I hope you will check out Jeff Barnett's campaign website (click the header or the link on this blog) and you can contribute to his campaign at his website or by clicking this link to his fundraising page 0n ActBlue
https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/23752
We deserve better than Frank Wolf and Jeff Barnett is the right person to represent ALL the citizens of Virginia's 10th district.
From his website
“The conduct of our wars concerns me not just as a citizen and a veteran, but as a father,” Barnett said. “Both of my children are active duty military officers. My youngest returned from her first tour of duty in Afghanistan in April, and she redeploys on 18 July. My family – like so many other families around the country – is directly affected by this war. I will never allow our children’s lives to become political calculations.”
“Civilian control of the military is among the foremost bulwarks of Democracy,” Barnett continued. “The most troubling aspect of the information in last week’s article about General McChrystal is that it revealed dissent within the highest ranks of command in Afghanistan. As a retired Colonel with 26 years of military experience, I know that clarity of objective and unity of effort are fundamental principles of war. We cannot plan successful offensives in the absence of clear objectives. We cannot accomplish those objectives when our field commander undermines and disagrees with his civilian leadership. Replacing General McChrystal with General Petraeus makes sound strategic sense.”
Last week’s events should remind us of the challenges presented by modern counterinsurgency warfare. “In Afghanistan, our generals manage multinational forces and work to win the support of a troubled population. In that climate, it’s not enough for our officers to be excellent soldiers, they must also be diplomatic leaders,” Barnett warned. “Modern warfare demands modern generalship. It requires leadership in all elements of American power: diplomatic, information, military and economic. To succeed, General Petraeus and Ambassador Eikenberry must strengthen the ties of civil-military collaboration. Only then will we achieve our goals in Afghanistan: kill Al-Qaeda and ensure that the government in Kabul has the strength to prevent its return.
The race is on: Barnett versus Wolf for Congress
At last, the die has been cast for the 10th Congressional district race now that both Democrat and Republican primaries have taken place.
In one corner: senior incumbent Republican Congressman Frank Wolf.
In the opposite corner: upstart Democrat challenger Jeff Barnett.
While it’s not, on the face of it, the race of our times – like others in Virginia are pumped to be in November – it is a race that came about rather unexpectedly, because in the end it came so easily.
It appeared just months ago Wolf would have a tea-infused, intra-party challenger to his right. It looked just as likely that the Democrats would have a trove of challengers jostling to take on the 15-term incumbent.
Over the course of a month this spring, Wolf’s Republican challenger ‘suspended’ his campaign, and the Democrats quietly settled on a single nominee – making the primaries of June 8 superfluous.
So now what? Will 2010 be different?
After Wolf made short shrift of Democratic challenger Judy Feder in the 2006 and 2008 elections (heavily Democratic years, it should be noted,) many are ready to call this year’s race a yawner for Wolf because of what political observers have deemed to be an anti-Democratic mid-term election year.
To which we say, “Now hold on just a sec.”
As some primaries have shown this year, no incumbent can be called ‘safe.’ As much as there may be an “anti-Democratic” tilt – taking into account mid-term election history, mind you—there is just as strong an “anti-incumbent” veneer across the political boxing ring. Just ask amiable incumbent GOP Sen. Bob Bennett, who was unceremoniously turfed out by fellow Utah Republicans last month, or several Democratic incumbents who were given the boot by fellow Democrats in their own primaries.
These are skittish and volatile times. No one is immune. More broadly, what we mean is, no one should take this race – or any other – for granted.
But we think Wolf gets that. His message in the past few months has been reconciled to acknowledge an edgy constituent base searching for solutions instead of partisanship.
It is also our belief that Wolf’s opponent, Barnett, should be given a fair chance to prove his mettle. He has managed to raise a fair amount of money, and Barnett did efficiently dispatch his primary challengers.
He also is well-versed on a subject many people care about deeply. As a former Air Force lieutenant colonel, he can speak with authority on military issues – to wit, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
There are some things we’d like to see in this race.
The first is more of Wolf and, especially, Barnett.
We know Wolf – elected in 1980. We need to know, and to see more, of Barnett. As a challenger, it’s incumbent upon him to make the case as to why this should be Frank Wolf’s final term in office.
We’d also like to see a solid discussion of the issues – those that matter most to us in Loudoun, in an economy that is as volatile and unsteady as the electorate. Issues such as job creation, small-business growth, economic development, transportation, taming our embarrassingly escalating debt and deficit. More about Middleburg, less so about the Middle East.
If this race turns into a middling, junior-varsity spitball fracas of slogans cheaply demonizing “Barack, bailouts, and BP,” it would be a true disservice to political discourse and the expectations of an apprehensive electorate.
Then, there are the debates.
We vigorously support a busy schedule of joint appearances for both candidates where the audience can ask unscreened questions of each, and candidates can ask each other pointed questions without the useless structural chaperoning of Byzantine debate rules that give voters nothing of value.
Another request: decorum. This is something we believe Wolf understands. Agree with him or not, he’s a gentleman and not a rabid polemicist (note to Tea Partiers.)
So far we’ve seen the same from Barnett. We hope that continues. A year such as this will surely tempt each to go negative. Resist, we say, at all costs. People are turned off enough as it is about politics today.
As we kick off this general election race, we leave this final thought with our readers: Register to vote. Pay attention. Get involved. Demand answers. Attend forums. Force accountability.
In one corner: senior incumbent Republican Congressman Frank Wolf.
In the opposite corner: upstart Democrat challenger Jeff Barnett.
While it’s not, on the face of it, the race of our times – like others in Virginia are pumped to be in November – it is a race that came about rather unexpectedly, because in the end it came so easily.
It appeared just months ago Wolf would have a tea-infused, intra-party challenger to his right. It looked just as likely that the Democrats would have a trove of challengers jostling to take on the 15-term incumbent.
Over the course of a month this spring, Wolf’s Republican challenger ‘suspended’ his campaign, and the Democrats quietly settled on a single nominee – making the primaries of June 8 superfluous.
So now what? Will 2010 be different?
After Wolf made short shrift of Democratic challenger Judy Feder in the 2006 and 2008 elections (heavily Democratic years, it should be noted,) many are ready to call this year’s race a yawner for Wolf because of what political observers have deemed to be an anti-Democratic mid-term election year.
To which we say, “Now hold on just a sec.”
As some primaries have shown this year, no incumbent can be called ‘safe.’ As much as there may be an “anti-Democratic” tilt – taking into account mid-term election history, mind you—there is just as strong an “anti-incumbent” veneer across the political boxing ring. Just ask amiable incumbent GOP Sen. Bob Bennett, who was unceremoniously turfed out by fellow Utah Republicans last month, or several Democratic incumbents who were given the boot by fellow Democrats in their own primaries.
These are skittish and volatile times. No one is immune. More broadly, what we mean is, no one should take this race – or any other – for granted.
But we think Wolf gets that. His message in the past few months has been reconciled to acknowledge an edgy constituent base searching for solutions instead of partisanship.
It is also our belief that Wolf’s opponent, Barnett, should be given a fair chance to prove his mettle. He has managed to raise a fair amount of money, and Barnett did efficiently dispatch his primary challengers.
He also is well-versed on a subject many people care about deeply. As a former Air Force lieutenant colonel, he can speak with authority on military issues – to wit, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
There are some things we’d like to see in this race.
The first is more of Wolf and, especially, Barnett.
We know Wolf – elected in 1980. We need to know, and to see more, of Barnett. As a challenger, it’s incumbent upon him to make the case as to why this should be Frank Wolf’s final term in office.
We’d also like to see a solid discussion of the issues – those that matter most to us in Loudoun, in an economy that is as volatile and unsteady as the electorate. Issues such as job creation, small-business growth, economic development, transportation, taming our embarrassingly escalating debt and deficit. More about Middleburg, less so about the Middle East.
If this race turns into a middling, junior-varsity spitball fracas of slogans cheaply demonizing “Barack, bailouts, and BP,” it would be a true disservice to political discourse and the expectations of an apprehensive electorate.
Then, there are the debates.
We vigorously support a busy schedule of joint appearances for both candidates where the audience can ask unscreened questions of each, and candidates can ask each other pointed questions without the useless structural chaperoning of Byzantine debate rules that give voters nothing of value.
Another request: decorum. This is something we believe Wolf understands. Agree with him or not, he’s a gentleman and not a rabid polemicist (note to Tea Partiers.)
So far we’ve seen the same from Barnett. We hope that continues. A year such as this will surely tempt each to go negative. Resist, we say, at all costs. People are turned off enough as it is about politics today.
As we kick off this general election race, we leave this final thought with our readers: Register to vote. Pay attention. Get involved. Demand answers. Attend forums. Force accountability.
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