October 23, 2008 11:43 PM UTC

vindication for Kissell (NC) and Markey (CO)

• 3 Comments
• by: wade norris

Over this past election cycle, I was fortunate enough to actually meet candidates I like and interview them. I sought out Larry Kissell and Betsy Markey because their opponents, Robin Hayes and Marilyn Musgrave, both betrayed their constituents by supporting the job killing CAFTA agreement.

As you may know, his opponent, Robin Hayes, has been caught lying about saying liberals are people who hate America.

Betsy’s opponent Musgrave, is running ads that have earned her the label of ‘an agent of hate’

I was glad to find that both Larry and Betsy were impressive in their own right and had many important leadership qualities that were much more in line with the constituents of their district. Watch their interviews below…

First up : Larry Kissell – Larry had to leave the plant he worked at for two decades after outsourcing came to his district. He went to work as a social studies teacher, and decided to get involved to change his district. I am glad he did.

(this quote was from last summer, which sounds very much like what we are talking about today)

“The people are very frustrated that Washington can’t the basic things done that affect their everyday lives. They are looking for candidates that are not so much red-blue, democrat-republican, liberal-conservative, the people are tired of labels, they just want to get the job done and that’s who we are, and that’s what we plan on doing when we get to Washington – getting the job done for the people of this district”

Visit Larry’s

website here, and give him a few bucks while you are at it.

Next up, Betsy Markey.

Betsy has many qualifications to represent her district. She worked in the State Department in the Reagan administration, owned a small business, and understands the need to invest in the Green economy jobs in Wind and Solar rich Colorado. Much like Larry’s district, jobs are being outsourced and farmers, in particular, need leaders who can offer solutions.

On her experience in the State department and her view of diplomacy:

I worked in D.C. in the State Department, I traveled overseas as a computer security specialist, and I realized the great work being done by our officers in our foreign embassies. We have push that aside and we need to use our diplomacy again to fight terrorism. We have been listening to the Defense department over the the State Department. We need to utilize our resources overseas, to promote peace and create dialog and understand we need to get back to using the resources of our diplomatic core.

Within the State department is is the agency for international development where we promote so many good ideas and goodwill, which translate into people having a better understanding of the American people, and our government and that is how you stop terrorism, or at least how you make a dent in it, is to engage with other countries and tell them why we are there and how we can help them so that we can be partners in the world community.

On energy resources:

We need people in congress, who will be leaders who will push for these technologies people who are visionaries and can see the potentials for economic development, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and for protecting our planet for our children and grandchildren.

Betsy has many merits worthy of representing the people of her district, and she is appealling to the independents. I am personally glad for Betsy, because her opponent Marilyn Musgrave used that interview to concoct some of the most vitriolic attacks against Betsy, one of which included accusing her of breaking a law (which she didn’t) then trumping up how she would serve 5 years if convicted.

So that would be akin to McCain saying “If Barack Obama committed murder, he would get life in prison, think about that, LIFE IN PRISON” even though he had not actually committed any crime.

The voters of the 4th district in Colorado do not like these negative attacks and polls prove it, and now the GOP knows it too and has pulled out from the race.

The National Republican Congressional Committee today canceled its TV advertising reservation for the last week of the 4th Congressional District campaign, dealing a potentially seriously damaging blow to Marilyn Musgrave’s re-election chances.

The NRCC has spent more than $700,000 on TV ads attacking Democrat Betsy Markey the past two weeks and had reserved more than $400,000 for the campaign’s final week. But that reservation was cancelled Wednesday, according to Denver TV stations.

“I think it’s a pretty clear indication that Marilyn Musgrave’s negative ad campaign has backfired on her,” Markey spokesman Ben Marter said.

Yep, people actually want leaders not bullies this time around.

Visit Betsy Markey’s

website and give her a buck or two as well.

I know these two leaders will be putting their heads together to get us good jobs and a growing economy again.