Your Christmas Gift to Russell

(Above) Portrait of an Angry Loudmouth

. . . and a lump of coal for John Murtha, who loves his office but not his country

I sent the letter below to Libertarian-Republican activist Eric Dondero and several hundred of my closest friends and political allies. I've appeared this year twice on Eric's BlogTalkRadio site, as well as on Douglas Gibbs's Political Pistachio, Jenn of the Jungle's "Screw Liberals," and Snooper's program. I recommend all of them, and they're listed on my blogroll. They're helping to transform politics in this country. Of great interest to me, they're all generating donations to the Russell Campaign.

In 2006, Diana Lynn Irey, a dear friend of mine and an heroic figure, ran against Murtha and received 7,000 contributions from all 50 states. In contrast, Murtha got 6,500, although his average contribution was much larger than Diana's. If William Russell can get an unprecedented 10,000 contributions -- many of them $50 or less -- he will send Murtha into an unplanned "early retirement." You can donate to William by going to his site here. Please do so right now.

Eric and Friends: I much enjoyed my appearance on your radio show last night. Jason, who spoke for the Romney campaign, and Norma Jean, who spoke for herself and libertarian views, were excellent. There aren't many radio shows that can produce that sort of dynamism and candor. Norma Jean raised issues in such a compelling way that she did something unusual: she made me re-think my stand on some key issues, especially the need to defer to people who exercise their freedom in unconventional ways.

I truly hope that everyone who follows you, your blog, and your radio show will unite behind the candidacy of Lt. Col. William Russell as he does everything in his power to defeat John Murtha in PA's 12th congressional district.

This may end up as the most important congressional race in the nation. If Murtha goes down, the shock waves would reverberate around the world. This will be a very hard race to win, but it is certainly not impossible. Even at this early stage, Lt. Col. Russell's campaign is shaping up as one of the most imaginative and effective ever waged.

This race can't be won if it restricts itself merely to the 12th District. It must be a national effort, one supported by conservatives and libertarians in all 50 stages. Russell will not be able to outspend Murtha, but he is outsmarting him -- and having a real influence on Murtha's previous position of total opposition to American efforts in Iraq and the Middle East.

When Murtha said, "The surge is working," what he really meant is that he is very concerned about Russell's candidacy.

I urge everyone who believes "Murtha MUST go" to visit Russell's web site. He needs thousands of volunteers around the nation, including those who will join "Bloggers 4 Russell," a rapidly growing group that will eventually include more than 500 bloggers.

Most of all, at this early stage, he needs financial support. People who've never contributed to a campaign before are giving $20, $50, and even $100 or more. Personally, I've given more than $400 and will contribute more, even though I'm not exactly in the category of "affluent." Murtha collects huge bag-fulls of cash from lobbyists and various companies that benefit from his shameful "earmarks."

To counteract that situation, Russell needs many small contributions ($200 or less) from perhaps 10,000 people who love this country and are deeply disturbed by the antics of Murtha.I appeal to everyone to put this appeal on their blogs or to send it to their e-mail lists. Unity and enthusiasm are keys to winning against Murtha.

Lt. Col. Russell, who was born on a military base, has devoted an entire lifetime to supporting and protecting the U.S. Now, it's our turn to support him. Many people have volunteered to solicit financial support for the Russell Campaign. I hope you'll join them.

John Murtha has said that being a congressman is all about "making deals." On the other hand, William Russell believe that being a congressman is all about making this a better -- freer, more secure, more prosperous -- country.

To win, Russell needs to add just ONE PERCENT to the votes George Bush received in the district in 2004. That's certainly not an impossible task. Please visit http://williamrussellforcongress.com/ -- and do so today.

Steve Maloney
Ambridge, PA

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Samantha West: Murtha's Worst Nightmare

If you'd like to hear William Russell's fine one-hour appearance (Monday) on "Jenn of the Jungle's" BlogTalkRadio you can do by inserting the following in your browser: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/screwliberals

Scroll down, and you'll find the program link.

I invite you to read the piece below about Samantha West, a novelist and political activist who's a staunch supporter of Lt. Col. William Russell. You're also invited to read other pieces recently written about John Murtha (not exactly "Saint John" in my view).

New Column on Defeating MurthaBy Stephen R. Maloney(Stephen R. Maloney) During the month of December, I'll be folding "SmartPolitics101" in with my two other sites, which are: http://stevemaloneygop.blogspot.com and http://camp2008victorya.blogspot.com. The number of "Bloggers 4 Russell" continues to grow.

Three Issues to Defeat MurthaBy Stephen R. Maloney(Stephen R. Maloney) NOTE: THIS IS CROSS-POINTED AT MY NEW MAIN SITE: http://stevemaloneygop.blogspot.com/. I sent the following to Chris at http://thehotjoints.com/, who just joined "Bloggers for Russell." http://stevemaloneygop.blogspot.com/

MURTHA, ALTMIRE: PA'S ODD COUPLEBy Stephen R. Maloney(Stephen R. Maloney) By tomorrow morning (Friday), I'll have another column up on my new site: http://SteveMaloneyGOP.blogspot.com. It will deal with the close -- and even somewhat disturbing -- relationship between Cong. John Murtha (D, PA 12th District) ...http://stevemaloneygop.blogspot.com/

Note: At the end of this column you can read about William Russell's radio appearance on BlogTalk Radio with "Jenn of the Jungle," a leading advocate for conservative causes.

I've been honored lately by numerous visitors who are Marines or members of Marine families. If more come -- and if you ask them for help, they will come -- please scroll down to the picture below of the Iwo Jima flag-raising.

One of the bloggers I found in my searches is not a Marine, but she's written a novel featuring the Corps! That's Samantha ("Sam") whom I noted in the previous column. She's one of many people who've joined the "Bloggers 4 Russell," an online force that's going to play a key role in helping Lt. Col. William Russell defeat John Murtha. (If you haven't joined the Russell Bloggers, what are you waiting for?)

Why is Sam, who's located in the Southwest, working hard to defeat a congressman from far-away Pennsylvania? Because, as she said on her own blog, she'd "vote for the Devil before she'd vote for Murtha." My sentiments entirely.

Sam did two things that some conservatives neglect to: (1) she noted that it's going to take a lot of money to defeat Murtha; (2) she volunteered to help with fundraising. Also, she went to http://opensecrets.org/, keyed in the name "Murtha" and found out about some of this recent fundraising. Here's the comment she left (in italics).

"In 2006 Murtha raised $2.7M, we have got to get together and raise a lot of money for William Russell. While issues are of the utmost importance, it is a practical matter that money has a huge impact on who wins the race. Every blogger who is for William Russell must do their best to bring cash to the table. This afternoon and evening I am putting together a letter writing campaign that anyone can do to help bring in the money. Within 48 hours I will have the procedure posted on my blog." -- Sam

I don't know exactly what Sam's politics are -- aside from the fact that despises Murtha, an understandable position. But I'm gratified that, unlike some political types, she doesn't regard her own ideological purity as somehow sufficient. She also doesn't assume that Murtha will self-combust and blow away.

She understands that it takes money for a challenger to have a chance to defeat a well-financed incumbent who does everything in his power to extract money from the beneficiaries of his dispersals of your tax dollars -- mainly lobbyists and well-heeled executives.

It will require a national effort to overcome Murtha, the House of Representative's version of Methuselah. That effort is already underway, and it's paying many early dividends.

Sam mentions that Murtha raised 1n 2006 about $2.7 million - more than three times as much as his opponent (and my friend) Diana Lynn Irey. What Sam didn't mention is that Murtha in the last election spent about three-and-a-quarter-million. He accused Diana of getting her money from out of state. In the end, he got two-thirds of his from out-of-state -- and she got two-thirds of hers from Pennsylvania (as you'll see on OpenSecrets). He doesn't allow the facts to interfere with his condemnations.

If you'll go yourself to opensecrets.org and search around in Murtha's financial reports, you'll see that as of 9/30/2007, he'd raised more than $700,000 for the 2008 race against Russell. Somehow, somewhere he's spent a good chunk of that money (on what???). But I assure you, there's a lot more where that 700K came from.

Murtha doesn't sell out to just anyone, after all. Unless they have big bucks, he's not interested in them. I'll be writing more about this, but I hope you will go to OpenSecrets. Doing so -- and I do it all the time -- is one of the great "guility pleasures" of political activism.

In the meantime, please heed "Sam's" words. If you want Lt. Col. Russell to have a fighting chance against Moneybags Murtha, go to his site and make a contribution. You won't regret it.

As for "Sam," she's quite a find, although we've already found some others like her. She's one of those "connectors" I've referred to recently. That means she knows people, seeks to influence them, and takes the real actions that influence political outcomes. If Lt. Col. Russell can find 100 or so people like Sam, then John Murtha will drink alone on Election Eve.

I told Sam, whom I met today, that I like her. She's the incarnation of feistiness.

Heck, I'd go to war beside her, and I bet my Marine friend Larry would also!

WILLIAM RUSSELL ON BLOG RADIO MONDAY AT 8 P.M. (EASTERN)

Jenn of the Jungle, a BlogTalkRadio powerhouse, will have Lt. Col. William Russell, who's running hard and well against John Murtha, on her radio show at 8 p.m. Monday (today). Jenn says her show will be "Skewering Leftards like shrimp on a barbi . . . Jenn's Jungle Radio supports our troops and their mission. Bring it Moonbats." She's good. She's funny. And she just may be the girl your mother warned you about! Find Jenn at: http://blogtalkradio.com/screwliberals.

The call-in number for her show is: (646) 478-5334. She's a strong and effective supporter of our troops.

"DOWN GOES MURTHA, DOWN GOES MURTHA"

"DOWN GOES FRAZIER! DOWN GOES FRAZIER" (From a famous boxing match between "Smokin' Joe Frazier and Muhammed Ali.) Lt. Col. Russell will play the role of Ali.)


I sent the following to Chris at http://thehotjoints.com/, the most recent person to join “Bloggers for Russell”

Chris, Thanks very much for joining the Bloggers for Russell. On William's web site there will be a steady stream of releases and comments over the next 11 months (yikes! that's a long time). It's critically important at this early stage of the campaign that everyone who supports Russell make at least a small contribution.

I'll have everybody up on The Bloggers for Russell-- there are about 40 now -- within the next week. Much appreciate the support. As is happening with Huckabee in Iowa, the bloggers are going to be William Russell's secret weapon in defeating Murtha.

Chris, you’re right that Murtha’s comments on Haditha were outrageous. For political gain, he damaged our soldiers and provided propaganda for our enemies in Iraq.

My suggestion -- and I'm working on the "outside" and NOT a member of the Russell Campaign Staff -- would be with Issue #1 to rub Murtha's nose in Haditha on every possible opportunity. His comments were totally self-serving, designed to get support for him as Majority Leader among far-left, anti-military Democrats. Supporting our troops does not mean making statements that put their lives in danger.

Another big issue is that he's done nothing for 90% of the 12th congressional district (outside his home county of Cambria). As I’ve pointed out in previous columns, the Median Household Income in the 12th is one of the lowest in Pennsylvania.

A major reason for this is that Murtha has relied almost exclusively on government handouts – “earmarks” – and has done nothing to stimulate the growth of private business. Even in his favored place, Johnstown, Murtha’s actions have led to a steady population decline. The area is beautiful and the souls there are hard-working, good people, and I’m happy to live among them, but Murtha has done little for them.

On October 30, 2007, The Wall Street Journal had an article about how Murtha's earmarks had "rebuilt" home town. However, the Journal is wrong. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources show that Murtha's "rebuilding' is an illusion -- a case of self-promotion.

In this century, the population of Johnstown, PA, has gone down by more than 7%. That's NOT the sign of an economy and a community that growing and thriving. Yes, unemployment in Cambria County has gone down, but that's because so many people who couldn't find jobs left the area.

The third issue is that he’s done everything possible to advance the power of Nancy Pelosi and others just as bad, which totally conflicts with his bogus image of being a "conservative" Democrat. Pelosi and her main supporters in Congress stand for everything that's detestible to voters in the 12t District. Murtha managed Pelosi’s campaign for the majority leadership and was one of the Democrats who voted for her as Speaker of the House. When the voters of the District figure out that Murtha and Pelosi are joined at the hip, they will react with revulsion.

A congressman can't be a complete backer of Pelosi and a supporter of things that matter to voters of the 12th District. He says one thing to his constituents and something else in Pelosi's quarters.

Pelosi believes that Murtha is “a good man.” Well, he might be a good something but he’s not a good MAN.

Is the approach I suggest “too negative?” Actually, it’s important for a congressional candidate – William T. Russell in this instance – to indicate both why he should be elected – and why his opponent should not. It's NOT negativity to tell the truth about Jack Murtha’s many failings, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. (Scroll down to see fact-based criticisms of Murtha.

One thing Democratic guru Joe Trippi says that I agree with is that the essence of a campaign should be on a single three-by-five card. The three issues I highlight will fit on that card. I hope the Russell Campaign focuses on basic points that emphasize exactly WHY Murtha must go.

Haditha, the Economy, and Pelosi: if Russell gets these three points across we all stay up very late on Election Night.

____________________
HOW TO WIN A CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION: ADVICE FOR WILLIAM RUSSELL

People keep asking me: "But how William Russell win against a powerful incumbent congressman (John Murtha) who's sold out to everyone with a huge handful of cash (lobbyists, basically)? And I keep telling them exactly how William Rusell can win -- and, I believe, will win. Russell symbolizes everything that's good and wholesome about American society -- being a soldier, a husband, a father of young children, and a thoroughly principled man.

In the 12th District, there are approximately 650,000 people and roughly 320,000 registered voters -- most of them, admitedly, Democrats. But they don't invariably vote for Democrats. George Bush, not the most popular guy in Pennsylvania, carried Murtha's home county (Cambria) in 2004. And Bush came close to carrying the entire 12th District (getting 49%-plus of the vote). p

To win the 12th District, William needs to identify at least 100 very influential individuals. Only a few of these people will be affluent people who will make large donations to his campaign. Trust me, most of the rich people in the 12th will support John Murtha, because he's the person who's played a major role in making them rich. Basically, he's helped funnel your tax money to them, and they reciprocate by giving him hefty campaign "contributions." In reality, they're giving him a cut of YOUR tax money. In contrast, the influential people making small donations to William realize that he's not for sale.

(Go to http://opensecrets.org/, plug in the name "John Murtha" and you can see how much money he's raised -- a year before the election! You'll also see exactly who's given it. They're mainly lobbyists and influence-peddlers, people described by John Brady (author of "Bad Boy") as "overpaid people who made their oversized livings with retainer fees based on influence rather than ability, people who could not explain what they did for a living in less than a paragraph.")

If you track Murtha's "contributions" carefully, and I hope you will, you'll find that most of his contributions are coming from DC, VA, and MD. That's where the lobbyists ply their questinable trades. Many of the Murtha contributions that appear to come from Johnstown actually have their origins in companies solidly embedded in the Washington Beltway.

So, since William is going to have a lot less money than Murtha, he has to rely heavily influentials that are real residents of the 12th District and are keys to victory. Here's how Internet guru Joe Trippi describes such people:

"In a place like Jones County, Iowa, you get Jimmy Hogan [a well-liked family farmer and local Democratic official] and you were halfway to delivering the whole [darn] county."

Trippi continues, "This is something not everyone realizes about our political system. Not all voters are created equal. Some people carry more influence."

"In his book on consumer 'epidemics,' The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell writes, '. . . the success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.' Gladwell calls these influential people, people like Jimmy Hogan, 'connectors.'"

Trippi adds, "In the [Howard] Dean campaign, we called them bloggers."

As I've explained in my discussion of Bloggers 4 Rusell -- now up to 40 and eventually to reach 400 -- the blogs will be a key NATIONAL factor in building support for William. Dozens of bloggers are making contributions to William's campaign -- and hundreds of bloggers will do so in the future. Many of the tens of thousands of people who will visit such blogs will do the same.

In terms of connectors -- people who are very social and seem to "know everybody," I've only been in the 12th District for about a day, but I've found four "connectors" -- and will find many more.

One of the connectors is Melanie, a greeter at a restaurant. Another is Rhonda, the outspoken sister-in-law of a soldier killed in Iraq. Yet another is the head of a local Republican Party. A fourth is an obvious choice, Diana Lynn Irey, who ran against Murtha in 2006 -- and garnered nearly 80,000 votes.

A tremendous blog effort is going to be an important factor, but by itself, it's not enough. There also must be an intense effort to find "connectors" and commit them to the Russell cause.

Connectors are people like ministers, priests, and rabbis, as well as barbers/hair stylists, local officials, police personnel, heads of organizations like the American Legion, and many others. They spend a lot of time talking about events of local significance, especially political campaigns.

Get the bloggers and the connectors -- and then you win the election. And you've struck a major blow for good government.

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