting at noon until Friday at noon and read more about him! Steve is already a fellow kossack. He's been by to introduce himself and answer a few questions. I've spoken with the campaign and I'm awaiting confirmation of a time, but we're hoping that Steve will stop by one of the diaries to answer some more questions.
Here's the schedule of diarists who have signed up so far to write diaries with links to their DailyKos pages.
Time | Diarist |
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EDT | Skulnick |
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EDT | plf515 |
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. EST | |
7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. EDT | Dean Barker |
10:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. EST | |
12:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. EDT | andyj2287 |
2:00 a.m. - 4:00 a.m. EDT | dadanation |
4:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m. EDT | Elise |
7:00 a.m. -- 9:00 a.m. EDT | va dare |
9:00 a.m. -- 12:00 p.m. | PhantomFly |
If you can fill one of those spots, it would be much appreciated! This is a race we must win and Steve Marchand is the only candidate who has been consistently progressive on the issues.
Join us tomorrow and help us raise some money for a truly progressive candidate! Here's a video of Marchand speaking at the New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention a few weeks ago. Check him out and get as psyched as I am about his candidacy and then let's make sure he wins!
Update with the video I promised: