I posted this diary on Kos on the 6th of April. The original intent of my diary was to find a candidate to oppose Frank Wolf. It details much of his voting record from 2004.
Naturegal was kind enough to inform me of Judy Feder's campaign. Since then she has become the only Democrat opposition to be on the ballot to oppose frank wolf... Check out his voting record in the diary linked above. Also see Raising Kaine
Judy is the dean of Public Policy for Georgetown and has advised Congress and the Clinton White House. She understands what is really important to american families.
I received this letter from Judy on the 21st:
Hi H+óGé¼GÇ¥I can't believe it's only been two months since I decided it was time for me to stand up for my community by running for Congress. With your help and that of so many volunteers, we've accomplished an unbelievable amount. Let me update you.
I've been visiting with voters and volunteers from all across Virginia's 10th Congressional District +óGé¼GÇ¥ from Dranesville to Winchester, from Warrenton to Leesburg +óGé¼GÇ¥ and I've discovered widespread support for new leadership. So many parents are worried that, despite their hard work to secure their children's future, the future will not be brighter than today. People of all ages doubt that America's promise will continue to hold.
They're excited that my top priority is to make life better in Virginia and to make our country's future brighter. For thirty years, I've fought to make health care more affordable, and as a member of the House of Representatives I'll continue that fight and work to solve the other everyday problems families face +óGé¼GÇ¥ the traffic that robs us of time with our families, the schools that face new challenges as our communities grow, the out-of-control development that paves over our open space and pollutes our environment. I'll also work tirelessly to restore responsibility and accountability to our government so that we can count on it to protect us in times of crisis and to preserve our prosperity in times of peace.
You can learn more about me at my newly-launched website (which is still under construction), www.JudyFeder.com.
This is why so many volunteers spent hours at community fairs, grocery stores, and going door to door to gather the signatures needed to get my name on the ballot. (I'm grateful to each and every one.) I'm happy to report that we collected almost twice as many signatures as required. And as no other candidates filed for the June primary, I will be the Democratic nominee to represent Virginia's 10th District in November's general election!
Volunteer support has been matched by support from donors. Last quarter, I raised more than twice as much as my opponent, no small feat considering he's a 26-year incumbant! This will give us the resources to take our message to every voter in the 10th District, to print the literature to distribute door-to-door, mail the letters to their homes, and support the staff and volunteers who will make this operation possible.
To thank all those who have helped so far and to launch the next phase of the campaign, I am having a celebration of the grand opening of my campaign headquarters this Sunday, April 23, from 1:30-3:00 pm. We'll be joined by special guests including Senator Mark Herring, Senator Janet Howell, Delegate Chuck Caputo, Delegate David Poisson, and other community and political leaders from the ten cities and counties that make up the 10th Congressional District. Please stop by, and bring friends and neighbors whom I haven't yet had the chance to meet.
The office is located at 46950 Jenning's Farm Drive, Suite 100, in Sterling. For a map and directions, visit www.JudyFeder.com.
I hope to see you there, and I look forward to spending more time with you over the next weeks and months. To contact me, email Judy@JudyFeder.com.
Thanks for everything!
Judy
P.S. To learn more about the campaign, to sign up to volunteer, or to make a contribution, visit www.JudyFeder.com.
Judy Feder for Congress
46950 Jenning's Farm Dr., Suite 100
Sterling, VA 20164Forward this message to a friend
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I was unfortunately unable to attend the get to gether. I was in Atlanta for a wedding, but Lowell from Raising Kaine was there:
1) Why, in your own words, have you decided to run for the US House of Representatives this year? What convinced you to get involved in politics at this level?
I've lived in Northern Virginia for more than 30 years and raised two sons here. I know how much our community has changed: our roads are clogged with traffic, our health care costs are rising faster than salaries, rising tuition costs are placing college out of reach and our beautiful landscape is disappearing beneath out of control development.Over the past five years, we've seen congressional leaders put their friends above our families. Like most Americans, I am sickened by the way incompetence and cronyism lead our government to neglect its basic duty to keep its citizens safe. I am outraged when my students who serve in the military are sent to Iraq and Afghanistan without the resources to keep them safe. And I was deeply disappointed by Congress's Medicare Drug Bill, which favors insurance and drug companies over seniors and their families.
I feel we need a new direction. The people of Virginia and our country are ready for a change. Recent elections show that the voters of the 10th district want leaders focused on the problems they face and dedicated to solving them. I have the values and priorities to deliver for Virginia+óGé¼Gäós families. It+óGé¼Gäós time I put my body on the line.
Lowell :: Judy Feder for Congress: Exclusive RK Interview
Virginia and the rest of the country are rapidly becoming more blue. Northern Virginia is the most liberal part of VA and Frank Wolf has represented this district for 26 years!
Here is a snippet of my diary above:
Did I mention he is a tax-cut and spend Republican:500. H.R. 5212, FY 2005 supplemental appropriations. Amendment to offset the $11 billion of the emergency supplemental appropriations for disaster relief with a proportional reduction of FY 2005 discretionary spending and exempt the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs from the cuts. No. Failed 89-321. 10/6/04.
88. H.Con.Res. 393, FY 2005 budget resolution. Substitute amendment to provide for $43.3 billion in additional spending including $30.5 billion for non-defense programs and $12.8 for defense, homeland security and veterans' programs, and $5 billion for deficit reduction in FY 2005, including rescinding tax cuts for individuals with over $200,000 in gross income, closing several tax loopholes, and reducing funding for the ballistic missile defense program. No. Failed 119-302. 3/25/04.
He really likes to pass debt burden on to his children:
89. H.Con.Res. 393. Substitute amendment to provide for a balanced budget by FY 2012 and reduce the deficit by half over the next two years, including deferring additional tax cuts or other proposals to create additional budgetary obligations until Congress and the president have taken action to reduce the deficit, and to allow for a one-year extension of the $1,000 child tax credit, marriage penalty relief, and the 10 percent tax bracket, and allow for an extension of the tax cuts after 2010 subject to pay-as-you-go rules. No. Failed 183-243. 3/25/04.
91. H.Con.Res. 393. Substitute amendment to provide for a balanced budget by FY 2012 and allow discretionary spending to keep pace with inflation, including allowing for an extension of certain tax cuts, including the $1,000 child tax credit, while reducing tax cuts for individuals with over $500,000 in annual income, and establish a pay-as-you-go point of order procedure that could be raised against any tax cuts or spending increases that are not offset. No. Failed 194-232. 3/25/04.
Northern Virginia is ready for a change! Jim Webb is running for senate and again, Raising Kaine has the scoop, plus they have endorsements by local school board representatives here. Shout out to Mary Hynes
It is time to take virginia back!! Please support Judy in any way you can. Virginia (especially VA-10) is competative!!!!!!!!!
It is time for a change.
I was a senior at Herndon High School when Frank Wolf was first elected to Congress 26 years ago, he has been my representative in Congress for most of my life.
On September 27, 1994, 300 candidates for public office, including Frank Wolf, gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and signed their names to the "Contract with America". Their pledge: 'If we break this contract, throw us out.'
Among the issues contained in the "Contract with America" were "THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT" (A balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out- of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses.) and "THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT" (A first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators). These descriptions are directly from the contract, you can view it yourself at http://www.house.gov/house/Contract/CONTRACT.html .
Let's see how Frank Wolf has done on these two issues:
THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT - Frank Wolf signed the "Contract with America" calling for Congressional Term Limits 12 years ago after he had already been in office for 14 years. How does he feel about Term Limits now?
THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT- How about Fiscal Responsibility? The National Debt when Frank Wolf was first elected in 1980 was $930 Billion (with a "B"), currently the National Debt is over $8 Trillion (with a "T") and Congress recently raised the US Debt Limit to $9 Trillion (approximately $30,000 for every man, woman, and child in the US. For a family of four, $120,000 - before interest).
Lets compare the size of the national debt during Wolf's time in Congress as a percentage of the Gross National Product (a more accurate comparison since it takes the growth of the economy into account). in 1981, when Wolf first took office, the national debt represented 32.9% of the GDP. Today the national debt represents more than 63% of the GDP and is rising. These figures are available for the White House web site document "Historical Tables, Budget of the U.S. Government, Fiscal Year 2006." at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2006/pdf/hist.pdf .
A wise man once wrote that the first step to getting yourself out of a hole is to stop digging, Frank Wolf represents more of the same, increased debt, social re-engineering, lowered safety standards, neglect of Constitutional oversight responsibilities, crumbling infrastructure, and spiraling health, education, and energy costs.
We can not afford this continued lack of vision and leadership.
It is time for a change.