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Today is Ashwin Madia Blog Day and so as a supporter from pretty much the day the primary field settled. I thought I’d post a little bit about why I’ve been part of Madiamania for so long. It shouldn’t be two hard beacuse two blogs today, Ashwin’s in The Hill and Howie Klein’s on DownWithTyranny, have spelled out my main reason pretty well. I’ve supported Ashwin Madia since the start beacuse he has courage.
Today in a blog for The Hill Ashwin summed it up in one line
It’s time for a little more bravery in Washington.
Ashwin Madia has the courage to take on the war’s biggest cheerleader, Joe Lieberman
Today, the Republican Party announced that the loudest defender of status quo policies on Iraq, Senator Joe Lieberman, will be a prominent speaker at the Republican National Convention in my home state of Minnesota. Senator Lieberman and I do have one thing in common. We’ve both changed political parties. I left the Republican Party in 2002 after it replaced “balance our budget” with “borrow and spend” and after we started a war without a plan for success; a war we did not need.
With all respect to Senator Lieberman, talking tough about Iraq is not brave. Bravery is not demonstrated through words but instead through action.
Ashwin Madia has the courage to oppose the recent FISA bill.
I am troubled by the House passage of HR 6304, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. There is much we can do to prevent terrorism, but such measures do not require the sacrifice of fundamental constitutional freedoms which our country was founded upon. This legislation demonstrates the need for leaders in Congress who have experience in the military and in Iraq, and who value the rule of law as we fight the War on Terror.
Ashwin Madia has the courage to stand for full equality for all Americans.
Ever since the start of my campaign, I have been reaching out to members of the LGBT community in Minnesota. That’s because I strongly believe in full equal rights for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.
As a Marine Corps lawyer who served in Iraq, I was one of first attorneys to successfully defend a gay Marine from discrimination in the military. It wasn’t easy to stand in front of a jury made up of other U.S. Marines and argue against the military’s bigoted and shameful “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, but I was more than willing to do so. I would I would be proud to serve alongside anyone brave enough to put on the uniform.
As someone with a brother who is gay, I would advocate passionately for passage of a federal hate crimes law that recognizes the disproportionate number of threats on a daily basis faced by members of the LGBT community. Existing law already extends legal protections for a number of vulnerable minority communities. Every day that we do not have this protection, LGBT individuals remain at risk.
I support same-sex marriage and full equality under the law. Civil unions fall short and seem to be a way for politicians to avoid recognizing all people as equal.
Lastly, it is unacceptable that our nation continues to allow a form of discrimination to exist in the workplace based on a characteristic that is just as inherent as sex, race, or disability. I support efforts to prohibit job discrimination.
I’m running for an open seat which had been held by a moderate Republican. But my opponent, State Representative Erik Paulsen, has been a vehement opponent of equal rights for LGBT Minnesotans for more than a decade. He led the fight in 2004, and again in 2006, to write discrimination into the Minnesota state constitution. He even voted to prevent equal benefits from being provided to domestic partners of state employees even though many of Minnesota’s largest employers already have policies that promote equality.
I have been endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign and by Minnesota’s Stonewall DFL (Democrats). I hope you will consider supporting my campaign in the coming days and weeks. We need pragmatic problem solving not people who put their political ideology ahead of principles. It’s time for a few more patriots in Congress and a few less politicians.
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Those are just three examples to give you a idea of what Ashwin is about. Ashwin is a fighter, if we send him to Washington he will not disappoint.
We won’t get a great progressive like that in Washington by wishing for it. We’ve got to work for it.
Want courage in Washington? Donate.
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Wow! Thanks for promoting this.
I might just have to write a few more diaries ;)
Hey Karl, thanks for writing it!
Good comments. I do have to agree with one thing with Madia. Yes, it is time for some bravery. But I just dont’ buy too much because special interests is King in Washington. Will he be brave enough to go against those that will be trying to buy his election? PAC money?
Actually it is really this, my mantra. The time has come, the time is now. Lead, Follow or get the hell out of the way!
Can Madia really do that when he will be a lap dog for special interests? I can live with Madia in office if Dillon doesn’t make it but Dillon is more common sense and more in line with my thinking of government. I just couldn’t live with Paulsen in there. He could be a poster child for Special interest voting. But this is a democracy and we have our opinions. Glad you are willing to write about those. Thanks!!
It does not take any courage at all to have those stances.
He wrote against Lieberman’s war stance in a blog — oooooh. Big stuff.
Full equality for all Americans? That does not exactly put him alone on that limb.
If elected Blue will be a back-benching freshman who will be required to vote how the special interests and national party leaders tell him. After all, he’s taking all their money — he has not seen a check yet he didn’t like. Open his mouth? Only if someone else tells him that’s okay.
Only David Dillon has sworn off special interest money. When he goes to Washington he will directly work for the people — not Act Blue, not the unions, not the national democratic party committees….., nor any of the special interests that Red is suckling with.
And as an Indepedent, Dillon’s influence will extend far greater than being one elected rep among hundreds.
Dillon is impressive. I’ll be the first to admit this is a legitimate 3-party race. The smaller the race, the more a 3rd party candidate can do. This might just be of the size where Dillon can gain some momentum.
He did a nice job in the Thursday debate of establishing himself as a legit candidate with his own views that are different from the other two, not just a 3rd party brat who was hanging around to be a spoiler.
People that don’t think Madia will vote his conscience must have never met him and certainly don’t know him. Since neither party has seen someone like him in a long time it’s maybe understandable that some think he’ll be like others before him….but I don’t believe that for a moment. Many individual contributors choose to give through Act Blue (including many Veterans that support Madia) so I don’t exactly look at this the same way I see Paulsen supporting and taking money from Exxon Mobil and other oil companies. Madia didn’t exactly have the support of the DFL super delegates during the endorsement process (they mistakenly signed on to Bonoff before either Madia or Hovland entered the race…only to regret this action later), but he won anyway….because he energized both the old guard delegates and the first timers, and he didn’t do it by pandering to anybody. He says what he believes and sticks to his guns. He was the first one I heard say the “stimulus checks” that Bush and Congress were so eager to get to us was a bad idea and poor fiscal policy…what we need is comprehensive long term economic stimulus…not short term borrowing from China. His idea of balancing the budget is not rhetoric, he’ll work hard to make it happen, including being open to looking at all spending to see where we can cut waste and be more efficient. He’s frugal and runs a tight ship…maybe it’s the military background or the fact that so many attorneys that have worked with him recognize what an exceptional person and candidate he is. He’ll be a Congressman that Dem’s, Rep’s and Independents will vote for over and over and over…He’s that good! Paulsen and Dillon may be nice guys, but they are not in Madia’s class.
Just a simple question Bleed Purple.
Where did you find out about MNPublius?