Sign the Petition -- Tell Congress to Take Action on Economic Crisis

It's time that Congress take action on the impending economic crisis. Sign this petition and tell Congress that we need strong leadership to solve a problem that's hurting so many American families.

Sign the petition at:
http://www.gopetition.com/online/22249.html or by clicking here.

First Annual Donkey Dance

The First Annual Donkey Dance was a huge success! Here are some photos from the event:

















Congressional candidate Sam Rasoul and former Governor & Senate candidate Mark Warner.
"Let me say, this young man has been doing a great job and he is going to make us proud on November 4th -- Sam Rasoul!" - former Governor Mark Warner.

















Governor Tim Kaine and Congressional candidate Sam Rasoul.
"We going to put Sam over the top in the Sixth? Sam has been working very hard ... and I see evidence of Sam everywhere I go in the Sixth." - Governor Tim Kaine

















Governor Tim Kaine, Congressional candidate Sam Rasoul, and former Governor & Senate candidate Mark Warner pose for a picture.
"We're so proud to have [Sam] and Mark" - Governor Tim Kaine

To view more photos from the event, visit http://www.samrasoul.us/browse/photos or click here.

Join us in a 6th District Online Chat and a Tele-Town Hall Conference Call!

The Sam Rasoul for Congress campaign, as it has in the past, will be hosting three chats in the near future. Everyone is invited to participate in these chats.

Community Online Chat #1
Thursday, October 2nd from 1:00PM to 2:30PM

Community Online Chat #2
Tuesday, October 7th from 1:00PM to 2:30PM

Community Online Chat #3
Monday, October 13th from 8:00 to 9:30PM

The online chat room is located at http://www.samrasoul.us/chat.

The Sam Rasoul for Congress campaign will also be hosting a tele-town hall conference call on Wednesday, October 15th from 7:30PM until 9:00PM. Everyone is welcome to call in.

Conference call number and access code to be posted when available.

Please call or email campaign headquarters at (877) 726-2008 or info@samrasoul.us with any questions.

Questions about Sam's Funding

Q. Where does Sam get his funding?

A. About 3/4 of Sam's donors are from inside the state of Virginia. Sam accepts absolutely no money from PACs, lobbyists, special interests, or even the Democratic Party, so that he is only accountable to the American people. Because Sam is the child of immigrants that came here in the sixties, he has hundreds of family members that live all around the country. Sam is proud that his friends and family are willing to support him. With nearly 1,000 donors, the majority being from the district who believe, as Sam does, that PACs and special interests should not run our agenda in Washington -- that is why Sam only accepts contributions from individuals.

Q. You said in the last question that Sam has nearly 1,000 donors. I've heard otherwise.

A. According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) regulations, donors who give below $200 are not displayed in the quarterly FEC report, though their donation is very valuable to this campaign.

PRESS RELEASE: Rasoul Pledges Five Terms When Elected

Contact: Sean Sarah
Communications Director
Sam Rasoul for Congress
Cell: 330 338-3740
E-Mail: sean@samrasoul.us

PRESS RELEASE 9/15/2008

Rasoul Pledges To Serve Only Five Terms When Elected To Congress

Roanoke, Va. America's youngest Congressional candidate, Sam Rasoul, has pledged to serve only ten years in Congress if he is elected. When asked why he took the pledge, Mr. Rasoul replied, "Over their long careers many incumbents have fostered ties with special interests that help fund their campaigns and give them an advantage no challenger could ever hope to have. Simple fairness in our Democratic system is called for if we are going to rid our legislature of influence peddlers."

In fact, Mr. Rasoul has gone one step further than simply pledging to reform Congress, he's running his campaign the way he would like to reform Washington. He takes no money from Political Action Committees, lobbyists, unions, or even political parties. All of his income comes from the every day citizens he is seeking to serve.

Over the course of the campaign, Mr. Rasoul has avoided attacks on his opponent and instead focused on a platform of reform. The campaign is spreading the word one door and one phone call at a time. The campaign is claiming that it has knocked on over 25,000 doors across the district. With a month and a half to go until the election, it seems Mr. Rasoul's message of reform and responsibility is catching on across the district.

For the full Rasoul statement on government accountability and responsibility, please read below.
###


Sam Rasoul Makes Pledge to Serve 5 Terms

We are blessed to live in a republic where, every few years, we get to choose the batch of folks who will represent us in Richmond and in DC. The founders of our country were hoping for a citizen legislature where representatives would come to Washington, serve their people and then head back home to their real jobs and families. But, this idyllic theory of a country run by citizens for the benefit of its citizens has become a myth. Special interests, career politicians and influential political action committees have taken away the voice of everyday people like you and I.

When political action committees spend millions on smearing candidates from both sides of the isle, special interests spend all of their time making sure elected officials are doing anything but serving the people. Still, career politicians continue to play ball with them. How can we expect our representatives to stand up for us? Critical reform is needed if we are ever going to get the support we need from Washington. Not only is that why I'm running for Congress, it's also why I have pledged to serve only five terms as a Congressman. While in DC I will focus on reforming the government in order to make it more responsive to the people with two major pieces of legislation.

Harry Truman once said that limiting the terms of Representatives and Senators would help "cure senility and seniority - both terrible legislative diseases." With some representatives in their nineties and some who feel like they have been there for ninety years, I have to say I think President Truman was right on the mark. This is why one of the first bills I will introduce when I am elected to Congress will be one that sets strict term limits on members of both Houses. For more than a century and half, turn over in Congress had been well over fifty percent. In fact, it's only been in the last few decades that incumbency rates have sky rocketed into the 90's. The reason is simple, over their long careers many incumbents have fostered ties with special interests that help fund their campaigns and give them name recognition that no challenger could ever hope to attain. Simple fairness in our democratic system is called for if we are to return to a true system of citizen legislators free of influence peddlers who drown out the needs of everyday citizens.

But, to be fair, our representatives were the corrupted ones, victims of a system that has turned away from the needs and values of regular folks and instead focuses primarily on greed. It is the lobbyists and special interest groups that pervade national politics who serve as the real corrupter in the fall of American democracy. This election season, nearly 150 lobbyists work for the presidential campaigns and thousands more work on elections across the country. Influence peddling and back room deals for special considerations have become the norm. That is why I take no money from PAC's, special interests, or political parties and why, when I am elected to Congress I will join with my colleagues in pushing for public financing of federal elections. It is imperative that we get the Government working for us again and the only way to do that is to make it stop working lobbyists.

Our country is at a crossroads. If we continue down the path we are on, the voice of everyday Americans will continue to diminish as it faces an increasing onslaught of well funded special interests working only for their own good. But, we could choose another path; we could choose to "throw the bums out" as the saying goes, by implementing fair and ethical reforms to the way our government does business. I, for one, think that we can win in against the billions spent by special interests. My pledge to serve only five terms comes from my belief that it is time for a new voice in Congress, a voice that is accountable only to the people of this district. I hope you'll join me in making this a reality.

Paid for and Authorized by Sam Rasoul for Congress

PRESS RELEASE: Rasoul Applauds Feds on Lehman Bros. Move

Contact: Sean Sarah

Communications Director

Sam Rasoul for Congress

Cell: 330 338-3740

E-Mail: sean@samrasoul.us

PRESS RELEASE -- 09/15/08

___________________________________________________________________

Rasoul Applauds U.S. Government For Not Bailing Out Lehman Brothers; Fed For Helping Shore Up Liquidity

Sam Rasoul applauded the U.S. Government this morning for not bailing out Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Lehman, another casualty of the 14 month long credit crisis, has filed for bankruptcy and is teetering on the brink of collapse. Rasoul stated; "I am pleased to see that the U.S. government is not using tax payer dollars to bail out another private institution. The Federal Government shouldn't act as the insurance agent for irresponsible lenders and brokerages."

With the credit crisis in full boom, Rasoul is also pleased with the Fed's move to ease liquidity markets. These moves by the Fed were important to shore up the short term credit market and avoid a crisis that would affect millions more Americans.

Republican Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson has concluded that this credit crisis was caused by a startling lack of oversight of the industry. Rasoul affirmed this notion stating; "I agree with Secretary Paulson that we must take further measures to ensure that abuse of our financial markets does not continue."

###
Paid for and Authorized by Sam Rasoul for Congress

Rasoul Hosts and Moderates Two Interfaith Forums

In an effort to bridge the divide between all faiths, Sam Rasoul hosted and moderated two interfaith forums – one on Sunday and one on Monday. Both forums included two members from the Jerusalem Peacemakers organization: Eliyahu McLean and Ghassan Manasra.
One of the forums took place at Roanoke College in Salem and one took place at Randolph College in Lynchburg.

The aim of these forums was to promote peace and diplomacy as a solution to the conflict in the Holy Land rather than war. McLean and Manasra were confident about their incredible work in Jerusalem – hearing the word from those on the ground was truly inspiring.

Show your support for Sam by writing a Letter to the Editor by visiting http://www.samrasoul.us/lte/.

PRESS RELEASE: RASOUL CHALLENGES GOODLATTE TO PUBLIC DEBATES

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: RASOUL CHALLENGES GOODLATTE TO PUBLIC DEBATES

Contact - press@samrasoul.us
(877) 726-2008

Roanoke, VA - Sam Rasoul, the Democratic Nominee for the Sixth District seat in the House of Representatives, is challenging incumbent Congressman Bob Goodlatte to a series of public debates across the district.

"Several debates have already taken place in the neighboring Fifth Congressional District, and we feel that debates should occur in the Sixth District. Sam has been ready to debate for months, and Rep. Goodlatte has been giving excuses consistently," said Carey Markoe, Deputy Communications Director for the Rasoul campaign. "It's Rep. Goodlatte's civic duty to participate in a debate. In early August, Goodlatte's campaign said Bob was available in late August -- now they say he won't be available until late September. If Bob has time to attend a 'Convention Watch Party' as he did Thursday night, he should make time to discuss the issues."

Rasoul believes that the Sixth District should have a series of six debates -- two in each region of the district (Roanoke, Lynchburg, and the Shenandoah Valley). Several independent organizations have been trying to orchestrate a debate between the candidates.

"With the unemployment rate shooting up to 6.1% nationally and the economy in such poor condition, Rep. Goodlatte has an obligation to discuss the issues facing our nation," said Rasoul on Friday.