Kalb launches campaign to replace Rick Larsen

From the Kalb for Congress Campaign

Larry Kalb formally announced his intention to take back the Second Congressional seat from incumbent Rick Larsen last Friday, April 9 at a kickoff event in Bellingham. Kalb plans a strong progressive Democratic agenda which promotes more local green jobs, healthcare for all, and an end to U.S. involvement in overseas wars.

Kalb followed his campaign kickoff event in Bellingham with appearances Saturday at both the San Juan and Whatcom County Democratic conventions. Reflecting Kalb’s long involvement in both progressive causes and the Democratic party, Kalb’s kickoff event was attended by audiences which included several members of the Bellingham City
Council, Democratic activists and rank-and-file voters.

In his remarks to the kickoff gathering in Bellingham, and to the conventions, Kalb said that while the public is “clamoring for change, Congress is not delivering.” He outlined a bold
agenda to address the problems the nation is facing, including a “Green New Deal” that would simultaneously put Americans back to work and assure a clean energy future.

“Rick Larsen boasts of his laser focus on jobs, but has done little to bring jobs to our
District,” Kalb said. “In fact, because of his support for NAFTA and other trade agreements, he has lost us jobs. The stimulus package was supposed to produce green jobs and it did, but many of them were outsourced to foreign manufacturers. In one giant wind energy project, 84 percent of the jobs created were foreign jobs, mostly in China. If the U.S. Government can’t ‘Buy
American,’ what hope is there for the American worker?”

Kalb continued, “I am running for Congress to help the people put an end to such folly.
In contrast to the incumbent, I will serve you, not the corporations–the public interest, not
special interests.”

Kalb called for bringing our troops home quickly from Iraq and Afghanistan. “The sooner we bring them home, the more of them we will bring home,” he said.

Kalb also called for an overall reduction of 20 percent in defense spending. “That money is
needed at home.”

Kalb emphasized that he will push
for real healthcare reform that will provide equal access to quality care. “We need Medicare For All. The majority of Americans want an option to buy in to Medicare, but Rick Larsen opposes such an option,” Kalb said. “The best way to defend healthcare reform is to truly reform it. The recent legislation is easy to attack because the people know it is a giant giveaway to insurance companies — the largest corporate giveaway in American history.”

Kalb further stated, “I strongly favor public financing of Congressional election campaigns.This will reduce the corrupting influence of corporations over legislation. I am hardly unique. Four out of five Democrats and even 65 percent of all Republicans favor public campaign financing. Rick Larsen was a lobbyist before he sought elected office. Perhaps, that explains why he opposes public campaign finance.”

The primary will be held Tuesday, August 17, 2010. Under current Washington state
election law the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will appear on the ballot in the General Election in November.