March 28, 2006

Pete McCloskey for Congress

Pete McCloskey, a former eight term member of Congress, is running again at age 78 in California's 11th district, in the Republican primary June 6 against incumbent Rep. Richard Pombo. McCloskey is an old-fashioned Republican (as opposed to the neo-Republicans) and would bring an important dose of honesty and honor to the House. Though he's the long-shot candidate, volunteers and enthusiasm may offset Pombo's money. There is also a procedure whereby Democrats may vote in the Republican primary, which may further help. Because the district is considered safe for Republicans the winner of the primary is likely a shoo-in for the general election. This race is particularly important because Pombo, as chair of the House Resources committee, is positioned to do serious damage to environmental causes, and his record is one of unbridled lust to privatize public lands for development. In contrast, McCloskey, one of the founders of Earth Day, has a sterling environmental record.

Pete McCloskey has my full and enthusiastic endorsement and I encourage EP's audience to pitch in and help his campaign in any way possible. It was a privilege to have this inspirational conversation, which was recorded on March 27. The entire podcast runs about 24 minutes.