Red State Rebels

Playing catchup: VP Mitt, DCCC$, Radio Jill, etc.

Sorry for the long silences lately here at Red State Rebels. Since starting the blog in 2003, I've normally taken a week or two's hiatus each July. I didn't officially declare it this year since we're now officially a group blog, but ... enough excuses! I'm more or less back in the saddle, and here are some topics for us all to chew on:

What do you think? Is Mitt the man? If so, how much would that it hurt Barack Obama's already slim - but possible - chances in Idaho? And when will John McCain and Barack Obama name their VP picks, anyway? The pre-Olympics window is narrowing; my guess is that McCain will try to distract the media from Obama's trip abroad by tipping his hat this week, while Obama will keep his media mojo flowing by making his announcement sometime in the middle of next week.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced Monday that it will spend $349,000 million in ad buys to help kick Bill Sali's sorry butt out of Congress. The Fix took notice (as did Bubblehead, in the comments of the previous thread), and DailyKos diarist mkilly has more links here, too, along with the juicy info that Sali can't seem to meet an FEC filing deadline, "and has issued nine amendments to earlier reports since June 1." Democratic challenger Walt Minnick, by contrast, continues to raise plenty of money, along with hopes that Sali will be kept to one term.

New West's Jill Kuraitis is the guest host tomorrow (Wednesday) on the 6 to 10 morning show on KFXD, 630 AM in southwestern Idaho and live online. Sens. Mike Crapo and Larry Craig will be among the guests in her first hour. Could be interesting ...

Other good recent reads you may have missed: Hate Speech vs. Free Speech at The Political Game, Nathaniel Hoffman's Mr Pro Life profile at Boise Weekly, and Kevin Richert's take on how Mike Simpson consistently manages to out-Teflon Ronald Reagan by getting free passes on the same votes for which Bill Sali gets hammered.

Earnest Earmarks?

I encourage you all to read 'Earnest Earmarks', co-written by Senator Larry Craig and Representative Mike Simpson several years ago, as well as the response to this editorial from Reason Magazine. I agree with Congressman Simpson that earmarks have a place in our system. And I notice that Craig and Simpson concede that some reform is necessary. But they continue to tear down every possible mechanism of reform as 'unconstitutional', effectively upholding unlimited and unregulated earmarking as the only legal option.

This is how Congressman Simpson has passed himself off as a moderate, by occasionally acknowledging the need for reform, but usually failing to take the initiative to make reform happen. On alternative energy, Simpson acknowledges global warming, but states that we will be using oil and coal as primary sources of fuel for the foreseeable future. He then fails to provide funding for strong alternative energy programs. On earmarks, he acknowledges the need for reform, but is clearly content with the unacceptable status quo. That's not moderation, that's triangulation, and it's not what Idaho needs.

You can visit my campaign's website here and donate at ActBlue.

Debbie Holmes: Simpson's oil stand

Last week, Mike Simpson voted against H.R. 6251, The Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act, which discouraged oil and gas companies from buying leases in areas that they had no intention of utilizing. This is yet another sign that Mike Simpson is more interested in sustaining the status quo of the energy economy than fixing a system which is hurting his constituents. Tell Mike Simpson that you want a representative who will work for an energy plan that helps the American public, not a congressman who feels we should stay in the oil economy for another 50 years.

Visit our website and donate to the campaign on ActBlue.

Debbie Holmes: Thoughts on Independence Day

In a couple days, we will be celebrating Independence Day. I'm going to be spending the holiday visiting with constituents of the 2nd District in Idaho Falls and Boise, and will be marching in both parades. I will also be speaking to Drinking Liberally tomorrow at MarCellars in Idaho Falls at 7:00 PM. I'd be pleased if you would join me.

We must not let it escape us how amazing it is that, after 232 years, the great experiment of our Founding Fathers is still here; we, in fact, have a far more perfect union than that of our predecessors. This is because we have understood that one of the greatest things about our system is its ability to adapt when change is obviously needed. When this nation was founded, our nation was half-slave, half-free and women wouldn't receive the vote for 150 years. But the structure of our democracy allows us to grow upon our past achievements; we have never been so mired in tradition that we haven't been able to move forward when we saw that a wrong was being done under the auspices of the United States government. We are a nation of ethics, rather than a nation of traditions. That is why I am so proud of my country.

But we must never think that we have reached our goal of a perfect union, that we can lean back and get too used to where we are. There are still reforms that are needed, and we must be constantly vigilant to avoid backsliding into the wrongs of the past. That is true patriotism, to protect the legacy of this country and to stop wrongs from being done in its name. I am running for office because I believe we deserve a government that seeks this improvement. Our health care system is broken with a large part of our nation's middle class unable to afford treatment. This is not acceptable, and it is a patriotic duty to attempt to improve the health care system so that every American can lead a healthy life. It is a patriotic duty to rehaul the energy economy at a time when it is scientifically clear that we are both running out of oil and seriously damaging our environment. And it is a patriotic duty to oppose the violation of fundamental constitutional rights, whether the victims of these violations be American citizens or foreign nationals.

In a forward-thinking country such as the United States, patriotism equals a willingness to look ahead, to see what needs to be done, and to try to fix it. Today, two days before the Fourth of July, I see us on the verge of a new period of necessary reform. But there's nothing new about it. A willingness to see change and the capacity to hope are the basis of what has made America what it is; the greatest nation in the world.

Visit my campaign's website and donate to the campaign at ActBlue.

Debbie Holmes: kickoff event/energy policy

Come to the Debbie Holmes for Congress General Election Kickoff Party tonight at 5:30, at Davies Reid (515 Main) in Downtown Boise! There will be free food and beverages, although a donation to the campaign is recommended.

I recognize the change we need concerning our government's stance on energy issues. We need a strong research program dedicated to improving the sustainability and safety of various alternative forms of energy. Right now, between our dependence on foreign oil and climate change, we are very vulnerable, both on a national and a global scale. I believe my answer to the previous question answers this question for the most part.

Currently, with the price of oil per barrel wavering around $130, there's quite a lot of interest in making alternative forms of energy sustainable and safe. But for at least 30 years, we've known we had a problem. Every time the price of a barrel of oil goes down, we lose interest in renewable and sustainable energy programs. We do not have energy security or sustainability in the status quo, and we need to focus on changing this in the long term, regardless of short-term improvements in the carbon-based fuel market.

An aftereffect of a strong research program such as the one I propose would be an increase in the number of jobs available in this country. With unemployment up and wages, this would be a great benefit, if an incidental one.

Mike Simpson has discouraged government investment in renewable energy and has refused to cut a penny in big oil subsidies. I pledge that I will never be in the pocket of big oil and will always look at the bigger picture; we need a sustainable energy economy; sticking with the failing system of the past is not the route to a brighter future for America.

Visit our website here or donate to the campaign at ActBlue. Go to SEFORA for related policy statements. 

Debbie at the AFL-CIO Convention

Debbie spent yesterday at the AFL-CIO Convention, at which she gave the following speech:

I'm Debbie Holmes, the Democratic nominee for US Congress in District 2. I'm honored to address the AFL-CIO today. You have always represented what is great about America.

Because of you, families have more bread on the table.

Because of you, workers receive at least a minimum wage.

Because of you, labor has the right to organize.

Because of you, we have the right to join a union.

Because of you, Americans have health insurance.

Because of you, working families have insurance against unemployment.

Because of you, workers have protections against unsafe workplaces.

Because of you, people have protection against discrimination in the workplace.

Because of these victories, even if they do not all yet work perfectly,
the United States has become a better country, for all Americans -- not only
for union families, but for all families.

But our work is not yet done.

I know that we need labor unions to have some collective bargaining rights if Idaho's workers are to prosper; Mike Simpson has done everything in his power to block worker's rights, and has supported the principles behind Right to Work legislation. I know that Right to Work legislation means the right to work for less money and less benefits, and I know that we need to bring good paying jobs to Idaho. He thinks Medicare and the current health system aren't broken and shouldn't be changed, and that negotiated drug prices are a bad idea. I assure you, I and most Idahoans know better. He thinks that we don't need an exit strategy in Iraq. I know that any solution in Iraq will have to be diplomatic, rather than military.

Until recently, I had never seriously considered the option of a political career; I am a trained chemist, who has been working as a real estate agent in the Boise metropolitan area, and was quite happy with my career. But in the course of my job, I saw too many wrongs being done. 1 out of every 25 homes in Idaho are in some stage of foreclosure. In the first 4 months of this year, 210,000 homeowners have been foreclosed upon. And this doesn't count the people who've had to short sale their homes.

I've tried to help solve this crisis going house to house, client to client. But it isn't enough; this crisis is bigger than I, or any other individual, can solve without facing the bigger picture. During the long Republican dominance of Congress, regulation of the financial sector was slowly chipped away, until there were little to no protections left for consumers. Mike Simpson was in lockstep with his party as this was going on and doesn't deserve re-election.

If the progressive movement is to mean anything in this state, we must not allow Congressman Simpson to pass himself off as a moderate. I want you to be part of our movement to bring real change to Idaho's 2nd District. If we force Mike Simpson to run on his record, we can have a shot at this seat, either in this election, or in elections soon to come.

To do this, we'll need donations, we'll need people like you to volunteer. This must be an united effort on the part of all of those who want change for Idaho. I hope to see you on the trail!

You can donate to the campaign here. Visit our website here.

Debbie Holmes: Mike Simpson on health care

It is, of course, no surprise that Representative Simpson is not an advocate of a single-payer health care system, or any sort of system based on the principle that physical wellbeing is not just another business commodity. However, there are certain measures that even a well meaning opponent of such reform should support. If one is working from a purely business model of health care, surely existing government programs should include drug price negotiation, so that the least expensive medication package is going to those in need?

Apparently not, according to Mike Simpson, who voted against 2007 HR 4, which required negotiated prices for medicine given under Medicare, voting with a bloc which felt that the bill was changing a system which already works well. There are quite a lot of seniors here in Idaho who would disagree with the congressman. Back in 2003, Simpson and his Republican colleagues, at the urging of the pharmaceutical lobby, banned drug price negotiation, increasing an already existing "donut hole" in Medicare, created by flawed Republican policy. In the status quo, there are an estimated 7 million seniors who cannot afford health care individually, but who are not eligible for Medicare coverage. This may be acceptable to Congressman Simpson, but it is not acceptable to the people of Idaho, and it is not acceptable to me. Negotiated drug pricing could decrease the cost of Medicare per individual, allowing greater coverage. A vote for my opponent is a vote against necessary reform, which must be implemented if our seniors are to have what they deserve.

Mike Simpson also voted against the Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which required health care plans to apply similar treatment standards to patients suffering from mental illness as to patients suffering from physical illness. Simpson and his colleagues, with their quibbling over details of the bill, don't seem to recognize the urgency of the issue. Millions of Americans each year are denied coverage for mental health issues under their health care plans; to deny that these people are suffering from illness is an absurdity. Fortunately, my opponent was in the minority on this issue; the bill passed, and we've taken another step towards true parity. But it must be remembered that, if Mike Simpson had his way, nothing would have been done.

Again and again, Mike Simpson thinks Idahoans should be happy with the status-quo. If you want true leadership on health care related issues, I am your candidate. I will always hold the health of the people of Idaho above the health of the pocketbooks of the pharmaceutical lobby.

On an unrelated note, I'd like to congratulate the next President of the United States, Barack Obama, for his nomination victory last night. I'm sure that all of us, whether we supported Senator Obama or Senator Clinton, are glad to be able to go to the general election and illuminate the many reasons why the Democratic message is better than that of our opponents.

Visit our temporary website. You can contribute to the campaign here through ActBlue.

Debbie Holmes is CD2 candidate + new article

Now that I won the election we have another election.
Which  sign do you like better?

Seriously ,  I will try to hold a news conference on Tuesday or Wednesday to outline my plans for  my Campaign.

A new article was written about me.  Here is the link.    http://pointsbypritt.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/a-modern-day-gracie-pfost-debbie-holmes/

 

http://actblue.com/page/debbieholmes

The American West has been the home to some wonderful women in elective office. In Idaho, in the 2nd Congressional District, there was an Arkansan who moved to Idaho who made a lasting impact.  Gracie Pfost moved to Idaho in 1911 and attended college there. After graduation, Pfost took up work as a chemist for a milk company. She entered politics in Canyon County and held several positions in county government between 1929 and 1951, including deputy county clerk, auditor, recorder of deeds and county treasurer. She also served as an Idaho delegate to all Democratic National Conventions between 1944 and 1960.

In 1950, Pfost ran for Congress, and lost, but in 1952, she ran again, defeating former Congressman Compton I. White, Sr. in the Democratic primary and incumbent Congressman John Wood who bested her 2 yrs. earlier. Pfost was reelected in 1954, 1956, 1958 and 1960. In 1962, Pfost was the Democratic nominee in a special Senate election to replace the late Senator Henry Dworshak, but was narrowly defeated by the appointed Republican incumbent, former Governor Len Jordan 51%-49%. After leaving the House in 1963, Pfost worked in the Federal Housing Administration as a special assistant on housing for the elderly, until her death at Johns Hopkins Hospital two years later the age of 59.

Pfost supported stabilization of farm products, improved labor legislation, and the conservation of our minerals, timber, and other lands. Favoring broader Social Security coverage and reduced taxes, her platform also included support for humanitarian legislation. Of greater significance and one which marked her congressional career, she opposed private interests and championed the federal construction of a high, multi-purpose dam at Hells Canyon on the Idaho-Oregon border. Later, in her first speech before the House of Representatives on April 16, 1953, she introduced the bill to allow the federal government the right to construct a dam on the Snake River. Her vigorous support of the project earned her the sobriquet: “Hell’s Belle.” Throughout her career in the House, Pfost continued to support legislation protecting Idaho’s interests first and foremost. Described as a “unique and forceful political personality,” Pfost diligently promoted the mining, timber and agricultural interests of Idaho’s northern counties.

Now in 2008, Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District deserves a new “unique and forceful political personality.” Enter Debbie Holmes, a working mother, who is attempting to pick up where Gracie Pfost left off. Debbie Holmes is definitely the quintessential first-time candidate, but she has gone out of her way to make up for it by taking her campaign directly to the people she wishes to represent. She won 69% in defeating a much better-financed primary opponent.  Debbie Holmes, unlike current Congressman Mike Simpson, has been focusing on the financial crisis, coupled with the healthcare crisis in this nation. As a realtor and a working mother, she knows firsthand the struggle of many working Idahoans, and more so of Americans. Throwing money at a problem will not solve the crisis. In the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis, Holmes believes government should step in and help homeowners renegotiate the value of their property instead of using taxpayer dollars to bail out banks. Thats why Debbie Holmes is fiscally responsible. Also, she recognizes one of those other looming crisises is Iraq and thats why she favors a responsible plan to remove our forces from Iraq so that nation can stabilize.

Holmes, like Gracie Pfost before her, holds an advanced degree in chemistry. Not to mention, like Pfost, as the member of the majority party in Congress, Debbie Holmes can provide better representation and get more federal funding for projects than the current Congressman, Mike Simpson.

Weekend edition 5/23-26 and open thread

Ah, a holiday weekend ... and right after it, our Idaho primary Election Day. Every primary, we Idaho Democrats need to decide whether to vote on our side or vote for the least offensive Republicans on the other. (This is, of course, a key reason why Idaho Republicans want to close their primaries.) I have crossed over a time or two in my life, but only when I lived in Twin Falls County, where we rarely had any contested Dem primaries and even left many seats unchallenged in the 1990s.

There's one very good case to be made for voting in the Democratic primary, even if you live in the 1st CD and relish the idea of voting against Bill Sali and Jim Risch. Your Democratic votes help boost the tallies  for people like Walt Minnick and Larry LaRocco, showing good levels of support for them even if they are essentially (in LaRocco's case) or literally (in Minnick's) running uncontested races.

And for 2nd District voters, this primary is especially important since we have a real choice between Debbie Holmes - a true progressive - and David Sneddon, who seems more intent on running away from the Democratic Party than joining it. If you haven't yet had a chance to meet Debbie, be sure to stop by her Memorial Day Ice Cream Social from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at Boise's Municipal Park, or - if you live somewhere else - check out her website.

Finally, you can vote - again! - in the Democratic presidential nominating contest this Tuesday. True, it's only a "beauty contest" at this point, with no bearing on the nomination - but I for one want to see Barack Obama defeat Hillary Clinton as soundly in our primary as he did in the caucus.

You can find out where to vote here. Polls will be open Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Be sure to vote - and if you're a Democrat or a forward-thinking Independent, please vote Democratic.

Here's some more reading material for your long holiday weekend enjoyment:

See the hottest primary races in Idaho, as picked by Nathaniel Hoffman at Paleomedia, Randy Stapilus at Ridenbaugh Press, and Jasper LiCalzi at the Idaho Statesman.

Why none of the reports of an Obama-Clinton ticket are true - and further evidence (as if we needed more) that the race needs to end, stat.

Oregon superdelegate Jenny Greenleaf announces her support for Obama on the Blue Oregon blog. That's five more so far today, including one who flipped from Clinton.

Add your favorite links - and talk about your weekend plans - in the comments.

Update: Here's info on a Memorial Day event you may want to attend ... Veterans for Peace (VFP) will hold its annual Memorial Day "Circle of Peace" Ceremony and Commemorative Cemetery at Veterans Memorial Park at the corner of Veterans Memorial Parkway and State Street in Boise. The formal ceremony starts at 10 a.m. Monday and will last about 30 - 45 minutes. Headstones, crosses and the "Eyes Wide Open" display will be set up for public viewing and visitation from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. VFP 117 will also staff an information table during the entire day. All are welcome. For more info about the event or volunteering please contact Dwight at 562-1463 or email vfp117@msn.com.

Vote for Debbie Holmes for Congress on May 27!

Debbie is a progressive Democrat who wants to work on health care reform, the housing crisis, and education. Her opponent, David Sneddon, said he'd vote for Larry Craig if he lost his 2002 primary against Alan Blinken, and he told the Idaho Statesman that the politician he's most like is ... get this ... Zell Miller.

Sneddon is a Dem-in-name-only, so we need to be sure Debbie clears the primary to give the 2^nd Congressional District a real choice this fall.

Debbie is hosting a meet and greet ice cream social in Municipal Park in Boise on Monday, May 26, from 4-7 PM.

Check out Debbie's website at http://dhfc.110mb.com/index.html .