Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera Joins the Team!

Colorado Springs CO- Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera today announced that he is endorsing Bentley Rayburn in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District race. Mayor Rivera joins Colorado City Councilmen Scott Hente, Jerry Heimlicher and former Colorado Springs Mayor Harry Hoth in supporting Rayburn’s Candidacy.

In announcing his support for Rayburn, Rivera noted that Bentley’s military experience was truly the deciding factor. “Realizing that our nation is involved in a long protracted war coupled with the fact that this community is the home to five military installations leads me to believe that it is critical for the Congressman representing this district have military experience” Rivera stated.

“I am delighted to receive the endorsement today of a key community leader and a trail blazer in Lionel Rivera.” Rayburn stated. “Lionel has a record of service and leadership for the Colorado Springs community and I look forward to working with him and the many other Mayors and City Councils from throughout the district in a team effort to advance our agenda.

A Challenge to Doug Lamborn to Debate

This morning I contacted Congressman Doug Lamborn’s campaign with a letter urging him to engage in a series of issue oriented debates. The contents of that letter follow.

June 2, 2008

Representative Douglas Lamborn
3730 Sinton Road, Ste 150
Colorado Springs, CO 80907

Dear Congressman Lamborn,

On February 5, 2008, as you were announcing your candidacy for re-election I sent you a letter suggesting a series of 3 to 5 debates in order to facilitate a positive healthy exchange of ideas between candidates. Unfortunately, you did not respond to that letter.

Now with the completion of the Fifth Congressional Assembly this last Friday, and both of our campaigns submitting well over the necessary one thousand signatures required in order to qualify for the August primary ballot, I renew my call for a series of debates.

Certainly the fact that our nation will have a new President in January will dramatically change how business is done in Washington. Certainly, if the Congress remains under Democrat control your position of merely voting against Nancy Pelosi 99.7% of the time is not going to provide the leadership necessary to meet the many challenges we face as a nation. Clearly fighting the Democrat majorities will be important. However, in order to return to the majority in either House of Congress we must provide a vision for the future. I feel that the series of debates that I am proposing will give the voters in the Fifth Congressional District a first-hand view as to which candidate has the ideas and the life experience in order to begin moving our party, our district and our country forward.

In the spirit of trying to keep the campaign focused on the issues of concern to citizens of the district, my proposed series of 3 to5 debates would be hosted by key community groups, civic organizations and media outlets to provide in-depth discussions on key issues facing our community. These could include but certainly are not limited to the economy, winning the war against radical Islam, education, and healthcare.

Recognizing that August 12 is fast approaching, I suggest that the campaign managers for all three candidates meet either in person or via phone this week and compare the calendars so that these important debates can be scheduled in an expeditious fashion. My staff can be reached at (719) 884-7457

Sincerely,


BENTLEY B. RAYBURN
Candidate for Congress

The Passing of Mayor Bob Isaac

We express our deepest sympathies and offer condolences to the family of Bob Isaac. Former Mayor Bob was the first popularly elected Mayor of Colorado Springs and has remained one of the City’s most beloved political figures. He is one of the community’s most commendable leaders and will be sorely missed.

Mayor Bob was a visionary in this community and a true role model. Although my campaign has received many endorsements, I am extremely honored to have had Mayor Isaac’s support and I offer my condolences and support to the Isaac family.

Upcoming Tele-Town Hall Meeting

On Thursday, May 1 at 7:00 pm Bentley and retired Generals Billy Thomas and Mark Volcheff, along with astronaut Brian Duffy will host a tele-town hall with voters in the 5th Congressional District on the subject of national security and the threat of radical Islam. Anyone interested in participating may call the Rayburn campaign headquarters at 719 884-7457.

Military and Defense Leaders Endorsements

Today Bentley Rayburn released a partial list of military and defense leaders who have endorsed his candidacy for the U.S. Congress. “According to the Constitution, the primary function of the Congress is to provide for the common defense of our citizens. With that in mind, I am very honored to receive the endorsement of so many of our military and defense leaders listed below,” Rayburn said. “The fact is that there are fewer members of Congress with any kind of military experience now than there has been since World War II. Statistics show that less than 20% of our Congress has any military experience. When I am elected I plan to call upon many of these key leaders to provide me with guidance, recommendations and technical expertise. Understanding that the largest sector of our local economy is based on military and defense spending, I also intend to work diligently to bridge the gap that often exists between the military and business community in order to provide greater economic opportunities for our Fifth District communities.”

“I believe that fostering this relationship will lead to a stronger military by encouraging new ideas and technologies found in the business world to be brought into military and defense organizations,” Rayburn explained, “and will provide important job creation in a time in which our economy could benefit from new and innovative approaches.”

“I’ve worked with Bentley Rayburn for many years. He has the background, experience and vision that we badly need in Washington as our country faces some of the biggest challenges and threats that we have seen since World War II,” said retired U.S. Army Major General Robert Mixon, immediate past commander of Fort Carson.

Today’s endorsements include:

The Honorable Peter Teets, Former Undersecretary of the Air Force
General John Lorber, USAF (Ret)
General Lance Lord, USAF (Ret)
General John “Pete” Piotrowski, USAF (Ret)
General Ron Yates, USAF (Ret)
Lieutenant General A.P. Clark, USAF (Ret)
Lieutenant General Bruce Fister, USAF (Ret)
Lieutenant General Billy Thomas, USA (Ret)
Lieutenant General Thad Wolfe, USAF (Ret)
Major General George Douglas, USAF (Ret)
Major General Felix Dupre, USAF (Ret)
Major General Larry Fortner, USAF (Ret)
Major General John Hawley, USAF (Ret)
Major General John Mitchell, USA (Ret)
Major General Robert Mixon, USA (Ret)
Major General Frank Willis, USAF (Ret)
Brigadier General Dick Abel, USAF (Ret), Former President Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Former U.S. Olympic Committee Public Affairs
Brigadier General Teddy E. Rinebarger, USAF (Ret)
Brigadier General Malham “Mal” Wakin, USAF (Ret)
Colonel Bob Carlone, USAF (Ret), Co-Founder, The Home Front Cares
Colonel Vic Fernandez, USA (Ret), Past President, Military Officers Association of America; Past Chairman, Southern Colorado National Veterans’ Cemetery Committee
Colonel Joe Henjum, USAF (Ret), Co-Founder The Home Front Cares
Chaplain Bill Leonard, USN (Ret)
Colonel Stephen Leonard, USA (Ret)
Colonel Jim Mundt, USA (Ret)
Colonel Jim Palmer, USAF (Ret), Former Peterson AFB Base Commander, Former Senior VP for Government and Military Affairs, Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce
Chief Master Sergeant Ed Bell, USAF (Ret)
Chief Master Sergeant “Joe” Joseph, USAF (Ret)
Chief Master Sergeant Bill Legere, USAF (Ret)
Chief Master Sergeant Ron Miller, USAF (Ret)
Master Sergeant Wally Jones, USAF (Ret), President, The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA), Chapter One
Mr. Paul Darrow, USMC ’53-’55, President, Korean War Veterans Association, 2nd VP Pikes Peak Veterans’ Council
Mr. John Eck, Pearl Harbor Survivor

YouTube Endorsement Video Series

Today we released the first in a series of YouTube endorsement videos. These videos will feature a wide spectrum of individuals from throughout the district explaining in their own words why they support Bentley Rayburn for congress.

The first endorsement video features former Congressman Joel Hefley’s Chief of Staff, Connie Scott Solomon. Solomon served as Hefley’s Chief of Staff for six years ending in 2004.

Former Colorado Springs Mayor Bob Isaac Endorses Bentley Rayburn

Former longtime Colorado Springs mayor Bob Isaac announced today that he is endorsing my candidacy in Colorado’s Fifth Congressional District race. Mayor Isaac is the first popularly elected mayor of Colorado Springs. He was first elected in April of 1979 and reelected to five consecutive terms. I am honored that this great leader has joined the team and I look forward to learning from his experience.

“I believe this is a critical time for our country and Bentley Rayburn will provide our community the leadership it desperately needs. His ability to bring people together to solve problems will benefit our community for many years," Isaac said.

Endorsements

Today I released a partial list of endorsements for my campaign. I am humbled to have the support of so many prominent leaders who have demonstrated their commitment and dedication to Colorado and this great nation through years of public service. I look forward to working together and tapping into their experience to bring an even higher level of expertise and credibility to the table.

A partial listing of elected officials, past and present, as well as community leaders includes the following:

Scott McInnis, Former U.S. Congressman, CD-3

Steve Largent, Former U.S. Congressman

Natalie Meyer, Former Colorado Secretary of State

Ron May, Former State Senator, District 10

Carl Williams, Former State Senator

Marsha Looper, State Representative, District 19

Tom Grimshaw, Former State Representative

Bill Sinclair, Former State Representative

Scott Hente, Colorado Springs City Council

Jerry Heimlicher, Colorado Springs City Council

Cara Russell, Mayor of Buena Vista

Ed Libby, Former Mayor of Cripple Creek

Harry Hoth, Former Mayor of Colorado Springs

Dennis Peck, Former City Councilman and Mayor Pro tem, Cripple Creek

COL Bill McPherson, USA (Ret), City Administrator, City of Cripple Creek

Don Bain, Former Colorado State Republican Party Chairman

Tom Ready, Former Chairman, Pueblo County Republican Party

Connie Solomon, Former Chief of Staff to Congressman Joel Hefley

Martin Fox, Former Legislative Assistant for Military Affairs to Congressman
Joel Hefley

Ruth Eck, Former District Director, Congressman Joel Hefley

Leah DeLay, Former Staffer, U.S. Congressmen Tom Tancredo and Scott
McInnis

Jack Gloriod, Gloriod & Associates Real Estate

Jay Cimino, President/CEO, Phil Long Ford

Ron DeLay, DeLay Development Company

Lois Landgraf, Fountain City Council At-Large

Darin Anstine, Fountain

Chuck Asay, Political Cartoonist

Don Moon, Red Herring Productions

Henry “Hank” Walter, Retired Publisher, Woodmen Edition and Cheyenne Edition
newspapers

Dr. and Mrs. Milton Dewhirst, Family Practice Physician

David Jenkins, Nor’wood Development

Joan Joseph, St. Francis Health Care System

Rural Listening Tour Announcement

Today I announced that I am undertaking a series of listening tours that will concentrate on the key issues and challenges that face rural 5th district residents. The first listening tour will focus on rural health care and will begin on February 13 in Salida and conclude on February 15 in Canon City.

Tour details:

Wednesday, February 13:
9:30am Heart of the Rockies Medical Center, Salida
Briefing/Tour Led by Ken Leisher, CEO

5:30pm St. Vincent General Hospital District, Leadville
Meeting with Board and Hospital CEO, David Zaitz
Tour

Friday, February 15:
2:30pm St Thomas More Hospital
Briefing/Tour Led by Vice President Mark Hartman

Should the citizens of the 5th Congressional District elect me to Congress, I am committed to representing the entire District. These listening tours will be a valuable resource to me in that effort. I look forward to sitting down with doctors, nurses, patients and other health care professionals to explore ways that we might to work together to meet the challenges rural communities face.

Subsequent tours will focus on a number of issues including, but not limited to, education, public lands, and the economy.

Our Strategy

Over the past several weeks, Debbi and I have been fortunate enough to visit with many of you to discuss the issues and challenges that currently face our district, our state, and our nation. The response that we have received to our candidacy and campaign has been truly electric. I have found that people are hungry for new, positive, and strong leadership in Washington . Throughout my career, I have been proud to serve our country and am looking forward to working with each of you to bring about a positive vision for America ’s future.



During my travels across the Fifth District many Republicans have voiced concerns over the tone and tenor of the last primary campaign for this office. Many felt discouraged and disillusioned by the lack of vision and negative tactics used by two of the campaigns. This negative residue continues to divide us! Unfortunately, both of those campaigns chose the caucus system in which to gain access to the ballot. With that in mind, my campaign has been seeking your advice the last couple of months for suggestions on how to strategically advance our message, recognizing that people are desperate for something to believe in. Overwhelmingly, the feedback we received is that we need to build our party and our message, that we must stop allowing others to define who we are and what we stand for, and that we must expand the reach of that message.



Determined to establish a fair and inclusive process, the framers of our system of government provided for two methods by which a candidate can get on the ballot. The first method is through the party caucus system, and the other is through petition. Both honor the spirit of democracy, ensuring that citizens like you are engaged in the process at a fundamental level.



As you know from my background, I am not a professional politician. While I have great respect for the caucus process, I feel I need to run a different campaign. With my opponents likely to return to the negative tactics they succumbed to in the previous race, I worry that if everyone’s energy is focused on a small percentage of Republican voters that the campaign will likely become mired in a counter-productive race that will further damage our party.



Therefore, based upon your advice I plan to petition onto the ballot for the August primary. I plan to run a strong grassroots effort and, therefore, I ask for your support and active involvement in our campaign. I cannot express how greatly I appreciate your involvement in our party and the democratic process. I look forward to working with you in the coming years. I pledge to run a campaign that you can be proud of as a Republican. I also commit to running a strong effort not only through the August primary, but all the way through the November general election. We must have a strong turn out in the Fifth Congressional District in order for the eventual Republican Presidential candidate and Bob Schaffer to be successful. To that end I will work very hard not only to get out the Republican base, but to attract as many unaffiliated voters to the polls as possible in November.



This effort is really about building our country, our state, and our party. With your help I am convinced we will be successful! In order to facilitate involvement in my campaign, I have enclosed a volunteer card. Please return it to Debbi and me so that we may all begin working together as quickly as possible on this important mission.

Leading the Pack!

I would like to say thank you to all of the people who have contributed to my campaign. So far you have invested over $90 thousand dollars in my vision for Colorado’s future. This broad base of support from a diverse range of contributors throughout the district and state, demonstrates the appeal of our message on national security, fiscal responsibility, and individual freedom. I look forward to advancing our shared vision in the coming months as this campaign about America’s future resonates in the hearts of every Coloradan.

Emotional Voting

The news, lately, has been attributing Hillary Clinton’s recent win in New Hampshire to her welling tears and outbursts of frustration. But this just brings up the critical question: why talk about the issues if you can influence the voters through a display of emotion, however genuine it may be? Emotions have their place, certainly, but not as a deciding factor in a crucial election in our country. We should elect representatives and leaders based on their skills, their experience, and their ability to lead. To cast a vote for someone who relies on their personal appeal, charm, or sentimental displays, however, starts us down a very slippery slope. First it’s someone who shows genuine emotion in response to a question or a challenging situation. But right along this path we have two extreme options: a representative who is paralyzed by their feelings, or a guileful actor who wields them like a weapon instead of talking about the issues, and thus manipulating the voters. Neither of these possibilities bodes well for our nation. It is thus our responsibility to critically review each candidate and choose them based on what they have done in the past, have they are doing now, and what they are capable of doing in the future… and not just elect the performers. In all honesty, this goes for any election.

The Need For Energy Self-sufficiency

Africa’s largest oil producer Nigeria is the fifth largest source of oil for the US. The recent violence in the country will have a significant impact on the price of crude. National instability plagues many of the world’s major oil producing regions, adding to market volatility and higher energy costs. Therein lies the incentive for the United States to keep working towards self-sufficiency in energy production. Sure, we need to keep exploring other technologies and sources of energy, but the fact of the matter is that we will continue to be reliant on oil for a long time. We need to tap into a reliable petroleum source that will help to stabilize the market and provide a reliable supply free from regional instability.

My wife Debbi and I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year!

Ritter's California Emissions Plan

There has been a lot of talk about the most effective way to clean up the environment. Governor Bill Ritter is leading an effort to adopt California’s emissions standards. In his plan, Governor Ritter wants to set emissions standards for all new cars sold in Colorado after 2011.
The problem with the plan is that it will dramatically affect the auto-industry and consumers. Critics of the plan point out that there are virtually no vehicles in any Colorado dealer show rooms that would meet the stringent California emissions requirements. The plan will also hit consumers with an additional cost of up to $1000 per new vehicle. Furthermore the California plan calls for low-carbon fuel by 2010, which translates to an additional 4.2-6.6 cents per gallon. This plan specifically targets SUVs, which are a necessity for families, outdoors people, and other road warriors who travel in Colorado many various driving conditions.
I do not believe that this plan is in the best interest of Colorado. The American auto industry has just begun to show signs of recovery, and high gas prices already have many consumers and businesses struggling. It is not in the best interest of Colorado to implement another big government policy that puts the burden on the people. There is a lot of debate about the most effective way to clean up the environment, and I believe that we need to find a common sense scientific approach to deal with the issue, rather than another dubious big government effort. I am proud to call myself a conservationist, and I believe that we deserve clean air, water, and open spaces. I do not however believe that the best way to achieve these results is through hastily implemented big government policies.