Roll Call: Reichert among top 10 most vulnerable incumbents

James Vaughn for US Representative, 8th Congressional District - Representing the Conservative Democrats

I began my campaign for several reasons and want to ask if you are comfortable with the current situation in the 8th Congressional District?

Dave is on the endangered list and it is obvious that he will not get re-elected. This leaves us with two choices Jim a no-nonsense conservative Democrat or Darcy a liberal Progressive Democrat.

Dave Reichert is a puppet for George Bush and George is a puppet for the oil companies. Dave has submitted 32 bills, 28 have not made it out of committee and zero have been enacted. If this were the TV Show Apprentice and Dave was in the board room with Donald Trump, “What would Donald say?” Dave is on the endangered list and it is obvious that he will not get re-elected.

Dave Reichert broke a promise to and turned his back on the veterans. Dave told me that he would submit a bill to help our disabled veterans obtain proper training and get set up in a home office. There is no reason that with today’s internet and our current technology that our disabled veterans cannot have a meaningful life working at home.

Darcie Burner is a very liberal Progressive Democrat and I do not feel comfortable with liberal positions or believe that her views represent the majority of the voters. Darcy is entrenched in party politics and voting for her is more of the same. If you vote for Darcie, you can expect to see continued taxation and no voter representation. I believe the majority of voters share my views and are not being represented. Her claim to fame is being part of a group of liberal Democrats that wrote a document called the Responsible Plan. However, calling for immediate withdrawal from Iraq does nothing but lend momentum to the terrorist movement. Irresponsible actions for a Responsible Plan do not add up.

God knows we all want the war to be over but we need to choose the right course of action for our country and the Iraqi people. In addition, we have serious economic problems that include a budget and trade deficit, healthcare issues, a social security disaster, and a recession with poor job prospects that will increase as the war comes to a close and impact our service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Do you believe that Darcy has the knowledge or experience to deal with these issues? Do you believe that if Darcy were elected your life will be better off and our country will be more secure?

Potentially an unprecedented number of ex-service members will be running for office. The fighting Democrats, as some call themselves, say their military experience could give them the credibility to criticize the war without being dismissed out of hand by the GOP as naive and weak on defense, as the Bush administration has often done.

I have been repeatedly attacked as a Republican calling myself a Democrat. The fact is, I am a no-nonsense, conservative Democrat and others have compared me to Scoop Jackson. I will stand up to my party when I disagree. The truth is that I am not happy with either party. I am angry with the Bush administration and how the war has been managed. I am also disgusted when I read the letter titled "Democrats can turn U.S. around."

Democrats took control of Congress two years ago, promising to solve our problems and get us out of Iraq. The new speaker of the House even had a plan to solve the problem of the increasing cost of gas. It was about $2.50 a gallon then. Inflation and the price of food were increasing about 2.5 percent to 3 percent a year. The stock market was growing, unemployment was down and the sales of new homes and automobiles were setting new records. Two years after the Democrats took control, gas is almost $4 a gallon. Inflation? Food and other essentials cost more each month. We are still in Iraq (and should be). The stock market is full of speculators, unemployment is up and we all know how the sales of homes and automobiles are doing.

Can we trust the liberal Progressive Democrats to turn the U.S. around, when they have done nothing for the past two years but whine about the war and point fingers at the Republicans? It is time for change. The Democratic Party needs to change leadership and elect individuals that will quit whining and turn the country around. We need solid, common sense, no-nonsense, conservative Democrats.
War in Iraq: Before our government commits our sons and daughters to harms way, all political avenues need to be exhausted. Unfortunately, this did not happen with our war in Iraq. My initial contention with the war was that United Nation inspectors had not found any weapons of mass destruction and were still investigating when we invaded.

I am angered at the way the Republican and Democratic leaders have handled the war. We all know the current administrations do not hesitate to stand in front of the troops when it comes to a photo-op, but never stand behind them when it comes to providing the armor necessary to fight in Iraq, or the benefits promised when they return home.

We all would like to see our troops come home. However, common sense tells us that this is not going to happen overnight. What we don’t want to see is the war drag on for several years. We have lost too many lives in this war and too much is at stake for us not to achieve stabilization and the proper reconstruction of Iraq. I feel a moral conviction to choose the right course of action not only for our country but for the Iraqi citizens.

Now that we are mired in rebuilding Iraq, a responsible exit strategy is essential. Unfortunately, I hear candidates spouting anti-war rhetoric and an immediate reduction in troops. These comments do nothing but incite the terrorists and place our service members in greater danger. We need to remember the saying, “United We Stand, Divided We fall.”

My campaign is to represent the people. To do that, I will not take any money from the Democratic Party or special interest groups. As a result, I will not be bought off during my campaign and will be free to represent the citizens of our state when I am elected.

I have the understanding and experience to deal with the economic issues, healthcare disaster and social security problems we face. If you read my biography you will see that I am the most qualified candidate. I am tired of partisan politics and campaign rhetoric. Campaigns should not be a popularity contest. We are not running for prom queen or high school class president. We have serious problems overseas and at home. We need candidates to address the issues and present solutions. If candidates will not make a stand during an election, what can we expect from them once election. My campaign is about the issues and taking a stand.

How do we feel about our “American Way of Life and what do we say to our service members when:
• American corporations send jobs overseas.
• $130 Billion was invested in overseas emerging markets last year, rather than investing in the U.S. economy.
• $40 Billion military hardware contract was sent to France.
• They return home to poor employment prospects while our government is gutting our economy and multi-national corporations are playing E-Bay with our jobs.
• We have done nothing to provide affordable health care for their families.
• Our educational system is losing ground to other nations.
• Our transportation systems are in disrepair.
• Individuals sit at home intentionally abusing L&I, welfare, and unemployment in order to draw a government check while we go to work each day.
• Our government does not provide adequate care for Veterans.
• Social Security is projected to be bankrupt in the year 2018 and our government spent $21 billion dollars on foreign aid last year and projects to spend $13.2 billion dollars on Pork Barrel Projects.

We need to say, “No More”. I am prepared to address the issues and fight the battles but cannot do it alone. In the 2006 election for US Congress, 250,000 people voted and the outcome was determined by 7,341 votes. There are projections that the upcoming election will have a record number of voters. Please join me in an effort to obtain 200,000 voters to unite into one voice. This “Fighting Democrat” needs your support.