Booman Tribune ActBlue Candidates

It’s time for the final push for the 2006 Midterm elections. In the interests of time, I decided to unilaterally select 9 house races to support and one Senate race. I have also added Jim Marcinkowski (MI-08) as a bonus candidate. This is a personal favor to Larry Johnson (as well as Joe and Valerie Wilson.

My selections are based on the values of Booman Tribune, which can characterized as follows:

Opposition to political corruption.
Dedication to progressive values.
A commitment to women’s issues and more female representation.
An interest in matters of intelligence and foreign policy.

1. Jerry McNerney of CA-11. Bowers: Tier-2 Likely Rep. Charlie Cook just moved this race from Likely Republican to Lean Republican.

McNerney’s opponent is Richard Pombo. Here is how the Sacremento Bee put it, “Since Hurricane Katrina, Pombo has been a one-man Category 5 environmental disaster zone.”

His son is an officer in the Air Force Reserves. McNerney has a company that focuses on wind turbines and alternative energy is his signature issue.

2. Linda Stender of NJ-07. Bowers: Tier-3 Likely Rep.

Stender’s opponent is Mike Ferguson. Ferguson is a stay-the-course Republican that has taken money from the pederast Mark Foley and the mistress-beater Don Sherwood.

Stender is a much better choice.

[Stender] worked her way through college waiting tables and working in a flower shop, earning a B.A. from American University. Linda was elected to the Fanwood Borough Council, became Mayor and made sweeping changes so that the government put the people first, not special interests. At the Freeholder Board, Linda helped to build one of the safest counties in the state, a parks system that’s second to none and a county hospital that truly responds to the needs of our seniors. In Trenton, Linda has been a leader in calling for property tax reform and for funding for stem cell research to unlock the cures for illnesses that harm our loved ones – Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer.

3. Zach Space of OH-18. Bowers: Lean Dem.

Zach Space’s opponent is Joy Padgett. Here is how the DCCC puts it.

“The first thing we know about Joy Padgett is that she’s Ney’s handpicked candidate – a distinction about as prestigious as Michael Brown giving you something called a FEMA Gold Star for Competence. The second thing we know is that she was first appointed to her State Senate seat by disgraced Governor Bob Taft,” said Bill Burton, communications director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Bob Ney was forced out of this race by the reality of an electorate demanding change from the culture of corruption in Washington and a Congress that compulsively puts special interests first at every opportunity.”

Bob Ney won this seat in 2004 by a 32% margin. Zach Space is poised to take over this deeply red seat, but he needs some insurance.

4. Charlie Brown (site appears to be down today) of CA-04. Bowers: Tier 3 Likely Rep. Charlie Cook just moved this seat from Likely Republican to Lean Republican.

Charlie Brown’s opponent is John Doolittle, considered one of the most corrupt politicians in Washington.

In 1999, Rep. Doolittle also assisted Jack Abramoff in securing a lucrative lobbying contract with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, helped Mr. Abramoff stave off legislation protecting workers in the CNMI and wrote letters on behalf of some of Mr. Abramoff’s tribal casinos. In return, Rep. Doolittle, an alleged gambling foe, has received $130,000 from gambling tribes with ties to Mr. Abramoff. If Rep. Doolittle has received contributions from Mr. Abramoff in return for legislative assistance he may have violated prohibitions against bribery, honest services fraud and House rules.

Brown had a 29 year career in the Air Force and is often compared to Paul Hackett. We need this seat to punish the Republican Party for their culture of corruption.

5. Darcy Burner of WA-08. Bowers: Toss-Up Lean Dem. Charlie Cook just moved this race from Lean Republican to Toss Up.

Burner’s opponent is Dave Reichert, a deeply corrupt Congressman.

Reichert has taken:

• $20,000 from Tom DeLay’s ARMPAC.
• $5,000 from Bob Ney, the first congressman to plead guilty in the Jack Abramoff investigation.

With all of these ties to the DeLay/Abramoff mess, is it any surprise that Reichert has:

• Voted to weaken House ethics rules when DeLay proposed doing so as GOP Majority Leader.
• Voted with Tom DeLay 91% of the time (through 3/31/2006)

Mrs. Burner is an Air Force brat that received a National Merit Scholarship to Harvard and has enjoyed a successful career with Microsoft. Her brother has served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne (not keyboardists). Her positions on the issues are very mainstream Democratic positions.

6. Jack Davis of NY-26. Bowers: Tier 3, Likely Rep. Charlie Cook just moved this race from Solid Republican to Toss Up.p>

Jack Davis’s opponent is the RCCC Chairman, Tom Reynolds, recently in the news for his non-action in dealing with a pederast in his midst.

Jack Davis is another veteran and successful businessman.

He spent time in the Marine Corp Reserves and served as a deck officer in the Coast Guard. He resigned from the Coast Guard Reserves as a Lieutenant in 1964. That year he founded the I Squared R Element Company Inc. which he still owns and manages. The company is located in Akron, New York and manufactures silicon carbide heating elements which are used in high temperature electric furnaces. It is now the only US owned plant making this product. He employs 75 western New Yorkers who earn on average wage of $25 per hour. His business is not for sale, is not outsourcing jobs, and is not importing heating elements. Eventually, he hopes to transfer ownership to his children.

Needless to say, it would be sweet to knock off the RCCC chairman, who is responsible for maintaining a GOP controlled House. Davis is a moderate on tax issues, a progressive on trade issues, and wants to bring the troops home from Iraq.

7. Patty Wetterling of MN-06. Bowers: Toss-Up Lean Rep. Charlie Cook just moved this race from Lean Republican to Toss Up.

Wetterling’s opponent is Michele Bachmann. Here is how the City Pages put it.

Bachmann’s joint appearance with the president represented her coming-out party on the national stage, the brightest moment yet in a whirlwind seven-year electoral career that has made her Minnesota’s most famous Christian conservative, and perhaps the most polarizing figure in state politics.

Wetterling is known as staunch advocate of exploited children, something much needed in Washington DC these days.

Patty Wetterling has been fighting for safer American families since the abduction of her son Jacob sixteen years ago. Since then, Patty has become one of the nation’s most respected and effective child advocates.

As a private citizen, she worked across party lines, passing more legislation than many members of Congress. Patty was instrumental in the passage of the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children Sex Offender Registration Act on both the state and federal level. Additionally, Patty helped initiate and pass Community Notification (Megan’s Law) and the launch of the Amber Alert system in Minnesota.

Help her out, this race is a nail-biter.

8. Patrick Murphy of PA-08. Bowers: Toss-Up Lean Rep.

9. Chris Carney of PA-10. Bowers: Toss-Up Lean Dem. Charlie Cook just moved this race from Lean Republican to Toss Up.

10. Jim Marcinkowski of MI-08. Bowers: Safe Rep.

11. Claire McCaskill for MO-Sen