I'm Running

By: drmontoya
Published On: 1/30/2007 12:56:32 PM

Ladies and gentlemen; friends and foes:

I am here to announce today that I will be a candidate for President of the United States of America in 2036.

I am serious about this. My entire life as long as I can remember I have wanted to be the President of our country not for control but for change. I believe in my heart that I could do things that ordinary political leaders past and present have not been able to.

That is to truly speak for the people.
Most of you may have become to know me through my work on behalf of candidates I have supported, and candidates I have not. Even though, I have not always been correct I fight for what I believe in.

  • We need a strong National Defense.

  • We need a strong concern for our Environment.

  • We need to restore the Economic balance in this country.

  • We need to no longer allow social issues to divide this country.

  • We need to restore our reputation in the world, and sustain it.

  • We need to hold those we entrust in our government, accountable.

    • Finally, on matters of Foreign policy we must always take care of the welfare our citizens first. This means not going to war unless it is an absolute last resort. This means not going to war unless the Congress approves it, and it has the support of the public. This means not going to war unless you also have the support of the international community.

    Many young people, like me will in some way or another is the future leaders of this nation. We must begin to "pass the torch" again to those who we will leave this place behind to. In return, we must (my generation) make this a better place for those who come behind us.

    So, let me begin to introduce myself.

    My real name is David James Montoya Sr. I was born on November 2nd, 1983 in Montebello, California. My family is mostly from the state of New Mexico since Spain arrived to the New World. I was raised Catholic, I am Hispanic of both Spanish and Mexican decent. My wife Cathryn Therese, who is also Catholic have one son David James Montoya Jr.

    My mother didn't raise me or my younger 4 siblings. I was raised primarily by my Grandmother, her mother until I was 13. After my grandmother's diabetes took over and she needed to be put in consistent medical care, I was sent to live in Group Homes (Orphanages).

    In High School I played football and also was in the marching band. I graduated in June 2001 and got a full scholarship to the college of my choice. I chose at 17 to enlist in the United States Navy.

    I signed my intent to join the Navy in August 2001. On September 17, 2001 six days after 9/11 I was sworn in. I have served on the USS Abraham Lincoln, in several operations most notably the Iraq War and a Humanitarian Relief Effort in Indonesia after the Tsunami of December 2004. I have most recently served in Washington DC, in the Navy.

    If I am successful in my run, is up to you. It's up to the voters. But it is not up to the corporations, the lobbyists, the party, and the media.

    It's up to the people.

    Many candidates will run in future elections, many candidates from different political parties who must put people before politics. I don't believe this is the country our forefathers envisioned. I refuse to believe that we can't do more.

    All of us, this is our country. We must take the action necessary to preserve our constitution, our democracy, our role in the world.

    This is our duty, as citizens. We can't have a working representative democracy unless our citizens participate. We must never forget our ideals; we must never give up hope. Change is created due to action we take.

    It's our responsibility; please join me in this effort. If I am a successful candidate for President is yet to be decided, and it probably won't be my first run for office. It will be however something I have sought my entire life, and I wanted to share it with all of you first.

    Sincerely,
    --Dave Montoya

    Comments



    awesome! (chiefsjen - 1/30/2007 1:20:43 PM)
    dave--

    what elected positions will you try for first?  good luck to you and keep us posted.



    Count on my support (Hugo Estrada - 1/30/2007 1:43:52 PM)
    And I hope you run before 2036. :)


    Fantastic early life resume (Catzmaw - 1/30/2007 1:50:51 PM)
    Now, just start running for smaller offices and for gosh sakes never forget where you came from and never compromise your principles, even if it means losing occasionally.


    Okay... (DanG - 1/30/2007 1:55:11 PM)
    May I suggest starting out small first...say, running for Delegate?  And you're going to need that job a while before you can advance, so I'd suggest doing that soon.

    Also, I can promise you the issues of today won't be the same in 30 years.  Who would've thought in 1976 that we'd be debating Gay Marriage?  It was unthinkable back then.

    Here's my first bit of political advice: don't run from the base.  The base is picky, the base is purist.  The base in this country is not enough to win an election.  To win, you need to reach out to Moderate-Liberals, Centrists, and Moderate-Conservatives.  As the issues change, think about what in your message meets each of those groups.  How can you communicate with everybody in this country?

    I'm all about a "campaign of the people."  Just remember who the people are, buddy. :)  We are just a small chunk of them.  The liberal (or in my case, centrist) bloggers of Virginia are miniscule.  You must reach out to the plains of Oklahoma as well as the beaches of Florida.  To the Colorado Rockies, all the way to the Rocky Shores of New England.  If you plan to base your political career on the will of the people, then please remember ALL of us, not just those who agree with you.

    That being said, be observant, be open-minded, and win an election in something else soon. 

    Godspeed.



    And to that I would add (Catzmaw - 1/30/2007 2:13:34 PM)
    that should you reach public office you must be responsive and attentive to ALL of your constituents and open to their points of view.  You may disagree, but your disagreement should never descend to the level of name-calling and ad hominem crap others who shall remain unnamed have engaged in.  If you work hard for your constituents, ALL your constituents, even if they disagree with you they will continue to vote for you because they will view you as a straight shooter who will do what he promises.  "That Dave's a piece of work", they'll say, but come election time they'll select your name because they'll trust your judgment and rationalize that though you may not always take positions they admire they will always know you will not be swayed by the prevailing winds of the moment. 


    Excellent points, DanG (Hugo Estrada - 1/30/2007 4:43:35 PM)
    Let me stress your point again, if you don't mind.

    There will always be some people that you will disagree with, but it is important to listen to everyone and seriously consider what they have to say.

    One of the reason why I disliked George Allen a lot was that the answers to my letters made it very clear that he didn't care about my point of view, and that he wasn't going to listen.

    I have a lot more respect for Senator Warner, with whom I often disagree because his answers where more thoughful, and sometimes his actions seemed to reflect my point of view.



    Maybe you should team up with... (Lowell - 1/30/2007 2:15:05 PM)
    Neal2028. :)


    I recommend working your way to Governor (Chris Guy - 1/30/2007 4:50:26 PM)
    for now. That's the best launching point for a White House run. Try and avoid legislative bodies like the GA or U.S. Congress. Voting records can be spun one of a million different ways be your opponent.

    Try for a Mayor or Supervisor type position, followed by either Lt. Gov. or Atty. Gen., then Governor of Virginia from 2029-2033.

    That was easy. Where's my consulting fee? :)