Tom McClintock and Saxby Chambliss
October 7, 2008

Tom McClintock for California CD-4

Saxby Chambliss for U.S. Senator, Georgia

Saxby Chambliss of Georgia barely eked out more votes than his Democrat challenger Jim Martin and another Libertarian candidate, but did not get enough to claim final victory. Now he will have to face Martin again in a runoff between just the two of them for Saxby’s senate seat. With the Senate already so skewed to the left, we cannot afford to lose another solidly pro-troop voice like Saxby Chambliss has been!

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In California they are still counting the votes and looking towards provisional and military ballots to determine the outcome of the extremely tight race for John Dolittle’s open seat for U.S. House of Representatives. Tom McClintock, the Republican and a supporter of our troop’s mission in Iraq, holds a razor thin 291 vote lead over his Democrat and VERY anti-troop opponent Charlie Brown, who once wore camo fatigues to an anti-war rally where they burned a soldier in effigy!

LINK

MAF Freedom PAC will be watching these races and doing whatever we can to support our pro-troop candidates in the Chambliss / Martin runoff election and for Tom McClintock to hang onto his lead until he can be declared the winner

WOW PRICE OF GAS!!!

 Day with Jeb Bradley OCT 22, 208

We started out our day with Jeb Bradley by making it to his office in the cold, wet New Hampshire morning. We met Congressman (fmr.) Bradley there, easily recognizable by his iconic well-worn Red Sox cap, and rode down to the John McCain rally together. Congressman Bradley got us into the debate through the VIP entrance and made sure that Debbie Lee was on stage with the VFW members and students from St. Anselm College, where the rally was held.

Ryan and I were out on the floor of the auditorium where there were about 3,000 supporters gathered between the bleachers and the crowd standing in the middle. We heard speeches from gubernatorial candidate Kinney, Jeb Bradley, Senator John Sununu, and of course John and Cindy McCain. Jeb Bradley gave a rip-roaring speech, it was very high energy and well received by the crowd. Some of the people around us who knew Bradley better than we do said he was “on his game.” John Sununu gave a great speech with a zinger that I thought was not only hilarious but disturbingly true. He said “I am still the youngest Senator in Congress and guess what I still have more experience than Barack Obama!” The whole crowd thought that was amazing.

John McCain’s speech focused mainly on taxes, spending and Joe the Plumber, but he did mention our troops and the fact that only he would bring them home with honor and victory. Now maybe I’m not the least biased person in the world to be telling you this, but I think that the crowd cheered louder and more enthusiastically for our troops and for their missions in the war on terror than at any other time.

	Ben Franklin supports John McCain

The Debate
 
In Jeb Bradley’s office we listened to a radio ad that Natalie Healey had released talking about her son Dan’s service, how he gave up his life in Afghanistan and how important it was to have Jeb’s support. She also mentioned in the ad that she had made three phone calls to Carol Shea-Porter’s office and had never received a phone call back. She said she was disgusted that Carol Shea-Porter could not return a simple phone call to a gold Star mom.  
Tonight we attended the debate between Jeb Bradley and Carol Shea-Porter at a local school. Jeb acknowledged Healy and Debbie Lee and paid tribute to both their sons’ sacrifices. One of the questions the moderator asked Jeb had something to do with constituent relations and Jeb talked about how he was always accessible to his constituents and was always there for them, taking time to speak with people like Natalie Healy, gold star mom, and honoring the troops. Carol Shea-Porter’s response to that same question was that she had also spoken with Nat Healey which was a bold faced LIE. Natalie and Debbie were both amazed and appalled that’s Carol Shea-Porter would lie during a debate in front of high school kids and on television saying that she contacted a Gold star mom when in fact she had not.
Debbie later told me, “I could feel my blood pressure instantly rising”. After the debate was over they both approached the stage immediately to confront Carol Shea Porter. Natalie asked Shea-Porter why she would blatantly lie in public about not returning her phone call.
 
Debbie told Carol She-Porter that their sons had” given up their tomorrows” so that she could “have a today” and asked why she couldn’t take ten minutes out of her day to return a phone call. At that point Carol left the stage and Debbie turned around, and commented to the crowd around her that Shea-Porter had just publicly lied.

At that point a gentleman in the crowd questioned Debbie, demanding proof that Shea-Porter had just lied. In response she simply pointed to Natalie and said “she’s the proof”.

“I told him that out of respect Shea porter owed that to Natalie and that our sons had given up their lives for this country. He claimed he was a Vietnam Vet and the he had friends who were POWs and MIAs and I put my hand on his arm to show compassion for his loss and said that he himself would be deserving of at least a response from a Congresswoman’s office if he requested it.” Debbie would later recount to me. The man who confronted Debbie tried to say “we’ve all lost things” in this war, referring to Iraq. Debbie was absolutely appalled that this man had the audacity to refer to Marc as a ‘thing’ to be ‘lost’.

“That’s my son, not a THING.” She exclaimed, but he responded flippantly saying, “You’re just being used by the campaign” referring to Jeb Bradley’s people.

She responded to that comment by saying “I’m not being used by anyone” and at that point one of the debate administrators came up and said we would have to take our argument outside if we wanted to continue. He could obviously see the discussion was going to get ugly. Debbie ended up doing a media interview instead of arguing with the scumbag.

Later on, after the event, I heard from others in earshot that he also said “you’re just using your son for political purposes”. We also learned later, after we pointed the guy out to one of Bradley’s people, that the man who had offended Debbie so greatly was actually Ray Buckley who is the chairman of the State of New Hampshire Democrat Party. We were all absolutely mortified to find out that someone of such a high office in the Democrat Party would just ATTACK a gold star mom the way Ray Buckley did. He was so condescending and abrasive with his remarks and his demeanor toward Debbie that we feel this cannot be ignored and we have called for Ray Buckley’s resignation from his position.

Jeb Bradley hosted a luncheon with about 8 gold and blue star families	Nat Healy Gold Star Mom, Gerry Duncan Blue Start Mom, Susan Peterson Blue Star Mom, Debbie Lee Gold Star Mom

October 15, 2008

It was an absolutely gorgeous day in Colorado springs today, a little bit chilly but the sky was clear and the sun was out warming up the crowd at the VFW Post 4051 where MAF PAC and Bob Schaffer held our joint press conference to award Schaffer our official endorsement of his run for US Senate.

It was great to have all the local vets out here to see Bob, Melanie and Debbie speak and share their stories. Melanie and Debbie were excited to talk about why we think Bob Schaffer is the right man to represent Colorado.

We set up right in front of the VFW and a bunch of the supporters went up behind speakers and held signs to support Bob Schaffer. Melanie started the press conference and introduced herself, giving a little more background on what exactly MAF Freedom PAC is.  Basically MAF Freedom PAC is the political arm of Move America Forward, a charitable non-profit that supports the troops, primarily through care packages and support for military families. If the MAF charity supports the troops with cookies and coffee, MAF PAC supports them through political ads and elections.

Melanie attacked Mark Udall on his flip flopping, he at once supported the war then he was against it, he was against the surge then, after it was “enormously successful”, he “said he wasn’t surprised  it worked.” said Melanie Morgan. “Well guess what, there are a lot of folks here in America who weren’t surprised that it worked, we knew it was working WHEN it was working!” which elicited many cheers from the crowd.

Melanie also attacked Udall for co-sponsoring the Kucinich bill to siphon 8 billion away from the Defense Department to create a Department of Peace a cabinet level bureaucracy, the mission of which would be “the study of conditions that are conducive to both domestic and international peace.” Said Morgan. “Maybe he was smoking a doobie, if he thinks that a terrorist is going to negotiate with the Department of Peace.”

The decision of MAF PAC to endorse Schaffer, Melanie continued, was influenced by Schaffer’s eagerness to support our troops and our veterans when he was in the U.S. House of Representatives. In congress, Schaffer supported legislation to ensure that military members who were stationed overseas had ample opportunity to register to vote while they were stationed abroad. MAF had a program called “Heroes Vote” which specifically addressed the difficulty that many troops overseas, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, run up against when trying to register. We are very glad that Schaffer also recognizes the importance of making sure our troops have the opportunity to vote, since they protect our rights to do so.

Schaffer also deserves praise for pledging to support veterans’ healthcare benefits, the new GI bill, and family caregivers or other educational and health benefits and resources for our troops, if he is elected to serve in the US Senate.

Then something hilarious happened just as Melanie finished up her speech. One of Schaffer’s more enthusiastic supporters wanted to meet and shake his hand and tell him how strongly he supported his senate bid. Poor Bob didn’t want to be rude to the old man, he had to explain to the guy that he was interrupting a press conference! Everyone thought that was a riot but Melanie and Debbie never skipped a beat.

Melanie introduced Debbie Lee just as Bob made it back to the front, after doing his best to address that man’s concerns in a timely fashion!  Debbie thanked Bob Schaffer for his sons who served in the military and talked about how she herself had Marc who was of course a Navy Seal, another son who is a Marine, and has a brother in the Air Force as well as a son-in-law in the Army.

Debbie talked about seeing first-hand in Iraq the sacrifices, but also the great success of our missions in the War on Terror. Debbie always asks the veterans present to raise their hands so she could recognize their service and honor them, and today was not difference, there were plenty of vets to give our thanks to.

Debbie told Marc’s story so that the crowd would know what he did for his buddies and his country. I myself have heard Marc’s story at least a hundred times, and as I’ve grown accustomed to hearing it, nowadays I usually make it a point to watch the faces of people whenever Debbie is telling her story, just to see how they’re reacting.

I could tell Bob Schaffer was moved by Marc’s story and by the heroism he displayed. Debbie thanked Bob for his own sons.

Bob said that despite being immensely proud of his three kids who now serve, he is always quick to say he will never take credit for what was their decision to do. He said he thought they were probably motivated by people like Marc and others who showed heroism, displayed courage, and loved their country so fiercely that inspired them and others to enlist in the armed services.

“We need people to volunteer and stand forward in moments of national challenge, and we’ve got lots of people who put on the uniform and they go do the hard work of freedom.”

This election is about “whether we are going to choose victory over defeat, whether we are going to allow terrorists and those who would threaten our way of life to determine how we live here at home, or whether we are going to assert our authority as free citizens and individuals ourselves.” Schaffer said.

“I am for winning rather than losing. I am for victory. I am for standing up and supporting our troops when they’re in harm’s way.  I am in favor of allowing our soldiers to continue the success they’re achieving on the battlefield not pulling the rug out from under them."

October 15, 2008
We arrived in Greeley, CO after flying into Denver and renting a car to get to Debbie Lee’s birthplace and hometown. The park where we held the event was tucked away in the south side of town, but it had a gorgeous veteran’s memorial that paid tribute to the brave men and women who protected America before the current generation of heroes.

When we first arrived Marilyn Musgrave was not yet there, but some of her staff were, as well as a small crowd of supporters. We had barely gotten ourselves out of the car when her press secretary and another staff member showed up to let us know what press they expected to show up.

By show-time which was scheduled for 2:00 Congresswoman Musgrave was there and a whole host of other supporters from the area. We were talking with a few of them, especially about the debate Musgrave had the previous night with far left opponent Betsy Markey.

One of the most important issues for the people of Colorado, and especially this district north of Denver and just east of Loveland is agriculture and farming. At the debate it was clear to the people I talked to that Markey was sticking very closely to her talking points which were of course very generalized party-line positions. Musgrave on the other hand could talk at length about this issue because she has been a congresswoman for the state of Colorado for years and knows the issues that farmers have to deal with inside and out.

Another point they made to me was that during the debate a question was asked about what the candidate’s biggest mistakes were or their regrets and the people assembled had been very unimpressed with Markey’s response, which was to say she basically regretted telling people that she wanted to grow up to be a “nothing just like my mom.” They thought that was a bad move for Markey because it made her seem like she couldn’t think of anything substantive, so she rattled of something personal, and something very embarrassing at that. So…  Markey successfully cast doubts on her character without contributing anything worthy to the discussion about her candidacy.

We introduced Congresswoman Musgrave to Melanie Morgan and Debbie Lee, they chatted for a little while we waited on some people from local papers to show up. After a while they did, even an Associated Press reporter came, so we decided it was about time to start the event.

Congresswoman Musgrave marched up to the front of the crowd and began by thanking everyone for coming and that she felt honored to receive our endorsement! I almost blurted my inner monologue that “We’re honored that you’re accepting it!”

Melanie Morgan took over next and railed on Betsey Markey, primarily about her position on the war in Iraq. Ms. Markey’s position has “evolved, over time” as the War in Iraq has become increasingly successful ever since the beginning of “The Surge” strategy. Markey’s website itself had previously read that the situation in Iraq was “chaotic” and that “no improvement” was reasonably plausible. This is why I think democrats shot themselves in the foot on The Surge – because they never even gave it a chance. Markey’s website also trashed President Bush saying he would not “resolve or seriously improve the situation.” 

Well it did not take many months after the surge began for that improvement to become apparent and for democrats who opposed it to be plainly wrong. Markey who never even held an elected office before, but here she already has her first major policy failure.

Melanie talked about how Markey removed those first offensive comments about the war from her website but had still left the poor policy up, which is her position that Congress should de-fund our troops until there is only enough funding to expedite a full and hasty retreat of our forces.

Melanie also praised Congresswoman Musgrave for her continual support for our troops and for being a blue star mom herself and making the same sacrifice for our nation that hundreds of thousands of families all across the nation have done.

“She has a proven record, a track record of supporting our troops. She has not wavered, she is never going to waver, not now, and not ever! We thank you for your service and your sacrifice as a blue-star mom and for your in-law and your son’s service to our country, thank you.”

Congresswoman Musgrave has a son-in-law who served in Afghanistan and has a daughter and son-in-law currently serving in the U.S. Navy

Next Debbie Lee came up and talked about our veterans and told her story about her own son Marc. She thanked Marilyn Musgrave for her support for the men and women in the armed services and thanked all the veterans in the crowd for what they have sacrificed for our freedoms.

“About three months ago my daughter in law shipped Marc’s uniforms to me,” she said, “and your first inclination when you’ve lost somebody and you go through their clothes is to smell, hoping that you can catch just a little piece of what their life was and your memories of them.” Debbie recalled.

“And I remember as I picked up that uniform and I held it, and I couldn’t smell Marc in it, and the tears started to flow as I remembered the loss and that sacrifice that young man had given. But I thought, it wasn’t the uniform that made him that heroes, it was who filled that uniform that made him a hero.”

Debbie Lee thanked all of the veterans present, all the heroes, anyone who had ever worn that uniform was a hero. And then Debbie told the crowd the story of what happened to Marc, how he stood up to the sniper fire that he and his fellow SEALS were taking that had them pinned on a rooftop in Ramadi.

Marc rose up amid the flying metal and provided covering fire so that the SEALS could get their buddy Ryan, who had been wounded, down off the roof in safety. But that was not when Marc made his great sacrifice, after they saved Ryan’s life, it turns out they received intelligence that they found a house where the insurgents who had ambushed them were hiding. So Marc and his fellow seals went out again to clear the house so that those insurgents couldn’t continue killing and taking advantage of the people of Ramadi. Walking up the stairs of that house Marc took a sniper shot through the window of the house and that was when Marc laid down his life. Despite the loss, Debbie Lee could not be more proud of her son, what he stood for and who he fought for.

Marilyn Musgrave herself took center stage next. She mentioned a clinic she had fought to get in Burlington and reflected a little about visiting the young military men and women at Walter Reed, but rather than talk about her campaign and her agenda, she decided to share a personal story about how she feels towards our vets.  She told us about a group of Colorado soldiers who had come in to Washington DC, about to leave for a tour of duty in Iraq. Congresswoman Musgrave said, “I’m a mom you know, before I’m a congresswoman, and I wanted to  give them a send-off like their moms would send them off.” Musgrave actually COOKED a whole mess of chicken enchiladas in a huge roaster pan in her CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE. “I don’t know what the whole Longworth building thought, but the food was just wafting through the air.”

And then we went over to the US capitol and I gave them a personal tour and that was just a gesture of my love and my respect.” Musgrave recalled. “They’re going off and their doing a job that many people would never do. And they’re volunteering to do it, they’re making the choice to do it.” She even took the troops to a private little-known chapel to pray for their safety before seeing them go off to war.

“I believe if there’s one thing a united states member of congress should do is always support our troops we should never do anything that ever demoralizes them we should never do anything to make them think that their mission is not worth it, that we don’t have confidence in them and that we will not offer o
ur support. “

MAF PAC PRODUCES AD FOR TV CRITICIZING OBAMA’S
OUTRAGEOUS ATTEMPTS TO BENEFIT HIS CANDIDACY
EVEN IF IT MEANS PUTTING TROOPS AT RISK

“Maliki's advisers have persuaded him that Obama will win - but the prime minister worries about the senator's "political debt to the anti-war lobby" - which is determined to transform Iraq into a disaster to prove that toppling Saddam Hussein was "the biggest strategic blunder in US history."

Other prominent Iraqi leaders, such as Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi and Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani, believe that Sen. John McCain would show "a more realistic approach to Iraqi issues."

“In fact, Obama had told the Iraqis that they should not rush through a "Strategic Framework Agreement" governing the future of US forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office.”

"Barack Obama has never urged a delay in negotiations, nor has he urged a delay in immediately beginning a responsible drawdown of our combat brigades,"