Chris Dodd for President

I'm pretty happy with the field in the race for the Democratic nomination. I can easily see myself being an enthusiastic supporter of any of the frontrunners: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards. Bill Richardson has some appeal to me, too. But the candidate I'm looking at closely now, the one I seem to be most aligned with on issues, is Chris Dodd.

Sam Rasoul's Blog

Sam Rasoul, candidate for the 2008 Democratic Party nomination for Congress from the 6th District, has launched a blog.

Democrat emerges to contest Goodlatte

From: Roanoke.com
Sam Rasoul said he's running in response to a "changing voice" in politics.
By Mason Adams
(540) 981-3149

Sam Rasoul announced over the weekend that he's seeking the Democratic nomination to run against U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte in 2008. Rasoul, 25, lives in Blue Ridge and is general manager of a small medical distribution firm.

He said he's running in response to a "changing voice" in politics, as evidenced by Jim Webb's defeat of George Allen in last year's Senate race.

"I started to realize there's a changing voice in America as far as what people are demanding from politicians," Rasoul said. "My theme is this is not politics as usual. It's not about toeing a partisan line. It's about addressing issues."

Rasoul said he wants to focus his campaign on three issues in particular: health care; education -- particularly pre-kindergarten initiatives; and small-business development.

Rasoul moved to Roanoke at age 3. He attended schools in Roanoke and Roanoke County and graduated from Lord Botetourt High School.

He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Roanoke College and a master's degree in international business administration from Hawaii Pacific University. He's married.

Rasoul is the first Democrat to announce his intentions to take on Goodlatte, a Roanoke County Republican who has represented the 6th District in the House since first elected in 1993. Last year, two independents challenged Goodlatte, but no one from the Democratic Party.

David Layman, chairman of 6th District Democratic Committee, said he's had three others express interest in running.

On the Net: www.sam2008.com

Who Supports Duncan Hunter?

I noticed on the blog of one of our local Reactionaries (anonymous, as they tend to be, but known to be an officer of the local GOP) that he supports Duncan Hunter. Now, I don’t know to much about Congressman Hunter except for some of the wild and crazy things he’s been quoted as saying, both before he was mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for President and after. I like to be informed so I started looking around the Internet and if I were you I wouldn’t be placing any bets on Hunter to even finish in the top 3 of that race, never mind win. It looks like he might have a few, um, ethical problems.

So who does support Duncan Hunter? I had to chuckle at one of the comments left on the blog linked above, which I’ll quote:

"Sorry, but rural hick white supremacists are the people who are voting for Hunter. If more of everyone else would actually get out and vote, he wouldn't be in office."

Hmm. Explains a lot.

Democrat to Run Against Goodlatte in 6th District

Sam Rasoul, from Blue Ridge, Virginia, visited a meeting of the Augusta County Democratic Committee last night to let us know that he is running for the Democratic Party nomination for Representative from the 6th District. A few other Democrats have been exploring a run, so there may be a competitive caucus in May of 2008, but at least we do have someone this time to run against Goodlatte, who is too conservative and has overstayed his welcome in Congress. Time for Bob to retire!

Sam is an articulate, intelligent young man with passion to serve. He is focusing on Health Care, Education and Small Business Development in his campaign. Although few know him right now, by getting this early of a start there will be a whole lot of people who know him by this time next year. Good luck Sam!

Hillary and Barack in '08!

I'm a Democrat, so I won't even begin to handicap the race to out-Bush Bush (although Brownback looks like he appeals enough to the crazies in the party to win the day, so he'd be my bet right now), but I'm loving the vast (diverse) choices on the Democratic side (or, as dear George, the Worst President in History, would say in order to be a bigger ass than he already is, while denying that he meant anything by it as he did on NPR today, "the Democrat side").

And it's early days yet, with lots to learn about these people, and probably still more folks to jump in (Gore? Feingold?) I like some things about Dodds and Edwards, Kucinich has some appeal, Richardson is interesting. And I'm sorry Warner and Bayh dropped out because part of me thinks a Centrist approach would be good for the country after the horribly partisan Bush era.

But it came to me last night--fuck that! The ticket I could really get behind is Clinton and Obama. Hillary is clearly the smartest candidate out there and Obama the most charming, and I just love the idea of poking a stick in the eye of the Republicans by running an eminently qualified team consisting of a woman and an African American man. I don't care how divisive the campaign will be. They're the best pair. As Hillary says, Let the Conversation Begin!

Hillary and Barack in '08!

Kerry Out

John Kerry has decided against a new run for President. Although I admire the man, I believe he has made the right decision. There are other long shots in the race, but Kerry hasn't done himself any favors lately and is widely viewed as damaged goods from his surprising loss in 2004. He should have won, he didn't, and it's not clear that we want to give him a second chance. Time to move on.

Hillary is "in"

This just came from Hillary

Dear Friend,

I'm in. And I'm in to win.

Today I am announcing that I will form an exploratory committee to run for president.

And I want you to join me not just for the campaign but for a conversation about the future of our country -- about the bold but practical changes we need to overcome six years of Bush administration failures.

I am going to take this conversation directly to the people of America, and I'm starting by inviting all of you to join me in a series of web chats over the next few days.

The stakes will be high when America chooses a new president in 2008.

As a senator, I will spend two years doing everything in my power to limit the damage George W. Bush can do. But only a new president will be able to undo Bush's mistakes and restore our hope and optimism.

Only a new president can renew the promise of America -- the idea that if you work hard you can count on the health care, education, and retirement security that you need to raise your family. These are the basic values of America that are under attack from this administration every day.

And only a new president can regain America's position as a respected leader in the world.

I believe that change is coming November 4, 2008. And I am forming my exploratory committee because I believe that together we can bring the leadership that this country needs. I'm going to start this campaign with a national conversation about how we can work to get our country back on track.

This is a big election with some very big questions. How do we bring the war in Iraq to the right end? How can we make sure every American has access to adequate health care? How will we ensure our children inherit a clean environment and energy independence? How can we reduce the deficits that threaten Social Security and Medicare?

No matter where you live, no matter what your political views, I want you to be a part of this important conversation right at the start. So to begin, I'm going to spend the next several days answering your questions in a series of live video web discussions. Starting Monday, January 22, at 7 p.m. EST for three nights in a row, I'll sit down to answer your questions about how we can work together for a better future. And you can participate live at my website.

Sign up to join the conversation here: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/action/conversation

I grew up in a middle-class family in the middle of America, where I learned that we could overcome every obstacle we face if we work together and stay true to our values.

I have worked on issues critical to our country almost all my life. I've fought for children for more than 30 years. In Arkansas, I pushed for education reform. As first lady, I helped to expand health care coverage to millions of children and to pass legislation that dramatically increased adoptions. I also traveled to China to affirm that women's rights are human rights.

And in the Senate, I have worked across party lines to get billions more for children's health care, to stop the president's plan to privatize Social Security, and to make sure the victims and heroes of 9/11 and our men and women in uniform receive the fair treatment they deserve. In 2006, I led the successful fight to make Plan B contraception available to women without a prescription.

I have spent a lifetime opening opportunities for tens of millions who are working hard to raise a family: new immigrants, families living in poverty, people who have no health care or face an uncertain retirement.

The promise of America is that all of us will have access to opportunity, and I want to run a 2008 campaign that renews that promise, a campaign built on a lifetime record of results.

I have never been afraid to stand up for what I believe in or to face down the Republican machine. After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two landslide wins, I can say I know how Washington Republicans think, how they operate, and how to beat them.

I need you to be a part of this campaign, and I hope you'll start by joining me in this national conversation. Visit my new website at HillaryClinton.com to learn how you can join in:

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/

As we campaign to win the White House, we will make history and remake our future. We can only break barriers if we dare to confront them, and if we have the determined and committed support of others.

This campaign is our moment, our chance to stand up for the principles and values that we cherish; to bring new ideas, energy, and leadership to a uniquely challenging time. It's our chance to say "we can" and "we will."

Let's go to work. America's future is calling us.

Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Chris Dodd for President?

With both Indiana's Evan Bayh and Virginia's Mark Warner out of the presidential sweepstakes before the race has even begun, it's hard to identify a viable moderate candidate. I suspect that Hillary Clinton is strong enough to take the nomination if she wants it (and doesn't blow it), even with Barack Obama's huge appeal. We just don't know enough about him, although that could change before the primary season. But there are other candidates and potential candidates worth considering. One of those is Chris Dodd, the senior Senator from Connecticut. Without knowing too much about him--it's Connecticut after all--the main reason I find him at all appealing is that he is, as I am, a former Peace Corps Volunteer. That speaks volumes to me about his character and so if he's still in this thing when the Virginia primary happens in 2008, he might just get my vote. Stay tuned, and check out Chris Dodd for President.

Evan Bayh for Vice President?

The December 25 issue of The New Republic has an interesting article about Evan Bayh, whom they call the “sleeper candidate” for President—and they aren’t really being complementary when they say that. Since that article appeared—but not because of it—Bayh has announced that he won’t be a candidate in 2008, which is too bad, but unfortunate. Bayh almost certainly could not have been nominated, but a serious run would, I think, have highlighted his strength as a politician which is to be a uniter (a real uniter, not a phony like George Bush). He’s not a negative guy, he’s all about expanding the center. He was a two term governor and he’s in his second term as Senator from a very red state, and he’s done a good job by not straying too far from the middle. While I might wish his positions to be more progressive, there’s also no real point in alienating a large part of the electorate that is conservative. We’ll never have a candidate who can appeal to the radicals on the right, but there have to be moderate conservatives to whom someone like Bayh would be attractive. With Mark Warner also out of the race, I’m not sure who that’s going to be. Here’s Bayh’s statement, taken from All America Pac:

"During my two terms as Governor and now in the United States Senate, it has always been more about the people I was able to help than the job I held. As you know I have been exploring helping the people of my state and our country in a different capacity. After talking with family and friends over the past several days, I have decided that this is not the year for me to run for President and I will not be a candidate for the presidency in 2008. It wasn't an easy decision but it was the right one for my family, my friends and my state. I have always prided myself on putting my public responsibilities ahead of my own ambitions."

So, no run for the Presidency this time. But might he make an attractive candidate for VP? He’s a youthful 51, with a political name and lots of experience, a pretty family, a good if not exciting record. He’s not going to alienate anyone. Hmm. Keep him on your list.