Newsvine Exclusive: Interview With Sam Rasoul, Democratic Candidate for Virginia's 6th District

Interview

Newsvine Exclusive: Interview With Sam Rasoul, Democratic Candidate For Virginia's 6th District

Shortly before my trip to Denver to cover the Democratic National Convention I interviewed Sam Rasoul, the Democratic candidate for Congress from Virginia's 6th district. Mr Rasoul is running against incumbent Congressman Bob Goodlatte and is also the only Palestinian-American presently running for national office. The following is a transcript of our discussion with minimal editing for clarity (mostly my clarity).

Killfile: I'd like to start with your ethnicity and your status as a second generation American immigrant. You are running in district that has a large rural component. In the post 9-11 world, there is a lot of prejudice in America. Could you discuss some of you experiences on the campaign trail and if that [prejudice] has been a problem for you?

Rasoul: As I've been campaigning over the past 19 months I've been explaining to people that, in fact, I have a very proud American story. My parents came here in the 1960s. Being the child of an immigrant working class family and working two jobs through high school and college - I'm still paying off school loans myself - [and] as a small business owner who's happily married and living here in South-Western Virginia and running for federal office, I think it's a proud American story that people have really resonated well with. This is something I'm very proud of and most people really realize that in no other country in the world can this be made possible other than in the United States of America.

Killfile: You mentioned immigration there; you have a very positive immigration story. We have a lot of discussion of immigration as a negative especially from the Republican party as of late. We hear a lot about illegal immigration but the subtext of that seems to be immigration as a whole. What is your stance on immigration as a federal issue and as an issue in the state of Virginia?

Rasoul: You're right, there is a lot of fear mongering. But I am a person with this proud story who does believe in the rule of law. Whatever solution we try to come up with for this conflict/problem of immigration we need to realize that mass amnesty is not the answer. We should should increase legal immigration and reform the system to have a guest worker program that really works.

Killfile: That transitions well to your legislative priorities. What would you like to do for Virginia as a legislator and for the nation as a whole. What sort of priorities would you have as the representative from your district?

Rasoul: First and foremost we need a plan for more for more fiscal responsibility; we should be balancing our budget. Deficit spending has undermined our economy and the fabric of our republic by continuing to borrow and spend. This equation of cutting taxes, especially taxes for the wealthy, while we increase spending is not going to work for us in the long run. First and foremost being a fiscal conservative and a business owner I think we need to be balancing our checkbook as a nation and stop issuing this debt out, especially much of it to foreign entities

Killfile: Would that be to the extent of a balanced budget amendment and if not why not?

Rasoul: I would place myself with those that consider themselves Blue Dog Democrats, so we pay as we go. I would definitely be for a balanced budget amendment that allowed for us, over a short period of time, to quickly reform the way that we come up with programs to ensure that when we come up with new programs or additional funding is needed for something that the revenues are there. We can not continue with the kind of spending that we have that is just irresponsible.

Killfile: You talk about yourself as a Blue Dog Democrat. What besides a balanced budget amendment would you say differentiates you from the Democratic party as a whole and have you found the Democratic party to be a tough sell in this section of Virginia?

Rasoul: Being a fiscally conservative democrat in the footsteps and in the shadow of a person like Mark Warner has been a great sell. People are looking for answers. Being a moderate democrat who is ready, willing, and able, I've proven over the past 19 months of campaigning that I'm wanting to reach out across the aisle and speak with conservative groups and find out what are the priorities of the constituents in my district. That has come out in our message; it's not a tough sell as long as we stay on point and continue with our grass roots activity.

Killfile: Would you say that's the path forward as far as gaining ground in rural areas like South Western Virginia and Virginia as a whole for the Democratic party? Do you see a regional campaign strategy here?

Rasoul: I really believe whole-heartedly in old fashioned retail politics. I think that that's the best way to spread any message. I think that as the Democratic party - as they are starting to do that here in rural Virginia: putting people on the ground, trying to present the information in a way that makes sense to the people in my district, then I think that will work very well for them.

What we need to be careful of here is that we do understand that there is a fractured Republican Party and the Democrats are going to do very well in November. We are going to see victories all across the United States. We need to not become complacent with that anticipation. We need to offer a healthy alternative to the populace no matter what district we're in. We can't just win by default here. We have to reach out and understand that we're at a pivotal point in our nation's history where we need to be coming up with comprehensive solutions to energy, to healthcare, to our economy, [and] balancing our budget. So that's really the challenge ahead of the Democratic Party.

Killfile: Speaking of pivotal moments, Senator McCain made an illusion that the crisis in Georgia right now is perhaps the most defining crisis of the 21st century. First, would you or would you not agree with him on that statement. Second, and keeping in mind the House's lifted involvement in foreign affairs, what do you see as an ideal solution to that problem?

Rasoul: When you're talking about foreign policy, we have a failed foreign policy of wanting to police the world, not trying to engage in the dialogue that is necessary. It's quite obvious that we are a military superpower but that doesn't mean that we have to forgo any necessary dialogue that can take place. I don't think that the escalation [in Russia] is a defining moment when it comes to foreign policy or a defining moment in the 21st century. What we need to realize is this whole theory of being able to police the world without repercussion and without engaging with others - that is a danger to us. That stems from the fundamental problems that we have in our own nation.

As a member of the US House I will be fighting this fundamental problem, which is [that] our lobbyists and the special interests that have taken control and really overrun the legislature. They have taken the voice away from America, especially middle America and that is the fundamental crisis that we must deal with. That will take time, but we as a nation must begin to reform the way that the system works in Washington. With those kinds of systemic reforms and only with them can we begin to come up with and decipher objective long term solutions to the many issues facing America.

Killfile: If you have anything else that you'd like to raise at this point I will be happy to add it to the record.

Rasoul: To be a little bit more specific about systemic reform. You can talk about systemic reform all you want but concrete steps that need to be taken - I think that it is important to point these out - I don't take money from PACs or lobbyists. Even as a Democratic candidate I actually don't even take any money from the Democratic Party. That way, as a candidate, I can whole-heartedly stand up and tell the people "this is my progressive agenda; these are ideas that I believe in." No one, not even the party, will control that message because I will be a solid, independent voice for the people. That really goes to the major point and probably the single largest issue facing America - believe it or not - is public financing of these federal elections. We must take money out of the system if we want to begin to elect leaders and statesmen again. This is the problem. We are electing the best fundraisers and we are leaving the leaders behind.

Killfile: Would you then make the pledge to do the same thing in 2010 if elected - to not take any money from Special Interests, PACs, or the Democratic Party?

Rasoul: Oh in a heartbeat, yes I would. This is very important to me. This is the principled approach that has helped us to win the nomination. Listen, as the youngest congressional candidate in America I take that with a great deal of seriousness because there are a lot of younger voters and younger people that are watching our campaign and looking for a different type of politics; not just a different message. We need to look for a different type of politics that will really help to produce quality leaders that will take us into the future.

Killfile: Thank you Mr. Rasoul. Good luck with your race.

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