Cross-Posted on Jerry's Blog
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After an incredible whirlwind weekend in which dozens of volunteers walked neighborhoods at 12 events across the district and Jerry McNerney was greeted last night by over 200 supporters on the Klamath Ferry in Stockton, the best news of all came early this morning.
Jerry McNerney just received another huge newspaper endorsement, this time from the San Jose Mercury News. This significant development follows last week's endorsements from the Modesto Bee and The Independent (serving Pleasanton).
The Merc, one of the largest newspapers in California and read by thousands of voters throughout the 11th Congressional District, did not mince words, calling Richard Pombo "a national disgrace to the Republican Party."
More below the fold...
The Mercury News editorial board also praised Jerry McNerney, recognizing the wisdom in McNerney's "call for a timeline for strategic redeployment of U.S. troops in Iraq, and his view that our country needs to take steps to
move away from increasingly being isolated in a hostile world."
Republicans should give Pombo the boot
Mercury News Editorial
~SNIP~
... But the case for why Democrats and Republicans should support McNerney's candidacy in the sprawling 11th Congressional District goes far beyond Pombo's desire to sell off national parks, drill for oil off the Pacific Coast and make the Endangered Species Act extinct.
Pombo is a national disgrace to the Republican Party. His unseemly connections to scandal-ridden lobbyist Jack Abramoff should be an embarrassment to all Republicans. A Washington watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, put him on its list of the 13 most corrupt Republicans and Democrats in Congress. And his questionable connections to oil companies, gambling interests and mining companies have been well documented.
It's past time that mainstream Republicans let Pombo know there isn't a place for his kind of politics in their Big Tent.
McNerney, of Pleasanton, does not have the political experience that one would hope for from a candidate running for Congress. But as an engineer who is CEO of a wind-power company, his thinking on energy issues is more in alignment with those of California's mainstream voters.
Pombo has been trashing McNerney's positions on foreign policy, implying that he would allow rogue nations to trample over the United States. But McNerney's call for a timeline for strategic redeployment of U.S. troops in Iraq, and his view that our country needs to take steps to move away from increasingly being isolated in a hostile world, should be welcomed everywhere.
Pombo is such a bad role model that even Pete McCloskey, Pombo's challenger in the primary election, couldn't bring himself to endorse his fellow Republican this fall. Declaring "enough is enough,'' McCloskey said he will vote for McNerney on Nov. 7. So should all voters in the 11th Congressional District.
The McNerney Momentum just keeps building. In the last six days, Jerry McNerney has now garnered three major endorsements from newspapers serving three counties in the district -- San Joaquin County, Santa Clara County, and Alameda County.
Please consider writing a "Thank You" letter to the San Jose Mercury News now by using our spiffy Letters-to-the-Editor tool. After you let the Merc know how much you appreciate their support for returning honesty, integrity and accountability back to Washington, write a letter to the other newspapers encouraging them to follow the Merc's lead!
A.J. Carrillo
Campaign Manager
P.S. want to congratulate Jerry on another big endorsement? Post a comment below! Jerry enjoys reading your comments so let him (and everyone on our campaign) know what you think! If you have any questions for Jerry, please post them -- he may be able to take some time off the campaign trail today to answer them.
AS REQUESTED IN THE COMMENTS...
Jerry McNerney, much to the surprise of Washington pundits, is leading Richard Pombo 48-to-46 percent, according to a recent poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. But while Jerry is winning the endorsement battle as well, Richard Pombo (no surprise) is winning the money battle.
To win the most important contest of all -- the election on November 7 -- we need to raise enough money to compete on the air and on the ground. You can help Jerry's people-powered campaign do what those pundits thought was impossible only a few months ago -- defeat an entrenched incumbent rolling in Big Oil-soaked cash.
If you want to see Jerry McNerney pull off one of the most incredible victories in congressional campaign history, please consider contributing to Jerry right now in whatever amount you can afford.
Help us out at the Combined Netroots Endorsement page for Jerry:
http://www.actblue.com/page/netrootscandidates#444