Ashwin Madia: U.S. Has ‘Serious Problems That Need Serious People’

Ashwin Madia, a candidate to replace retiring Rep. Jim Ramstad, said in an interview with Minnesota Monitor that his service in Iraq had convinced him success in Iraq was unlikely unless the United States changes its strategy there.

Madia, a Democratic candidate in the 3rd District, served as a member of the judge advocate general’s corps, said that a drawdown of troops from Iraq was unavoidable.

“I think that we cannot sustain the current deployment pace in Iraq,” Madia said.  “There are not enough people to keep having 160,000 people in Iraq indefinitely.” Madia added that he didn’t think America could be the total solution in Iraq.

“I think that we need to have the courage to recognize that the solution to Iraq’s problems will be found by Iraqis,” he said.

Madia said he would not vote to cut of off funding for the troops in a showdown with the president, but he said he would nevertheless stand strong against administration demands.

“I will always fund the troops, but the bill that I would support would include milestones, strategies and timelines to get the troops out, and if the president vetoed the bill, I would send the same bill back,” he said.  “I will cease the process of giving the president a blank check to do whatever he wants.”

Madia said that the impact of the Iraq war has been felt by only a small segment of Americans.

“The problem with this effort is that the president never really took the nation to war,” he said.  “The only people who have been asked to sacrifice have been the military and their families.”
Health Care, Balanced Budget, Environment are Concerns

Madia expressed strong support for finding solutions to the lack of heath care, working to balance the budget and addressing global climate change.

On health care, Madia made clear that America’s health care system is a disadvantage for business as well as individuals.

“I think our focus needs to be on making sure that working families that need health care can get it.  We are losing a competitive advantage with the way it’s structed ((structured? or constructed??))  in this country,” he said, noting that about $1,500 of the cost of a Ford automobile goes to pay for health care for Ford employees.

“On the one hand, working families that need health care aren’t getting it; on the other hand, it’s putting companies at a disadvantage,” Madia added, though he did not outline a specific plan..

Madia criticized Republicans for profligate spending and called for a return to the “pay-as-you-go” philosophy that was in effect during the Clinton administration.

“It’s about being practical and responsibly looking at the numbers, instead of being ideologues,” he said.  And Madia was blunt when it came to one major source of debt.

“We need to stop borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars from other countries to fund the war,” he said.

Madia said that America also needed to move swiftly to address the problem of global climate change.

“I view global warming as a planetary emergency on which we must act,” he said, adding, “There’s a lot of money to be made on it if we do it right.”  Madia cited the Internet as an example of new technologies driving the economy.

“As we move to a green economy, we can lead the world in this effort, make the technology here and sell it all over,” Madia said, adding that he believed all that was lacking was political will.

Madia criticized a measure working through Congress that would give retroactive immunity to telecommunication companies that may have assisted the government in unlawfully spying on Americans’ communications.

“I think the bill’s dead wrong, and I’d vote against it,” said Madia.  “I think that there is a way that we can protect our security while protecting our values.  We’ve never really had a serious national discussion about whether that’s the sort of nation we want to be.”

Madia added, “We’re America because of our ideals, and when we live up to those ideals, we’re the best country in the world.”

Will Abide by Endorsement

Madia said he would abide by the DFL endorsement process.  “I’m going to work my hardest to earn the trust and support of all the caucus goers,” he said.  And he added that to win in 2008, the DFL nominee would need to convince the district that they are “problem-solvers, not ideologues.  I think that we need to show that we’re serious, because it’s going to take serious people to solve the problems that face us.”

Increasing Number of Vets Running

Madia is part of an increasing number of Iraq veterans returning to the states and seeking office.  In Minnesota’s 2nd District,  Steve Sarvi is seeking the DFL endorsement to challenge Rep. John Kline, a Republican.  And 2006 saw a number of Iraq vets win office, including Reps. Patrick Murphy and Joe Sestak, both Democrats from Pennsylvania.

Jon Solz, the chairman of VoteVets.org, said that his organization was “definitely interested” in Madia’s campaign.

“He has a chance to put together a strong campaign there,” Solz said, adding that Madia “definitely knew the issues.”  Solz also said he believed that Madia would have a good opportunity to win a caucus that relies more on organization than cash on hand.

While Solz was complementary to Madia, he said his organization’s support in any race was contingent on candidates working to earn it.

“There is a misconception that one organization can put you over the top, but we’re just part of the team,” Solz said.  “It’s about viability.”

Solz cited Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., as a candidate that VoteVets.org had helped to secure victory, but only after Walz had put together a good campaign.  Solz said his organization had already endorsed Walz for 2008.

Solz said there was a growing number of Iraq vets running for office, but that his organization would not support them blindly.

“It doesn’t do you any good to run 100 Iraq vets for office if 100 of them lose,” Solz said.  “From our standpoint as an organization, it’s about viability, it’s more than just being an Iraq vet.”