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Campaign blog covering the 125 towns of the district.
Every five days in Maine
Nearly 20 years ago, my brother Bob was diagnosed with cancer at age 39. He had to fight two battles -- his illness and the insurance companies. He died 14 months later. This spring, my nephew, his son, will graduate from college. I find it unacceptable that the same health insurance situation that made the last months of my brother's life more difficult still exists today in our country, and I want to go to Congress to finally change this broken system.
Please take my poll and let me know how the health insurance crisis is affecting you.
http://action.chelliepingree.com/HealthcarePoll
Every five days, someone in Maine dies because he or she doesn't have health insurance.1 Currently, there are 131,000 Mainers who are uninsured.2
We don't lack for good ideas about how to solve the healthcare problem. What we've lacked, until now, is the political will to stand up to special interest groups who have run Washington.
As the majority leader in the Maine Senate, I proposed a fundamental change in the way prescription drugs were priced in Maine. "You can't take on the drug companies," some of my colleagues told me. It turned out that they were wrong. It just took leadership and a willingness to stand up to the pharmaceutical companies who didn't want the system to change. It just took listening to the will of the people, who knew that what was going on was wrong.
Please take my poll and ask your friends to take it, too.
http://action.chelliepingree.com/HealthcarePoll
I want to go to Congress to fight for a better healthcare system that will cover all Americans. I've seen the corporate lobbyists with their shiny shoes and leather briefcases, and they don't scare me. I know that we can defeat them if we all stand together and fight for what's right.
When I go to Washington, I will bring the strength of character and resourcefulness of the people of Maine. With you by my side, I'll fight for the change all of us deserve.
1 Note: These statistics refer to working-age people. http://familiesusa.org/issues/uninsured/publications/dying-for-coverage.html
A visit to St. Joseph's College
As a former Young Democrat and a recent college graduate, one of my favorite parts of campaigns is visiting college campuses and talking to college age Democrats and learning about their organizations and issues important to them.
On April 30th, Chellie and I visited St. Joseph's College in Standish. We had a great lunch in the cafeteria with members of the College Democrats. Their cafeteria has a focus on buying locally grown produce and keeping waste down. They no longer have trays and use washable cups, plates, and utensils.
During lunch, Chellie learned about the programs that St. Joe's offers, including environmental sciences, as she spoke with another island resident like herself, a professor from Peaks Island. Another topic was how education and nursing were very popular majors, and very important in our society today.
After lunch, we took a quick walk across the beautiful campus bordering the lake on our way to join Michael Connolly's class on American Government. The topic of the class was "America's place in the 21st century." A sociology class happening at the same time also joined Professor Connolly's in order to hear Chellie speak.
She spoke to the students about how she got involved in politics, starting at the most local level, by attending town meetings on North Haven. She spoke about the benefits of publicly funded campaigns and how easy it was to get involved. She told them about her daughter Hannah and Hannah's first run for the state house back in 2002.
Taking questions from the students, they asked her about ending the war in Iraq, bringing green jobs to Maine, and her preference in the presidential race. On the presidential race, Chellie told the students that she is actually neutral. She related how Senator Obama had returned a contribution from her because, as president of the public advocacy group Common Cause, she had been a registered lobbyist. And how she was dis-invited from a fundraiser for Senator Clinton because she (Chellie) was in a primary race. As for the students' preference, a quick show of hands showed that Barack Obama has won the hearts of students at St. Joe's College.
Chellie and Brigadier General Johns: perspective and hope
Brigadier General John Johns (Army, ret.) joined Chellie at a press conference this afternoon in Portland to discuss their support of A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq.
Said General Johns, "The key is to have people in Congress who have the courage to stand up against the president and his powerful bully pulpit. They have to have the courage to do this, even though they will be accused of wanting to 'cut and run' and of not supporting the troops. That's propaganda.
This plan, the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, is not an example of 'cut and run.' I am proud to have my name on it as a co-author, and I applaud the candidates -- more than 50 of them across the country -- who have signed on."
General Johns spoke about the similarities between our current situation in Iraq and what happened in Vietnam, where he served. "You keep hearing the same verse from the same song that was sung in Vietnam: 'the next six months are critical.'" He pointed to parallels between the instability of the So. Vietnamese governments we supported and the lack of legitimacy of Iraq's Malaki government. "When you say the government of Iraq is is democratically elected, I don't know what that means. The candidates couldn't campaign publicly and the mullahs told their people how to vote."
General Johns also talked about the lack of support within the current military for the administration's policies. "Admirals Fallon and Mullin, and Secretary of Defense Gates all disagree with General Petraeus. We're in a quagmire."
General Johns is on the board of the Council for a Livable World, a nonpartisan organization that provides Senators and Members of Congress with sophisticated technical and scientific information to help them make intelligent decisions about weapons of mass destruction, nuclear nonproliferation, and other national security issues. They don't endorse candidates in primary races but did endorse Chellie when she ran for U.S. Senate in 2002 and, according General Johns, will certainly do so should Chellie win her primary race.
Campaign continues to build momentum, surpassing $1 million mark from nearly 5,000 donors
The first quarter of 2008 was the biggest so far for Chellie's First District Congressional campaign. Chellie raised $338,687 between January 1st and March 31st, bringing total contributions for the campaign to $1,122,236. Cash on hand is $569,958.
"I'm honored and grateful for the support of people from all over the First District, from all over Maine and from all over the country," Chellie said. "2008 is the most important election of our lifetime, and it's clear from the level of enthusiasm out there it's also going to be one of the most exciting. From fixing the economy to ending the war in Iraq to universal health care, people want to see big changes."
Jackie Potter, Finance Chair, said Chellie's campaign has caught the attention of many voters who weren't in the habit of making political contributions. "A lot of the people who have donated to Chellie's campaign say they have never contributed to a campaign before," she said, "but they feel this election is too important to sit out."
Nearly 5,000 people have made contributions since the campaign began. First quarter contributions from Maine alone total nearly $100,000 and over 1,000 contributions have been made online.
Hope Graf, 83, of Topsham said Pingree is the first candidate she's ever given to. "When I saw Chellie speak, I said to myself, 'O.K., if I'm ever going to do it for anyone, she's the one.'" Graf made two $50 contributions to Chellie.
Rozanna Patane of York Harbor is a financial planner and investment advisor who gave $250 over three contributions. "Every time I hear Chellie present her point of view, I find myself nodding my head," she said.
Steve Ward of Newcastle served as the Maine Public Advocate for 21 years and got to know Chellie when she was in the State Senate. "She is easy to work with as a colleague--very grounded and down to earth--that's a quality that I admire," he said. "Talking to Chellie is like talking to your neighbor--you get a straightforward opinion that isn't hedged," he added.
My trip to Chebeague
I dare say I've spent more time than most people in Maine riding the Maine State Ferry Service on my way back and forth to my home on the island of North Haven. Someone once asked me if it was a hassle having to take the boat. It's funny -- I had never thought of it that way. To me, stepping aboard the boat in Rockland means going home, and the feeling of being onboard is actually quite comforting -- and usually a chance to catch up with my neighbors on the latest local activities or gossip. So, even though the ferry this afternoon was heading for Chebeague Island, is a little smaller, and the ride is a little shorter than the trip to the Penobscot Bay islands, that good feeling was still there.
We were met on Chebeague by Mac Passano and whisked off to Sally & Sam Ballard's house, where 35 people had gathered for coffee, tea, cookies, and home made donuts. (You know you are on an island when they bring out the home made donuts!) We talked about the unique differences of life on an island and small town politics. Having served as the tax assessor and on the school board in my island town of North Haven, we had a lot in common. Chebeauge just gained its independence last summer, and a number of people mentioned how much work there is in the "start-up" phase of a new town.
The conversation also turned to the big national issues we are facing in this election -- health care, the war in Iraq, and what we are going to do to repair our country's image and reputation in that region.
The trip was too short, but I know from experience that the ferry waits for no one, so we had to race off to catch it and make the trip back to the mainland.
These community visits are the best part of the campaign. Nothing beats a day of seeing a small community through the eyes of the people who live there and a chance to talk with people in the places they call home.
Saturday in Bowdoinham
The rain was just tapering off when we met State Representative Seth Berry outside the Bowdoinham Elementary School Saturday morning to join him (and a hundred other people) for their annual community breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, homefries, and ham were on the menu, and lots of good conversation, too.
After breakfast, the cages full of chickens outside the school were a big attraction for the kids... and for me. I have raised chickens a few times in my life -- and I am a big fan of Barred Rocks -- the lovely black and white laying hens that are a traditional New England breed. The cages had four different varieties -- all beautiful -- including Arucanas, the nice little Bantam hens that lay different colored eggs. Thanks to the resurgence of buying locally in Maine, you can often find those eggs in the store -- and there is nothing like a fresh egg.
We left the school and headed over to the Bowdoinham Recycling Barn. Seth's dad, David, started the recycling program 20 years ago, and it's a truly remarkable operation -- a "model" program, according to the EPA. The program is housed in a converted chicken barn that is now meticulously maintained -- I am sure that there are a few rooms in there that are cleaner than some in my house. David has set up systems to accept everything from e-waste (old computers) to household toxic waste to used motor oil to the usual paper-cardboard-plastic recycling. And he's done it in a way that costs taxpayers less and less each year. The Recycling Barn even has a greenhouse for raising tomatoes and a free "gift shop" with discarded items.
(Susan Sharon from MPBN was following me around Saturday and she was so fascinated by the Recycling Barn that I suspect you'll hear a story about it on Maine Things Considered one day soon.)
A quick stop at the Landing down along the Cathance River for chicken salad sandwiches for lunch (I swear we don't usually eat this much on the campaign trail... well maybe we do...) and then we made our way to the Bowdoinham Town Hall for the local Democratic Committee's Meet & Greet. It was great to see so many old friends and make some new ones.
Tom Allen was there and got a well-deserved standing ovation when he was introduced. I can't tell you how encouraged I am by the reaction Tom has been getting everywhere he goes. When I was running for the U.S. Senate in 2002, it was a very different political climate, and I have a very good feeling about Tom's prospects in running for that same seat this year. Tom talked about the tremendous fundraising success his campaign has achieved -- he pointed out it's meant a lot of trips back and forth across the country -- but well worth it. Tom is really working hard to win that election, and I know with our help he can do it.
The Nation: CHELLIE PINGREE OFFERS PETRAEUS AN EXIT STRATEGY
Chellie was featured on TheNation.com yesterday, where John Nichols wrote:
Petraeus should be listening to Congress, which is, after all, supposed to be providing the civilian leadership that the Constitution says guide decisions about where the U.S. military is deployed and for how long.
And those members of the House who confront Petraeus would be wise to borrow a page from a candidate who would like to join them.
Former Common Cause president Chellie Pingree, who is seeking an open House seat from Maine, says "There is a way to get out of Iraq." As part of her campaign, she is asking supporters to email Petraeus and urge the general to read the Responsible Plan to End the War."
Nichols also quoted an email Pingree sent out yesterday:
"I helped create the Responsible Plan with other progressive Congressional candidates and military and national security experts because we believed there is no justification for our continued presence in Iraq," says Pingree. "The billions of dollars we've spent in Iraq are billions of dollars we haven't spent rebuilding our own economy -- fixing our schools, our roads, and our broken health care system. It's time to end the war in Iraq responsibly, bring our troops home, and stop spending $400 million a day on a war that most Americans now agree is unwinnable."
Three Questions I would ask General Petraeus (and the answers he should give)
Q: Is the War in Iraq making America safer?
A: No.
We have taken our eye off the ball in Afghanistan and Pakistan, allowing al Qaeda to recover. The director of the CIA says the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan presents a "clear and present danger" to the US Homeland.1
Iran's destabilizing influence across the Middle East has expanded dramatically because of the war,2 our ability to work with our allies has been damaged, and our military has been stretched to the point where its ability to adequately meet other national security challenges is in doubt.3
Q: How will you address the growing strain on our military?
A: End the war and bring the troops home responsibly.
One out of every 4 soldiers on their 3rd or 4th tour in Iraq suffer mental health problems4, the suicide rate among soldiers is up dramatically5 and the toll on the families of the 1.7 million soldiers that have been deployed so far continues to build. As General George Casey said, "We just can't keep going at the rate we're going."6
Q: What are we doing to stabilize the political situation in Iraq?
A: The humanitarian and economic crisis must be addressed and diplomatic offensive must be waged to get bring Iraq's neighbors in the region to play a constructive role.
Since the war began as many as a million Iraqis have died7 and another 4-5 million have had to flee their homes. There is no reliable power, no reliable schooling, no reliable health care.8 Unemployment is as high as 60%.9 The United States must address this humanitarian crisis if we hope for political reconciliation in Iraq. In addition, a region-wide diplomatic effort (as recommended by the Iraq Study Group) is a critical element to political stabilization in Iraq.10
Answers to all of these questions are contained in The Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, a comprehensive set of proposals that progressive Congressional Candidates like myself, Darcy Burner in Washington and Donna Edwards in Maryland developed this winter. Since the Plan's release last month, nearly 50 Democratic Congressional candidates around the country have signed on. The Plan calls for a drawdown of troops to begin immediately, a robust response to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and a renewed diplomatic effort in the region. The Plan also has proposals to reassert our constitutional protections and restore a balance of power within our government.
Maybe General Petraeus should read the Responsible Plan before he gives his answers. I think I'll send him a copy. You can suggest that he read the Plan, too: go to http://action.chelliepingree.com/page/speakout/EmailGenPetraeus.
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1http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/31/MNM8VT24G.DTL
2http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/aug/23/iran.syria
3http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/18/AR2007031801534_pf.html
4http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/04/05/survey_troops_mental_health_at_risk/9298/
5http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/15/AR2007081502443.html
6http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120649027775364033.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
7http://www.opinion.co.uk/Newsroom_details.aspx?NewsId=78
8http://www.cfr.org/publication/10971/
9http://www.cfr.org/publication/10971/
10Iraq Study Group recommendations #1 and #2. http://www.usip.org/isg/iraq_study_group_report/report/1206/index.html
The Responsible Plan gains traction
The Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq is beginning to shift the debate with some national commentators. Yesterday morning on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, the Plan came up as a subject, and Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation, clearly got it: "There are no military solutions" to the crisis in Iraq, she said, and "if we withdraw responsibly, the region in the long term will be more stable, (and) America will be restored as a responsible global leader."
For too long the debate over Iraq has been limited to military solutions when in fact the only viable solution hinges on diplomacy, including ending the humanitarian and economic crisis in the region.
The Republicans and the Bush Administration have been successful in limiting the debate to winning vs. losing, or "stay the course" vs. "cut-and-run." But that is beginning to change as Americans begin to see there is no military solution in Iraq. (Unfortunately Cokie Roberts is one commentator who hasn't caught on. During the discussion of The Responsible Plan she sided with John McCain, who wants for us to stay in Iraq to "win," even if it takes 100 years.)
Watch the exchange here:
I began working on the Responsible Plan this winter with Darcy Burner, a congressional candidate in Washington State. We had help from military and national security experts like retired Major General John Johns.
Since we presented the Plan in Washington last month, over 50 progressive House and Senate candidates around the country have signed on, and it continues to generate necessary conversation about how to end the war.
You can sign on, too, at http://responsibleplan.org.
Report from the field: "End the war" and "Go, Chellie!"
Steve Ward sent us this report of his experiences as a volunteer canvassing for Chellie on Saturday.
On a breezy Saturday afternoon this week I had an enjoyable time going door-to-door in the Damariscotta area and asking loyal Democratic voters about their preferences for the June 10 primary. In two hours, I knocked on 26 doors, left campaign brochures at nine homes and talked with folks at 14 locations (three people on the canvassing list that I got from Chellie's headquarters had moved since the last election). In short, it was an entertaining walk.
People were uniformly friendly and responsive as soon as I identified myself as a fellow Democrat and Chellie person. I got to intereact with a wide variety of people of all economic stripes and ages -- and the best part was the strong support I discovered for Chellie's candidacy. Of 18 people I actually interviewed, fully 14 were already supporting or at least "leaning" in favor of Chellie over her primary opponents. Many wanted absentee ballots so as to be sure they would vote for Chellie on June 10.
I met a single mother who was concerned about educational opportunities for her middle school son and ranked education as her highest political priority. I met a hospital administrator for whom health care and the economy were tied as his biggest issues for congressional action. But overall, the strongest message I got during my two-hour walk was the view that the war in Iraq was a brutal and expensive mistake. As it turned out, five of the people I talked to were acquaintances but -- for whatever reason -- people gave me clear and strong messages in two areas: "End the war" and Go, Chellie!"
Thanks to the advance work of Chellie's head office (scripts, household addresses and demographics -- even street maps showing all 26 canvass target households), it wasn't a difficult task at all. Canvassing for Chellie turned out to be time well spent... and fun.
Join Steve and sign up as a volunteer canvasser in our Neighbor-to-Neighbor grassroots program. Call our volunteer coordinator, Erin McGuire, at 773-0155, or email her at erin@pingreeforcongress.com.
Proud to be one of the first candidates in the country to sign the "Voters First" Pledge for public financing
I was excited to find an email from the Public Campaign Action Fund in my inbox yesterday afternoon. It contained the 2008 Voters First Pledge -- a promise to support a system of public financing for federal elections -- like the one I'm a candidate in now.
Two years ago, an email just like this was coming from me when, as president of Common Cause, I urged candidates to sign on to that pledge, which we had created with a number of other reform organizations. Digging back into my "sent mail" folder, I found one of those emails:
Voters are weary of pay-to-play politics and public trust of Congress is low. We know Americans support making elections fair, enhancing accountability and protecting voters' right to know. But many candidates have not committed to the strong reform our democracy needs. Voters deserve to know where the candidates stand before they cast a ballot on November 7.
Like other candidates running for federal office, I have to spend far too much time on the telephone raising money. I can't speak for the others, but I know I'd rather spend that time talking to the people of Maine about the very real and very serious challenges we face. As the organizers of the pledge campaign say, "We recognize that candidates must raise money to successfully get a message out to voters. Our emphasis is to build support for changing the rules of the game for future elections."
Maine's a leader in public financing of state campaigns. It's great that my daughter, Hannah Pingree, has been able to run for the Maine Legislature using Clean Elections and that the system here in Maine has proven effective over several election cycles with 84% of current lawmakers using the system. I supported the passage of the Clean Election Act and, as a legislator, I contributed my own stories and experiences as evidence for the defense of the law when opponents challenged the Act in court.
After leaving the legislature, during my time as the national president of Common Cause, I championed new public financing laws in several states, including Connecticut, California, Maryland, and New Mexico. During that time, I helped lead the campaigns for reform -- traveling to all of those states, testifying, and lobbying. The role we played in Connecticut -- the first state in the nation to pass this law in a legislature (not via referendum) -- was critical. We worked through a variety of avenues from designing the campaign, raising the funds to support it, and spending many hours meeting with individual legislators.
It's clear that public financing at the federal level is long overdue. At Common Cause I worked to push for federal financing, meeting with Senator Dick Durbin and describing the stories collected from our successes in Maine. Those stories helped convince him to be the prime sponsor of the bill we helped craft based largely on the Maine plan -- called the Fair Elections Now Act. Recently, I met with Rep. John Larson of CT, and we discussed the bill he is introducing in the House that is modeled on the Maine law. I hope that it will be one of the first bills I go to work on if I am fortunate enough to be elected to Congress.
Changing how we finance campaigns in this country may do more to restore our democracy than any other reform, and it has my full commitment, which is why I've already signed and sent back the Voter's First Pledge for 2008.
Here's the pledge:
If elected, I pledge to make elections fair by supporting legislation to create a system of public financing for qualified candidates who agree to strict spending limits and to take only small donations from individuals.
This is cross posted at TurnMaineBlue.com and HuffingtonPost.com.
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