Winning the House: Carol Shea-Porter in New Hampshire
[Editor’s Note: John Kerry’s in New Hampshire today for the state party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner. We’re happy to have a guest blog from Carol Shea-Porter, the Democratic challenger who’s out to oust the Republican incumbent Jeb Bradley (NH-01). For more on the dinner, check out these video podcasts too: Theo Yedinsky interviews State Senators Maggie Hassan and Sylvia Larsen and political strategist Judy Reardon as they preview the New Hampshire Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.]
Hi, thank you for allowing me to be a guest blogger here with all of you. It’s a busy day here with the preparations for the Jefferson Jackson dinner but I wanted to take some time to share a little bit about my background and my plans to represent NH-01 in Congress.
Within twelve hours of my victory in September’s Democratic Congressional Primary, my Republican opponent began launching attacks. Jeb Bradley tried the plays from the same outdated playbook, claiming I was weak on defense and that I would endanger the troops. The White House used these lines against John Kerry in 2004, but New Hampshire voters didn’t buy it. They knew the truth and they voted for Senator Kerry.
I have fought back against these attacks. My husband was born and lived on military bases for the first eighteen years of his life, then went into ROTC and served his country for four years. I was proud to be a military spouse and I understand what soldiers and their families go through. That is why I have to speak up and tell the truth about the Iraq war and how the Bush Administration has failed our country and our soldiers.
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When we ask our soldiers to go to war, we have to be able to tell them and their loved ones what their mission is, and that their government will make sure that they have whatever they need to fight. But the Bush administration has put our brave troops into war without a clear mission and without the armor or equipment they need. Their families have had to scrounge for armor and have been forced to send needed supplies to their soldiers. This is a moral outrage. The Republican leadership has tried to save money on troops while giving tax breaks to the richest Americans.
My opponent agrees with the President’s bewildering claim that we are making the world safer. He has chosen to ignore all of the evidence to the contrary. The National Intelligence Estimate reveals that the war in Iraq is inflaming anti-American sentiment worldwide and that it has become a recruiting tool for terrorist organizations. We are in much greater danger today than we were on September 12th. John Kerry knows this and has spoken out against the war, but my opponent blindly follows George Bush.
What can we do to change direction in Iraq? We fire the people who refuse to believe the overwhelming evidence that this is a bungled mess. We elect representatives who have the courage to tell the truth and who will protect the soldiers and the families.
I am ready for the fight. We can change Washington and reverse the tragic course we have taken for the past six years. Senator Kerry proved that New Hampshire is ready to turn blue. With your help, we can make that happen. Thank you.
-- Carol Shea-Porter
Candidate for US CongressMore information on Carol Shea-Porter is available at her website.
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Dear Sen. Kerry and fellow Democrats:
Never in our history have we see ‘Veterans’ of the vietnam era and Veterans returning from IRAQ being ‘assaulted’ by the likes of Karl Rove, Cheney, and others who have NEVER SERVED IN THE MILITARY. They wouldn’t have lasted a DAY in Basic Training. They do these kinds of EVIL things because they are WEAK, and weak wimps like to bully when they get into places of power.
Abahmoff, Delay, and Bob Ney are the same ‘Right Wing Hypocrits’. The obly ‘Values’ they beleive in are ‘DOLLAR AMOUNTS’. Thank goodness the good, honest people of this land are putting them all in JAIL or indicting them on bribary charges. How can a Repuiblican in his/her right mind stand behind these bums? They use their positions to eat FREE at Republican restaurants (Abrahmoff) go to FREE sports events, travel the world, jet setting, and stealing Tax dollars. HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS have been lost, used to payoff Republican CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS, wasted in IRaq on ‘projects’ which are destoryed later or were NEVER done at all. Audits have proven this. $10 BILLION is missing from Iraq (cash) and will never be found. This is a Republican problem. Foley is the least of their problems….but, still as evil
No national health care. Pharmaceuticals going up. Gas prices have been ‘deliberately lowered for this ELECTION’ and will go UP on November 8th. Watch carefully! Our children are getting meaner and CRIME is at an all time high. Why? GW Bush is ignorant. He plays cowboy. Shows NO LEADERSHIP. Uses God as a political tool. Has Americans hating one another. I’ve never seen anything like it. Neighbors against neighbors. States against states. This is GW Bush’ fine work.Now this country and the world must pay for his lack of understanding the peoples of the world (He gets BORED…too bad, then LEAVE the office and let us get back to building American relationships around this globe). Britain wishes to pull OUT of IRAQ. Their Top General says,‘we are making the matter WORSE. We must GET OUT NOW’. Whiloe GW Bush tries to think how he can ‘stay the course’ while 44 troops have been killed in October alone!!! Send GW Bush to Iraq and let him FINISH his tour of duty.
I am disgusted with this president and congress. Waste, hate, lies, killings, destruction of an entire country, bribary, ignorance, Katrina disaster, indictments, using God for political purposes, a president BORED with talking yto foreign leaders, and ignorance about history and the peoples of this world…..Well, we should ALL say, ‘No more. Enough is enough’.
James
sergeant
Nato 74-77
Under: General Haig/Lt. General Otstott (see his webpage: ‘Words, not War’).
Another wonder post, another great candidate! Great website—-visible links to the issues.
Why is it that so many Republicans, even members of Congress, don’t include a position on civil rights on their website?
Go Carol!
Carol has a progressive, grassroots campaign and now needs funds to get on tv. Please consider a contribution to a woman who never equivocates and is clear with a great message. We have the volunteers, the staff, the message and the candidate to pull of a victory on Nov.7. We need a cash infusion now. New Hampshire has never sent a woman to Washington. Thank you and be proud of your place in this historic campaign.
http://www.carolforcongress.com
A woman’s place is in the House.
and the senate too,
Otter
Way to go James. I especially like the part where you say “Send GW Bush to Iraq and let him
“FINISH HIS TOUR of DUTY. My mom use to say that when a Republican was in office they would leave a mess that the Democrats would have to clean up. I think she hit on something.
But I must add this if I am to remain fair, My mom was at a point where her years of being a disappointed democrat had worn thin and for the first time in her life she voted Republican, Reagan/Bush. That was to become the sorriest moments of her faithful voting years! She soon realized that GHB was in charge.
My dad was a teamster and he was one of the early union advocates. My mom became so disillusioned with the entire political game before her death in 1985 that it broke my heart! She worked 40 years of her life to receive an amount that was not enough to live on. While we children did our best to assist, mom, being a proud lady, was never the same!
America needs a complete house cleaning. No more putting the dirty laundry under the rug. We need to clean up the mess in both houses, both parties, lets do it! Finding that which best serves this nation of immigrants is what we must be about. This nation must reclaim it’s rightful, respectful, position in the world!
Americans are a great bunch of folks. No decent American can or will abide by what this White House and it’s cronies have done and continue to do!
If one is fair then one has to admit there’s enough blame to go around. That said. The neocons have proven themselves to be scary, arrogant, un-American, greedy & uncivilized and forever using scare tactics. The way of cowards!
Time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their nation! Like President Kennedy said, “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For Your Country.
Once we accomplish this then the country will be better able to serve all her citizens. Lets clean up Washington so that all American men and women (leaders) have an opportunity, once again, to serve the “NEEDS” of this nation proudly with heads held high saying, yes we can! America needs to reclaim something that she once possessed, her mettle!