Now I know how folks felt the first time they met the young Barack Obama. The young Marine I met last Wednesday and spoke with for over 2 hours is destined for big things. At 30 years old, with two little girls aged 3 and 1 and lovely wife named Tara, who teaches elementary school, this Iraq war veteran and technology expert, has a winning smile, polite military bearing and a desire to serve his country. You can't help but like Jason Paul Castle immediately.
It is rare to get a chance to speak one on one and at length, with a candidate for Congress. But I was granted the opportunity in Teaneck last week. And I was not disappointed.
It became evident that although Jason Castle looks young - he has seen quite a lot in his 30 years. Growing up in a single parent home after his mother escaped an abusive situation while he was a toddler, he was given the best education because his mother was determined that he succeed. During his Junior year at Norwich University military academy in Vermont, he witnessed the World Trade Towers collapsing on TV and in a terrifying moment thought he had lost the mother who had so carefully shepherded him through school, because she was scheduled to be there that very morning. Thankfully, she was unharmed, but that day made him realize he had to help his country in some way. He wanted to be a "moral, patriotic, and useful" citizen. He enlisted immediately in the Marines, graduated top of his class and was selected to serve on Presidential detail at the White House, Pentagon, and in the Silent Drill Platoon for 2 years. He then was stationed at Camp Lejune, and deployed to Iraq as a ground combat infantryman where he first helped evacuate US nationals from Lebanon and then was sent to Iraq.
When he came home, although he had attained the rank of Marine Corps sergeant and had even been a member of the Mountain Cold Weather Rescue Team, as so many veterans found when they returned, jobs were not to be had. He joined the rank of the unemployed, but not for long. He soon was hired by Apple, where he proceeded to help his employer- no stranger to new technology or the consumer market - tap the small business owner market too. He was able to listen to small business owners, understand their needs, and solve their problems. In two months he helped his Apple store increase small business sales tenfold and was soon hired away by an architectural firm - one of the small business owners he had helped while at Apple.
Jason Castle describes himself as a moderate Democrat who believes in fiscal responsibility. He has a knack for business and technology where both meet profitability. A valuable skill in these times. I was struck again and again how he listened and then explained his positions carefully, logically and with great enthusiasm.
His time at college in Vermont also gave him a feel for the rural voter - which may explain why Castle won the endorsement of the Sussex County Democratic committee over his primary opponent Adam Gussen (who was the only name on the Bergen ballot). Castle explained that he hopes to represent ALL the voters in his district, not just a narrow group with special interests. He has no hidden agenda, other than to use his skills to apply to the problems at hand - whatever they may be in the future.
Castle's number one priority, which he understands from experience, is jobs and the economy. He told me there is "no task more urgent then getting people back to work." He believes in partnering with trade organizations so that we can target training programs to the right needs.
Education is key to doing this - but we need to teach critical thinking because we need problem solvers. Like Obama, he wants college to be available, and paths other than college open as well. On education, Castle differs most markedly here from his primary opponent and formerly Joe Ferriero-backed Teaneck Councilmen Adam Gussen, (who voted AGAINST the Teaneck school budget due to his Orthodox base) and Republican opponent and home schooler Scott Garrett (who is against public education because of his Evangelical base.) Primary opponent Gussen even voted to strip the Teaneck school budget of $6 million - the largest cut in the entire state by a town council.
Like any moderate Democrat, Castle wants the tax code simplified. "We can't give tax breaks to corporations that make our lives more difficult." He maintains that greed and shortsightedness are what got us into the current financial predicament and that people like Scott Garrett who just earned his $1 millionth dollar in Washington (your tax dollars at work) after voting himself a pay raise, are not the folks to get us out of this.
He is for Obama's health care bill and believes that if we find problems with it we should work to improve the legislation - not scrap it.
Another important issue for Castle is soldiers coming back from deployments with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many are coming home with mental scars even if they may have come home without physical ones. Castle explained, soldiers don't have to see battle to be affected - just the stress of knowing you can be called to do anything at any moment and that this day could be your last takes a mental toll on our military and their families. Castle would like to see our soldiers receive more attention in this regard.
He told me his philosophy of responsible government is that you should be able to articulate in 5 paragraphs what your mission is, what is the actual goal and what is your measure of success so that you can be sure when you have obtained it. He has a clear and direct manner of speaking that displays his military training.
Needs always change over time and you need to survey the entire situation. Castle promises he will actually READ the legislation, and vote based on how it will affect the people of the 5th Congressional District. He is not daunted by Washington DC where he once served on Presidential detail. He says "I refuse to accept that Washington can't change." Opponent Scott Garrett, who is on the House Financial Services Committee, is part of the problem and if we want Washington to change we need to change the players. It's about time Washington gets a Congressman who thinks differently than Scott Garrett.
I will leave you with this brief quote which sums up Candidate Jason Castle's philosophy neatly - he believes in "The right decision, at the right time, for the right reasons."
I have been waiting for so long for the cavalry to show up in District 5 to help us win against Scott Garrett. I never expected such an accomplished military man would show up to do the job. Jason Paul Castle will be getting my very enthusiastic endorsement and complete support.
For those of you who may have missed a recent interview on New Jersey Now hosted by Brenda Blackmon with Jason Castle, you can view it on Jason Castle's Facebook page Monday where you can also follow news of Jason's campaign. https://www.facebook.com/...