Friends,

As you already know, today is the last day of the all important 3rd quarter filing deadline for campaigns and I'm sure your inbox has been filled up with requests for donations and support. I want to take a moment to first thank everyone at DailyKos, Openleft, MyDD, and the Swing State Project for deciding to add my race to their Blue Majority page as well those of you who have decided to support my race and the other Blue Majority candidates. The support of bloggers is incredibly valuable and we simply cannot win without your help. Today, I want to take a moment to address you in video which is something I haven't been able to do as often as I like (though your contributions are helping us build out our staff and increase our capabilities):

Crossposted from dKos

Friends,

It has been an absolute whirlwind week for our campaign over the last 10 days and there are a number of things I'd like to touch on today. In the last 10 days, our momentum has grown exponentially. Today, I'd like to take the time to review four major developments in our race.

YearlyKos

First - I want to thank all of you for another wonderful experience at the Yearly Kos convention last week in Chicago. I apologize for not posting last Sunday as I usually do, however I was on an airplane flying back to Western NY at the time. During the convention I was scheduled to speak at the Future Leaders panel with a number of netroots candidates. However on Saturday morning at 7 am I received an urgent call from one of my staffers. Apparently Arianna Huffington had just broken her ankle and as such was unable to make it to the "Left behind by the Right" panel (If you're reading this, I hope you're feeling better Arianna). As such, I was asked to step in since I too am a former Republican.

Liveblogging at DKos

To the Kos Readership,

First, thank you for your years of support. Today I ask that you consider recommending this post and spreading the word to your friends and family as I am challenging Bill O'Reilly to debate me on his show following his weeks of trashing the DailyKos. The more recommendations we get, the more momentum we can build. Having watched and read Fox News over the past two weeks, I find their attacks against the DailyKos to be unfounded and reprehensible.

I hope to see all of you in Chicago where I will be speaking on Friday 8/3 at 10:30am at the Future Leaders panel and then hosting a hospitality room on that same Friday from 1-5pm at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Meeting Suite 2 on the third floor about 100 feet to the left of the Convention Center. I hope to meet all of you, and even Mr. O'Reilly if he can find the time to swing by.

With that, I'd like to directly address Bill O'Reilly who has made it his mission to defame and mischaracterize us and our cause.

Crossposted from DKos

Last week, we saw a new low from the Bush White House. It no longer matters if you risk our national security for political purposes so long as you've played enough golf with the President (by the way my opponent was rated as the Most Improved Golfer in Congress in 2005 and can brag about having the same handicap as Rick Santorum and Tom DeLay). Of course, I am speaking of the Presidential commutation of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's 30 month prison sentence for lying to the FBI. This is wrong on so many levels I hardly know where to begin, but first let me say this - Our nation was founded on the principle that NOBODY is above the law... especially in cases where National Security is at risk. Had history been written a little differently, could ever you imagine President Washington commuting a sentence for Benedict Arnold?

Early last month, I announced my New Bill of Rights. This Declaration is my way of expanding upon the Rights listed in FDR's 1944 State of the Union message to Congress, which I have touched upon in some of my more recent DailyKos Diaries. I know that the way forward for the Democratic Party is to stand with the people against President Bush and the Rubberstamp Republicans, who taken the side of Corporatists rather than the American family. Together, I know we can make this world a better place.

This is the sixth in a ten part series where we will discuss some of the most important issues facing the American people today. I want to hear your opinions and thoughts on each and every one of these topics. Our campaign has had over 40 house parties over the last month which has made it difficult for me to be available every Sunday for liveblogging, but I am very happy to be back with you today from 3-6 pm eastern time.

Crossposted from dKos

Last month, I announced my New Bill of Rights. This Declaration is my way of expanding upon the Rights listed in FDR's 1944 State of the Union message to Congress, which I have touched upon in some of my more recent DailyKos Diaries. I know that the way forward for the Democratic Party is to stand with the people against President Bush and the Rubberstamp Republicans, who have taken the side of Corporatists rather than the American family. Together, I know we can make this world a better place.

This is the fourth in a ten part series where we will discuss some of the most important issues facing the American people today. I want to hear your opinions and thoughts on each and every one of these topics. Normally, I hold a weekly liveblog right here from 3-6 pm Eastern Time, but today I have a number of meetings and thus cannot make it.  Please do leave me your thoughts and questions though and I will return to answer them as soon as possible.

Crossposted from dKos

This past week, the story on the presses has been that the Republicans won and the Democrats lost the Iraq timetable battle. I want to let you know how deeply committed I was to forcing veto from the White House.

Today I am going to break from the schedule. Rather than publishing the fourth edition from my New Bill of Rights, I thought that I should just go from the gut.  There is a whole lot of heart in what I am about to write and some of it is not entirely political advisable from the point of view of a junior candidate.

Crossposted from dKos

Two weeks ago, I announced my Declaration of Rights Which have Been Denied. This Declaration is my way of expanding upon the Rights listed in FDR's 1944 State of the Union message to Congress, which I have touched upon in some of my more recent DailyKos Diaries. I know that the way forward for the Democratic Party is to stand with the people against President Bush and the Rubber Stamp Republicans who have sold us out in favor of Corporate Interests by denying the People these important Rights. There are many Beltway Insiders who dislike my stances, but I really don't care... I want to serve the people of the 29th District, not the K Street Lobbyists.