Saturday, March 31, 2012

March 2012 SWAC Breakfast ... Andy Schmookler, Democratic 6th District congressional candidate

Andy Schmookler, Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in the 6th District, was a guest speaker at the March SWAC Political Breakfast.

He addressed a diverse crowd of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, and shared his vision for the future of the 6th Congressional District.


Dr. Schmookler holds a degree from Harvard University and a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley, and is the author of several books.

Supporters wore Schmookler for Congress buttons.

SWAC Political Breakfast moderator Kurt Michael with Andy Schmookler.

After breakfast, April Schmookler talked with attendees.


Andy Schmookler was interviewed by WVIR NBC-29.


Other coverage of Schmookler's Saturday campaigning:
- NBC-29 report by Lindsey Lambert: Schmookler campaigns in Staunton
- Waynesboro News Virginian by Dustin Woolridge: Congressional candidate seeks the truth
- Staunton News Leader by Brad Zinn: Schmookler hopes to sway conservative Valley voters

Coming to the April 28 SWAC Political Breakfast: Guest speaker Congressman Bob Goodlatte

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
31 March 2012

2 comments:

Karen Kwiatkowski said...

I didn't realize that Andy's bumper stickers look a lot like Bob Goodlatte's! Blue background with white letters! Our campaign is about less government and more prosperity -- and our bumper stickers are red, white and blue -- just as you would expect! Thanks Lynn for putting on a great program, and your reporting!

Andy Schmookler said...

Hi, Karen. Andy Schmookler here. If your point with the "red, white and blue" is to raise the issue of patriotism, I'm with you on the importance of that in these troubled times.

With patriotism, it's important to look beyond the symbol to the real thing. A patriot is someone who is willing, when necessary, to sacrifice some of his or her own personal advantage for the good of the country.

From what I understand about your history, you showed that kind of patriotism back almost a decade ago. That was when, as a member of our military at a time when the Bush administration was lying to the country in taking America into a war in Iraq, you were willing to pay a personal cost to expose those lies.

It was our shared feeling about this appalling dishonesty on the part of out leaders that led to your having me as a guest several times on your radio shows.

I, too, am a patriot-- someone willing to sacrifice for the country I love. I'm running for Congress not out of any personal ambition for office, but because I see that the lying by that same political force (with some new faces) has not stopped, and that the American people are paying a price. So I've been willing to set aside the life I otherwise would have wanted to live in order to speak truth in the political arena.

By contrast, your opponent in the June 12 primary --our 20-year Republican incumbent-- seems to be willing to go along with an agenda that hurts the country in order to gain advantage for himself and his party.

Our democracy depends upon truthfulness in our public discourse, and it depends upon our having political leaders who put the good of the country ahead of their selfish interest.

So I wish you well in your primary race against Mr. Goodlatte.