Roanoke Times Endorses Rasoul

Spread the word! This time it's for real:

From the Monday, October 27th Roanoke Times

"In the 6th District, Sam Rasoul

Bob Goodlatte is facing his first serious challenger in a decade. Sam Rasoul has proved himself a worthy candidate and would serve the district well.

Americans are dissatisfied with a dysfunctional Congress that has placed rabid partisanship and the influence of lobbyists above the interests of the Americans who elected them.

This Nov. 4 affords an opportunity for Americans to force change. Voters in Virginia's 6th Congressional District can help to hasten reforms by electing newcomer Sam Rasoul to replace longtime incumbent Bob Goodlatte.

Rasoul, at age 27, is the youngest person running for Congress. He is still wrapped up in the naïveté of youth. He believes that, with enough principled members, Congress could change. He is idealistic but doesn't seem to fully grasp or appreciate how the system works. Still, voters could do worse than give Rasoul a chance to prove himself.

He has shown through the campaign that he lives up to his principles. He won the Democrats' support as their nominee, but he has shunned all party and political action committee money.

This is a gamble that may prove foolish because it deprived him of the financial resources to buck an entrenched incumbent. Yet he has run an energetic and wide-reaching campaign throughout the 6th District based on individual contributions alone. He made a real sacrifice to remain true to his ideals.

There is also an independent candidate in the race: Janice Lee Allen. She has run a very low-key campaign and brings far too little to the race to warrant consideration.
Goodlatte will not be easy to defeat. His constituents know him well and appreciate him and what he has done for the district and the state.

Goodlatte needs to be given his due. He has been a good public servant and has demonstrated often his ability to work in a bipartisan manner, most notably on local and regional projects with Rep. Rick Boucher.

However, Goodlatte too often votes the party line, rarely breaking from years of support for the failed policies of President Bush.

When he first ran for Congress in 1992, Goodlatte said he so believed in term limits that he would limit his service to 12 years. That date has long come and gone, and Goodlatte hasn't faced a strong challenger in a decade.

Goodlatte said he still believes in term limits but said they must be imposed on everyone to work. If he were to voluntarily step down, he said, his constituents would lose his influence and standing in Washington, D.C.

We agreed with his decision in 2002 -- and still do. Voters are the ones who should implement term limits.

Now, after 16 years of Goodlatte's support for a discredited conservative ideology, Rasoul's fresh, principled campaign provides sufficient reason for voters to seriously consider taking that step."


On to November!
Sean Sarah
Communications Director
Sam Rasoul for Congress