FIGHTING DEMS SPOTLIGHT ON COLORADO

[trillian]

FIGHTING DEMS SPOTLIGHT ON COLORADO: Live Blogging with Jay Fawcett (CO-05) and Bill Winter (CO-06)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/21/135051/785">LINK to live blog at KOS


Fighting Dems, Band of Brothers, Veterans for a Secure America, Jay Fawcett, Bill Winter, CO CD 5, CO CD 6

Colorado is a mixed bag, politically. Leaning Republican, there are three Democratic Congressmen to four Republicans. Despite a Republican Governor, there is the popular Democratic Senator Ken L. Salazar who campaigned in a cowboy hat with a populace message, and a respected Congressman in Mark E. Udall. Still, the state went 52% for Bush to Kerry's 47%, so why do two Fighting Dem Vets think they have a snowball chance in hell of winning in two Congressional districts now held by the GOP. Read on below the fold and find out.



Bill Winter and Jay Fawcett blogging live
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In the first place, a popular Democratic candidate for Governor, Bill Ritter, is rallying the faithful. Yesterday at the state Democratic Party's general assembly and Colorado Democrats railed against the national Republican Party as they nominated Bill Ritter for governor along with a slate of statewide candidates. Note the following AP report.

GREELEY - Vowing to fulfill the ‘‘Colorado promise,’’ former Denver district attorney Bill Ritter was picked as the Democratic Party’s nominee for governor the state assembly Saturday. All of Ritter’s competition had faded away months ago, but the party had to formalize his nomination at its state assembly.
The roughly 4,000 officials, delegates and guests welcomed Ritter with a standing ovation and waving up signs bearing his name as he made his way to the stage with Bruce Springsteen’s ‘‘Born to Run’’ blaring from the speakers.

And Salazar and Fighting Dem Jay Fawcett had the crowd cheering according to the Denver Post:

The party's faithful roared as U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, clad in bluejeans and a white cowboy hat, described the Bush administration as "captives of the oil giants of the world."
And Jay Fawcett, the Democratic candidate for the 5th Congressional District, roused the crowd by vowing to put a scare into James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family.
"I believe in God," Fawcett said. "I own a gun. And if you're gay, you're covered by the Constitution of the United States of America."

Turning on the Fawcett

Jay Fawcett (CO-05) is a retired USAF Lt. Col. and Gulf War Veteran. The experts gave him little chance against 10th term incumbent Republican Joel M. Hefley until the latter announced his retirement. DC Political Report promptly upgraded the race to four stars, indicating a serious candidate with national issues likely to influence the results. And recent polling data is even more encouraging. In a poll conducted by Whitman Insight Strategies (April 26 – May 3, 2006), among 400 likely voters (margin of error +/- 4.9%), nearly half the electorate (47%) would already consider voting for Jay Fawcett in this year’s election, with another third (35%) undecided. Once voters are given just a little bit of information about Jay, he takes a commanding lead in the horserace –39% for Fawcett compared to just 22% for the Republican. Colorado voters are desperate for change. Two-thirds (66%) are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the U.S., and only 20% approve the job Congress is doing. And they don’t believe the Republican Party has the answers. Nearly 2 in 3 voters in Colorado’s Fifth District (63%) would consider voting for a Democrat – more than twice as many (31%) who say they will definitely vote Republican. With the Republican Party in complete disarray -- consumed by in-fighting and a bitter partisan struggle fueled by James Dobson’s attempt to buy himself a seat in Congress -- voters are turning to Jay Fawcett, an independent Democrat who will stand up to big oil and drug companies and fight to restore billions in health care benefits for veterans that have been cut by this Congress.

Someone must be running scared, as the Fawcett campaign prepared to send out emails relative to the Congressional District Assembly, they discovered that the Internet line had been severed with wire cutters (reported in the local Daily Gazette, "Fawcett Cut Off.") It was fixed, the emails were sent.

Another factor weighting in Jay Fawcett's favor is that this district has is that the district has one of the country's biggest concentrations of veterans. It includes the Air Force Academy, where Jay taught, two Air Force bases, a major Army installation and NORAD, the air defense command. State Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak has said that Fawcett has a good chance of winning the seat because of his military background. (See FOX News, Thursday, February 16, 2006).
Jay has been endorsed by VetPAC and US Secure PAC. You can read a kos diary on "Bush's New Draft" by Jay here.


Winter is Coming

And what about Bill Winter in the 6th CD? His opponent, 4th term Republican incumbent Tom Tancredo, is not retiring. Polling information in this district is also encouraging. Anzalone-Liszt Research shows that even at this early date, Tom Tancredo cannot even muster a majority vote against Bill Winter (48%-36%), despite a huge name recognition advantage (85%-9%). This indicates serious vulnerability on the part of the incumbent Republican. If Bill Winter can get his message to the people in the coming months, the advantage Tancredo still has will inevitably shrink. Further, a high negative rating for Tancredo has only 44% saying they will vote for his reelection, while 42% indicate they will vote for someone new. Tancredo is being caught in the cross-currents of a nasty political environment for Republican incumbents. Voters are unhappy with the direction the country is going in (in CO CD 6, 55% say the U.S. is moving in the wrong direction and 58% think it should move in a new direction), and President Bush in CD 6 now has a 51% negative job rating. Winter was awarded the Progressive Patriot Award over a number of superb candidates and is now vying to get the Netroots Act Blue Candidate endorsement. This kind of support is vital to take advantage of the discontent and yearning for change by bringing Bill Winter to the voters.

Bill Winter had the following words of Praise from CD-7 Candidate Ed Perlmutter:

Our country takes a giant step in the wrong direction when we refuse to stand up to the Tom Tancredo's of the world. Sadly, in politics today, there is an overabundance of weak-kneed opportunists who lack the courage and conviction to take on a challenge like Colorado's conservative 6th Congressional District. But I tell you what, adversity and Bill Winter are longtime foes, and more often than not Bill comes out on top. His story is that of an orphan born with a hole in his heart who overcame the long odds to become a Marine, Naval Officer, a U.S. Senate Staffer, a lawyer, a high school science teacher and a football coach. Time and time again, Bill has proven his love for our county with his genuine commitment to public service. This is a race we can and will win with the Netroots help. If Bill can get the financing he needs to get his message out, it will resonate with Coloradans. The people of 6th District are ready for a Congressman who would rather talk about bringing our troops home safely and providing affordable and accessible healthcare to all Americans. I could go on but I will sum it up by saying, Tom Tancredo's constituents are hungry for change and the man who can bring about that change is Bill Winter.

Below learn more about Jay and Bill.

For more information on Fighting Dems in general, visit Fighting-Dems.com. Also Eric Massa will be posting his weekly diary, this week on Immigration, at 3:00pm this afternoon on Eric Massa's Diary.




Jay Fawcett for U.S. Congress (CO-05)
Service: Lt Colonel, U.S. Air Force (retired).

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

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. A number of Republicans are vying for the nomination.
District Profile: Hefley won by 70.5% in '04. 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. Recent polls say that Jay can win this one.
Key issues: Focusing on our families, our rights, and our responsibilities; 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.

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Bill Winter for U.S. Congress (CO-06)

Service: U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy
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

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.
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." Recent polling has shown Tancredo's vulnerability and the opportunity for a sweeping change in this district.
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!
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Colorado offers us a genuine opportunity to bring a state back into the Democratic fold, and to increase the Congressional representation this election cycle.

[Donna Zen]

1. Go fighting Dems

These races look better ever time they come up.

I'll be checking in.

[donco6]

2. Thanks trillian.

Another note: The race for governor is heating up, with a potential Repug split ticket! Holtzman refuses to bow out after yesterday's losing Convention bid. He's going to put himself on the ballot by petition. This can only help Ritter.

[kentuck]

3. The name is Bill Ritter...

He's a great candidate. I know him to be a very passionate Democrat.

[rockymountaindem]

7. I'm glad to hear you say that

There's so much griping going on about Ritter and his views on abortion (which I can't find anyting wrong with: he's entitled to his opinion but says he won't change any laws) it makes my head spin. I can't say I know a whole lot about him, but I have read about his views alternative energy and on education and I can tell that he actually cares about the state's youth and their soaring tuition bills and debt. That's enough for me. I don't go to school in state, but I do care about my friends who do. I'll be voting for Ritter by absentee ballot this fall.

[nevergiveup]

4. Who is the homophobic nasty

congresswoman from Colorado. Does she have an opponent? If so I would send he or she some money. She is a despicable human being. I saw her on Larry King and she made me :puke:

[trillian]

5. Not sure...

But...if you go over to http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/21/135051/785">kos, you could ask Jay and Bill. They'd know.

[rockymountaindem]

6. Marylyn Musgrave does indeed have an opponent

State Senator Angie Paccione is running against her in the 4th Colorado district. Here's a link:

http://www.angie2006.com/

[DeepModem Mom]

8. K&R