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Listen to clammyc and hekebolos’ exclusive interview with Mary Pallant!

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(While we’re celebrating equal marriage rights for all Californians, why not listen to one of California’s progressive Congressional candidates hold court on the issues? – promoted by Dante Atkins (hekebolos))

Full disclosure: I serve as a the (volunteer) Netroots Coordinator for the Mary Pallant campaign

If we learned nothing else from Travis Childers’ incredible victory in the R+10 MS-01, it is that all but the verry most conservative Republican House seats are in play and winnable this election cycle.  Democrats who may not have had a legitimate shot in other election years have a decent shot of taking over otherwise impossible districts this year.

What that also means is that many Democrats in swing districts that are trending blue may actually be favored to win this year–even if they’re not technically on the front radars of organizations like Blue Majority or the DCCC’s Red to Blue list.  Of course, demographics aren’t everything: the candidates themselves have to be capable, determined and charismatic.

Mary Pallant in CA-24 is just such a capable candidate in very swing district bordering the districts of progressives Henry Waxman in Los Angeles and Lois Capps in Santa Barbara–and you have the opportunity to hear her live or via podcast/download in an exclusive interview today at 5pmPST/8pmEST with our own netroots bloggers clammyc and hekebolos on Blogtalkradio!  (My brother hekebolos will be filling in on the show for me in order to avoid conflict of interest issues on my part, so you can hear Mary in her full glory without my temptation to spin on her behalf!)

Why does Mary have such a great shot at victory?  Look no further than a post I wrote back on April 21st:

Turnout numbers in this district are off the charts as voters get increasingly sick of Republican rule.  This R+5 district saw Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by almost 4,000 votes earlier this year, partly due to the historic primary race.  Nor is there any indication that the Democratic turnout will do anything but increase in November as we approach this historic general election.  I was quoted extensively in the local paper the Ventura County Reporter in its story on Ventura County’s flip from red to blue in overall voter registration–one of the major reasons for Tom McClintock’s departure to the supposedly friendlier climes of CA-04 to take on Charlie Brown.

Republican Elton Gallegly, meanwhile, is a do-nothing, nearly invisible Rubberstamp Republican who has essentially ignored the needs of the district for years while supporting the unpopular Occupation of Iraq, Bush’s unpopular tax cuts for the wealthy.

This is a district that is ripe for the picking for a strong, progressive Democrat.  And Mary Pallant is just such a Democrat.  Strongly opposed to the Occupation of Iraq and a supporter of the Responsible Plan, an avid supporter of universal healthcare and creating a green economy, and a supporter of efforts to  end corruption in government, she is just the sort of progressive Democrat we need.  That’s why the Progressive Democrats of America have given Mary their enthusiastic support.

Since the time I wrote that diary, Mary has also been racking up more and more endorsements from across the progressive and Democratic spectrum.

Not only can Mary definitely win this race, her positions on the economy, on healthcare and on Iraq are all heavily progressive positions we can all be proud of.  Here’s part of her economic platform:

Mary is running because she believes the people in Washington care more about Fallujah than they do about Fillmore. The 2 to 3 billion dollars a week we are spending in Iraq will get a much better return on investment if we invest here in our infrastructure, create green collar jobs, boost manufacturing, and assist with the sub-prime loan debacle. Wages have stagnated over the last several years, our dollar has declined, while our debt has risen to record levels. We are in an unsustainable downward spiral and we must act fast. We have witnessed the impact here in the district with falling or stagnate home sales, Amgen laid off 100’s of employees, Countrywide’s fall to near ruin, which affected 100’s of people who live here in Ventura County. The cost of goods and services has far outpaced inflation. For America to be a beacon of hope again in the world, a model of democracy, we must restore our middle class and become strong and secure again here first. It begins in our own back yard.

If you can, please help Mary by making a contribution to her campaign–every little bit helps in these congressional races.  And don’t forget to listen in or download the interview tonight to hear why Mary deserves our support!

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Also, if you are interested in hearing interviews with other fine progressive candidates, below is a list of previous Heading Left candidate interviews conducted by myself and clammyc: