Doug White for Congress
Accountability and Responsibility of Our Elected and Appointed Officials
There is a loud and steady cry for finance reform for members of Congress. The mantra most heard is a four bullet point creed:
Not own or trade individual stocks
Lifetime ban on becoming a lobbyist
No sitting on corporate boards
Release your tax returns now and every year you are in Congress
Seeing that rubs me wrong on a couple of levels. First, I do not accept ultimatums, bow to threats or backdown from bullies. And this seems to be the tactic of many trying to initiate these much needed reforms. Secondly, this is far too simplistic to make sense or be defensible. There are far too many logical outcomes that make those four bullet points untenable. But, as I take my responsibilities very seriously, I read Senator Warren's ANTI-CORRUPTION AND PUBLIC INTEGRITY ACT in full and found the substance I needed to be able to give some legitimate thought to this concern.
I can easily see that this bill benefits from Senator Warrens' long service in Congress. She has left few stones unturned and that is good. I am disappointed that she has left out some, what I believe to be, important parts. Much of the text lacks operational definitions. It seems more of an opportunity to "discuss" what should be done rather than a definitive line in the sand. Also, she does not back-fill the loss of knowledge from removing lobbyists. Whereas we want to think of lobbyists as all greedy sell outs, the reality is that many provide much needed information and support for Congressional decisions. As a gay man I know my life would be far worse without continuous lobbying in congress by those that support human dignity as a human right. There should be a clause defining what is an expert qualified to inform Congress. Lastly, the one sided approach to foreign lobbying is very hurtful to foreign countries in two ways. Poorer countries in need of support must have a voice other than their own to be heard. Also a far too common perception by American's is that we have the only thing worth having and so there is no structure for limiting American lobbyist in foreign countries. Where is application of the golden rule? All in all my observations are minor and I would sign on to this. It may not be perfect, but it moves in the right direction. Especially when we see #BBB derailed due to coal interests by one person.
My Thoughts
Troubling Irony:
We have a clear path to victory for the first time in 30 years. As democrats we should be single minded in this pursuit. But whispers abound about voting for Newhouse because they don't want a worse Republican to win or because he deserves to be "rewarded" for his vote to impeach. Newhouse is unlikely to make it through the primary and we have 50% +1 to win. So don't waste your vote. And why would you "reward" someone that has a record of ignoring the needs of the people in CD4 and who has become his true self and is one of the most virulent right wing extremest in Congress. Every vote counts, this election is ours to lose. Please don't let it be our fellow democrats that cost us this very rare opportunity.
Out and About
Holidays are busy times. With covid, cold and Christmas I did not make many public appearances. But since the last time we put out a newsletter I have: dialed the phone 1,000 times, did 3 Zoom fundraisers, toured Kwik Lok, attended a seminar on H2a visas, saw lights around Yakima and at the fair grounds, closed my restaurant received my first endorsement from Grant County Democrats, received a deep dive on Hanford and PNNL from Mike Lawrence retired DOE Director and manager of Hanford, played cribbage and committed myself full time to this campaign. The New Year started on a high note for this campaign and I have a travel schedule filling up fast. If you have a community event or would like to host a meet and greet/ fundraiser let us know. Between now and August all we will be doing is MORE!