Oct. 21, 2006

An open letter from Brad Blanton

Author of 'Radical Honesty' and former candidate for Congress in Virginia. Here is some of what Brad, a long-time therapist and clinical psychologist in the DC area, has learned on the campaign trail the past year.


Dear Friends and Supporters,

I am quitting my run for Congress and lending my support to my former Democrat opponent Jim Nachman. I am withdrawing from the race and will continue campaigning for Jim Nachman until Nov. 7. I hope all of the work we have put in over the last two years can still be focused on defeating Eric Cantor, George Allen and the other Bush ass-kissing Fascist idiot bastards.

I have learned this: Without full public financing of campaigns we will never have fair elections. Cantor has bribed everyone who has local community influence very well. Most, if not all, of the sheriffs of the 12 counties in District 7 are bought and many local small time politicos have been paid off as well. Without ten times the amount of money I was able to raise I didn’t have a chance in hell of winning—because the system is set up to guarantee that the amount of money it takes to win a campaign preserves the tradition of moneyed interests controlling government. The amount needed to win is great enough that any candidate who could win is already so much a part of the system in the first place in order to run; they are not likely to significantly change the system. People with great ideas that solve problems and help millions of people cannot get their ideas across without money. People with money with dumb ideas can. Take a look at the imbeciles we have. Without full public financing we will never elect anyone who hasn’t already bought into the system, except for occasional accidents.

My vision is to commit the U.S. to the goal of creating the possibility of a lifetime of play and service for every human being on the planet. It could be accomplished immediately with one year of our current military budget and the additional supplemental bills to cover the war in Iraq. This is, of course, people say, impossible—but I say it is only because people think it is impossible.

Jim Nachman has hardly any chance of winning, even adding together my Independent supporters and the support of the Democratic Party, because he doesn’t have enough money either. Clearly, he is not corrupt enough. Cantor is as corrupt as they come — Abramoff, Delay, Foley corrupt—and he will probably win because he is corrupt. Eric Cantor supports the war on Iraq—while cutting veterans benefits, giving billions of dollars in tax cuts to big oil and the super rich, slashing funds for education, and running up the biggest deficit in American history—making it clear he is not working for us, he’s working for the corporations that keep him in power. He has a million dollars cash on hand to spread his lies. Nevertheless, in a meaningless futilitarian gesture, I support Jim Nachman for Congress. I am giving him some money and telling all my friends. If you like, give him some money and tell your friends. Maybe an accident will happen.

As most of you know I walked the entire length of this Congressional district from Stanley to Richmond (138 miles), with pledges of support totaling about $40 per mile. I got a lot of press and talked to a lot of people and completed the walk just before I quit. We weren’t even close to having the money needed for the closing weeks of the campaign. There are a lot of good hearted but ignorant people in our district who care about the issues but have no idea what has been happening to the country while these liars are in control. Working families, the individual, the consumer and the environment have been swept aside, as corporations making record profits nuzzle up to the trough with lobbyists in tow.

Campaign finance reform and an end the control of government by lobbyists is the only way to begin the recovery from the disease of neo-conservatism. Big corporations are out of control, in large part because they control government and have undermined its responsibility to the people. The corporations are counting on our patriotism to distract you from their plunder. They’re counting on you to stand at attention with your hand over your heart, pledging allegiance to the flag, while they pick your pocket. Terrorists can’t destroy our democracy, but we can, simply be surrendering it, by keeping our mouths shut while Bush-Cheney-Gonzales-Cantor take away our rights “for our own good”. I know most of you are as sick of this state of affairs as I am. Thanks for all your help and support for my campaign up until now. I hope we kick enough of those greedy unconscious malicious lying bastards out of office to start taking back America.

-- Brad Blanton

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