John Boehner has a target on his back. It was put there by a young man from Liberty Township in Butler County, Ohio named Justin Coussoule. And what Coussoule is targeting is his votes, votes that Boehner, whom Coussoule calls "an embarrassment on so many levels," has taken for granted — because he could. He’s mostly faced token opposition. His 2008 opponent raised $13,000. His 2006 opponent raised $3,000. The thinking of Democrats in this southwest district abutting Indiana — one of its most conservative regions — was "why bother?" Justin Coussoule doesn’t think like that.
I spoke at length with Coussoule this morning: about why he got into the race, why he thinks the district is more competitive than it might seem, what he plans to do to make it as competitive as possible this year, his biggest roadblocks, and especially, what he believes and what he stands for. I was intrigued by his candidacy before — wouldn’t it be great if we Ohioans no longer had to apologize to the world for the orange blight on our Congress? — but I’m totally sold now.
http://www.coussouleforcongress.com/
Coussoule has only lived in Ohio and in the district for three years — he’s a Massachusetts native. But he and his wife Amanda, both West Point graduates, have settled in, and he’ll be sending the oldest of his two pre-school children to school there in the fall. And it’s hard not to feel he’s more plugged into the concerns of the people of his district than Boehner, who lives in a gated golf community and is seldom seen in those parts (Coussoule also pointed out that of the 119 (!) rounds of golf Boehner played last year, many were not in the district but in Southern California or Florida. As if we couldn’t tell!)
Coussoule, who got involved in 8th district politics volunteering to do door knocking and other grassroots work for the Obama campaign, is committed to the race: He lost his job when his employer Procter & Gamble gave him an ultimatum — job or campaign. He chose campaign. Don’t worry, his family will be OK — he says Amanda has "a great job."
But he’s concerned about other families in this district with 13% unemployment. He points out that Boehner’s greens fees last year were almost double the median income in the district. He’s made economic issues the cornerstone of his campaign because he says that’s what people care about, not the wedge social issues. But you’ll be very surprised to hear where he stands — unequivocally — on those. This isn’t a guy who thinks you have to be watered down or all Blue Doggy to win in a district like this — just to talk to people clearly and honestly about their best economic interests. You won’t hear Coussoule saying that BP should punt some of the cost of the Gulf cleanup on the taxpayers.
Probably the most discouraging thing he told me was that he’s finding it hard to get much support from the Democratic establishment. He understands why they want to see more fundraising and competitive polls before they invest; he’s a little more baffled why some Democrats won’t even endorse. (Ohio primaries are over, and he’s the candidate). However, three congressmen have been independent enough to endorse: Maurice Hinchey (NY-22), whom Coussoule interned for while in law school, Massachusetts’ Barney Frank, and Florida’s Alan Grayson. I’d say those are good recommendations.
This is a race where a small donation could go a long way. Coussoule is running an aggressive grassroots campaign. He’s putting his experience with the Obama campaign to good use. He says he has 400 volunteers so far, and "Anywhere five voters are gathered, I try to make an appearance."
Wouldn’t it be nice to help turn this district from "orange" (literally) to army/Democratic blue? Coussoule is realistic about his chances. He says, "If victory is possible, it probably looks like 51%."
https://secure.blueutopia.com/...
http://www.coussouleforcongress.com/
Here are a couple of excerpts from today’s installment of my interview, which you’ll find here:
http://www.ohiodailyblog.com/...
"From that experience [working on the Obama campaign], we had a number of organizations that popped up in Butler County, and I stayed involved with one of those organizations. We fought hard for other candidates, school board candidates, township trustees. This year came around, and living in John Boehner’s district and being a good progressive, we looked around and said, is anybody going to challenge this guy? I said, we get the government we deserve. My wife, my kids, my neighbors’ kids, they all deserve better than John Boehner. The only thing for sure is if he runs unopposed, he will be our congressman again."
"[Republicans] play to people’s basest emotions — anger, fear, suspicion. They bounce from point to point, using talking points and buzzwords, and the whole thing doesn’t fit together. You just poke at it a little bit and it falls apart. BP is the perfect example. Do you want federal government that has the ability the ability take charge and be effective in these situations, or don’t you?"
"Wherever your politics fall out, I believe most people expect their representative to operate from a position of public service. They expect that person to be principled. I don’t think John Boehner has a principled bone in his body. He is not out in these communities asking people, what are your struggles and aspirations, and how can federal government work with state and community leaders to make progress? We have an expectation that our representation in government comes to the table and says, I am here on your behalf. I don’t think you do that behind iron gates and the little wealthy bubble John Boehner lives in — when he’s here."
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