More on Mike Turner (10th Congressional District VA)

Mike is going to be on NPR/WAMU's The Politics Hour Friday May 30th. If you don't have a chance to listen the NPR/WAMU website will have a transcript an hour after the show airs.

And Taking Place on the West Coast....

A candidate named Richard Hobbs is running for Santa Clara County Supervisor in California and Karita Hummer, an activist I met via the John Edwards boards is helping him to get elected. I ganked the item below with her permission :-).

I'm not putting it behind a cut because it's relevant to Democrats everywhere, we all need to start working from the ground up...whether we live in Santa Clara County, the environs of Washington DC or on a farm in Iowa. This is THE key to reclaiming our country and helping clean up the mess the Shrub, Darth Cheney and their subordinates have left for us.

Excellent read follows:


Why working down ticket, at every level, is important to taking back our Country.
by: Karita Hummer
Sat May 17, 2008 at 03:08:52 AM EDT

I am working on behalf of Richard Hobbs,, candidate for Santa Clara County Supervisor, because he represents the kind of leadership in local government that will help us build the kind of infrastructure we need in the Democratic Party to really turn our country around.I just came from a successful art fundraiser for Richard Hobbs here in San Jose in which artists donated art work that was auctioned off so that proceeds could go in to the campaign of Richard Hobbs. Richard Hobbs is a local candidate that is very reminiscent of John Edwards himself. An attorney, a populist whose passion is economic justice and opportunity, a human rights advocate, concerned with the quality of life here in our own valley and everywhere, an environmental steward, and someone utterly committed to transparency in government so that the common good and interest is always protected, he is truly a community activist that thinks globally and acts locally, and will be the kind of leader we not only need now, but will be valuable for us for a long time to come as a leader with a great future.At the Art fundraiser event tonight for Richard, I met a person from the local school board. When I told her how active I had been in the Edwards campaign, and how I now saw my effort on behalf of Richard Hobbs as actually a seemless effort, she quite agreed. She pointed out that the Republicans had known how to do this building at the local level for years and had set about building such infrastructure at every level of government and governance from the 70's on.Karita Hummer :: Why working down ticket, at every level, is important to taking back our Country.I invite you to take a look at Richard Hobbs web-site and see if you don't agree that he is really a prototype of the kind of leader we need to be developing now, so we can really hope for a future that addresses the common good throughout the land. See if you don't agree that he is exactly the kind of new blood we need among leaders in government to restore our principles, values and dignity and justice for all people. Visit:http://www.hobbsforsupervisor/....One other tip for local fundraising for local campaigns. The Art fundraiser combines politics and art very well. Artists donate quality work as a contribution to the candidate and donors have the benefit of supporting their candidate and getting a lovely painting to grace their home as well, a talking point for friends and family. Further, with an art piece in one's home, that was a donation to such a worthy candidate, it remains a tangible reflection of how you chose to support a candidate whose values are in such synchrony with your own. The painting becomes a tangible reminder of what civic engagement means to you.For more information on Richard Hobbs, go to:http://www.hobbsforsupervisor/....

Karita Hummer, Edwards Democrat

Richard Hobbs for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, A Candidate who thinks globally and acts locally! A Candidate for now and the future. For innovation in meeting the common good! A prototype candidate for down ticket, for a very strong Democratic Party in to the future

How to Get Vera Into Your Life (Even if you ARE old enough to remember Leisure Suits)

Like many faithful preppy types, I adore Vera Bradley. But I am old enough to remember leisure suits, platform shoes and other relics of the Disco era. In my experience not all, but many women my age steer toward other handbags and accessories. I guess it feels weird seeing kids born after the Disco era carrying Vera handbags and other Vera accessories. And we want something else.

But at the same time I'm a busy Mom with a "Mom wallet" that weighs almost as much as my 8 month old daughter (wish I was fooling ya but sadly no). My solution? This, sans the strap:

Enter Vera into my life and even my back and shoulders thank me.

Now to tackle the handbag itself. That weighs about as much as my 4.5 year old.

Mike Turner Gets the Edwards Treatment From Virginia Media

It was enough that John Edwards had to quit the Presidential race back in January because in large part, he was ignored by the media, both progressive and mainstream, and unable to generate enough money to stay in. But there's more, Mike Turner, candidate for Congress in Virginia's 10th District has the endorsement of the Virginia Chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America, yet he appears to be my neighborhood's version of John Edwards. A Google search barely produced any results, a Washington Post search didn't produce any.

How can this be? He's being challenged in the June 10th primary by Judy Feder, the candidate who is getting the press, and the glowing reviews in the blogosphere and the cash. But one thing she didn't get was the win against incumbent Frank Wolf in 2006, the year the Democrats finally regained control of the House after the long dry spell of the 90s and early 2000s. She not only lost, she lost by 16 points. In a year the Democrats regained control of the House after 12 years.

Mike Turner is the person I will be supporting in the June 10th Democratic Primary. Why? Not just because the Progressive Democrats of America are backing him - though that says alot to me - it's his background in issues that are the major trouble spots in our country right now. He supports A responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq that will bring them home quickly, but safely. He backs this up with experience serving in Operation Provide Comfort under Wes Clark and Norman Schwartzkopf. Mike has served as National Director of Housing Counselling at the National Foundation for Credit Counselling, and he supports a single payer health care plan.


Please join me in lending Mike your support on June 10th. You can find out more and get on board to help Mike here