sheldogg

Unaffiliated voters outnumber Democrats 4-1 in the 4th, and outnumber Rs.

Those voters, in my experience and estimation, are not 'centrists'. They are almost uniformly progressives who have been alienated from party politics (mainly blame the Ds for that). Reaching those voters is the key to my electoral strategy.

Environment and conservation are central to my political ideas. I am universally opposed to sacrificing public lands to private development. Protecting the natural beauty of Utah, in particular, is important to sustaining a safe and civic atmosphere.

I have no money. I will, therefore, be 100% upfront with you.

I have received one unique donation, from a Utahn outside the 4th District, in the amount of $100. The rest of my financing has been the result of personal loans made to campaign from myself.

I will begin saying no from the moment I arrive. I will confront party leadership when it attempts to institute the same tired and unresponsive rules. I will confront party leadership when it attempts to ignore progressive reform. I will confront them in committee, on the floor and in conference. (Do I sound like Seuss yet?)

I'm glad you mentioned Dodd-Frank. I am furious. It is a poor-quality production, but here's what I had to say about it (before the bill was expanded to include even more rollbacks than when I recorded my comments): http://kirkhamforcongress.com/video-blog

You have a point. Allow me to retort.

The Democratic majority in the 116th Congress (if they don't blow it with their wishy-washy hand-wringing approach to the election) will be a slim one. A few aggressive Ds can force the party into action.

I will not be alone.

From coast to coast there are, at present, nearly 60 Justice Democrats pursuing these House seats. 11 of them are in D-lean or competitive districts without a challenge in the primaries. One of those is in TX.

Speaking of TX, 4 other Justice Democrats are in primary election runoffs in May.

There is a wave coming. It's not only the proverbial wave election, or the self-congratulatory Blue Wave the Dems think is coming. There will be, I predict, two dozen Justice Democrats elected to the House. That will be enough to challenge the party's business-as-usual approach.

I would probably be the most vocal and aggressive of that lot. I have so long been furious at the national party that they forced me to run for public office just to stop myself yelling at the radio/TV set.

First is to challenge the Democratic majority (assuming that's the case) in the House to adopt rules other than those under which Congress has been operating since the Gingrich era. Those rules protect a majority party as if it is a permanent majority, and create an atmosphere in which only the DONORS have access to lawmakers.

Health care is the #1 legislative priority. I favor single payer, or Medicare for All, but that is unlikely to get off the ground straight away.

What I propose is that the Public Option be re-inserted into the Affordable Care Act, administered by Medicare. Individuals in the marketplace may choose to purchase from Medicare, which will score their premium based on their FICA tax status. This will create downward pressure, immediately, on premiums inside the interstate insurance marketplace.