Peter Goldmark: All Cattle And A Hat!

Last Sunday I had a chance to sit down with Peter Goldmark, the Democratic candidate running for Congress in Washington’s 5th district, and I walked away from the meeting even more impressed with him than before. He is a natural at being a candidate, and not in that polished D.C. way either. He is confident, knowledgeable, witty and clearly comfortable in his own skin. He’s easy to be around because he knows who he is, what he stands for and exactly what he can do for his district once in office. He has all of the qualities that voters say they want in a candidate and his straight-talking style is all too rare in D.C. today, making it that much more appealing.

It was an informal discussion at a local Seattle coffee shop and I walked away with the impression that he is exactly the kind of authentic candidate that will win over voters in his district, whether they are progressives or moderates. He says what he thinks, doesn’t pull any punches and being a rancher and long time resident of Eastern Washington, he understands the issues, both national and local, that matter most to the people of his district.

Peter Goldmark does not support this war, as he put it, “(it) should be wrapped up quickly so we can bring our troops home.” He is forward thinking when it comes to the environment, jobs, energy needs and sees the connections between all of these issues. He places high value on what he calls “national security commodities” that can help solve the “agricultural depression by giving (farmers) an opportunity to participate in the solutions.” As a country, we cannot continue to ignore global warming, our continuing loss of jobs and the danger of relying on foreign sources of energy and an integrated solution is the only thing that makes any sense. We need representatives in Congress that understand that.

He calls the budget deficit “shameful” and the level of corruption in Washington DC “outrageous”. He describes the repealing of the Estate Tax as one more example of how “the Bush administration is still trying to feather the beds of the richest 2%,” and of the Congress that supports the Bush efforts, Golmark deems them “the most irresponsible Congress that we’ve had in a long time.” I couldn’t agree more.

But make no mistake, Peter Goldmark is no Seattle liberal. He stated clearly that he “believes in gun ownership, responsible ownership” and about environmental regulations, he says, “(government) cannot push environmental policies that ignore the human impact, it’s not sustainable.” I got the sense that he cares very deeply about solving environmental problems, but that people, especially farmers and small business owners, come first. I also got the sense that he doesn’t view environmentalists and farmers as opposing sides so much as different parts of the solutions that just need to be brought together. He is a charming guy, I have no doubt that he could make serious progress toward that goal if he is elected to represent Washington’s 5th district.

“I was brought up through personal liberty, but you have responsibility to community. Everyone has an obligation to your community, if the family next door needs help, you help them, we are not islands, we don’t act in isolation,” he explains. This belief that we “are not islands” is an important one, in our communities, in domestic policy and in world affairs. I hope voters in Washington’s 5th send Peter Goldmark to Congress in November because we need more of that kind of thinking if we are to have any chance of turning this ship of state around.

I have placed a button on my sidebar where you can contribute to the Goldmark campaign (and the Darcy Burner campaign as well) through ActBlue, or you can of course contribute to his campaign directly. We need to take back Congress and that happens one seat at a time, so give what you can, $5 or $4200 or anywhere in between (we don't want candidates to have to rely on corporate money, so let's put our money where our mouth is and support them ourselves). And if you live in or near Spokane, consider attending the “Peter Goldmark Bull Roast and BBQ Sauce Standoff” on June 25th. It sounds like fun, I may even cross the mountains myself.

Alone we don’t have the ability to buy the influence that the big corporations do, but together we can at least make a difference and guarantee that our elected officials work only for us. I believe that Peter Goldmark will work for us, let’s help him get the chance to prove it.