Jerry McNerney's website

Did you know Richard Pombo's "longtime friend" is running against me?

"Jerry McNerney (is) a Goliath-slaying changer who has sprinted since arriving in Washington, D.C. He's already in the Republican Party cross hairs, so it remains to be seen if the Democratic representative from Pleasanton becomes a political Halley's Comet." ~ Mike Klocke, Editor, Stockton Record, May 27, 2007

You may be wondering -- why is it so important for us to raise “$100K in 5 days” before Saturday night’s critical Federal Election Commission campaign finance deadline?

Because the Republican Party’s right-wing smear machine is already raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat us.

Did you know that the Republicans are already waging a strategic campaign to return this seat to a “longtime friend” of Richard Pombo?

Did you know that Karl Rove has personally placed me as #3 on his campaign hit list?

Did you know that the National Republican Congressional Committee has launched a swift-boat style smear site on me called “The Real Jerry McNerney”?

Without your help, I can’t fight back. To prevent these extreme right-wingers from stopping our movement before it changes Washington, I need your financial support today – and before Saturday night’s critical FEC deadline.

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/FightBack

The election is 16 months away and they are already on the attack, spending thousands of dollars to give this seat to Richard Pombo’s hand-picked friend -- a Republican candidate praised by a GOP consultant who knows him as "one of the most conservative members who ever served in the (California) state legislature.”

Did you know that the NRCC has spammed voters in our district with over 100,000 shameless email attacks on me?

Did you know that the NRCC started airing attack ads on local radio stations grossly distorting my voting record?

Did you know that the NRCC followed up these brazen radio ads with automated “robo-calls” to people’s homes?

Can you show Karl Rove and the NRCC today that every single time they attack, you will fight back?

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/FightBack

I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. I did not run for Congress to be a politician. I ran for Congress to be a public servant.

When I made my “earmark” requests public to keep my promise to you to be open and accountable, I knew the NRCC would try to use this transparency against me. But, even though most of my colleagues are not releasing their records, I am releasing mine.

When I decided I had no other choice but to deny President Bush another blank check to wage his endless war in Iraq, I knew the NRCC would crank up their smear-and-fear machine. But, against the conventional wisdom of pundits inside Washington, I voted “No” on the supplemental funding bill.

You may not think it’s urgent and important to financially support my campaign today. But, if we’re going to stand up for ethics and reform in Washington, I really do need your help today.

In whatever amount you can afford, please stand up for me before Saturday at 11:59 p.m.

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/FightBack

Remember -- every single dollar you donate today is a down-payment on making sure we can defend ourselves against Republican smears and propaganda designed to scare and confuse good folks just like you and me.

Like I said the other day, please consider donating today as if your democracy depends on it. It does.

Thank you again for everything you are doing to support our movement.

P.S. Time is really running out. Only a few hours remain before Saturday’s FEC campaign finance reporting deadline. Right now, $25,000 separates us from this critical goal (you can track our progress at jerrymcnerney.org). The only way we will be able to make it is if you decide to help me fight back by contributing now:

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/FightBack

Oh, and, if you have a few more minutes after you contribute, can you share you thoughts with me as well? Just click the link above to write me a quick note telling me what you think. I really enjoy reading your feedback!

What you want: "Give 'em hell, Jerry!"

“The saying, for those of us old enough to know it, was "Give'em Hell Harry". Now it is revised for this time and place: "Give'em Hell Jerry!!" Keep up the good work!” – Joe, a teacher who wishes to remain anonymous

On Monday, I asked “what do you want?” Nearly 48 hours later, your wonderful responses are still flowing into my email in-box (a few of them are included below).

Many of you shared your passionate thoughts about the war in Iraq while letting me know that you strongly support my “No” vote to deny President Bush a blank check to fund this endless conflict. You also wrote to me about the bill I recently authored to increase the development of geothermal energy -- an important initiative crucial to the movement to stop global warming and make America energy independent.

Stephanie, a software engineer, got right to the point: “Yes, end the war, save the planet. We need you in Congress!”

Whether it’s standing up to President Bush on Iraq or standing up to Big Oil on the climate crisis, I am honored to be your Congressman. Together, we are fighting to turn our country in a new direction and reverse the catastrophic blunders of the Bush administration. Without your support, this profound change would not be possible.

That’s why I need your help today to actualize this change before it’s too late. In whatever amount you can afford, can you stand up for our movement before this Saturday’s all-important Federal Election Commission deadline? 

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/StandUp

The war and global warming are not the only important issues on your mind.

A number of you also wrote to me about “earmark” reform, with one doctor asking that I “make it a top priority to make public all ‘earmarks’ written into bills.” As you may know, earmarks are individual project funding requests that Members of Congress make on behalf of their constituents to help fund projects like water treatment plants, roads, reading programs, or community health centers.

In the past, however, the earmark process has been shrouded in secrecy, allowing some lawmakers to slip in expensive projects that offered little public benefit. Fortunately, your focus on fundamental reform is helping us shed sunlight on the kind of “Bridge to Nowhere” boondoggles that have far too often bankrolled the special interests at the expense of the public interest.

You know that I did not run for Congress to be a typical politician. I ran for Congress to be a public servant committed to openness, transparency and accountability. That’s why, on Monday, I released all of my “earmark” requests to the public. And I’m strongly encouraging my fellow congressional members to do so as well.

If you want a public servant working for you every day to change the way Washington works, please stand up for me before Saturday’s FEC deadline and contribute. Whether it's $25, $50, $500, $1,000, or the $2,300 maximum, I need your individual support today to keep up our momentum.

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/StandUp

Changing the way Washington works is a long-term process. But it’s not going to happen if we don’t support the elected representatives committed to that change. That’s why my request to you is so urgently important. With Karl Rove targeting me as #3 on his campaign hit list, I need your help and I need it now.

Whether it’s your hard-earned dollars or your passionate feedback, please contribute as if your democracy depends on it. Because it does. From the war in Iraq to global warming and government reform, change starts with you. And it starts right now.

Thank you again for everything you are doing to build and sustain our movement.

P.S. Time is running out. We are asking our supporters to raise “$100K in 5 days” -- by Saturday at 11:59 p.m. – the end of the FEC’s campaign finance reporting period. The only way we will be able to make this critical goal is if you decide to stand up and contribute ASAP. You can also share your thoughts with me as well:

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/StandUp

To track our progress to Saturday's goal, just go to jerrymcnerney.org and refresh the front page to watch "The Bat" fill up minute-by-minute, contribution-by-contribution!

McNerney on releasing earmark requests: "I came to Washington on a campaign of openness and ethics"

Following up on his campaign promise to provide transparent and accountable representation to his constituents, Congressman Jerry McNerney has released his list of "earmarks" -- federal funding requests that congressional members make to pay for projects in their home districts.

Lisa Vorderbrueggen covers the story for the Contra Costa Times:

The House of Representatives passed ethics reforms in January that require earmarks to carry the sponsoring member's name when they appear in appropriations bills. But the rule does not mandate that members individually release their requests.

McNerney said he released his list because "I came to Washington on a campaign of openness and ethics. ... I thought I would put the list out there and let people judge for themselves."

While some earmarks, like the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," have been singled out as wasteful federal spending, most earmarks are legitimate requests for important projects related to maintaining and providing important services to constituents.

Indeed, there are several projects that Congressman McNerney has requested that would improve living conditions in the 11th Congressional District, including a groundwater cleanup project in Lodi. As Ross Farrow of the Lodi News-Sentinel reports:

Two funding proposals would directly benefit the city of Lodi, while others would benefit the region as a whole.

The city could get $1 million to help finance the cleanup of Lodi's groundwater, which is tainted with PCE and TCE contamination, and another $500,000 toward a police/fire training center at the proposed San Joaquin Delta College satellite campus off Victor Road.

Other McNerney funding requests cited by the News-Sentinel include:

•  Computer improvements for patients at Lodi Memorial Hospital, $400,000.
•  San Joaquin County agriculture center in Stockton, $1 million.
•  Water storage project for Mokelumne River to recharge groundwater in eastern San Joaquin County, $1 million.
•  Construction of infrastructure for the Groundwater Recharge Project for eastern San Joaquin County, $1 million.
•  Equipment for San Joaquin County's Emergency Operations Center, $200,000.
•  Tests for effectiveness of Delta levees, $1 million.
•  Bicycle/pedestrian path along the old Central California Traction line, $400,000.
•  New computer-assisted telephone interviewing laboratory for the Business Forecasting Center at University of the Pacific, $400,000.
•  Enhancement of the Pacific Natural Resources Institute at University of the Pacific, $500,000.
•  Two grade levels added to the San Joaquin County A+ Program, a reading improvement program throughout the county, $500,000.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ellen Tauscher has placed an earmark tutorial on her Web site that, according to Vorderbrueggen, "spells out the uncertain fate of earmarks. Many will never survive the arduous journey to the president's desk."

While the great majority of earmark requests are never funded, spokesman Andy Stone told the News-Sentinel that "Congressman McNerney is hopeful that some of these requests will be funded."

What do you want? I want to know.

What do you want? I want to know.

Do you want to end the war in Iraq as soon and as responsibly as possible? I do. That’s why I voted “No” on the Iraq supplemental funding bill one month ago. I could not give President Bush another blank check to wage this endless war.

Of course, the Washington pundits and power-brokers -- who thought we couldn’t defeat Richard Pombo by standing strong on the war -- scratched their heads again. How could I, with Karl Rove targeting me as #3 on his campaign hit list, defy the Beltway conventional wisdom?

If you want a Congressman who is going to follow his conscience on issues as important as the war in Iraq –- instead of the political expedience of these “opinion leaders” -– I need your support before Saturday’s vitally important Federal Election Commission campaign finance deadline. And I need your feedback.

I stood up against President Bush and the pundits and power-brokers on Iraq. Will you stand up for me before this Saturday’s FEC deadline? And give me your feedback? 

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/StandUp

It's not required, but after you contribute, our "Thank You" page will provide an opportunity for you to contribute your thoughts directly to me as well. On Wednesday, I will select the best posts and share them with you in our next email. (If you can not afford to contribute at this time, you can still post your comments to the "You Tell Us" section of our web site.)

What do you want? I want to know.

Do you want to end America’s addiction to oil, make our nation energy independent and stop global warming? I do. That’s why I authored the Advanced Geothermal Energy Research and Development Act of 2007, a bill to develop geothermal energy using heat from the ground to create electricity. This bill unanimously passed out of the House Science and Technology Committee just last week.

Geothermal energy is readily available, clean, domestically produced and will help America develop a new energy technology economy. Most importantly, it will contribute to ending the global climate crisis.

I stood up against anti-environmentalist Richard Pombo so we could fundamentally change our nation’s priorities on global warming. Will you stand up for me before this Saturday’s FEC deadline? And tell me what you think as well?

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/StandUp

Of course, the pundits and power-brokers are probably wondering why I am focused like a laser beam on the environment –- an issue that pollsters argue is unlikely to make a difference in the next election.

They just don’t get it. I did not run for Congress so that I could spend two years worrying about being re-elected. I ran for Congress to serve the people of the 11th Congressional District and our nation.

I did not run for Congress to be a politician. I ran for Congress to be a public servant.

If you want a public servant on Capitol Hill fighting to change the way Washington works, please stand up for me right now before Saturday’s FEC deadline. Whether it's $25, $50, $500, or the $2,300 maximum, I need your individual support urgently. And I need your feedback.

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/StandUp

By contributing whatever you can afford before Saturday's crucial deadline and telling me what you think, you will send a strong and clear message to the pundits and power brokers that, together, we are going to put an end to politics as usual.

Because that’s what we all want.

Thank you for everything you continue to do to build our movement.

P.S. This week, we are laying the foundation for 2008 by asking our supporters to raise $100,000 in the next five days. Are you curious if we will be able to make this important goal? Just like you did when you watched "The Boot" fill up last year, you can track our fundraising progress this week in real-time. Just go to jerrymcnerney.org and refresh the front page to watch “The Bat” fill up minute-by-minute, contribution-by-contribution!

McNerney calls for removal of "rainmaker" from Democratic Freshmen PAC

As Lisa Vorderbrueggen has blogged for the Contra Costa Times, Congressman Jerry McNerney is calling for the removal of Washington lobbyist William Oldaker as the custodian of the prominent "Democratic Freshmen" PAC. 

Oldaker is a lobbyist who has represented oil, tobacco and pharmaceutical companies, a man the Center for Public Integrity labeled a "rainmaker" due to his considerable skills as a fundraiser.
 

Although Oldaker is not handling fundraising for the new PAC, McNerney wrote in a June 12 letter that lobbyists should not be connected to political committees.

Download letter here.
 

"I was elected in part due to a pledge I made on the campaign trail to help change the way business is done in Washington," McNerney wrote. "One element of that change is eliminating the perception that Members' behavior is motivated by anything other than serving the people we are elected to represent."

The PAC is intended to help raise money for the re-election campaigns of 41 Democratic freshmen, including McNerney, who were elected during the 2006 anti-GOP wave that put Democrats in charge of Congress.

Vorderbrueggen's post follows up on reporting by the Stockton Record's Hank Shaw.

You can read more of Vorderbrueggen's piece here. 

In-depth profile captures McNerney's widespread appeal; A Lodi Republican: "Oh, I'll vote for Jerry, you betcha"

Lisa Vorderbrueggen, lead political reporter for the Contra Costa Times, has written an in-depth profile of Congressman Jerry McNerney's first six months in office.

Titled "New Politician Finds His Way," this revealing piece explores how McNerney has confounded the expectations of those who would assume he might not appeal to a wide spectrum of voters in the 11th Congressional District.

The reality, as Vorderbrueggen has found, has undermined those would-be detractors, with McNerney continuing to connect with constituents of all ideological stripes:

"Oh, I'll vote for Jerry, you betcha," said Lodi Republican Deborah Kafton after McNerney's office helped restore her Social Security disability payments. "The fact that he helped me, a small person in the world, I would back him all the way. My opinion (on other political issues) might be different, but that would be the case with any politician."

McNerney has won particular acclaim for his "Congress on the Corner" (NOTE: it's actually "Congress At Your Corner"), a regular series of small gatherings held throughout the district where McNerney talks personally with constituents.

Even staunch Republican leaders praise McNerney's first six months in office.

"(McNerney) has been very, very accessible," said San Ramon Mayor H. Abram Wilson, a GOP candidate for the state Assembly. "He realizes that he has a huge learning curve, and he has been in the community as much as possible to try to get to know the community, its residents and leaders. For that, I really give him a lot of kudos."

Perhaps one reason for this widespread praise from Republicans, Democrats and independents across the district is the Congressman's enthusiastic embrace of public service:

"Being out in the community and meeting people, being here for the residents, is more important than anything I could do on the campaign trail," McNerney said.

[...]

Asked whether he's still happy voters sent him to Washington, McNerney answers without hesitation.

"Absolutely. It's so exciting to be a part of what's happening in our nation right now," he said last week, between bites of a tuna salad at Vic's, a diner in his hometown of Pleasanton. "The decisions we make in the next 10 years will impact our society and the world for the next 200 years."

McNerney's decisions, and those of his colleagues, are already making an impact from Washington to California:

McNerney has helped Democrats pass the party's first 100 hours of priority legislation, including ethics reform, a reduction in student loan costs, a minimum wage increase and support for stem cell research.

[...]

With help from Democratic Party leaders anxious to cement McNerney's hold on the seat, he secured coveted spots on the House transportation, veterans affairs and science committees. He also was appointed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's select committee on global warming.

The congressman has sponsored four bills of his own, starting with a small water conservation grant program. His other bills include the creation of a program to monitor veterans with traumatic brain injury and one to expand geothermal energy research.

[...]

He formed citizen advisory panels on agriculture, health care, small business and, soon, education.

And, as many of you know by reading this blog (click here for several similar articles), that's just scratching the surface.

You can read the rest of Lisa Vorderbrueggen's profile of the Congressman here, including pulled quotes from McNerney on both the war in Iraq and immigration.

On June 23rd and 24th, Jerry and Mary McNerney invite you to...

Jerry and Mary McNerney would like to invite you to join them in sampling some of the best wines in America from wonderful wineries located in the 11th Congressional District.

On Saturday, June 23rd, you can join Jerry and Mary for lunch at Lockeford's own Vino Piazza, fast becoming one of the most popular wine spots in Northern California.

Vino Piazza

For more details and to RSVP for the Vino Piazza event, please click here:

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/wineweekend

On Sunday, June 24th, you can take a scenic train tour through Niles Canyon with Jerry and Mary while wine tasting, enjoying tasty appetizers, and catching up with friends and fellow supporters.

Niles Canyon Railway

For more details and to RSVP for the Niles Canyon Railway Tour, please click here:

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/wineweekend2

If you enjoy good wine and good people, please join Jerry and Mary for these unique events. With the all-important June 30th Federal Election Commission campaign finance reporting deadline fast approaching, these are great opportunities to support Jerry's re-election campaign and have fun while doing it.

We are looking forward to seeing you!

Sincerely,

Nicholas Hatten
Finance Director
McNerney For Congress

Have you heard the new attacks on me?

"Jerry McNerney (is) a Goliath-slaying changer who has sprinted since arriving in Washington, D.C. He's already in the Republican Party cross hairs, so it remains to be seen if the Democratic representative from Pleasanton becomes a political Halley's Comet." ~ Mike Klocke, Editor, Stockton Record, May 27, 2007

A few days after those positive words were printed in the Stockton Record, Karl Rove and his Republican cronies unleashed their latest unprecedented negative attack on me.   

When a Congressional investigation a few months ago revealed that I was #3 on Karl Rove’s “hit list,” we could only imagine what that meant Rove’s political hacks in Washington were planning. Well, an incredible 17 months before the election, the National Republican Congressional Committee has launched a new multimedia misinformation campaign to smear me and our people-powered movement.

Last week, just as a “longtime friend” of Richard Pombo was announcing his candidacy to defeat me, the NRCC started airing attack ads on local radio stations grossly distorting my voting record. As if that wasn’t enough, the NRCC is now following up these radio ads with automated “robo-calls” to people’s homes. Both the radio ads and the robo-calls direct listeners to a slick Swift Boat-style web site that smears my record of service in Congress, including my votes to stand up to President Bush on the war in Iraq.

We need to show Karl Rove and the NRCC today that every single time they attack, we will fight back. Please help me respond right now by clicking here:

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/fightback

Washington Republicans are attacking me for saying “No” to Bush on the war? That’s right. On the NRCC’s slick attack web site, under a section titled “Out of Touch with California,” the NRCC says that I “voted to defy military commanders on the ground and cut off funds for the troops in harm's way.”

Of course, you and I both know that is absolutely ridiculous. From my first days in office, I have honored our soldiers by supporting a strong framework to end the violence and bring our troops home as soon and as responsibly as possible. Just last week, I voted against the Iraq supplemental funding bill because it did not include enforceable benchmarks, a reasonable timetable for withdrawal, a diplomatic strategy, or provisions to protect our soldiers and veterans. I could not, in good conscience, give Bush another blank check.

So, who is actually “out of touch” with Californians on the war? President Bush, Karl Rove and their hatchet men in Washington? Or you?

I said “No” to President Bush. Now it’s time for you to say “No” to Karl Rove. Can you send a powerful message right now to the pundits and power-brokers that our movement will not be intimidated by the NRCC’s fear-and-smear campaign?

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/fightback

Rove and his cronies will stop at nothing to take back this seat.  And now they’ve got a candidate to carry out those attacks against me.

This radio attack ad, the robo-calls and the smear web site are running just as the NRCC has given its unofficial rubber-stamp of approval to a Republican candidate praised by a GOP consultant who knows him as "one of the most conservative members who ever served in the (California) state legislature.”

We don’t know what this “longtime friend” of Richard Pombo is planning, but if it’s anything like the campaign currently being waged from Washington, we will need to stand strong together. The Federal Election Commission’s second quarter deadline is June 30 -- the first to include this Republican opponent –- and the media will be scrutinizing the strength of both of our campaigns.

No matter what Rove’s hit men have in store for us, our people-powered campaign needs to stand strong together before June 30. Can you contribute $50, $100, $250, $500 (or any amount up to the federal maximum of $2,300) today?

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/fightback

You sent me to Congress to work every day on issues long ignored by the Bush Administration, from enacting ethics reform to fixing the Medicare prescription drug bill to making our nation energy independent and stopping global warming.

Just as I said I would, I am also working to make sure our veterans receive the highest quality of care when they return home from Iraq and Afghanistan. That means doing everything in my power to keep the Livermore VA hospital open and expand its services to treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

I couldn’t do this important work without your support. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent you in the People’s House. I will continue to do everything I can to make you proud.

P.S. You sent me to Washington to give our country a new direction, but I need your ongoing support to actualize that change. Please contribute whatever you can afford right now to prevent Rove’s right-wing attack machine from stopping our people-powered movement before it actually changes Washington:

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/fightback

Tracy Press backs McNerney on Livermore VA and French Camp clinic

The Tracy Press has joined the list of major newspapers serving residents of the 11th Congressional District in praising Congressman Jerry McNerney's effort to save the Livermore VA from closure and expand its services to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder:

... the Pleasanton Democrat has set himself apart by continuing a crusade to provide the best medical and psychological care for servicemen and -women returning from battle. One aspect is keeping the Livermore Veterans Affairs Medical Center open; it’s proposed to be closed with a new VA medical clinic built in French Camp or Stanislaus County.

[...]

The pastoral setting of the campus in southern Livermore is picture-perfect for medical and psychological treatment for veterans shocked by the horrors of war. It has a 120-bed hospital for long-term care and 30 beds for sub-acute inpatients.

The Press also expresses support for expanding services at the French Camp clinic.

This opportunity for PTSD care should not preclude the VA from maintaining clinical services at its quarter-century-old hospital/clinic in Livermore. Also deserving of similar services is the Central Valley where, because of home prices, more returning soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen are living. It makes sense to expand the French Camp VA clinic that is a neighbor to San Joaquin General Hospital so northern San Joaquin Valley veterans can have comprehensive treatment without driving over the Altamont Pass. This care should include nursing home beds.

Are there enough medical and mental health patients and enough budgetary patience from the government panel considering realignment of VA facilities to have VA hospitals in Livermore and French Camp? There are if Livermore becomes the western mental health center for veterans who return with PTSD and French Camp assumes more of the Livermore VA hospital’s traditional role.

This editorial follows other supportive editorials in the Contra Costa Times, Stockton Record, The Argus, and the San Jose Mercury News.

As support grows for Congressman McNerney's proposals, veterans are watching to see if Secretary James Nicholson will do the right thing. Stay tuned to this blog for the news or read previous posts about Veterans Affairs issues here.