**MEANWHILE** on the election front .... a question about your fave candidate .....

[Stinky The Clown]

This thread has two purposes. The first is to get us talking again about some good news. The second is to try to sink some of the brazillian or so Kerry threads.

Here's the question:

Who is your favorite candidate that we may not have heard much about? Talk about why you think she/he is a great candidate and talk about where they seem to be against their opponent.

I know DU is generally well informed, so maybe we *have* heard about the person. People like Darcy Burner in Washington State come to mind. (I really, really like her.)

Yak it up. Have fun. Pump the person. Get some mojo going. Write a love letter or a fan letter.

[underpants]

1. Kick

:hi:

[cali]

2. I can get into this.

My favorite candidate is Peter Welch who will win Bernie's old seat. He's just a phenomenal guy. Yes, I've met him. I knew his step-daughter. He's a strong and knowlegable and committed environmentalist, and a long time activist for civil rights. He's a true blue liberal. Stylistically, he's very different than Bernie. He has a different energy, but he'll be great.

[stillcool]

3. I live in Massachusetts...

and Deval Patrick is the latest member of my dream team. I can't wait to see what he's going to do. There are some people that can still inspire me to believe in humanity, and he is one. What I like most about Deval Patrick, is that he appears to have a heart, and a soul. He speaks off the cuff, in fluent english. The words are not parsed, garbled, or memorized. They flow...with a linear thought running through, linking them together. Just like the good old days. He is only one person, but I think he will put together a cohesive team to put his words and ideas into action. When I think of what will happen when the bottom falls out of whatever is left of our federal government, I'm kind of happy I live in this state.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. Hi, H2S...

I'll post here gladly. My favorite candidate, whom I've talked about here quite a bit, is Alaska's Democratic candidate for U.S. House, Diane Benson. She is an articulate, thoughtful, honest, progressive Native Alaskan woman, who has been active in the peace movement here since the beginning of the war. Her soldier son was injured by a roadside bomb last year in Iraq (two weeks after he was supposed to have been sent home) and lost both of his legs. While visiting him during his recuperation at Walter Reed, she got to know Max Cleland, who encouraged her to run for Congress against super-porker Don Young. Diane speaks clearly and fearlessly against the war, and her message is the same no matter who she's talking to.

Her chief focus (besides ending the war) is on veterans' issues, renewable resources, fighting poverty and inequality, restoring ethics and civility to Congress, and representing ordinary Alaskans, not big corporate interests, which is where Don Young's focus lies. While she holds progressive ideas right down the line, she has an amazing ability to appeal to conservative voters and bring people together and has picked up quite a bit of Republican support here in Alaska.

The most recent poll shows Don Young with 43%, Diane with 34%, and a huge 15 percent undecided. We think we have a good chance of picking up a good chunk of the undecideds. Don Young has shown incredible contempt towards Alaskans, especially this campaign season, flatly refusing an invitation by Diane to appear in three townhall forums in Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks, and refused to even appear in the same venues as Diane, even canceling some appearances when he learned she would be there. He has called the Anchorage Daily News (Alaska's largest newspaper), which has been favorable to Diane, the "Daily Screw." He agreed to only one "debate" if it could be called that -- a very moderated forum on public TV -- at which the Libertarian candidate in his closing remarks urged everybody to vote for Diane if they wanted their votes to really count for something.

Here is a link to her website for anyone who's interested. She would be a great representative for Alaska and for all of us. If she makes it to DC, I guarantee she will be a leader.

http://www.bensonforcongress.com/

[calimary]

5. Barbara Radnofsky.

Here's her website: http://www.radnofsky.com/

Okay, I'm in California and she's in Texas. But here's why I was impressed with her:

She actually called me, at home, personally, a few months back, to discuss issues and her campaign. Everything I said I was concerned about - she agreed with me and shared my views, from the war to the environment to a woman's right to choose. She made a lot of sense when she was talking and I wasn't. I think she got my contact info because I'd given a little money and a lot of notes and campaign ideas to Richard Morrison, who, last time around, ran unsuccessfully against tom delay. Maybe it was because they remember people from out of state who care enough to make a contribution or something. And she took an impressive amount of time with me, too. The campaign was still young back then, but still - I'm sure she had lots of other critical things to do with her time. But she cared enough for personal outreach. I'm not gonna forget that.

[Infinite Hope]

6. Patty Wetterling, Tim Walz, and Coleen Rowley...

Because they're real down-to-Earth Minnesotans who will bring integrity back to Congress. Get out and volunteer in Minnesota!

[Pacifist Patriot]

7. Dr. Bob Bowman, FL-15 Candidate

http://www.bowman2006.com/

Pledging to introduce articles of impeachment, really passionate about Veteran's Affairs, attends peace rallies, big into separation of church and state, promotes civil rights for EVERYONE!

It breaks my heart to think that bigoted crook, Dave Weldon, might be elected yet again.