Great interview on Salon. Every Dem in the country needs to take lessons from this guy. Here's a few quotes:
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The Bush administration says there's progress.
Bullshit. I've been there. There's no success unless you call painting schools success. We've painted a lot of schools.
Let's talk about the so-called moral values issues that you say spurred you to run for Congress last summer. You were upset about what you called Republican grandstanding on Terri Schiavo, abortion and gay marriage.
Why are these the No. 1 issues in the United States when we've got an economy which is in even more dire danger of reaching rock bottom than it was when I embarked on the congressional race? Frankly, these social issues are simple and straightforward. I'll be happy to take each one individually. Gay marriage and gay rights: I'm fond of saying, "Who cares?" The debate is about whether or not American men and women can walk into a courthouse and get equal treatment under the law regardless of their sexual preference. Anything less than that is un-American.
Lots more :
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/10/25/hackett/index.html