I'm Too Disgusted [UPDATE]

I should be writing a proper blog post about this, but I can't without using language that would get me in trouble.

It appears that dam well the entire GOP leadership knew about Foley and his pedophilia. Speaker Hastert, Majority Leader Boehner, National Republican Campaign Committee Chairman Tom Reynolds, Chairman of the House Page Board John Shimkus and Rodney Alexander (R-LA), the pages sponsor all knew about Foley's Impropriety. Sources Here and Here

The only Democrat on the House Page Board was not given the information.

[UPDATE]Warning Very Explicit, I literally threw up after reading this. The Instant Message transcript has been released, here is the link on AmericaBlog. Keep in mind, this is a U.S. Representative who is chair of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited children discussin masterbation techniques and other sexual details with a 16 year-old boy.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

We Did It!

We on September 26, the Andrew Hurst campaign issued a very ambitious challenge to our online supporters. Raising $11,000 online in 5 days. Guess what, we have reached our goal. At noon on Saturday September 30th, we have raised $11,620.03!!

Click Here to contribute $25, $50, $100 or more.

So we have raised our goal to $13,000, this is no time to get complacent. Tom Davis is proud of the fact that he can raised millions of dollars from lobbyist, while having the audacity to say that Andrew Hurst’s money “comes from out of state lawyers who sue doctors”.

The time has come, we have only twelve hours before the end of the current reporting period. This financial report coupled with the next poll that comes out, will determine the “conventional wisdom” of how this race is going to go. (does anyone else find it “interesting” that Tom Davis has run a few polls already but refuses to release them publicly?)

Click Here to contribute $25, $50, $100 or more.

If twelve hours until the end of the reporting cycle isn’t enough, I have found yet another anonymous donor that will match the first $100 of all contributions from noon to midnight on September 30th.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Andy on Channel 8 Tonight, and only $1500 to go!

UPDATE: An Anonymous donor has e-mailed me and has pledged to match all donations given from 5:30PM to 11:59PM on 9/29 up to $500, please give NOW and have your donation doubled

Thanks to your contributions -- large and small -- we've already raised $9,500 toward our online goal of $11,000. But we still need to raise another $1,500 before tomorrow's deadline.

Can you help? Click here to contribute today.

Tom Davis brags of his ability to raise millions from special interests.

He thinks those dollars can cover up his record of supporting the Bush Administration 90% of the time. He thinks those dollars can cover up his unflinching support for the "stay the course" strategy in Iraq.

Help us prove him wrong.

Click here to contribute $25, $50, $100, or the most you can afford today.

Are you tired of a Congress that gives massive handouts to oil executives while refusing to invest in alternative energy?

Are you tired of a Congress that puts the interests of drug lobbyists ahead of our seniors?

Are you tired of a Congress that allows our troops to be sent into harm's way without the equipment to protect them?

If so, click here to help elect a new member of Congress -- a member of Congress who will stand up to George Bush and represent our values.

Watch Andy on Newschannel 8 Tonight

Andy did a great job this morning on Mark Plotkin's Politics Hour radio show. In case you missed it, you'll be able to view the hour-long interview tonight at 8:00 PM on Newchannel 8.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Tom Davis Defends Abramoff

According to a new Roll Call article, House Report Details 485 Contacts Between Abramoff Team and White House Officials Tom Davis issued a report defending Abramoff and his ties to the White House and members of Congress.

Ambivalent Mumblings has a great analysis.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Multi-time Davis Voter to Vote for Hurst!

I just came across this great diary, and wanted to highlight it. On Craig’s Musings, most recent diary Andrew Hurst for Congress, Craig goes on to explain why he is voting for Andrew Hurst this year.

As much as I hate to admit it I have voted for Tom Davis in the past. In fact, I voted for Tom Davis every time he has was on the ballot and I cast a vote in Virginia.

This year I will be voting for Andrew Hurst.

I have known that I would vote for Hurst since I heard him speak at the PWCDC JJ dinner this year. As an Independent I voted for Hurst in the Democratic primary because I wanted him to be my next Representative. Andrew Hurst is an amazing candidate. He is down to earth, intelligent, and has actually taken the time to draft real positions.

Craig, thanks for joining Team Hurst.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

2/3 Done, Whose Coming With Us?

We are almost there! Only September 26, The Andrew Hurst campaign issued a A challenge to raise $11,000 online in 5 days.

As of 4PM on September 28, we have raised $7285.02 towards our goal of $11,000 from September 20th-30th ($6485.02 through Act Blue and $800 through Click and Pledge) That is 66% towards our goal!!

I just wanted to show you the level of commitment that the Hurst staffers have, and how badly we want to win. Today, I asked all the Hurst staffers to donate some money towards this goal, and THEY ALL HAVE (pictures below for documentation).

Please Contribute $25, $50, $100 or more.

Tom Davis is proud of the fact that he can raise millions of dollars from corporate and special interests. What he isn't proud of is the fact that he supports the Bush agenda 90% of the time!

In fact, Tom Davis has Taken close to $200,000 from 6 of the top 10 “most brazen war profiteers”

Help us tell voters the truth about Tom Davis.

Here are the images of our staffers donating…Please Join Us in Contributing to Andrew Hurst



Amounts and Adress blocked out for privacy

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Iraqi’s Want U.S. Out, When Will Rep Davis (VA-11) Listen?

random side-note, we have raised $4615.01 towards our goal of raising $11,000 from September 26-30 for our final push before the financial report filing deadline, please Contribute today, and help us reach our goal

In a recent article the Washington Post Reports that Iraqi citizens want the U.S. forces out of Iraq and by vast majorities. Tom Davis has voted with President Bush 90% of the time, including 100% of the time in regards to Iraq, when will Representative Davis listen to his constituents and Iraqi citizens.

According to the article…

In Baghdad, for example, nearly three-quarters of residents polled said they would feel safer if U.S. and other foreign forces left Iraq, with 65 percent of those asked favoring an immediate pullout, according to State Department polling results obtained by The Washington Post.

Then there are the independent polls…

The director of another Iraqi polling firm, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared being killed, said public opinion surveys he conducted last month showed that 80 percent of Iraqis who were questioned favored an immediate withdrawal. Eight-five percent of Sunnis in that poll supported an immediate withdrawal…

Better yet

"The very fact that there is such a low support for American forces has to do with the American failure to do basically anything for Iraqis," said Mansoor Moaddel, a professor of sociology at Eastern Michigan University, who commissioned a poll earlier this year that also found widespread support for a withdrawal.

When is the U.S. Congress specifically Tom Davis going to realize this reality and fix the Iraqi situation? I propose, never, we need to switch out the leadership and elect new people to Congress, people like Andrew Hurst who has opposed the Iraqi war since the beginning, and has an Iraq War Plan to bring home our troops from Iraq.

Specifically, I propose:
1. An immediate redeployment of troops. The 46,000 National Guard and Reserve troops should immediately return to the United States. The remaining forces should withdraw from urban areas and be redeployed to neighboring countries like Kuwait and Afghanistan;
2. A renewal of diplomatic efforts in the region. Once the redeployment of troops begins, the United States should begin working with nations like Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and others to discuss cooperation in the rebuilding of Iraq, improving border security and dismantling terrorist networks;
3. A renewed focus upon the reconstruction of Iraq. The United States should be involved in the rebuilding of Iraq, but we must stop trying to impose our own vision of democracy on unwilling Iraqis; and
4. Increased involvement of the international community. After showing our good faith by redeploying our troops, we can make a stronger case to responsible members of the United Nations that they should have a substantial role in helping to rebuild Iraq.
By withdrawing our troops from the most dangerous portions of Iraq, we will remove the impetus for the insurgency. Most importantly, we can create a more stable Middle East, which will further strengthen our national security.

Here’s a fun graph for your viewing pleasure.


Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Now More Then Ever!

[UPDATE #1]At 4:17PM on September 26 we are at $28,307.47, a gain of $2,495, Not Bad at all, let's keep going, only $8505 to go!

Now more than ever we need your support

If you have ever thought of contributing to the Andrew Hurst campaign, or have given before and were thinking of doing it again Now Is The Time. The final deadline for a major financial filing is September 30th and the country is watching. Based on what this report looks like, a lot of national donors and pundits will be making decisions about this race.

In the five days between September 26 and 30 we hope to raise $11,000 online. In the previous debate between Andy Hurst and Tom Davis, Tom stated “all of Andy’s money comes from out of state lawyers that sue doctors”, let’s prove him wrong.

Please contribute whatever you can, whether it’s $20, $50, $200 or more.

As of 12:01AM on September 26 we have raised $25,812.47 online (since late July when we made the switch to Act Blue). I will be the first to contribute in this effort (donating $20 back of my meager salary), bringing the new total to $25,832.47, only $10,980 to go!

If you need some reasons to contribute to Andrew Hurst, here are 5

#5 – Andrew Hurst is a Fighter. After Tom Davis sent out two campaign pieces at taxpayer expense, Andy Filed a Formal Complaint

#4 – Tom Davis is more Vulnurable then ever!

#3 – Andrew Hurst CRUSHED Tom Davis in their debate.

#2 – Tom Davis = Corruption, $14k trips to Italy, ICG Influence Peddling Scandal, Tom Davis has heavy ties to Bob Ney. This list could go on forever, for more details read Andrea Chamblee’s research diaries.

#1 – Andy Hurst is leading by example in trying to reform Washington. He is refusing to take PAC money, which makes your contributions all the more powerful.

We can’t win this race without your support. We can’t raise the millions of dollars Tom Davis has, because we don’t have ties to Abramoff and Karl Roves Rolodex, but we do have you, and we need you know more than ever.

Please try and Contribute before the September 30th deadline so that your donation will make it into our final major report.

-Nate de la Piedra

PS: We don't have anyone in house that can do those spiffy graphics that show how much money has been raised, so I'll be putting up updates throughout the week.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Tom Davis Freaks Out!

I apologize that I don’t have any videos or pictures for this event, just didn’t think it would be necessary at the time, lessoned learned, I will always have a digital camcorder at all times now.

Today, the Log Cabin Republicans held a fundraiser where Tom Davis spoke. Hypocritical thing here is, that Tom is on the record supporting the Hate Amendment (inserts discrimination into the Virginia Bill of Rights by “defining marriage”), and the LCR are a member of the Commonwealth Coalition (the group formed to fight the amendment).

Anywho, me and 1 other staffer and 2 volunteers made up these flyers (had a "paid for and authorized") that stated Tom's record on this issue.
-Supports Marshall-Newman Hate Amendment
-Zero Rating from Human Rights Campaign
-voted for "marriage definition" for US Constitution
-voted against gay adoption, and so on

Turns out that Nick Meads, (his campaign manager) was doing advance, so we gave him a flyer too. At this point, he walks across the streets and gets on the phone frantically pacing back and forth clearly reading the flyer for whoever was on the other side.

About 1/2 hour later, Tom Davis and Jean-Marie (State Senator and current wife) show up, Tom Refuses to shake my hand (though Jean-Marie smiled and said hello), then Tom just freaks out and yells "I RAISED $50,000 DOLLARS TODAY AND WAS ON THREE CHANNELS (I assume he means his ads)". I responded by saying "you must be really proud of yourself brother", at this point Tom's face starts to turn red (literally), and Jean-Marie sensing an on coming confrontation, grabs Tom's arm and pulls him into the fundraiser.

My point here is, if you can get under the skin of a 12 year incumbent that easily, is he really fit for office? If a grown man, who should be a statesman yells at 20-somethings, is he really fit for office?

Maybe Tom was just outside of his comfort zone, we all know he votes with President Bush 90% of the time, and the Pres opposes gay marriage, maybe he was on edge that the people at this fundraiser found out he was betraying his voting record, that'd make me nervous too.

If anyone wants to volunteer to "track" Tom Davis and catch his next freak out on video, please e-mail me at nate@hurstforcongress.com

For the Record, Nick Meads was nice, shook our hands and chatted for a bit, then complained I always misspelled his name, it is MeadS with an S, not Mead, my apologies Nick.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Senator Tom Davis?

According to the Examiner, that is exactly what Tom Davis has in mind.

...too bad he won't be a sitting congressman in 2008, and it'll be harder to run.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Davis: Supports Hate Amendment but takes Gay money!!

Tom Davis has done some pretty hypocritical stuff, but this just tops them all.

Last night at a candidate’s debate with Democrat Andrew Hurst for the 11th district of Virginia House of Rep seat, Tom Davis clearly stated that he would vote for Virginia’s hate bill.

Question: Shall Article I (the Bill of Rights) of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to state:

"That only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions.

This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage. Nor shall this Commonwealth or its political subdivisions create or recognize another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage."?

Yet, according to gaypatriot.net the The Virginia Log Cabin Republicans will hold a fundraiser for Tom Davis In case you don’t know, the Log Cabin Republicans are the Gay interest group of the GOP

This hypocrisy just kills me. Tom Davis seemed pissed that this question was even asked last night, wonder if he didn’t want to let this one out of the bag before the fundraiser.

The fundraiser is to be held Friday September 22nd, I urge you to contact their RSVP info dclampo@yahoo.com, and politely ask them to cancel this fundraiser.

You might want to point out that in 2003-2004 Tom Davis received a ZERO rating from the Human Rights Campaign.

Please e-mail dclampo@yahoo.com, and CC nate@hurstforcongress.com so that we can keep track of the community outrage.

For the record, Andrew Hurst has stated unequivocally that he will vote NO on this amendment, is urging others to vote no, and has even spoken at a rally against this bill.

If you want to support an honest campaign, seeking real equality for all, please Contribute to Andy Hurst for Congress.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Hurst Dominates Debate - Around the Horn

UPDATE Seems that even Georgia Blogs are picking up on this race.

Coverage of Debate Between Davis and Hurst

Analysis of Yesterday's Hurst v Davis Debate

Hurst vs. Davis: A Question of Character

Taking Down Tom Davis

GOTV has the Andrew Hurst press release in full Democrat Andrew Hurst Dominates Debate, Davis Unable to Defend Record

The Washington Post snoozer article

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Andrew Hurst Delivered the Thunder From the Left

please note, this is my first time trying to transcribe a debate and may have missed reported some of the quotes below. Please consider all quotes to be a “paraphrase” of what the candidate said

Thunder from the left is what was promised, and it came. I need to catch at least a little sleep as I’m a full time student, but I wanted to get the best quotes of the debate up here tonight. The analysis will come tomorrow.

Everyone I talked to, including non-partisans said that Andy kicked ass. Even some of the reporters (let’s see if they print that tomorrow). About 2/3 of the audience was pro-Hurst, with 1/3 pro-Davis.

The debate was supposed to start at 7:30, yet Davis showed up at 7:57 (the moderators and host killed time until he arrived). This brings us to our first quote.

#1 “Name calling won’t catch Osama Bin Laden, fix healthcare or transportation that prevented you from getting here on time”. Andrew Hurst to Tom Davis in the opening statements, he was referring to a Washington Examiner article in which Tom Davis called Andy a “goofball”.

#2 In the same Washington Examiner article Tom Davis said “[Andrew Hurst] hasn’t done a thing”, Andy responds with “I haven’t supported Bush 90% of the time, I haven’t taken special interest money, I didn’t support the war when it started and I don’t support staying the course”

#3 Regarding a question on striking the balance between privacy and homeland security, Andrew Hurst said “can you believe it, in this country we are talking about torturing people”

#4 In response to the above question Ferdinando Greco (Green Party) begins by saying “All I know is what I hear on TV”, then fumbles around for a few seconds and goes on to say “I’m sorry that’s all I have”, Andrew Hurst then flips through his notes and says to Greco “here, you can use mine”, laughter abounds from all sides. I should note that Greco seemed extremely unprepared, and if it wasn’t on his talking points, he had no clue what to say. This happened more than once.

#5 Tom Davis wins whopper of the year in his response to this question “ we may well have been hit again without the Patriot Act”…

#6 Andrew Hurst: “Every Problem in Iraq was predicted…We are solving nothing…It is time to change the war”

#7 Tom Davis again on a whopper (this time with cheese) “No Child Left Behind is a good bill”

#8 In response Andy says “I didn’t know this was possible but Tom Davis received a Zero Rating from the National Education Association, Cut $12.7 Billion from Student assistance, and created an under funded mandate by $40 Billion…we can’t balance the budget on the backs of our future”

#9 DOUBLE WHOPPER Tom Davis “I SUPPORTED TUNNEL TO TYSONS”, yes he had the balls to say that after he threatened to cut off federal funds if Governor Kaine went with the tunnel, so that his maxed out campaign contributors Bechtel could keep the above ground contract.

# 10 Andrew Hurst “Corruption predates Republicans, they just perfected it”, a response to Tom Davis saying that corruption in the House predates his tenure as Chairman of the Government Reform and Oversight Committee.

# 11 Andrew Hurst “I will be voting NO [on the constitutional amendment], I’m a United Methodist and in my church marriage is between a man and a woman, but my marriage is not threatened by gay or straight people getting married.

And finally in Andy’s closing statements responding to Tom Davis harping about some ballfield that he claims he got for Fairfax County

”What good is a ballfield, if that child will die in Iraq for no good reason”

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Tom Davis and Rob Ney Share Money and Power in Abramoff's NRCC

Editor's note, this is a post from Andrea Chamblee that I am posting for her - Nate

Andrew Hurst for Congress

Crossposted on Raising Kaine.

In 2002, Christopher Shays [R-Conn] was next in line for the Chair of the Government Reform Committee.  "The advantage I have is 16 years of devoted service on the committee," Shays observed.  But he acknowledged Tom Davis (R-VA) had his own selling point:

"'I think [Davis] has an edge based on the extraordinary work he's done to make us a strong majority,' said Shays, 57."  There was no secret what that work was.

"Davis, 53, had less seniority than Shays and others vying for the Reform Committee chair.  But Shays knew what others also knew: according to The Federal Paper Republicans want to reward him. As Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee [NRCC], Davis supervised a $160 million fund raising effort and campaigned for 40 Republican candidates in 27 states" includng Rob Ney, the criminal Congressman from Ohio.

Follow the story for more on how the contagious corruption of Tom Davis spread in Ohio.

 
Davis's strength was also Shays' weakness: again according to The Federal Paper:

One factor that may work against Shays is his key role in passing the campaign finance law that GOP leaders opposed.

It is important to remember Davis's key role as head of the NRCC, along with his deputy, uber-lobbyist, K Street Project operative, and Abramoff colleague Dan Mattoon.  Tom Davis cultivated the relationships, the atmosphere of pay-to-play politics, and the money for himself, his campaign fund, his two PACs, and for the NRCC. Bob Ney and his American Liberty Pac flourished under Davis's watch.

Davis made sure Ney tithed to the NRCC.  Ney contributed $47,000 during 1997-2003. Of that, $22,000, or over 40%, was paid to the NRCC during the time Davis was NRCC head from 1998-2002.

Davis himself jumped on the Ney bandwagon early, giving him $2,000.00 on 06/14/1999 (FEC record number 99034720197).

Davis also supported Ney from NRCC funds. Again according to the FEC, in 1998, Davis’s first year at the NRCC, the support for Ney from the Committee was $1,928, an increase of 23 times the previous year of $86 in 1997.  The RNCC paid Ney a total of $7,452.  Of that, $3,014, or 40%, was provided during the time Davis was NRCC head.

Davis continues to reap the rewards of his fundraising machine, now using the Chairmanship of the Government Reform Committee that was his reward for his fundraising at the NRCC.  Davis couldn't have asked for the job at a more profitable time. Administration outsourcing of national obligations to its cronies, followed by waste and scandal after scandal made the protection of the Reform Committee invaluable. As with the RNCC, Davis was able to turn the Chairmanship into one that generates millions from PACs and lobbyists.  Now he is turning to the Senate, and he has Presidential ambitions.

I've written about Davis's ties to Jack Abramoff, including the $4,500 Davis himself received from Abramoff, the $312,000 he collected from Abramoff's tribal clients for the NRCC, and the money he collected from "Team Abramoff for his wife. Public Citizen and CapitalEye have found ties from Tom Davis and Abramoff, especially through super-lobbyist Dan Mattoon, but Davis has somehow escaped scrutiny and has never been held accountable.

Davis's corruption has infected Government Reform and races all over the country. Davis has used the millions he has from fundraising to influence races in 40 States, 42 Districts, 3 senate races, totaling 103 candidates, not counting his NRCC fundraising. His money is probably in your state no matter where you're from.

Fortunately, Davis has a formidable opponent in Andy Hurst.  You can be a part of helping Hurst unseat Davis by donating to and volunteering for Andy Hurst. Hurst is not taking any PAC money. Can you donate $11 for the 11th District? Or a multiple of $11?

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Tom Davis (VA-11) Profits from War and Death!

Hat-tip to Mosquitopest for giving me the idea to do this more in-depth research.

According to an article The 10 Most Brazen War Profiteers from Alternet.org there is some seriously fishy and potentially illegal stuff going on with the distribution of US Government Contracts relating to Iraq.

Tom Davis is the Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, it is his job to investigate such claims, instead, he does not. He ignores these problems while at the same time taking political donations from said companies. Below the fold is the dirty truth.

For the total contributions, I’m only looking at the 01-02/03-04/05-06 cycles, since those are the only ones affected by the war in Iraq. In all, Tom Davis has taken $195,330 from companies he should be investigating. While his opponent Andrew Hurst Democratic nominee for Congress, is refusing to take PAC money specifically because of this level of corruption and influence peddling.

#1 CACI. This company had “private interrogators” in Abu Ghraib. According to tray.comTom Davis and his PAC Federal Victory Fund, have taken $14,130 from CACI employees, including Chairman of the Board J Phillip London and President Paul Cofoni.

#2 L-3 Communications owns Titan Corporation. Titan was also in Abu Ghraib.Tom Davis and his PAC have taken $9,200 from L-3 and Titan Employees and Titan’s PAC.

#3 Bechtel

The San Francisco-based construction and engineering giant received one of the largest no-bid contracts -- worth $2.4 billion -- to help coordinate and rebuild a large part of Iraq's infrastructure. But the company's reconstruction failures range from shoddy school repairs to failing to finish a large hospital in Basra on time and within budget.

Davis has taken close to $31,000 from Bechtel and it’s employees.

#4 Aegis. I couldn’t find any money here, probably because it’s a Brittish firm

An industry insider told Avant that the $293 million contract was given despite the fact that American competitors had submitted lower bids, suggesting the government wanted to hire the foreign company to shield both sides of the transaction from accountability for any "dirty tricks."

#5 Custer Battles

Custer Battles was a newly formed company with no experience in the security industry when it landed one of the first contracts issued in Iraq, in the spring of 2003, to secure the Baghdad airport. The sole source or "no-bid" contract was worth US$16 million when it was awarded in the chaos after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Couldn’t find anything here, perhaps a reader can help me out.

#6 General Dynamics
General Dynamics PAC has given $23,500 to Tom Davis and his PAC

In July, the Post reported that the company's profits have tripled since 9/11. That should make some people happy, including David K Heebner, a former top aide to Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki, who was hired by General Dynamics in 1999, a year before the Stryker contract was sealed. According to Defense watchdogs at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), General Dynamics formally announced it was hiring Heebner on November 20, 1999, just one month after Shinseki announced a new "vision" to transform the Army by moving away from tracked armored vehicles toward wheeled light-armored vehicles, and more than a month prior to Heebner's official retirement date of Dec. 31, 1999.

#7 Nour USA. This is a shadowy firm, that incorporated as the war in Iraq started, with the specific purpose to get US Government Contracts. Now also has contracts with the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Oil Ministry. Can't find any ties to Tom Davis, as I can't really find out much about the company. But there do seem to be Suspect contract deals and another here

#8 Chevron. #9 ExxonMobile #10 Petro-imperialists.
Unfortunately, at this point Alternet gets a little vague, but there is still interesting stuff. Tom Davis was quoted as saying “I have never taken a nickel from the oil companies”. This was clearly false, in fact, He has taken over $115,000 from Oil Company PACs Alone. $42,750 from ExxonMobil.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Thunder From the Left

“Thunder from the left”, that is what Andrew Hurst said he would bring against Tom Davis at the upcoming September 19th debate against Tom Davis.

When: Tuesday, September 19, 7:30 PM

Where: Fairfax County Government Center

Click here for directions

Andrew Hurst has already come out swinging.  A few weeks ago he filed Formal Charges against Tom Davis for using taxpayer money to send out campaign e-mails.  Before that Andy Called on Tom Davis to resign as Chair of the Government Reform Committee for his influence peddling scandal involving ICG.

Please join us and see what all the ruckus is about, even forcing the Washington Post to write an article, Now, a Word About the Invigorated 11th District Democrats.

There will be an opportunity to for attendees to ask the candidates questions, so come prepared.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Tom Davis: Dissent = Treason

Open Letter to Representative Tom Davis (R-VA),

Dear Rep. Davis,

We all knew that the GOP was going to run a dirty race this year to make Democrats look weak on National Security, but I had no idea how bad it was, and how common this tactic was in 2002 and 2004. Swift boating John Kerry was nothing, read This Article and you find this.

February 2002: Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle expresses mild disagreement with US anti-terror policies, saying US success in the war on terror "is still somewhat in doubt." In response, Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) says that Daschle's "divisive comments have the effect of giving aid and comfort to our enemies by allowing them to exploit divisions in our country."

Mr. Davis, have you no shame. Your majorty leader John Boener accused Democrats of committing treason, is this something you agree with, or have you changed position from 2002?

Mr. Davis, you can send your response to nate@hurstforcongress.com

Nate de la Piedra
Online Outreach Coordinator
Hurst for Congress, Inc.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Centerville Day Parade, Democrats Outshow Republicans!

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend either the Centerville Day Parade or Gov. Warner's Pig Roast yesterday, as today (Sept 17th) is my birthday and I was doing personal stuff.

However, from what I hear, it was a great day to be alive and in blue, take a look at these pictures...





Seems like we had more of a turn out. Here is a link to a great summary by Ambivalent Mumblings, Local Democrats At The Centreville Day Parade

As you may know, today was the Centreville Day Parade and Andrew Hurst, Judy Feder, and Jim Webb all had supporters there. Plus, both Andy and Judy were there walking the parade route with us. I definitely had been looking forward to the event because it was nice not to have to travel very far (Centreville High School is less than a mile and a half away from where I live) and I hadn’t participated in Centreville Day since my days in Centreville’s marching band.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Support Andrew Hurst orJim Webb? Read This!

Andrew Hurst and Jim Webb are putting out a call for supporters. We don’t have the $2 Million war chest that Tom Davis has, or the big Karl Rove donors that George Allen has, but what we do have is YOU.

And we need to know who you are. This is not to ask you for your money or your time (unless you want to give it), but so that we can mark you as a supporter. This has many advantages that you might not have been aware of.

When someone is identified as a member of Team Hurst they are taken off of our canvass and phone bank lists until it is time to vote. This allows us to save our volunteers time, and to save your time as well. Think of it as one less phone call during dinner.

Additionally, people that we know are behind Andrew Hurst and Jim Webb 100%, don’t get some of the persuasion mailings, allowing us to save money, and letting your piece of mail to go to an undecided voter and a potential winning a new vote.

I have set up a Website Form that allows you to put in your info and let us know that you support Andrew Hurst and Jim Webb.

Please take the 30 seconds needed to fill out the I Support Andrew Hurst and/or Jim Webb and help us. It might not be the same as volunteering or contributing, but it certainly helps us in the same way, one less door to knock, and one less piece of mail to pay for.

Thanks for your time,
Nate de la Piedra

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Another Great Letter to the Editor

Another great Letter to the Editor from one of our supporters, Jill Franklin from Woodbridge, was published a few days ago by the Potomac News, Voters should attend one of the debates

Since Andrew Hurst's primary victory, Davis appears to feel threatened by the increasing strength of Hurst's appeal and has thus far mailed out two glossy full-color "progress reports" that are obvious campaign pieces. He has even had the audacity to mail them out at taxpayer expense.

Now, as the campaign season gets into full swing, we can all expect to see more and more attempts by the Republican incumbents to buy the election via expensive TV ads, fancy flyers, paid phone banks and automated phone calls, while their opponents depend on the hard work and dedication of their grassroots volunteers and loyal followers. When it comes time to make get-out-the-vote phone calls Allen/Davis can just hire disinterested phone bankers to do their calls for them.

Yet, there is one way in which the campaigns can be equalized. This is through voter attendance at the upcoming debates that are planned in the area. By taking the time to attend a debate, voters can hear both sides of the issues and make an informed choice, not one that is bought and paid for by big money interests. In this regard, I ask voters to mark their calendars for the following upcoming events, and I also encourage the media to publicize them:

At 7:30 p.m., Sept. 19, the Fairfax League of Women Voters and the Federation of Citizens Associations will host a debate at the Fairfax Government Center between the candidates for the 11th Congressional District seat -- Davis, Hurst and Ferdinando Greco.

Then on Oct. 19 at 8 p.m., the Prince William Committee of 100 will host a debate between Hurst and Davis at the Old Hickory Golf Club behind the McCoart Building. Mr. Allen has declined to meet with Mr. Webb at another debate that was to be scheduled by the Committee of 100 here in Prince William County.

I concur ALL voters should attend the debates, I know I'll be forcing my parents and my girlfriends parents to attend.

Be sure to read the full letterVoters should attend one of the debates

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Conservatives say VOTE FOR HURST!!

Andrea Chamblee has once again written another excellent research diary (man I wish the campaign had More Loot so we could hire her full time). This time she wrote a diary Republicans Should Cut and Run from Congress; even the conservatives say so detailing how even the most staunch conservatives consider Tom Davis a failure of the worst kind.

While Democrat Andy Hurst has been calling on Davis to step down for a year, the most recent edition of the Washington Monthly has seven articles in which the seven prominent conservative authors explain why they're rooting for the home team to lose this year.

The authors are adding their collective voices to that of Newt Gingrich. Earlier this summer, the House Speaker from 1995-1999 listed remarkably similar complaints now being echoed by conservatives all over the country. The Father of the Republican “Contract With America” (and the husband of several wives) stood in a bipartisan crowd and announced some pithy advice for lawmakers who, in the current wave of scandal and personal enrichment on Capitol Hill, have confused the public interest with their personal interests:

All these complaints lead a path to Tom Davis. His signature is the only one on the subpoena of Terry Schiavo, he raked in hundreds of thousands from drug companies and millions from lobbyists and PACs, and he prevents the Government Reform Committee from cracking down on waste, fraud, and lobbyists influence. Even your conservative friends should vote for Andy Hurst.

I highly recommend you take a peek at Republicans Should Cut and Run from Congress; even the conservatives say so but even more importantly suggest you forward that link to your conservative friends.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Bloggers for Field Project

I wasn't sure I wanted to post about this since it's a real netroots movement, and not headed up by the campaign, but it's just too great of an idea not to post.

A bunch of bloggers have set up a Act Blue website Bloggers for Field Project. It is a collective effort of Virginia Progressive bloggers.

This is how Bryan Scraffor of Ambivalent Mumblings describes the project.

An Act Blue site has been set up in order to raise money for the Hurst campaign. Through this site, donors would be able to assist Andy's ability to reach out to voters across District 11. The first $4,000 raised will go towards hiring a field organizer, and the rest of it would be used as the campaign sees fit, with the understanding that it must be used for voter contact, or other field activities. The organizers of this site would also like to have the support of a vast number of bloggers, not just one person in particular.

That's right, even though the campaign isn't directing this movement, we have agreed to allow bloggers and more importantly contributors to dictate how we will be spending thier contributions. And Personally, having spent most of my career in field, I think this is the best way money should be spent, so I'm excited about this project. Both myslef and my girlfriend have given personal money to this project, and I respectfully ask that everyone reading this do as well, even if it's just $11.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Your Turn!

Now it’s your turn!

People powered politics is this year’s kryptonite for incumbents. People powered means you. These campaigns not only appreciate and use volunteers, but volunteers are in fact the driving force of their organizations. We have already seen two first time candidates defeat incumbents, Ned Lamont and now Jamie Raskin crushed MD State Senate President Pro Tempore Ida Ruben by what appears will be 30 points.

Now it’s Virginia’s turn, Team Hurst, using people powered politics has already won a tough primary forAndrew Hurst but we’re going after the top of the food chain of the corrupt GOP Congress, Mr. Tom “I’m not really a moderate” Davis himself. But we need your help.

In case you haven’t heard, we’re coordinating with the Webb campaign up north in the 11th district so that Jim can focus more on Southern Virginia were he’s able to turn Republicans over to our side. So we need to do double the work now.

Below you will find the info that you need to help us take back the House, one District at a time.

In Prince William County here is a message from one of our organizers.

We will be doing phone banks tonight at the Dale City headquarters between 5-9 tonight, as we do every Monday and Wednesday nights. The Dale City Headquarters is here:

4326 Dale Blvd., Suite 6
Woodbridge, VA 22193
703.730.1409
This is on the second floor in the strip mall next to Pitkin's Hardware right after the intersection with Minneville Rd. And you don't have to show up at 5:00 and stay the full 4 hours, just come when you can and give a couple hours of your time tonight or next week.
We also are going door-to-door on Saturday from 11:00 - 2:00 and Sunday from 11:00 – 3:00 in the Occoquan District. We are meeting at:
Parking lot of Mom's Apple Pies
125 Commerce St.
Occoquan, VA

In Fairfax County

September 16: Volunteer Canvass -- Cherry Run (Springfield)
When: Saturday, September 16th, at 12 PM

Where: Cherry Run Elementary School, 9732 Ironmaster Dr., Burke, VA. Click here for directions.

For more info e-mail mike@hurstforcongress.com or call 703-455-1014 for more information.

September 17: Volunteer Canvass -- Olde Creek (Braddock)
When: Sunday, September 17th, at 12PM

Where: Olde Creek Elementary School, 9524 Old Creek Dr., Fairfax, VA. Click here for directions.

For more info e-mail mike@hurstforcongress.com or call 703-455-1014 for more information.

I will be at the Fairfax County events and hope to see you their as well or helping out in Prince William County.

If you can't make it, you can always CONTRIBUTE to the cause, below explains what your money would go to.

$12 = Sheet of 50 postcard stamps
$25 = One roll of Lapel Stickers
$35 = One Dinner for Volunteers
$50 = Box of Gripcards
$100= Case of Bumper Stickers
$150= Box of Yard Signs
$250= One Piece of Direct Mail to One Precinct


Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Diebold Strikes Again

MAJOR VOTING PROBLEMS REPORTED IN MARYLAND WITH DIEBLOD VOTING MACHINES!

Federal Spending Database + Tom Davis = Smoke Screen

Some of you might have been following the recent developments towards the creation of a Searchable Government Spending Database. It will be "google" like and be an incredible tool to find pork and corruption in government. As of now, there is no central database of all government spending. The Senate version would include all contracts and grants over $25,000.

However, take a look at this little nugget from the uber-conservative Heritage Foundation.

The House passed a different version of the legislation last June. H.R. 5090, sponsored by Rep. Tom Davis, excluded government contracts from the database, which is a mistake given the nature of earmarks. Normally, when the two chambers pass significantly different legislation, they form a conference committee to reconcile the two bills and resubmit the modified bill to both houses for approval. This process takes quite a bit of time, however, and the session has precious little of that left.

And from the Washington Post

Barring outright opposition to the bill's passage, the best hope for contractors is to promote a weak substitute. Remarkably, Representative Tom Davis (R-Va.), whose district includes such contractors among his most affluent constituents, has given them just the vehicle. Davis introduced a House version of the Coburn Bill, minus the transparency requirement for contractors, leaving only grant-recipient NGOs like Doctors Without Borders in the crosshairs. Representative Davis told the New York Times that "contracts are awarded in a much more competitive environment" and grants "are more susceptible to abuse."

hmmmm, I wonder why Mr. Davis would like to exclude government contracts? We know he just intimidated the Governor of Virginia by Threatening to cut off Federal Funds for a Metro expansion project so one of his campaign donors could keep a no bid contract.

If you want to know what else Tom Davis is hiding, or why he is excluding Government Contracts, e-mail his campaign info@tomdavis.org or you can e-mail his campaign manager Nick Mead at nick@tomdavis.org

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Video Archive

I ran across a DNC video (below) that asks the right question, is the Bush administration really concerned about finding Osama Bin Laden, or is it just another way to scare voters before a tough election.



Perhaps the best video tribute I have seen comes from Perservando too moving to describe in words, if you only watch one of these videos, please watch this one.





I wanted to post that video, but also give you a few videos of Andrew Hurst in case you haven't had a chance to see them.

Below is the Video of Andrew Hurst speaking at the Labor Day Kickoff Rally


Below is the video of Andrew Hurst calling on Tom Davis to resign as Chairman of the Government Reform Committee.


Hope you all enjoy watching these selections as much as I did.

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign.  The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".

Virginia Blogger Makes a Difference!

You might have read Tom Davis Website Deceives the Public posted on Ambivalent Mumblings and cross posted on RaisingKaine.
In Case you missed it, here is a "nugget" from the diary.

After I discovered that the Washington Post hadn’t declared itself a member of “The Davis Team” for this election, I began to wonder how accurate the other “supporters” were. It turns out that not a single one of the organizations on Davis’s list of team members has declared itself a member of “The Davis Team” for the 2006 election cycle. (This is according to his website, which I accessed on the morning of September 10, 2006)

Well, it is now 11:27PM on Sunday September 10, 2006 and there is Only ONE listed group supporting Tom Davis. It is The National Federation of Independent Business.

Congratulations are in order to Bryan J. Scrafford and his blog Ambivalent Mumblings for bringing this to our attention, and forcing Tom Davis to come clean. Glad to see the Davis camp is at least reading progressive blogs and wanted to snip this one in the bud before it blew to a full scandal.

Welcome to the New Hurst 2006 Blog

Hello Readers,

This is the first post to the Hurst 2006 Blog. As the New Online Outreach Coordinator for the Hurst 2006 campaign I have decided to start up a blog dedicated to the VA-11 race. I have started this blog realizing that we are only about 8 weeks out, and might not have enough time to build a readership big enough to justify it's existence. However, I will be updating this blog regularly (multiple times a day) with information pertinent to the Hurst-Davis (VA-11) Congressional race, Webb-Allen (VA) US Senate Race and other national issues. I hope that this new blog will be a one-stop source to all bloggers interested in writing about Northern Virginia Politics.

The first item I want to highlight is an excellent letter to the editor written by the publisher of demnan's quest blog. While the Post decided not to print this letter, I thought it was very well written and wanted to share if with you, among some choice readings...

The 11th District has a viable alternative to Tom Davis. Andrew Hurst is running as a Democrat for Congress. Andrew Hurst has a history as community political activist, smart lawyer and defender of the innocents involved in the Whitewater scandals. Andrew Hurst has some pragmatic ideas on how to deal with everything from the Iraq war to Government Reform. If you want to throw out the old corrupt government of the past and usher in something different, I suggest you take a look at Andrew Hurst. At least you won’t have to worry about who owns Andrew Hurst. His campaign is b uilt from grassroots organization and the work of volunteers, not PAC money.
So the next time you’re driving down Route 123 or some other local road snarled in traffic, just count all the Tom Davis signs you read, and wonder who bought them. Then maybe you’ll vote and contribute to Andrew Hurst.

emphasis mine

Another great story, The Fisch Fry documenting Tom Davis's involvement in intimidating Governor Kaine by threatening to cut off Federal Funds from the Metro extension project if he went with the tunnel option. What is of note here, is that with the tunnel option dead, the Bechtel Corporation will continue to manage the project. It is important to note that Bechtel has given the maximum of $5,000 to Tom Davis this year, and has a running total of $11,000 from the firm and $20,000 from a former executive according to www.opensecrets.org.

Finally, of course to note, is Andrea Chamblee (best opposition research I've seen so far on blogs) diary that you most likely have read already. It was front paged on Raising Kaine and "diary rescued" on DailyKos, Tom Davis has ties to Abramoff's and the K Street Project though super-lobbyist Dan Mattoon. But the research was so great, I just had to include it here.

Please never hesitate to write me at ndelapiedra[at]yahoo[dot]com, with suggestions, tips, compliments or complaints.

-Nate de la Piedra