Thursday, April 17, 2008

I’m now an official candidate!

My paperwork is filed, and I’m now an official candidate for a position as an Obama Delegate to the Democratic National Convention!

For those of you that don’t know me, I live in House Speaker Andrew Romanoff’s District 6 in Southeast Denver, where I’ve been the Precinct Committee Person for precinct #639 for the last half-dozen years.

I have also been active in several campaigns of our local Democratic candidates. I also held responsible volunteer positions in Senator John Kerry’s Presidential Campaign in 2004, and am currently a Precinct Captain for Senator Barack Obama. I also expect to spend some time as a full-time volunteer in this year’s Presidential Campaign, just as I did four years ago.

While I have been a loyal and active Democrat, and done my share of phone banking and going door-to-door on behalf of Democratic candidates, I am not running on that record alone. I believe any candidate for National Delegate must earn your vote by doing more, and being more, than just a good and faithful servant of the Party. It should be more than simply a “reward” for one’s past contributions to the Party. We deserve more than that in a Delegate that will represent us in selecting the Democratic candidate for President of the United States.

Just as Barack Obama talks about “Change We Can Believe In”, we need Delegates that we can believe in. This may well be the first convention in modern history in which each and every Delegate’s vote may make the difference in who becomes our candidate. So this will be a different kind of political convention than any of us have experienced before. We really need to elect Delegates that will faithfully represent us, and that will work tirelessly to help gather the votes necessary to ensure Barack Obama is our Party’s candidate. I believe I am one of those people.

I’d like to talk with you about 3 things in particular—Integrity, Accountability, and Leadership.

Integrity – Some people say, even pledged delegates can change their mind and their vote at the convention. I see representing you as a Delegate to be a sacred trust--to cast my vote as you expect--for Barack Obama!

Accountability – I have spent my entire 31-year career in the Federal Government in the “accountability profession”. I spent 14 years with the Government Accountability Office, where the core values are Accountability, Integrity, and Reliability. I spent the last 17 years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General, most recently responsible for the Inspector General’s work in climate change. I was also personally trained by former VP Al Gore to present the slideshow chronicled in his movie, An Inconvenient Truth, and have given presentations throughout the State to help people better understand the facts about global warming and climate change.

So what does “accountability” mean in terms of being a Delegate to the National Convention? Representing you as a Delegate is not just an “honorary” position. Delegates have responsibilities beyond just casting their vote for a nominee. I will not only cast my vote as you expect, I will work hard, day and night, to do whatever needs to be done to ensure our “Super Delegates” are also accountable and vote as their constituents expect!

Leadership – The National Convention is, or should be, more than just a big party. It is where important decisions about the future of our Party and the future of our country will be made. And our party has a responsibility to get out in front on Democratic values and truly “lead” the way for all our Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. I will work hard to help ensure our Party leaders do that in August and beyond!

I also have a Unique Promise I want to make to you!—I will take you with me to all the convention activities (virtually) through my daily blog. I will write about my personal experiences and what is happening at the convention, and you can also ask questions and post your own comments.
So, again, the 3 characteristics that describe who I am, and which I believe are most critical in choosing who will represent you as an Obama Delegate to our National Convention are:

Integrity, to cast my vote as we agreed!

Accountability, and ensuring our Super Delegates are also accountable!

and Leadership, to help ensure our Party really steps up to lead on the issues we all care about!

I ask for your vote, as a Delegate, for the next President of the United States, Barack Obama!

6 comments:

J Maslanik said...

I support Jeff Hart as a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention. He is a strong advocate and a loyal Democrat who will fight for Democratic values at the Convention. --John Maslanik, HD5b Committeeperson

John W Carey said...

Jeff Hart is a strong leader, belive me. I have seen him present to different audiences. He came to our 24-year old Toastmaaster club in southeast Denver when he had been elected president of a national government accountants association. People listened to him, Al Gore listened to him, and the many audiences who heard him present the Al Gore slides listened and interacted with him. He'd help carry the day for Barack Obama this summer at the Democratic National Convention as a delegate.

Charlie Farwell said...

I think Jeff will be a great delegate for Obama at the DNC. In all my dealings with him he has demonstrated authenticity, integrity and passion. He will be a great delegate!!

doug west said...

I have been a close friend of Jeff’s for years and don’t know of anyone that I would rather have as an advocate. He is very competent and enthusiastic in whatever he pursues and is dedicated to making our country a better place by having Barack Obama as our next president. As an expressive extrovert with tireless energy, Jeff would become a prominent delegate at the DNC.

Unknown said...

I have known Jeff as a person with integrity and common sense, and a strong desire to serve. Jeff is someone I trust to do what he says he will do, and follow up on his promises. At this time in our country's history, we need men and women like Jeff to stand for something, to have integrity and follow through on what's best for the country.

Mel said...

I've know Jeff for over 25 years and feel he has a great passion for this country and being a part of the direction it will take. He is a tireless worker with the kind of commitment and conviction it takes to help Barack Obama become the next President. You can be assured that as a Delegate Jeff will do his best for the Democratic Party.