Thanks Richard. Your posts are always a breath of fresh air.

Here in Kentucky's First Congressional District, we are fighting against one of the very worst Congressmen in the Country. It seems nothing is sacred to him and his staff when it comes to retaining their hold on power, and the money that comes with it. They even attack Heather for doing a fundraiser that benefits battered women and children in our district, at a place called the Merryman House.

Despite his election year Renaisance, it is easy to see Whitfield for what he is, a right-wing zealot:

I believe that counts as slightly to the right of Attila the Hun!!

It is also easy to see who he really has supported the last eight years:

Well, this years voting record marks him as a zealot, just look at a few votes to see why.You know, despite the fact Republicans seek to lecture us on taxes, look at this vote:

Voted NO on paying for AMT relief by closing offshore business loopholes.
H.R.4351: To provide individuals temporary relief from the alternative minimum tax (AMT), via an offset of nonrefundable personal tax credits. [The AMT was originally intended to apply only to people with very high incomes, to ensure that they paid a fair amount of income tax. As inflation occurred, more people became subject to the AMT, and now it applies to people at upper-middle-class income levels as well. Both sides agree that the AMT should be changed to apply only to the wealthy; at issue in this bill is whether the cost of that change should be offset with a tax increase elsewhere or with no offset at all. -- ed.)

http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Ed_Whitfield_Tax_Reform.htm

Despite being a millionaire that has his healthcare paid by us, we have this vote:

Voted NO on Veto override: Extend SCHIP to cover 6M more kids.

http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Ed_Whitfield_Health_Care.htm

And desptite the fact that Americans are hurting at the pump and we desperately need new solutions to our Energy problems, we have these votes:

Voted NO on tax incentives for energy production and conservation.

Voted NO on tax incentives for renewable energy.

http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Ed_Whitfield_Energy_+_Oil.htm

Of course, when you are invested in and profiting from Big Oil while they squeeze the American consumer, the last thing you want is to devalue your own stock.

We need a Representative that is invested in the people of this district. We need a Reprentative that puts women, children, and all our citizens above their own greed. Yes, we need new leadership:

In the last several days, because of the hateful attacks of Whitfield and his Paducah staffers, we have seen a fundraising boom both within the district and on ActBlue. Can you help us keep this momentum going? With the $5000 we won from the Progressive Patriots contest, and the uptick on ActBlue, we are oh so close to running T.V. in this district which is the key to winning. Can you pitch in $6, the cost of a T.V. spot on cable here to help us win? For the price of a Lottery ticket, you can gamble on an expanded Cogressional Majority for our new President. Please help!!:

In 2006, we went a long way towards defeating corruption in the Congress. The former Republican Congress, led by such men as Tom Delay was shown the door by American voters. Despite this, we still have a long way to go towards defeating Corruption in the Congress. As long as men like Exxon Ed Whitfield are allowed to haunt the hallowed halls of Congress, we have work to do.

We have already seen how Exxon Eddie and his staff believe in theft and vandalism. We have seen how Exxon Eddie attacks opponents for supporting battered women and children. However, Exxon Eddie's Corruption runs even deeper than that.

We can all see how Exxon Eddie owns much Exxon and Chevron stock. That in itself is not corrupt, but when you own stock and vote in the interests of that stock over the interests of your constituents, that is corrupt.

Although Kentucky has a multitude of farmland and could profit handsomely from investment in renewables, Exxon Eddie votes his stock options and against any kind of investment in Kentucky farmland by researching the fuels of the future. It seems his own profits are much more important to him than the betterment of our district. I am not against any American being successful, and making a profit, but to do so at the expense of those you have spent thousands of dollars of special interest money from Big Oil to attack opponents is corrupt.

Even more disturbing for 47 million Americans are the campaign contributions from Drug, Health, and Insurance industries. This insures that Exxon Ed Whitfield with do anything in his power to insure that the power to decide who gets healthcare in country will fall to the Drug, Health, and Insurance industries. Even healthcare for children is off the table for Exxon Eddie.

Now, call me what you will, but I think it is corrupt to take money from such organizations, and then deny healthcare coverage to millions of American CHILDREN!! From a party that will run on character, and "Christian Values", I simply ask. What did Jesus say to us about the treatment of Children? Do you really believe it is Christian to deny healthcare to any child?

While we are talking character, I simply ask what kind of person, or campaign attacks and mocks a candidate for doing a fundraiser for a center that cares for battered women and children. I submit that Ed Whitfield should be there too, asking what he can do for some of the people that need it the most in this district. Not mocking those who do.

I will tell you all that this election DOES come down to character. On one side we have the character of a wife, mother, veteran, and fellow citizen of the First Congressional District of Kentucky, who lives and works among us and knows the battles we face because she faces them too. On the other side, we have a career politician, a Washington insider that has been corrupted by the lust for money and power that comes from being in that town too long. His campaign will say and do anything as evidenced by their very actions in this election. While we will fight them in the arena of ideas and character in any forum, we would rather lose than display the childish, unprofessional conduct that has marked their campaign.

We can win with the resources to run just some T.V. and radio. We have Whitfield running scared, and I honestly beieve by their recent actions they have some internal polling that isn't too hot. Make a real diffence and a real statement this year. Support new Leadership!!:

If we get T.V., we win!!

We have seen how Exxon Ed Whitfield has a problem with women and children. Numerous times, Whitfield has used his influence and vote against women and children. Which leads you to wonder, if you can't serve women and children, and actually mock the ones that are battered, just who can you serve? With Whitfield the answer is simple:

Yes, even against the aforementioned women and children. How far did his rubber-stamping of Bush go? Well, lets look:

H.R. 1309, a bill that has passed the House on a vote of 308-117, removes the authoritarian stain placed on the government of the United States shortly after George W. Bush took office -- well, at least one of them. It used to be that citizens could access government documents through the Freedom of Information Act unless the government could affirmatively demonstrate the need for the document to remain private. George W. Bush changed that with an executive order in 2001, mandating that unless a citizen affirmatively demonstrated a lack of national security reasons for the disclosure of a document, the government could keep its documents off-limits. This is another authoritarian step in a nation founded on principles of openness and liberty. Ed Whitfield failed to vote for this bill. Rep. Whitfield made a most unfortunate stand against openness in favor of authoritarianism.

http://progressivepatriots.com/house/WhitfieldKY1.html

If he is a Conservative Republican that can lecture us on the size and scope of our government, why is he voting to expand the power and scope of the Federal Government and deflect critisizm of the incompetence shown by the Bush Administration leading up to 9-11?? Of course he was right along the way in the FISA argument, calling for expanded Federal powers not included in the Constitution for his buddy, President Bush.

This is not the only time Whitfield has failed to uphold the Constitution.:

The way that U.S. citizenship works is pretty simple when you get down to it: if you are born in this country, you are a citizen. Leave it to Representative Ed Whitfield to come up with a way to change that. Representative Whitfield has decided to support H.R. 1940, which would deny citizenship to American-born babies if their parents are not themselves citizens. Such a change would move us toward the German model of citizenship, in which families who have lived in Germany for generations were denied citizenship because they lacked the so-called "virtue" of a German bloodline.

http://progressivepatriots.com/house/WhitfieldKY1.html

One of the first things I learned in 5th Grade Civics is that the Constitution states anyone born on United States soil is a citizen. That is how our fore-fathers founded this country, and that vote was a secret travesty nobody much noticed.

He also failed to fight against the huge corruption that has squandered hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq, which has made certain companies close to the President and his cronies very rich:

H.R. 897 is a bill before the House of Representatives that would "require the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Interior, and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to provide to Congress copies and descriptions of contracts and task orders in excess of $5,000,000 for work to be performed in Iraq and Afghanistan." When Republicans controlled the Congress, they killed efforts to uncover corporate corruption and war profiteering. If there is really nothing going on with the contracts, then why is there a problem with looking at those contracts? Only those who think there is a problem and want to hide the problem could be opposed to Congressional oversight. Ed Whitfield apparently is comfortable with something being hidden, since the name of Rep. Whitfield does not currently appear in cosponsorship of this legislation. Contact Rep. Whitfield and ask why.

http://progressivepatriots.com/house/WhitfieldKY1.html

We all know who that pleased:

Whitfield would not even stand up for children once more, this time children living in the oppressed parts of the world:

H.R. 2620, The Child Soldier Prevention Act, prohibits the government of the United States of America from providing military aid to any foreign government that uses child soldiers in its military, paramilitary forces, or other official or sanctioned armed groups. The Child Soldier Prevention Act also requires the Executive Branch to research and publish reports on the use of child soldiers around the world, providing important information that can be used to more effectively counter the use child soldiers.

So why hasn't Representative Whitfield offered cosponsorship of even this mild, unobjectionable bill? Something seems askew with Representative Whitfield's priorities.

http://progressivepatriots.com/house/WhitfieldKY1.html

Not surprising when you take money from Terrorists.

Ed Whitfield is not a leader. His election year Renaisance can't change the fact that he rubber-stamped every failed policy that bankrupted our country, shipped out our jobs, sent our young men and women to the desert sand without the proper planning and equipment, and denied healthcare for even children. When leadership was required on all these things, Exxon Ed Whitfield was Asleep at the Wheel:

In this region, state, and country, we desperately need new leadership:

We have had some success here, and are really on the cusp of being able to put this district in play. Don't underestimate the tenacity of our campaign and the determination and dedication we will show towards winning. You can make a real difference here, and we need your support:

Please support grassroots Democrats!!!

Just down the road from Paducah, Kentucky sits St. John's Catholic Church. Every year, they have an annual picnic with games and political speaking. While not as famous, and a lot tamer than the Fancy Farm Picnic, it is a really good idea for candidates to stop in and work for votes in Western Kentucky.

As with a lot of events in Kentucky Politics today, Heather Ryan stole the show. Unfortunately, at the last minute our camera had some technical difficulties, but I want to share a transcript of Heather's speech, that once again fired up Democrats in attendence, and offended Republicans deeply with the hard truth of their records:

Well, we were going to bring our tractor-trailer to St. John's Picnic like Exxon Eddie, but we simply couldn't afford it.

After the Republican National Convention ended this week, analysts said the Republicans didn't mention their achievements because they didn't have any. Unfortunately, I disagree.

Republicans achieved everything they set out to achieve. They've made the rich richer, and the middle-class poor. You may think it is unfair for me to say, but when my opponent votes against Healthcare for poor children, he is representing Insurance companies, not you.

When Exxon Eddie votes against funding Alternative Energy, he is representing Big Oil, and his own stock options, not you. When he votes to give himself and the richest 1% of Americans a huge tax break while cutting veteran's benefits he is representing his own wallet, not yours.

(Republican heckles from side) That is unless you are sitting over there with that bunch, who obviously aren't hurting.

Because that is what we have had in office for 14 yrs, a cookie-cutter Republican who votes over 90% of the time with President Bush. If you are proud of what George W. Bush has done to our country, then by all means vote for Exxon Ed Whitfield.

But if you are embarrassed that we are the only industrialized nation in the world that doesn't provide healthcare for it's citizens, and if you are angry that Big Oil holds our economy hostage, and if your furious that the richest among us own the politicians that are supposed to represent us, then vote for me, Heather Ryan and support the Democratic ticket.

I am Heather Ryan and I am just an ordinary person during an extra-ordinary time. I am a wife, and mother, previous labor union member, and a veteran, which means that even I have more experience than Sarah Palin.

You have heard a lot of talk about change in this election. Its something we desperately need in Kentucky's First Congressional District, and in fact in America. Friends, if you always do what you did, then you will always get what you have gotten. So please, vote Democrat on Nov. 4th. Change isn't a campaign slogan, it is a neccesity.

Thank you.

Now for some pics of St. John's!! Here is Heather, and her daughter Heaven, everyone's favorite Mitch McConnell antagonist arriving at the picnic. (McConnell was a no-show):

Here is Bruce Lunsford, McConnell's opponent who did show to meet with the voters of Western Kentucky:

Here is our opponent, Exxon Eddie, looking worried as he arrived in an empty tractor-trailer with his face and name on the side, burning $4.10 a gallon diesel while Paducah Trucking Companies are closing their doors. Of course, with his Exxon and Chevron Stock he will get it back. The taxpayers of Western Kentucky won't:

Here is Exxon Eddie on the stage, trying to explain away $4.00 a gallon gas, and voting against Healthcare for Children:

Here is the reaction of Democrats as Exxon Eddie states how he has worked for Energy Independence. From left to right, Former Congressman and State Senate candidate Carroll Hubbard, Bruce Lunsford, Heather Ryan, and Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo:

Here is Heather, doing what she does like no other, calling the Republicans out on their sorry records of representing us:

Here is Carroll Hubbard, showing he still has what it takes to deliver a knockout speech:

Here is the leader of the Kentucky Democratic Party, Jennifer Moore, who is doing an awesome job and as Carroll Hubbard reminded us at Breakfast is the prettiest leader of the KDP ever:

It was a long, and great day for Democrats. Heather fired everyone up as usual, and better yet got under some Republican skin. As is the case every time people hear Heather for the first time, we signed up many new volunteers and recieved several contributions.

Please, help us in this race. This seat is ripe for the picking if we get the funds, and Heather would be an awesome Democrat with a spine in the Congress. Just ask Russ Feingold!! We are fighting hard here, and Exxon Eddie knows he is vulnerable. Go here to expand our Congressional majority!!:

We need your support!!

Here at Whitfield Trucking, business was getting slow. We couldn't understand why so many Kentuckians who were suffering with high gas prices would object so much to us driving an empty tractor-trailer around the First Congressional District of Kentucky. Do they not own hundreds of thousands of dollars in Exxon and Chevron stock like we do? Why would they object to us getting rich off their pain?

Well, to figure out how to turn our business fortunes around, our CEO Exxon Ed Whitfield decided to meet with the wisest business mind he knew:

He told us we should not be driving an empty tractor-trailer around. He said that we simply must start delivering for the citizens of this district.

Luckily for us, he pointed out that Whitfield Trucking HAS delivered much more than our empty tractor-trailer would suggest. We hadn't realized it, but our little company has delivered plenty. We have delivered a myriad of failed policies, lovingly rubber-stamped for President Bush that has
made us rich while our district has fallen further behind and our economy has crashed into the ditch. Just look at what all we have delivered in our once empty tractor-trailer. First we delivered for President Bush, and the Credit Card Companies:

Voted YES on Bankruptcy Overhaul requiring partial debt repayment.

Vote to pass a bill that would make it easier for courts to change debtors from Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which allows most debts to be dismissed, to Chapter 13, which requires a repayment plan.

Reference: Bill sponsored by Gekas, R-PA; Bill HR 333 ; vote number 2001-25 on Mar 1, 2001

http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Ed_Whitfield_Corporations.htm

Then, we delivered the Bush Administration Energy Policy written by Dick Cheney, and the Energy Companies, which has led to record prices for our fellow Americans:

Voted YES on passage of the Bush Administration national energy policy.

Vote to pass a bill that would put into practice a comprehensive national policy for energy conservation, research and development. The bill would authorize o $25.7 billion tax break over a 10-year period. The tax breaks would include $11.9 billion to promote oil and gas production, $2.5 billion for "clean coal" programs, $2.2 billion in incentives for alternative motor vehicles, and $1.8 billion for the electric power industry and other businesses. A natural gas pipeline from Alaska would be authorized an $18 billion loan guarantee. It would add to the requirement that gasoline sold in the United States contain a specified volume of ethanol. Makers of the gasoline additive MTBE would be protected from liability. They would be required though to cease production of the additive by 2015. Reliability standards would be imposed for electricity transmissions networks, through this bill. The bill would also ease the restrictions on utility ownership and mergers.

Reference: Energy Policy Act of 2004; Bill HR 4503 ; vote number 2004-241 on Jun 15, 2004

http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Ed_Whitfield_Energy_+_Oil.htm

Then, we delivered for the People's Republic of Communist China:

Voted NO on deterring foreign arms transfers to China.

To authorize measures to deter arms transfers by foreign countries to the People's Republic of China, A YES vote would grant the President the ability to place sanctions on any individual or country that violates the arms embargo, including:

Denial of participation in cooperative research and development

Prohibition of ownership and control of any business registered as a manufacturer or exporter of defense articles or services

Removal of all licenses relative to dual-use goods or technology

Prohibition of participation of any foreign military sales

Reference: East Asia Security Act; Bill HR 3100 ; vote number 2005-374 on Jul 14, 2005

http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Ed_Whitfield_Foreign_Policy.htm

Then, we delivered for the beloved lobbyists that fund our campaigns:

Voted NO on requiring lobbyist disclosure of bundled donations.

Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require a registered lobbyist who bundles contributions totaling over $5,000 to one covered recipient in one quarter to:

file a quarterly report with Congress; and

notify the recipient.

"Covered recipient" includes federal candidates, political party committees, or leadership PACs [but not regular PACs].

Reference: Honest Leadership and Open Government Act; Bill H R 2316 ; vote number 2007-423 on May 24, 2007

http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Ed_Whitfield_Government_Reform.htm

Then, we delivered for President Bush, our hero in helping him to shred the worthless piece of paper known as the Constitution:

Voted NO on requiring FISA warrants for wiretaps in US, but not abroad.

Reference: RESTORE Act; Bill H.R.3773 ; vote number 08-HR3773 on Mar 14, 2008

Voted NO on Veto override: Congressional oversight of CIA interrogations.

Bill Veto override on H.R. 2082 ; vote number 08-HR2082 on Mar 11, 2008

Voted YES on allowing electronic surveillance without a warrant.

Reference: Update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978; Bill H.R.5825 ; vote number 2006-502 on Sep 28, 2006

Voted YES on continuing intelligence gathering without civil oversight.

Reference: Intelligence Authorization Act; Bill HR 5020 resolution H RES 774 ; vote number 2006-108 on Apr 26, 2006

http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Ed_Whitfield_Homeland_Security.htm

As you can see, our tractor-trailer is far from empty. It is filled with all the wonderful offerings of a failed President, rubber-stamped by a failed Congressman. We are hoping to keep this work going, so Congressman Whitfield's failed staff can continue making over twice the median income of working families in this district working for him. It is the least we can do for the voters of this district, quite literally. Please support Exxon Ed Whitfield and keep the dream of Whitfield Trucking alive, so we can continue to get rich.

Please support Heather Ryan in Kentucky's First, and close the doors on Whitfield Trucking for good!!:

Anyone donating $30 or more recieves a free Ryan for Congress T-Shirt!!

With the crashing of the economy, and the up-coming taxpayer bailout of hundreds upon hundreds of billions of dollars, Americans and Kentuckians need to take a hard look at the root causes of the reversal of budget surpluses into TRILLIONS of dollars of national debt. In Kentucky, one need not look past the failed Republican Congressional delegation of the time, many of which are still serving and running for re-election.

Led by Mitch McConnell, this bunch of Corporate Profiteers never met a Corporate Welfare or de-regulation bill they would not vote for. One need only look back to the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, which overturned many of the protections of FDR's New Deal to find the root of our current woes. While there, one will also find that Kentucky Republicans were unanimous in their support, and failure of leadership.

But there was little dissent in 1999, when Sen. Mitch McConnell and the rest of Kentucky's congressional delegation voted to deregulate Wall Street banking and investments. They — and most other members of Congress — brushed aside concerns that deregulation could create massive financial institutions that would be "too big to fail," requiring a government bailout if they started to stagger.

http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/534480.html

Of course as always with Kentucky Republicans, their votes garnered them huge dollars in campaign contributions from the very industries taxpayers must now bail out:

The Kentucky delegation went on to collect millions of dollars in combined campaign donations from the financial sector, while the banking, securities and insurance industries merged into the creature that is now collapsing and calling for government aid.

http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/534480.html

The numbers are staggering:

McConnell has been individually feted in New York City by major banks, including a 2005 luncheon given in his honor by UBS and Citigroup, which raised at least $60,000 for his campaign fund. Former Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, who sponsored the Wall Street deregulation bill and then left Congress to become an investment banker at UBS, helped organize that event and donated $4,000 to McConnell.

Among others in the Kentucky delegation who voted for Wall Street deregulation in 1999, and who are still in Congress, Bunning got $2.4 million; Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Hopkinsville, got $697,116; Rep. Ron Lewis, R-Cecilia, got $551,266; and Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Somerset, got $406,765, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Totals are for donations from 1989 to 2008.

http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/534480.html

As you can see, Congressman Ed Whitfield was not only tied up in the failure by voting for this bill, but actually was rewarded with $700,000 worth of campaign contributions for his irresponsibility, and failed judgement.

His response would be laughable if it was a joke, and not a $700 billion or more debt for our children and grandchildren to pay off:

A Whitfield spokeswoman likewise noted that her boss was far from alone in supporting the 1999 law, and she said the congressman doubted whether deregulation — as opposed to greed — led to the current meltdown.

"It's always easy to point fingers and try to place blame when any kind of crisis arises," Whitfield wrote in a statement. "Addressing our current financial situation and turning our economy around is a difficult challenge we as a nation face and we in Congress must address."

In the immortal words of mothers everywhere, if everyone else was jumping off a bridge, would you jump off of it too? That IS NOT leadership!! At Ryan for Kentucky, we submit that it was the greed of men like Whitfield, following the leader Mitch McConnell that led to the current meltdown. Their greed caused the de-regulation they profited from, and that went on to crash our economy.

Of course Exxon Eddie doesn't want us to "point fingers" and "place blame" because he knows he showed horrible leadership and judgement, and profited handsomely to the tune of $700,000 to smear his opponents with. At Ryan for Kentucky, we submit once more that a Congressman who was so tied up with the terrible failure of 1999 has not the vision, judgement, courage, or leadership to "Address our current financial situation and turn our economy around". This same failed leadership is what created this mess, led by all Kentucky Republicans in 1999, including Exxon Ed Whitfield.

In fact, Exxon Ed Whitfield and the whole Republican delegation lined up firmly behind now disgraced Senator Larry "Foottapper" Craig:

"The Financial Services Modernization Act overhauled the financial services industry by eliminating outdated Depression-era laws that have hampered the industry's ability to increase its efficiency," Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, wrote in a 1999 article on behalf of the Senate Republican caucus.

http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/534480.html

Is this the kind of leadership we need in Kentucky? Blindly lining up behind corrupt industries and leaders that crash our economy off a cliff? I submit that this debacle brings to light exactly why we need new leadership in Kentucky, including the First Congressional District:

This has left us with a huge opening against Exxon Ed Whitfield in this district. As you can see by his own statement, he knows he is intricately tied into this failure. All we need to do is let these voters know just how dirty his hands are.

Please consider supporting Heather Ryan in Kentucky's First. With the resources to bring Exxon Eddie's failed record in crashing the economy to these voters, she will win in a landslide. Voters of this district hate to see their tax dollars wasted, and will hold Exxon Eddie accountable. Please, contribute to expand our Congressional majority with real leadership here:

As of now, this race is on the map!!