Vote David Levitt for US Senate in California

In the June 5th US Senate primary we're standing up for what the people of California want by voting for David Levitt.

"Let's end Afghanistan, end prohibition, provide Medicare for All and rebuild the American dream," says US Senate candidate Levitt.  "Instead of putting trillions into wars and big banks, we can invest in education, infrastructure, and 21st century energy jobs."

Amid a comprehensive platform developed by over 100,000 people, known as the Contract for the American Dream, the campaign focusses on 3 issues Americans overwhelmingly support:

End Afghanistan     End Prohibition      Medicare for All

• Rescue our soldiers from Afghanistan – where truth tellers like Lt. Col. Dan Davis conclude there is no achievable mission and not one more life should be lost in a war that isn't keeping us safer.
• End the prohibition of medical marijuana – and the ongoing destructive federal raids on California medical dispensaries.
• Expand Medicare to all Americans - provide not-for-profit universal single-payer insurance to younger, healthier people at even lower rates - the way most other civilized countries do.

• Many of us have already voted for David by absentee ballot.  
• Half of California will vote on June 5th, primary day.
• Surveys say half of those voters haven't chosen a US Senate candidate -- that's 25% undecided.
• They also say no Republican has more than 4% support! 

Facebook Fans: those 2 million friends may have already seen the David Levitt for US Senate 'Like' added to your profile.  Go the extra yard and post this link on your Wall - or on a friend's - or Tag a few friends from California who should be joining in.

By contacting our California voter friends NOW, David Levitt can be one of the two primary winners.  This weekend and Monday are our great chance.

Then they can all Vote Levitt on June 5th!  

Tell friends about David Levitt on our ballots

• On Facebook:

• We've made sharing easy: share a link to this page Levitt2012.org/vote.  
• To see how to Tag your California friends so it will be seen on all their Facebook Walls, check out http://Levitt2012.org/goviral.  That way one post can appear on over 40 friends' Walls.
• Like http://facebook.com/Levitt2012 so others know you're involved

On Twitter: Follow, Retweet and Reply at @Levitt2012

• Include @Levitt2012 in Tweets that link articles on Afghanistan, CISPA, health care, prohibition, whistleblowers and freedom.
• Favorite and Retweet such messages when you see them, tagging them @Levitt2012, and put them on your Facebook Wall.

Here's more on what David Levitt stands for, from Ernest Canning in this week's Brad Blog:

"Instead of wasting trillions on war and giving $7 trillion for too-big-to-fail banks to gamble with as we have the past 4 years, we need to invest in education, infrastructure, and 21st century energy jobs," Levitt says in defining his positions.

Those positions stand in stark contrast to Feinstein, whose husband, Richard Blum, made millions off the Iraq war. Feinstein supported the 2002 Iraq war resolution, warned Republicans not to oppose Bush's Iraq troop escalation in 2007, co-sponsored the USA PATRIOT Act, joined Republicans in voting to limit the scope of privacy protections in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and supported the Obama administration's troop escalation in Afghanistan.

Levitt, on the other hand, calls for an immediate end to the DOJ/IRS raids on CA medical marijuana clinics and for a single-payer Medicare-for-All healthcare system. He not only decries the fraudulent Wall Street schemes that led to the 2008 economic meltdown, but calls for specific solutions, including a break up of the big banks, prosecutions of bank and rating agency executives, restoration of Glass-Steagall, and "a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions by any bank that received bail outs or low interest Fed loans."

Back in 1998, Feinstein was amongst the group of Senate Democrats who opened the door to the Wall Street credit default swaps casino by voting to repeal Glass-Steagall, the Great Depression era banking reform that, for decades, had disallowed investment firms from gambling with the funds of private depositors held in commercial banks.

In an email exchange, Levitt, who says he admires Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), informed The BRAD BLOG that he not only opposes the infamous Citizens United decision but supports Vermont's proposed Constitutional Amendment which would end corporate personhood and establish that money does not equate to free speech under the First Amendment.

Should Levitt succeed in achieving the second highest primary vote totals in next week's CA primary election, this could potentially create a far more significant challenge to Feinstein than any that could be mustered by a Republican --- provided Levitt's substantive positions could cut through the cloud of paid-for political propaganda that only corporate money can buy.

Great News for Democrats
If you're a Democrat, fear not.  So is David Levitt.  And there's no danger of a spoiler, since Senator Feinstein has 10 times the support of any Republican in the primary.

In fact if Levitt places second, this will be the first US Senate race in California without a Republican since 1856 - and the first one with two Democrats in the November general election, ever!

For once, it's not a "lesser of two evils" choice between what we have now and something even worse.  We can vote for what we really want.

Below: a campaign poster you can copy to print and post anywhere California voters should know about the campaign: 

We just discovered voters from across California recommending Levitt for US Senate at ProgressiveBallot.org!  If you're a California voter, please visit the site and weigh in.  First check out these passionate, eloquent voters.

“David Levitt is anti-prohibition and thus is for ending the U.S.'s failed and destructive "War on Drugs." At the same time, he supports Women's right to choose, ending the war in Afghanistan, and, in general, supports human rights and freedom issues as described in our Bill of Rights. It's very rare for a candidate to be consistent on freedom issues. David Levitt is. ” —Clairice V., Encino

“Smart Activist Progressive”—Matt F., San Diego

“He is incredibly articulate, well educated (PhD from MIT), and is committed to clarity and reason. He's behind ending the wars and other key progressive ideas, as compared to Feinstein who is a corporate tool.”—Anant S., Berkeley

“He is a progressive Democrat. With the new open primary we can have two Democrats on the ballot in November. Feinstein is a lock to make the November ballot. Levitt gives us a progressive alternative. He will speak for us and not the corporations.”—Geo. M., Long Beach

“He supports the legalization of marijuana, does not support the war in Afghanistan, wants the country to provide Medicare for everyone, and supports the Occupy movement.  He wants to take corporations out of politics.”—Tabitha., San Diego 

“PhD in Science from MIT and Silicon Valley innovator. We need scientists in government to meet the tech challenges we face.”—Shan R., Castro Valley

“Feinstein is going to get on the ballot this fall, and I think it'd be amazing to have a more progressive candidate to push the debate. I like Levitt and he has single payer healthcare as one of his top 3 items on his platform, so he's my choice and i think he might be the most likely to win #2” —Kendra J., San Francisco

“David Levitt understands how well-educated citizens are needed to protect our democracy from corporate influence.” —Sandy P., Pleasanton

“Of all the democrats on the ballot, he has shown explicit support for all social/fiscal issues important to progressives. Also, he has an incredibly professional website and seems like he could potentially win the race. We NEED to get that fake progressive (Feinstein) out of office!”
—Perry D., Berkeley

“I like where he stands on just about every issue. He seems honest, up front, and gregarious. In contrast, I've never been fond of many of Feinstein's positions.”—Ferdinanda F., Vallejo

“Read up on his issues. He's a real progressive, not like PIPA-supporting Feinstein.”  —Eric T., San Diego

“We need a younger, more progressive voice in the Senate.”—Sheldon R., Calabasas

“I trust him” —Michael R., Rancho Cordova 

“Dianne Feinstein is a corporate Democrat who needs a wake-up call, David Levitt is a true progressive and could actually serve if elected. He's not just a protest candidate.”  —Deborah G., Los Gatos

“He presents a logical and positive approach to problem-solving that's far more progressive than Feinstein yet far less divisive than many of the other candidates.” 

“Supports marriage equality, legalization and regulation of marijuana, ending the war in Afghanistan and science!"”—Benjamin E., Rio Linda

“From what I have seen - he will be good for California - and the nation.”   —Robin J., Cathedral City

Here's what to look for on our California June 5th 2012 election ballots:

Welcome to the online campaign.

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Details on Tagging friends in Facebook Posts

To Tag a friend in a new Post, click on the Add Person icon in the lower left corner.

The phrase "Who are you with?" appears.  Begin typing the name of a friend.
 

There's completion, so you can click popup choices or press Tab to select the choice.
 
And note how it then adds each Friend name to the bottom of the message. 

And here's how you Tag an additional Friend in an existing Post.  

First click Tag Friends at the bottom of the post:
 

Then a pop-up browser makes it easy to browse and add several Friends:
 

 when adding this way, the upper limit of Tags is about 45 Friends per post.

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Finally: on your election ballot --
Here's how Levitt's entry looks on California US Senate ballots (except for the blue highlight of course):  
When you vote, you mark the area to the right of the name, in black.

David Levitt for US Senate Campaign Committee
www.Levitt2012.org

Like http://www.facebook.com/Levitt2012
Follow @Levitt2012
Give http://Levitt2012.org/donate
Vote.

Sample and Absentee Ballots Arrive for the June 5th Primary!

Most of California has just received sample ballots for the June 5th primary election.

And every one of them has on it:

DAVID ALEX LEVITT, Party Preference: DEM
  Computer Scientist/Engineer

Pulled an absentee ballot out of the mailbox?  Go ahead and mark David Levitt now!

First find me on your ballot among 24 candidates -- it's laid out differently but I always seem to be sandwiched between Libertarian Lightfoot and Republican birther Orly Taitz.  (Below the fold: the full Sonoma County ballot list with all 24 Senate candidates.) 

Waiting till June 5th to vote?  Just watch this race get more exciting.  About 100 people just watched the astonishing Republican Candidates Campaign Hatred video I recorded at a recent San Mateo GOP “Get to Know Your Candidates” event.  It shows so clearly how bad politics as usual have become, and how badly we need a change.

(FYI, Ms. Taitz is famous because she believes the artifacts from accidentally scanning a Certified long form birth certificate with the OCR option set to ‘On’ are really evidence it was forged.)

Help me win a few hundred thousand votes I’ll need to beat Ms. Taitz's followers and get on the November ballot!  Post, tweet, and tell your friends about this extraordinary race.  

Technologist David Levitt Launches Challenge of Feinstein U.S. Senate Seat

14 Feb 2012

Dr. David Levitt, a computing and media scientist, has declared his 2012 candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat in California currently held by Senator Dianne Feinstein, running as a Democrat in the non-partisan primary being held June 5th.

Explains Levitt, "With confidence in today's Congress at a record low of 5%, it's widely understood that our political system is broken.  Our serious problems won't be solved by insiders from that culture.  In contrast, the engineering culture of Silicon Valley and MIT is about understanding and fixing broken systems by getting inside them and innovating.  That's how our team is approaching the 2012 electoral races."

Levitt has a doctorate in computing from MIT, and was a researcher at the MIT Media Lab before becoming a Silicon Valley scientist, engineer and entrepreneur.  With award winning Macintosh software, patents, and acclaimed handheld and iPad apps, Levitt has had no career in politics.  He joins a nationwide group of new citizen candidates fueled by small dollar donations instead of corporate or PAC money, so their platforms and priorities reflect the public interest.

High Tech Innovation Meets 2012 Politics

Levitt's campaign aims to use the modern broadband internet, including free social networks like Facebook and free video distribution platforms like YouTube, to offer voters an alternative to today's famously corrupt money-driven campaigns.  The Levitt 2012 campaign also leverages the online campaign platform NationBuilder.com and the non-profit Be Your Government, which provides new candidates with information on how to run for Congress and has launched 15 candidates in the past few weeks.

The public, enlightened by blatant ongoing corruption and fraud as well as the Occupy movement, is wary of the corporate campaign game and doesn't trust it to act in the public interest.

In a poll taken in 2010 when confidence in Congress was much higher, 45% of respondents thought we'd have better representatives if they were selected at random from the phone book, while another 19% were not sure.  "Americans wish they could replace this corrupt political class with citizen legislators - which was the U.S. framers' original idea after all," says Levitt.  "That's what we're doing."

California's Wild 2012 US Senate Race

The California 2012 Senate race offers a typical example of today's system.  Democratic Senator Feinstein's is the incumbent, the 5th oldest and 9th wealthiest in a Senate of millionaires. To win the 2006 race the campaign spent $8 million -- 30 times all the other candidates' campaigns combined.  Since the seat is considered safe, the Senator has not debated an opponent in almost twelve years.  The Senator has also raised hundreds of thousands from California utility and media industries - interested parties in legislation the Senator must vote on.

Meanwhile the leading Republican opponent, dentist Orly Taitz, is known as "Queen of the Birthers" because of her continuing insistence that the president wasn't born in the United States and her efforts to keep him off the 2012 ballot.

Says Levitt, "Those limited choices aren't good enough to represent California today."

Levitt Campaign Platform Welcomed

Levitt's campaign platform advocates policies in the public interest: investment in sustainable energy, infrastructure jobs and education, single payer health care, ending the drug war, and popular policies on energy, war, and finance that PAC-friendly party leaders don't dare to endorse.

"As I've tested the waters across the state, the public has been enthusiastic and grateful I'm running.  Audiences cheer.  Democratic Senators take me aside to say, 'Don't tell Dianne I'm endorsing you.  I have to work with her.'  As time went on I started feeling I've been drafted," says Levitt.

New Top-Two Primary Changes the California Rules

Another new factor in California's 2012 races is the non-partisan top-two primary mandated by the recent passage of Proposition 14.  This year there won't be separate Democratic, Republican or other party primaries in California.  Instead, in each race the two biggest vote getters from one combined June primary will appear on the November ballot.  This means in November, California voters may be choosing between two Democrats.  "This year, Democrats' best shot at keeping Orly Taitz or some other Republican off the November ballot is to vote Levitt in June," says Sheila Harden, Levitt 2012 campaign manager.

California is the most populous US state, with over 36 million citizens, 1/8 of the nation's people.  It is also the most wired state for digital broadband.  Dr. Levitt's campaign aims to attract Democrats, independents, and other eligible voters there - most of whom declined to vote in 2006.

Free 21st Century Campaigns

While Levitt 2012 expenses include staff, travel, and web hosting, his team expects to need a tiny fraction of what Feinstein's campaign routinely spends.  Decades ago Free Software wasn't considered sustainable.  But entrepreneurs like Electronic Frontier Foundation founder John Gilmore proved that great paid service for free software can be a highly profitable business model.  Now technology has enabled Free Campaigns.  Gilmore has been among the first enthusiastic Levitt 2012 campaign supporters.  

Says Levitt, "Democrats and Republicans think it should cost millions to campaign -- and they want every voter and potential opponent to believe it.  It was true in the 20th century, when TV ads were the only way to distribute video messages.  But it's only continuing today because sitting politicians and corporate TV networks prefer a race for corporate money and paid ads.  They're in denial that every day more voters skip ads with DVRs, watching and sharing videos recommended by friends on line instead.

"If these politicians campaigned on their track records and policies, they'd lose.  Their only hope is to convince ordinary people they can't run without joining the same corrupt money system.  But it's actually more affordable than ever -- there's even unlimited video.  Citizen-funded candidates on the ballot can pull back the curtain and show that The Great Oz isn't all-powerful.

"In the past year, Occupy and a dozen 'get the money out of politics' campaigns have been launched.  Professor Lawrence Lessig, MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan and others ask 'Do we need a new law, Amendment or Convention?  Do we have to overturn the Citizens United court decision or outlaw SuperPACs?'  But all we really have to do is find and support candidates who refuse corporate money, and reject anyone who thinks they should win by outspending their opponents.  That starts right now."

BeYourGovernment and Dr. Levitt are continuing to recruit new citizen candidates to the 2012 races.  "We've already been joined by a dozen 2012 House candidates like Sean Closson of New Mexico's District 3, Norman Solomon of California's District 2, and Jeanne van der Hurk of South Carolina's District 3.  We need more Senate candidates who aren't corporate owned, for open and 'safe' seats in states like Utah, Texas and Arizona.  There are literally hundreds of opportunities.  This can be a democratic 2012 revolution -- a kind of non-violent American version of the Arab Spring.  And really, shouldn't Americans be setting this example?"

Levitt Candidacy Launches Today

Dr. Levitt has been interviewed on Current TV's The Young Turks from Occupy Wall Street NYC, as well as on radio and podcast appearances, describing the California Senate race and the need for a new candidate.  

Announcing his Senate run today, Levitt explains, "We won't demonize or distort our opponents unfairly the way politicians often do.  But we have to be candid about our opponents' records.

“Dianne Feinstein pushed for the unnecessary Iraq War, leads the unwinnable Drug War and modern Prohibition, and even voted for the 1999 law that colleagues warned would lead to a huge financial crash within a decade.  These errors have cost America trillions of dollars and thousands of lives.  She routinely sponsors laws that are soon declared unconstitutional, like the PATRIOT Act and defunding ACORN.  Yet she doesn’t offer so much as a ‘Whoops – my bad’ to her constituents, colleagues, or victims.  The fact that Dianne Feinstein remains in office after 20 years with so little accountability is a stark indicator of how broken our political system has been.  The fact that until today Feinstein had no serious 2012 Senate challenger confirms that under the old system, only money and party seniority mattered.  That’s about to change.”

Campaign Contact Information

David Levitt for US Senate 2012 Campaign Committee

 site: Levitt2012.org
 email: info@Levitt2012.org
 phone: 707.515.7828
 donations: Levitt2012.org/Donate
 Twitter: @Levitt2012
 YouTube: DavidLevitt2012
 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Levitt-for-US-Senate-2012/158065784302061

Campaign Manager: Sheila Harden

The citizen-funded David Levitt 2012 for US Senate campaign receives online donations at Levitt2012.org/Donate.  Do your part.

Donations can also be made through the Democratic party ActBlue network at https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/levitt2012launch.

Registered California voters can collect signatures for Levitt's nomination, and help waive campaign filing fees, by downloading nomination forms at Levitt2012.org/ballot_volunteers and submitting voter signatures before February 23, 2012.