So Brian Baird wants to devote more time to his family and not seek reelection. Putting aside for the moment that this would be the very first time Mr. Baird put his (this or any of his past) family before his own self interest, the opening presents a wonderful opportunity for the district to elect someone who is truly about representing the public interest- and not about his/her own reelection or protecting the club. Clearly this is NOT a job for Denny Heck!

I do wholly believe that we must transcend the partisan- motivated bickering that often masquerades as policy making in D.C. I also believe that the all too frequent negativity that surrounds public debates is corrosive and destructive. I know that I have been a perpetrator of this very practice.

While I am against the war in Afghanistan I am willing to still give President Obama some benefit of the doubt because I believe he is a fundamentally good and smart person who does in fact have, what he believes is the best interest of the U.S. (and the rest of the world) in mind. Who we have representing us makes all the difference in the world.

We know the kind of people who don’t serve us well: insiders who can’t see beyond the small world of, well, people just like them, in the club; scared and fearful people who protect the status quo because it has served them just fine; those who contribute to the drive-by style of public policy making by appearing to involve the public but instead relying exclusively on the insiders (often who created some problem in the first place). Denny Heck has a long career of being exactly this kind of person. See this letter sent to him as Co-Chair of the WA. Learns committee (letter - having troubles attaching, will add seperately)