My name is Dave Glissmeyer, and I’m running for Congress as an independent in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District. Now, I know what you’re thinking—independents cannot win in America’s two party system, which is so heavily stacked in favor of incumbents. Believe me, I understand the odds and the pessimism. Nonetheless, I think the nation is at a critical moment in its history where it is essential to challenge this accepted view of things. So I’m going to devote a year of my life to this effort, and I’m going to ask something of you as well.

I won’t insult your intelligence by trying to convince you that something is rotten in the nation’s capitol. We both know this already. Everywhere we turn, our political system is plagued by fiscal madness, partisan bickering, and inadequate leadership. We have the most expensive health care in the world, but our health statistics are little better than Cuba’s. We have spent hundreds of billions bailing out crooks on Wall Street, and they are back to the same outrageous bonuses and corrupt business practices we sought to eliminate. We’re bogged down in two foreign wars that we’re fighting with money borrowed from the Chinese. And to top things off, we continue racking up massive federal deficits while in the worst recession in 70 years. And no one seems to have a clear map to lead us back to prosperity.

Like you, I’ve agonized over how we got into this mess. Although I don’t claim to have all the answers, I see two critical problems behind the current crisis. First, corporate money in Washington D.C. has steadily corrupted both the politicians and the process. Politicians in D.C. now spend half their time fundraising, and in spite of what they say, corporate donations are influencing, if not controlling their votes. Moreover, this corporate money dominates campaigns, so incumbents are returned to D.C. 97% of the time, even though Americans are consistently appalled by the performance of Congress.

The second critical problem is that the two major parties are absorbed by “special interest” politics. Republicans are often obsessed with appealing to and placating large business interests with powerful political lobbies with serious campaign cash to spend.  With Democrats, the pandering is directed toward minority groups and trial lawyers, and a host of other groups with questionable interests. Sadly, such special interest politics has left a gaping hole in our national political dialogue – who is talking about that elusive concept we call the “greater public good”?  All too often legislation is crafted or scuttled because of political reasons and not for the benefit of the voter/citizen.  Where has our "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" gone?

My friends, the road back to political sanity has to start somewhere, so here’s what I’m offering. First, I will pledge not to take a single dollar from any corporate interest and to accept money only from individuals, with no strings attached. Standing clear of the corporate power brokers, I think I will be free to listen more closely and act more forthrightly on behalf of my constituents and America’s national interest. Second, I will pander to no group or individual, no matter how powerful. Third, I will commit to publishing a diary, blog or history of my doings on no less than a weekly basis. This will allow you to keep tabs on me and what I am trying to accomplish. It will also allow me to point out the obstacles and arguments standing in our way. Getting this country back on track will require sacrifices from everyone and no one should be exempt. This run for office is my own personal effort to begin to give government back to the people.

I cannot do this alone, so here’s what I’m asking of you. Without begging for corporate dollars, there is no way I can match the incumbent’s campaign war chest. So you, dear voter, must ignore the slick campaign ads and beguiling rhetoric of the campaign ahead and instead look for courage and straight answers in the person you vote for. As a show of fiscal responsibility I intend to run this entire campaign on a strict budget and all monies will come from individuals or they will not come. We have to once again take back our Congress from the big money interests and return it to the individual citizens. To start that process, read through this website and consider the ideas expressed herein. If you like what you see, I would greatly appreciate your support.

Best regards,

Dave Glissmeyer