Former insurance lobbyist (Emerson) continues to raise hundreds of thousands from lobbyists and corporate PACs

Southeast Missourian | Jonathan Feifs | February 1, 2010

Rolla, MO -- During the 4th quarter of 2009, former Army Green Beret Tommy Sowers raised $179,127, 98% of which came as contributions from individuals. In stark contrast, incumbent and former insurance lobbyist Jo Ann Emerson once again relied on her special interest friends, raising nearly half her money from corporate PACs and special interest groups.

Sowers said, "Emerson does not represent Southeastern Missouri. She still represents the city where she was born and raised: Washington, DC. People here tell me they are tired of business as usual in Washington. The lobbyists and special interests behind Emerson are exactly what people here are sick of."

Small donors also played a much greater role in Sowers's fourth quarter, due in large part to his national endorsements from veterans groups like VoteVets and General Wesley Clark's Securing America organization. The percentage of Sowers's contributions comprised of small donations was nearly four times as large as Emerson's.

Said Sowers campaign manager, Jonathan Feifs, "While Tommy drives around the district witnessing first-hand the struggles of the people in his corner of Missouri, Emerson is riding up and down K Street to pick up her lobbyists' checks. The 1,000 new contributors this quarter, many of them small contributions from veterans, are helping Tommy get out and work hard to earn every vote. "

Conspicuously absent from this report were any expenses for "political gifts" from Tiffany & Co. Expenditures at the high-end jeweler were a fixture on her reports from 2002-2009, where Emerson racked up expenses totaling over $6,000, shopping there as recently as last August. Full listing of these can be found at www.sowersforcongress.com/joanntiffany

Sowers is currently on Day 13 of a 28-day initiative he calls "Boots on the Ground." Sowers and his dog, Chuck, are traveling the district in his truck to meet his neighbors, work alongside them and listen to their concerns, struggles, ideas and solutions. Sowers said, "This is not a tour -- tours are for tourists and politicians who come in, take a few pictures, then leave. 'Boots on the Ground' is about working, living, and listening to hardworking people in each and every county. It's an opportunity for me to do what many politicians don't - close my mouth and open my ears and eyes."

For more information on the campaign and "Boots on the Ground," visit www.sowersforcongress.com/boots.

Contribute to Tommy's campaign today via Wes's Act Blue page.

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General Wesley Clark on the O'Reilly Factor

December 29, 2009

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They don't send Green Berets on easy missions. So when I heard Tommy Sowers -- an 11-year Army officer who served as a Combat Engineer, Airborne Ranger, and Green Beret -- was running for Congress, I knew I had to help.

Tommy is a rare breed of leader, a warrior and scholar whose desire to serve is complemented with honor, courage, and intellect. But that won't be enough to win in Missouri's 8th district, where he faces a 13-year incumbent who is bankrolled by the corporate special interests.

Tommy needs your help.

Please donate $5 or more to Tommy's campaign today!

Tommy left his promising career in the Army this summer and returned to Missouri take on this new fight -- to serve his home in Congress. Seeing the deteriorating condition of the area where generations of his family have lived, he knew this is something that has to happen now.

During his deployments -- once in Kosovo and twice in Iraq -- Tommy was sent to places where the people had no hope, and he was tasked with achieving things that people said could not be done.

Again, there are no easy missions for Green Berets, and this challenge is no different.

Help Tommy and me bring hope to Missouri's 8th district. Contribute $5 or more to his campaign today!

Missouri's 8th is an expansive district that encompasses the entire southeastern corner of the state. There you see the worst problems befalling rural America: a disappearing manufacturing base, worsening access to health care, and a vanishing way of life that once helped these small communities thrive.

There are nearly 70,000 veterans in the district, and they feel that there is nothing to keep their children and grandchildren in the communities where they grew up. Tommy needs your help to bring a better future to southeastern Missouri.

Tommy's opponent is a special-interest-fueled former lobbyist. He needs your help to level the playing field and fight in the U.S. House to bring economic opportunity back to his home.

Please donate $5 or more to Tommy's campaign today!

At a time when the number of veterans in Congress is at its lowest point since World War II, we need to come together to put more common sense leaders like Tommy in Congress to help get this country back on track.

Gratefully,

Wes Clark

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Alan Khazei has had a lock in this special Senate election in out-of-town big name endorsements, and he continued that today: General Wesley Clark is formally backing his candidacy.

By Matt Viser | Boston Globe | Globe Staff | November 30, 2009

Khazei has courted celebrities -- from actress Elizabeth Shue to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- that provide his campaign with buzz. But boldface names do not include the army of volunteers that can come with the endorsement of a local sheriff or statewide union.

Clark is a four-star general and the former NATO supreme allied commander who had an unsuccessful 2004 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“At this critical time, we need more patriots and public servants like Alan Khazei representing the people’s interests in Washington,” Clark said in a statement.

Clark, who has known Khazei since 2003 when he visited City Year in Boston, also gave Khazei a boost on foreign policy.

“When it comes to foreign affairs, Alan Khazei is one candidate who won’t need on the job training,” Clark said. “Alan has met with leaders in over 30 countries, has a curious mind, a multi-cultural perspective, is a student of history and understands the complexities of national security in the 21st century.

"He has taken the time to study the situation in Afghanistan," Clark continued. "Rather than make the easy appeal of simply bringing our troops home, Alan has done the hard work of detailing how to do so while insuring Afghanistan does not once again become a haven for terrorists. And, at the same time, Alan presents a comprehensive strategy for defeating the terrorists globally. Alan, more than anyone else running for Senate in Massachusetts, presented a detailed approach and compelling, new ideas for accomplishing our goals.”

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General Wesley Clark on Larry King Live

November 24, 2009

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Veterans, National Security Leaders Stand Up For Clean Energy In New Repower America TV Ad

As the nation prepares to celebrate Veterans Day and honor the brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces, the Alliance for Climate Protection’s Repower America campaign today released a new television ad featuring veterans and national security leaders in their own voices calling for bold action now on clean energy and climate change to strengthen America’s national security.

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General Wesley Clark onEd Schultz

November 10, 2009

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How to Enhance the United States' Electronic Defenses

Wesley K. Clark and Peter L. Levin | Foreign Affairs | November/December 2009, Vol 88, No 6

Authors: WESLEY K. CLARK, a retired four-star General, was Supreme Commander of NATO from 1997 to 2000, led the alliance of military forces in the 1999 Kosovo War, and is a Senior Fellow at the Ron Burkle Center for International Relations at UCLA. PETER L. LEVIN was the founding CEO of the cybersecurity company DAFCA and is now Chief Technology Officer and Senior Adviser to the Secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. government.

During the July 4 holiday weekend, the latest in a series of cyberattacks was launched against popular government Web sites in the United States and South Korea, effectively shutting them down for several hours. It is unlikely that the real culprits will ever be identified or caught. Most disturbing, their limited success may embolden future hackers to attack critical infrastructure, such as power generators or air-traffic-control systems, with devastating consequences for the U.S. economy and national security.

As Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote earlier this year in these pages, "The United States cannot kill or capture its way to victory" in the conflicts of the future. When it comes to cybersecurity, Washington faces an uphill battle. And as a recent Center for Strategic and International Studies report put it, "It is a battle we are losing."

There is no form of military combat more irregular than an electronic attack: it is extremely cheap, is very fast, can be carried out anonymously, and can disrupt or deny critical services precisely at the moment of maximum peril. Everything about the subtlety, complexity, and effectiveness of the assaults already inflicted on the United States' electronic defenses indicates that other nations have thought carefully about this form of combat. Disturbingly, they seem to understand the vulnerabilities of the United States' network infrastructure better than many Americans do.

It is tempting for policymakers to view cyberwarfare as an abstract future threat. After all, the national security establishment understands traditional military threats much better than it does virtual enemies. The problem is that an electronic attack can be large, widespread, and sudden -- far beyond the capabilities of conventional predictive models to anticipate. The United States is already engaged in low-intensity cyberconflicts, characterized by aggressive enemy efforts to collect intelligence on the country's weapons, electrical grid, traffic-control system, and even its financial markets. Fortunately, the Obama administration recognizes that the United States is utterly dependent on Internet-based systems and that its information assets are therefore precariously exposed. Accordingly, it has made electronic network security a crucial defense priority.

But networks are only the tip of the iceberg. Not only does Washington have a limited ability to detect when data has been pilfered, but the physical hardware components that undergird the United States' information highway are becoming increasingly insecure.

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General Wesley Clark on Larry King Live

November 2, 2009

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