Hello and welcome my fellow American.

I once registered as a Republican, but my voting history covered the bases. One could say I looked at the candidate and not the party when I entered the voting booth. I guess I registered one way because of a preconceived notion as to what "R" or "D" meant, but times have changed.  What we think a party represents is not necessarily what they deliver.

Men like Lincoln and T.R Roosevelt, both legendary Republicans, would be labeled today as Democrats for their belief that government is the ultimate defender of justice and that liberty belongs to everyone, not just the powerful.   Conversely, men like Truman and Kennedy, both Democrats would be called strong conservatives for their courage to stand against communism and their responsible stance on the economy.

What would you call a leader who rejected the strong-arm advocacy of every advisor and decided to talk to our enemy?  Today, some people would call such a leader “a cut and run wimp”. History calls him Ronald Reagan.

In reality, good leadership is not conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican. Good leadership is progressive. When we believe in the power of America, when we hold to our values and our ideals, when we promote what is best about us, we are great. Great leaders ask every American to vote for their aspirations and not their fears.

The Republican Party of today represents fear and not our aspirations.  When we call for a change in strategy in Iraq the Republican hardliners cry "surrender".   When we call to lower the cost of health care and to bring care to tens of millions of people the Republican hardliners cry "socialized medicine".  When we call to fix our broken immigration policy the Republican hardliners cry "amnesty". When we call for fair trade agreements they cry "isolationism".   

America was not built on one-liner calls for fear; we were built on courage and wisdom.  Throughout our history, men and women made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our ideals and our values. Our duty to that sacrifice is to keep to our values.   
 
I, a Democrat, believe in the ideals that our parents and so many preceding generations aspired to. I will work for a change. It takes courage to reject political labels and the one-liner calls for fear and to believe in the substance of a candidate. It takes courage to say enough of where we are headed and to change course. We in the 9th District have that courage.