Primary season is upon us in the Hoosier state and I need your help. My name is John Bottorff and I announced that I am running against Blue Dog Baron Hill in a diary here on Daily Kos a few weeks ago. Since then I've been traveling around my district, getting to know the voters and making it known why it is that I am the best candidate for the job. I saw that nominations were made by you the community members for Orange to Blue and I was thrilled to see my name mentioned. As busy as it's been, it was important to me to take the time to think about and answer the questions that were posted.
My opponent, Baron Hill, is a leader of the Conservative Blue Dog caucus that consistently undermines Democratic policies and votes with the Republican party. Do voters in Southern Indiana, or anywhere else in America for that matter, really have a choice when there is a Conservative Republican challenging a Conservative Democrat in name only? It's like having nothing in your town to eat but Burger King and McDonald's, hardly much of a choice at all.
At Baron Hill's direction, blue dogs who are supposed to work to enact the Democratic platform instead undermine it. The Conservative ideology that destroyed the economy in Southern Indiana and elsewhere across America during the Conservative One Party rule of 2000-2006 can hardly be changed by electing a Conservative Democrat, that's like going on a diet by switching from Coke to Pepsi. It seems to me that it's pretty pointless to have two parties when one is Ultra Conservative and the other is constantly pushed to the right by it's own brand of Pseudo Conservatives. Simply put, two Conservative parties do not a Democracy make. For those reasons and many more I have decided to primary incumbent DINO Baron Hill in Indiana's 9th District.
So how would I represent Indiana's 9th district differently than Baron Hill? Well, for one thing, I am PROUD to be called a Democrat, and a Progressive at that. I will never hide behind the Conservative label as Baron Hill and other blue dogs do. In fact, check out my campaign mascot, created by a friend of mine:
By adopting the Conservative label Baron Hill and his blue dogs damage the Democratic party. It's like saying "My ideas are not worth fighting for, so I agree with my opponent.", which is hardly a way to win voters nationwide for the Democratic party, let alone in places like Southern Indiana.
Therefore, I will make these policy decisions if elected, and I will stand by them because I believe in the Democratic platform, NOT the Conservative one that has failed and failed and failed America and working class families since President Reagan tried them unsuccessfully 30 years ago.
- I will fight for a non profit public option in health care reform, particularly H.R. 4789, The Medicare for All Act proposed by Congressman Alan Grayson.
- I will fight for working class people who want to join unions and organize them by supporting the Employee Free Choice Act.
- I will support the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that discriminates against LGBT Americans who wish to serve their nation in America's military.
- I will work to reform America's broken immigration system based on the following criteria
a) Immigration Reform must contain a meaningful path to citizenship - one that does not include overly-punitive fines or a touchback requirement - for law-abiding undocumented immigrants currently in the United States
b) Immigration Reform must ensure that expanded legal permanent immigration, rather than expansion of temporary worker programs, serves as the United States' primary external answer to workforce shortages; and
c) Immigration Reform must ensure that any non-agricultural temporary worker programs maintain current caps on the total number of non-agricultural temporary worker visas issued, and also include a meaningful prevailing wage requirement keyed to the Service Contract Act and Davis-Bacon Act.
- I will work to ensure that regulation of greenhouse gas emissions by the Environmental Protection Agency remain intact and strictly enforced. The EPA was created to protect the environment, and they should regulate it, it is their job.
- I will NEVER, EVER, EVER join the Blue Dog caucus. I am running as a Democrat and that is something I am proud of.
I believe it is the duty of our elected representatives in Congress to do what is in the best interests of their constituents, NOT the special interests and certainly NOT what is in the best interests of their careers. Baron Hill may have voted for Health Insurance Reform, but he certainly played a role in watering it down and directing members of his Blue Dog caucus to vote against it. I guarantee you that voters in Indiana's 9th district did not vote to send Baron Hill to congress to fight for what is best for Indiana's ever profitable health insurers. I will never do that. I hope to win the Democratic Primary in IN-09 to serve the PEOPLE of Southern Indiana, not the special interests. For those, and many other reasons, I hope you will support me in my primary challenge against Blue Dog Leader Baron Hill.
If progressives are serious about fighting for MORE and BETTER Democrats, the 2010 congressional primaries are where the first fight will be had. I came to FIGHT for Southern Indiana's voters, not the special interests who care only for their shareholders and the profits they stand to gain at the consumers expense. I hope you will join me in that fight.
Want to help but don't live in my district? You can keep up on my campaign on Facebook and Twitter. You can visit my website (and tell all of your friends about it!) or best yet, you can donate to my campaign on Act Blue itself or via Act Blue Express on Twitter!