MARTIN BAKER
candidate for U.S. CONGRESS
Missouri's 1st Congressional District
March 27, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Today brings to a close the filing period for all 2012 Missouri political races. Having been registered since the morning of the first day of filing, I welcome the start of the race in earnest and the challenges that I will face on the road ahead. I offer my congratulations to all who, like me, have felt the need to serve my country better by serving my district, my neighbors, and my friends.
Missouri’s 1st District faces unique challenges, and I am fully prepared to meet those challenges head on. We are steadily losing jobs and population due to policies that strangle small businesses and penalize job creators. I am prepared to fight, alone if necessary, to release Missouri’s 1st District from the grip of these policies, and to stand in opposition to new policies that would bring more of the same. I love this District, I live in this District, and it pains me to see people leaving because those who are in a position to change things are either unwilling or unable to do so. I plan to change that.
I invite all others who have filed for candidacy in Missouri’s 1st District to join me in a series of public debates (times and locations to be determined) so that we can ensure that the people have the information necessary to choose the candidate who is best suited to the task at hand.
Martin D. Baker, Candidate for U.S. Congress, Missouri District 1
Remembering Breitbart
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Today we sit in stunned silence, unable to fathom or calculate the measure of the loss we feel. With the passing of Andrew Breitbart early this morning, America as a collective has lost a true patriot, a warrior, and a passionate and unrelenting advocate of truth.
Tomorrow we will be asked to step into his shoes, a tall order if ever there was one, and take the torch from here. It will be up to us to continue the fight, to expose truth where it is hidden, and to shed light on the dark places that no one likes to talk about. We will be charged with finding our own voices in the continued struggle to protect and defend our own liberty. Much will be demanded of us in his absence, and we owe it to his memory to meet those demands head on.
236 years ago, Thomas Jefferson asked fellow patriots to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Since then, few have lived up to that pledge. Andrew Breitbart was one of those few.
R.I.P. Andrew Breitbart. America has lost a dear friend and ally this day.
via Virginia Kruta
Martin D. Baker Official Candidate for Congress in Missouri’s 1st District
February 28, 2012 8:53 AM CST
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
“It’s about time for the rights and freedoms of the people of Missouri’s 1st Congressional District to be defended and fought for,” announced Martin D. Baker, Navy veteran and ‘conservative warrior’, on the steps of the State Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Tuesday marks the beginning of the 2012 elections candidacy filing period within Missouri. One of those candidates, Martin D. Baker, was at the State Capital in the early morning hours to officially file to run for Congress in Missouri’s 1st District. His concern for the residents of Missouri’s 1st District was overwhelmingly evident in his comments.
“In the year 2000 the total population of Missouri’s 1st Congressional District was approximately 622,000 while now it is less than 587,000; a loss of over 6%. According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department the 2011 Total Crime Index in the 1st Congressional District of Missouri was 4982. Since 2008, nearly 82 thousand jobs have been lost in the area and our District has felt the brunt. But the pain goes back even farther: in 2006, 1445 jobs were shuttered in Hazelwood at the Ford Plant; 1320 of those jobs were hourly wage jobs. Northwest Plaza in St Ann was, at its peak, the largest enclosed mall in the state of Missouri, with 9 anchor stores and 210 stores within. Today it is at less than 8% capacity and current plans are to tear down the bulk of its structure. These are examples of why our District has had a steady population decline.”
Motivated by a deep sense of pride and love of Missouri, Martin is determined to strengthen Missouri’s 1st Congressional District by seeking out the true causes of the declining district. As for those enemies that have brought this all about?
“Our enemy is not the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. Our enemy is not any individual Senator or Congressman. To the good people of Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, to the people of the great state of Missouri and to the people of our United States of America I say the enemy is animosity and hostility. The enemy we face is poor policy and forgotten principles. The enemy we face is the suffering and fear of each citizen, not the citizen themselves.”
Martin's family is deeply rooted in Missouri and it is the time honored principles and traditional values found there, that he believes is the key to success and achieving the American Dream for each and every citizen.
“In order to set a framework for our future; in order to bring truth and justice to Americans; we must address policies and practices, and we must work towards compromise and community. Acrimony and accusations serve no purpose other than to put evil in our spirit and hatred in our hearts. Such attitudes are from those who have forgotten the very principles that have given us strength in some of the darkest days in our nation's history. Such attitudes serve no purpose other than to instigate animosity amongst American citizens who are our brothers and sisters united in cause against the TRUE enemies and evils in our lives. Such negative attitudes come from those who have lost sight of the core beliefs and practices which shape our nation.”
When asked to briefly explain what had to be done to set Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, the state and the country on the road to success and prosperity, Martin Baker had a focused plan and a positive message to deliver.
“To achieve a positive attitude and combat the evils and enemies we face we need to focus on the accountability of action and result-oriented legislation. We must end all misuse of Government funds through “pork” and jaded earmarking. We must bring an end to the era of “political correctness” which has caused politicians to tell half-truths instead of honestly addressing ways to correct shortfalls and mistakes. We must open channels of communication between political parties to work together on common goals first, and deliberate on differences later. We must abandon the cycle of lifetime entitlements which negate the need for self-motivation and determination, and instead we must provide a hand up to our brothers and sisters so they are able to reach a higher standard of living and once again remember that they are God’s children, worthy of success and His Grace.”
Current approval of the way Congress is performing their elected duties remains low among all Americans, regardless of their political party identification. Americans are struggling to find confidence in their elected officials, many believing those officials to be dishonest and lacking positive ethics. Overall they have little satisfaction with the way the nation is being governed. With such apparent distain for government, how does Martin Baker plan to reach out to voters? The answer was quite clear.
“Missouri’s representatives in Congress, as well as all State Representatives must go beyond merely listening to their constituents; we must work with them, which is exactly I desire to do. As a representative I must and will pursue my constituents so that I know what their concerns are, what their fears are, what their needs are. A representative must trust their constituents, for it is the people, not the government, that best know how to achieve the American dream. The rights and freedoms of the people of Missouri’s 1st District and the State of Missouri must not only be defended, they must be fought for. And when Election Day comes I will be standing there with the people of Missouri’s 1st District as we return the government to the people whom it serves. And together with strength and determination, we shall achieve our goals and regain the American dream. It’s about time for us all to go to Washington!”
David Singleton
Media Liaison, Martin Baker for Congress
August 29th, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Over the past few days and weeks, America has seen and heard speeches made by members of the Congressional Black Caucus containing statements accusing the Tea Party Movement of "holding Congress hostage" and, even worse, telling Tea Party Americans that they could go "straight to Hell". Statements such as those are hardly a sign of bipartisanship or even civil discourse in the “new tone” that President Obama has encouraged. As a member of the Tea Party Movement and as a Black American, I am personally insulted by the comments made by Congresswomen Wilson and Waters. Comments such as those cause unnecessary hostility between two groups of great Americans. Instead of following the admonition of former President Reagan to find what we can agree on, these two distinguished Representatives of the People have chosen to use acidic vitriol to attack citizens who are politically different from them.
Today, I am inviting both of these distinguished ladies to St Louis, Missouri to tell me and my Tea Party compatriots in person why we should go straight to Hell. Congresswoman Waters should know the way here, having been born and raised in our esteemed area and a graduate of Vashon High School, which is in the St Louis Public School District. Unfortunately, that area and district have changed remarkably since her departure. If she comes, she will come home to nearly 17% unemployment in the African-American Community, high crime rates, and diminished hope. I would like to ask her what her comments do to address the needs for real education and healthcare reform, what they do to reduce unemployment, and finally, what they do to stop the out-of-control government spending of our taxpayer dollars both here in St Louis and nationwide.
I know that it is not Congresswoman Waters’ responsibility to answer the questions of the residents of St Louis, Missouri, yet I still warmly invite her here to reconnect with her roots. While I await her response, her colleague in the CBC who does represent St Louis, the Honorable Congressman Clay, should take the opportunity to formally address her comments on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. He has the choice to either stand by them or, more properly, denounce them as mean-spirited remarks unbecoming of a U.S. Representative. Americans understand that the use of hateful language does not advance dialogue amongst divergent groups, so I further invite CBC Chairman Cleaver and the whole CBC to show respectful leadership by demonstrating that they are ready to listen to the views of all Americans and work together to move our country forward.
Respectfully Submitted,
Martin D Baker
(R) Candidate United States Congress Missouri First District
Martin D. Baker Announces Run for Congress
August 13th, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
“It is my intention to become . . . the next United States congressman from the 1st District of Missouri,” announced Martin D. Baker at the Sherman Parker Banquet hosted by Move-On-Up.org.
“It’s time that members of Congress not only listen to their constituents, but make them an active part of their duties in Washington. There are good people, hard working Missourians that cannot find jobs, and there are individuals and families that struggle just to get by paycheck to paycheck. Many of our small business owners in Missouri’s 1st District find themselves barely able to get by payroll to payroll. This absolutely will not do for our good people of Missouri’s 1st District, for our people of the great state of Missouri or for the people of our United States of America,” declares Martin Baker, St Louis resident and Republican candidate for Missouri's First Congressional District Seat.
Martin’s announcement took place on August 13th at the “Meet Me in St. Louis!” National Conservative conference, the first event sponsored by Move-On-Up.org. With speakers such as Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, Andrew Breitbart and keynote speaker Star Parker, this inaugural conference of black conservatives focused on the importance of networking, education and advancing the conservative message.
“I am running for the United States Congress so that the people of Missouri’s 1st District and all the great people of Missouri not only have a voice, but an active role in helping each of us reach our goals, rediscover and achieve our dreams, and to once again make this great nation the land of opportunity.
With breakout sessions by conservative black author Andre Harper and a video message by United States Congressman Allen West, the message of this convention was very clear and brilliantly summarized by Bill Hennessy as he wrote: “This weekend in St. Louis, a network of African-American conservatives threw off the chains of government limitation. Fighting through a barrage of racial smears—Uncle Tom, Sambo, self-haters—these champions of human dignity cheated history, defied their Democrat Party masters, and planted their flag in the heart of dying Civil Right Industry, Inc. ™” The message of Martin D. Baker has also begun to be heard loud and clear.
“Missouri’s representatives in Congress must go beyond merely listening to their constituents; we must work with them, which is what I desire to do. As a representative I must and will pursue my constituents so that I know what their concerns are, what their fears are, what their needs are. A representative must trust their constituents, for it is the people, not the government, that best know how to achieve the American dream. The rights and freedoms of the people of Missouri’s 1st District and the State of Missouri must not only be defended, they must be fought for. And when Election Day comes I will be standing there with the people of Missouri’s 1st District as we return the government to the people whom it serves. And together with strength and determination, we shall achieve our goals and once again discover and regain the American dream. The time has come for us all to go to Washington."
David Singleton
Media Liaison, Martin Baker for Congress