EENR 4 Progress Endorses Jerry Northington for DE (aka our friend possum)

( – promoted by buhdydharma )

Here at the EENR team, we realize that the key to getting progressive reforms enacted is a progressive Congress. To that end, we continue to seek out and endorse the best progressive candidates. We’ve taken a look at each of our endorsees on the issues, and believe that their platforms are compatible with the comprehensive progressive platform proposed by John Edwards in the presidential primary. For that reason, we call them Edwards Democrats, no matter who they may support now.

Tonight, EENR 4 Progress is proud to endorse Jerry Northington (also known on the blogs as possum) for Delaware’s at-large district!  

Jerry Northington is a true progressive and a good friend of the EENR team. He’s a frequent visitor to our blog, and has written some excellent diaries. Here’s a quote from one of them:

In recent years we have witnessed a steady erosion of our civil rights including the freedom of speech and assembly.  We have watched our nation invade and occupy a nation which may have not been our friend but which had not attacked us.  The action has provoked a worldwide reaction which leaves us more vulnerable and less secure in our national state than ever before.

We have 48 million people in this country today who live day to day without health insurance.  The elderly and our children number in the millions on that list of insecure people.  There is no excuse for one of the world’s richest nations not to provide the finest healthcare at an affordable cost to every person in the country.  The time has come for some measure of national healthcare program.  I favor a system aligned with the current Medicare system and available to every person in the country.  

Jerry Northington on the Issues

As the quote above indicates, Jerry is in favor of restoring our liberties and creating a universal healthcare system. We applaud his stand on these issues, but that’s not all…

ON GLOBAL WARMING AND ENERGY

Global warming is decreasing our environmental security. Much of Sussex County lies 3 feet or less above sea level. How many years can our climate continue to warm, the seas continue to rise, and we as a state maintain the homes and businesses of the low lying parts of southern Delaware? We must act now and we must act in aggressive ways if we are to have a real impact on global warming. We are already very late in the game. If we fail to take action soon we may lose in the end.

As a nation we must invest in wind, solar, and geothermal energy sources to replace our current carbon based fuels. We have many opportunities on the horizon but we must move soon.

ON IRAQ

We who oppose the invasion and occupation of Iraq must hold steadfast in our opposition. Congress has seen fit to pass all the major war appropriations bills of any consequence put forth by the Bush administration in the last 8 years. The time has come for that support to end. It is my belief we should withdraw ALL our troops and leave Iraq to the Iraqi people. There is little or no hope of real reconciliation within the country so long as the American military remains an occupying force. Not one time in the course of history has military action been successful at quelling an insurgency.

ON JOBS AND TRADE

The nation must begin to rebuild our manufacturing base. We have lost too many jobs to the ravages of unchecked capitalism. We must work to see to FAIR trade around the world. Fair trade works to the benefit of all involved in the trading scheme and allows those benefits to spread throughout the system. We have a large population of both skilled and unskilled laborers available and ready for hire. We must work together to find ways to provide gainful employment for the benefit of our overall society.

ON HOMELESSNESS

Many in our state live day by day without knowing if or not they will find a roof over their heads at night. Homelessness is a major issue across the nation let alone here in Delaware. Many of the homeless are veterans from the Vietnam era to the present. Increasing numbers of Iraq veterans are reported to be included in the lost ones. We as a nation must work to serve all our citizens to see to affordable housing is provided for one and all. Every homeless person is a dark mark against our society overall. We cannot afford to let those people go untended. The solutions will not be found in any single program or in any single state of the union. The solutions must come from many different directions with government playing its role in support of local initiatives.

Who Jerry’s up against

Jerry will be competing in the Delaware Democratic primary on September 9th. We hope you will support Jerry and put a real progressive on the Democratic congressional ticket in Delaware! After Jerry wins the primary, he will be facing incumbent Republican Mike Castle in the general election.

Castle’s voting record indicates that he’s a fairly moderate Republican, but we’d still rather have a progressive Democrat. For example, do we really want another Republican who voted in favor of warrantless wiretapping?

How You Can Help Jerry

We’ve added Jerry to our ActBlue page, so if you can afford it, please make a donation to his campaign! Remember, if we want true progressives elected, we have to support them. As the saying goes, early money is like yeast.

If you like Jerry’s positions, please spread the word about his campaign. And if you live in or near Delaware, consider volunteering. Thank you for any help that you can give Jerry.

Crossposted from EENR blog.