UnderdogUpdate

My report to the people of Wyoming. Join the discussion at my blog.

August 10, 2008

Good evening,

And I hope each and every one of you has enjoyed the weekend's activities.

Politically speaking, time grows short for candidates in the various Primary races. One week from Tuesday, you the Voter, will make the decision to ensure my political future and allow me to continue to represent you.If you, the reader, have any inkling of lending a hand or a voice, now would be the time to do so!

A newspaper reporter from Cheyenne called this past week and wanted a comment on a legislative proposal by one of the current incumbents concerning proper medical care for veterans at the V.A in Cheyenne. While the concept sounded good, it brought to mind a common slippery political technique that all of us need to be on the lookout for and against.

It's the kind of a deal where an elected official who is not really 'green' at all will sponsor one positive bill related to the environment, and use that as an example of their commitment to the environment. While in reality, their real political agenda is to promote irresponsible development of the natural resources.

So it may be that John Barrasso's bill concerning medical care for vets is a good thing. The real question is what about his record on the issue since his appointment?

I know that he voted against limiting the length of the tour of duty that our active military serves in Iraq. Some time back, the military lengthened the tours of Army soldiers from 12 months to 15 months. There was an amendment to once again make a 12 month tour the standard. Considering that our troops rotate through Iraq on a frequent basis, some have been there 3 or 4 or 5 times, it seemed to me a shorter tour would be better. When soldiers are living under constant battle conditions for extended periods, in addition to leaving children, wives and families behind, it is a tremendous strain that further impacts soldier’s physical, emotional and mental health.

Another related issue that has dropped from view is that of medical care at the various medical facilities such as Walter Reed Hospital. You may recall there was a big dustup a couple of years ago about substandard care, but now we don't hear a thing. Is it possible that all is well on that front? Possible perhaps, but I do not believe that reform really occurs in cases such as these without sustained pressure from elected officials. If our appointed incumbent was really and truly concerned about the plight of soldiers in the military health care system, he would be all over that on a constant basis.

That is it for tonight…

One more Underdog Update before the big day!

Keith

August 9, 2008

Greetings fellow Wyomingites!

Yesterday I spoke with a newspaper reporter about a bill that incumbent John Barrasso is touting as proof of his commitment to the care and concern of combat veterans. The bill had to do with ensuring prompt medical care for the wounded vets at the V.A. Center in Cheyenne, and may well be a good thing. The devil is always in the details.

But what strikes me is the overall plan behind some of these pronouncements. Politicians will run a flag up the flagpole that is positive in nature, while many parts of the rest of their record are questionable.

For example, John Barrasso voted against a proposal to limit the time of a tour of duty in Iraq. The amendment would have reduced the tour for Army soldiers from 15 months to 12 months, under the theory that the stress of combat duty and overseas tours could be moderated by a shorter stint. Keeping in mind that our soldiers are serving numerous tours as time goes by. It's not like Vietnam where folks served one tour and were out. I have read that some soldiers are on their 4th tour. That is tough on family life.

Another angle is that there has been an ongoing issue with the quality of military medical care in general. There was a dust up about it a while back, but have reforms really been implemented? Those type of systemic problems take many years to really flush out of a system, and I suspect that has not happened to any significant degree in this case.

Thanks for reading.

August 8, 2008

Good Morning!

And here is a blog on an issue that a fine Wyoming voter is interested in hearing more about.

The immigration issue is on many voters list of important items this election, and rightfully so. Like so many other issues, there are a lot of angles to be considered.

Historically, we are a nation of immigrants, although it is true that most of them came legally. Of course the laws regarding immigration have changed over the years as well, the USA has accepted many more in the past than it does now.

I'm sure I have read that at one point in our history, after a large wave of immigrants from Germany came over, that fully 30% of the U.S. population spoke German as their first language. If true, that is an astounding statistic.And something to keep in mind.

I do believe that we have to control our borders, all of them, because that is one of the basic responsibilities of a national government. It's a darn good thing there are not all that many actual terrorists trying to get into the United States, because with the Southern border situation they certainly could have gained entry by now.

There are an estimated 12 to 15 million illegal residents of the U.S. currently. We are not going to be able to deport them, that is just the fact of the matter. There should be a reasonable and prompt path to citizenship for those folks. We would be much better off as a nation to have them in the fold legally. And it would be better for them as well.

If they were legal, they would be paying all taxes and otherwise participating in our society. As it is now, they have to live the life of a semi-fugitive.

There also should be a reasonable guest worker program so that workers could come to our country to work for a while, and then go back home after the work runs out. Right now, they are afraid to go back because of the increased security at the border.

For many years, the border with Mexico was intentionally left porous. Corporations needed the workers for cheap labor, the workers needed to support their families and there was no work back home. These folks may have broken the official law of the land, but for the most part they are not criminals.

As a final thought, we need to think about our own futures for a minute. Our governmental insurance programs such as Social Security and Medicare depend on young workers paying in for the solvency of the programs. Therefore we need to consider that by adding all of those illegal workers to the roles of legitimate taxpayers, we are actually helping ourselves

August 3, 2008

Wyoming Tough vs Wyoming Smart

Good morning Wyooooooooming!

The issue of money in politics is huge, no positive change can come without a reform of the way that money controls the debate.

Wyoming Democrats need to be smart about the way we go about addressing our inherent and long lasting deficit in this area.

We will never be able to equal the fundraising efforts of the majority party, that is a given. So, if we can't compete on their playing field, we must change the field.

The way to change the field is to reject special interest money completely, and proceed with a voluntary limit on individual contributions. I use the limit of $100.00 because almost any Wyoming citizen who wants to achieve the maximum limit can do so. No citizen, no matter how wealthy, can have more than $100.00 worth of influence.

Wyodems used to run successful statewide races for under $100,000. That should be the standard we strive for, along with new tactics and strategies. In that way we will have a template and a process for willing candidates to buy into, and more people would be willing to make a statewide race.

It is ignorant and shortsighted to try to compete with the majority party on their own terms. Candidaes who do so will rarely succeed.

We as Wyodems must be smarter.

August 1, 2008

Good morning Casper and Wyoming,

I attended the local meeting of the Natrona County Democratic Party (NCDP) last night, and came away with a couple of thoughts, neither of them new,

The first thought is that we are really lacking in young people and young participation. The average age of the local Dems who attended was somewhere close to...to...to...MATURE! Yea, that's it. Nothing against mature people of course, but the youth is the future, and right now the NCDP is lacking a future.

The actual political fountain of youth in this area is the Casper City Council. After the new appointee, Joel Burdess, get sworn in this month, we will have 4 Councilpeople who are right around the age of thirty. That's a darn good thing.

The other thought was on the issue of special interest money in politics. I advanced the notion that the best way to create a separate identity for the Wyodem organization was to completely repudiate special interest money, and advertize the fact to high heaven. The ocean of special interest money is corrupting our entire system.

This thought went over fairly well, except for those who have a direct connection to people oriented special interest money, teachers and public employees and unions. Some of them seemed to take my political suggestion as a personal insult, as if a negative comment about the system that they are an active participant of, was directed directly at them.

That is unfortunate. All of us need to have the ability to take a step back and have an objective opinion of all things political. The amount of money that comes from 'people PAC's' is tiny compared to the money that comes from 'corporate PAC's'. The Wyodem organization would be much better off to just take a big breath, take the big leap, and figure out how to succeed with a new way of doing things.

That's all for now. It's time to go do that 'work' thing again.

Candidate Keith

July 31, 2008

Good Morning Wyoming!

A most interesting piece of political news from our great neighbor to the north, the state of Montana, has come to my attention.

In a three way race for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House seat, a candidate by the name of John Driscoll won by a pretty hefty margin. Of course I do not recall the exact numbers, being somewhat detail impaired, but it was something like 70,000 to 59,000 to 30,000.

Their Primary Election is the first part of June, and so this is not exactly breaking news, The real news is that a guy by the name of John Driscoll won the race without spending ANY MONEY. At least that is what the campaign video said. They had to spend a little I would think, at least the filing fee and such.

Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6epXKGTXsk

That is amazing news really! To think that a candidate from a major party could win a statewide primary race without spending money is revolutionary, is it not?

It gives me some encouragement for my race. For twenty years I have been practicing my own version of campaign finance reform. I accept no money from special interest groups, and I only accept a maximum of $100.00 from any one person.

It now appears that I am actually a moderate in this area!

This is an area where the difference between conventional politics and progressive politics is stark. Conventional politicians from both parties yak about how Congress should do this and that to reform the campaign finance laws, but what are the chances of that ever happening anytime soon? Candidates like myself, and John Driscoll from Montana, look at the issue from the grassroots up, and take action.

We just do what we think is right, and work to succeed with our self-imposed limitations, in the hopes that the electorate will take notice and respond in a positive way.

It could work in my race as well!

If you are reading this, and want to help make my campaign a success, go to www.goodenoughforsenate.com and donate.

Thank you Wyoming!

THE CORRUPTING INFLUENCE OF PAC MONEY

Greetings and good evening!

Ever since I ran for office in 1986, my campaigns have been funded by small contributions from individuals. I accept no money from special interests (Political Action Committees), and I only accept a maximum of $100.00 per person. This is not the usual approach!

Political Action Committee (PAC) money is a corrupting influence on the entire political system in this country. There are limits on individual contributions, but not on PAC money. If you want to see a disgusting example of how conventional politicians fund their campaigns, go to the list of the PAC contributors to John Barrasso's current campaign. There are about 500 individual donations from a long list of industries that want to have John Barrasso on the line for many votes over the next 4 years. Check it out:
http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/can_give/2007_S6WY00068

That adds up to more than 1 million dollars, and the campaign season has not yet really started! Disgusting is one word for it, but of course there are many others.

Then of course there are individual contributions as well. Go to:
http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/can_ind/2007_S6WY00068

There are 624 individuals, many from out of state, that have given thus far to John Barrasso, and all of that is fine. The fact that captured my attention is that most of the donations are for $1000.00 and up!

I have self-imposed my unilateral campaign finance reform system for a number of reasons. The main reason being thatthe source of the money that funds campaigns has influence on thatcandidate. I neverwant to be in the position of having a struggling thought pass through my mind that my vote on an issue that I believe impacts people like you, couldalsoend up impacting my ability to raise money and garner re-election.

If an industry has given some enormous sum of money to a candidate, $100,000 would not be uncommon, then you can bet that when anissue that impacts bothindustry and the peoplecomes to a vote, there will be a choice that has to be made. We'll take a look at some of the bills that Mr. Barrassohas voted on in mynext Underdog Update!
Interesting Note: My opponent in the Primary Election race has criticized Senator John Barrasso for being in the pocket of special interests, and rightfully so.

Unfortunately, "Conflict" Nick is doing the same dirtydeed!
Go to: http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/can_give/2007_S8WY00155

Such a strategy does not say much for my opponent's political intelligence. Wyoming voters will not respect a politician who criticizes politicians who take special intest money while doing the same thing. That dog will not hunt!

Keith Goodenough, your WY Candidate for US Senate July 21, 2008

Alright All,

We are now within the one month countdown...tick,tick,tick!

The primary is on August 19th, and we are at July 20th...tick,tick,tick.

Before I forget again:

my website is http://GoodenoughForSenate.com

Check it out!

We will plan for a podcast next Sunday P.M. Details to follow later this week.

My yard signs are going up here and there at various locations. If they don't win the beautiful yard sign competition, then there is something wrong with the evaluation procedure!

Top three ways to help get me elected:

1...agree to phone call Wyoming Democrats on my behalf

2...send no more than $100.00 to Box 1852, Casper, 82602

3...write a letter to the editor, to your local paper and to the Casper Star-Tribune, and give me a plug. If you have trouble thinking of something positive to say...I can help!

That's all for now. Thank you to those who have volunteered thus far. Tick, tick, tick..............

Keith "I want to be Elected!" Goodenough

July 14, 2008

Good morning,

I was waiting to find out a few details on a new campaign podcast before sending this out, but I think I will have to send the info later in the week since I don't have it yet.

Please keep in mind that absentee voting has begun. All you have to do is call your county clerk and a ballot will be sent your way. Or stop by the Courthouse.

Here is an old thought........still looking for volunteers!!

And, if you are intending to contribute something, up to a max of $100.00, this would be a good time to take the leap and write the check.

More to follow,

Keith

July 6, 2008

A Happy Independence Day Weekend to One and All,

I was contemplating typing in the Declaration of Independence for all of you to read, but I can't type that fast. As part of my campaign I have read portions of it at some of my campaign stops however. Good political concepts never go out of style!

There is a good chance that I will be able to participate in a series of podcasts over the next few weeks. I am trying to arrange for a once a week podcast on Sunday evenings from 6 pm to 7 pm, and invite my opponent to be a part of each and every one of them. I doubt that he will accept, but with enough voter pressure he might.

More info to follow!

In order for the Wyoming Democratic Party to advance, we must be in the lead in using new technologies, and this should be one. Think of the potential if primary races in the WyoDem Party were conducted to a large degree via podcasts!

The advantages would be numerous. Politics should be about logic, and with unlimited 'airtime' on the computer a candidate like myself would have the time to fully flesh out a platform for the voters. The cost in time and money for a candidate to get around the state would be minimal. The money saved could be used in the General Election. Wyoming Democratic voters could be convince to listen to their computers in their own homes to really get a bead on the candidates, plus they could call in with their questions, comments and viewpoints.

My campaign officially launches on July 10th, Statehood Day. I will be asking all of you to forward my ideas and thoughts to your fellow citizens in your E-mail address book. This is one way you can give a progressive Senatorial candidate a chance to reach the voters with a minimum amount of effort on your part.

Candidate Keith 'let's get this Party started' Goodenough

June 22, 2008
A Happy Solstice to All,

And just a brief report for this evening. I did my first podcast this past weekend, and here is the link to the site if you wish to tune in to the archived version.

Blog Talk Radio or http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Shared_Sacrifice/2008/06/21/Shared-Sacrifice

There is a 25 minute lead in, and then my remarks last for about an hour. The two hosts, Matt and Gary, do a good job of letting the guest do the talking.

As I listened to the recorded version, I realized I was a lot more casual about using 'filler' words such as ...well.... than I am when I speak at public forums. If you listen, please keep that in mind!

And of course, send comments if you wish.

I hope to be able to have a debate with my Primary Election opponent on this venue at some point during the campaign.

Keith "On the Pod" Goodenough

June 15, 2008
Finally! A taste of summer weather has arrived. And it was well received at the campaign stop we made at the Lander Brewfest on Saturday. After all, who would want to hang out in the City Park and taste-test beer in the cold?

I was drinking lemonade myself since it’s campaign season, but they only had one choice of that beverage.

They had some great local music with wonderful female vocals to serenade the crowd. This State needs more women singers… there should be a law!

We also campaigned in Hudson with Wyoming Democrat Emeritus Mike Vinich for a little while on the way home. If you know what Old School, Wyoming honorable straight shooters are like, you’ll know what Mike Vinich is all about.

Besides the Brewfest, the past week also saw a campaign trip to Buffalo for a county Democratic picnic. As you may know, Buffalo is in Johnson County and is known for not having many Democrats. It wasn’t that long ago they were still spraying for them! But in this case there was a very respectable turnout, I think somewhere around 35 fine citizens showed up.

Besides myself, U.S. House Candidate Gary Trauner and U.S. Senate Candidate Chris Rothfuss were there. My opponent had committed to being there, but bowed out at the last minute. We each made our remarks, and had some questions from the group.

The Casper campaign office is finally ready to occupy, and we have our first gathering there tomorrow night. It’s a small place, but has the advantage of being next to the Federal Courthouse. So when I have a gripe with the Federal court system, they’ll be able to get the message by just looking out the window and reading my slogans. If I need bail money, I’ll send a note.

I am going to be on my first campaign Podcast next weekend, so I will be sending out an additional note with the details towards the end of the week. It’s a technology that needs to be promoted as much as possible within the Democratic Party. Voters can get the political scoop without leaving home or having to buy gasoline!

Stay tuned,

Candidate Keith Be Goodenough

June 8, 2008

Good evening!

And if this isn’t the coolest and wettest spring in a long, long time, please set me straight!

Given that politics is a multi-faceted conglomeration of issues, policies and personalities, it is tough to find common ground as we try to discuss it with one another. So I spend a fair amount of time thinking of ways to accurately convey to citizens like you my opinions on where we all are in the political realm.

So today, while coming back from an outing on Casper Mountain, I had a thought. It is a political analogy to the phrase “web of life”, that is frequently used when discussing environmental issues.

Of course that phrase refers to the fact that all aspects of our environment, from the smallest to the largest, are linked together and that we should all be concerned when any aspect of life on Planet Earth is threatened or eliminated. I agree with that.

The politically analogous phrase I have decided to include in my campaign message is “web of rights”. Because it occurred to me that ALL of the rights theorized under our system of government are linked together, either directly or indirectly.

Many of the rights that we have, and that immediately spring to mind, are the big ones. Rights such as: freedom of speech, the freedom to assemble, the right to arm bears, and the right to run for public office are well known and commonly thought of.

The problem I see is that there is an entire subset of lesser known rights that are being undermined by numerous elected officials who have no respect for the individual rights that are the foundation of our system. When those lesser rights are damaged, the web of rights becomes weaker.

One quick example for you. When I started in the Legislature in 1989, it only took one valid write-in vote at the Primary Election to qualify a person to fill an empty ballot slot for a partisan office. The right of the individual was respected.

After I had been in the Legislature a few years, some legislators advanced the idea that only having to have one valid signature made it too easy to get on the ballot. So then the threshold was raised to 5 valid write-in signatures. And not too long after that, the threshold was raised to 25 valid write-in signatures, and that is where it stands today.

Consequently it is much more difficult to gain access to the ballot by write-in vote today than it was in the past.

Our web of rights has been significantly weakened by those actions of the Legislature. There are many more examples that I will post on my website in the near future, but the issue is clear to me. Our individual rights are in trouble.

Thank you for your time, and I will chat with you next week.

Candidate Keith “leave my rights alone” Goodenough

Sunday, June 01, 2008

A happy June to all of you! And now for a short and sweet report on the week’s activities.
Friday was the last day to file for statewide office, and so that was the day I showed up in the Secretary of State’s office in Cheyenne, and made it official. The trip home turned into a campaign swing, with stops in Chugwater, Glendo, and Douglas.
One of the best parts of campaigning is that it gives me a reason to talk to each and every Wyomingite I come across. These are my people! People are great in this state, there’s always something interesting to chat about.
I had a letter to the editor published this week in the Casper Star-Tribune. In it I publicly challenged my opponent to a series of public debates, but have not heard anything back, and I doubt that I will.

His strategy is to pretend that he has already won the nomination, but we shall see if that level of illusion will stand the test of time.

In a telling comment on the lack of political understanding at the upper levels of the Casper Star-Tribune, today’s editorial referred to my opponent as “one of John Barrasso’s opponents”.
So wrong, so sorry. It would have been correct to say, ‘one of John Barrasso’s POTENTIAL opponents’, but they failed to accurately categorize
the situation. Where’s the political knowledge of yesteryear?

My downtown Casper campaign office will be ready to occupy this week, and so I will haul my accumulation of campaign materials down there and set up shop soon.

Type with you all next week!
Keith

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Hail Fellow Citizens! And welcome to Issue 3 of the Underdog Update. So glad you could join me.

The really big campaign news is that I just returned from the 2008 Wyoming Democratic Convention in Jackson, and I have to say that the results seemed to be positive for the “Goodenough for Senate” effort.

Although I did not see the final tally of those who actually showed up, I would guess that there were between 450 and 500 conventioneers there from most corners of Wyoming. I was not an actual voting delegate since I had to work a half day the day of delegate elections at the County Convention, but I tried to power mingle amongst those who were.

All the Democratic statewide candidates (Gary Trauner, Chris Rothfuss, Nick Carter and myself) gave 10 minute speeches to the assembled multitudes. You will be glad to know that all candidates possess the ability to speak clearly to a friendly crowd.

No one really misspoke in a big way, except for me using the phrase “scumbag lawyer”, that is! Well now, here’s the deal.
My opponent thus far has ignored my suggestions for debates, and for using our race as a party building activity. So I was just giving the crowd a positive way that we could advertise a debate between the two of us.

It would be helpful to create some sense of conflict in our promotions; if we do, people will perk up and pay attention to the fact that two Wyoming Democrats are running against each other in the Primary.

Since I am a politician, I suggested that we could give me the title of “Lying Politician”. Since my opponent is an attorney, I suggested we could give him the title of “Scumbag Lawyer”! Then perhaps some Democrats from the general population would turn out to see the Lying Politician and the Scumbag Lawyer duke it out in a public forum.

Suffice it to say that I didn’t phrase my idea as clearly as I could have. Oops. In reality, I love lawyers; especially the cute ones!

I think I might have to send out a mailing to the Scu….Scu...Scu... errrr…Honorable Lawyers Association and explain that it was all in fun. Really! This lying politician is telling the truth this time…really!

Have a good week!

Candidate Keith ’I wish I hadn’t said that’ Goodenough

Citizens of Wyoming! I would like to announce that I will be a candidate on the Democratic primary ballot for the four-year United States Senate, a seat temporarily being held by John Barrasso.

As always, my campaign will be based on giving honest opinions with regard to the root causes of the economic and social problems that face our country, as well as advancing long range solutions to those problems.

I will continue to abide by my self-imposed campaign finance limits: no donations from Political Action Committees (PACs), and a limit of $100 per individual donor.

Thank you, and let the campaign season begin!

KEITH GOODENOUGH, Casper

Keith Goodenough for US Senate

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