I have some exciting news.

Later today, we will be publicly releasing the latest polling on the race for California's 4 th District. The numbers are encouraging, so I wanted to share them with you first.

As of right now, Charlie Brown is leading Southern California politician Tom McClintock 43-41 , and the lead widens once voters are able to contrast the background, approach and policies of the two candidates.

We're asking for your help to ensure our campaign has the resources to do just that.

In short, Charlie is in stronger position today than he was two years ago against John Doolittle.     

This is not news to our opponent, and predictably, it's why Tom McClintock has gone decidedly negative in his efforts to secure a new taxpayer funded platform from which to distort facts and cast blame instead of taking action and solving problems.

Our goal is to raise $100,000 online between now and the crucial September 30th FEC deadline .   Your support today will ensure that Charlie Brown has the resources to beat back any attack that the right wing smear machine throws at us.   And rest assured, those attacks are already coming.

From today's El Dorado Mt. Democrat (Subscription Required): 
"McClintock Press Release Accusations...Fall Short of Any Validity"

http://www.mtdemocrat.com/story.php?id=101.6

It has been an exciting few weeks for our campaign---a campaign that is people powered and already making a positive difference in the lives of neighbors in need.

Adding Auburn and Truckee to our list of fully staffed offices, we now have 7 locations from which to mobilize volunteers for phone banking, precinct walking and visibility across the expansive 4 th District.   

And just last week, we surpassed the $50,000 mark in our historic "Promises Kept Veterans Charity Challenge" ---welcoming former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, General Wesley Clark back to the 4 th District to honor our latest round of non-profit beneficiaries, and to work with local volunteers in preparing hundreds of care packages for U.S. troops currently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.  

There are just 58 days left and the time is now.

We  are simply too close, have come too far, and the stakes are simply too high not to finish the job we began together more than 3 years ago. Charlie can win this race, but to ensure he crosses the finish line first,  he needs us to stand with him today.     

Thank you in advance for your continued support.
Onward to Victory,
 
Todd Stenhouse
Campaign Manager

P.S.   Polling shows that with the resources to get our message out, Charlie will win this race in November.   Click Here to Keep the Momentum Going with your contribution of $250, $100, $50, or $25 today!

http://www.charliebrownforcongress.org/files/pdfs/2008/09/Poll_Release9708.pdf

Its always hard to send a husband to war, but to send your child is much harder.

With 71 days to this historic election, I wanted to send you a special video message about why this campaign is so personal, and why we aren't waiting until January of 2009 to make a difference in California's District Four.

Today, we're launching the second round of Promises Kept Veterans Charity Challenge voting.  We'll be giving away another $30,000 next week.  And between now and 11:59 PM on Monday, September 1st, you will determine how much each of our 3 worthy beneficiaries will receive.

As a veteran, a wife, and a mom, I am so proud of the military tradition in our family.  A big part of that tradition is ensuring all who defend America around the world are also able to pursue their dreams here at home.  Despite plenty of election year words to the contrary, history shows us that this is all too often not the case. 

For example, recent reports show housing foreclosures among military families are occurring at 4 times the national average. 

The support services offered by community based providers can make a huge difference for veterans and families most in need and most at risk.  Like our previous beneficiaries, our newest finalists--Rebuild Hope, Cottage Housing, and the Greater Oroville Homeless Coalition are offering innovative solutions to help meet needs ranging from financial crisis, to homelessness, to emotional readjustment.

A new generation of American warriors is already beginning to come home. The Promises Kept Veterans Charity Challenge is about much more than supporting service providers in our community---it's about giving veterans and military families a voice. 

Since we launched the program last September, we have been inundated with phone calls and letters from fellow veterans across the country.  Many are dealing with overwhelming financial, physical, and emotional hardships---lasting costs of war that no carefully staged photo op or well intentioned sound byte can possibly repay.   

These voices are a reminder of why taking action in our communities today is so important, but they are also a reminder of why we need a strong voice for our military, our veterans and their families in the next Congress.

Over the next few weeks, the public spotlight will shift to the national political conventions and what will be an historic election in November.  Together, through this unprecedented program, we are making history right now.

Thank you again for your commitment to a higher standard of leadership.

Very Sincerely,

Jan Brown

Please visit our website, www.charliebrownforcongress.org to vote for your favorite charity today!

Friends,
One of the things that drove me to enter politics was frustration with a status quo that's been pushing our nation further and further off course.

The fact is that many of the problems we're facing today-on healthcare, education, immigration, veterans aftercare, and energy--aren't new, and far too many are getting worse because of gridlock in Washington. 

Ultimately, partisan politics has not resolved the economic hardships confronting families across our nation, and it won't alleviate the concerns I hear from people of every political persuasion in this campaign.     

It's why we've decided not to wait to make a difference by donating 5% of the funds we raise to local veterans service providers, and asking you to help us identify and choose the beneficiaries.

It's also why just this past week, we put forward a comprehensive strategy to help lower gas prices, jump start our economy, and move America towards Energy Independence. 

READ THE RELEASE HERE

READ THE PLAN HERE

DEMAND ACTION FROM WASHINGTON-SIGN THE PETITION HERE

Our plan is not a sound-byte driven band aid.  It includes short term actions designed to give families relief at the pump, increase domestic supply of traditional fuels, and show OPEC that America is serious about changing the way we power our nation.  Ultimately, facts are stubborn things and much as we'd like to, we simply cannot drill our way out of this problem.

That's why I'm calling for the world's largest energy consumer-the U.S. Government-to lead by example and spend the $14.5 billion it already devotes to energy costs each year on domestic alternatives over the next seven years.
And I'm asking you to stand with me.

With energy costs hurting families and our economy, it is unconscionable to think that we import more foreign oil and refined gasoline today than we did before 9/11.  It is equally troubling to see our government spending our hard earned tax dollars lining the pockets of special interests and foreign governments, when it could be invested in a new energy economy that creates thousands of new jobs here in America.

Innovation has always been the hallmark of our nation.  And I believe it is the key to seizing our single greatest economic opportunity since the industrial revolution if we are prepared to act.

One thing you learn over 26 years in the military is that solving problems is not about being a Democrat or a Republican.  It's about the willingness to take action.

From county fairs, to house parties, phone banks, and precinct walks, we are doing just that, and taking our message of change to the streets of district four. 
So with 96 days left until election day, we are not going to let up an inch.  The stakes are simply too high.  And there are many ways you can help at this critical time:

Volunteer to Walk a Precinct or Phone Bank
Contribute
Write a Letter to The Editor

I am grateful for your continued support, and look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail very soon.
Sincerely,

Charlie Brown, Lt. Col. USAF Ret.


P.S.  Stand with us and stand for Energy Independence!  Read the plan and sign the petition to put our tax dollars at work to jumpstart a new energy economy for America!

www.charliebrownforcongress.org

As many of you know, back in 2006, first time candidate and Retired USAF Lt. Col. Charlie Brown came from obscurity to within less than 9,000 votes (or 3%) of victory in a district that had been electing Republicans by 30 point margins just two years before.

I worked on Charlie's campaign in 2006, and I'm proud to be serving Charlie again in 2008. I didn't come back because I enjoy the 16-hour days. I certainly didn't come back because of the paychecks. I came back because there's something different about a "typical day" on the Charlie Brown for Congress campaign---something that can't be described in sound bytes or talking points…something so important, you want the world to experience it with you…

You want them to hear the desperate cries of the Iraq Veteran who contacts the campaign to say he is contemplating suicide.  Or the e-mail from the married father of two who already tried.  You want them to meet the Gold Star mother who calls for gas money, so she can afford to take one of the guys from her son's unit to the VA for rehab.  Or the Vietnam Vet who has weeks to live because of Agent Orange exposure, and has had his VA benefits denied for years.  And the list goes on, and on and on…

Every day, these are just some of the people who are reaching out—from across the country---to the Charlie Brown for Congress Campaign.  

They're not calling to volunteer, contribute, schedule a meeting or inquire about a policy position.  They aren't even calling to express their support or opposition to Charlie's candidacy. 

They called to ask for help.

It begs the question, why would anyone call a Congressional Challenger who has never held public office before for help?

You have to remember that Charlie Brown is no ordinary politician---in fact he has, in the span of less than two election cycles, transcended politics as most of us know it.

Charlie's making history not by virtue of who he is (though one could argue that a Congressman who is a career military officer, husband of a veteran, and father to a son who has done 4 rotations in Iraq is far from typical these days), but what he is doing to address one of the many OLD problems on which politicians have over promised and under delivered for years—the plight of America's war veterans.

I came back to fight for Charlie because I knew that this campaign took a different approach to solving problems---leadership by example. With Charlie's "Promises Kept Veteran's Charity Challenge," we're seeing community based organizations that fill in the gaps for veterans get the support they so badly need.  The 5% of campaign contributions that Charlie is giving these groups helps to keep the lights on at shelters, supply those places with blankets and food and office supplies, and help pay for qualified counselors to do outreach on the streets.

But the commitment of Charlie's campaign goes beyond money.  It's a frequently something even more valuable--a live voice on the other end of the line when crisis comes.     

And when those calls come, it's not about winning and losing elections---it's about saving lives.

The stories of veterans who call us very often break your heart---but they also remind us what a different kind of campaign can mean for people in need right now---long before voters go to the polls next November. 

It also inspires hope---because as we work with callers to help them find solutions, we can't help but think what a little Charlie Brown in ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Washington could mean for hundreds of thousands of veterans who are waiting in line for benefits, or struggling to deal with invisible scars, or trying to rebuild lives that have been shattered by war.  

Or what it can mean on energy independence, healthcare, or so many other "old problems" where the results from Washington simply don't match the rhetoric we've been hearing for years.

My entire life, I was brought up to believe that honesty, hard work and determination make up the character of a person. And if you give a little back and fight for those who can't stand up for themselves, then you have done your share. I fight for Charlie because he embodies what I was raised to believe: that integrity and a sense of duty (not political ambition) win out at the end of the day.

I am flush with inspiration, and every time the phone rings, that much more flush with perspective.  But I know that true change cannot be accomplished in a vacuum---and that's why I wanted to share what's been happening here on the ground with the netroots---and I hope you will share it also.

The two leading Republicans in this race—Doug Ose and Tom McClintock---have spent $4 million dollars in 4 months.  Once you get through their endless stream of attack ads, their message comes down to "vote for me I'm more Republican than he is"--- and if you are looking for someone to take action, listen, or offer your family a little hope or dignity before November---look somewhere else… 

…I say look no further than Charlie Brown.

Neil Pople

Director of Online Communications

ROSEVILLE: Fourth District Congressional Candidate and Retired USAF Lt. Col. Charlie Brown today praised House and Senate passage of the Post 9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act (New GI Bill), and called upon President Bush to "honor veterans this Memorial Day," by supporting the measure and signing it into law.

Dear Friends,
Earlier this month, I campaigned with my friend and brother, Retired USAF Lt. Col. Charlie Brown.  I was proud to be with him as he unveiled his first TV ad of the 2008 campaign. 

You can view the ad, entitled "Patriotism Before Partisanship," here:

The room that morning was a story unto itself.  Veterans young and old, standing shoulder to shoulder to support a man who understands what it's like to put your life on the line for our country---a leader who understands what it means to make and keep a promise. 

Charlie's campaign has always been different.  That's why he's donating 5% of every dollar he raises to help veteran service providers throughout the area.  But he's not just giving back, he's giving hope to all who are looking for a higher standard of leadership in Washington. 

We need Charlie in Congress.  He's been there for our country.  Now I'm asking you to join me in being there for him.

Please take a moment and contribute to Charlie right now.

I put together a short web video during my visit so I can tell you personally, what this race and this candidate means to our country.

Charlie's opponents are career politicians who have spent millions of dollars attacking one another.  They've even attacked Charlie's historic Veterans Charity Challenge program.  Every dollar they spend on petty squabbling and empty sound bites is a reminder of why Washington is broken and why we need new leadership in Congress. 

Take a minute right now, view Charlie's new TV commercial and make a donation to his campaign.  Make a commitment to creating a different kind of politics. 

"Patriotism before Partisanship" is not just the mission of Charlie's campaign-but the clear choice that confronts the people of District 4 in this election.
That's why the nation's largest organization for Independents, as well as the largest political group of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have both endorsed Charlie's candidacy.

And it's why I am asking you to help today-to help Charlie raise the $100,000 he needs to spread his positive message across the 17,000 square miles of District Four before June 3rd.
I'll be back to campaign with Charlie again.  And when I do, with your help, I'll be seeing this great TV commercial on the air. 

Please Contribute Now.

Thanks in advance for your continued support.
Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Max Cleland
Captain, U.S. Army, Retired

P.S.   Please stand strong with Charlie Brown right now, so he can stand strong for us in Washington.   Contribute what you can to help keep Charlie's ad on the air today. www.charliebrownforcongress.org