Tired of the Candidate Wars? Listen to Charlie Brown Interview Right Now!
Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 04:55:28 PM PDT
I know the Presidential candidate wars are fun and all--and certainly lots of us are looking forward to watching the election returns come in from the Potomac Primary this evening.
But as we focus on the fight for who will headline the Democratic Party this year, let's not forget about the many other heroic Democrats downballot who are fighting against tough odds to take over Republican seats this year. As the FISA fight reminds us, much of the promises made by Hillary and Obama will be for naught without increased majorities to work with in Congress.
One such netroots hero is on the other side of the country from the Beltway that all the pundits are watching tonight: Charlie Brown, who is fighting to wrest CA-04 in northeast California from Republican control.
This is the district that was until recently is still being represented by the execrable John Doolittle. You all know Mr. Doo-Little as one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress, frequent S-CHIP opponent, and knee-deep in Abramoff corruption. On January 10th, under pressure from Abramoff investigators and from primary challenges within his own party, Doolittle retired announced that he retiring, and would not be running for another term in 2008. His move leaves the seat without a well-known Republican incumbent.
The good news? Last election cycle, Charlie Brown only lost to the well-known and well-funded Republican incumbent by 3 points. This year, he has an excellent chance to take over the seat--especially since two Republicans, Doug Ose and Rico Oller, are currently battling it out over his seat.
My good friend clammyc and I had the chance to interview Charlie at last summer's Yearly Kos, and he is as nice as he is passionate when it comes to American values and progressive ideals.
And we have the opportunity to interview Charlie again today on our BlogTalkRadio show at 8PM Eastern/7PM Central/5PM Pacific. The link to the interview is here, and Charlie's website is here.
(Also, the interview will be posted later on Heading Left, BlogTalkRadio's progressive website managed by none other than myself and clammyc.)
Want to know more about Charlie? He's a fighting Dem whose stellar resume makes him very electable in this largely rural district:
Integrity, Duty, Honor and Responsibility aren’t just words to Charlie Brown. They are the guiding principles of an officer and a true patriot who has devoted his life to serving his country.
Charlie was born in 1949. Raised in rural Iowa, he developed his hard work ethic and strong mid-western values early on. He was an avid hunter, who worked on his grandfather’s cattle farm and took his first job while in middle school--unloading railroad cars at the local farm service plant.
As the son of a decorated World War II veteran, Charlie has always understood the importance of defending America. At age 13, he read an article about the Air Force in the Saturday Evening Post, and knew immediately that he wanted to be a pilot. He dedicated himself to that goal, and the hard work paid off. Charlie received a Congressional appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1968.
After graduating in 1972, he began a distinguished 26-year Air Force career during which he was involved in every U.S. military conflict from Vietnam to Desert Storm.
As a rescue helicopter pilot based in Thailand at the end of the Vietnam War, Charlie participated in the evacuations of Saigon, Phnom Penh, and the infamous Mayaguez Incident—for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In Vietnam, he saw the human cost of faulty equipment and bad intelligence up close. It’s a lesson he’s never forgotten.
After the war, Charlie transitioned to fixed wing aircraft and working with intelligence collection assets. He piloted reconnaissance missions in support of combat operations in Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, and Libya, and flew Cold War related missions around the world. After the first Gulf War, Charlie served two rotations in Saudi Arabia, where he coordinated surveillance flights over Iraq’s "No Fly Zones."
Whenever or wherever duty has called, Charlie has always been there. He’s served as a flight instructor, flight examiner, budget officer, safety officer, military magistrate, and been responsible for presentations to ambassadors, members of Congress, and foreign officials during his distinguished military career. He also earned his Master’s Degree in Aviation Management from Embry Riddle University in 1985.
Charlie retired from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1998, but he’s never stopped living the oath he gave when his career began: to lead with honor and integrity, to defend the constitution, to fight for the freedom and security of every American, and most importantly, to "leave no one behind."
He’s remained true to his values. In 1996, Charlie was elected Chair of the Supervisory Committee of a $5 million local Credit Union. Responsible for fiscal oversight of an institution rife with waste and abuse, Charlie didn’t turn a blind eye. He stood up for the fiscal responsibility that his members deserved.
Charlie continues to serve. He’s earned his California Teaching credential, spent the past 8 years on the Professional Staff of the Roseville Police Department, was elected to two terms as Vice President of the Roseville Police Association, and has been a tireless advocate for veterans rights, seniors, middle class families, and the environment.
In 2006, Charlie was the Democratic nominee for California’s historically conservative 4th Congressional District, where he came within 3 points (just 9,000 votes) of upsetting 8 term incumbent John Doolittle. Despite the loss, Brown’s strong campaign was credited with helping the Democratic party regain the majority in both houses of Congress, and launching an unprecedented grassroots movement that has forever changed the electoral dynamics of the 4th CD. Brown is making a second run for Congress in 2008.
Charlie’s wife of 34 years, Jan, also served in the Air Force as a nurse. His son Jeff is an Air Force Captain, who just returned from his fourth rotation in Iraq. His daughter Stacey just finished up her degree at UC Irvine. Stacey and Jeff both attended Public Schools, and the Brown’s have lived in Roseville, California for the past 16 years. Charlie is an avid runner, bicycler, and kayaker.
Here's his position on Iraq:
Having coordinated surveillance flights over Iraq in the 1990's, Charlie did not support the U.S. invasion because he knew there were no WMD's present, that an invasion could unleash centuries old sectarian conflicts inside Iraq, and leave fewer American military resources available to defeat the enemy who attacked America on 9/11--Al Qaeda.
Despite under-manning, under-equipping, bad intelligence and naive post-war planning by politicians in Washington, America's military has toppled a terrible dictator in Iraq. But as General Patreus himself has said, our troops can only create the space for Iraq's newly elected politicians to reconcile the political differences that have fomented sectarian violence and civil war. Ultimately, Iraq needs a political solution, not a military one. And America can't defeat global terrorism by transforming the world's finest military force into the Baghdad police force.
Charlie believes accountability is the key to getting our troops home quickly and responsibly---tying future U.S. aid to the achievement of key political benchmarks by Iraq's elected leaders. Together with limited counterterrorism operations, training of Iraqi Security forces and accelerated reconstruction efforts, only real results from Iraq's politicians can expedite the process of political reconciliation Iraq needs to create a permanent stable government that can sustain itself and defend its own borders. Ultimately, open ended promises of money and troops by our government provide little incentive for Iraqi politicians to take action and ownership of their nation's future.
Ultimately, re-deploying US Troops out of Iraq will enable the United States to refocus on the real front lines against terrorism-fighting the resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, strengthening our strategic alliances, improving intelligence gathering, expanding special operations capabilities, and giving our troops more time here at home- so they can be rested, trained, properly equipped and ready for quick deployment against terrorist concentrations or any other threats to America.
Think this great candidate is worth paying attention to, even over the hubbub of the Presidential Primary Wars?
Then tune in right now and hear me and clammyc talk to Charlie. And if you like what you hear, please consider giving Charlie some love with a donation to a great Netroots candidate!
Also, if you are interested in hearing interviews with other fine progressive candidates, below is a list of previous segments:
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