Archive for the ‘Joe Donnelly’ Category

You know the routine. Fred Sanford clutches his chest and look upwards as he scream “Hear that ‘Lizabeth? I’m coming to join ya honey!”

Well, that’s about the reaction I had when I saw the Ryerson Rag actually endorsed the Republican candidate for Southern Indiana’s 9th Congressional District.

From the Rag:

(Read more after the leap) (more…)

Luke Puckett, Republican candidate for Congress in Indiana’s 2nd District, called on Joe Donnelly to start being honest with 2nd District Hoosiers. “He has one line for those of us back home and he’s got a different line for those in Washington. He tells us one thing and then he goes to Washington and does another,” Puckett declared.

As a specific example of Donnelly’s inability to be honest with constituents, Puckett points to a letter Donnelly sent to a constituent in March of 2007 regarding the troop surge in Iraq. In the letter, Donnelly declares that he will not support legislation mandating troop withdrawals or de-funding of the War in Iraq. In the weeks that followed that pledge, however, Donnelly voted twice [Roll Calls 186 and 624 cast during the 2007 session] to set mandatory deadlines for withdrawal of all American military personnel from Iraq regardless of conditions on the ground and irrespective of the best judgment of commanders in the field.

“The most important commodity that an elected official has is the public’s trust and when he or she fails that trust by being dishonest and disingenuous about a particular issue, then the official shows that they don’t have what it takes to be a leader,” Puckett stated, “I will be honest with constituents whether it’s popular or not because honest disagreement is better that false and misleading agreement. Honesty will be a priority.”

On the broader issue of national security, Puckett declared “Our national security is strengthened when we build a strong and ready military and put the world on notice that we will use it only as a last resort. The highest duty of any Congressman, Senator or President is to protect this country by making sound national security related decisions. Such decisions involve far more than simply making a judgment call about when to go to war and when to not go to war, they also require an understanding of who our enemies are, why they wish to see our destruction, and what we must do to win the battle of ideas.”

By: Luke Puckett

Recent events have showed us how important it is that we become energy independent not only for our own economic prosperity but also for our own security. Over 30 years ago our nation experienced a severe energy crisis because 12% of our annual oil supply was provided by foreign sources of oil. Today, we are even more vulnerable as nearly 70% of our oil energy needs are met by foreign sources that are all too often hostile to our interests and our values.

The threat posed by our reliance on foreign oil is illustrated by the recent conflict between Russia and our brave but small ally Georgia. Russia’s irresponsible, unfortunate and inappropriate bullying of Georgia is not about liberating some radical groups from imagined atrocities. It is about Russia’s expansion of power not just into neighboring states but into the global scene.

A key network of oil and natural gas pipelines stretches across Georgia. This network, which was due for an expansion until Russia’s aggressive destruction jeopardized the construction of new pipelines, is a vital link between Caucasus oil and natural gas resources and the energy users of Europe and the United States. Russia’s drastic invasion has allowed them to seize strategic control of the pipelines and it has given them the power to negotiate for world acceptance of their heavy-handed and anti-freedom actions.

Also looming large as a threat to our security is Iran’s control of the flow of roughly 40% of the world’s daily oil output. Iran’s leaders have stated that it is their aim to end America and destroy the ideals of liberty. We may consider these thugs crazed and incoherent, but we must take their apocalyptic declarations seriously because they are even now building and honing their capacity to execute their dark visions.

The time for words should be over; the time for action is now. We must put the world on notice that we will not sacrifice the strength of our national security on the altar of outdated government red-tape regulations that form a nearly impenetrable dam to the flow of our own domestic energy resources. We must move boldly and quickly to allow for a dramatic expansion of environmentally responsible domestic oil drilling.

Our children should not have to grow up in a world where their freedom and their mobility is dictated to them by backward looking tyrants who desperately seek to maintain some semblance of control in a world where their ideology has been discarded as a failure. You and I have a responsibility to strengthen our security and secure our future. I pledge to you that if you elect me to Congress this November, I will go to Washington to fight out of touch politicians to lower your gas prices.

Luke Puckett is running for Congress in Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District on a platform of common-sense solutions. You can learn more about him by visiting his website at www.puckett08.com.

Congressman Baron Hill (D-San Francisco Seymour) just sent me an e-mail inviting me to the 2008 Southern Indiana Economic Forum. To be more precise, I was actually one of the dozen or so people who actually subscribe to Baron’s official Congressional e-mail list, “Baron’s Briefings”, and bother to read it when it comes.

The event is to take place on September 5th in New Albany and the second session is a panel discussion entitled “Gas Prices 101″. That one looks interesting. You see, Gas Prices 101 is much like Economics 101. In Economics 101 you learn that the fundamental process behind prices is supply and demand. When the supply of something stays the same while the demand rises, then prices go up. As applied to Gas Prices 101 this lesson means that when the supply of gas stays the same and the demand goes up, then gas prices go up. Politics 101 says that when your congressman votes against drilling for domestic oil he is effectively voting for high gas prices. After these three lessons, you, the voter, get to do a practical exercise in Government 101 by throwing the aforementioned congressman (who voted against domestic drilling) out of office.

Of course, you need to be voting for something, not just against something. Mike Sodrel and Luke Puckett both provide voters in the 9th and 2nd Districts respectively with something to vote for. In addition to being the only candidates in each race who have not voted against domestic drilling, the two of them have met first hand with energy experts to discuss what needs to be done to lower gas prices. Both men will be strong advocates for domestic drilling-and thus lower gas prices-when they get to Washington.

It’s a great thing to have a local radio show host who’s as hard hitting as some of the top conservative talkers on the nationwide radio dial. Peter Heck, who’s based in Kokomo, Indiana, has been using his radio show to call out Joe Donnelly for his failed energy policy of votes against domestic drilling. Yesterday Heck did a great job of expounding on some of Donnelly’s votes against domestic drilling and expanded refinery capacity.

Apparently Donnelly, who’s been on the show once, isn’t interested in explaining his votes to constituents because he’s refusing to come back on the show to explain what’s he’s been up too. So much fore the “independent voice” idea; you can’t be a “voice” when you are silent.

Standing as a stark alternative to Joe Donnelly is Luke Puckett. Luke’s message is this simple: I am going to Washington to fight out-of-touch politicians who are doing nothing to lower your gas prices.

Listen to Peter Heck’s segment on Joe Donnelly below.

 

 Peter Heck Calling out Congressman Joe Donnelly: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This presser was just release by the Puckett for Congress campaign.

Puckett States that He Supports an End to the August Recess Until Energy Reform Legislation is Passed

South Bend, IN-Second district Congressional candidate Luke Puckett issued the below statement today.

“Since Friday afternoon a cadre of Congressmen has gone to the floor of the United States House of Representatives to demand that Congress come back from its August recess to have a debate and vote on legislation that would lower the price of gas. Led by individuals such as Rep. Mike Pence, these members are refusing to take a vacation when they know that Congress has not done its job in passing a comprehensive energy reform bill.

“Americans cannot take a vacation from the high gas prices and Congress shouldn’t be taking a vacation until it has done its part to expand our nation’s access to domestic energy supplies. Joe Donnelly and the other members of Congress should not go on recess until they have earned the right to do so.

“I fully support the actions of those members of Congress who are calling for this Congress to be more responsible and I pledge that when I am elected I will fight for meaningful energy reform that will allow us to access our own oil. It is time for us to stop relying on foreign oil for 66% of petroleum needs.”

Puckett also noted that on Monday, August 11, 2008 he will publicly call on President Bush to call Congress back from its vacation for the specific purpose of debating and voting on a comprehensive energy policy bill.

The Puckett for Congress campaign issued the below press release today as the Democrat do-nothing Congress heads home for the August recess.

South Bend, IN-Congress is slated to begin its summer recess at the conclusion of work today. During the recess Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) will be conducting a book tour for her new book titled “Know Your Power, A Message to America’s Daughters.”

Since its release on Tuesday, the book has been anything but a best seller with Amazon.com ranking its position in overall sales at 1,457 as of Friday morning. The book’s price on Amazon.com is $16.29.

“While I’m glad to see that Speaker Pelosi has written a book about some of her observations and experiences, it is unfortunate that she has presided over a do-nothing Congress that has earned the lowest approval rating in history,” declared Luke Puckett, the Republican candidate for Congress in Indiana’s 2nd District.

“It may be,” continued Puckett, “that the low initial books sales are the result of a desire on the part of the American people to use the money from the $16.29 price of the book to buy four gallons of gas so they can drive to work or go to the grocery store.”

Note: Some highly determined House Republicansare executing a dramatic-and potentially historic-maneuver this afternoon by staying on the House floor even after the recess to protest the Democrat’s failure to pass energy reform legislation that allows us to drill for our own oil.

In this entire discussion about the need to drill for domestic oil in places like ANWR, a very important interest group is often overlooked.  That group is the folks who will be living and working around the drilling rigs should we do the right thing and start drilling up there on the Coastal Plain.  Luke Puckett talked to a couple residents in Point Barrow, Alaska about their thoughts on the rising gas prices and the possibility of oil drilling operations in their region.  Watch what they had to say.

How close are we to energy independence?  Vertically the distance is 8,000 feet, horizontally it’s a bit longer.  But neither of these distances is insurmountable.  In fact, if we’d just get government regulations out of the way and end the ban that keeps American oil locked under ground and safely away from American consumers who need it, this oil could reach us in 5 years or less.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a pristine piece of land.  The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a barren piece of land full of mosquitoes and other bothersome bugs.  Which statement is true?   Both of them are.  Opponents of expanded domestic drilling use only the first statement to jin up support for their side.  What they don’t tell you is that Area 10-02 in the Coastal Plain north region of ANWR is described by the second statement while the first statement only refers to the southern part of the Refuge.  The oil is located in the northern Coastal Plain area where mosquitoes abound.

Don’t believe me?  Check out the below video.  Luke Puckett and his trusty aide Jack Flock were trying to do a quick YouTube shot for the folks back home when they had to cut it short thanks to a swarm of mosquitoes that was trying to eat them alive.   

It is Joe Donnelly’s record on energy issues that is under scrutiny, but as you look at that record it becomes quite obvious that consistent votes against opening up domestic oil resources comprise a record of lethergy on an issue many Americans are concerned about.  The Luke Puckett campaign issued a hard-hitting press release today drawing attention to Donnelly’s consistent record (his rhetoric changes, but his record doesn’t) of anti-domestic drilling votes.

Here is the Release:

Fairbanks, AK-Today Congressional candidate Luke Puckett declared that he is the only candidate running for Congress in Indiana’s 2nd District who supports lowering gas prices for Hoosiers by expanding access to large domestic oil reserves like the ones in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the oil shale deposits of Colorado and Utah.

“From January of 2007 to today, Joe Donnelly has never voted for a bill that would expand domestic oil exploration and drilling. I find it unconscionable that Mr. Donnelly would repeatedly vote to block our access to domestic oil reserves and effectively vote to hold Hoosiers hostage to foreign oil and high gas prices,” Puckett remarked.

Puckett believes that Joe Donnelly has failed to be a leader in Washington on the single biggest issue people across the district care about. The rising gas prices affect everyone from blue collar workers to white collar business owners, from soccer moms to farmers. These people were not helped when Donnelly chose to co-sponsor an obscure energy bill that will probably never see a floor vote while opposing a floor debate and vote on an energy bill that was co-sponsored by 177 members of Congress.

(Read more below the Fold) (more…)