Cross posted from dKos.
If you want to ask Bill Winters or Jay Fawcett a question, or just want to thank them for running against the mean machine, you can do so here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/26/13421/7167 FIGHTING DEMS SPOTLIGHT ON COLORADO - Live Blogging by Jay Fawcett and Bill Winter
by Fighting Dem Vets
Sun Feb 26, 2006 at 11:04:21 AM PDT
The Massa for Congress blogger team has been coordinating live-blogging efforts with other Veteran campaigns to give the netroots a chance to interact with these candidates. The current plan is to feature Veterans in spotlight sections each Sunday. Tomorrow (Feb. 26, 2006) from 1-3pm eastern the Spotlight will be on Colorado Veterans Jay Fawcett (CO-05) and Bill Winter (CO-06). Jay and Bill will be on hand to chat with you. From 3-5pm Eric Massa (NY-29) will liveblog about the new port controversy. Finally from 5-7pm the Spotlight will be on Florida Veterans Rick Penberthy (FL-05) and David Bruderly (FL-06), who will then be on hand to live-blog.
Previously, Mishonda Baldwin (MD 03) live-blogged here. Karen Marie Otter (CA 52) was tentatively scheduled to liveblog last week but couldn't make it. We hope to get her involved another time and maybe get Mishonda on again in addition to other Veterans who will be spotlighted later.
Interesting news came recently from a Rasmussen poll showing that Democrats are trusted more than the President on National Security issues (43% for Dems to 41% for President Bush). And this was before the ports story broke.
The 66 Fighting Dems may be part of the reason why Democrats are doing better than the President on National Security issues. Republicans have said they have about 40 non-incumbent Veterans running for office but my recent $1000 reward offer for anyone who can prove they really do have that many has remained unanswered. E-mails to members of the media who mentioned the stat, including Helen Thomas and Greg Giroux of CQ.com, have yet to yield any proof.
Spotlighting Jay Fawcett for U.S. Congress (CO-05)
Rank/Branch: Lt Colonel, U.S. Air Force (retired)
Service: Air Force Academy graduate and faculty member; served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Iraq. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his actions. Upon graduation he went to Navigator training and was selected as a Weapon Systems Officer in the F4 Phantom, serving in fighter squadrons in Korea and Spain. Jay left Spain in 1983 for the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University completing the degree requirements for an MBA in 1985. Wanting to give back to the young people who would follow in his footsteps, then Captain Fawcett joined the faculty of the Air Force Academy in June of 1985. This stay lasted three years on the faculty and one year as the Academy's headquarters squadron commander. Soon after his marriage, he was transferred to Fort Campbell, KY serving as the Air Liaison Officer for the First Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. He was deployed into military action in the first Gulf War. Serving in Desert Shield and the initial helicopter assault into Iraq during Desert Storm, Major Fawcett was awarded a Bronze Star for his actions. The end of Desert Jay was relocated to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia where Jay earned the coveted position of working on the staff of the Deputy Commander for Operations of Air Combat Command and was promoted to Lt Colonel. Leaving Virginia in 1994, the family moved on to Hurlburt Field in Florida. Jay developed a training program for theater level air campaign planning.
Upbringing: The son of a steelworker and a nurse, Jay Fawcett's early life was spent in Monongahela, Pennsylvania where he learned that hard work and dedication are the keys to success. Achieving the status of Eagle Scout and being an active member of Grace Lutheran Church, Jay gained an appreciation of being a part of his community. Service to America and Americans was and still is the underlining theme of the Fawcett family. At seventeen, Jay arrived in Colorado Springs, reporting to the Air Force Academy as a Cadet with the class of 1977.
Family: Married to Susan O'Connell at the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel. A daughter, Elizabeth, a son, John, and a black lab mix named Captain Hook.
Positions: In 1998, after serving his country in combat and during the Cold War, Lt Colonel Fawcett retired from the Air Force. Returning to Colorado Springs, Jay began working at US Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base as a defense contractor.
CAMPAIGN
Party and District: Democrat in the 5th Congressional District.
Opponent: CO-05 is an open seat. 10th term Republican incumbent Joel Hefley will not seek reelection. Jay does not face any Democrat in a primary.
District Profile: Hefley won by 70.5% in '04. In an article "Turning on the Fawcett - Seeking the impossible dream" it was said that to unseat Hefley, Fawcett will have to raise a historic amount of money to win. Now, however, with Hefley's retirement, the situation has changed drastically. DC Political Report now gives it four stars for a race which not only has a credible challenger, but also a situation in which national trends could easily affect the outcome.
Theme: Focusing on our families, our rights, and our responsibilities.
Key issues: Military Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Veteran's Benefits, Gun Safety, New Freedoms.
Statement: Many members of Congress have traveled to Iraq. However, if elected, I will be one of only a few members of Congress to have served in combat in Iraq. I fought in the first Gulf War. I agree with the position of Mark Udall on Iraq. The war in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and the Global War on Terrorism demand a new military. In my current position as a defense contractor, I have been hard at work on the transformation of the military, creating and implementing solutions that respond to the Post Cold War military requirements. We must restructure the active duty force. Get the National Guard back to its mission as state militia focused on Homeland Defense and not a global fire brigade. Ensure that any National Guardsman or Reservist called to active duty is provided with family support and no loss in income. No matter what your position on the war, if we pull out now the entire region will spiral into chaos and present our nation and military with far greater challenges than we currently face. Make it clear to the world that the U.S. is not seeking to have permanent bases placed in Iraq. We need an independent oversight commission to ensure that corporations and contractors aren't profiteering off of the war in Iraq.
When a citizen takes a vow to protect America with their life, America should vow to take care of them and their family should their health or ability to make a living be impaired by their service.
The Cold War is over. We are now engaged in a Global War on Terrorism. What is the grand strategy? What are we doing in the global theater? In World War II we had a grand strategy and were successful, we don't have one now.
By working within the global economy we will continue to grow our own economy and be strong enough to create a consistent foreign policy. This strength will give us the flexibility to use selective options we need to secure world peace.
Free trade is the baseline of a strong foreign economic policy. We must insist that the countries from whom we import adhere to environment, health and labor standards.
The United States is the world standard for civil rights, period. When we fail to set an effective example for the rest of the world we lose our credibility to insist on higher standards from others. When we are wrong, we must admit our mistakes and move quickly to correct them.
I grew up with guns, but I understand that guns in the wrong hands are deadly. We must work to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and we must demand that law abiding citizens who do own guns, like me use them safely, responsibly and lawfully.
We have made a promise to our Senior Citizens that we must honor. We must also create solutions for the young people just entering the workforce. Ideas such as a true national retirement structure that is portable and fully funded must become a reality.
Health Care is not only a moral issue; it is an enabler that could reduce costs for small businesses and their employees. Transportable health insurance reflects the reality of a new economy and the demands of a new generation of employers and employees. By removing the crushing burden of the health care struggle, we allow more time and energy for the development of a new economy.
Our economy is based on the assumption of low cost energy. Since we are not going to change our economy or our culture, we must change the source of energy. We can and must commit to the end of reliance on non-renewable resources by 2015.
I fully support a citizen's right to have complete control over their reproductive choices.
State governments should provide for recognition of long-term family contracts. In this manner, same sex couples will achieve legal standing.
Website: Fawcett for Congress
Contact: Contact
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Spotlighting Bill Winter for U.S. Congress (CO-06
Military Service: Ten years service in the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy. Bill joined the Marine Corps when he was 17 and went to boot camp just a couple weeks after high school graduation. He served in the Marine Reserve for four years in an artillery unit. He wants to be very clear about one thing from the start. Bill doesn't claim to be a hero. He never saw combat or saved lives or won medals. He simply did his duty and served his Country and is proud of that service. This is what a patriotic American does. Later he joined the Navy to pay for the last year of college, to learn a skill, and to see the world. Bill was chosen Outstanding Recruit in his basic training Company, and subsequently earned honors and awards at every posting he had in the Navy. He spent several years working on F-14 fighters at NAS Miramar in San Diego and various aircraft carriers.
Education: Bill went to college at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and was lucky to be able to work for the football program there under Coach Bill McCartney. Among other things, he got to travel with the team to the January 1, 1990 Orange Bowl. Shortly after he went into the Navy and received his undergraduate degree from Chapman University at almost the same time his enlistment in the Navy ran out.
Positions: He took a job with Lockheed Martin as a civilian contractor for TOPGUN working on the airplanes. After a couple of years at TOPGUN, Bill entered law school at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Going to law school in Washington gave him opportunities he wouldn't have had elsewhere. He got to ask Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia some tough questions when he spoke at the school on various occasions. He held jobs in the Department of Justice; with a Federal District Court Judge; and finally, on Senator John McCain's Commerce Committee staff in the U.S. Senate. After several years in the D.C. area, Bill took a position with a large law firm in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and began a three year stint in the deep south. He also worked on Senator McCain's Presidential primary campaign against George W. Bush, Jr. -- an amazing and exciting experience. His final year in North Carolina was something entirely different. Bill left the law firm and took a position as a science teacher in a Winston-Salem high school. He says that was without a doubt the hardest job he's ever had, and his respect for teachers is unlimited after that experience. Just over three years ago Bill decided to return to Colorado and came back to his home in CD-06. Since then he has been practicing law, substitute teaching occasionally, and coaching high school football in Douglas County.
CAMPAIGN
Party and District: Democrat in the 6th Congressional District
Opponent: 4th term incumbent Republican Tom Tancredo. Unopposed in Democratic primary.
Upbringing: Bill is a Colorado native and 1982 graduate of Littleton High School. He was born in Greeley in 1964 and was an orphan who was born with a heart problem and had surgery to correct it as a child. He was lucky to be adopted since most kids with a medical problem do not get chosen. Bill's adoptive parents both practiced medicine in Colorado for a long time and are distinguished members of the Colorado medical profession. He has five brothers and sisters and all but one of them still live in Colorado. When he was 14 years old the family moved to Littleton and has lived there ever since. Bill attended Grant Junior High School, went to Heritage High School his sophomore year, and graduated from Littleton High School. Bill has lived a large part of his life in CD-06.
Endorsements and support: Senator Ken Salazar, Rep. Mark Udall, Rep. John Salazar, Rep. Dianna DeGette, Speaker of the Colorado House Andrew Romanoff, Colorado House Majority Leader Alice Madden, Colorado Senate President Joan Fitzgerald, and Colorado Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon.
District profile: Tancredo got 59.5% in '04, but broke his term limit pledge, The Western Democrat is blunt: "The more Tancredo marches across the country, preparing himself as the darling of the far right in 2008, the more Winter can look like a serious, considerate, smart candidate." the second Fighting Dem in Colorado along with Jay Fawcett.
Statement: When I was 17, and again when I was 24, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I believe that I'm still bound by that oath, and I believe that our Constitution is under attack now more than any other time in my life. I'm running for Congress to defend the Constitution, to serve my Country, to serve my native state, and to serve the District where I grew up. And I'm running for Congress to give our government back to the people, which is what our Founding Fathers intended in the first place! I want to serve - the way I served as a 17 year old in the Marine Corps. I want to give CD-06 back to the people. And here's why:
I believe the majority of people in CD-06 care about their fellow man. I believe the majority of people in CD-06 want affordable, accessible health care for ALL Americans. I believe the majority of people in CD-06 want better schools and better opportunities for their children and their families. I believe the majority of people in CD-06 want realistic solutions to our immigration problems and to keeping American jobs in America!
I believe the majority of people in CD-06 want the federal government to help us in the event of a disaster and not leave us to starve on rooftops. I believe the majority of people in CD-06 want federal help to maintain our highways and help us find enough water for everyone. I believe the majority of people in CD-06 want some kind of comprehensive security plan to keep us safe from terrorists as well as accidents and natural disasters.
I believe the majority of people in CD-06 want to make the most difficult choices in their lives themselves and keep the government out of it, whether it's the gut wrenching decision to end a pregnancy, or the absolutely heartbreaking choices at the end of a life! And I believe the majority of people in CD-06 want a rational plan to bring a swift and secure end to the war in Iraq so that no more of our sons and daughters have to die for a flawed policy that does not make us safer!
I won't compromise on these principles. At the end of the day I can always go back to practicing law and coaching kids, but my integrity is something that I can't get back if I give it away.
So I will stand by these principles and I will talk to Democrats, Republicans, Unaffiliated voters, and anyone else who will listen, because I believe that we all have much more in common than we have in differences. I believe it's time we all stopped saluting donkeys and elephants, and started saluting the American flag again!
Website: Winter for Congress
Contact: Contact Winter
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