Washington Informer

Petition Challenge and Allegation of Wrongdoing Rejected

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Board of Elections has ruled that the Michael A. Brown re-election campaign has qualified for the Nov. 6 ballot. The Board formally rejected the challenge to the campaign's petitions, dismissed any allegation of wrongdoing, and summarily rejected requests to issue subpoenas.

"The Board's decision [on Sept. 10] confirms what my campaign has been saying all along: the petition challenge had no merit and was made by my opponent in bad faith," said Brown. "According to the Board, my opponent challenged hundreds of signatures which after extensive review, were determined to be valid. Knowing that his challenge was bogus and would fail, my opponent intentionally wasted the time and resources of District taxpayers to advance his political ambitions. This gamesmanship and shameless attempt to disenfranchise voters represents the most unethical kind of dirty politics."

In preliminary hearings on Aug. 29 and Sept. 7, the Board's registrar and staff recommended that the petition challenges be dismissed because over 3,000 signatures were deemed valid. At Monday's hearing, the Board upheld the staff's recommendations, granting Michael Brown ballot access and concluding the challenge proceedings.

"The first time I addressed this convention in 2004, I was a younger man; a senate candidate from Illinois who spoke about hope— not blind optimism or wishful thinking, but hope in the face of difficulty; hope in the face of uncertainty; that dogged faith in the future which has pushed this nation forward, even when the odds are great; even when the road is long.

"But when all is said and done— when you pick up that ballot to vote— you will face the clearest choice of any time in a generation. Over the next few years, big decisions will be made in Washington, on jobs and the economy; taxes and deficits; energy and education; war and peace— decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and our children's lives for decades to come.

"Ours is a fight to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known; the values my grandfather defended as a soldier in Patton's Army; the values that drove my grandmother to work on a bomber assembly line while he was gone.

"My grandparents were given the chance to go to college, buy their first home, and fulfill the basic bargain at the heart of America's story: the promise that hard work will pay off; that responsibility will be rewarded; that everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules— from Main Street to Wall Street to Washington, D.C.

"Now, our friends at the Republican convention were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with America, but they didn't have much to say about how they'd make it right. They want your vote, but they don't want you to know their plan. And that's because all they have to offer is the same prescription they've had for the last thirty years:

"Have a surplus? Try a tax cut."

"Deficit too high? Try another."

"Feel a cold coming on? Take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call us in the morning!"

"Now, I've cut taxes for those who need it— middle-class families and small businesses. But I don't believe that another round of tax breaks for millionaires will bring good jobs to our shores, or pay down our deficit. I don't believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy, or help us compete with the scientists and engineers coming out of China. After all that we've been through, I don't believe that rolling back regulations on Wall Street will help the small businesswoman expand, or the laid-off construction worker keep his home. We've been there, we've tried that, and we're not going back. We're moving forward.

"But know this, America: Our problems can be solved. Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And I'm asking you to choose that future. I'm asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country— goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit; a real, achievable plan that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. That's what we can do in the next four years, and that's why I'm running for a second term as president of the United States.

"After a decade of decline, this country created over half a million manufacturing jobs in the last two and a half years. And now you have a choice: we can give more tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, or we can start rewarding companies that open new plants and train new workers and create new jobs here, in the United States of America. We can help big factories and small businesses double their exports, and if we choose this path, we can create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years. You can make that happen. You can choose that future.

"Now you have a choice— between a strategy that reverses this progress, or one that builds on it. We've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration in the last three years, and we'll open more. But unlike my opponent, I will not let oil companies write this country's energy plan, or endanger our coastlines, or collect another $4 billion in corporate welfare from our taxpayers.

"We're offering a better path— a future where we keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal; where farmers and scientists harness new biofuels to power our cars and trucks; where construction workers build homes and factories that waste less energy; where we develop a hundred year supply of natural gas that's right beneath our feet. If you choose this path, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone.

"You can choose a future where more Americans have the chance to gain the skills they need to compete, no matter how old they are or how much money they have. Education was the gateway to opportunity for me. It was the gateway for Michelle. And now more than ever, it is the gateway to a middle-class life.

"For the first time in a generation, nearly every state has answered our call to raise their standards for teaching and learning. Some of the worst schools in the country have made real gains in math and reading. Millions of students are paying less for college today because we finally took on a system that wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on banks and lenders.

"In a world of new threats and new challenges, you can choose leadership that has been tested and proven. Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did. I promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11. We have. We've blunted the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan, and in 2014, our longest war will be over. A new tower rises above the New York skyline, al-Qaida is on the path to defeat, and Osama bin Laden is dead.

"Tonight, we pay tribute to the Americans who still serve in harm's way. We are forever in debt to a generation whose sacrifice has made this country safer and more respected. We will never forget you. And so long as I'm commander in chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known. When you take off the uniform, we will serve you as well as you've served us— because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job, or a roof over their head, or the care that they need when they come home.

"Around the world, we've strengthened old alliances and forged new coalitions to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. We've reasserted our power across the Pacific and stood up to China on behalf of our workers. From Burma to Libya to South Sudan, we have advanced the rights and dignity of all human beings— men and women; Christians and Muslims and Jews.

"After all, you don't call Russia our number one enemy— and not al-Qaida— unless you're still stuck in a Cold War time warp. You might not be ready for diplomacy with Beijing if you can't visit the Olympics without insulting our closest ally. My opponent said it was "tragic" to end the war in Iraq, and he won't tell us how he'll end the war in Afghanistan. I have, and I will. And while my opponent would spend more money on military hardware that our joint chiefs don't even want, I'll use the money we're no longer spending on war to pay down our debt and put more people back to work— rebuilding roads and bridges; schools and runways. After two wars that have cost us thousands of lives and over a trillion dollars, it's time to do some nation-building right here at home.

"I want to reform the tax code so that it's simple, fair, and asks the wealthiest households to pay higher taxes on incomes over $250,000— the same rate we had when Bill Clinton was president; the same rate we had when our economy created nearly 23 million new jobs, the biggest surplus in history, and a lot of millionaires to boot.

"Now, I'm still eager to reach an agreement based on the principles of my bipartisan debt commission. No party has a monopoly on wisdom. No democracy works without compromise. But when Gov. Romney and his allies in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficit by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy— well, you do the math. I refuse to go along with that. And as long as I'm president, I never will.

"I refuse to ask middle class families to give up their deductions for owning a home or raising their kids just to pay for another millionaire's tax cut. I refuse to ask students to pay more for college; or kick children out of Head Start programs, or eliminate health insurance for millions of Americans who are poor, elderly, or disabled— all so those with the most can pay less.

"And I will never turn Medicare into a voucher. No American should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies. They should retire with the care and dignity they have earned. Yes, we will reform and strengthen Medicare for the long haul, but we'll do it by reducing the cost of health care— not by asking seniors to pay thousands of dollars more. And we will keep the promise of Social Security by taking the responsible steps to strengthen it— not by turning it over to Wall Street.

"We believe that a little girl who's offered an escape from poverty by a great teacher or a grant for college could become the founder of the next Google, or the scientist who cures cancer, or the President of the United States— and it's in our power to give her that chance.

We know that churches and charities can often make more of a difference than a poverty program alone. We don't want handouts for people who refuse to help themselves, and we don't want bailouts for banks that break the rules. We don't think government can solve all our problems. But we don't think that government is the source of all our problems— any more than are welfare recipients, or corporations, or unions, or immigrants, or gays, or any other group we're told to blame for our troubles.

"I recognize that times have changed since I first spoke to this convention. The times have changed— and so have I.

I'm no longer just a candidate. I'm the president. I know what it means to send young Americans into battle, for I have held in my arms the mothers and fathers of those who didn't return. I've shared the pain of families who've lost their homes, and the frustration of workers who've lost their jobs. If the critics are right that I've made all my decisions based on polls, then I must not be very good at reading them. And while I'm proud of what we've achieved together, I'm far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what Lincoln meant when he said, "I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go."

"If you reject the notion that this nation's promise is reserved for the few, your voice must be heard in this election.

If you reject the notion that our government is forever beholden to the highest bidder, you need to stand up in this election.

If you believe that new plants and factories can dot our landscape; that new energy can power our future; that new schools can provide ladders of opportunity to this nation of dreamers; if you believe in a country where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules, then I need you to vote this November.

"America, I never said this journey would be easy, and I won't promise that now. Yes, our path is harder— but it leads to a better place. Yes our road is longer— but we travel it together. We don't turn back. We leave no one behind. We pull each other up. We draw strength from our victories, and we learn from our mistakes, but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon, knowing that providence is with us, and that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on earth.

No Missed Opportunities to Express Plight for Statehood

District of Columbia delegates who attended the National Democratic Convention took their fight to the streets of Charlotte, N.C. on Tuesday to deliver a strong message for D.C. Statehood to voters from around the country.

The effort was part of a strategy designed to inform and persuade states to support D.C. Statehood in spite of the Democratic National Committee [DNC] Platform Committee's decision to deny Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton an opportunity to address the national convention this week.

D.C. delegates sported bright red T-shirts and weaved their way through crowds while stopping those who would listen to the saga of the District's ongoing struggle for Statehood. Two huge billboards located in downtown Charlotte near the convention site captured the attention of passersby and motorists to the Statehood issue.

Following a protest rally held on September 4, delegates said they remained hopeful despite their inability to promote their cause in front of other convention delegates. They were pushed to the "free speech" area blocks away from the convention site but even a sudden downpour of rain failed to dash their spirits.

"The official demonstration area moved," said Shadow Representative Michael E. Brown. "Still we gave our little speeches, and [we] did our usual Statehood thing, but I believe we need to be like Fannie Lou Hamer ... and say 'we're sick and tired of being sick and tired.'"

Frustration and disappointment like a laser beamed in on President Obama and the Democratic Party for refusing to support the District's Statehood efforts.

"We all love the Democrats," Brown said. "They stand behind us. But they need to stand in front of us, you know," he said.

"Where I come from, when you're getting beat up, your friends step in and try to help you. Two hundred and eleven years [of fighting for Statehood] is long enough."

Others agree.

"It's very disappointing because she [Norton] has been on the program for a number of years," said D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray. "They will mention budget autonomy and legislative autonomy and voting rights for Congresswoman Norton, but no one could have done a better job articulating that but her."

Gray, who joined nearly 100 Democratic mayors at a luncheon sponsored by the U.S. Council of Mayors, said the group has been extremely supportive of Statehood for the District of Columbia. "I'm delighted to be a part of an organization that gets it," said Gray, 69.

Ben Johnson, former assistant to President Bill Clinton and former deputy chairman of the Democratic Party, called the DNC's decision "outrageous."

Johnson, who is a long time District resident, it's about allegiance and reciprocity.

"What bothers me most is that none of our allies in the Democratic Party are willing to fight for us," he said. "We're one of the most loyal constituencies in the Democratic Party and with three electoral votes, it's just ridiculous that we're being taken for granted like this. I was just put off that someone would decide to do this especially since we've been so loyal."

But critics of the DNC steered clear of any comments that might suggest they weren't going to support the party or the president's re-election.

"We're not changing the guard but we're protecting the guard," said Julianne Malveaux, an economist and political activist. "We have to get out here and vote and we have to be our own advocates. People have to ask themselves, 'what are you going to get from Romney?'"

But, Malveaux said she believes it's unwise to summarily dismiss the District.

"It's shortsighted for the Democratic Party to write off the District of Columbia. I'm glad there is a robust delegation that is continuing to advocate for that."

Democratic members of the D.C. City Council joined the nearly 55-member D.C. delegation at the convention to fight on behalf of the District. Council members included Michael A. Brown (At-Large), Jack Evans (Ward 2), Yvette Alexander (Ward 7), Vincent Orange (At-Large), Muriel Bowser (Ward 4), and Marion Barry (Ward 8). Shadow Senator Paul Strauss and Michael E. Brown also participated in the Statehood outreach efforts.

D.C. Statehood activist Anise Jenkins said those she spoke with inspired her. "[It's] heartening to talk to people from all over the country who support us. They know about Delegate Norton and they support her. A lot of people are familiar with our plight; more than I thought."

Georgetown University professor Michael Eric Dyson commended Norton.

"[She] is a great leader and her voice deserves to be heard and D.C. Statehood needs to be put forth front and center."

"The refusal to acknowledge [the issue] is not a departure from the norm, but what we've got to do is to continue to raise our voices," he said.