The New Frontier

I've been talking a lot these past few weeks about the presidential election. As the saying goes, though, all politics are local. So, on the eve of Super Tuesday, I thought I would talk a little bit about my congressional district, the 3rd in Minnesota, and who I think would be the best person to represent it.

As some of you may know, Jim Ramstead, the current rep for the 3rd is retiring. He has had enough of going back and forth to Washington for almost 20 years. Jim was a perfect fit for this district-center right-which is what most people are out here in the western suburbs. It is very likely that Erik Paulsen will get the Republican nod. He says he is center-right just like Ramstead but he is completely full of shit. On the Democratic side, the choice has basically come down to two people: Terri Bonoff and Ashwin Madia.

Terri is about as old guard Democrat as you can get, which in my opinion means fucking clueless. If she is nominated you can pretty much bank on Paulsen winning the district. If that happens, we are going to see more of the same, tired ideology that will result in colossal amounts of bullshit. In order to win this district, Democrats are going to have to get people to cross party lines, get more people out to vote, and snag some independents. The person that can do all that is Ashwin Madia.

Ashwin Madia's parents moved to America from Mumbai, India. They had only $19 in cash when they first arrived. Madia's family settled in Plymouth, Minnesota, where he went to Osseo Senior High School. He attended the University of Minnesota where he became student body president. While in this position, he worked to cap tuition increases and fees. He then attended New York University School of Law. He was in New York on Sept 11, 2001. After that day, he decided to join the marines. Ash completed basic training in Quantico, Virginia. His first duty station was Okinawa, Japan, where he served as a prosecutor, defense counsel, and legal advisor to a Marine Corps commander.

Madia later served in Iraq from September 2005 to March 2006. While there, he worked to strengthen Iraq's criminal justice system. This job included working with Iraqi judicial officers, U.S. military and civilian officials, and representatives of the European Union and United Nations, as well as briefing top U.S. generals on the status of the rule of law in the country.

I think this is the guy that can beat Paulsen. If you are a Democrat supporting Bonoff, ask yourself this question: do you honestly think she can beat him? She'll roll out the same old crap and look like a female Skip Humphrey and Republicans will be laughing to another election win in the 3rd. If you are an independent, don't waste your vote. This guy is about as progressive as they come. If you are a moderate Republican that is sick to death of Bushit, Ash will talk your ear off about fiscal responsibility and making America strong again economically.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ash yesterday and I urge all of you to caucus for him tomorrow when you vote. Visit his campaign site and learn more about him. Read where he stands on the issues. This page will tell you exactly how to caucus for him. He is the exact person we need representing our district. His youthfulness (29 years old) reminds of another person running around the country these days:) His energy reminds of my own when it comes to the politics of hope. His intelligence is something that we desperately need in Washington right now. He understands, on a very deep level, that this election is about the future.

It's about the New Frontier.