Charles Brown
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Categories: California Democrats | Fighting Dems
Lt. Col. Charles M. Brown, is a Vietnam Veteran and he was the Democratic candidate for Congress in California's Fourth District in the 2006 election. He lost to the incumbent but is running again in 2008.
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Life and career
Charlie was born in 1949. Raised in rural Iowa, he developed his hard work ethic and strong mid-western values early on. He was an avid hunter, who worked on his grandfather’s cattle farm and took his first job while in middle school--unloading railroad cars at the local farm service plant.
As the son of a decorated World War II veteran, Charlie has always understood the importance of defending America. At age 13, he read an article about the Air Force in the Saturday Evening Post, and knew immediately that he wanted to be a pilot. He dedicated himself to that goal, and the hard work paid off. Charlie received a Congressional appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1968.
After graduating in 1972, he began a distinguished 26-year Air Force career during which he was involved in every U.S. military conflict from Vietnam to Desert Storm.
As a rescue helicopter pilot based in Thailand at the end of the Vietnam War, Charlie participated in the evacuations of Saigon, Phnom Penh, and the infamous Mayaguez Incident—for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In Vietnam, he saw the human cost of faulty equipment and bad intelligence up close. It’s a lesson he’s never forgotten.
After the war, Charlie transitioned to fixed wing aircraft and working with intelligence collection assets. He piloted reconnaissance missions in support of combat operations in Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, and Libya, and flew Cold War related missions around the world. After the first Gulf War, Charlie served two rotations in Saudi Arabia, where he coordinated surveillance flights over Iraq’s “No Fly Zones.”
Whenever or wherever duty has called, Charlie has always been there. He’s served as a flight instructor, flight examiner, budget officer, safety officer, military magistrate, and been responsible for presentations to ambassadors, members of Congress, and foreign officials during his distinguished military career. He also earned his Master’s Degree in Aviation Management from Embry Riddle University in 1985.
Charlie retired from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1998, but he’s never stopped living the oath he gave when his career began: to lead with honor and integrity, to defend the constitution, to fight for the freedom and security of every American, and most importantly, to “leave no one behind.”
He’s remained true to his values. In 1996, Charlie was elected Chair of the Supervisory Committee of a $5 million local Credit Union. Responsible for fiscal oversight of an institution ripe with waste and abuse, Charlie didn’t turn a blind eye. He stood up for the fiscal responsibility that his members deserved.
Charlie continues to serve. He’s earned his California Teaching credential, spent the past 8 years on the Professional Staff of the Roseville Police Department, was elected to two terms as Vice President of the Roseville Police Association, and has been a tireless advocate for veterans rights, seniors, middle class families, and the environment.
Charlie’s wife of 33 years, Jan, also served in the Air Force as a nurse. His son Jeff is an Air Force Captain, who just returned from his third rotation in Iraq. His daughter Stacey is currently finishing up her degree at UC Irvine. Stacey and Jeff both attended Public Schools, and the Brown’s have lived in Roseville, California for the past 14 years. Charlie is an avid runner, bicycler, and kayaker.
Campaign issues
Brown identifies his top priorities as: protecting Social Security; keeping American jobs at home; making good healthcare accessible to everyone; supporting strong, safe schools; ensuring clean water and air; stopping out-of-control deficit spending; and bringing the war in Iraq to a quick and secure resolution.
Defining his number-one issue as the Constitution, however, he questions whether current Republican leaders genuinely believe in individual liberties when they allow spying without a warrant on American citizens; or in small government when they create huge and ineffective bureaucracies; or in fiscal responsibility when they run up huge deficits. He characterizes the Republican incumbent, John Doolittle, as being among extremists who have taken over the Republican party and allowed corporations to binge on federal contracts in the midst of a war while underfunding the Veterans Administration and neglecting the needs of middle-class families.
Citing the fact that the incumbent Doolittle received less than 42% of the total votes cast in the June 6, 2006, primaries, Brown has characterized the result as being a strong majority vote for change.
While Doolittle faces an ongoing federal investigation into congressional corruption scandals, including ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and defense contractor Brent Wilkes, Brown has emphasized the need for ethical representation in Congress. Promising transparency in government service if elected, he has pledged to publicly disclose anyone whom he meets with to discuss legislation, including lobbyists.
A debate
Brown repeatedly challenged Dolittle to a debate via Newspapers till Doolittle agreed.
The single debate was covered by a single tv station that most of the districts constituetes couldn't even pick up.
Doolittle's PR stunt backfires
In 2006 "Unbeknownst to Doolittle, the young airman flying the aircraft was a homey -- 26-year-old Capt. Jeff Brown, serving his third four-month rotation in the war zone. It turns out that Brown is the son of retired Air Force Lt. Col. Charlie Brown, who is running in the June Democratic primary for the nomination to oppose Doolittle in November. "It's a small world," Doolittle said. The two never spoke. Doolittle said he learned of the coincidence when the commander of the aircraft told him as he was deplaning, "Charlie Brown says hello to you through his son.""[1]
A loss
Brown lost the 06 election thanks to a series of dirty trick, half truths, and his ACLU membership.
However some many people vote for Brown that he came with the margin of error range (+ or - 3%) of Doolittles campaign and this in a district the cook political report places at a R+11 PVI [2] an unheard of event.
Even in defeat the people of the 4th won for as Brown put it "No Republican will ever take the 4th District for granted again!"
2007
In 07 when Doolittle started pretending he gave two shits about the Iraq war Brown had the following to say:
"For more than four years, John Doolittle has offered lockstep support for a disastrous Iraq policy that has neglected our troops, compromised America’s security, and emboldened our enemies.
Nearly 3600 Americans have been killed and more than 25,000 wounded. And while I have consistently offered a plan which honors their sacrifice and matches realities on the ground-- to include a more limited mission, timetables for re-deployment and enforceable political benchmarks-- John Doolittle has consistently voted to stay the course.
Now that he is facing the prospect of criminal indictment, Doolittle is grasping at straws. He’s gone from a position of blind allegiance to a President who ignores the will of the American people, his top military commanders, Congress, and the Iraq Study Group, to one that is grounded in political desperation.
It’s time for John Doolittle to offer our troops, our country, and his constituents something more than just empty words."[3]
The 2008 campaign
As a result of his having such great sucess in the 4th Brown is running again for election in 2008.
According to a September 2007 edition of the Sacromento Bee If an election were held today, Democrat Charlie Brown would 51% of the vote and Doolittle's 31%.
"Those surveyed were also asked if they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Doolittle. Respondents came back with 28% favorable and 56% unfavorable.
In the survey, GOP primary voters were asked whether Congressman Doolittle should run for another term. 33% of those asked said he should. A staggering 50% said that the Congressman should either resign or should not run again." [4][5]
External Links
- Analysis - DailyKos diary
- Charles Brown for Congress - campaign website
- Official biography - KXTV news10.net
- "Race for your life, Charlie Brown", Sacramento News & Review, May 4, 2006
- CA04: MY SON IS OFF TO SERVE HIS 4th ROTATION IN IRAQ - by Charles Brown