I Like This Guy

Steven Porter is running as an independent in the PA-03 Congressional district. He ran as a Democrat last time, but decided that the Democratic Party wasn't substantially better than the other one. There are days when I agree with him.

Today, he sent an e-mail out containing a press release. Since it's labeled a press release, I see no reason not to present it in full here, minus his campaign's phone number. You can look that up if you need to.

From: Porter for Congress

To: Media, PA-03

Date: May 29, 2008

Contact: Dr. Steven Porter (XXX-XXX-XXXX)



ASK THE RIGHT QUESTION


“Today’s outrage over Scott McClellan’s new book is misplaced,” said Dr. Steven Porter, independent candidate for Congress in the third district of Pennsylvania. “The Republicans are furious over McClellan’s revelations that Bush and his administration manipulated intelligence to lead us into war. Predictable but rather irrelevant. The press is all agog about asking McClellan to explain his revelations further. Again, predictable and irrelevant.

“The real question ought to go to Nancy Pelosi, and it ought to be this: ‘In the light of McClellan’s book—and several others like it—why did you take impeachment investigations off the table two years ago when you became the Speaker of the House?’

“That the Bush Administration has mangled our Constitution and led us into military and economic disaster is no longer the point. The tragedy equally appalling is that the Democrats, who came to power promising to hold Bush accountable, have done nothing in the last two years except to contribute to the deaths in Iraq and sit idly by while gas prices have risen and our jobs have continued to be exported.

“Before the 2006 elections, the Democrats in Congress fairly salivated at the chance to hold impeachment hearings. In fact, senior Democratic Congressman John Conyers did hold them—at least mock inquiries in the basement of the Capitol Building. On March 2, 2006, Conyers said this: “People think of Watergate or Iran-Contra as constituting crises…Today the crisis is substantively and systematically far worse. The alleged acts of wrong-doing—lying about the decision to go to war; manipulation of intelligence; facilitating and countenancing torture; using confidential information to out a CIA agent; open and flagrant violation of wiretap laws—are more egregious than any I have witnessed in my 41 years in Congress…We could simply ignore the myriad transgressions…or we could do everything in our power to call attention to and document these grave abuses…I opted for the latter.’

“But the day after the Democrats got control of both houses, Pelosi took impeachment ‘off the table,’ as she said. In other words, all the pre-election hullabaloo was just a ploy to gain political power. Pelosi and the Democrats had no intention of stopping the war and devoting their attention to the American economy. And they are counting on the voters in 2008 to turn to them for the “change” they have failed to deliver. Laughable.

“I hope that the American people understand how corrupt both parties have been, and how poorly we have been led. Neither party deserves our support. They are both cut from the same cloth. Both are willing to play with our lives for power. Disgusting.”

[emphasis mine]

Disgusting is a word I've used a lot lately, along with its various synonyms, to describe our political process.

If you live in the Erie, PA area, you might want to consider sending someone to Congress who is willing to ask questions like this.

When this press release is up on his website, I'll provide a link.

UPDATE (Jun 1): Here's the link to the press release. It's a PDF file.