Washington Representative Rodney Tom (48th LD) announced his candidacy for US Congress in the 8th Congressional District yesterday in a classroom at Renton Technical College.  The event was attended by about 50 people, including a number of elected Democrats and Party officials. It was a good location for the kickoff, reflecting several themes in his speech: the importance of education; his roots in the local community, and his working class background.  Tom was born in Renton and grew up in Eastgate.

'We had this kickoff in Renton for a reason,' Tom said.  The south end is an important part of this district.  I fit this district, this is where my roots are.'  Tom went on to speak of his ability to win the election and provide leadership in Congress, his top policy goals for US Congress, the failures of Dave Reichert and the Bush administration, his life and work in the district, and his experiences with the people, communities, businesses and natural environment here.  He came across as engaging, sincere, easy-going  -- a highly-disciplined person with an unusual capacity for working hard and enjoying life and his interactions with other people.   Before his speech I talked with him briefly and he recounted his experience knocking on over 10,000 doors in the last legislative campaign.  He got the seal of approval from my 13-year old son, Quixote Vassilakis, who had expected to be bored but found that he enjoyed the speech.

Tom started off stating that he can win this election.  He has a proven track record in business and the legislature.  For the last five years, he has represented a portion of this district.   And he has the experience to provide leadership in Congress: a practical understanding of the issues and needs in the district; a moderate approach; the ability to work across party lines; the ability to get tough legislation passed.  

Dave Reichert hasn't asked the tough questions, Tom said, he hasn't held this administration accountable.  He has been in lockstep with this President. There is so much to do to make up for the failures of this administration.  Tom listed a number of them including the Iraq debacle, the ground lost in confronting real threats from terrorism when we dropped the ball on Afghanistan and let bin Laden escape, the failure to fund education or to properly invest in energy independence, the national debt.  We have have bankrupted our children, Tom said, by piling on huge debt -- going from a surplus to over to $5 trillion in debt.  But we are resilient, he said, we will bounce back.

L-R, Roger Goodman, Washington State Representative from the 45th Legislative District; Rodney Tom; Laura Ruderman, former State Representative in the 45th Legislative District.

I know how to work hard.  In 5th grade I started delivering newspapers.  I cleaned gutters through high school.   I worked for Farmers Insurance through college.  I was a financial analyst through graduate school.  Since then I've worked in real estate.  Real estate is one of the best ways to get a real-world view of people's hopes, needs, and dreams.  My work in that field is part of the reason I feel so passionate about education. I know how important it is to parents.  I have great parents, an awesome wife, wonderful kids.   The education I want for my children is what I want for all the children in this state; it's what all parents want for their children.  For the past five years in Olympia I've worked tirelessly for a world-class education system in Washington.  

It is here in the 8th Congressional District that I learned my love for the outdoors.  I've stood on the top of Mount Rainier. I've climbed all five volcanoes in Washington State.  I am proud to say that Washington Conservation Voters gave me a Green Good Deeds rating for supporting the clean cars emissions standards. (Tom was a sponsor of that bill -- and he also received the same commendation from WCV in 2004 for supporting "numerous priority bills over the past two years, most notably the Energy Portfolio Standard and Forest Certification Bills.")

Washington Representative Larry Springer from the 45th Legislative District (D); Quixote Vassilakis, a 13-year old resident of the distict (and my son).

Rodney Tom on his goals for his Congressional term
First, we must get out of Iraq, redeploy some of our troops to Afghanistan.  Our soldiers in Iraq have done an incredible job, they've accomplished everything they were asked to do.  But they are in a no-win situation, in the midst of violence between Sunnis and Shiites.  That's not a situation we want our troops to be in.  Iraqis have not made up their minds if they are going to be a unified nation.  We need to build an international coalition that can normalize the influence of Iran and Syria and bring stability to that region and protect all the countries there, including our friend Israel.  This administration has harmed the reputation of America and created barriers to bringing in an international coalition.  We need to drop the 'it's my way or the highway' approach and begin to work in earnest with the international community.

An audience member asked Tom to specify when he would support bringing American troops out of Iraq.  As soon as possible, Tom answered, relying of course on the advice of military experts.  He indicated that he would likely support the 6-month timeline that is in several legislative proposals.

Education.  I recently visited China.  Two hundred million Chinese are learning English.  There are two sections on their college entrance examinations on English.  This is like including a Chinese language section on our SATs.  The Chinese are deadly serious about education for their children so they can make it in the global economy of the 21st century.  Our cuts to education here are a disaster.  The failure to fund No Child Left Behind, the cuts to the Pell grants, the threatened cuts to Head Start.  

Washington's Constitution tells us that the paramount duty of the state is education.  It is a paramount duty on the national level, as well.  Education is at the very foundation of our democracy.   George Washington told us that it is an object of primary importance to promote institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge.  Erasmus said that the main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth.
When we fail to educate our children, we fail democracy itself.  We have in Washington State 50% of kids coming into Kindergarten not ready to learn.  Some of these kids need only 5 weeks of preparation to be ready.  Cutting back on Head Start is just pure craziness.

Every child should be afforded the opportunity for at least a 2-year education beyond high school.   When we look at parents in the top economic quintile we see that 74% of their children go on to college degrees.  When we look at the bottom quintile, we see that only 8.4% of their children go on to degrees.  My goal is that no child is left out of higher education, whether it is a 4-year or 2-year college or an apprenticeship.  That is the way we gain success in the 21st century economy.  But we cannot do this while we continue to spend $8 to $10 billion per month in Iraq.

Next, energy independence.  We have a transportation system that is 97% dependent on petroleum.  We have billions of dollars pouring out of our economy to purchase oil from other countries.  On energy investments, our priorities are exactly reversed.  We spend many billions more on perpetuating our current energy and transportation system than we do on energy independence.  Imagine if we had invested with our priorities straight all during this administration. We would be living in a different world now.  

L-R, James Arima,  Washington State Democratic Congressional Caucus Committeeman and President of Asian Pacific American Caucus of Washington; Bryan Kesterson, Chair of 47th District Democrats; Dick Gidner, Media Watch Officer, King County Democrats.  (larger photo.)

I live in the 8th Congressional District.  Do I support Rodney Tom in this election?  I haven't made up my mind for the primary yet.  

Tom's recent party switch, in which he cited the takeover of the Republican Party by the far right (Seattle Times, 3/06),is a sign that he is able to see a difficult truth and to act on it.  That is a characteristic I appreciate.  

I believe Tom's history serving in both parties will make him more likely to win in the general -- but that it is not necessarily an advantage in the primary.  Personally, I'd prefer a more liberal Congressman, someone with an environmental rating from WCV that is higher than  Tom's lifetime rating -- as of 2005/06 -- of 67%, for example.  But I recognize that this record represented a principled stand for a Republican.  In addition, the environmental priorities that Tom did support -- not only with his votes but also with sponsorship  -- were key ones.  Hence the Green Good Deed commendations from WCV.  Tom is likely to come under fire for the party switch from some Democrats during the primary and from some Republicans during the general.  I believe it's a sign of integrity or at least practicality, and that if he's elected, he'll do the district proud.

OK, a last characteristic statement:  'One of the joys of being a legislator is that you come across some of the nicest people you could ever meet.  From the people at Wilcox Farms, to the research scientists from the University of Washington.  It's phenomenal.'  I've got a feeling that's a quintessential Rodney Tom statement.

Jeff Smith, former executive director of the Washington State Democratic Party, and Karen Marchioro, Washington State member of the Democratic National Committee and past Chair of Washington State Democratic Party.