My name is David Cozad, and I'm the Democratic candidate running against Joe "Apology" Barton. I'm here to ask for your support so the people of TX-06 can again have a voice in Congress.
TX-06 was held by Democrats from 1875 until Phil Gramm switched to the Republican party in 1983. Gramm, who picked Joe Barton to be his successor when he ran for the Senate, only lasted one term as a Republican and Joe Barton has had the seat ever since – twenty seven long years. The northern area of the district is urban sprawl between Dallas and Forth Worth, while the southern portion is rural ranching and farming country. 651,000 Texans, three quarters Anglo, with the other quarter almost equally split between black and Hispanic voters. It's a very red district, with a PVI of R+15.
Even with a PVI of R+15, this district is in play thanks to Joe Barton's apology to British Petroleum and 27 year incumbency. TX-06 doesn't have a shoreline, but the harm being done by the coal power plants and cement kilns rivals the devastation that is being inflicted on the Gulf of Mexico and the land around it by BP greed.
I can run and win as a Democrat in this district. Being a former United States Marine officer is a key part of that for the voters here. I served three and a half years in the Marines in the early 1970s. I then spent an additional two and a half years in the Marine Corps reserves. After my service I spent some time working for General Motors, Radio Shack and Motorola. After being downsized by Motorola I got my teaching certificate and taught high school math for a little over 2 years.
I've spent the last few years enjoying my life taking care of my family and it is my grandchildren who inspired me to run for Congress. I want every child to have the opportunity to achieve the life goals they have. I want every child to have the expectation of a long, prosperous and healthy life.
I call myself a "Green Dog Democrat" because I care about the environment. I believe climate change is real and that we must change how we live our lives now in order for our children to be able to enjoy the world when they are our age. I have definitive ideas on what we can do to move our country toward energy independence and how we can turn our economy into a green economy that will not only bring jobs back to the unemployed, but will also help us to save our planet.
These are issues I will come back to address in the weeks ahead. For today I wanted to introduce myself, tell you a little about who I am and what I stand for. As you know, the end of the quarter is on Thursday, and I like many other candidates need your help so we can carry our message to the voters. Please, even if it's just a few dollars, could you help my campaign so that we can defeat Joe "Apology" Barton and work together to return responsible governing to DC.
Thank you so much for noticing my campaign. I’m receiving some help, both paid and volunteer, from the members of DailyKos, and the skills and passion you bring are invaluable to any political race.
Neal says we’ll be having a weekly call with bloggers to talk about issues and that I need to post the invitation here. You can contact either he or Beth Becker for the details. Our first topic will be energy, both oil because of Joe Barton, and natural gas. A portion of the Barnett shale is under Texas District 6 and I am told that TXsharon has a wealth of information to share on this point.
I have a task that will keep me until around 1:00 PM central time, then I’ll be back to respond to comments.