Congressional Candidate Steve Beren: Another Ex-Lefty

I make it a point to try and keep track of fellow former lefties, whether pre-9/11 or, as in my own case, post-9/11. And some of them have gravitated towards the online discussion group I started for this purpose, the 9/11 Neocons.

One such member is congressional candidate Steve Beren. Not only is Beren a former lefty, but a former radical, Socialist, Vietnam antiwar activist.

He started parting ways with his comrades around 1990, drifted into liberal Democrat land and then between 1993-95, became a born-again Christian. But it wasn't until after 9/11 that he seriously turned rightwards and to this day, he considers himself (to use a phrase I once employed) a 9/11 Republican. He actually registered as a Republican after the 2004 election and he's now running against uber-liberal Jim McDermott in the Washington State 7th District Congressional race.

Blogger Neo-neocon, yet another ex-lefty, has an enlightening two-part interview with Beren, which can be read here and here.

Beren's platform and other information can be found at his website, BerenforCongress.com. He is strongly pro-defense, anti-illegal immigration, for limited but effective government, and interested in reducing dependence on foreign oil using commonsense measures.

One can only hope that Seattle voters will decide to opt for change and throw out the old for the new. That's exactly what Steve Beren did and those of us he joined are proud to count him amongst our ranks.

Cross-posted at Kesher Talk.