I Don’t Hate America!

This statement was forwarded to my inbox today:

Watertown, MN (October 4, 2007) Iraq war veteran and former Watertown mayor Steve Sarvi filed his campaign committee today with the Federal Election Commission, paving the way for a challenge to three-term Republican United States Representative John Kline. Sarvi said that Minnesotans are ready for a change in course both at home and abroad.

 

“As a veteran of the Iraq war, I’ve seen first-hand that we need to change strategy in Iraq and change strategy here at home,” said Sarvi, a married father of three school-age children.

 

“Minnesotans want a representative in Washington who listens to their concerns, knows how to bring people together to solve the many challenges we face at home and abroad, and will fight every day to get things done for our state. I have fought for our nation on many battlefields, and now I’m ready to fight for our district, our state and our nation in Congress,” Sarvi said.

 

Sarvi, who is the city administrator of the City of Victoria, returned in July after serving 16 months in Iraq, the longest any state’s unit has served in the war. Sarvi stepped aside as mayor in order to volunteer to go to Iraq with the National Guardsmen he trained for deployment. While in Iraq, he worked on civil reconstruction in the war-torn country. Sarvi also previously served a peace-keeping tour of duty in Kosovo in 2004.

 

“We in the Second District deserve a representative that isn’t afraid to talk to their constituents, and has real-world experience bringing people together to get things done,” said Charlie Thomas, a resident of Burnsville and supporter of Sarvi. “I’m supporting Steve Sarvi for Congress because we need change, plain and simple, and he’s the person who knows how to make change work.”

 

Sarvi said his direct war experience influenced his decision to run for Congress, but he added that America needs a new course at home as well, particularly when it comes to ensuring the health and security of our families with good jobs, access to affordable health care and a safe transportation infrastructure.

 

“The future of our communities, our state and our country directly depend on the choices we make in Washington,” said Sarvi. “Whether I’ve been on the job in Iraq or on the job in our local government, I’ve  always put Minnesota values first. In Congress, I will fight for the good jobs, affordable health care and quality transportation we must have in order to change the direction of our state and our country.”

Sarvi noted that given his service in Iraq,  his perspective is unique — his strong support for American troops is matched with equally strong dissatisfaction with the president’s failed policies.

 

“I am very proud to have served my country in Iraq,” said Sarvi. “Our district deserves a representative in Congress who will put the safety of our troops and the well-being of our families ahead of blind party loyalty. I want to provide the new leadership and courage that we need in Congress to change course in Iraq and make our sure our district becomes a safer and fairer place for our families at home.

The Pioneer Press has also picked up on the story:

Democrat and Iraqi war veteran Steve Sarvi today announced his intention to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. John Kline for Congress in 2008.

Sarvi, a former Watertown mayor, had long been talked about as a possible candidate but he has been constrained in his political activity until he was released from his federal military duty.

Like 2,600 other Minnesotans, Sarvi returned from 16 months of combat duty in Iraq this summer.

“Whether I’ve been on the job in Iraq or on the job in our local government, I’ve always put Minnesota values first,” Sarvi said in a statement about his candidacy.

He said he strongly supports the military troops but that “is matched with equally strong dissatisfaction with the president’s failed policies.”

Kline is a two-term Congressman in the 2nd District, which covers the southern metro area of the Twin Cities, including most of Dakota County. Kline has made military affairs a key part of his profile and his work in Congress. He spent much of his career in the Marines and carried the “nuclear football” for several presidents.

From The Hill:

Minnesota

Iraq veteran and former Watertown Mayor Steve Sarvi will file for the Democratic primary to take on Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) this week, Sarvi told The Hill on Wednesday.

“I’ve always had a process with this thing of taking it sort of step by step and seeing how it goes,” Sarvi said. “So the next step for us is to raise money and see what the reception’s like.”

Democrats are bullish about Sarvi, who said he would file either Wednesday or Thursday. They say his military background will help him cut into a major base of Kline’s support.

Kline is a retired Marine colonel who served as an aide to Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. He has carved out a reputation built on veterans’ issues.

Despite being a Democratic target, he has survived reelection bids with relative ease the last two cycles, winning both by 56-40 margins.

I finally had the opportunity to meet Sarvi a couple of weeks ago at a SD 35 DFL picnic. We will continue to follow this race closely here at IDHA.

Recently members of the 1st brigade/34th Infantry (Red Bulls) Division of the Army National Guard began returning to Minnesota from their record setting 22 months of employment.  Today, the US House passed a concurring resolution honoring their service.

The resolution, H. Con. Res. 185 introduced by Rep. Tim Walz and cosponsored by every other member of the Minnesota House delegation, “commends the 1st Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division of the Minnesota National Guard upon its completion of the longest continuous deployment of any United States military unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom,” “recognizes the achievements of the members of the 1st Brigade Combat Team and their exemplary service to the United States” and “directs the Clerk of the House to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard for appropriate display.”

“This record of the longest continual deployment of any US military operation during Operation Iraqi Freedom is something to be incredibly proud of,” Walz said. “Being there is one thing; contributing positively the way they did is quite another.”

Some of the contributions Walz was refering to include the discovery of 462 IEDs, the capture of over 400 suspected insurgent, the assistance in starting two Iraqi newspapers and the completion of 137 reconstruction projects.

“These men and women did not set this record and when they left these shores they had no idea this record was going to be theirs,” Rep. John Kline, R-Minnesota and member of the House Armed Services Committee, said. “But when the word came they didn’t flinch.  They set forward, did their duty and they set a record; one which I certainly hope no other unit will be asked to surpass.”

“We recognize not just the soldiers but their families and employers who patiently supported, loved and cared for them and waited until they returned to the Midwest,” Walz added, a former member of the Red Bulls himself, added.

Walz also noted that the responsibility of Congress to the soldiers goes well beyond honoring them with a resolution: “Now Congress must do its part to recognize their service and provide them with the benefits and health care they need,” he said.

The House passed the resolution by voice vote with a recorded vote to come later today.

In a procedural motion on a resolution to continue federal spending as the fiscal year ends Sunday, Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-California and ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, offered an amendment supporting Gen. David Petraeus and condeming MoveOn.org’s criticism of him. The motion was accepted by appropriations chairman Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wisconsin.

All I can say is: ugh! While I am not completely in agreement with Moveon.org’s advertisement (maybe that’s for another post), must Congress use this crucial time to vote on whether or not ads purchased by PACs should be given approval?

The fiscal year is winding down.

No spending bills have been signed into law yet.

Congress’s approval rating is at 11 percent.

And what do we get? Procedural motions that can produce nothing but “gotcha’ politics” and ammo to those on both sides. I’ll update as this continues.

The motion to amend (it was really a motion to recommit with amendment, but the bill is already back before the House as I write this, whatever) passed 341-79. All 79 nays were Democrats who will now be accused of “turning their backs on the troops” or some such nonsense by talk radio and right wing bloggers.

10 minutes of debate. 20+ minutes of the voting machine being open. You can laugh at this if you want, but that half hour is time that could have been spent on real legislation such as that before the House addressing popcorn lung disease. I will update with how the Minnesota delegation voted once the roll is posted (though I am sure there won’t be any surprises).

No surprises here on this roll call. Minnesota members voting aye: Walz, Kline, Ramstad, McCollum, Bachmann, Peterson, Oberstar. Voting nay: Ellison. At least maybe some people will let up on bullcrap such as calling Tim Walz “MoveOn.org’s Minnesota representative.”

Minnesota Republican Rep. John Kline has arrived in Iraq for the fifth time since the war started.  From the Star Tribune’s Kevin Diaz:

WASHINGTON - Minnesota Republican John Kline, one of the strongest congressional supporters of the U.S. war effort, arrived in Iraq Friday, beginning his fifth visit since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

The trip, coming as Congress debates the future of U.S. troop deployments in Iraq, will also include a stop in Afghanistan. Kline is part of a congressional delegation made up of three Republicans and three Democrats. The group is being led by Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii.

In an interview before he left Washington, Kline said he was encouraged by reports of progress given to Congress last week by Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. But, he added, he wanted to see the latest conditions for himself.

“I’d like to see with my own eyes what progress has been made — or the lack of progress,” he said.

Kline, a retired Marine colonel, said he’s particularly interested in assessing the morale of U.S. troops, which is critical to military reenlistment rates. “I want to know what the soldiers and Marines feel about their mission,” he said.

He also said it will be important to meet with regional Iraqi leaders to assess the prospects of national reconciliation for the central Iraqi government.

Almost unwavering from George W. Bush’s Iraq policy.  “The surge is clearly working,” is what Kline will likely say upon returning.  Or if that quote has a “but” following it, his visit might bring back evidence of how salvageable things really are over there.

Meanwhile, anger is growing among Republicans, specifically House Armed Services Committee members Kline and ranking member Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-California) and the amount of corruption surrounding military contracts in Iraq.  The investigated contracts in these situations alone ring to the tune of $6 billion for “essential supplies” and $88 billion for body armor.  Some of the story from the New York Times:

Representatives from both parties pummeled the panel with angry questions and comments, assailing the Pentagon for having failed to overhaul the procurement system more than two years after Congress had identified serious problems in defense contracting and passed legislation aimed at helping the Pentagon correct them.

Someone refresh my memory: how much were those cases of Coca Cola being sold for?

The lawmakers also challenged assertions by the Pentagon officials that the corruption being uncovered was the work of a few isolated individuals. Several committee members suggested that the abuses were far more systemic.

“The problems were so severe that I fear they could represent a culture of corruption,” said Representative Ike Skelton, Democrat of Missouri, the chairman of the committee. “I am extremely disappointed to learn that so many individuals violated their integrity and undermined the oaths they made to this country.”

Representative John Kline, a Minnesota Republican and retired Marine colonel, said he was “doubly, triply, quadruply appalled” at the “clear breakdown in leadership” that allowed some Army contracting officers to corrupt the procurement system. He said it was inexcusable that it took so long for the Army to put adequate checks in place.

Pentagon officials did not dispute the seriousness of the problems. However, they took issue with lawmakers’ characterizations of their scope. “I think it’s isolated incidents,” said Thomas F. Gimble, the principal deputy Pentagon inspector general. “The real issue is a lack of control, a lack of integrity and lots of opportunity and lots of money.”

With the no-bid contracts over in Iraq, isn’t it inexcusable of Kline to take so long to start an accountability process?

As of Sept. 12, the Army reported that it had 78 cases of fraud and corruption under investigation, had obtained 20 criminal indictments, and had uncovered over $15 million in bribes.

Lawmakers scolded the Pentagon for just recently ordering the creation of a special contracting corps of experienced procurement specialists — authorized in the legislation two years ago — to bolster purchasing teams in the most active combat zones, and to report directly to a regional military commander.

“That it’s taken two years to do this is an indication of a system that’s quite slow,” said Representative Duncan Hunter of California, the senior Republican on the committee. “That’s half the time it took to win World War II.”

Hat tip to Bluestem Prairie.

Previously Missing in Action Minnesota second district Rep. John Kline (R-Some non-disclosed shelter) will debate first district DFLer Tim Walz about the future of America’s presence in Iraq tomorrow night on Almanac. Almanac airs locally on TPT 2 (KTCA) at 7:00 p.m. with replays on TPT2 and can also be viewed online at www.tpt.org/almanac.

Kline was very conspicuously absent during the August congressional recess from town hall meetings or forums and performed virtually no other constituent outreach efforts with the exception of a “telephone town hall meeting,” the legitimacy of which was to say the least, questionable. Kline continues to have unwavering support for President Bush’s Iraq war policy with little explanation to his constituents. Meanwhile, virtually ever other member of Minnesota’s congressional delegation did constituent outreach work within his or her district, most notably Walz’ work on flood relief efforts in southeastern Minnesota.

As I’ve said before, I’m quite an Almanac fan, especially of David Gillette’s visual essays.

Jason and I will be playing softball tomorrow night (go Diamond Runners in the Prior Lake Co-Rec league!) but I will be sure to have my thoughts after viewing a recap.

It is great to see one of the Democrats main platforms when they took over Congress has now passed both the House and Senate.  The vote, pending administration approval, will increase aid to students in a few ways.  The maximum for Pell grants increases from $4,310 a year to $5,400 by the year 2012.  Federal loan interest rates have been slashed from 6.8% to 3.4% over the next four years. Democrats claim this will help students because it cuts $20 billion in government subsidies to banks that give out the loans, despite objections from Republicans and those in the banking industry to the cost-saving measure.  The vote passed 79-12 in the Senate and 292-97 in the House.  All 97 were Republicans.

“The bill also sets up a loan-forgiveness program for college graduates who work for 10 years in public service professions, such [as] teaching or nursing.” I am curious to see how this will pan out.  With the nursing shortage ever increasing, my hope is that recruitment will accelerate by hiring more educators and allowing an increased number of students to get through qualified programs.

College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, Roll Call 864.  Tim Walz, Jim Ramstad, Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison, Collin Peterson, and James Oberstar all voted FOR the measure.  John Kline and Michele Bachmann voted AGAINST the savings for students.  In the Senate, both Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar voted FOR the measure.

 Source and quote from http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/5117233.html

Senate OKs legislation increasing aid to college students

WASHINGTON  — Congress sent President Bush legislation today to boost financial aid for college students by cutting some $20 billion in government subsidies to banks that make student loans.

Bush has indicated he will sign the legislation, despite previous objections to parts of the bill. Specifically, the administration has criticized a student loan interest-rate cut and a new loan-forgiveness program, among other things.

House Democrats had made the popular interest-rate cut a priority during the run-up to the last election in which they regained control of Congress.

The House voted 292-97 for the student aid bill today. Earlier in the day, the Senate approved the measure 79-12. All the lawmakers who voted against the bill were Republicans.

The boost in financial aid to college students was one of half a dozen domestic priorities Democrats set when they took control of Congress this year. Two others — an increase in the minimum wage and mandatory air and sea cargo inspections — already have become law, and a third, ethics reform, is awaiting Bush’s signature.

“This is an exciting day for parents and students who struggle to put together the financial means to pay for college,” said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chair of the House education committee.

The bill would increase the maximum Pell grant, which goes to the poorest college students, from $4,310 a year to $5,400 a year by 2012.

It also would cut interest rates on federally backed student loans to poor and middle-class students from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent over the next four years.

California Rep. Buck McKeon, the leading Republican on the House education committee, criticized the rate cut. He said students will go back to paying the higher rate in four years or taxpayers will have to foot the bill for the cut to continue.

“What once was a campaign promise has become a trap that will ensnare either students or taxpayers,” McKeon said.

Democratic lawmakers say the roughly $20 billion in cuts to banks are aimed at excessive government subsidies to lenders. The subsidies were established to ensure that banks enter and stay in the college loan business.

Banking industry officials have objected to the cuts and have said they could adversely affect services provided to borrowers.

Nearly all of the cuts would go toward making college cheaper, but $750 million would be spent on federal budget deficit reduction. The legislation is part of a must-pass bill needed to meet spending targets in the federal budget.

The bill also sets up a loan-forgiveness program for college graduates who work for 10 years in public service professions, such teaching or nursing.

It also would cap annual payments for students at a percentage of their income, which lawmakers say would prevent people from having to pay back more than they can afford.

“Today, with this bill, we’re sending a message, and that message is that no qualified student will be denied a college education because of cost,” said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate education committee.

Once signed by the president, the legislation will begin taking effect Oct. 1.

You can’t make this stuff up. Well, the story does come from Fox News. If there is better proof that our current criminal justice system does an inadequate job of rehabilitating offenders, or even instilling some semblance of sanity, someone please forward it to me.

On second thought, save the policy papers and other research: I don’t have time for that, ahem, frivolous stuff.

Embattled NFL quarterback Michael Vick, facing federal charges related to his alleged participation in dogfighting, has been hit with a “$63,000,000,000 billion dollar” lawsuit filed by a South Carolina inmate who alleges the Atlanta Falcons star stole his pit bulls and sold them on eBay to buy “missiles from Iran,” FOX News has learned.

Jonathan Lee Riches filed the handwritten complaint over “theft and abuse of my animals” on July 23 in the U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va.

Riches alleges that Vick stole two white mixed pit bull dogs from his home in Holiday, Fla., and used them for dogfighting operations in Richmond, Va. The complaint goes on to allege that Vick sold the dogs on eBay and “used the proceeds to purchase missiles from the Iran government.”

The complaint also alleges that Vick would need those missiles because he pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda in February of this year.

“Michael Vick has to stop physically hurting my feelings and dashing my hopes,” Riches writes in the complaint.

Riches wants $63 billion dollars “backed by gold and silver “ delivered to the front gates to the Williamsburg Federal Correctional facility in South Carolina. Riches is an inmate at the facility serving out a wire fraud conviction.

FOXNews.com attempted to contact Vick, but neither he nor his spokesman could be reached for comment.
Vick’s attorneys, meanwhile, are negotiating a plea deal with federal prosecutors before new dogfighting charges are filed next week, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

We trust our Minnesota Congressional delegation, including and especially John Kline and Michele Bachmann, are working on getting to the bottom of this.

Debate has officially kicked off in the US House of Representatives about the 2007 Farm Bill. I don’t follow floor debate in the US House too often but I am already having a flashback to the rhetoric from Marty Seifert and Tim Pawlenty when the Minnesota legislature had under its consideration a proposal to include inflation in budget forecasting. Those two Republicans falsely characterized it as “budget increases on autopilot.”

This time, the Farm Bill would close a loophole which allows for corporate overseas tax shelters. The elimination of this loophole, which would create $4 billion of revenue, is falsely being referred to by Republicans such as a tax “increase.”

I liken it to being shorted on your paycheck and upon notifying to your boss/payroll clerk/HR/whatever being told you shouldn’t be entitled to a pay increase.

Ugh. And due to this provision, these Republicans, such as Agriculture committee ranking member Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia), are intending to vote against the bill.

Nevertheless, Minnesota elected officials will get some spotlight, such as Agriculture committee chairman Collin Peterson, who has been heralded for his efforts to find compromise, and Tim Walz who is a member of the committee.

Based on a quote from this story yesterday, it doesn’t appear John Kline will support the bill.

Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., commended Peterson’s effort but had some reservations, including how a $4 billion increase to nutrition programs would be paid for.

“We have to see how these concerns are met,” Kline said in a statement.

I can only assume Michele Bachmann will vote against it because, well, she votes against everything so why even bother to find some real basis for that conclusion.

We will try and offer updates from time to time here at IDHA and of course Bluestem will continue to provide stellar coverage on this issue.

[UPDATE] Quick Farm Bill update (trying not to live blog as I will not hear the end of how “lame” live blogging C-SPAN is):

The controversial Ron Kind/Jeff Flake delete-everything amendment failed on a voice vote with a roll call vote to be taken later.

In opposition to the amendment, Tim Walz said it was well intentioned but doesn’t address the needs of his district, Minnesota’s 1st, which he described as one of the “richest pieces of agriculture land in the world.”

Walz, in his usual blunt tone, showed irritation at some of the rhetoric being presented in opposition to the bill.

“When I need advice about agriculture, I go to Kevin Paap at the Minnesota Farm Bureau, not the ideology at the Cato Institute.”

13 amendments were approved “en bloc” via voice vote with 17 more remaining. Final passage is expected to take place tomorrow. [/UPDATE]

[UPDATE 2] The Kind/Flake amendment fails 117-309. Looks like that will be all for the Farm Bill tonight.  I always laugh when the parliamentarian has to guide the Speaker Pro Temp through every little process and still has to ask “Now what?” into the microphone. [/Update 2]

A day after the AP made the decision to finally shed light on challengers to Michele Bachmann (sixth district) and John Kline (second district), as opposed to the exclusive focus on the crowd of GOP folks trying to take on Tim Walz in the first, a mainstream media source is finally putting the spotlight on one of them.

Today, the Star Tribune introduces readers to Steve Sarvi.

In what could be an intriguing political matchup next year, a National Guardsman with 20 years in the service under his belt is likely to take on Second District GOP Rep. John Kline, a three-term incumbent whose 25 year career in the Marines has been central to his political profile.

Sgt. 1st Class Steve Sarvi, who is demobilizing at Fort McCoy, Wis., this week after serving with the Minnesota Guard in Iraq, is leaning toward making the bid, according to his father, Al Sarvi.

“There’s nothing official yet, but we’re all pretty excited about it,” the elder Sarvi said Wednesday. “Because he’s still in the service, he can’t file, collect money or look for support yet.”

Working in Iraq since April 2006 on the Army’s reconstruction efforts, Sarvi, 42, is due to arrive home in Victoria on Friday and will be released from the service in a month, his father said.

Already, the comparison to Walz is being established, and John Kline responds:

If Sarvi jumps into the race, he would represent a continuation of the Democrats’ 2006 strategy of running veterans against Republicans they deem vulnerable, a tactic that paid off in Minnesota’s First District, where Rep. Tim Walz, a retired Guard member, pulled off a surprise victory.

“We’ve been talking with the DFL about it, so they know we’re looking at this,” Al Sarvi said.

DFL spokeswoman Kelly Schwinghammer was noncommittal about Sarvi’s potential candidacy, saying, “It’s a fluid field out there. We’re definitely grateful for his service to the country.”

In a prepared statement, Kline said, “I welcome him home, thank him for his service in Iraq and wish him the best as he re-integrates into civilian life. I look forward to the political contest next year, with whomever the DFL candidate might be.”

One advantage Kline supporters have always held on their mantles is his military service. With Sarvi’s experience in Iraq coupled with (what I hope will be!) a continuation of the very successful grassroots formula that helped send Walz to Washington, Kline will likely not be able to sleep easy this election cycle.

Stay tuned; we will have you covered here at IDHA on these developments.