Sweet on Sowers: Army Green Beret Tries to Unseat Seven-Term Incumbent in Missouri

POSTED OCTOBER 26TH 11:18AM BY SLADE SOHMER

Senator John McCain carried Missouri’s 8th Congressional District with 62 percent of the vote in 2008. President George W. Bush won re-election with the help of the district’s 60 percent of the vote four years earlier. The predominantly rural district, in fact, hasn’t elected a Democrat in almost three decades.

But a 34-year-old Army Green Beret is trying to change that and win Rush Limbaugh’s home district in the process. Tommy Sowers has a nearly impossible fight on his hands to defeat seven-term incumbent Jo Ann Emerson, but the Iraq war veteran has seen far worse combat than an election battle.

Even with a ringing endorsement of Sowers from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Emerson’s seat is listed by pollsters as “Safe Republican,” meaning it’ll take a true miracle in this last week before Election Day for Sowers to upset the woman who’s held the seat since 1996 (her late husband Bill held the seat for 15 years before her). But that hasn’t stopped Sowers from climbing in his truck and visiting all 28 counties in his district in 28 days, holding town-hall meetings in each of them.

Huge portions of his district have poorer broadband and cell phone coverage than Sowers had in Baghdad, and the Missouri 8th is America’s 8th poorest in the nation. If voters in his district are serious about changing Washington culture and finding real representation to lead them, and this country, in the right direction, voting for Sowers would be a positive first step.

Before we introduce you to the Duke University grad and former political science professor at the Missouri University of Science & Technology, here’s Sowers in his own words about the importance of teaching, the meaning of democracy and why it’s worthy fighting and dying for: Tommy Sowers teacher video.

I had a chance to interview Sowers as he led the final surge of his campaign. We talked about his idea of democracy, whether voters were angrier at Democrats or incumbents, why this generation doesn’t really care about the ongoing wars, the treatment of our veterans, whether he supports the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Duke basketball, Purell on the campaign trail and much more.

Slade Sohmer: We’ll start with a real softball: What prompted you to run for Congress as a 34-year-old?

Tommy Sowers: In the military they teach the maxim, “If not you, then whom?” And if you look at what’s going on in rural America today, you can see we’re at a tipping point. In my district, which is made up of 28 counties in Southeast Missouri, we’ve lost 16,000 manufacturing jobs at 150 plants in the last 14 years. Manufacturing has disappeared and new jobs haven’t come in. A quarter of our children live in poverty. And the infrastructure that exists in other parts of the country –- broadband and good cell reception — is missing. Our current representative, Jo Ann Emerson, has been in office for 14 years. She hasn’t been a leader, but that hasn’t stopped her from getting re-elected.

So it was time for someone to stand up and fight for our home, and that’s why I’m in this, because the people of my home deserve better representation.

SS: You just said, “In my district, which is made up of 28 counties in Southeast Missouri, we’ve lost 16,000 manufacturing jobs at 150 plants in the last 14 years. Manufacturing has disappeared and new jobs haven’t come in.” Is your strategy centered around the luring of new factories to your district to match the unemployed manufacturing workforce there or has that train left the station and you’ll do everything you can to re-train the workforce for new jobs? And if the latter, what jobs will those be?

TS: We’ve got to focus on both bringing manufacturing back and job training if we’re going to turn rural America around. We’ve got to put trade deals back on the table, and we need to invest in 21st century infrastructure so that we have the technology to take advantage of growing industries.

We also need to step up the focus on adult education through community colleges, vocational schools and on-the-job training. The New GI Bill was great but needs to be improved to be more inclusive of adult education. We need more incentives for going into fields like nursing where we face critical shortages. And we need to continue to support and increase Pell Grants.

SS: There are two alternating narratives the national news media’s been tossing against the wall to see which one sticks. One is that it’ll be a bad year for Democrats. The other is that it’ll be a bad year for incumbents. You’re running as a Democrat, your opponent is a seven-term incumbent. Which do you think is a bigger perception problem in your district: incumbency or party affiliation?

TS: I think people are upset with Democrats, but they’re equally if not more disappointed in incumbents and in the state of our political system in general. Our current Congress is the oldest and longest serving in the history of the Republic. They’ve all been there too long, making too many compromises and getting too cozy with lobbyists. They’re too focused on reelection and that’s gotten in the way of serving the people. I am strongly in favor of term limits for that reason, because I don’t think our founders intended for Congress to be made up of career politicians. They wanted citizen legislators that were connected to their communities.

SS: In your main ad you sign off by saying “Whether you’re Republican, Democrat, Independent or Tea Party…” It’s an interesting strategy for a Democrat. Not many Democratic candidates have embraced the Tea Party, and many have outright accused them of caring more about their dislike for one political party than the fiscal and government over-reach issues they claim to espouse. What do you think about the loose coalition of citizens known as the Tea Party?

TS: I’ve been to several Tea Party events and I have to say, most members are fired up about improving our country. I may disagree with them on a lot of the issues, but at least they’re engaged in what’s going on. The Tea Party is a good example of the frustration that cuts across party lines. It isn’t about Democrats or Republicans. It’s about incumbents who have lost the trust of the people.

SS: But while most people that make up the Tea Party are engaged, as you said, many of them likely disagree with the direction you want to lead this country. How do you plan to successfully convince those Tea Partiers who disagree with you that your vision is right for America?

TS: The first person I spoke with when I walked into a Tea Party rally said to me, “If you’re in, you’re out,” talking about the 14-year incumbent. He and I may have disagreed on certain issues, but he liked my plan for bringing back jobs, supporting the middle class and representing the people of Missouri, not the lobbyists.

SS: Military suicides are skyrocketing, and it’s clear soldiers are having trouble returning to civilian life. Both political parties like to talk about supporting the troops, but as Paul Rieckhoff wrote in a column on this site, only 20 of 535 legislators received an A+ on the IAVA’s Congressional Report Card regarding our veterans. Clearly there is disappointment. Why is that not a bigger deal in the national media, that our veterans are receiving substandard treatment and they have very few allies in Congress?

TS: We have fewer veterans in Congress than at any time since World War II, and very few from the post 9/11 wars. To my knowledge I would be the only Green Beret in Congress, and I plan on using that stature to stand up for our troops and our veterans, giving a voice to a lot of the issues that are more unique to these wars. I was over there in Iraq not too long ago, and I’ve got friends and former students who are still there and in Afghanistan. I also have friends who have come home with TBI and PTSD, so I know the care that they’re receiving and the continuing challenges that they’re facing.

For too long, Congress has been a rubber stamp for the Generals and the President, writing a blank check and calling it “supporting the troops.” But supporting the troops doesn’t just mean sending more money, it means only sending them on a mission that is in our country’s long-term strategic interest so that they can accomplish it and come home. Congress hasn’t been asking the tough questions. We need folks like me up there who aren’t afraid to challenge the wars for fear of being perceived as unpatriotic.

SS: Our generation, by and large, seems to be more or less unconcerned about the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, almost as if it’s background music. Why do you think this is? No real fear of being drafted? Generational apathy?

TS: This is an area where I believe a lot of the blame falls on Congress. Over the past several decades, both Republican and Democratic congresses have given too much power to the Executive. Article I Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the power to commence, conduct and conclude wars. Congress is supposed to be strong, but if you look at how we’re conducting these wars, it’s the Generals and the President making the calls. Congress needs to claw back power, have a real discussion and have a vote. That, I believe, would be a good start in getting our country more engaged.

SS: Do you really believe that some 20-year-old college kid is going to suddenly care about the war if Congress took back its traditional powers? Isn’t the real answer “sacrifice?” Something like a tax increase, or spending cuts, or the threat of conscription?

TS: In a democracy we all deserve a say when decisions on the use of force are being made, and we are supposed to have our say through the votes of our representatives. If our representatives cast votes and debate on the issues, then we are all involved.

SS: In your experience as an Army Green Beret, do you believe allowing gay men and women in the military to serve openly and honestly would have any deleterious effect on unit cohesion? Wouldn’t you rather trust your life in the hands of someone with no secrets to hide from his or her fellow soldiers? Do you believe we should repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” and do you think it will happen in the next year?

TS: I’m in agreement with Dick Cheney, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen and Colin Powell on this one. I support repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, because I believe it’s an insult to the professionalism of the military. The arguments they’re making now are the same arguments that were used to try to stop the integration of the forces in WWII and the inclusion of women in the academies in the 70s.

SS: Do you think your alma mater Duke will repeat as NCAA champions? And did you at any point when the ball was in mid-air think Gordon Hayward’s half-court shot to win the championship game was about to fall in?

TS: If they stay healthy they’ll be cutting down the nets. And the campaign knew that I didn’t ask for much personally, but to let me watch Duke basketball without contacting me. The campaign world would stop for a few hours when they played, and the whole world stopped while Hayward’s shot was in the air.

SS: It’s a week ’til the election. You’re hustling around at least 16 hours out of every day, I’d imagine. What do you do to take your mind off the work day when you come home? Music? Sports? Television? Any favorites from each column?

TS: I’m hanging on to military hours, waking up at 5 to work out before the sun rises. That’s what clears my mind. To relax? Catching a Mizzou game. Watching 30 Rock on Hulu. Right now listening to Band of Horses. But I usually wedge that into the 15 minutes between winding down from the campaign and passing out.

SS: What takes more discipline and mental toughness: Army life or not saying something uncouth or untoward in front of reporters and/or voters?!

TS: Hands down, Army life. No one is shooting at me.

SS: How many hands do you think you’re shaking on a daily basis? How many bottles of Purell does your campaign go through on a weekly basis?

TS: Let me start by saying that we’ve run this campaign differently. I’ve been out in my truck with my dog Chuck on three “Boots on the Ground” operations where I visit all 28 counties of my district in 28 days. On my first “BOTG” operation I worked a different job in every county, and did everything from planting cotton to castrating my first calf. On my second BOTG operation I held a townhall in all 28 counties, and on my third operation I’m knocking on doors in every county. So that’s a lot of hands to shake. We lost the Purell a while ago. The CrossFit workouts have been key to keeping me healthy.

SS: What’s the first thing you’ll do if you’re elected on Tuesday? Who’s your first call?

TS: I think everybody that I’d want to call right away will be in the room with me.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 2nd. No matter who you vote for, go vote.

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