Tackling Tancredo: Bill Winter for Congress from Colorado

By Matt Boersma
for ePluribus Media

Also published on the ePluribus Media Journal

Bill Winter is running for Congress in 2006, against incumbent Tom Tancredo in Colorado’s 6th district.  In one of the most conservative areas of an independent-minded state, he is running a progressive grassroots campaign that tries to appeal to voters of all stripes.  Mr. Winter joins over forty other Veterans who are Democratic candidates for Congress this year, the so-called “Fighting Dems.”

In January, Mr. Winter took time to answer some questions via email from ePluribus Media.

ePluribus Media:  Coloradans gave Democrats the State House and Senate in 2004.  In 2005, we passed Referendum C to suspend TABOR budget restrictions, despite opposition from many on the far right.  Republican State Representative Joe Stengel recently lamented “I think we now have become a blue state, frankly.”

But Mr. Stengel exaggerates, and the wealthy suburbs south of Denver where you live remain solid GOP territory.  How can you win in CD-6?

Bill Winter responds below.

Bill Winter: I don’t know whether Mr. Stengel exaggerates or not. I think Colorado is, or is about to become, a blue state, and I think the reason is because Democrats offer actual solutions, where elected Republicans in Colorado have offered nothing but hate, division, and fringe issues.  Republicans like to say that Democrats took back the State House and Senate because four millionaires spent so much money. That’s either a distortion of the facts, or misses the point entirely. The fact is that when Republicans held both houses they spent all their time on things like trying to hang the Ten Commandments in every public building, or forcing prayer into schools, and generally telling Coloradans how to run their lives.  And they lost the State House and Senate as a result.

I believe that Democrats stand for people. Democrats stand for the poor and the middle class and small businesses. Democrats stand for the parts of the Bible you don’t hear the religious right talk about–the parts where Jesus actually speaks and talks about helping your neighbor. The Gospels say you will be judged by how you treat the least among us. The current Republican administration and Congress seem to believe that they will be judged by how they treat the wealthiest among us. Democrats are FOR the people, but we need to do a better job of talking TO the people, so that they know it!

We can win in CD-6 by offering solutions to issues that actually impact the people of CD-6 and by offering them actual representation in Congress. I don’t believe CD-6 is currently represented in Congress. I believe Mr. Tancredo is engaged in his personal crusade to the detriment of our district. He’s even running for President now, and is visiting places like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. He has long since abdicated his role as representative for the people of this district. Our question is “Where’s Tom?”

Many people in CD-6, Republicans included, do not identify with Mr. Tancredo and are waiting for a viable alternative. I am going to give them that alternative. We are going to focus our campaign on the things we all have in common, and not on the things used to divide us for the last five years. We are going to reach out to all people, and to people who haven’t been reached out to before, and we are going to build a coalition that recognizes the things we have in common and the value of cooperation.  That’s how we will win in CD-6.

ePMedia: You served many years in the Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy.  How does your military background inform your view on the Iraq War?

BW: It’s important to understand a couple of things about my service. First, I was enlisted during my time in both the Corps and the Navy. For those unfamiliar with the military, that means I was part of the majority of those in the military who got our hands dirty and worked for a living. I was always the one giving the salute, never the one getting it. Second, I wasn’t a hero or anything like that. I never saw anything remotely like combat. I simply did my job and showed up and followed orders. In the Navy I served with distinction and received many awards, but I never served in a combat zone.

None of which takes anything away from the ten years that I spent serving my Country, and that service informs my view of the Iraq War in several ways. The very first way is that it gives me an understanding of what it means to be enlisted in the military and the things that impact morale. So when Mr. Bush or Mr. Cheney or any of their subordinates says that dissent in America is “hurting the morale of the troops” I can say without hesitation that they are lying. Or at the very least they have no idea what they are talking about.

You see, no one in the Bush administration ever served in the military, and I include Mr. Bush when I say that. When he was in the Air National Guard, he was the highly privileged son of a very important elected official, and the grandson of another. He had privileges most people in the Guard would never have. He also served in the Air Guard at a time when everyone knew the Air National Guard would not be called to active duty. Contrast that with the situation today in which National Guard units are spending a year at a time on active duty, and doing it more than once.

Troop morale in the military is tied to things that impact everyday life–pay rates, time off, length of time away from family, benefits, things of that nature. It is actually George Bush and the Republican Congress that are hurting troop morale in Iraq and elsewhere. They do it when they send units back for second and third tours in Iraq. They do it when they cut funds for on-base housing for troops or when they cut funds for medical care for active duty troops and veterans. They do it when they stand up and say things like “Bring it on,” which puts the troops in more danger. They do it when they refuse to offer any plan for how to be successful in Iraq, so that troops don’t know if they will ever be victorious there.

But my time in the military also gives me insight into other aspects of the war. I’ve worn the body armor and carried a pack and an M-16 in 100+ degree heat. I’ve slept in holes I dug and eaten rations from a plastic bag and looked at another human being down the sights of an M-16 or a machine gun. I was in an artillery unit and I’ve seen the damage an artillery shell does. I was in an F-14 squadron and I’ve seen what bombs do when they explode. I’ve seen men wounded and killed. I’ve felt hot blood flow over my hands from the stump where a man’s leg used to be. I know the price being paid in blood by both Americans and Iraqis in this war.

Neither Tom Tancredo nor anyone in the current administration knows anything about these things.  And so they don’t really care. They don’t care about the troops. They don’t care about the lives lost on both sides. And they don’t care about the families. I do care. I won’t allow anyone ever to question my support for the troops. I am the troops! I served my Country and defended the Constitution so that Americans would have the right to stand and protest the President or the Congress or the government in whatever form.

Let me make one last point on this. My older brother was an Air Force doctor and is currently a psychiatrist at a Veteran’s Administration hospital. He has told me enough about the problems they are already seeing in troops returning from Iraq for me to know that we have a real problem looming in our future. This war is leaving wounds, both visible and not, that will haunt our country for a generation, just as the wounds from the Vietnam war have.

As someone who has worn the uniform, I find that tragic. When we arrive at boot camp and put on the uniform for the first time, we are all young, eager, strong, and just want to serve. Too often when we take off that uniform for the last time, we are broken and shattered and only a shadow of what we once were.

I believe our Nation owes a debt to our Veterans and I will fight to see that debt paid in full!

ePMedia: How specifically can we bring about a “swift and secure” end to the Iraq War, and why is that important?

BW: A swift and secure end to the Iraq War is important because it ultimately impacts America in so many ways. This war is impacting us in lives lost, lives changed, and lives destroyed. It is impacting us in its unbelievable cost, in dollars, lives, and the loss of our status in the world. We need a swift and secure end to this war to reestablish some semblance of stability in the Middle East and so that we can reestablish the respect we once held in the world. And we need a swift and secure end to the war so that we can stop spending billions of dollars on something that is not making us safer or more secure. We will very soon exceed the 300 billion dollar mark in the cost of this war. And what have we gained from such an expense? What could we have done here in America with so much money?  What a waste!

So how can we bring about a swift and secure end to the Iraq War?  Well, the first step would be actual leadership from the White House. President Bush should stand up before America and the world and admit that he was wrong. He should admit he was wrong about the reasons why we went to war, and he should admit he was wrong about how his administration has fought the war. And then he should ask the rest of the world for real help on the ground in Iraq to help create a peaceful and stable government there.

Mr. Bush says we have a coalition in Iraq already, and that is a lie. How is it that America has over 2236 soldiers killed in Iraq and no other nation has over 1004? What kind of coalition is that? We need a true coalition and we need other nations to put significant numbers of troops on the ground. The insurgency in Iraq exists because we are viewed not as liberators, but as occupiers. And why shouldn’t they see us that way? Mr. Bush gives no indication that we will ever leave. He is building military bases there instead of rebuilding Iraq. By getting U.S. troops out of Iraq and replacing them with international troops, we show Iraq and the world that we really are liberators and not conquerors.

We also need to get American corporations like Halliburton out of Iraq along with the six- figure salary Americans they are employing. We need to give the rebuilding of Iraq back to Iraqis. Unemployment in Iraq is over 40%.  Isn’t it clear that this also contributes to the insurgency? If we give jobs in Iraq to Iraqis, they will have a stake in the rebuilding of their own country and will have less time and inclination to be involved in the insurgency.

And we need to get serious about rebuilding Iraq. We are almost three years6 into this war and most Iraqis still do not have electricity or running water for much of every day. We have poured almost 300 billion dollars into the Iraq War and we still haven’t rebuilt the most basic infrastructure! That speaks to incompetence and corruption on a grand scale, and it also contributes to the insurgency.

My opponent was one of only 11 members of Congress to vote against aid for Katrina victims. He said it was because there was no oversight. And yet he has voted for every request for money for the Iraq War from this administration. Over 9 billion dollars are simply missing in Iraq. What kind of oversight is that? I don’t actually believe we will see leadership or new ideas from the Bush Administration. But I do believe it is Congress’ job to hold the White House accountable, and I will do that as the Congressman from CD-6. My opponent has not and will not!

ePMedia: Your opponent, Tom Tancredo, says “America is full.”  What do you think?

BW: I think that we clearly have problems with our current immigration system, and I think we need to address those problems and have real debate and a real search for solutions. But I also think it is wrong for a man who himself is the son of an immigrant family to bash others who are only seeking what he has already found. I don’t believe Mr. Tancredo has any solutions to our immigration issues, and it seems clear to me that he is in favor of making criminals out of good people for his own political benefit.  I cannot support that.

There are a few things I know for sure.  I know that everyone in this country is an immigrant if you go back in their family history far enough. And I know that people immigrate to this country for one reason–to seek a better life and to pursue the American dream. No one can ever convince me that is a bad thing. I refuse to stand by while decent people are attacked for the benefit of someone’s political ambitions.

I think a starting point for meaningful immigration reform would be the McCain-Kennedy bill that will come up next year. Of course my opponent is against it, but he’s against any kind of compromise, and compromise is the only way to get any kind of effective immigration reform. I want to listen to people who are experts on this issue and hear what they think is the right solution. I think that is a far better solution than grandstanding and demagoguery!

ePMedia: You worked for Senator John McCain in the Senate and on his 2000 Presidential campaign, yet you just stepped down as President of the progressive activist organization Be The Change USA.  You’ve rubbed elbows with Bob Dole and Howard Dean, Chuck Hagel and Maxine Waters, Lindsay Graham and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  How do you explain your chameleon-like behavior?

BW: There’s nothing “chameleon-like” about it!  Using the word “chameleon” suggests that I change to fit my surroundings, and nothing could be further from the truth.

I don’t believe that we have to be defined by the artificial political boundaries that have been created in the last 20 years or so. I have an open mind and I will listen to anyone who has good ideas, regardless of their party affiliation. Every person you listed in your question is intelligent, highly educated, and working to make America better and stronger. I believe it is a good thing to be able to talk to people of all different political persuasions. I don’t believe in the culture of division that has developed in America. I believe we all have things in common and we need to work on those things rather than focus only on differences.

Having said that, there is no question that I have strong beliefs and I won’t change them to appeal to anyone. But I believe that what I believe in is also what most Americans believe in. We are certainly going to find out in the next year. One of the things that I always appreciated about John McCain was that he really listens to people. He and I disagree on many issues, but he would listen to what I had to say. And he will change his mind when presented with compelling evidence, such as on the environment.

That’s not being a chameleon. That is being intelligent, open minded, and willing to change your mind when the facts require it. My goal in my life is to help people and make a difference in the world. I will continue to work with anyone who shares that goal, regardless of their political affiliation.

ePMedia: Do you think elections in Colorado and nationwide are trustworthy today?

BW: I am an optimist by nature and I want to believe in the sanctity of our voting process in America. After all, if voting can’t be trusted then it undermines the very nature of what America stands for, doesn’t it?

So do I actually believe our elections are trustworthy? I honestly don’t know. Stories out of Ohio in 2004 and Florida in 2000 have to make any honest person wonder, and that is a problem. There is an ethical standard in the law that says lawyers shouldn’t even have the appearance of impropriety. I think the same standard should apply to voting.

To that end I think Congress should openly investigate our current voting processes and elections to make sure they are trustworthy. I believe there should be a verifiable paper trail for every vote cast in every election. I don’t trust black boxes because they are only as reliable as the people who program them. So we must have some kind of paper that can be counted by actual people in the event of any controversy. Voting is the cornerstone of American values and we cannot afford even the slightest doubt about the accuracy of our votes.

ePMedia: The centerpiece of your opponent’s energy plan is drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  Representative Tancredo claims this drilling will create jobs in America and increase domestic production by nearly 20%.  What’s your energy plan?

BW: If drilling in the Refuge really is the centerpiece of his energy plan, then he doesn’t really have an energy plan. Mr. Tancredo is either lying or just plain wrong. There isn’t enough oil in the Arctic oil fields to make a long -term difference in our oil usage in America, and to claim otherwise is to mislead the American people. I would like to know where he gets his 20% figure. I dispute it openly! It is also a well accepted fact that it would take a minimum of ten years for any oil from there to actually get to consumers. So how does that help America now? And where does Mr. Tancredo expect us to refine that oil? I don’t suppose he has an answer to that one, since we haven’t built any new oil refineries in this country for a long time.

Let’s begin by being honest about this issue. We have no energy plan in America right now because the current White House and Republican Congress don’t want an energy plan. What did Bush and Cheney do before they were President and Vice-President? They were both high-level executives of oil companies. And where will they both go after 2008? Right back to the oil companies. Which means that they have a significant personal interest in seeing that oil companies make big profits. The same is true for Republicans in Congress, who get millions of dollars in contributions from oil companies.

So Mr. Tancredo and others like him have no interest and no incentive to, wean America from its dependence on oil. Everyone else in America has a huge incentive to find new sources of energy. Our dependence on oil is not only an economic liability; it is the source of our biggest national security problems. Does anyone really think the Middle East would be strategically important if there were no oil there? We wouldn’t have gone into Iraq simply to depose Saddam Hussein any more than we’ve gone into any African countries to depose horrible dictators.

We keep going to war in the Middle East because there is oil there and because we need it. And this Republican administration and this Republican Congress have done nothing to change that. I will.  

I will stand up in Congress and fight for a real energy policy. I won’t stand by, as Bob Beauprez (CD-07) has, and silently watch as the National Renewable Energy Labs in Golden have their funding cut!  Renewable energy will ultimately have to be one of the answers to our energy problems. I will support development of renewable energy. I will also support development of programs like ethanol, which will not only help solve our energy issues, but will also help American farmers.

And I will work to make conservation a word that is once again acceptable in America! For too long Republican politicians have ridiculed the idea that Americans can make a difference by actually conserving energy. For too long Republican politicians have refused to stand up to auto makers and demand that cars and trucks be more efficient and get better gas mileage. I believe that we can have energy conservation AND a strong economy, and I will fight for both!

National Atlas of the United States, January 30, 2006.

ePMedia: You’re running against a conservative incumbent who is known for advocating immigration controls so draconian that Karl Rove reportedly told him never to darken the doorstep of the White House again.  Representative Tancredo also suggested that bombing Mecca would be an appropriate response to a nuclear attack on U.S. soil.  He certainly grabs headlines.  How can you get such media attention?

BW: Let’s start with the thought that Mr. Tancredo grabs headlines for things that I don’t believe represent the true feelings and beliefs of the people of CD6. Once again we see the theme that this district is not represented in Congress, and that needs to change. I grew up in this district, and the people I know don’t want to “nuke Mecca” or take medical care away from children. You know, Tancredo said we should nuke “their holy sites” in response to a terrorist attack. The top three holy sites for Islam are Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. I wonder if Mr. Tancredo is truly advocating a nuclear attack against Jerusalem as an option?

But I digress–I do that sometimes. You asked how I can get media attention. Well the answer is I’m already getting it. On December 28th I was featured in a major front page article in the Denver Post about the 35 Veterans running as Democrats for the U.S. House of Representatives this year. That same morning I did a live interview on the radio station KGNU. On January 10th I was featured in a live interview on Air America radio’s Majority Report. It was the latest in an ongoing feature called “Fighting Dems,” which features the Veterans running as Democrats. I believe that the coalition of Veterans running for Congress as Democrats is going to be a major story this year, and will certainly lead to a great deal of media attention.

But we will do many other things to catch the media’s attention and we are already working hard on it. One advantage we have is our opponent, who is guaranteed to say or do something controversial—and almost always indefensible—every three months or so. We will very soon get to the point where the media contacts me for a response, and I will not hesitate to offer them. We will also work hard to reach out to the media in all its forms to get our message to the people.

And I fully expect the blogosphere to be a big part of that. I will make myself available to bloggers and will answer your questions. I hope to be able to have as much of an impact in this way as [Ohio Senate candidate] Paul Hackett has, if not more!

ePMedia: You say “It’s time we stopped saluting donkeys and elephants and started saluting the flag again.”  What steps will your campaign take to end divisive politics?

BW: My opponent talks about things that create fear and hate in America. He says we should nuke Muslim holy sites, presumably including Jerusalem, which is one of the holiest sites in Islam. He talks about Mexican immigrants overwhelming our culture, thus appealing to our most basic racist emotions to win votes. He suggests building a Berlin Wall from San Diego to Houston, following the Soviet model of border control. He votes against aid to Katrina victims because he doesn’t believe our government should help poor and middle class Americans.

By now you must be wondering when I’m going to get to the “end divisive politics” part of this answer. Well hang in there, because I’m getting to it. When I say I’m not going to be divisive, that doesn’t mean Tom Tancredo is going to get a free ride, because those days are over. This man has a long history of breaking promises, attacking the poor, avoiding service, and voting against the interests of regular Americans, and we are going to make sure that people know what he really stands for.

But at the same time, my campaign is also going to be based on the things that I believe in and we are going to make sure people know what I really stand for. We are going to talk about solutions, about things regular Americans want and need from their government. We are going to search for the common ground on every issue and work to come together for a better, stronger, safer America!

Tom Tancredo believes it’s okay for more than 40 million Americans to have no health care, and for more than 100 million Americans to be underinsured.  I don’t believe that’s okay. I want to bring Americans together with a plan that covers everyone and helps American businesses prosper.

Tom Tancredo wants to eliminate public education. He even signed a pledge to make it happen. I think that is wrong. I believe we have some of the best schools in America right here in Congressional District 6, and those schools help bring us together with shared experiences and knowledge. I want to return control of public education to state and local government, where it belongs, and get rid of the Bush administration’s massive federal intrusion into a state and local issue.

Tom Tancredo wants to sell our National Parks and National Forests to the highest bidder and use the funds to pay for a failed policy in Iraq and to line the pockets of his big donors. I believe that is wrong. Teddy Roosevelt had a vision of National Parks and National Forests where all Americans could come together to share the beauty of our Nation for generations to come. I don’t want to sell that vision and divide America. I want to honor that vision and unite America!

Tom Tancredo believes we should live in hate and fear, hidden behind big walls. I believe we should live in hope and unity, working together to solve our problems, and making the American Dream available for everyone! I am going to find those things we all have in common and build on them to take back America!

ePMedia: In 2004, you helped start Be The Change USA and served as its President.  BTC-USA, Colorado MoveOn groups, Democracy for Colorado, and other progressive activists were credited with electing Pat Waak chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.  Are we now on the right track, or are more changes needed to make the CDP a party of the people?

BW: I believe that Pat Waak is doing an excellent job leading the Colorado Democratic Party and I think we are on the right path. I do believe the Democratic Party is the party of the people, and it is certainly the only party that cares about the people and looks out for their interests. But I also believe that the growth of outside organizations like Be The Change USA and Democracy for America is a very healthy and good thing. These organizations bring in many people who might not otherwise participate in the political life of our nation, and that is a good thing. These organizations also work very hard to communicate the truth to Americans and to offer ways for regular people to take back their government.

So I think we are on a good track in the Colorado Democratic Party. I think we have some dynamic new leadership coming up through the ranks in our state.  I think Mark Udall is going to provide much of that leadership. I salute him and Dianna DeGette for having the courage to stand up for the truth two and a half years ago and vote against the invasion of Iraq! I think people like Andrew Romanoff and Morgan Carroll and Dan Grossman offer a bright future. The Colorado Democratic Party just needs to be strong in defending the truth and not feel a need to pander to right wing propaganda and we will make Colorado a deep blue state, and that right soon!

ePMedia: Tom Tancredo’s Team America PAC declared that “Immigration is the most critical issue facing our nation today.”  Is it?  If not, what is?

BW: Let’s start by recognizing that immigration IS a very important issue facing America today, and quite frankly, our immigration system is broken. But to go from that premise to saying that it is the most critical issue facing our nation today is simply dishonest, and Mr. Tancredo says things like that for his own political benefit. Perhaps if he had ever served his Country, or if he had kids serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, or if he could even bother to go to a funeral for a soldier killed in our wars, then maybe he would understand that we have other equally, or perhaps more, critical issues facing us as a nation. Of course he doesn’t have any actual solutions to the immigration problem, so I suspect he doesn’t even take that one as seriously as he pretends to.

But let’s talk about some other issues that are important to Americans who actually have to work for a living. I don’t have health care, along with more than 40 million other Americans. Every time I feel a pain in the middle of the night, the panic I feel isn’t “Oh no, what is that?”, it’s “Oh no, how will I pay for this?” Do you suppose that’s a pretty critical issue for a lot of families in America? Of course Mr. Tancredo has a great health care package, so it’s easy for him not to care about the rest of us!

There are several critical issues facing America today, including health care, our dependence on oil, the economy, and the coming retirement of the Baby Boom generation and what it will mean to our Nation. They are all just as important as immigration, and frankly, have a lot more impact on the average person in this district, but Tom Tancredo doesn’t care about any of them. He wants to run for President, and the immigration issue gives him that opportunity.

ePMedia: Colorado citizens still slap “NATIVE” stickers on their cars to distinguish themselves from the many new residents who continue to move here.  You were born and raised in Colorado.  How has the Centennial State changed since your childhood in Greeley and Littleton?

BW: Wow, where do I even begin?  When I graduated from Littleton High School in 1982 Highlands Ranch was the sort of ranch that had cattle on it. There weren’t any homes or streets or highways. Douglas County had one high school and a very small population. Today Douglas County is one of the fastest growing counties in America, and it has seven high schools, with number eight due to open this fall, and number nine already in planning.

Colorado has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 30 years, and there are plusses and minuses to that. I don’t have any bias as a native. I welcome everyone to this beautiful State and my home. But it does create issues that we will have to address at some point, like pollution, crowded highways and schools, water shortages, and increasing demand for services.

We need to work together to find solutions to those issues. These are things that impact our lives in real and personal ways, and when I see politicians pushing things like putting the Ten Commandments in public buildings, or forcing prayer into schools, or pushing hate based initiatives to exclude people from basic rights, and ignoring our real issues, I find it discouraging. What are we going to do about water?  What are we going to do about health care? What are we going to do to bring good jobs to Colorado? What are we going to do to make sure our kids grow up to be the best educated adults in the world? These are the issues I want to address!

But you asked about how Colorado has changed since I was a kid, so let me offer a few more fun things that have changed. When I was a kid we always talked about getting major league baseball. And then one magic day we got it! We dreamed of the Broncos winning a Super Bowl, and now we’ve won several. We won a NCAA championship in football. We’ve won a Stanley Cup and an NCAA championship in hockey. And I think we are about to win another Super Bowl this month!  [Editor’s Note: Sorry, Bill, we lost to the Steelers on Sunday.]  So there have been many good changes in Colorado since I was a kid in Littleton.

ePMedia: What does our government need to do to support our troops in a meaningful way?

BW: To begin with, we should never ask our troops to put their lives on the line unless it is for one of two reasons: to defend against a direct attack against the United States, or to make us more secure in some easily definable way. The Iraq war fails both tests. We did not attack the country that attacked us, and we are less secure as a result of this war.

Now if Americans are serious about supporting the troops, then we should start with increased pay, more veterans benefits, more and better equipment, fewer deployments and shorter deployments away from home and family, and no more broken promises. When I mention broken promises, I mean a couple of things. First, we should honor the contracts we sign with troops. Stop loss orders, which hold people in the military beyond the date of their contract, are immoral and show how much the Bush Administration really hates the troops.

We should also stop breaking promises about how long troops are going to be in a combat zone. Ken Ballard was the only son of my friend, Karen Meredith. Ken was born July 21st, 1977. He died on May 30th, 2004 in Najaf, Iraq. He was 26 years old when he was killed in action. But here’s the real tragedy. Ken’s time in Iraq was supposed to be over when he was killed. His unit was on its way home. All his stuff was packed, and his rifle was even turned in to the armory. He was ready to go. But then the Bush Administration broke a promise. They had promised that no unit would stay in Iraq for more than a year.

But Don Rumsfeld had a problem. The generals had all told him that we would need to send 300,000 troops to Iraq to do the job right. Rumsfeld, in his arrogance, said no, we’ll do it with 150,000, and refused all calls for more troops.

As a result, the 1st Armored Division had their stay in Iraq extended for 120 days because there weren’t enough troops there for them to leave. They had been promised a tour no longer than one year. That promise was broken, they unpacked, went back into action, and Ken Ballard was killed when he should have been home with his mother.

The Bush Administration and this Republican Congress, including Tom Tancredo, hate the troops, and they hate veterans. They never miss an opportunity to cut veteran’s funding or to make life more difficult for our troops. It’s no accident that almost every Veteran candidate this year is running as a Democrat. The Republican Party leadership has betrayed the troops!

In addition to the things I listed above, I would like to see better support for military families and widows, and better support for reserve and National Guard troops. I know people in the National Guard and Reserve who have lost jobs, and even homes, as a result of being deployed in Iraq. That is absolutely wrong. Our troops shouldn’t lose jobs and homes because they served their Country! The Bush Administration and this Republican Congress have also effectively destroyed the National Guard and Reserves as elements of our national defense.

We need to stop privatizing military roles to private companies, which cost more than the military ever could. Let’s be honest about this. The Rumsfeld plan is to turn over as many military functions as possible to private companies so that those companies can make more profit, not so that our security is enhanced. America is worse off because of the Iraq War and Rumsfeld’s policies. But Halliburton and others like it are much better off!

We need to fund the VA more fully, both for existing veterans and for the vast number of troops who will come back from Iraq maimed in mind or body. The Bush Administration and the Republican Congress have cut funding for all VA programs. When a person volunteers to serve their country in the military, and endures all the hardships that go along with it, I believe our Nation owes them a debt of honor. I’m going to Washington to make sure that debt gets paid.

Bush lovers and supporters of this war say that men like John Murtha, and others who speak out against the war, are hurting the morale of the troops.  That is an outright lie. How can someone like Tom Tancredo, or Dick Cheney, or George W. Bush, who all dodged the draft and avoided military service, tell me how the morale of the troops is affected? I am the troops.

Morale is affected by how long we have to be away from our families, how long our work days are, how much we get paid, how often we are lied to or promises made are broken. In ten years with the Navy and Marine Corps, I never once heard anyone complain because of something a politician said. But I heard plenty of complaints as a result of longer deployments. We need a larger military–more troops, rather than less. We need to make serving in the military something that is common amongst Americans, rather than rare. Rumsfeld is 100% wrong in everything he’s done.

And finally, I said we need to give our troops more and better equipment. The New York Times recently reported that 80% of the Marines who died of upper body wounds in the war so far could have been saved if they had better body armor. The Bush Administration was told the body armor was outdated and did nothing. Where is the outrage about this? Where is the outrage that our soldiers were sent to war without enough armored vehicles? Don Rumsfeld should be in jail for negligent homicide.

If we really want to support our troops, then let’s hold accountable the people who have sold them down the river–the Bush administration and this Republican Congress!

ePMedia: Raising campaign money on the internet is now an established pillar of most campaigns. Candidates can effectively compete at a national level for such contributions. Why is Bill Winter for Congress a good investment for a progressive blog reader?

BW: Let me start by saying that I recognize the important role that blogs and the internet now play, not only in elections, but in getting out the truth and in active journalism. I believe many Americans have lost faith in the ability of the traditional media sources to provide us with the complete and honest truth in the news. I believe blogs and internet writers have served a vital purpose in the last five years in holding the Bush Administration accountable and in balancing out the increasingly rightward shift of traditional media. So I salute you and your colleagues for YOUR service to America!

So why am I a good investment for a progressive blog reader?

First because we are going to win!  And second, when we do win, we are going to fight for the progressive values that will benefit regular Americans!  We are going to fight to ensure that the poor and the middle class are represented in America and have a real shot at the American dream. We are going to fight to make sure that the government does not come into our homes, our bedrooms, our hospital rooms, or anywhere else in our private lives. We are going to fight to make sure that separation of church and state remain vital components of the American Constitution. We are going to fight to make sure that the only reason America ever goes to war in the future is to defend our national security and make us safer. And we are going to fight to make sure that we have a strong economy and a safe, clean environment, because they are NOT mutually exclusive concepts.

So you may be wondering what’s with this “we” stuff, since you asked about me?  Look, my campaign is not about me. I don’t have a life long desire to be in Congress and I can’t be seduced by power or bought with any amount of money. This campaign is about regular people. This campaign is about America and Americans. So when I say we, I mean the people of CD-6 and the people who are involved in my campaign. We are going to win, and we are going to take back our country!

ePMedia: You want to see affordable, accessible health care for all Americans.  What kind of plan would you support?

BW: We need a comprehensive plan that provides full medical coverage for every American! Right now we have over 100 million Americans who are underinsured for health coverage, 44 million Americans who do not have health care coverage at any given time, and at least 20 million who do not have it permanently.  I’m one of them. I don’t have any health care coverage.

Almost two years ago I donated a kidney to my sister in law because it was the right thing to do. Now I’m considered to have a pre-existing condition and health care coverage costs more. I can’t afford it. That’s wrong on many levels, the most obvious being that we shouldn’t punish people for being organ donors.

But health care is a crisis in a much larger sense and the Republican Party has no answers. Health care premiums for the average family in America increased by an average of 9.5 percent in 2005. That growth is more than three times the growth in the average American worker’s earnings. People look at CD6 and think everyone here is wealthy, and it’s true that this is, per capita, one of the wealthiest Congressional districts in the entire country.

But the truth is that many people in this district are struggling in this economy. They have mortgages, and kids in college, and younger kids, and they have to pay for gas, and their heating bills are going through the roof. And on top of all that, the money they pay for health care keeps going up. Diane Swonk, chief economist for Mesirow Financial Corporation (http://www.mesirowfinancial.com), says “if you’re rich, this is a great economy to be in, but other than that, it’s not great.”

I did not give ten years of my life to the Marine Corps and the Navy to build an America where the richest 3% of Americans have it great while the rest of us struggle as best we can. I believe we owe it to ourselves and our children to come up with a comprehensive, government -backed plan that provides health care for all Americans. The simple truth is that we are already paying for health care for uninsured Americans, but we are paying for it in emergency room visits, where it costs substantially more, rather than in preventive care, which costs substantially less! And on top of that, health care costs are making it more and more difficult for American companies to compete with their counterparts in other countries, who don’t have to provide health care benefits. So it’s an economic and national security issue as well.

But ultimately it’s a human rights issue. Mr. Tancredo likes to cite “his deeply held conviction that abortion violates the sanctity of life.” It’s too bad that his “deeply held convictions” only apply to fetuses. He doesn’t seem to care about how much those fetuses suffer and struggle once they become actual human beings. I do care and that’s what makes me different from Tancredo.

And finally, beware of the “market based” proposals to be offered by Bush in his State of the Union address.  Just as the primary purpose of his Social Security reforms, based on private accounts and market based reforms, was to put a lot of money in the pockets of New York investment firms that support him, so the primary purpose of these health care reforms will be to further enrich a subset of his supporters. Whenever you hear something is market based, look to see who is going to make the profit before you decide to support it!

ePMedia: You were part of Bill McCartney’s football program when the University of Colorado Buffaloes went to the Orange Bowl in 1990. But recruiting violations, state audits, and the recent resignation and IRS investigation of coach Gary Barnett have cast a cloud over the team. As a CU graduate and a Douglas County high school football coach, what do you think about this scandal?

BW: Let’s clarify first that I was not a player for Coach McCartney. I hoped to walk on and play football at CU, but at 6’3, 230 pounds, I had excellent speed for someone who weighs around 230 pounds! So I ended up working for the athletic department and the football team and it was a wonderful experience!

I think the problems we see in the CU football program are, at their root, the same problems we see at the State and National level in our government. No one is held accountable. Gary Barnett never once took responsibility for anything that went wrong involving his football program. By the same token, George Bush and Dick Cheney and Bill Owens and Tom Tancredo have never taken any responsibility for anything that has gone wrong in America or Colorado. George Bush should have stood up after Katrina and taken responsibility for the fiasco that cost so many lives and fired Mr. Brown on the spot. He should stand up today and take responsibility for the many failures in the Iraq War and fire Don Rumsfeld.

But you didn’t see that at CU and you won’t see it from the White House or the Governor’s Mansion either. When I was in the Navy and the Marine Corps there was a concept of responsibility that I would love to see elsewhere in the world some day. In the military, the commanding officer of a unit, whether it be rifle company, an aircraft carrier, a fighter squadron, or any other size or type of unit, is ultimately responsible for every action of those under his command. If I, as a low ranking enlisted person, crash an airplane into a building and people are hurt or killed, the commanding officer is ultimately responsible, and generally, such a mishap will be the end of a commanding officer’s career.

I used to think that was pretty harsh, but I don’t think so anymore. An organization takes on the personality of its leader. At CU, that meant no one was responsible and players could—and did—do anything they wanted without repercussions. Under Bill McCartney that wasn’t the case. Coach McCartney took responsibility for his players and enforced discipline. I’ve seen the same thing in coaching high school players. I’ve coached at many schools where the head coach decided discipline wasn’t his responsibility and it showed. And that is why it was such a pleasure to coach under Jeff Ketron at Douglas County High School. Jeff takes ultimate responsibility for everything that happens in his program, and that’s one reason why they won a state championship in Colorado this year.

My campaign will follow that leadership model. I will always take responsibility for anything that goes wrong in our campaign. I will never pass the buck or blame anyone else. And when things go well, I will always pass the credit on to others in the campaign. I believe that if Gary Barnett had taken this philosophy, he would still be the head coach at CU and we wouldn’t have seen the endless list of incidents that caused those of us who love CU football to feel embarrassed in the last few years.

ePMedia: While Representative Tancredo cites his deeply held conviction that abortion violates the sanctity of life, your religious faith seems instead to lead you toward helping the poor and emphasizing what we have in common.  Are you going to be able to avoid the kind of battle with Focus on the Family that Colorado Senator Ken Salazar is currently engaged in?

BW: Let me first of all clarify once again. I am not religious. I was at one time, and even contemplated entering the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. I’ve read the Bible and studied it extensively and I believe it contains great wisdom.  I am not afraid to quote the Bible or any other religious text.

I am also not afraid of Focus on the Family. I am not looking for a fight with them, but I won’t run from one either. I believe that Mr. Tancredo and Focus and many others use the abortion debate for political purposes. I do not believe they are sincere. I find it curious that people like Mr. Tancredo are so seemingly upset about fetuses, but don’t appear to care at all about orphans, or about people dying in New Orleans, or about all the innocent people who have died in Iraq—or about the fact that we have executed innocent people on our death rows. If you “value the sanctity of life” then you must value it at all times, and not just for fetuses and when it is politically convenient.

I was an orphan, so the debate about abortion and adoption and orphans has special meaning to me!

But let’s get one thing straight.Everyone is pro-life. No one is pro-abortion. I think everyone shares the same goal of seeing fewer abortions. At least I hope that’s true. But the question is not who is pro-life. The question is who should decide! I don’t believe the government should be in our bedrooms, our hospital rooms, or interfering when we are dying. These are all incredibly difficult and complex decisions and should be left to individuals. And just so we are clear on this, I support a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body!

If Focus on the Family continues to try to force the Government into our bedrooms and homes and hospital rooms, and if Focus on the Family continues to try to destroy the separation of church and state, then I will engage in the same battle with them that Senator Salazar is currently fighting, and I will be proud to fight beside him.

ePMedia: When you were getting your law degree at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., you had a chance to debate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.  Who won?

BW: Well now that’s an easy one——I did, of course!

In all seriousness, they were never formal debates and no one kept score. Justice Scalia is Catholic and apparently had a fond place in his heart for the University. He often came to campus to speak and would take questions. On several occasions I was able to engage him on legal and political issues. It was very stimulating and fun on an intellectual level.

But I don’t agree with his philosophy as a Justice, and I don’t think he is intellectually honest. His theory is that constitutional cases should be decided based on the “original intent” of the framers of the Constitution, and that we should only value what is actually written in the document itself.  This position defies logic and reality.

To suggest that several hundred men gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 all had the same intent or all interpreted the words of the Constitution exactly the same is ridiculous. What I’ve noticed about Scalia and others like him is that they call it “judicial activism” when a case goes against them, and sound legal theory when it goes for them. Okay, so how to justify getting in the middle of how a State counts it’s Presidential votes? Or how can it be okay to require lawyers to recuse themselves when they have a conflict of interest, while Justice Scalia can duck hunt with parties to cases and not be recused?

The bottom line is that I am not a fan of Justice Scalia and I believe his opinions are designed to help the powerful and the wealthy while undermining the poor and the middle class.

ePMedia: You taught high school science when you lived in North Carolina, and you cite improving schools and making better opportunities for children and families as one of your central issues.  How can we make our schools better?

BW: Education is yet another area where conservatives are no longer conservatives. I hear them talk about smaller, less intrusive government, and then I see massively intrusive federal mandates like No Child Left Behind imposed in what has traditionally been one of the most sacred State’s rights issues, education.  Let me make this very clear——No Child Left Behind is a deeply flawed program that does not work, intrudes upon State and local control of education, and should be repealed!

CD6 has three of the best school districts in America within its borders. These schools are excellent by every conceivable measure. But they can not measure up to the arbitrary and unrealistic standards of NCLB. If you can’t achieve NCLB standards in the Douglas County schools, you can’t do it anywhere. So I challenge conservatives like Bob Shaffer15 to end the hypocrisy, start being real conservatives again, and help repeal NCLB.

We also have the problem in Colorado of CSAP testing that is used as a bludgeon to intimidate schools and teachers into conformance with an arbitrary set of standards with no set of incentives as an alternative. It’s all stick and no carrot. Additionally, Colorado spent 50 million dollars last year to administer the CSAP tests, and every cent of that money went to McGraw-Hill.

Why is it that every single Republican proposal for reforming anything always ends up making a huge profit for big corporations? Is it because Republican politicians always value profit for their corporate benefactors over the good of the American people? Well, I leave it to you to decide.

But I know this, that 50 million dollars that Colorado paid McGraw Hill to administer the CSAP tests could have made a huge difference in our schools. We could have used it to hire more teachers, and pay them higher salaries, and ensure that every school in Colorado is fully equipped. It’s an undeniable fact that CSAP scores correlate directly with the socio-economic condition of the schools. Wealthier school districts have higher scores. One reason is because they spend more money per student in every school year. Imagine learning science in Douglas County High School, with the latest up to date equipment, and then imagine trying to learn it at North High School where you have no equipment. That’s not fair, and we can do better!

I left a six figure salary at a large law firm in North Carolina to teach and coach at a high school there. My starting salary as a teacher was $32,000. My classes all had more than 30 kids in them. I had no equipment for teaching science. I had to deal with all the children’s issues and problems. I worked 80 hours or more Every week!  I’ve been in the Marine Corps and the Navy. I’ve been through law school. I’ve worked for John McCain on Capitol Hill. I’ve done a lot of things in my life and nothing—nothing—came even close to being as hard as teaching.

Ultimately I think if we really want the highest level of education, then we need to pay our teachers the way we pay our lawyers and entertainers. I believe if we really want to make education a priority, then we need more money to pay more teachers higher salaries. And for anyone who disputes that, I say go spend a year in a classroom yourself and then tell me I’m wrong. And I also would ask people why they are willing to pay someone more to entertain them than they are to pay the people who teach their children!  There is no more important profession than teaching, because all other professions grow from teachers!

ePMedia: Bill Winter, thank you so much for answering questions from ePluribus Media.

Other ePMedia Contributors include:  Aaron Barlow, Cedwyn, JeninRI, and Stoy

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