Since my campaign ended in 2010, I have been working to help House and Senate candidates dedicated to fighting for smaller, limited government. Candidates who understand that the goal of all elected officials shouldn’t be to right social wrongs, redistribute wealth, be the policeman of the world, or to tell us how to live our lives.

The goal for all politicians should be to protect individual liberty. In the context of the federal government, that means following the Constitution, limiting its activities to the powers enumerated in Article I, Section 8. Whatever Washington does beyond that is unconstitutional, inappropriate and should be stopped.
What was said to be a seminal election in 2010 has yet to yield much in terms of reducing the size of the federal government, much less a return of lost civil liberties. That has lead me to realize that unless we continue to fight, unrelentingly, the statists will push their agenda until they’ve robbed us of all of our wealth and dignity.

Politically, I’ve been busy chairing two organizations, both of which to some extent or another support liberty driven candidates. I’ve been handling requests for speeches, traveling to events and conventions and doing media interviews regularly to help these great people sustain the vision of our republic’s Founding Fathers.
In this election cycle I didn’t expect to be one of those candidates.

Every day that goes by demonstrates how the Washington political class doesn’t understand Americans just want to work and support their families, and they don’t want to be the backdrop or piggie banks for partisan games and political theater in Washington.

I need to know if my very best supporters are still behind me and will continue to remain my supporters during such a tough race.

Please make a contribution TODAY in the amount of $25, $50, $100, $500, $1,000 or the federal maximum of $2,500 to show you support a run in 2012 against Nancy Pelosi.

Any amount is appreciated and will be put to good use.

There are still many issues left to tackle in broken, statist Washington:

• maintaining the payroll tax cuts,
• repealing Obamacare,
• stopping our spending spree overseas,
• forging a more constitutional and rational foreign policy,
• fighting Real ID,
• putting an end to TSA’s jackbooted thuggery,
• strengthening the economy,
• balancing the budget, and
• DRAMATICALLY REDUCING THE SIZE AND IMPACT OF OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

I want to be a part of the change in Washington, and your support is greatly appreciated.

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By some counts, a record number of entrepreneurs and small-business owners are trying to get elected Congress this year. What they bring to table is a real-world business sense. But they also bring their own kind of baggage.

The road to Congress may now go through small business, instead of state and local politics.

More than 100 small-business owners will be on Tuesday’s ballot in House races. That’s not counting the House incumbents and state and local officials who have small-business experience.

An American City Business Journals analysis of the backgrounds of all the non-incumbents running for House seats found that 109 are small-business owners or entrepreneurs who grew larger ventures from scratch. That compares with 87 state and local elected officials and 39 attorneys—the traditional stepping-stones to a congressional career.

These numbers confirm what Dan Danner, president and CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business, saw when his organization talked to candidates who wanted NFIB’s endorsement this year. A record number of candidates, both on the federal and state levels, were small-business owners, he said.

In the past, they were too busy to run for political office. Now, however, they feel like they have to, Danner said. They’re worried their businesses are being threatened by health care reform, tax increases, the weak economy, and federal budget deficits, he said.

Small-business owners who feel this way are likely to be running as Republicans, but there also are 24 small-business owners running for the House as Democrats this year.

The fact that so many small-business owners are running bodes well for the future, Danner said.

“A heck of a lot more small-business owners will be in Congress and state legislatures than ever before,” he said. “We think that’s a good thing.”

Small-business issues “will be front and center” next Congress, he said.

The candidates with small-business backgrounds are as diverse as the American economy. They include owners of traditional Main Street businesses as well as founders of cutting-edge technology firms.

On the Republican side of Main Street, there is Steve Southerland, a funeral-home owner from Panama City, Florida, who is in a tight race against longtime Democratic incumbent Representative Allen Boyd. Then there’s Ted Danz, owner of an Albany, New York-based heating and air conditioning firm, who faces an uphill battle in his bid to unseat Democratic Representative Paul Tonko.

Even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, finds herself running against an entrepreneur this year. San Francisco real estate investor John Dennis, who also co-founded ergonomics design firm Humanscale Corp., is running against Pelosi as an antiwar, pro-gay rights Republican. He vows to reduce federal spending and contends the economic stimulus bill and Wall Street bailouts delayed economic recovery.

“Small and emerging businesses can lead us out of the current economic stagnation and high unemployment, if Pelosi and Congress just stop trying to help,” Dennis contends.

In some cases, entrepreneurs are having to defend their business records. Randy Altschuler, a Republican who co-founded two companies, is trying to unseat Representative Timothy Bishop, a former college administrator from New York.

One of Altschuler’s companies is OfficeTiger, a business-services support firm acquired by RR Donnelly in 2006. Democrats have accused OfficeTiger of outsourcing American jobs to India. In response, Altschuler said he has created 700 jobs in the United States.

“I am committed to bringing my business experience—combined with a realistic, commonsense approach to problem solving—to help lower taxes, reform government, and create jobs,” Altschuler promises on his website.

Few Democratic small-business owners are given much of a shot to win House seats this year. One of those who might succeed is Steve Raby, president of Direct Communications, a public relations firm in Huntsville, Alabama. He faces a tough battle against Republican Mo Brooks, a Madison County commissioner who knocked off the incumbent congressman, former Democrat Parker Griffith, in the Republican primary after Griffith switched parties.

Raby said voters in North Alabama “want someone in Washington who will focus on jobs for the entire district, on improving education, on supporting important industries like defense, space, auto, biotech, and agriculture.”

Besides small-business owners, there are 26 candidates running for the House that have executive experience at large businesses. One of those is Democrat Surya Yalamanchili, a former Procter & Gamble brand manager who went to work for LinkedIn after Donald Trump fired him from The Apprentice television show in 2007. Yalamanchili is the underdog in his effort to unseat Republican Jean Schmidt from Ohio.

Read more: http://www.portfolio.com/business-news/2010/10/29/candidates-from-small-businesses-eager-to-join-congress#ixzz13mRNsi9p

What: 

When: Tuesday Evening, November 2, 2010;  6:00 p.m. – 11 p.m. PST

Where:
Nectar Wine Lounge
3330 Steiner (off Lombard Street)
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 345-1377

Media: Media is invited to attend to interview the candidate John Dennis, campaign staff and volunteers,  For one-on-one interview requests, please contact Arthur Bruzzone, Media Coordinator, at (415) 441-4499.