Clint Curtis for Congress

Thanks, everyone!

2008-08-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well, our man did not carry the day. The official results show Suzanne Kosmas winning 72% of the vote to take the Democratic primary.

To everyone who helped out and supported Clint Curtis for Congress, we can't thank you enough. Unfortunately, despite strong grassroots support, we were out-fund-raised by over $1.1 million! The money is probably less of a factor than the State Democratic party's pushing for Kosmas over Curtis however.

Fear not, folks. This isn't the last of Curtis. Clint has big plans, foremost of which is taking action against the wholesale takeover of 90% of our media by corporations who control the message. Pravda is here in the US. It's time to take this on. And we will.

We wish Suzanne Kosmas the best of luck and wish her success against Tom Feeney in November.

VOTE!!!!

2008-08-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday!

Just a reminder, that Tuesday, August 26th is your last chance to vote in the primary election.

Democratic Candidate Clint Curtis needs your vote on Tuesday, August 26th.

I am asking you to stand up for a government of the people. Please join me. Contact your friends and neighbors. Tell them to vote for the candidate that actually cares about them and solving the problems of this country. Tell them to vote for Clint Curtis on August 26th.

We must change the direction of this country and together We Can.

Clint Curtis for Congress

TOM FEENEY MAKING PRO-CURTIS ROBOCALLS?

2008-08-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ridiculous, you say? It's apparently true, as numerous calls and complaints have begun to come into our office about it, and The Orlando Sentinel just called looking for a comment from Clint Curtis.

This from Clint yesterday:

He did this last time too. In the robocall strategy, they are only effective if they go to answering machines between the hours of 10am and 2pm. He always runs them at night and leaves in live calls during dinner hour. Robocalls run at dinner time actually hurt rather than help. Last year I received about 500 complaints from people who were bothered by the robocalls and did not realize that they were being sent by Feeney instead of me. He must have just started the calls because I haven't started receiving the angry calls and e-mails yet. (Note: that began today.)

Last time he also sent out a flyer that looked like it came from me in the areas I was strongest, acting like the primary was already over. That reduced the primary voting numbers by 10%. The strategy is fairly common.

All the polling shows that Feeney would beat Kosmas by over 20 points, so I doubt he has any problem running against her. He definitely would prefer a race against her. He knows that in a rematch between us with the great increase in funds, he will have trouble surviving the election.

He is trying the old endorsement by the devil gives you the other
candidate, that's all I can think.

We've heard from people in the Feeney camp that Feeney would much prefer to run against Kosmas than Curtis, but one has to wonder about that. Since Feeney, ahem, "defeated" Curtis in 2006, one would assume that he'd figure he can do it again -- and also that he'd prefer to go up against Curtis than Kosmas, who has raised over $1.2 million so far and can blitz the district with advertising. The truth is, we can only speculate on why Feeney's doing what he's doing.

An audio recording of the robocall (with legally required Feeney attribution at the end!) can be heard on Brad Blog HERE.

From Wikipedia: Robocall is American pejorative jargon for an automated telemarketing phone call which uses both a computerized autodialer and a computer-delivered recorded message. The implication is that a "robocall" resembles a telephone call from a robot.

Brother, sounds like everyone is running scared of Clint Curtis--Kosmas, Feeney, adn the DCCC. And with good reason. God forbid a real reformer actually gets into office and shines a light on all the scandals, lies, scams and payola which constitute politics as usual for both parties. Please contribute today!

FL DEM PARTY PRO-KOSMAS CALLS CONTINUE

2008-08-14T10:26:00.001-07:00

Appalling.

Assurances made to journalist Brad Friedman from The Brad Blog by FL Democratic Party Communications Director Eric Jotkoff, who said, "There may have been one or two calls, from one or two staffers, and they were reprimanded. Possibly." were apparently a load. Jotkoff was responding to candidate Clint Curtis' FEC complaint alleging that the Suzanne Kosmas team was using Democratic party offices and phone lines and calling voters misrepresenting Kosmas as the party's candidate--essentially an attempt to kick Curtis to the curb before the primary!

According to a blog post on spacecoastweb.org dated 8/13, the shenanigans continue.

FDP promotes Kosmas with push poll in FL-24

Yesterday evening, I received an odd phone call. The caller ID information showed that it was from the Florida Democratic Party. When I answered, a gentleman asked for David Harper.

I replied, "Speaking."

He told me that he was calling on behalf of the Democratic Party. He continued, "Who are you supporting in the congressional race?"

He possessed a rich, mellifluous voice and his diction was precise. He spoke a standard mid-western dialect, the idiom to which television anchors aspire.

Belligerently, I quizzed him: "Are you actually from the Democratic Party, or is this a poll?" I knew what the caller ID said, but I hoped to tease a bit of explanation from him.

Off-put by my tone, he replied tersely: "I’m calling for the Democratic Party..."

It's sickening to see that the Democratic party is so afraid of Curtis as to be resorting to this sort of crap. We're really, really sorry that Curtis represents honesty and integrity -- and threatens to monkey wrench the corruption machine which seems to have penetrated the Republican and Democratic parties alike.

UPDATE: NOW CALLS COMING FROM WASHINGTON, DC!

This just in from Curtis campaign HQ:

Just got told by one of our supporters that she received a call at her home from a Washington, DC phone number and the call was a questionnaire-style call concerning the CD24 election. The caller did ask about Clint but also questioned as to the reason the supporter was so strong in her support of Clint and not Kosmas.

The phone number coming up on the caller ID is: 202... (REDACTED) Tried the number and there was no answer at 3:00pm today. It comes up as an unlisted number on 8th St NW in Washington, DC.

Go, DCCC! Sandbag Clint Curtis however you can! Down with clean elections and responsible government! God, we feel SICK.

CURTIS/KOSMAS DEBATE

2008-08-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Democratic Congressional Candidates Clint Curtis and Suzanne Kosmas recently faced off in a debate. Both are vying for the Democratic nomination to take on "one of the 22 most corrupt in Congress" Tom Feeney for the FL-24 Congressional seat (as rated by nonpartisan watchdog group CREW.) The debate was sponsored by WCEU Channel 15.

The Daytona Beach PBS station is scheduled to broadcast the debate on the following dates:

* Wednesday, Aug 20 at 1am
* Thursday, Aug 21 at 1am
* Friday, Aug 22 at 6:30pm
* Sunday, Aug 24 at 7am

Curtis and Kosmas also met in a debate sponsored by WMFE, the PBS broadcaster in Orlando, that is scheduled to air at 3:30pm Sunday, Aug 24 and on CFAN (the Central Florida Alliance Network) at 9:30pm that evening. The debate also will be posted to the website, WMFE.org. We'll post it here as soon as we get the video!

Meet Stephen Spoonamore, GOP CyberSecurity Expert

2008-08-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

Check out these jaw-dropping whistleblower videos from Velvet Revolution featuring GOP Cyber expert Stephen Spoonamore explaining the Rove election theft machine.

A treasure trove of these astonishing videos are at the bottom of the page. This is staggering stuff that should be front page news, top story on "60 Minutes." Of course it's NOT because our media must maintain the illusion of democracy in the US at all costs. Based on this, it does not look good for Mr. Obama, or indeed, for our very democracy.

Click the image below, then scroll down the page the watch! Then feel free to contribute to Velvet Revolution's efforts at the contribution link on the page. Rove has defied Congressional subpoenas and like all Neocons feels he's above the law. And sadly, as of now, he's right. This is how bad things have gotten in the US. But VR's Ohio-based lawsuit may be the best and only way to stop the election theft machine once and for all.

CURTIS FILES FEDERAL COMPLAINT AGANIST PRIMARY OPPONENT

2008-08-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

TITUSVILLE – Democratic Congressional candidate Clint Curtis has filed federal election charges against the campaign of Suzanne Kosmas.

Curtis’ legal complaint alleges that Kosmas’ campaign staffers have been contacting Democratic primary election voters and fraudulently identifying themselves as calling on behalf of the Florida Democratic Party. The callers then go on to solicit votes for Kosmas in the Aug. 26 Democratic primary.

Curtis claims his primary opponent’s recent actions are “intentional misrepresentation and perpetration of fraud.”

The official paperwork – signed, notarized and submitted in triplicate – was mailed to the Federal Elections Commission in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 6.

The Curtis campaign plans to contact voters to let them know about the fraudulent calls. Voters who receive such calls are asked to contact the campaign at www.ClintCurtis.com.

Curtis’ complaint states that:

* Kosmas and her committee knowingly misled the democratic primary election voters as to the origination of her telephonic communications and utilized state Democratic Party offices and telephone equipment for her federal campaign.

* The Kosmas campaign claimed the state offices, which are leased by the Florida State Democratic Party, as her campaign offices in public communications with Democratic voters.

* She knowingly led the voters to believe that the communication asking for support in the primary was from the Florida Democratic Party when in fact it was from paid staffers.

The unlawful calls continued even after the Kosmas campaign was notified of the problem. “Her campaign was given the opportunity to rectify the violations prior to the submission of FEC charges,” Curtis said, “but apparently chose not to. If we can’t trust her to honestly represent herself correctly on the telephone, can we trust her to represent the citizens of the district in Congress?”

Curtis states that, “The Democratic Party does not make endorsements in the primary. Our party is not a handful of elitists, but rather a party of the people. We determine our candidates in our primaries. What has occurred is just another case of a political millionaire acting as if she is above the law and has no problem in attempting to deceive voters.”

The violations took place in multiple locations throughout District 24, including offices in New Smyrna Beach, Oviedo and Titusville.

Curtis is facing Kosmas in the Aug. 26 Democratic primary. The winner will go up against the winner of the Republican primary and Independent candidate Gaurav “Garv” Bhola this November.

UNCOUNTED: The Curtis/Feeney story

2008-07-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

If you're new to the sordid tale of how FL-24 Congressman Tom Feeney (allegedly) asked computer programmer Clint Curtis to write election-flipping software--or even if you know the whole story--take seven minutes right now to watch this gripping excerpt from UNCOUNTED. It will send chills down your spine -- and remind us all of exactly what's at stake in this upcoming election: our very democracy.

Click HERE to watch the video.

Visit the official UNCOUNTED website to order a copy!

Curtis Signs Common Cause Accountability Pledge

2008-07-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

It's simple. It's common sense. It's humane. It's the Common Cause Accountability pledge. Candidate Clint Curtis has signed it. Will fellow candidates Suzanne Kosmas or Tom Feeney? (Uh, don't hold your breath.)

Candidate Pledge

If elected, I pledge to Renew America’s Promise:

* I promise to end torture, respect human rights, and restore America’s reputation in the world.

* I promise to respect the rule of law and to fiercely challenge anyone who seeks to undermine the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

* I promise to root out corruption, special interest abuses and partisan prejudice in the administration of justice.

* I promise to hold to account – without exception – anyone who breaks the law or violates the public trust.

* I promise to protect personal freedom by rejecting warrantless spying, stifling of dissent, and other affronts to individual liberty.

Last week's complete and utter caving to the Neocons on warrantless wiretapping should make it very clear that it's not just about getting Democrats in office. Because when the Dems are Neocon enablers who adamantly refuse to challenge the Bush administration--whether out of fear or simply go-along-to-get-along politics as usual--government fails. These so-called representatives continually disregard both the Constitution and the will of the people they're sworn to represent.

We hate that. Clint Curtis is not that guy. He will never sell out his vote. This coming election, it's not just about electing Democrats. Democrats-In-Name Only like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have worked hard to stifle any opposition to Bush and ignore the wishes of America by keeping the war going, when the Dems could have ended it immediately by refusing to bring any more war funding issues up for a vote. And candidate Suzanne Kosmas--another millionaire hand-picked by the DCCC specifically for her malleability--represents exactly what America does NOT need.

It's time we got our opposition party back. Vote Curtis!

Curtis v. Kosmas - a Perspective

2008-07-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

We are still polling comfortably ahead of our primary opponent. But the disturbing news is that 80% of the respondents did not know the difference between Clint Curtis and Ms. Kosmas. That isn’t news we find comforting. If you care about changing the direction of this country, it should disturb you too!

While Democrats have had control of the House of Representatives (236-199) since 2006, they have failed pass any meaningful progressive legislation on health care, the environment, creation of jobs, or impeachment. They cannot even override a lame duck president in stopping funding for the war, putting an end to torture, and terminating illegal warrantless wiretapping. Just recently, they handed immunity to the telecommunications corporations for their involvement in the illegal wiretapping of US citizens -- which by the way was ordered by the president long before 9-11!

We must elect more Democrats that share our progressive values and do not owe their allegiance to the same moneyed interests as the Republicans. We must replace these “Bush” Democrats with progressive Democrats and make sure that they do not win our primary elections.

When we elect Barack Obama as our next President, it will not make any difference if he is saddled with this lot of business-as-usual Bush Democrats.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Florida’s 24th Congressional District has two Democratic candidates facing off in the primary election in order to challenge Tom Feeney for his seat in Congress. They are myself and Suzanne Kosmas.

The differences between us are vast and reflects whether we begin the national momentum in the direction of change or continue to just stay the course and only change the label.

DIFFERENCES IN THE CANDIDATES

I am a true progressive Democrat who represents todays political climate that is embracing real and meaningful change. Changes necessary to improve the lives and opportunities for all citizens. My wealth is in my tenacity and independence.

Most individuals run for public office because they are driven to make immediate changes, a few run in order to benefit themselves.

Ms. Kosmas describes herself as a conservative who has served in the state Legislature for eight years. What she fails to tell you is that in her first six years as a legislator, she did not sponsor or co-sponsor a single bill. In her last two years of office she co-sponsored the resolution supporting Bush and the Iraq War; she voted against working families and voted against the environment.

I am opposed to the war and have pledged to oppose continued funding. I am committed to bringing our troops home quickly and safely. And I will not vote for further war funding unless a withdrawal procedure is included.

In 2003, during the Republican PR run up to the war, when their war drums were being challenged by true patriots, Ms. Kosmas co-sponsored a bill supporting George Bush and the Iraq War. This was while I was writing books and speaking out in opposition to the war and addressing the lies leading up to the war. If elected, Ms. Kosmas would likely continue to fund the war with the rest of the Bush Democrats.

I fully endorse the Healthcare not Warfare platform of the Progressive Democrats of America. (Visit www.clintcurtis.com). Ms. Kosmas has no plan for Healthcare.

I have steadfastly championed election reform by speaking before the US Congress and numerous state commissions on election accountability and the right of every citizen to know that their vote will actually be counted. I have been successful in changing the election laws in over ten states and recently testified before the Election Commission of the Texas Legislature at their request. (Video to come!)

Most importantly, because I have refused to accept campaign contributions from special interest groups, the lobbyists for oil, pharmaceuticals, real estate, land developers and other special interest groups that buy their way into politics with campaign contributions, they do not own me. I have not sold my vote to the highest contributor. I will represent YOU!

In Ms. Kosmas, the Democratic national party offers up yet another a rich corporate democrat, who after having to persuade her to return to the political arena, has provided this multi- millionaire businesswoman with the monetary backing of out-of-district, high-dollar special interest groups and party-controlled political action funds.

Her voting record clearly shows her as the go-along-to-get-along politician who is unwilling to initiate change. She typifies the corporate Democrat by representing the established political tradition with its tired conventional approach to issues that have failed to produce any real change or challenge those who are presently wrecking our economy and undermining our Constitution.

These are a few of her votes that I would not of cast and will never support

During her 8 years in the legislature, Kosmas' record of voting in favor of special interest groups and contributors is very clear.

> She co-sponsored the resolution supporting George Bush and the Iraq War
> She voted against the consumers by opposing Tax Holidays
> She voted against working families by opposing Living Wage standards
> She voted against the environment by opposing the Everglades Protection Act.
> She opposes the Hometown Democracy Initiative.

This year the voters will have a chance to make positive and productive changes in the political arena by voting for Progressive candidates that have pledged to represent the interests of the citizens and not the corporations and their lobbyists.

You can help me get my message out. Please make a contribution today so we can let the district know There Is A Difference! Change will not happen when our Democrats continue to act like Republicans.

Help me get my message out. Please make a contribution today so we can let the district know There Is A Difference! Thanks, everyone!

CURTIS TESTIFIES TO TEXAS LEGISLATURE

2008-06-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

FL-24(D) Candidate Demonstrates How Easy It Is to Flip an Election

From the Daily Texan:

Clint Curtis touched a hidden button on the screen of a simulated electronic voting machine as onlookers witnessed votes switch from one candidate to another.

The House Committee on Elections invited Curtis, a computer programmer from Florida, to testify Wednesday on the accuracy, risks, benefits and security of electronic voting technology. The committee also heard from other expert witnesses, election officials and the Texas secretary of state.

Curtis said a Florida representative approached him in 2000 to design "vote-flipping" software to help the congressman win an election. Requesting a fraudulent program for a machine is not illegal in Florida, but using one is.

"You cannot trust electronic machines, no matter how many honest people you have. It only takes one person with access to the machine," said Curtis, an advocate for hand-counted paper ballots. "Programmers can be bought."

The committee watched as Curtis clicked on an invisible button that suddenly placed the losing candidate of his mock election safely in the lead.

"24 lines of code can flip an election," Curtis said.

Hopefully we'll have some video of this to post soon. More on this (naturally) over at The Brad Blog, your source for all things election protection-related!

Clint Curtis Testifies in Texas about Electronic Voting Risks

2008-06-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

AUSTIN, TX – FL-24 Congressional candidate Clint Curtis (D,) an acknowledged expert on how easy it can be to “game” voting machines, is testifying before the Texas State Legislature’s Committee on Elections this week about the risks involved with electronic voting.

“The credibility of our election results can only be assured by creating a voter-verified, paper-ballot record of the vote that can be audited and recounted,” said Curtis, who has made accurate, verifiable election results a cornerstone of his campaign for Congress.

“It is unacceptable that our public elections have been sold off to private corporations who use secret software to tally our votes and have no oversight beyond a testing group funded by the companies themselves.”

Curtis was invited to speak to the Committee on Elections for the Texas House of Representatives. The committee is looking into issues surrounding voting technology, including general benefits and risks, security, accuracy, paper trails and usability of machines.

The hearing begins at 9 a.m. Central time on Wednesday, June 25 in the House chambers in Austin, Texas.

Curtis, a former programmer, has sworn in an affidavit and in videotaped testimony before a U.S. House Judiciary delegation that he was asked to create a touch-screen vote-rigging program just months before the contentious election that put George W. Bush in the White House. He has also taken, and passed, a polygraph.

His efforts helped pass legislation in Florida to ensure that votes can be independently verified.

Connietalk: rousing Curtis discussion

2008-06-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

We came across this great blog that features "News + Strings + A Sarcastic Chick." Connietalk gives a pretty thorough rundown on the important news stories of our day and many that are off the mainstream media's radar. Connietalk's Connie T. recently learned about Clint Curtis and the whole sordid vote-flipping history with now-FL-24 Congressman Tom Feeney (whom Curtis is running against for his seat) and wrote a terrific article covering the whole thing...

Yeah, yeah, news travels slow in Ohio. But have you ever seen this?! We stumbled upon a video today (the fact that it's a video response to Ron Paul's New Hampshire Primary speech is actually a total coincidence, we swear) of a computer programmer testifying in court that he wrote a vote fraud software prototype for Congressman Tom Feeney in October of 2000 that rigs election ballots 51-49. This all went down during the time we were on hiatus from all-things-news-related...

(this is the video of Clint testifying before a shocked Congressal committee about vote flipping and election fraud. Congress, naturally, did absolutely nothing.)

The programmer, Clint Curtis, was working at Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI) in South Florida when - according to his affidavit - he was asked to develop this program for touch screen voting machines. When he protested that there was no way to make the program completely undetectable if analyzed, Curtis said he was told by his boss, "You don't understand, in order to get the contract we have to hide the manipulation in the [program's] source code. This program is needed to control the vote in South Florida."

More on the site. Thanks, Connietalk! And wait till you see just how deep the rabbit hole goes once you start digging in to this story...

And after this great article is plenty of commentary, all of which is firmly pro-Curtis. A reader named Stanley Howard Schwartz left this comment, and we thank him profusely!

Clint Curtis is as honest a man as I have met in all my 70 years, and I sensed that when I met him two years ago. His handshake was firm, his eyes were on mine. And when he teold me what was on this video clip as we became acquainted I knew his information as as accurate and true as what he told the Congressional Committee under oath! The 24th Congressional District of Florida needs Clint as our Representative, and I will work hard to see him win, as I did during his previous run. There is no person better to send to Congress than Clint Curtis. Our district needs someone whom we can trust to represent us and not lobbyists; and our nation needs him for his knowledge of computer programming, the law, and for his common sense! It takes courage and integrity to tell Congress under oath what Clint Curtis told the committee members. Courage and integrity are what we need in every Representative and rarely find once they are elected. We can count on Clint Curtis!

Smile! We're Watching You Right Now.

2008-06-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

TITUSVILLE, FL -- The government wants to spy on us and apparently some Democrats in Washington, DC think that’s OK.

Clint Curtis doesn’t.

“I’m not surprised when Republicans, including the District 24 incumbent, trample on the Bill of Rights and think it’s a good idea,” said the Titusville Democrat seeking the Congressional seat now held by Tom Feeney, “But Democrats should know better -– and should be ashamed.”

Curtis’s statement comes as the White House and leaders of both major political parties are poised this week to announce a “compromise” on a domestic spying bill that could allow the continuance of “warrantless” wiretapping of American citizens and grant immunity to telecommunications companies for their previous participation in the illegal wiretapping.

As the "New York Times" said in its June 18 editorial: “The bill is not a compromise. The final details are being worked out, but all indications are that many of its provisions are both unnecessary and a threat to the Bill of Rights. The White House and the Congressional Republicans who support the bill have two real aims. They want to undermine the power of the courts to review the legality of domestic spying programs. And they want to give a legal shield to the telecommunications companies that broke the law by helping Mr. Bush carry out his warrantless wiretapping operation.”

Under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, the government has to get a warrant to intercept communications between anyone in this country and anyone outside it. The special court set up as a provision of the law has disallowed only a handful of warrant requests since the law went into effect in 1978.

The law expires Aug. 3, but the president wants more power to spy, as well as immunity for the telecommunications companies that gave the government private information about Americans without a warrant after Sept. 11.

The problem is special interest money, Curtis said, coupled with a business-as-usual attitude in Washington.

“This is the root cause of the Democrats’ inability to stand up to the Republicans. They are all eating from the same trough,” Curtis said. “This is why we need leadership that will stay true to our values rather than cater to special interest contributors.”

The FISA “compromise” is just one example of how the current administration – with Democratic connivance – has gutted regulations designed to protect the citizens of this country. The consequences have been disastrous: higher oil and gas prices, airlines near bankruptcy, food that’s unsafe and an economy hurtling headlong toward recession.

As Bill Moyers said in an address to a recent media reform conference:
"I see a connection between those disasters and the repeal of regulations designed to prevent exactly that kind of human and economic damage. Who pushed for the removal of that firewall? The political marionettes in Washington who dance to the speculators’ tune, and who are well rewarded with campaign contributions and lucrative lobbying jobs when they have delivered the goods.

“Even honorable opponents of the practice get trapped in the web of a system that can effectively limits politics to those who can afford to spend millions of dollars in their race for office, and who know that their careers depend on pleasing their donors while deserting their voters."

“The only way to safeguard citizens’ rights,” Curtis says, “is to elect representatives who respect those rights and believe in standing up for them.”

CURTIS RETURNS TO "CLOUT"

2008-06-09T03:38:00.000-07:00

With many thanks to Richard Greene and the good people of Air America Radio, our favorite Congressional candidate Clint Curtis has been asked back for a return appearance. Those who caught last week's show with Curtis know that what with all the breaking news of Barack Obama cinching the Democratic nomination, Curtis and the other guests were a bit preempted.

Clint will appear Tuesday 6/10 at 9 PM Eastern. Catch him on your local Air America affiliate, or click HERE to listen live and streaming over the internet! Curtis will come throwing heat, as he always does. It proves to be incendiary!

I Just Returned from DC...

2008-06-05T23:22:00.001-07:00

...in support of seating our delegates.

Last week I spent 18 hours (one way) on a bus trip to DC with people from Florida that wanted our delegates seated. Many in the media touted this as a bunch of radical Hillary Clinton supporters trying to hijack the election process. I can assure you that that was a complete deviation from the truth. On the bus I rode, the political backing was equally divided between Clinton and Obama supporters. There was even a handful of old Edwards supporters like myself. These people were not giving up three days of their lives (which included 36 hours on a bus where the seats did not recline and the bathrooms were problematic) for any other reason than they wanted their vote to count. They were there because the citizens of the states had voted in the only primary election they were offered and were now being told that their votes would be ignored.

It was estimated that 10,000 people made the trip from across this nation in support of seating the delegates. We were successful. Every delegate was seated and had at least a 50% vote. (This is exactly the same as the Republican party.) Clinton was awarded the delegates as proportioned from Florida. While Obama had the votes to force a 50-50 split of the delegates from Michigan, he settled for the percentage that voted as uncommitted in that primary. Something that I did not know prior to this event was that the Obama campaign (while not on the ballot) had made some effort to direct his supporters to vote uncommitted in that election. Most important it helped to unite the party. On the trip up the division was great but by the end of the session, all side were starting to come together.

National Conference for Media Reform

If you are as tired of media distortion and partial truth reporting as I am, you can make a difference. >> In the recent book by ex-House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, McClellan admits that the Bush administration ran a "political propaganda campaign" to mislead the American public. Further, he implicates the mainstream media for its role in "enabling" this propaganda: "The national press corps was probably too deferential to the White House”, McClellan writes. "The mainstream media didn't live up to its watchdog reputation. If it had, the country would have been better served."

As many of you know, I am working on putting together a coalition of writers and investigative reporters across the country that will produce a national daily newspaper and bring back a real free press. I will be in Minneapolis all this weekend trying to drum up additional support, but the real support has to come from you. Without your assistance the local issues cannot be covered, the paper cannot be distributed, the local ads and subscriptions will not be sold. In short, without you, nothing will be accomplished and our chance to restore this country and restore free media will fade away.

With you, we will restore a press with a backbone.

Thank you for all you have done. We are on the verge of taking this country back and it would not have happened without all of us banding together.

How can you help

Right now the campaign is rolling along and we are canvassing precinct’s all over the District. We still need people to help walk the precincts with us as well to do phone banking later in the campaign. Right now with the robo-call anti-Feeney campaign that is being waged by other groups, people are starting to resent the continued interruption. That will cause us to postpone the calling until mid-July.

If you can’t help in person here is a wish list of things the campaign needs. As always, any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Please click HERE to contribute!

Thanks,

Clint Curtis

Curtis Air America appearance podcast

2008-06-05T23:20:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, Clint Curtis appeared with Progressive Democrats of America representatives on Air America's “Clout” with Richard Greene on 6-3-2008.

Clint was one of the team of commentators on the historic night that America nominated an African American as the Democratic nominee:

Tim Carpenter, Executive Director, PDA
Mimi Kennedy, National Chair, PDA
Byron Delear, Congressional Candidate, MO
Clint Curtis, Congressional Candidate, Florida
Steve Harrison, Congressional Candidate, NY

Due to the dynamic nature of the program as events rolled out for the evening, Curtis was also invited back for a return appearance by Greene. We'll be back!

Please support the progressive candidates above. Go to ACT BLUE to contribute!
Click HERE to listen to the podcast!

CURTIS ON "CLOUT" 6/3/08

2008-05-31T10:09:00.001-07:00

Richard Greene's hard-hitting, passionate Air America radio show "Clout," carried nationally, is about the best radio around. Please tune in on Tuesday 6/3 as Greene welcomes our own FL-24 (D) Congressional candidate Clint Curtis to the program. We are honored to have this opportunity to reintroduce Clint to the Air America audience. Greene and Curtis are both hard-hitting truth tellers who know that there's a lot wrong on BOTH sides of the political aisle. Also on the show are our friends "Dharma and Greg" star Mimi Kennedy, Vice President of Progressive Democrats of America and Tim Carpenter, President of PDA -- who by the way have endorsed Curtis.

Please listen on your local Air America affiliate, or you can listen LIVE right here!

Tom Feeney, Anti-US Troops

2008-05-30T15:16:00.001-07:00

Not much really surprises us anymore when it comes to Congressman Tom Feeney. But it's nice when the media actually steps up and calls him out. For all the Republicans' flag-draped hue and cry about supporting the troops, let's point out for the record here that Feeney voted against expanding college aid for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Don't take our word for it. We got this from a little liberal news organization called... CBS.

So just to be clear--how exactly is voting against veterans' benefits supporting the troops? (insert Final Jeopardy! think theme here.) Well, surely those people who went to college on the GI Bill never amounted to anything, right? I mean, what a tremendous waste of money we could be using to bomb the Middle East!

Beneficiaries of college education courtesy of the GI Bill, according to answers.com:

Presidents George Bush and Gerald R. Ford
Vice President Albert Gore, Jr.
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist
Justice John Paul Stevens
Secretary of State Warren M. Christopher
journalists David Brinkley and John Chancellor
actors Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, and Jason Robards, Jr.
former Dallas Cowboys football coach Tom Landry...

It's high time we punted this un-American Congressman to the curb. Whose side is he on, anyway? Well, the answer has been clear to us for a long time now: his own. Well, change begins at home, and great citizens of FL-24, change is here, and his name is Clint Curtis.

New Hampshire -- the New Ohio/Florida?

2008-05-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

Here in the gorgeous Sunshine State, we're used to all sorts of voting trouble. Of course, gamed elections are nothing new, but the non-transparency and huge money driving the e-voting industry means that it's very, very tough to know elections are not being manipulated.

As the video below clearly shows, the debacle that was Ohio 2004 was sadly not an aberration. Is New Hampshire the new Ohio? Or is it simply the most obvious example of a deliberately gamed system? Click HERE to watch.

Needless to say, it's important for all of us to remain vigilant. There is nothing more important that maintaining the integrity of the ballot box. Clint Curtis has been championing this fight for years. Vote flipping nowadays is easy, instant and worst of all, our corporate media has a blackout on the issue, practically ensuring anyone who steals an election will go unpunished. It's disgraceful, it's unAmerican, but that's where we're at. Are we willing to settle for the illusion of democracy? Please get involved now to ensure that your vote -- regardless of party affiliation -- is counted and counted accurately.

Join our new Citizen Committees!

2008-05-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Sick of paying $4 a gallon? Want more balanced reporting in the media?
Please sign up for our citizen committees!!!

They will work on the final details for:

* V-diesel prototype in Central Florida – It will reduce our fuel down to 72 cents per gallon and finally ensure that America can become energy independent. It will also bring new jobs to the area as well as replace the existing jobs lost by the Bush administration's abandonment of NASA.

* Free Press Project – It will set up a national daily newspaper that will present balanced news reporting. The pilot project is to be developed in the central Florida markets encompassing the 24th district.

Just e-mail us at clintcurtis@clintcurtis.com and let us know in which committee you are interested.

We Did It! A note from Clint

2008-05-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

As you know, we set a goal of raising $10,000 in less than 2 weeks. It was one of those “your back is to the wall” fund-raising campaigns that meant we either met the goal and continued into the primary election or dropped out due to lack of money. You came through for us. We reached our goal!!

I am happy to report that with your generous help and assistance, on Thursday, May 1st, I had the honor of officially filing for office. I am now a recognized candidate for US Congress in Florida’s 24th district.

I know that I could not have done this without your support, and I want to thank each and every one of you who contributed to my campaign. I have received over 1,300 e-mails of support that poured in and I promise you that I will answer each of them individually to express my sincere thanks. It will take me a little time to accomplish this – but I will personally answer every person who was nice enough to contact me. Thank you again.

Now the work begins. My campaign is ready for the challenge of canvassing and getting out the vote efforts necessary for me to win in August. It will not be an easy campaign. The national party has chosen to ignore political protocol by endorsing my opposition in the primary election and has gone to great lengths to set new district records for “out of district” campaign contributions. I realize that I am facing an intense campaign, but I am up for it and ready to win. Polling information shows that the people of this district are not fooled into believing that sending another pro-war elitist millionaire to DC would help us achieve our values. A Democrat with a record of doing nothing will not help to make Congress responsive to our needs. By over 62%, the voters have selected me over my opponent who received only 17% of the votes. It also showed that I was the only candidate that could beat Feeney in the general.

I look forward to meeting and talking with you during the campaign and I especially look forward to your continued support in the upcoming months.

I cannot say it enough – Thank you for your generosity and support.

Together we will take back our country, and our party, for the real people of this district.

Thanks again,

ClintCurtis@ClintCurtis.com

IT'S ON: Curtis vs. Kosmas for FL-24 Democratic Nomination

2008-05-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

It's official. This week, candidate Clint Curtis filed for the Democratic Nomination for the FL-24 congressional seat currently held by Tom Feeney (R.) A robust fusillade of contributions from Curtis supporters both in Florida and across the US poured into Curtis' campaign war chest during the past week, enabling the Curtis campaign to pony up and officially enter this race. It's on.

Of the other two candidates going for the Democratic nomination, one dropped out, and the other declared as an Independent. That leaves Curtis vs. Kosmas for the Democratic nomination.

If you're a FL-24 voter, and you're thinking, "What difference does it make, as long as a Democrat wins?" allow us to make our case. Clint Curtis is not just "any Democrat." He has a SPINE. Unlike, say, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who ignores her constituents (who overwhelming want her to suspend funding for this amoral war and bring our troops home,) Curtis will actually listen to his constituents. See, it's supposed to be *representative* government, and the representatives are supposed to represent YOU -- not ExxonMobil, Big Pharma or the Neocon war machine. Curtis will not simply vote along party lines or follow the directives of the failed, pathetically weak war-enablers currently "guiding" the party. In a nutshell, that makes him persona non grata with the Democratic elite. And to that we say, good! If you're sick of Democrats who let themselves be steamrolled over time and time again, well, so are we.

A few more differences? Okay. Unlike Suzanne Kosmas, Curtis will not recommend shelling out $25,000 in taxpayer money -- more than twice the county’s allocated budget -- to buy artwork created by a friend and a contributor to his campaign for a library (see Boldly Go, below.)

And unlike Kosmas, Curtis is not going to cosponsor any resolutions clapping George W. Bush on the back for invading a sovereign country as part of a grand neocon plan to control all the oil in the Middle East (see Kosmas Cosponsors Pro-War Resolution, below.)

And lastly, unlike Kosmas, Curtis won't put up with fraud, lies and BS from either party. Curtis had the guts to testify about electronic election-rigging to a Congressional panel and speaks out about gamed elections nationwide -- an issue still blacklisted by the mainstream corporate media. (Nothing to see here, folks, move along.) Curtis had the guts to file an election challenge in 2006 when the FL-24 election results did not match the polling. (Appallingly, a panel of Democrats refused to even look at his evidence. Starting to get the picture yet?)

So if you've had it with war-enabling, do-nothing, head-in-the-sand Republicans and Democrats -- if you want someone who will stand up and fight for YOU and for the people of America and not the multinational corporations bleeding this great country dry -- if you want a true patriot to empower the people of District 24, someone with the balls to stand up on the House floor and for once do the right thing -- the choice is clear.

The battle ahead is uphill. Big corporate money is flowing into the Kosmas campaign, because she's status quo, and party-approved. She may not do much in Congress, but she sure can raise money. How about we right now demonstrate what the PEOPLE can do? Even if you can only contribute $5, your voice will be heard, and you will be voting for the return of honesty and integrity in government -- of, by and for the people, not the corporations.

Thank you all for your support, and please contribute today!

Jack March
Clint Curtis for Congress

Suzanne Kosmas Cosponsors Pro-War Resolution

2008-04-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

We've mentioned previously how Clint Curtis' opponent for the FL-24 Democratic Congressional nomination, millionaire former FL legislator Suzanne Kosmas, has cosponsored legislation praising President Bush for invading a sovereign country.

It was FL House Resolution HR 9033, and it can be found right HERE. The "Resolution in Support of President Bush."

The bill "commends and supports the efforts and leadership of the President, as commander in chief, in the conflict against Iraq."

Seriously. And yes, she is (ostensibly) a Democrat.

Wow.

++++

Some people have tried to make hay out of the fact that Clint Curtis used to be Republican and later became a Democrat. So this means he can't be trusted. Well, as Curtis himself will tell you, he was raised Republican -- back then, "Republican" stood for smaller government, less interference in peoples' lives, and fiscal responsibility. The party of cops and firemen and proud Americans.

But he learned first-hand that the current wave of Republicans only give lip service to those values and in fact behave in the exact opposite way. Just look at the Bush administration for case in point. Clint believes in supporting the Constitution and the will of the people and in doing what's right. Those values are more in line with the Democrats than the Republicans nowadays.

We have plenty more good stuff to release from Kosmas' voting record. But for now, just ask yourself -- is a millionaire corporate pro-war Democrat like Kosmas what FL-24 needs? Or do we need real leadership that represents THE PEOPLE for a change?

Curtis Endorses Responsible Plan for Iraq Pullout

2008-04-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

This posted today over at the Florida Kossacks Blog:

I'm very pleased to announce that Clint Curtis, Democratic candidate for FL-24, is the first in the district to add his name as an endorsee. Even better, he did it before the Florida bloggers began their campaign! I've known Clint since 2006 when he first challenged Tom Feeney for the FL-24 seat and have supported him ever since. In addition, I've done a little bit of volunteer work for his campaign, primarily writing and commenting about him on blogs and telling everyone I meet why I think he's the best candidate for this seat. A few weeks ago, I emailed Clint about the Responsible Plan and asked him to carefully review it and consider an endorsement. He responded only a few days later to express his support.

The responsible plan is exactly what it sounds like. Read it and sign on here.