There is something refreshing about candidates with different backgrounds. After all, our representatives should be, well, representative. That is one reason I was pulling so hard for Senators Tester and Webb in the last cycle - the Senate needs different resumes.

Before Tester, we did not have a family farmer in the Senate. Before Webb, we did not have an Assistant Secretary of Defense or a Secretary of the Navy. The Democratic Party succeeds by bringing new biographies to the upper chamber.

One candidate I have my eye on this cycle is Jay Buckey, running for Senate in New Hampshire. Jay is a medical doctor, a professor at Dartmouth, a former Major in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and an astronaut - he completed 256 orbits of the Earth aboard the space shuttle Columbia.

When you look at the immense problems we face -- energy security, global warming, health care, Iraq, etc. -- we need these different backgrounds leading us towards solutions. Jim Webb has been a leading voice on finding a way out of Iraq. John Tester understands the struggles of family farmers. Jay Buckey, as a doctor and an astronaut, could be our strongest voice on healthcare and innovation. Since Senator Frist left office, there is not a single Senator with a medical background, nevertheless a Doctor-Professor-Astronaut.

I'm going to follow this race closely. I hope Jay Buckey shows up at YearlyKos so the netroots can meet him, get to know him, and see what he is made of. I am really intrigued with Jay and what he has accomplished - and how he might represent real change.  While I admire the other Democratic candidates, I wonder if Jay may be more adept at helping to solve our problems than those that have spent their years running for political office.

I urge the entire netroots to take a close look at Jay: www.buckey08.com.

Update [2007-7-30 20:22:36 by Jonathan Singer]:When a diary gets bumped to the front page the diarist can lose the ability to update their own post. So I have been asked to pass on the following updates from Mr. Trippi...

UPDATE: As some have pointed out, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) is a doctor and Senator John Warner (R-VA) was the Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974. My mistake.

UPDATE: While I am a Senior Adviser for the John Edwards campaign, this post just reflects my personal thoughts. There are many good candidates in this Senate race -- I just think it is important that people take a close look at Jay. He has a very impressive background that could serve the Senate well.

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