2008 will be a change election. The presumptive nomination of Barack Obama is ample evidence to the entire world that genuine and long lasting change is underway. Even John McCain is trying to claim the winds of change by going back to his "maverick" image of 2000. That is certainly a bit of chicken scratch for a man who has supported Bush 97% of the time.
Change is also afoot in the Congressional halls of power. It is bipartisan. It promises fundamental change and reform in the way government "of the people, by the people, for the people" works. At the center of that change is Change Congress, a bipartisan organization committed to ending the corrupting influence of money in Washington, D.C. Change Congress has four straightforward principles:
- Accept no money from PACs or lobbyists.
- End earmarks.
- Increase congressional transparency.
- Support public financing of campaigns.
In the 6th Congressional District of Virginia, one candidate, Sam Rasoul, is totally committed to the principles of Change Congress. Sam is refusing all contributions, however small, from political action committees and lobbyists. By contrast, his opponent Bob Goodlatte, in 2008, has received 43% ($210,762) from lobbyists and PACs. What is it about "government of the people, by the people, for the people" that this entrenched incumbent Washington insider does not understand.
Sam is so committed to the principle of transparency in contributions to candidates that he is even refusing contributions from local Democratic committees. His position is not readily understood by local Democratic leaders and activists who have worked to raise money to support the party's nominees. But, Sam's rationale is simple: no individual should donate the maximum of $2,300 under federal law and then be able to donate more by funneling other money through a PAC or even through a local committee because isn't transparent and it opens the potential of political corruption due to the influence of money.
A principled stand by a principled man. Sam Rasoul deserves our support in his quest to Change Congress and to bring true representation to the people of the 6th District.
To learn more about Change Congress and the man behind it, Lawrence Lessig, peck around in this excellent article in The Nation, "Mr. Lessig Goes to Washington."
h/t to Cobalt6
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5 comments:
One thing I know as a democrat, I'm crossing party lines. After reading one nasty post after another about Janice Lee Allen from this particular blog, I know that Sam Rasoul isn't capable of an original thought. His refusal of contributions was borrowed directly from Janice Lee Allen. If you don't believe me, read his ever morphing SAM08 website. Yesterday, I read a breakdown of his contributions. Oh, and by the way, I think it was the day after I heard Jim Webb on NPR elaborating about his bill that he introduced for benefits package for our veterans, that SAM08 decided to support our vets. This candidate is going to have to try a little harder, rather than building his platform in such a plagaristic fashion.
Anonymous
Janice Lee has been running for about 2 minutes, but Sam Rasoul has been running for 16 months, and most of his campaign positions have been in place long before Janice Lee Allen Boyd or whatever she's calling herself this week appeared on the scene. Get your facts straight, anon.
Let's be honest, Raoul has four key issues according to his website: Corruption, health care (which his website claims is one word), education, and small business development. What is he missing as a key issue? The War on Terror and how he feels to deal with that; it'll be one of the first votes he'll have to deal with with an obviously Democratic president and Congress. When you click through, you find his feelings on foreign policy-where he mentions war as our last choice. Under education he's added the GI bill.
Anon is right that Sam follows, but not so much Allen (her last name is Allen)-I doubt truth-teller would pull name games with Hillary Rodham Clinton (Even though she's gone back and forth more than once).
Sam breaks his four key issues into seven headers of policy issues and statements. I have to be honest when I say that Allen gives a much wider range of her ideas: She gives seven detailed policy statements that show she has put a lot of thought into this. She also provides how she would vote on every issue that matters in America in the "issues in brief" section. That's a refreshing way for a candidate to be, isn't it? Sam's statements barrow from statistics and elected officials, leaning on these things to prevent from having to say anything specific.
And where are his statements, in his policy section, on farms and agriculture? I mean, honestly, it's a huge employer and producer in the district. He treats it as a small business instead of a culture and way of life. Allen and Goodlatte both seem to understand that that is what farming is.
Anyway, it's becoming obvious that truth-teller is just interested in truthiness-the only thing that counts as truth for it is what it sees as the truth and that's the most ignorant way to live.
Truth Teller:
You may want to change your handle.
Janice Lee Allen has been around every bit as long as Salam Rasoul
(SAM08) and he was borrowing her ideas even then. By the way, Janice Lee Allen is her legal name.
If you check out the ballot, S. "Sam" Rasoul, does not list his real name. WHY NOT? Face it, your cluckish clique may have a problem on your hands, when Salam won't list his birth name on the ballot. I think the Dems are in trouble, there's a fox in the henhouse. Caw Caw Caw
Anonymous
anon (any of you)--I really don't know how you can say Sam Rasoul's positions on anything are taken from Janice Lee's. Her website has only been up a couple of weeks at most, whereast Sam Rasoul has been speaking about these issues, including his position on fundraising, for many months. So you're misinformed about this.
You might also note that Janice Lee's issues statements are all platitudes and completely lacking in specifics. We don't need platitudes.
As for Sam Rasoul's issues, you haven't spent much time looking at his site or talking to him or you'd be better informed about him and his ideas.
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