Diary of a Mad Voter

Politics, Taken Personally

"Diary of an Mad Voter" is group blog from voters in the Rocky Mountain West in the '08 election cycle. Whatever their background and political leanings, these bloggers are clear-eyed, straight talking and willing to stir it up.

Their madness is born of passion. Their issues may range from public lands to gun ownership, from the environment to immigration, from taxes to property rights.

Yet, the mad bloggers live in the West and write through that lens. They live by this standard: If you want my vote, you have to earn it.

"Diary of an Mad Voter" is a joint venture of NewWest.Net/Politics and the Denver Post's PoliticsWest.

MEET THE MAD VOTERS

JOAN McCARTER, IDAHO
Joan McCarter is a contributing editor at Daily Kos, writing as "mcjoan." She has focused on Iraq, the traditional media, and electoral politics at the blog. During the 2006 election, McCarter focused her writing on Democratic prospects in the West. She traveled throughout the Rocky Mountain states through the last weeks of the campaign, researching and writing about Democratic candidates and campaign strategies. She is currently researching a book on Western politics scheduled to be published in spring, 2008. McCarter worked on Capitol Hill for then Congressman and now Senator Ron Wyden. She has broad campaign experience and has been deeply involved in Democratic politics since childhood. She has a master's degree in international studies from the University of Washington and worked as a writer, editor, and instructional designer at the UW from 1995-2006. She is currently a fellow at Daily Kos. Joan has given campaign contributions and volunteer support to Democratic candidates.

DAN ROSTAD, MONTANA
Dan Rostad, a life-long Montanan, who's conservative roots run deep, has been politically active since he was in high school. He has never missed an election, but even though he is a Republican, isn't so foolish as to never give a democrat the benefit of the doubt and has a time or two, crossed the party line on the ballot. He has worked in small business, on the family ranch, been employed by non-profits and was once a congressional staffer in D.C.

JESSICA PECK CORRY, COLORADO
JJessica, 28, has been a public policy analyst with the Independence Institute since 2003, and now heads the Institute's Property Rights Project and Campus Accountability Project. She has held leadership positions with more than 20 civic organizations and in 2006, as the Front Range Director of Colorado Citizens For Property Rights, helped champion legislative changes designed to strengthen the rights of property owners facing condemnation disputes. Jessica serves on the University of Colorado's Blue Ribbon Diversity Commission, where she is a leading voice for fiscal accountability and transparency.

At the age of 25, Jessica ran as a Republican for the Colorado Senate, where despite being outspent more than four-to-one, she garnered nearly 47 percent of the vote against a two-term incumbent. Jessica began her career as a press secretary in the United States Senate, working for U.S. Senators Fred Thompson, R-Tenn. and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and for the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.

In addition, Jessica has given campaign contributions and volunteer support to local, state and federal Republican candidates.

HEATH HAUSSAMEN, NEW MEXICO
After seven years as a newspaper reporter and editor, Heath Haussamen left behind a stable paycheck in May 2006 to follow a dream he’d been developing for several years and started a news Web site, haussamen.blogspot.com. In addition to being a blogger for NewWest.Net, he’s also a regular columnist for the Albuquerque Tribune and, earlier this year, wrote a series of background articles on Gov. Bill Richardson for the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Web site dedicated to coverage of his 2008 presidential run.

JON SCHWEDLER, NEW MEXICO
Jon Schwedler is a husband, father, hunter, angler, wildlife conservationist, reformed rugby player, and Independent (capital “I”) voter. He lives in New Mexico. His only experience with politics is making phone calls from Butte, Montana for gubernatorial candidate Brian Schweitzer, and sharing an emergency room with Dick Cheney.

If you, or someone you know would like to participate as a "Mad Voter" email a proposal and a writing sample to politics@newwest.net.