It's Official - I'm In

Accompanied by my incredible wife (Lisa) and youngest son (Michael), I headed to the state capitol today and filed my candidacy for Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District.  While there, my wife and I took a brief tour to show Michael where legislators meet and it was incredible to see his eyes light up.  Though only six, political discussions in the White household are not unusual and like many of you, I don't candy-coat the issues of importance to my children.  They deserve to know the truth and right now, the truth is that Congress has failed to serve the American people and the people of Oklahoma adequately.

This is why I am running for Congress.

Many of the people I met at the capitol were extremely warm and welcoming, including Ms. Hughes from the Ethics Commission, Michael McNutt from The Oklahoman, Jacqueline Scott from KTOK and Sean Murphy from the Associated Press.  They asked some hard questions and I could see their eyes light up when they learned that I do not shy away from tough questions, but rather face them head-on.

They asked about me running as an Independent and whether or not it creates a place where the Democratic candidate would slide in.  I told them, without hesitation, NO.  This isn't the Brad Henry/Gary Richardson/Steve Largent race.  I put my conservative credentials up against any candidate running for public office in the state of Oklahoma and my long record of proven leadership underscores the credibility of my candidacy for Congress.  I have no political axe to grind, I simply have what I consider to be a "call of duty" wherein the time has come for the people of Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District to wrest back the control of their Congressional District from the consultants and special interests who are looking for a puppet.

I am certainly not a puppet.  I am a proven leader who will not buckle under pressure.  I'm a Navy SEAL.  We don't back down and we don't buckle under pressure.  We do what we say we will do and when I tell you that I am the most consistently conservative candidate running right now, I mean it and my long record of successful, proven leadership stands on its own merit.

We are putting together a team of men and women from all over the 5th Congressional District who represent all walks of life and who desire to send someone to Congress who serves the whole of the District, not just the elite special interests.

When asked, I explained that I have been a Republican all my life and like most voters, have come to see the Republican party become something other than what it once was.  The Republican party is supposed to be the party of smaller, less intrusive government, but if you look at the record of many elected officials in the state of Oklahoma who have claimed to be Republican you find something rather startling:  They have consistently grown the tentacles of government into the lives of Oklahomans.  And there are some of them who are now seeking higher office.  It disgusts me.

Members of the media aren't the enemy in my estimation.  They are men and women who are trying to do a job, trying to find something "different" during the political campaign season that is filled to overflowing with canned messages, produced by the same group of consultants every couple years.  Make no mistake:  I am running my campaign, I make the decisions.  I do have people helping me with my campaign, but the proverbial "buck stops here" with me.  The people of Oklahoma just deserve more, they deserve leadership that is visionary and not fabricated or enhanced with special effects that would make even Spielberg blush.

As we walked away from the 5th floor at the capitol, my wife hugged me and smiled.  My son held my hand and we talked about the questions.  My wife reminded me that I had answered the question about political involvement incorrectly - I had stated that I ran, and won my race for Class President at the Naval Academy.  She reminded me that while a Navy SEAL, not only had I served in Desert Storm, but upon return, had spent quite a bit of time working at the Pentagon.  I smiled.  She's right - as always.

If you're ready to get involved in changing how we elect members of Congress, I invite you to be a part of this new revolution to take back our government.  Send me an email here.  Tell me how you'd like to help - you can contribute the maximum $100 (a self-imposed limit), you can volunteer to knock doors with me, you can host a small meet-and-greet in your home or you can simply tell your friends about the candidate with real leadership experience.

I will fight to reduce the corporate tax burden from 35% to more closely match our international competitors.

I will fight against nationalized healthcare and will fight to repeal "Obamacare."

I will fight to ensure our men and women in uniform are compensated and cared for as Patriots.

I will be a fighter to reduce federal government spending.  I refuse to saddle our children with debt that we can work to reduce in the here and now.

I will fight to create an environment that is productive to create jobs - the government does not create private sector jobs, but as a successful business owner, I know that small businesses must thrive for our nation to thrive.  I will fight to reduce the federal government burden on small businesses including taxes, unecessary regulation and red tape.

I will fight for border security.  By creating secure borders, we save our nation billions of dollars every year and dramatically reduce the problem of illegal immigration.

I will fight for American energy independence.  I believe in a diversified, American energy portfolio that reduces our horrific dependence upon foreign oil by using Oklahoma's natural resources as an example for the rest of the country.

If you want to see more about my policies, my positions on Israel, war, gun rights, education and even the death penalty, I challenge you to go to my website (here) and see what I'm all about.

We can't afford to sit on the sidelines in this election for Congress, vote the party line, cross our fingers and HOPE the individual elected does what he says he will.  By voting for me, you don't have to cross your fingers, you'll rest assured that you have a representative in Congress who has heard the call of duty and will make things happen.

Dave