Dear Friends and Supporters of the Netroots Community,
Eric Massa here at the keyboard - I am writing today to thank all of you for your past and continued support as we work to build a stronger majority in the House of Representatives. In 2006 and 2007, I was honored to meet with all of you at the YearlyKos conventions in Las Vegas and Chicago. We exchanged stories, discussed policy, and came together over our common goal of making this nation a better place to live and work. This year, as I continue in our challenge to defeat the final Bush rubberstamp left in Western New York, I was faced with a tough dilemma regarding my attendance to Netroots Nation in Austin.
Given what happened yesterday, I feel it's important I repost my earlier diary on who are the GOOD Democratic challengers when it comes to FISA. I'll try to corral all their statements into this diary, so you can see who the "good guys" are.
First, let's start off with the current House and Senate members who voted against this bill. (For the Senate, I'm only including those who voted against cloture yesterday for the bill.) They do deserve credit, as it's their jobs on the line.
Follow me below the fold to see the dozens of Democratic challengers who are standing up for the Constitution, and are against this FISA bill and retroactive immunity.
As you may know, Netroots For The Troops, a collaborative effort by members of the Daily Kos, IGTNT and Mojo Friday communities, will be holding a Special Event/Seminar at Netroots Nation on Saturday, July 19th from 2 PM to 4 PM.
We are pleased to announce some special guests with an important and unique perspective on the topic of Troop Care Packages who will be joining us to talk about both the past and the future.
UPDATE: I have been reminded that if you haven't done it already, you need to go and register for Netroots Nation! -- and hit that recommend button to the right, too! ;-)
I was recently asked whether I support the comments made by General Wes Clark, regarding Senator John McCain's qualifications to be Commander in Chief. I know General Wes Clark, having served directly for him for many years both in and out of uniform. In some ways I feel that I know him better than many; therefore, I am compelled to speak out on behalf of the integrity, honesty and just plain old fashioned smarts that he has consistently shown throughout his tenure as a military leader and into his civilian life. Let me be as clear as possible. Speaking as a veteran, both General Clark and I, not only respect but, revere the service given to our country by John McCain, including his years spent as a prisoner of war; however, this is not about Lieutenant John McCain the war hero. Make no mistake about it, Lieutenant McCain is a genuine American hero, but the issue at hand is about the judgment of Senator John McCain the politician.
In the last couple days, there have been several posts across the blogosphere citing what various candidates running for Congress have said on FISA and retroactive immunity for the telecoms. But so far, it's been all over the map. I'll try to corral all their statements into this diary, so you can see who the "good guys" are.
First, let's start off with the current House and Senate members who voted against this bill. They do deserve credit, as it's their jobs on the line.
Follow me below the fold to see the dozens of Democratic challengers who are standing up for the Constitution, and are against this FISA bill and retroactive immunity.
Last week I opened my email to find a communication from my friend John Hall, a Congressman from New York who is representing a portion of the state just down the road from where I live. I respect, admire and intend to emulate Congressman's Hall's openness and communication as he explains what he did and why. Below is the note that he sent to his email list:
I wanted to take a moment to invite you to a live webcast of an event we're holding right now. This is a new experiment for us, but I wanted to try this cool new technology out.
Right now I'm at one of my good friend Jacques Rosas' loft apartment in New York City and we're having a "meet the candidate" event with a number of area bloggers. If you'd like to join us online, please swing by publicsquare.tv and check it out!
Hotline has the list of speakers at the pro-Clinton rally outside the RBC meeting Saturday, organized by the group Women Count.
It includes Florida officials, Reps. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and New York congressional candidate Eric Massa, who seems to be listed as a member of congress.
Eric Massa has much to be admired for, no doubt. I would have loved to see him elected in 2006...and I still support his 2008 bid.
With Senator Barack Obama’s recent statements that the would open direct talks with the Communist Leaders of Cuba (link), the debating over direct negotiations with perceived and actual enemies of the United States has come front and center.
I believe that we must elect a President who is committed to direct communication with the leaders of our enemies around the world. Not only do we have a long and beneficial history of such direct negotiations but the absence of such a policy is destructive, counterproductive and downright wrong. The arrogance of aloof refusal to talk to those who are perceived as our enemies is rapidly becoming a hallmark signature of a possible President McCain's presidency and most if not all Americans are uncomfortable with such a position.
As many depart on Memorial Day travel and vacation, I would like all Americans to join with me in recognizing that this holiday is not about hot dogs and barbeques - nor is it about the start of the traditional summer season. It's not about celebratory parades full of politicians who never served in the military - in fact it is not even a celebration. It certainly is not about politics or elections. This is why I declined several invitations to march in Memorial Day Parades and speak at Memorial Day events. I am a candidate for political office, and I believe that it would be inappropriate to politicize today in any way.
In October of 1983, my Naval Academy roommate, First Lieutenant David Nairn, USMC, was killed in Beirut Lebanon when the Marine barracks were destroyed. We had just spent the day before together, and then, while I watched, the headquarters building was leveled in one of the first horrific acts of international terrorism - killing Dave and over 200 other Marines. There are no monuments in Beirut to him or his comrades, but we must recognize them. The measure of their sacrifice was not the validity of the mission that they were on, but rather the dedication that they brought to that mission. True then and true today.
First, I would like to send get well wishes to Senator Kennedy and his family. Speaking as a cancer survivor, I know he has a difficult road ahead and I wish him the best.
Secondly, and less importantly, as the Democratic presidential primaries slowly draw to a close we need to start focusing more of our attention on Senator McCain. Last week there was pretty much a watershed day in the clarity of the danger of allowing Senator John McCain to become President John S. McCain. From his bully pulpit as the presumptive Republican nominee Senator McCain predicted that the war would be over by 2013 (funny how that coincides with the end of his first term) and that our troops would be home. He and his talking aides conjured up the mother of all campaign promises with this promise to be out of Iraq. He of course, denied that he was talking about timetables (link):
Eric Massa, definitely in the "better" category in our "more and better Democrats" push, released this ad on the opportunity costs of the Iraq debacle.
It has been five years since the President used the back drop of the United States military for near perfect propaganda purposes. Standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier underneath a banner that read "Mission Accomplished," the President achieved what will be historically seen as simultaneously the highest point of his presidency and the lowest point for that office. Now five years later, with universal understanding that the mission was not only never accomplished, but was never even defined, it's clear that this Administration was at best incompetent. All of us need to gather and recommit ourselves to ensuring that such an infinitely destructive power grab never be allowed to happen again. I hope that you will help us do just that.
It's worth watching just to see Cokie Roberts melt into a puddle. But public opinion polls that show more and more Americans understand that invading Iraq was simply stupid are forcing the MSM to actually address the idea of pulling our troops out.
I'm John Kerry's Internet Director (and a Kossack since 2002, btw)
Sometimes the Bush Administration just outdoes itself and gives us another stark reminder of not just what a disaster the Bush Iraq policy has been, but how cavalier they are with our country’s soldiers.
Here’s an email John Kerry wrote this morning:
Want a reminder why we still need more people in Congress who know what war really is, and the obligations we owe those who bore the burden of battle?
Just last week, Vice President Cheney was asked about the burden of the Iraq War on our military. His answer? George Bush bears the greatest burden of the war.
4,000 American troops who gave their lives? The Vice President summed it up: "They volunteered."
Yeah, I like the Wilson Pickett song, but I certainly don't want to see it applied to our actions now, especially today or tomorrow.
Tomorrow is March 31, the end not only of the month, but also of the quarter for FEC reporting. And if you have been thinking about making a contribution to a House or Senate candidate, the hour is getting short, hence my title.
In the heat of the battle for the presidential nominee, efforts to draw attention to our worthy Congressional candidates often go somewhat unnoticed, as perhaps happened with my diary yesterday on Tom Perriello, a very good candidate in the 5th CD of Virginia. There have been front-page stories about some of our candidates. I'd like to use this diary to mention a few more.
Today, Democratic Congressional Candidates Eric Massa (NY-29), Dan Maffei (NY-25) and I, Jon Powers (NY-26), toured a non-profit organization in Rochester, NY called the Veterans Outreach Center. This innovative Center helps soldiers adjust to everyday life upon returning from war and gives veterans a resource to help them learn about the benefits they have earned. It is places like these that are filling the void left by Washington’s inaction.
My name is Darius Shahinfar and I am running to represent New York's 21st Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.
I was planning on writing my first post later this week introducing myself to the DailyKos and Albany Project communities – by laying out some of my plans for Renewing America’s Promise and detailing how I will fight for change in Washington and for my neighbors in the 21st Congressional District. But as is often the case in life – and especially in political campaigns as I’m learning– current events wait for no one and often call for immediate action. So here I sit, fingers at the keyboard typing my very first blog post regarding my support of the "Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq" that was just released today at the Take Back America Conference.
