Roll Call: General Clark Ready to Do Battle for Shulman (NJ)

May 13, 2008 | Roll Call

Already a darling of the Democratic establishment on Capitol Hill, psychologist Dennis Shulman picked up the endorsement of former presidential candidate and retired Gen. Wesley Clark in his bid to claim the Democratic nomination and challenge Rep. Scott Garrett (R) in November.

In a statement released over the weekend, Clark said Shulman’s unique background makes him an inspirational candidate, especially during an election year in which change has become the key theme.

"Growing up blind and overcoming family financial struggles to become an accomplished psychologist, educator, and rabbi, Dennis embodies what we all hope to be as Americans and his voice will be a powerful force for change in Congress,” Clark said.

We need veterans like Ashwin Madia, Tim Walz, and Leonard Boswell in Congress to lead us out of Iraq and to support our troops. Click here to donate to their campaigns today!

It's no surprise that a war veteran, Senator Jim Webb, has led the fight in expanding the GI Bill to give our troops the education benefits they were promised. Those who have worn the uniform know first-hand how much our troops have sacrificed and what it takes to support members of the armed forces.

That's why it was critical our community helped elect Jim Webb in 2006, and it's also the reason I'm backing three veterans who are running for Congress this fall. Though 30,000 Americans have signed a petition in support of Senator Webb's GI Bill, our opponents are already weakening the bill because it is too "generous" for our troops. We need more veterans in Congress who will help bring our soldiers home from Iraq and stand up for those who have defended our nation.

Join me and support veteran candidates Ashwin Madia, Tim Walz, and Leonard Boswell by donating to their campaigns today!

http://www.actblue.com/page/3vets

Ashwin Madia

Ashwin Madia is running in Minnesota's 3rd Congressional district, and his candidacy presents a prime opportunity for Democrats to pick up this open seat. As an Iraq War veteran, Ashwin Madia knows as well as anyone the importance of getting our troops out of Iraq and safely home. He spent seven months in Iraq, working with U.S. officials, European Union and United Nations representatives, and Iraqi judicial officers to strengthen the Iraqi criminal justice system.

Ashwin's extensive experience in Iraq would bring a needed perspective on our nation's interests in the Middle East. We need his voice in Congress, and with your early support he'll win this fall.

Help send Ashwin to Congress -- click on the link below to donate to his campaign today!

http://www.actblue.com/page/3vets

Tim Walz

Two years ago, Representative Tim Walz defeated a six term incumbent Republican in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. As a 24-year member of the Army National Guard, Tim understands the need to increase education benefits for our soldiers and has co-sponsored the House version of Senator Webb's GI Bill.

But Karl Rove and the National Republican Congressional Committee have named Tim as a top target for 2008. Already, well-funded special interest groups have launched misleading TV ads against Congressman Walz because he continues to stand up to the Bush Administration and its failed policies.

Help Tim Walz fight against the GOP's attacks and win a second term. Donate to his campaign today!

http://www.actblue.com/page/3vets

Leonard Boswell

In 2006, WesPAC helped Leonard Boswell fight off a "swiftboat" attempt on him in Iowa, and our efforts helped re-elect Leonard. As a 20-year veteran of the Army, he too supports an expanded GI Bill for our veterans and has pushed for increases in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

We can't afford to lose a true American hero like Leonard in Congress, and we can't take it for granted that the right-wing won't smear him again this November.

Help re-elect Congressman Boswell by donating to his campaign now!

http://www.actblue.com/page/3vets

The insight of those who serve in the armed forces is too often lost in our nation's dialogue about foreign policy, health care, education, and veterans issues. With your support, we'll strengthen the voices of those who have risked their lives for our country by sending 3 veterans to Congress in 2008.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

Help Andrew Rice keep up his momentum -- click here to donate to his Senate campaign today!

Like me, Andrew Rice never thought he'd run for office. But Andrew's life took a dramatic turn when his older brother was killed in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The tragedy redirected Andrew on a course of public activism, first with the surviving families of 9/11 and later with a successful run for State Senate in Oklahoma.

Today, he's challenging Republican incumbent Senator James Inhofe in Oklahoma, who has blindly supported the Bush administration's failed war policies in Iraq. Andrew's campaign is gaining momentum every day, but he needs your help to defeat Inhofe this fall.

Help send a new leader to the Senate from Oklahoma -- click on the link below to donate to Andrew Rice's campaign today!

http://www.actblue.com/page/helpandrew

Andrew has spent his entire life helping others less fortunate than himself. He holds a Master's Degree in Theology, and has worked in Sri Lanka and Thailand to help fight disease and hunger. As a State Senator, Andrew added 38,000 Oklahoma children to a government-sponsored health insurance program and helped create a task force to tackle the problem of hunger in Oklahoma.

Andrew's record stands in strong contrast to that of Senator Inhofe, who has voted against veterans' health care funding, against funding for troops in the field including armored vehicles, and has blocked an increase in medical care funding for active duty military personnel.

We need more leaders like Andrew Rice in the Senate -- click on the link below to contribute to his campaign today!

http://www.actblue.com/page/helpandrew

Already, Inhofe's failure to represent the needs of Oklahoma is costing him votes. Recent polling by Pete Brodnitz of Benenson Strategy Group found that when Oklahoma voters hear positive statements about Rice's values, agenda and background, they favor him over the incumbent by a 43% to 41% margin. And while Oklahoma has long been dismissed as a "red" state, Andrew's commitment to a new direction for America is gaining traction across the state among voters who are weary of Inhofe's extremist politics.

Let's prove the media and our opponents wrong, and show that Oklahoma is ready to send a Democrat to the Senate. Contribute to Andrew's campaign today!

http://www.actblue.com/page/helpandrew

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

The original GI Bill transformed American history, providing education for returning soldiers. Not only was this our nation’s moral duty for the unbelievable sacrifices of our World War II veterans, it helped create America's middle class and spurred decades of economic growth for our country. Why then is John McCain silent on passing a new GI Bill for our 'new greatest generation?" Tell John McCain to do the right thing and co-sponsor the new GI Bill.

Click to sign the petition>>

Robert Lopez served 8 years in our military, fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as a tank commander. He was told he'd get his whole education bill paid for when he got out of the service. Mr. Lopez has fought and sacrificed for our country but like so many others, Mr. Lopez has faced the bleak reality of a government that has turned its back on its veterans.

That is why Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel proposed the new GI Bill, which would bring back WWII-style standards of providing vets with full tuition, room and board. And that is why 51 senators have signed on, including 9 Republicans like John Warner, giving this GI Bill tremendous bi-partisan support.

But it isn't enough. Faced with unprecedented filibusters, the only way to ensure Senate passage of the GI Bill is to get 60 co-sponsors. So far, John McCain has refused. The same McCain who insists he supports our troops. The same McCain who is voting lockstep with the Bush administration (who have also resisted this bill). We need to get John McCain to do the right thing -- to sign now and signal to other Republican leaders that we should be strongly behind our vets.

Sign the petition to John McCain!

Click to watch the video!

The original GI Bill transformed American history, providing education for returning soldiers. Not only was this our nation's moral duty for the unbelievable sacrifices of our World War II veterans, it helped create America's middle class and spurred decades of economic growth for our country.

Why then is John McCain silent on passing a new GI Bill for our "new greatest generation?"

Robert Lopez thinks John McCain ought to stand in his shoes to know how difficult it is to be a vet and have to pay staggering education costs. THIS is your call to arms. Pass the video along and implore your friends to sign the petition.

Click here to watch the video and sign the petition today!

WesPAC, VoteVets.org and Brave New Films feel passionately about giving our veterans the support they rightly deserve. Our government owes our troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan the opportunity to receive full educational benefits. These patriots have fought hard for our government; it's time our government started fighting hard for them.

Sincerely yours,

Wes Clark, Robert Greenwald, and Jon Soltz

General Wesley K. Clark, USA (ret) on his Endorsement of Senator Clinton

September 15, 2007

"Senator Hillary Clinton has earned the support of millions of Americans in her campaign for president -- and today I am pleased to count myself among them. The world has reached a critical point, and we need a leader in the White House with the courage, intelligence and humility to navigate through many troubling challenges to our security at home and abroad. I believe Senator Clinton is that leader, and I whole-heartedly endorse her for President of the United States. Senator Clinton and I share a worldview in which diplomacy is the best first-strike tool in our arsenal; in today's complicated global system, the United States should be making more friends than enemies."

Never before have so many Americans had our well-being so closely tied to world events. Our economic and national security has become more complicated than ever before, and we deserve a leader who draws on wisdom, compassion, intelligence and moral courage -- in short, we need Hillary Clinton. She is tough but fair, a rock-solid leader equal to the many weighty challenges ahead of us."

More to come.....

By Wes Clark

Looking ahead 100 years, the United States will be defined by our environment, both our physical environment and our legal, Constitutional environment. America needs to remain the most desirable country in the world, attracting talent and investment with the best physical and institutional environment in the world. But achieving our goals in these areas means we need to begin now. Environmentally, it means that we must do more to protect our natural resources, enabling us to extend their economic value indefinitely through wise natural resource extraction policies that protect the beauty and diversity of our American ecosystems -- our seacoasts, mountains, wetlands, rain forests, alpine meadows, original timberlands and open prairies. We must balance carefully the short-term needs for commercial exploitation with longer-term respect for the natural gifts our country has received. We may also have to assist market-driven adjustments in urban and rural populations, as we did in the 19th Century with the Homestead Act.