Chris Carney is running for Congress in the 10th District of Pennsylvania against conservative "family values" conservative Don Sherwood. Please visit the Carney for Congress website for more information about Chris and about our campaign.
On Wednesday September 7th, Chris formally announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress in front of a crowd of approximately 100 (trust me, this is a great turnout in our rural district). Below, I've given a brief report on the Kickoff, the text of Chris' speech, some pictures from the event, and listed two upcoming events that are of particular interest to those near Lewisberg, Pa. and Philadelphia, Pa.
Much, much more below!
Chris gave a great speech and afterwards he was able to speak with almost everyone who attended, along with some local and regional reporters.
We recruited some new volunteers, got some new email addresses, gave out some slick new Chris Carney, Veterans for Carney, and Republicans for Carney signs. Additionally, we got to have Chili con Carney. (Of course we had vegetarian and chicken chili as well, they were all great dishes!)
The best part of the event was the energy of the people who attended.
- We had veterans who are fed up with the complete lack of support that Don Sherwood and the Bush administration have given them.
- We met with local retirees who have had it up to here with the administration's war against Social Security.
- We met with concerned voters who want the government to start stepping up on environmental and energy issues, instead of padding oil companies profit margins.
- We met with parents who just cannot understand why an administration that talks so much about values cannot stand up and actually fix our education system.
- The list just goes on and on...
Chris got a great response from the crowd when he gave his announcement speech. Here is the text.
Announcement Speech (as prepared)
Thank you for coming out this evening to the green here in Montrose. The green represents much of what is good about the 10th District. It is Clean, Simple, and Solid, just like our values. These values have not been represented in Washington.
For too many years now, the values of Middle America have been under attack. Washington politics have been moving away from the center and towards the extremes.
Real civil discourse, real dialogue, that has always been the cornerstone of our national strength is rare these days. Today, it is attack rhetoric and "in your face" politics that are self-serving and do nothing to move America forward.
Such nonsense must stop.
We have far too many problems to solve, far too much to accomplish as a people to be held back by the politics of division.
This campaign is about Security. First and foremost, it is about our National Security. National Security begins with our military.
We need to bring our troops home as soon as possible. But, we must commit ourselves to stabilizing the situation on the ground before we leave. The people of Iraq must be able to keep order and protect themselves before we can in good conscience withdraw. Middle East security is essential to the people of the region, to the international economy, and to our national security.
National Security also means Supporting our troops in combat. Never again can we send our children into harm's way without giving them the best armor and protection possible.
National Security also means Standing with our veterans. Supporting those who have served is just as important as supporting those who are serving. We must never abandon our duty to our servicemen and women.
As Hurricane Katrina has underlined, National Security also means protecting our homeland from all threats. Homeland Security begins with terrorism, but does not end there.
We must make a national commitment to improving our disaster preparedness and relief planning.
We must make a national commitment to rebuilding our infrastructure.
We must make a national commitment to developing alternative energy sources and achieving energy independence.
This campaign is also about retirement security, job security, and health security.
For our seniors, we will protect the promise of social security.
For our workers, we will protect prevailing wages and fight to raise the minimum wage.
For our farmers, we will protect dairy price supports and seek price stability to ensure the future of our family farms.
For our families and our small businesses, we will solve America's healthcare crisis.
These are not just my policy positions these are the moral imperatives that this campaign represents.
My Friends, I am running for congress to fight for you, to fight for your families, to fight for our values, and to fight for the future of this nation.
Here are some pictures from the event.
Upcoming:
- Chris will be at the CSCC & Bucknell College Dems Sept. 12th meetup this coming Monday.
- Chris will be at Drinking Liberally in Philadelphia on September 20th.
Also, there was a nice piece in the Scranton Times-Tribune that really answers the question: Why is Chris running?
Dr. Carney, a political science professor at the Penn State Worthington Scranton campus in Dunmore, said the idea to run for the 10th Congressional District seat first entered his mind after bumping into Mr. Sherwood at a gas station outside Gettysburg on Palm Sunday. The congressman was headed to Washington to vote for requiring a federal court review of the case of Ms. Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman whose parents and husband publicly battled over whether to remove her feeding tube.
Dr. Carney, a former Naval intelligence analyst, exchanged hellos with Mr. Sherwood. As he drove back to his home in Dimock Township in Susquehanna County, Dr. Carney said he realized where Mr. Sherwood was headed and why.
"It just bugged me. Here is Congress trying to make political capital on the misery of a family and it just ...," he said in a recent interview, pausing. "This is not what Congress is supposed to do ... And a voice in my head said, `If you're that mad, do something about it.' I said OK."
As always, we are eagerly waiting for your thoughts.