This has been a pretty exciting quarter for me.  In the last three months:

• As a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Verizon over their complicity in the illegal wiretapping of American citizens, I continued in my opposition to telecom immunity;




• I maintained my support for Net Neutrality, and promised to work for legislation in Congress like I authored and passed here in Maine (the first state-based Net Neutrality bill to pass anywhere in America);/li>
  
  
  
• I stood in opposition to the Real ID Act, and vowed to work for its repeal in Congress;




• I helped raise Maine's minimum wage, and called for a national minimum wage increase;




• In January, I called for Congress to act to help working families survive this recession and housing crisis;




• I joined the Change Congress movement and agreed not to take lobbyist or PAC funds in my campaign;




• I called for Maine to phase out wasteful incandescent light bulbs in favor of more energy efficient CFLs, and stood in support of expanding alternate energy programs--including local wind power--here in Maine;




• After having stood up to a xenophobic opponent trying to score points off of demonizing other people, I called on Maine and the rest of the country to address the racial prejudices and disparities that still exist in our society;




• I restated my support for beginning impeachment proceedings against George Bush and Dick Cheney for the illegal and reckless manner in which they've managed their administration;




• I continued to call, as I have from Day 1, for an end to this disastrous war in Iraq and the immediate return of all US forces.

I believe I'm one of the most progressive candidates in the country this cycle, and I am fortunate enough to live in a district that supports strong leadership and progressive values.  The people of Maine expect and deserve representation that embody those principles.

Maine was the first state in the country whose legislature went on record opposing the war in Iraq, after passing a resolution I introduced in 2003.  Community wind projects have been a particularly important to me, and we have a vibrant alternative energy program, one that includes support for wind power on a large and a small scale.  Our minimum wage is higher than the national one, and we're working to increase it again to help eliminate some of the record disparity between rich and poor.  And we've made a clear commitment to promoting net neutrality by passing my resolve in support of this critical cause.

Our state motto here in Maine is "Dirigo," which translates as "I lead."  Progressive leadership is one of Maine's most cherished values.  It's a value I will proudly represent in Congress.

But I can't make it to Washington on my record alone.  I'm the only candidate in this race to fully embrace the Change Congress pledge, which includes refusing contributions from PACs and lobbyists.  Reaching our goal of $25,000 by midnight Monday is tough because of my commitment to cleaning up our elections, and the support of individuals like you is critical to our chances of bringing change to Congress.  If you think a candidate with my record is someone worth having in Congress, please contribute before midnight on Monday.

Thanks,

Ethan Strimling

(Cross-posted at TurnMaineBlue)