VOTE Tuesday, May 5,
2009,
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the
Town Hall, Town Council election!
For special Election Day message, click
here.
April
29, 2009
Friends,
For
those of you who have been following this website during my previous
campaign for the 8th Congressional District seat, a brief
word of explanation. I will continue to use this website to
express my views on issues pertaining to war and peace, social justice,
and the environment. But for just the next few weeks, this
website will have a new and different, and more local, focus. In the
spirit of thinking globally, but acting locally, I am currently running
for a seat on the Town Council for the Town of
To
those of you who are seeking to know my views and qualifications to be
on the Town Council for the Town of
For
a more comprehensive view of my campaign
platform, please click here.
Peace,
Deborah
A. Vollmer
---
For
now, a shift in focus: I am running to be on the Town Council for
the Town of
April
27, 2009
Friends,
For
those of you who have been following this website during my previous
campaign for the 8th Congressional District seat, a brief
word of explanation. I will continue to use this website to
express my views on issues pertaining to war and peace, social justice,
and the environment. But for just the next few weeks, this
website will have a new and different, and more local, focus. In the
spirit of thinking globally, but acting locally, I am currently running
for a seat on the Town Council for the Town of
To
those of you who are seeking to know my views and qualifications to be
on the Town Council for the Town of
For
a more comprehensive view of my campaign
platform, please click here.
Peace,
Deborah
A. Vollmer
---
November
7, 2008
With the Election Now Behind Us, Some Thoughts--
Friends,
Election Day has come and gone, and I would like to thank those
of you who voted for me. For anyone wondering how we did in
terms of actual votes, the answer is that we really don’t know
yet! Write-in votes will be the very last votes to be tallied,
and although this may be a bit frustrating, it is not without good
reason. Whether cast on Tuesday on a touch screen voting machine,
or cast on paper as an absentee ballot, every write-in vote must be
looked at by actual human beings before being counted! That is
because the law pertaining to official write-in candidates is that,
when reviewing misspelled names and the like, the intention of the
voter in casting the vote is what governs. No machine can look at
these votes, and determine the intent; it takes the eye and the mind of
a human being to do this. It may be a week or two before we know just
how well the Vollmer for Congress Write-in campaign did, in terms of
votes.
But
this campaign was never just about vote totals. I knew when I
decided to run as a write-in candidate that there are many obstacles to
running this kind of a campaign. This campaign was just as much
about providing a platform to get out and speak to voters about the
issues—especially highlighting incumbent Congressman Van Hollen’s mixed
voting record on Iraq War funding—and his refusal to take a leadership
position within the House of Representatives to end this war, and bring
the troops home!
Over
the past months, I have spoken to voters one on one, at such places as
the Bethesda and Grosvenor Metro Stations, in the Town of Chevy
Chase, in Garrett Park, on the streets of Takoma Park, and in other
parts of Maryland’s 8th Congressional District.
Everywhere I have gone to meet and speak to voters, I have met
folks who agree with the primary message of this campaign—that we must
keep up the pressure on Congress to stop funding the tragic and
shameful war and occupation of Iraq, and bring the troops home!
The voters have had enough of seeing Americans come home in body bags,
and seeing others come home maimed terribly in body, mind and
spirit. The war and occupation has also exerted a terrible toll
on the Iraqi people, and their infrastructure. It is time to put
an end to this war, end the funding for it, and bring our troops home!
Every
time I talked to a voter, whether or not that voter told me that he or
she intended to vote for me, I saw that contact as being in some
measure successful, if the voter agreed with me on this issue, and
agreed that we must continue to speak out, if we are to end this
terrible war!
Chris
Van Hollen will serve as our representative in
This
message would be incomplete, without some mention of the historic
election this past Tuesday of the first African American President with
a multi-cultural background—who also happens to be a knowledgeable and
inspiring leader. I believe that Barack Obama is capable of being
one of our great Presidents—something we desperately need in this time
of war, and financial meltdown. But it will not be easy for him,
or for us. Obama was never our ideal peace candidate, although he
did make ending the war in
We must
mobilize now more than ever, to pressure Congress and our new
President-Elect
to
bring an immediate end to this tragic, illegal, and immoral War in Iraq—to
prevent a wider war with
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
November
4, 2008
Friends,
Election Day has finally arrived. Over the past months, I have
spoken to voters one on one, at such places as the Bethesda Metro
Station, in the Town of Chevy Chase, in Garrett Park, on the streets of
Takoma Park, and in other parts of Maryland’s 8th
Congressional District. Everywhere I have gone to meet and speak
to voters, I have met folks who agree with the primary message of
this campaign—that we must keep up the pressure on Congress to stop
funding the tragic and shameful war and occupation of Iraq, and bring
the troops home! The voters have had enough of seeing Americans
come home in body bags, and seeing others come home maimed terribly in
body, mind and spirit. The war and occupation has exerted a
terrible toll on the Iraqi people, and their infrastructure. It
is time to put an end to this war, end the funding for it, and bring
our troops home!
Many
folks have already cast absentee ballots. Others will be voting
today, November 4, Election Day, at their local polling places.
Our current incumbent Congressman is taking his anticipated victory for
granted. I believe that Chris Van Hollen is a good and decent
man, but he has failed to exercise his leadership to end the shameful
war and occupation of
In recent months, the looming national and international financial
crisis has diverted media attention from the critical issue of
Once
again, Mr. Van Hollen has followed his predictable pattern of voting
for
In the 8th Congressional District of Maryland, voters have a
choice. I represent one of those choices. In the Democratic
Primary last February, I received just over 11,000 votes, about 9.3% of
the votes cast. Now, in the general election, I am running as the
ultimate outsider—as an official write-in candidate. You will
have to work a little harder to cast your vote for me; my name won’t be
on your ballot; you will need to write in my name. But these
write-in votes for Deborah Vollmer will be counted.
Finally, just a word about casting a Write-in vote, if you do decide
that you want to vote for me. Please take a look at the page on
this website entitled “How do I cast a
Write-In Vote for Deborah” for a detailed explanation as to how to
cast a write-in vote, and also review your materials from the Board of
Elections on this subject. (Here is just a summary: there
is a way of calling up the image of a key board on the touch screen
voting machine, and you type in the name, and also follow the other
instructions you will be given.)
We must
mobilize now more than ever, to pressure Congress to bring an
immediate end to this tragic, illegal, and immoral War in
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
October 28,
2008
Friends,
We have just about a week to go, before the General Election, to be
held on November 4. Many folks have already cast, or are getting
ready to cast, absentee ballots. It is crunch time—and our
current incumbent Congressman is taking his anticipated victory for
granted. I believe that Chris Van Hollen is a good and decent
man, but he has failed to exercise his leadership on a very important
issue—ending the shameful war and occupation of
The
League of Women Voters, along with Friends of the Library, sponsored
the first, and only candidates’ forum for Maryland’s 8th
Congressional District (held October 2nd and sponsored by League of
Women Voters and Friends of the Rockville Library, available for viewing
online courtesy of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network).
Appearing at the forum were Bill Parsons, representing incumbent
Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D), Steve Hudson (R), Gordon Clark
(Green), Lih Young (Write-in), and myself (Write-in). The forum
may be seen online by clicking the link above, or you may see the
schedule for viewing it on MCT Cable 21 by clicking here.
Why do I spend so much time, trying to let people know about my
appearances on Cable television? Because mine is a self-funded
and very low budget, issue-oriented campaign, so I have gone out of my
way to accept every invitation that I have received from the cable
stations to give me an opportunity to get out the message of this
campaign. I am doing very little paid advertising in this
campaign, and I am not doing fundraising. This is partly because
frankly, I hate the whole process of fundraising; but running this
campaign the way I am is also a part of my message. I hope that
you will take the time to try to see both the 8th
Congressional District candidates debate, and the individual candidate
statements on Channel 21.
Let
me get back to the basic message of my campaign. In recent
months, the looming national and international financial crisis
has diverted media attention from the critical issue of
Once
again, Mr. Van Hollen has followed his predictable pattern of voting
for
In the 8th Congressional District of Maryland, voters will
have a choice. I represent one of those choices. In the
Democratic Primary, I received just over 11,000 votes, about 9.3% of
the votes cast. Now, in the general election, I am running as the
ultimate outsider—as an official write-in candidate. You will
have to work a little harder to cast your vote for me; my name won’t be
on your ballot; you will need to write in my name. But these
write-in votes for Deborah Vollmer will be counted.
As Election Day approaches, many folks are wondering whether they want
to go to the polls at their local polling place on November 4, and vote
on the electronic touchscreen machines, or to vote absentee. It
is my personal preference to vote on paper; despite assurances from
local election officials, I am not sure that I trust the reliability
and accuracy of the machines. There is a variation on absentee
voting that many people are unaware of; if you wish to vote absentee in
a one-stop process, you can vote at the
central county election board office in person. You can do
this now. In
Finally, just a word about casting a Write-in vote, if you do decide
that you want to vote for me. Please take a look at the page on
this website entitled “How do I cast a
Write-In Vote for Deborah” for a detailed explanation as to how to
cast a write-in vote, and also review your materials from the Board of
Elections on this subject. (Here is just a summary: if you
are voting absentee, you must fill in the oval by the words Write-In,
and then write in my name. If you are voting on November 4 on the
machine, there is a way of calling up the image of a key board on the
touchscreen, and you type in the name, and also follow the other
instructions you will be given.)
We must
mobilize now more than ever, to pressure Congress to bring an immediate end to this tragic,
illegal, and immoral War in
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
October 4, 2008
in the First and Only Scheduled Debate, Van Hollen Fails to
Show Up!
Friends,
The
League of Women Voters, along with Friends of the Library, sponsored
the first, and so far only scheduled, candidates’ forum for Maryland’s 8th
Congressional District (held October 2nd and sponsored by League of
Women Voters and Friends of the Rockville Library, available for viewing
online courtesy of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network).
Appearing at the forum were Bill Parsons, representing incumbent
Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D), Steve Hudson (R), Gordon Clark
(Green), Lih Young (Write-in), and myself (Write-in). The forum
may be seen online by clicking the link above, or you may see the
schedule for viewing it on MCT Cable 21 by clicking here.
Citing
“unforeseen events surrounding the financial crisis” necessitating
votes “to be followed by an emergency caucus meeting to discuss the
economic rescue legislation” Mr. Van Hollen failed to appear at the
debate, and instead sent a representative. While it is
appropriate to give a sitting Congressman a certain amount of deference
in these matters, many in the audience attending the forum questioned
whether Van Hollen really had good reason to fail to appear—or was glad
for a convenient excuse not to attend.
In
any event, the voters in the 8th Congressional District
deserve the opportunity to listen to all the candidates in a Debate
format. I call on Mr. Van Hollen to make himself available to
participating in another debate, in these remaining weeks before
Election Day. And I call on the other candidates, and on
organizations in
With regard to the financial crisis, let me note here that I take issue
with Chris Van Hollen’s vote for the bail-out of Wall Street, which
took place on Monday, September 29, as well as his vote on Friday,
October 3, for the latest version of this bill. We do need
legislation on this issue, but we need a totally different approach,
one taken by U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich, and Senator Bernie
Sanders. We need to take on directly the issue of providing
relief to ordinary people facing home foreclosures, and drowning in
credit card debt, instead of providing relief to the thieves on Wall
Street with no accompanying accountability. We need to stop
providing welfare for the banks and other corporations, while ordinary
citizens are left to struggle on their own. I opposed the
bail-out bill that Congress failed to pass last Monday, September 29,
and I oppose the new version, which was just passed, as well.
Let me also note that the financial crisis has diverted media attention
from the critical issue of
Once
again, Mr. Van Hollen has followed his predictable pattern of voting
for
In the 8th Congressional District of Maryland, voters will
have a choice. I represent one of those choices. In the
Democratic Primary, I received just over 11,000 votes, about 9.3% of
the votes cast. Now, in the general election, I am running as the
ultimate outsider—as an official write-in candidate. You will
have to work a little harder to cast your vote for me; my name won’t be
on your ballot; you will need to write in my name. But these
write-in votes for Deborah Vollmer will be counted.
We must
mobilize now more than ever, to pressure Congress to bring an immediate
end to this tragic, illegal, and immoral War in
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
October 3, 2008
Friends,
The
League of Women Voters, along with Friends of the Library, sponsored
the first, and so far only scheduled, candidates’ forum for
Maryland’s 8th
Congressional District (held October 2nd and sponsored by League of
Women Voters and Friends of the Rockville Library, available for viewing
online courtesy of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network). Citing
“unforeseen events surrounding
the
financial crisis” necessitating votes “to be followed by an emergency
caucus meeting to discuss the economic rescue legislation” Mr. Van
Hollen failed to appear at the debate, and instead sent a
representative. While it is appropriate to give a sitting
Congressman a certain amount of deference in these matters, many in the
audience attending the forum questioned whether Van Hollen really had
good reason to fail to appear—or was glad for a convenient excuse not
to attend. In any event, the voters in the 8th
Congressional District deserve the opportunity to listen to all the
candidates in a Debate format. I call on Mr. Van Hollen to make
himself available to participating in another debate, in these
remaining weeks before Election Day. And I call on the other
candidates, and on organizations in
With regard to the financial crisis, let me note here that I take issue
with Chris Van Hollen’s vote for the bail-out of Wall Street, which
took place last Monday, as well as his vote today for the latest
version of this bill. We do need legislation on this issue, but
we need a totally different approach, one taken by U.S. Representative
Dennis Kucinich, and Senator Bernie Sanders. We need to take on
directly the issue of providing relief to ordinary people facing home
foreclosures, and drowning in credit card debt, instead of providing
relief to the thieves on Wall Street with no accompanying
accountability. We need to stop providing welfare for the banks
and other corporations, while ordinary citizens are left to struggle on
their own. I opposed the bail-out bill that Congress failed to
pass last Monday, and I oppose the new version as well.
Let me also note that the financial crisis has diverted media attention
from the critical issue of
In the 8th Congressional District of Maryland, voters will
have a choice. I represent one of those choices. In the
Democratic Primary, I received just over 11,000 votes, about 9.3% of
the votes cast. Now, in the general election, I am running as the
ultimate outsider—as an official write-in candidate. You will
have to work a little harder to cast your vote for me; my name won’t be
on your ballot; you will need to write in my name. But these
write-in votes for Deborah Vollmer will be counted.
We must
mobilize now more than ever, to pressure Congress to bring an immediate
end to this tragic, illegal, and immoral War in
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
September 18,
2008
Friends,
The two major parties, the Democrats and Republicans, have had their
conventions, and chosen their candidates for President and Vice
President. I have yet to decide who I will be voting for for
President in November. Let me be clear about my thought
process: I do think that Barack Obama is an appealing choice for
many reasons, and I fear what the election of John McCain to the
Presidency would mean for our country. But I am concerned that
Obama seems to be moving to the right; he is not the peace candidate
that many of us had hoped for, although his lukewarm opposition to the
Iraq War is clearly a better position than is that of John McCain, who
supports the war. Obama would send more troops to Afghanistan, a
move that I oppose. And on the domestic front, Obama voted for
giving the telecoms immunity. And I live in a strong “blue”
State,
In the 8th Congressional District of Maryland, voters will
also have a choice. In addition to the candidates of the major
parties, Chris Van Hollen, Democrat, and our incumbent Congressman, and
Steve Hudson, Republican, there will be other candidates running,
including Gordon Clark of the Green Party, and Libertarian Ian
Thomas. There will also be one or more candidates running who are
official write-in candidates, myself included.
In a previous Message to Supporters, I urged folks to work within your
organizations to have them sponsor candidate debates for the 8th
Congressional District. The League of Women Voters and the
My own campaign is based on my opposition to certain positions that our
incumbent Congressman, Chris Van Hollen, has taken, most notably
with regard to his mixed voting record with regard to continued funding
for the Iraq War, and his signing on as a co-sponsor to House
Concurrent Resolution 362, adding to the drumbeats for war with Iran.
I have spent most of my time and effort in these messages on focusing
on urging Chris Van Hollen and others in Congress to use Congress’s
power of the purse to end the war in
It has frankly come as a bit of a shock to me that Chris Van Hollen,
who had seemed to be moving in a somewhat better direction on the issue
of Iraq War funding than he had been, by casting some significant votes
against funding—has now signed on as a co-sponsor to H. Con Res 362.
The resolution calls upon President Bush to increase economic,
political, and diplomatic pressure on
I urge folks to contact Chris Van Hollen’s office (you can reach his
office through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121) and let him
know that you want him to REMOVE his name as a co-sponsor of H. Con.
Res. 362—and you want him to vote NO on the resolution when it comes to
the floor of the House. And when you make your call, you just
might remind him that you have the option to vote for someone else to
be your Congressman this November. (That could, for example, be a
write-in vote for Deborah Vollmer, or a vote for Green Party candidate
Gordon Clark, or Libertarian candidate Ian Thomas.)
We must
mobilize now more than ever, to pressure Congress to bring an immediate
end to this tragic, illegal, and immoral War in
The voters
deserve the opportunity to hear from all of the candidates in
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
August 8, 2008
Friends,
While citizens across this nation continue to focus attention on
the upcoming Presidential elections, Congress has gone on its summer
recess. The two major parties will be having their conventions,
and then we will undoubtedly see a series of debates among the
Presidential candidates. Hopefully, those debates will include
not only the Democratic Party candidate Barak Obama, and Republican
John McCain, but also independent and third-party alternatives
including Cynthia McKinney (Green), Bob Barr (Libertarian), and Ralph
Nader (independent). The people of this country deserve the
opportunity to hear from all the candidates.
In the 8th Congressional District of Maryland, voters will
also have a choice. In addition to the candidates of the major
parties, Chris Van Hollen, Democrat, and our incumbent Congressman, and
Steve Hudson, Republican, there will be other candidates running,
including Gordon Clark of the Green Party, and Libertarian Ian
Thomas.
There will also be one or more candidates running who are official
write-in candidates, myself included.
My own campaign is based on my opposition to certain positions that our
incumbent Congressman, Chris Van Hollen, has taken, most notably
with regard to his mixed voting record with regard to continued funding
for the Iraq War, and his signing on as a co-sponsor to House
Concurrent Resolution 362, adding to the drumbeats for war with Iran.
I have spent most of my time and effort in these messages on focusing
on urging Chris Van Hollen and others in Congress to use Congress’s
power of the purse to end the war in
It has frankly come as a bit of a shock to me that Chris Van Hollen,
who had seemed to be moving in a somewhat better direction on the issue
of Iraq War funding than he had been, by casting some significant votes
against funding—has now signed on as a co-sponsor to H. Con Res 362.
The resolution calls upon President Bush to increase economic,
political, and diplomatic pressure on
Contact Chris Van Hollen’s office (you can reach his office through the
Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121) and let him know that you want him
to REMOVE his name as a co-sponsor of H. Con. Res. 362—and you want him
to vote NO on the resolution when it comes to the floor of the
House. And when you make your call, you just might remind him
that you have the option to vote for someone else to be your
Congressman this November. (That could, for example, be a
write-in vote for Deborah Vollmer, or a vote for Green Party candidate
Gordon Clark.)
For my assessment of Chris Van Hollen’s recent votes on
We must
mobilize now more than ever, to pressure Congress to bring an immediate
end to this tragic, illegal, and immoral War in
As the
Presidential candidates prepare to debate the issues on the national
stage, we should also mobilize to have full debates here in the 8th
Congressional District. These debates should include all of the
candidates running, including the official write-in candidates.
You can help. If you are a member of an organization that might
be willing to sponsor a Congressional Candidates debate for
The voters
deserve the opportunity to hear from all of the candidates in
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
June 26, 2008
Friends,
I have spent most of my time and effort in these messages on focusing
on urging Chris Van Hollen and others in Congress to use Congress’s
power of the purse to end the war in
It has frankly come as a bit of a shock to me that Chris Van Hollen,
who had seemed to be moving in a somewhat better direction on the issue
of Iraq War funding than he had been, by casting some significant votes
against funding—has now signed on as a co-sponsor to H. Con Res 362.
The resolution calls upon President Bush to increase economic,
political, and diplomatic pressure on
Contact Chris Van Hollen’s office (you can reach his office through the
Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121) and let him know that you want him
to REMOVE his name as a co-sponsor of H. Con. Res. 362—and you want him
to vote NO on the resolution when it comes to the floor of the
House. And when you make your call, you just might remind him
that you have the option to vote for someone else to be your
Congressman this November. (That could be a write-in vote for
Deborah Vollmer, or a vote for Green Party candidate Gordon Clark.)
For my assessment of Chris Van Hollen’s recent votes on
We must
mobilize now more than ever, to pressure Congress to bring an immediate
end to this tragic, illegal, and immoral War in
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
June 23, 2008
Friends,
Last week Chris Van Hollen cast two important principled votes:
he voted on Thursday, June 19, against giving President Bush an
additional $162 billion dollars for the wars in
In both instances, President Bush got what he wanted, and in both
instances, he was opposed by a majority of the Democrats.
Republicans and some Democrats managed to pass both the war funding
bill, and the telecommunications bill over the opposition of the
majority of the Democrats. The vote on the
On the telecoms immunity bill the vote was 293 Yea (105 Democrats and
188 Republicans), 129 Nay (128 Democrats and 1 Republican), and 13 not
voting (3 Democrats and 10 Republicans).
So thank you, Chris Van Hollen—but honestly, for a progressive member
of the House representing a progressive district—and in a position in
the leadership as Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee, we expect more! As a whole, the Democratic Party
continues to act as an enabler for President Bush and his
policies. We expect you, Chris Van Hollen, to do more to exert
your leadership within the Democratic Party, to bring about needed
change. You can do it, and your constituents will support you if
you do. It is time to bring an end to the horrible war in
To folks reading this Message on my website: if you agree with
the above, please contact Chris Van Hollen and let him know.
There is an election coming up, and though he holds what has come to be
regarded as a safe seat, he really needs to earn the support of his
constituents, if he wants to stay in office. It is to his credit
that he voted the way he did on those two important votes last week,
but we expect him to do more.
After winning over eleven thousand votes in the Democratic Primary in
February, I have decided to stay in the race in the General Election,
as a write-in candidate. I am doing this to keep the pressure on
Mr. Van Hollen, because he has yet to use his leadership position to
pressure his colleagues to end the funding for the
As
a write-in candidate, I don’t really expect to win the 8th
Congressional District seat. But I do intend to stay in the
debate, and keep pushing Mr. Van Hollen to take a more active role in
using his leadership position among the Democrats in the House of
Representatives to end the funding for this war, and bring the troops
home. I will criticize his actions when he fails to use his
leadership to oppose this war, and I will give him credit when he does
the right thing.
In a previous
Message to Supporters, I took the occasion to congratulate Mr. Van
Hollen for his vote against the 162.5 billion dollar funding measure
for the
Van Hollen
did the right thing on May 15; he voted against further funding for the
A recent vote
on a budget bill, which received very little notice in the mainstream
media, suggests the problem; Van Hollen still refuses to take a
leadership position in ending funding for the
Then we have
the two latest votes against
It is more
important than ever that we keep the pressure on Van Hollen, and thank
him when he does vote against funding for the
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
June 5, 2008
Friends,
After winning over eleven thousand votes in the Democratic Primary in
February, I have decided to stay in the race in the General Election,
as a write-in candidate. I am doing this to keep the pressure on
Mr. Van Hollen, because he has yet to use his leadership position to
pressure his colleagues to end the funding for the
As
a write-in candidate, I don’t really expect to win the 8th
Congressional District seat. But I do intend to stay in the
debate, and keep pushing Mr. Van Hollen to take a more active role in
using his leadership position among the Democrats in the House of
Representatives to end the funding for this war, and bring the troops
home. I will criticize his actions when he fails to use his
leadership to oppose this war, and I will give him credit when he does
the right thing.
In my
previous Message to Supporters, I took the occasion to congratulate Mr.
Van Hollen for his vote against the 162.5 billion dollar funding
measure for the
Van Hollen
did the right thing on May 15; he voted against further funding for the
A more recent
vote, which received very little notice in the mainstream media,
suggests the problem; Van Hollen still refuses to take a leadership
position in ending funding for the Iraq War. On May 22, 2008, Van
Hollen voted for H.R. 5658, the 2009 Military Budget, authorizing a
$601 billion dollar military budget for fiscal 2009. The vote was
384 to 23. The bill included $70 billion dollars to fund the Wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan, and although it contained some provisions
which anti-war advocates support (such as providing that there will be
no permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq), it is my opinion that he
should have voted No.
It is more
important than ever that we keep the pressure on Van Hollen, and thank
him when he does vote against funding for the
We
must mobilize now more than ever, to pressure Congress to bring an
immediate end to this tragic, illegal, and immoral War in
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
May 19, 2008
Friends,
After winning over eleven thousand votes in the Democratic Primary in
February, I have decided to stay in the race in the General Election,
as a write-in candidate. Mr. Van Hollen’s voting record on the
funding for the
I would like
to take this occasion to congratulate Mr. Van Hollen for his vote
against the 162.5 billion dollar funding measure for the
Van Hollen
did the right thing; he voted against further funding for the
It was good
that Chris Van Hollen voted No on the
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
March 19, 2008
Friends,
This week, and today in particular, marks the fifth anniversary of the
United States invasion and occupation of Iraq—a war based on
manufactured intelligence, which has led to the death of thousands of
Americans; to the maiming in body, mind, and spirit of thousands more;
and to the deaths of, and injuries to many more tens of thousands of
Iraqi citizens—deaths and injuries which in number exceed any count
likely to be given by our own U.S. Government. (Estimates of the
total number of Iraqi war dead vary, but the figure may well be in
excess of 100,000.) We have destroyed the infrastructure of
This week, demonstrators against the war have been, are, and will
continue to hit the streets, in an exercise of their First Amendment
freedoms, in their efforts to bring the attention of the wider public
and of the elected officials to this sad anniversary, and this ongoing
senseless, tragic, and destructive war. I will be joining them.
This week also, Amy Goodman is broadcasting every morning on Democracy
Now (WPFW Radio, 89.3 FM) the Winter Soldier hearings, which were held
at the
I will continue to demonstrate with others in the street, but I am also
raising my voice in another way: I am running for Congress as a
write-in candidate.
On February 19, I went to
The
vote totals from the Democratic Primary for the 8th
Congressional District seat in
I want to thank the over 11,000 people who voted for me in this
Democratic Primary Election. And I congratulate Chris Van Hollen
for his victory in the Democratic Primary. But I want to also
caution Mr. Van Hollen that we are not done with this particular
campaign yet. The issues are too important for me to walk away
now, and stop talking about our differences on the issues—especially
with regard to the war in
As
a write-in candidate for the 8th Congressional District
seat, I hope that I will be invited to candidate forums and debates,
and to fill out candidate questionnaires, and to speak to
organizations, and I hope that the media will pay some attention to the
candidacy of a former challenger in the Democratic Primary who
obtained over 11,000 votes in a campaign involving no fundraising, and
no paid advertising, and which pushed the message that the voters in
the 8th Congressional District of Maryland want a
representative who will take an active role in taking the leadership in
Congress to end Congressional funding for the Iraq War, and bring the
troops home NOW!
I
am aware that write-in candidates rarely win elections, but that there
is always that possibility. As a write-in candidate, I am running
as the ultimate outsider—not as a Democrat; Chris Van Hollen won the
Democratic nomination, but as an individual person, with my own
independent voice. In the admittedly unlikely event that I might
win the 8th Congressional District seat in the General
Election, I would caucus with the Progressive Caucus in Congress.
To win any votes at all, I must do whatever I can to let people know
that if they wish to vote for me, they must write my name onto the
ballot. This will be no easy task, so I am looking to people
reading this to help me spread the word about this write-in
campaign. Help me let people know that they have a choice in this
election, but that if they want to vote for me, they will need to write
in my name!
Why
do this at all, one might ask? I am aware that as a write-in
candidate, I have a real opportunity to keep pushing the debate on the
issue of the
There
is also in this race a Green Party candidate—Gordon Clark—who has a
powerful message of opposing the war and working to stop global climate
change. Nearly eight months for a Green Party candidate to
develop a campaign and present his message. I don’t know how
strong a candidate Gordon will be; I consider him to be a friend, and
we agree on many of the issues. I am not prepared to endorse him
at this time, but we shall see.
Meanwhile,
I invite voters who are disappointed in Chris Van Hollen for his
failure to take a leadership position in cutting Congressional funding
for the Iraq war, to look at all of their options. Another
option, for those of you who are reluctant to abandon support for a
popular Democratic incumbent, but are unhappy with Van Hollen’s
positions, would be to contact Mr. Van Hollen, and let him know that
you are disappointed, and that you are considering other options in
this Election, if he does not reverse course and take leadership in
ending this war! A pledge from Van Hollen to vote for no more
funding for the war and to join the Out of
For
those of you looking at this website for the first time, here are some
of the issues that were central to my campaign, in this just-finished
Democratic Primary Election.
ON
ON
ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE—While Chris Van Hollen does have a better record on
this issue than some, I would like to see him come out more strongly in
support of the rights of Palestinians living under conditions of
occupation. In the long run, I believe that
ON CIVIL LIBERTIES—I am for protecting our precious civil
liberties. I oppose the
ON IMPEACHMENT—I support Dennis Kucinich’s resolution for
impeachment. Impeach Cheney first, and then Bush. What
message do we send to future generations and future Presidents if we do
not impeach these two, for what they have done to our nation? Van
Hollen is on the record as opposing efforts to impeach Bush and Cheney.
ON HEALTH CARE—In fairness to Chris Van Hollen, he does agree with me
that all Americans should have health care coverage. But we
disagree on the means. Van Hollen would reform the current
system, but keep the health insurance companies in the system. I
favor universal, single-payer health care, which eliminates the health
insurance companies from the system and provides individuals with high
quality health care, with a choice of health care providers, that is
publicly financed: Medicare for All. I support legislation
sponsored by John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich for universal,
single-payer health care. Van Hollen has refused to sign on to
this legislation.
THE
In a democracy, the voters have a choice. You have the option of
voting for the incumbent. But you do not have to vote for the
incumbent, if you do not feel that he is representing you. You do
have a choice. And I hope that you will consider writing in my
name for the 8th Congressional District seat this November!
Deborah A. Vollmer
March 11, 2008
Friends,
On February 19, I went to
Most of the votes have now been counted in the
The totals are not final, but at this point, the votes in the
Democratic Primary have been tallied as follows: Van
Hollen: 104,108 votes (87.8%), Vollmer: 11,052 votes (9.3 %), and
Young: 3391 (2.9%).
I want to thank the over 11,000 people who voted for me in this
Democratic Primary Election. And I congratulate Chris Van Hollen
for his victory in the Democratic Primary. But I want to also
caution Mr. Van Hollen that we are not done with this particular
campaign yet. The issues are too important for me to walk away
now, and stop talking about our differences on the issues—especially
with regard to the war in
As
a write-in candidate for the 8th Congressional District
seat, I hope that I will be invited to candidate forums and debates,
and to fill out candidate questionnaires, and to speak to
organizations, and I hope that the media will pay some attention to the
candidacy of a former challenger in the Democratic Primary who
obtained over 11,000 votes in a campaign involving no fundraising, and
no paid advertising, and which pushed the message that the voters in
the 8th Congressional District of Maryland want a
representative who will take an active role in taking the leadership in
Congress to end Congressional funding for the Iraq War, and bring the
troops home NOW!
I
am aware that write-in candidates rarely win elections, but that there
is always that possibility. As a write-in candidate, I am running
as the ultimate outsider—not as a Democrat; Chris Van Hollen won the
Democratic nomination, but as an individual person, with my own
independent voice. In the admittedly unlikely event that I might
win the 8th Congressional District seat in the General
Election, I would caucus with the Progressive Caucus in Congress.
To win any votes at all, I must do whatever I can to let people know
that if they wish to vote for me, they must write my name onto the
ballot. This will be no easy task, so I am looking to people
reading this to help me spread the word about this write-in
campaign. Help me let people know that they have a choice in this
election, but that if they want to vote for me, they will need to write
in my name!
Why
do this at all, one might ask? I am aware that as a write-in
candidate, I have a real opportunity to keep pushing the debate on the
issue of the
There
is also in this race a Green Party candidate—Gordon Clark—who has a
powerful message of opposing the war and working to stop global climate
change. Nearly eight months for a Green Party candidate to
develop a campaign and present his message. I don’t know how
strong a candidate Gordon will be; I consider him to be a friend, and
we agree on many of the issues. I am not prepared to endorse him
at this time, but we shall see.
Meanwhile,
I invite voters who are disappointed in Chris Van Hollen for his
failure to take a leadership position in cutting Congressional funding
for the Iraq war, to look at all of their options. Another
option, for those of you who are reluctant to abandon support for a
popular Democratic incumbent, but are unhappy with Van Hollen’s
positions, would be to contact Mr. Van Hollen, and let him know that
you are disappointed, and that you are considering other options in
this Election, if he does not reverse course and take leadership in
ending this war! A pledge from Van Hollen to vote for no more
funding for the war and to join the Out of
For
those of you looking at this website for the first time, here are some
of the issues that were central to my campaign, in this just-finished
Democratic Primary Election.
ON
ON
ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE—While Chris Van Hollen does have a better record on
this issue than some, I would like to see him come out more strongly in
support of the rights of Palestinians living under conditions of
occupation. In the long run, I believe that
ON CIVIL LIBERTIES—I am for protecting our precious civil
liberties. I oppose the
ON IMPEACHMENT—I support Dennis Kucinich’s resolution for
impeachment. Impeach Cheney first, and then Bush. What
message do we send to future generations and future Presidents if we do
not impeach these two, for what they have done to our nation? Van
Hollen is on the record as opposing efforts to impeach Bush and Cheney.
ON HEALTH CARE—In fairness to Chris Van Hollen, he does agree with me
that all Americans should have health care coverage. But we
disagree on the means. Van Hollen would reform the current
system, but keep the health insurance companies in the system. I
favor universal, single-payer health care, which eliminates the health
insurance companies from the system and provides individuals with high
quality health care, with a choice of health care providers, that is
publicly financed: Medicare for All. I support legislation
sponsored by John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich for universal,
single-payer health care. Van Hollen has refused to sign on to
this legislation.
THE
In a democracy, the voters have a choice. You have the option of voting for the incumbent. But you do not have to vote for the incumbent, if you do not feel that he is representing you. You do have a choice. And I hope that you will consider writing in my name for the 8th Congressional District seat this November!
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
February 20,
2008
Friends,
Yesterday, I went to
Most of the votes have now been counted in the
The totals are not final, and do not include the provisional
ballots. But at this point, the votes in the Democratic Primary
have been tallied as follows: Van Hollen: 100,417 votes
(88.0 %), Vollmer: 10,490 votes (9.2 %), and Young: 3200 (2.8%).
I want to thank the over 10,000 people who voted for me in this
Democratic Primary Election. And I congratulate Chris Van Hollen
for his victory in the Democratic Primary. But I want to also
caution Mr. Van Hollen that we are not done with this particular
campaign yet. The issues are too important for me to walk away
now, and stop talking about our differences on the issues—especially
with regard to the war in
As
a write-in candidate for the 8th Congressional District
seat, I hope that I will be invited to candidate forums and debates,
and that the media will pay some attention to the candidacy of a
former challenger in the Democratic Primary who obtained over 10,000
votes in a campaign involving no fundraising, and no paid advertising,
and which pushed the message that the voters in the 8th
Congressional District of Maryland want a representative who will take
an active role in taking the leadership in Congress to end
Congressional funding for the Iraq War, and bring the troops home
NOW!
I
am aware that write-in candidates rarely win elections, but that there
is always that possibility. I am also aware that as a write-in
candidate, I may not win, but that I have a real opportunity to keep
pushing the debate on the issue of the
Meanwhile,
I invite voters who are disappointed in Chris Van Hollen for his
failure to take a leadership position in cutting Congressional funding
for the Iraq war, to look at all of their options. Another
option, for those of you who are reluctant to abandon support for a
popular Democratic incumbent, but are unhappy with Van Hollen’s
positions, would be to contact Mr. Van Hollen, and let him know that
you are disappointed, and that you are considering other options in
this Election, if he does not reverse course and take leadership in
ending this war! A pledge from Van Hollen to vote for no more
funding for the war and to join the Out of
For
those of you looking at this website for the first time, here are some
of the issues that were central to my campaign, in this just-finished
Democratic Primary Election.
ON
ON
ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE—While Chris Van Hollen does have a better record on
this issue than some, I would like to see him come out more strongly in
support of the rights of Palestinians living under conditions of
occupation. In the long run, I believe that
ON CIVIL LIBERTIES—I am for protecting our precious civil
liberties. I oppose the
ON IMPEACHMENT—I support Dennis Kucinich’s resolution for
impeachment. Impeach Cheney first, and then Bush. What
message do we send to future generations and future Presidents if we do
not impeach these two, for what they have done to our nation? Van
Hollen is on the record as opposing efforts to impeach Bush and Cheney.
ON HEALTH CARE—In fairness to Chris Van Hollen, he does agree with me
that all Americans should have health care coverage. But we
disagree on the means. Van Hollen would reform the current
system, but keep the health insurance companies in the system. I
favor universal, single-payer health care, which eliminates the health
insurance companies from the system and provides individuals with high
quality health care, with a choice of health care providers, that is
publicly financed: Medicare for All. I support legislation
sponsored by John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich for universal,
single-payer health care. Van Hollen has refused to sign on to
this legislation.
THE
In a democracy, the voters have a choice. You have the option of voting for the incumbent. But you do not have to vote for the incumbent, if you do not feel that he is representing you. You do have a choice. And I hope that you will consider writing in my name for the 8th Congressional District seat this November!
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
February 15,
2008
Friends,
Most of the votes have now been counted in the
The totals are not final, and do not include the absentee ballots and
provisional ballots. But at this point, the votes in the
Democratic Primary have been tallied as follows: Van
Hollen: 93,932 votes (87.8 %), Vollmer: 9,991 votes (9.3 %), and
Young: 3059 (2.9%).
I want to thank what will surely amount to over 10,000 people who voted
for me in this Democratic Primary Election. And I congratulate
Chris Van Hollen for his victory in the Democratic Primary. But I
want to also caution Mr. Van Hollen that we may not be done with this
particular campaign yet. The issues are too important for me to
walk away now, and stop talking about our differences on the
issues—especially with regard to the war in
For
those of you looking at this website for the first time, here are some
of the issues that were central to my campaign, in this just-finished
Democratic Primary Election.
ON
ON
ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE—While Chris Van Hollen does have a better record on
this issue than some, I would like to see him come out more strongly in
support of the rights of Palestinians living under conditions of
occupation. In the long run, I believe that
ON CIVIL LIBERTIES—I am for protecting our precious civil
liberties. I oppose the
ON IMPEACHMENT—I support Dennis Kucinich’s resolution for
impeachment. Impeach Cheney first, and then Bush. What
message do we send to future generations and future Presidents if we do
not impeach these two, for what they have done to our nation? Van
Hollen is on the record as opposing efforts to impeach Bush and Cheney.
ON HEALTH CARE—In fairness to Chris Van Hollen, he does agree with me
that all Americans should have health care coverage. But we
disagree on the means. Van Hollen would reform the current
system, but keep the health insurance companies in the system. I
favor universal, single-payer health care, which eliminates the health
insurance companies from the system and provides individuals with high
quality health care, with a choice of health care providers, that is
publicly financed: Medicare for All. I support legislation
sponsored by John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich for universal,
single-payer health care. Van Hollen has refused to sign on to
this legislation.
THE
I
am doing some serious thinking about how we might consider keeping
these and other issues, front and center in the debate in the General
Election. I will consider your input, as I weigh my options.
Please refer to the page Status of Campaign:
Next Steps.
Whatever
decision I reach regarding next steps, I do want to take this
opportunity to thank the over 10,000 voters in the Democratic Primary,
who voted on February 12 for Vollmer for Congress! THANK YOU!!!
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
January 31,
2008
Friends,
It is not always easy to track the various votes in Congress on
Just a few days ago on Sunday afternoon (January 27),
Over the last couple of weeks, and especially over the last
couple of days, this campaign for Congress has picked up new energy!
My videotape on
Also on the campaign publicity front, the Montgomery County Sentinel
published a feature article about the Vollmer for Congress campaign,
and also in the same newspaper, printed my letter to the editor on the
subject of my campaign! The article appears in the hardcopy
edition of the Sentinel which came out of Thursday January
24. (The Sentinel comes out once a week, on Thursday,
and is available at some news stands and libraries.) The article
also appears on the Sentinel’s website, and we have linked to
it here on this website.
In other campaign news, I have received the endorsement of the
Here are some of my positions on some of the issues of concern to
voters for peace, social justice, and the environment. On some of
these issues, the differences that I have with incumbent Chris Van
Hollen are slight; on some of the issues, our differences are major.
ON
ON
ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE—While Chris Van Hollen does have a better record on
this issue than some, I would like to see him come out more strongly in
support of the rights of Palestinians living under conditions of
occupation. In the long run, I believe that
ON CIVIL LIBERTIES—I am for protecting our precious civil
liberties. I oppose the
ON IMPEACHMENT—I support Dennis Kucinich’s resolution for
impeachment. Impeach Cheney first, and then Bush. What
message do we send to future generations and future Presidents if we do
not impeach these two, for what they have done to our nation? Van
Hollen is on the record as opposing efforts to impeach Bush and Cheney.
ON HEALTH CARE—In fairness to Chris Van Hollen, he does agree with me
that all Americans should have health care coverage. But we
disagree on the means. Van Hollen would reform the current
system, but keep the health insurance companies in the system. I
favor universal, single-payer health care, which eliminates the health
insurance companies from the system and provides individuals with high
quality health care, with a choice of health care providers, that is
publicly financed: Medicare for All. I support legislation
sponsored by John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich for universal,
single-payer health care. Van Hollen has refused to sign on to
this legislation.
THE
PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS MESSAGE BY E-MAIL TO PROGRESSIVE VOTERS IN
For
further information, please see my website at http://www.deborahvollmer.com.
See especially these pages on my website: Status of the
Campaign, and What You Can Do to Help, and Upcoming Forums and
Events.
Again, please circulate this message, far and wide. We are not
doing fundraising in this campaign, and e-mail is one of those means
that we do have to reach the voters! Thanks!
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
Friends,
Over the last couple of weeks, and especially over the last
couple of days, this campaign for Congress has picked up new energy!
Last Thursday, I did my videotaped four-minute spot at the studio of
On Saturday, January 12, I joined John Nirenberg, in his march to
On Sunday, I attended a memorial service in Garrett Park for a great
lady—Ethel Lubarsky, a long-time activist with the Gray Panthers, and a
friend. Family members and friends shared memories of Ethel and
her social activism, and we sang “There Once Was a Union Maid,” and
other songs. Ethel Lubarsky was a wonderful person, and a
persistent activist for peace, universal health care, and social
justice. She will be missed.
On Sunday, January 27,
Here are some of my positions on some of the issues of concern to
voters for peace, social justice, and the environment. On some of
these issues, the differences that I have with incumbent Chris Van
Hollen are slight; on some of the issues, our differences are major.
ON
ON
ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE—While Chris Van Hollen does have a better record on
this issue than some, I would like to see him come out more strongly in
support of the rights of Palestinians living under conditions of
occupation. In the long run, I believe that
ON CIVIL LIBERTIES—I am for protecting our precious civil
liberties. I oppose the
ON IMPEACHMENT—I support Dennis Kucinich’s resolution for
impeachment. Impeach Cheney first, and then Bush. What
message do we send to future generations and future Presidents if we do
not impeach these two, for what they have done to our nation? Van
Hollen is on the record as opposing efforts to impeach Bush and Cheney.
ON HEALTH CARE—In fairness to Chris Van Hollen, he does agree with me
that all Americans should have health care coverage. But we
disagree on the means. Van Hollen would reform the current
system, but keep the health insurance companies in the system. I
favor universal, single-payer health care, which eliminates the health
insurance companies from the system and provides individuals with high
quality health care, with a choice of health care providers, that is
publicly financed: Medicare for All. I support legislation
sponsored by John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich for universal,
single-payer health care. Van Hollen has refused to sign on to
this legislation.
THE
PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS MESSAGE BY E-MAIL TO PROGRESSIVE VOTERS IN
For
further information, please see my website at http://www.deborahvollmer.com.
See especially these pages on my website: Status of the
Campaign, and What You Can Do to Help, and Upcoming Forums and
Events.
Again, please circulate this message, far and wide. We are not
doing fundraising in this campaign, and e-mail is one of those means
that we do have to reach the voters! Thanks!
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
January 10,
2008
Positions on
Issues of Concern
Friends,
Here are some of my positions on some of the issues of concern to
voters for peace, social justice, and the environment. On some of
these issues, the differences that I have with incumbent Chris Van
Hollen are slight; on some of the issues, our differences are major.
Here
are my positions on some of the issues:
ON
IRAQ—Bring all U.S. troops home NOW. No more funding for the U.S.
war and occupation of Iraq. As I have discussed in previous
e-mail messages, and on my website, Van Hollen’s voting record on Iraq
War funding is a mixed one, and Van Hollen has not even joined the Out
of Iraq Caucus in Congress! We need a leader in Congress on this
issue. Van Hollen has been a timid follower, when he could have
exerted his leadership position to end this war!
ON IRAN—I oppose the drumbeats for war with Iran, and other nations.
ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE—While Chris Van Hollen does have a better record on
this issue than some, I would like to see him come out more strongly in
support of the rights of Palestinians living under conditions of
occupation. In the long run, I believe that Israel, too, will
benefit if justice is brought to Palestinians, because it will be
possible for the two nations and their peoples to achieve a genuine
peace.
ON CIVIL LIBERTIES—I am for protecting our precious civil
liberties. I oppose the U.S.A. PATRIOT ACT. I oppose practices
and policies of the Bush Administration, whether or not actually
written into law, that infringe on civil liberties. Recently, Van
Hollen voted for H.R, 1955, the so-called “Violent Radicalization and
Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007”—a bill which had little
publicity when it was being debated and voted upon, and which had
little opposition, when it passed the House of Representatives.
Civil liberties organizations have sounded the alarm that this bill
threatens to chill the rights of people engaged in peaceful
protest. Van Hollen voted for this bill. I would have voted
against it.
ON IMPEACHMENT—I support Dennis Kucinich’s resolution for
impeachment. Impeach Cheney first, and then Bush. What
message do we send to future generations and future Presidents if we do
not impeach these two, for what they have done to our nation? Van
Hollen is on the record as opposing efforts to impeach Bush and Cheney.
ON HEALTH CARE—In fairness to Chris Van Hollen, he does agree with me
that all Americans should have health care coverage. But we
disagree on the means. Van Hollen would reform the current
system, but keep the health insurance companies in the system. I
favor universal, single-payer health care, which eliminates the health
insurance companies from the system and provides individuals with high
quality health care, with a choice of health care providers, that is
publicly financed: Medicare for All. I support legislation
sponsored by John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich for universal,
single-payer health care. Van Hollen has refused to sign on to
this legislation.
THE INTERCOUNTY CONNECTOR—I oppose this road project, which I view as
detrimental to the environment, and communities.
PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS MESSAGE BY E-MAIL TO PROGRESSIVE VOTERS IN
MARYLAND’S 8TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. The voters deserve to know
how the candidates stand on the issues. AND DON’T FORGET TO LET
PEOPLE KNOW THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY IS ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12,
2008.
For
further information, please see my website at
http://www.deborahvollmer.com.
See especially these
pages on my website: Status of the
Campaign, and What You Can Do to Help, and Upcoming Forums and
Events.
Again, please circulate this message, far and wide. We are not
doing fundraising in this campaign, and e-mail is one of those means
that we do have to reach the voters! Thanks!
Peace,
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
January 2,
2008
A Message for
the New Year!
Friends,
I do hope that all of you getting this have been
having an enjoyable holiday season! It can be hard with all the sad
news: the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, drumbeats for
war with
The campaign season is upon us, like it or not, and
I am preparing for a short but vigorous campaign for the 8th
Congressional District seat in
It is customary for folks early in the New Year to make New Year’s
Resolutions! I have a few of my own, the usual ones that relate
to staying fit and cleaning up clutter, but let me suggest a resolution
that I hope those of you getting this will join me in making.
Let’s send the Congress, the President, and the people of this Country
a powerful message by turning out the Peace vote in the 2008 election
cycle! Of course one way to do this is to build a grassroots
“surge” in the campaign for Vollmer for Congress!
Please take a look at this website at http://www.deborahvollmer.com,
and if you like what you see, please forward the link to this website
to anyone and everyone who you know who might be voting in the
Democratic Primary for the
For a more detailed discussion of my reasons for challenging Chris Van
Hollen for the 8th Congressional District seat, please see Status of the
Campaign, and What You Can Do to Help, on this website.
For scheduled events see Upcoming Forums and
Events.
For those of you who want to do even a little more to help, here is
something you can do, especially if you happen to have a functioning
computer printer, and easy access to photocopying. Take a look at
the Out of
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
December 29, 2007
[Revised
December 30, 2007]
Holiday
Message
Friends,
I do hope that everyone getting this is having an
enjoyable holidays! It can be hard with all the sad news: the
assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, drumbeats for war with
The campaign season is upon us, like it or not, and
I am preparing for a short but vigorous campaign for the 8th
Congressional District seat in
Please take a look at this website at http://www.deborahvollmer.com,
and if you like what you see, please forward the link to this website
to anyone and everyone who you know who might be voting in the
Democratic Primary for the
For a more detailed discussion of my reasons for challenging Chris Van
Hollen for the 8th Congressional District seat, please see
Status of the Campaign, and What You Can Do to
Help, on this website.
For scheduled events see Upcoming Forums and
Events.
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
December 21,
2007
The Vollmer
for Congress Campaign: What it is all about, the current status of the
campaign, and what you can do to help
Friends,
For those of you who have been following these messages from me on this
website, let me first summarize the status of this campaign. I am
running against a powerful member of the House of Representatives,
Chris Van Hollen, who is Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee. Mr. Van Hollen represents the 8th Congressional
District in the State of
On November 1, 2007, I wrote an Open Letter to Chris Van Hollen, which
I sent to his campaign office, challenging him to debate his voting
record, in one or more public settings, with dates and times to be
mutually arranged. To date, I have received no response from Mr.
Van Hollen. I know that the letter was received by way of a
signed return receipt, which I assume to have been signed by a Van
Hollen campaign staffer. Mr. Van Hollen will, no doubt, be busy
during this short campaign cycle. But he owes it to his
constituents to set aside the time to debate the issues, and clarify
his reasons for voting the way he has voted on
In previous messages on this website, which you can see if you click on
the link at the very bottom of this message, I have discussed in detail
Mr. Van Hollen’s mixed voting record, with regard to the funding of the
The
second piece of recent legislation regarding
A
third vote merits some discussion on this page. On December 19,
the House of Representatives considered the spending bill sent back to
it by the Senate, H.R. 2764. When the House voted on this
legislation initially, it contained no funding for the war in
The three votes that I have discussed above are only a part of the
picture; Van Hollen’s voting record over the long haul on the issue of
There are other issues where I differ from Mr. Van Hollen, although the
issue of the funding for the
I am disappointed that Chris Van Hollen has not been in support of
efforts to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. What
message does it send to future Presidents if we do not take steps to
impeach these two, for what they have done to our nation?
On the issue of Israel/Palestine, I recognize the power of the Israeli
lobby, and I understand that Van Hollen does have a better record than
some on this issue. But I would like to see him come out more
strongly in support of rights for Palestinians living under conditions
of occupation. In the long run, I believe
On the domestic front, Mr. Van Hollen and I have some differences of
opinion regarding Health Care. We agree that Americans should all
have coverage. I favor a version of single payer health care
which guarantees Americans quality health care with a choice of health
care providers. In particular, I favor legislation along these
lines proposed by U.S. Representative John Conyers. Chris Van
Hollen has not signed on to support this legislation.
People often ask me what they can do to help. First let me say
that (and some find this absolutely shocking!) we are not doing
fundraising. Political campaigns do fundraising in order to have
the resources to get the message out. The media then focuses on
the fundraising itself. This is wrong. The media should be
focusing instead on the positions that the candidates have on the
issues, their qualifications to hold office, and their honesty and
integrity. I hope that folks will find this No Fundraising
approach to be refreshing. And there are definitely other things
that folks can do to help.
Here are some things people who want to help this campaign can
do. Help to get the message out by sending your own message to
individuals and listservs, with a link to this website; remind people
in your message that the date for the Democratic Primary is February
12. Help me to meet potential supporters by inviting me to
gatherings of folks, large or small. I will be happy to listen to
the concerns that people have, and to answer questions about my
campaign, and my positions on the issues. Contact Chris Van
Hollen—and help generate the pressure on him to accept my challenge to
debate. If you belong to an organization that sponsors candidate
debates, arrange for your organization to invite both myself and Mr.
Van Hollen (and Lih Young, who I understand is also running in the
Primary) to participate in one or more candidate debates.
Finally,
I want to emphasize that although election calendars and ballot access
rules do inject a certain level of competition into the process among
activists with different party affiliations, ultimately we need to be
thinking about working together—all of us voters for peace—be we
Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, or independents. We
need to develop some new strategies to use the electoral process to
support peace candidates—regardless of party affiliation.
Peace and Happy Holidays!
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
December 4,
2007
[revised Dec. 7, 2007]
Friends,
For those of you who have been following these messages from me on this
website, let me first summarize the status of this campaign. I am
running against a powerful member of the House of Representatives,
Chris Van Hollen, who is Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee. Mr. Van Hollen represents the 8th Congressional
District in the State of Maryland. I am running as a challenger in the
Democratic Primary
to be held on February 12, because I have serious differences of
opinion with Mr. Van Hollen, with regard to his voting record,
especially with regard to continued funding for the War and Occupation
of
On November 1, 2007, I wrote an Open Letter to Chris Van Hollen, which
I sent to his campaign office, challenging him to debate his voting
record, in one or more public settings, with dates and times to be
mutually arranged. To date, I have received no response from Mr.
Van Hollen. I know that the letter was received by way of a
signed return receipt, which I assume to have been signed by a Van
Hollen campaign staffer. Mr. Van Hollen will, no doubt, be busy
during this short campaign cycle. But he owes it to his
constituents to set aside the time to debate the issues, and clarify
his reasons for voting the way he has voted on
In previous messages on this website, which you can see if you click on
the link at the very bottom of this message, I have discussed in detail
Mr. Van Hollen’s mixed voting record, with regard to the funding of the
The
second piece of recent legislation regarding
The last two votes that I have discussed are only a part of the
picture; Van Hollen’s voting record over the long haul on the issue of
There are other issues where I differ from Mr. Van Hollen, although the
issue of the funding for the
I am disappointed that Chris Van Hollen has not been in support of
efforts to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. What
message does it send to future Presidents if we do not take steps to
impeach these two, for what they have done to our nation?
On the issue of Israel/Palestine, I recognize the power of the Israeli
lobby, and I understand that Van Hollen does have a better record than
some on this issue. But I would like to see him come out more
strongly in support of rights for Palestinians living under conditions
of occupation. In the long run, I believe
On the domestic front, Mr. Van Hollen and I have some differences of
opinion regarding Health Care. We agree that Americans should all
have coverage. I favor a version of single payer health care
which guarantees Americans quality health care with a choice of health
care providers. In particular, I favor legislation along these
lines proposed by U.S. Representative John Conyers. Chris Van
Hollen has not signed on to support this legislation.
People often ask me what they can do to help. First let me say
that (and some find this absolutely shocking!) we are not doing
fundraising. Political campaigns do fundraising in order to have
the resources to get the message out. The media then focuses on
the fundraising itself. This is wrong. The media should be
focusing instead on the positions that the candidates have on the
issues, their qualifications to hold office, and their honesty and
integrity. I hope that folks will find this No Fundraising
approach to be refreshing. And there are definitely other things
that folks can do to help.
Here are some things people who want to help this campaign can
do. Help to get the message out by sending your own message to
individuals and listservs, with a link to this website; remind people
in your message that the date for the Democratic Primary is February
12. Help me to meet potential supporters by inviting me to
gatherings of folks, large or small. I will be happy to listen to
the concerns that people have, and to answer questions about my
campaign, and my positions on the issues. Contact Chris Van
Hollen—and help generate the pressure on him to accept my challenge to
debate. If you belong to an organization that sponsors candidate
debates, arrange for your organization to invite both myself and Mr.
Van Hollen (and Lih Young, who I understand is also running in the
Primary) to participate in one or more candidate debates.
Finally,
I want to emphasize that although election calendars and ballot access
rules do inject a certain level of competition into the process among
activists with different party affiliations, ultimately we need to be
thinking about working together—all of us voters for peace—be we
Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, or independents. We
need to develop some new strategies to use the electoral process to
support peace candidates—regardless of party affiliation.
Peace,
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
November 17,
2007
Friends,
On Thursday, November 14, 2007, anti-war Democrats were put to a severe
test, in the form of the vote on the Orderly and Responsible
Isn’t
there enough money already in the pipeline, to bring the troops home,
if in fact that is the goal? Dennis Kucinich continues to
articulate this position, and I believe that Dennis is right.
Why
does Congress keep appropriating more money for this abominable
war? This most recent vote was a tough call for members of the
Progressive Caucus and the Out of
As
a practical matter, when the President vetoes this “bridge funding”
legislation (as he almost certainly will), it will push the debate just
a little bit forward. But my admiration goes to two
representatives in the House who bucked the Democratic tide to vote for
the bill, and who cast their “No” votes for the right
reasons—Representatives Kucinich and Stark. They voted No because
they know that the only way to end this war is to end the funding for
it. Had I been sitting in the seat representing the 8th
Congressional District of Maryland, I would have voted No right along
with them. Congress should use the power of the purse, and cut
off all funding for this abominable war and occupation of
I have previously discussed (See my previous “Message to Supporters”)
another recent vote on Iraq war funding, the “Continuing Resolution”,
which was passed by the House of Representatives on September 26, 2007,
which provided for an estimated fourteen billion dollars for the war in
Iraq, as a part of a measure to keep all the functions of government
going at current
levels. This one presented as easier choice for the progressive
anti-war members of the House. Fourteen bucked the tide, and
voted against this bill. It was an easier choice for
progressives; because this bill contained no conditions requiring troop
withdrawal from
I
have discussed Mr. Van Hollen’s vote for the “Continuing Resolution” in
more detail in my previous Message to Supporters dated: October 25,
2007. If you have not yet seen that message, you may read it by
clicking the link at the bottom of this message. That message
also contains more information about my decision to challenge Chris Van
Hollen for the 8th Congressional District seat, a
description of an incident when I confronted Mr. Van Hollen about his
vote on the Continuing Resolution at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist
Church at a service held on the Sunday after the vote had taken place,
and some ideas for folks who want to help me in my campaign for
Congress.
We
don’t have a lot of time! The Democratic Primary will be held on
February 12, 2008—less than three months from today.
Mr. Van Hollen represents us—the people living and voting within the 8th
Congressional District in
Now
that I have filed to run for Congress in the 2008 Democratic
Primary, I need your help. Not your money, but your help.
Please spread word about my campaign and this website to individuals
and listservs; help me make media contacts; help me set up meetings,
large and small, with potential supporters.
On
November 1, 2007, I sent an Open Letter to Chris Van Hollen challenging
him to debate me on the issue of his voting record on
The
last time I ran, in 2006, Van Hollen refused to debate me, claiming
that he was too busy as Chair of the DCCC organizing Democrats to run
against Republicans across the Country! With his
little-publicized vote on the Continuing Resolution, the case for
replacing Chris Van Hollen is now stronger than it was the last time
around. But it will take a lot of pressure to force him into a
debate!
Peace,
---
October 25,
2007
Friends,
On Thursday, October 25, 2007, I filed to have my name placed on the
ballot for the Democratic Primary, for the 8th Congressional
District seat, in the State of
I am running against Chris Van Hollen, a popular incumbent, who is also
the Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. I
realize that I face a formidable opponent, who will have the power,
influence, and monetary backing of the Democratic Party
leadership. I did not make this decision to run lightly, and I
have struggled with the issue of whether meaningful change is even
possible by working within the Democratic Party. But I have a lot
of respect for Democrats like Dennis Kucinich, Barbara Lee, Lynn
Woolsey, and other members of the Progressive Caucus. And with
the Democratic Primary less than four months from now, I felt I had to
make my decision as to whether or not to run.
To this point, I had held back on making my decision, in the hope that
our representative, Chris Van Hollen, could be persuaded to use his
power and influence to take a leadership role in moving the
Democrat-led Congress to end the war and occupation of
Mr. Van Hollen’s record on the
As anti-war activists continued to flood the halls of Congress,
engaging in peaceful protest, in an effort to persuade Congress to stop
funding this illegal, immoral, and tragic war, Congress was taking care
of business as usual. Anti-war activists had been led to believe
that there would be a new vote on continued funding for the war
sometime around September. September dragged on; and on September
26, the House of Representatives in effect voted to put off this
vote—perhaps until January! What they did was pass a measure
known as a Continuing Resolution, to keep all of the functions of
government running at current levels of funding until such time as
there will be a vote on another Supplemental Appropriation. The
Continuing Resolution contains an estimated 14 billion dollars in
Iraq-related funds. Chris Van Hollen voted for this Continuing
Resolution, as did most members of the House! Only 14 members
voted against the Continuing Resolution—that core of progressive
activists in Congress that represent the values held by the majority of
voters in Chris Van Hollen’s district!
One
can argue that Van Hollen’s one vote on the issue of the Continuing
Resolution would not have made any difference as to the outcome of that
vote. But precisely because he is chair of the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee, Van Hollen has not only his one vote,
but a degree of power and influence within the Democratic Party
leadership, and with respect to his colleagues in the House of
Representatives.
The vote in the House of Representatives on the Continuing Resolution
was particularly insidious for two reasons: it had the effect of
delaying the vote on the Supplemental Appropriations bill and the
accompanying debate for some months—and it actually provided for
another 14 billion dollars or so of continued funding for the
Chris
Van Hollen certainly had hoped that we wouldn’t notice his vote on the
Continuing Resolution. On Sunday, September 30, the eleven
o’clock service at
Only when a member of the Congregation called out a question: WHY
had he voted for the Continuing Resolution, including the 14 billion or
so dollars for the war in occupation in
After
the service, I spoke with the Congressman and Reverend Fritts, making
the case that surely the Democrats had enough clout in Congress, that
if it meant shutting down the Government for half a day or so, and the
Democrats were clear as to how they articulated the issue, they should
at least be able to force a separation of the Iraq funding issue from
the Continuing Resolution—allowing Government to continue to function,
while debate resumed in the House on the subject of the funding of the
war!
Van
Hollen continues to play a game of “safe politics”—throwing an
occasional bone to his anti-war base, as when he voted against the last
Supplemental—but failing to cast that important vote of conscience when
it really matters! And precisely because Chris Van Hollen is the
Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, he is in a
position to use his leadership in a way that can make a difference, on
this issue of continued funding for the Iraq War. But he has
failed us. Up to this point, with the vote on the last Supplemental
Appropriations bill last Spring a notable exception, Mr. Van Hollen has
been an enabler to the Bush Administration on this issue of continued
funding for the war and occupation of
Mr. Van Hollen represents us—the people living and voting within the 8th
Congressional District in
Although it received relatively little press attention at the time, in
the last Democratic Primary, in 2006, I ran against Mr. Van Hollen, and
I received approximately 8.7 % of the vote--approximately 7000
votes. That may seem like a small number, but it was more votes
than the Republican nominee received in his race in the Republican
Primary held on the same date. It was also a result achieved with
no fundraising whatsoever, with my spending just a few hundred dollars
of my own money. It was a significant vote of protest to the
continued disastrous Bush foreign policy, epitomized by the
Now
that I have filed to run in the Democratic Primary, I need your
help. Not your money, but your help. Please spread word about my
campaign and this website to individuals and listservs; help me make
media contacts; help me set up meetings, large and small, with
potential supporters. Help me to schedule a debate with Chris Van
Hollen on the issues, and pressure Van Hollen to accept my invitation
to debate, when I make the challenge. If you belong to an
organization that is in a position to host a debate, invite both Mr.
Van Hollen and me to debate the issues!
The
last time I ran, in 2006, Van Hollen refused to debate me, claiming
that he was too busy as Chair of the DCCC organizing Democrats to run
against Republicans across the Country! With his
little-publicized vote on the Continuing Resolution, the case for
replacing Chris Van Hollen is now stronger than it was the last time
around. But it will take a lot of pressure to force him into a
debate!
Finally,
I want to emphasize that although election calendars and ballot access
rules do inject a certain level of competition into the process among
activists with different party affiliations, ultimately we need to be
thinking about working together—all of us voters for peace—be we
Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, or independents. We
need to develop some new strategies to use the electoral process to
support peace candidates—regardless of party affiliation.
Peace,
Deborah A. Vollmer
---
October 14, 2007
