Below is Raj’s interview with the Real Ugly American.  The interview occurred on Tuesday.

About 3 weeks ago, I received an email from someone with the Raj for Congress campaign asking if I would be interested in participating in their blogger program.

I was intrigued. First of all this was someone running for congress contacting me. Secondly I thought I recognized the name. If it sounds familiar to you; then you probably have watched at least a few episodes of The Apprentice.

I returned the email and requested an interview. I wanted to know what this blogger program was and find out just how serious Mr. Bhakta’s bid for congress really was.

After speaking with him for about 30 minutes, I can tell you he is definitely serious. Mr. Bhakta spoke passionately about several issues including, the environment, education,  and the war on terror. His campaign embraces populist themes of reform, and eliminating pork barrel spending. He describes himself as a “Teddy Roosevelt Republican” and comes across as very sincere.

Running against an incumbent with lots of cash he will have an uphill battle but Bhakta isn’t discouraged. He strongly believes his grass roots campaign and his message will triumph in the end.

While I did not agree with everything he had to say, his enthusiasm and optimism definitely impressed me.

If he and his campaign can get a lot of free / earned media in the expensive (and soon to be politically deluged) Philadelphia market, he might have a chance.

Charyna also highlighted RajBlog.

The campaign’s energy is rising.  Throughout the campaign offices, there is a real spirit pulsating in each person.  Everyone believes that as they meet and speak with voters, everyday citizens who are tired of the direction of their city and this district, this race is winnable.

The online vigor is also increasing.  The more I blog, the more I speak with fellow bloggers, the more I speak with people that merely own a computer, it becomes clear that our campaign is unprecedented.  I remember when someone asked me at a previous campaign, “what can this internet thing really get us?”

No one knows.  That is what I find so rewarding about this campaign.  Ideas may work.  Ideas may not work.  However, there are no bad ideas here.  Everyone is working toward the same goal and no one has been excluded.  The word team, as clichéd as it sounds, actually means what the definition says.

Together, we know, as Alex acknowledged, that we can win.  However, we also know that we can do more.  Each day, the people of the Northeast are inspiring us.  Not only do we want to do better for them.  Not only do we need to better for them.  We want to win for them.  That is the lifeblood of this campaign.

Raymond S.

The word is surreal.  Looking out the window, 95% of the clouds are fluffy and white.  Yet, after three consecutive days of rain, the results are evident.  The parking lot across from ours has been drenched.  The ramp off the Turnpike, which we normally take to get here, was closed.

Roosevelt Boulevard is backed up into the Northeast and the Delaware River is set to crest eight feet above flood stage.  Only three of the ten contributors to this blog could even make it in today. 
 
Prashant and Stef (fellow staffers) are also in attendance.  Everyone else is stranded in the Northeast, working with their cells and laptops.  I guess I spoke too soon… the clouds are graying.

Raymond S.

Politics is changing.  Too many candidates have not grasped the immense potential of email, the blogosphere, and internet communications.

In contrast, Raj for Congress has embraced these changes that are allowing campaigns to reach more citizens.  We hear you!

We believe in technology!  We are inviting you to send your e-mail address.  <b>Our goal is to accumulate 200 e-mail addresses in the next ten days.</b>

You have the power to enact change.  Raj is a candidate committed to reform.  Let’s join together and e-mail for a change!

Tonight, Philadelphia Magazine will interview Raj. This outstanding publication covers Philadelphia news and living.

Earlier today, the Real Ugly American conversed with our candidate.  According to Raj, the interview went “great.”

In between the raindrops, our field director Joe, Tsvetana, and myself knocked on doors in Northeast Philly. I find door-to-door to be the most effective campaign tool since it allows a face to be seen from the campaign. I enjoy seeing people genuinely interested in their Congressional representation.

As I looked up at the street names: King Arthur Rd, Galahad Rd, and Merlin Rd for example, they offered a strange, almost comedic aura. Moving from house to house, Joe and I made numerous references to the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  For example, talking of the Tale of Sir Galahad. This allowed us to relax, while knocking on almost one hundred doors.

As we went off on our seemingly sacred quest to gather support, we noticed on our data sheet that there was a mix of residents. As we moved down the list, more and more people were interested in hearing what Raj had to offer, Republican and Democrat alike. Everyone was very friendly with us and read the literature right as we handed it to them.

Despite the rain, our quest for getting our word out was a success.

Ryan D.

Phone calls are an integral part of politics.  Who am I kidding, phone calls are a part of politics like water is a part of swimming.  No one likes the hang-ups.  No one is crazy about the occasional negative reactions.  However, when the stars align and the people start talking, the feeling is incredible.

Our goal for the “Power Hour” was fifty favorable responses.  Doesn’t seem like much?  Obviously you have never been on the business end when the opposition party answers.

We blew it out.  Seventy-five favorable responses were recorded, with time to spare.

The evening session began at five with one thing evidently clear… I need to stick to blogging… As the rain poured, Alice (who you will read a post from eventually) racked up forty-six favorable responses…by herself.  I am struggling to crack double digits and she nails almost fifty?

The highlight of the evening was Eric (another staffer) being told that he would receive a vote in exchange for getting the candidate on the line.  True to this campaign, and it’s shatter the mold image, Raj picked up the phone and engaged the voter in a conversation.  Long story short, vote counted!

Raymond S.

On Tuesday, the Real Ugly American will interview Raj.  Previously, they have conducted interviews with Fox News contributors Fred Barnes and Juan Williams, as well as leading conservative blogger Hugh Hewitt.

Since their inception, the Real Ugly American has supported Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (2003) and President George W. Bush (2004).  Their current post discusses Townhall.com.

Yesterday, Save the Soldiers.com officially endorsed Raj Peter Bhakta. Their endorsement states “Raj will be our political defense against anti-Americans & anti-capitalists.”

On RajforCongress.com you can learn more about this entrepreneur's campaign and his efforts in changing the way Washington runs. Raj highly disagrees with career politicians where these individuals stay in office for decades at a time in order to gain more power and lobby their own political agendas. Raj has committed to not follow the path of many congressmen by SELF IMPOSING a three year limit.

When it comes to our soldiers, national security and the protection of our homeland Raj is dedicated to making sure it is the best the USA has to offer. As a big veteran supporter Raj is dedicated to giving our current and past troops the respect and benefits they deserve from their service to our country. We live in a time of war and when it comes to the pursuit of security and protection Raj will be our political defense against anti-Americans & anti-capitalists.

From the Northeast Times:

Raj Bhakta, the Republican candidate in the 13th Congressional District, is calling for jail time for government officials responsible for approving payments to people who falsely claimed they were victims of Hurricane Katrina.

According to the Government Accountability Office, these scammers were awarded $1.4 billion in money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Some of the money was spent on divorce lawyers, a Caribbean vacation, NFL tickets, a two-month stay at a hotel in Hawaii and Girls Gone Wild videotapes. A Texas man even had an operation.

"The American taxpayer is the real victim here," Bhakta said. "To have them paying for operations, football tickets and champagne bills is a disgrace."

Bhakta, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Allyson Schwartz, argues that government agencies, like corporations, should be held accountable for gross mismanagement.

On June 20, the conservative Church and State Blog officially endorsed Raj Peter Bhakta. Founder Nathan Bradfield says “Pennsylvania is fortunate to have such a fine candidate to represent the Commonwealth.”

Raj is young, ambitious and conservative. I even like his envirnonmental stance. His success in business and background in politics will be key factors in his freshman year as a lawmaker. Pennsylvania is fortunate to have such a fine candidate to represent the Commonwealth.

Irish Voice highlights Raj’s heritage.

MARY Theresa Mulaney had to put up with a lot of prejudice on both sides when she married into a conservative Indian family.

Her own Co. Longford-born mother finally made peace with Mary’s husband on the last day of her life, while his family put Mary under pressure to live as a conservative Indian wife.

But this month, after a “very amicable” divorce, she and her ex-husband are happily watching their son, Raj, run for Congress in a heavily Irish district in Philadelphia.

You may recognize the candidate, Raj Peter Bhakta — he was a runner-up on the second season of Donald Trump’s hit show, The Apprentice.

He is known for wearing a bow-tie and his pro-business, conservative politics.

However, even his mother concedes that he is facing a very difficult challenge in a strongly Democratic district.

“When you see all the money that has been poured in on the other side, you know it’s going to be real difficult, but that’s Raj. He’s a real fighter and I know he’ll do it; he has to do it for so many reasons,” she said.

Bhakta is up against incumbent Allyson Schwartz, 57, who was first elected in 2004 with 56% of the vote and has $1.3 million to spend on the campaign, compared to $79,000 for Bhakta.

However, Bhakta is putting his Apprentice experience to good use — he has taken on more than a dozen interns, telling them that he will hire the best three if elected to Congress.

Mary, whose father is from Mayo, spent most of her youth near Ballinamuck in Co. Longford.

Her family are married into a family that claim direct descent from one of the French soldiers who fought with the Irish in the battle of Ballinamuck in 1798. It was one of the worse slaughters in Irish history — 3,000 people were killed by the authorities afterwards as punishment.

“It was really terrible,” says Mary. “Even today I have a hard time even traveling to England when I think about all that suffering. And for what?”

Mary, from a conservative Irish Catholic family, met her husband at a friend’s engagement party.

“He spoke very little English and couldn’t dance. I found his personality so refreshingly innocent and he had manners. We battled customs and language barriers and it was an uphill climb on both sides of the family,” she said.

Her father accepted his new son-in-law but her mother did not.

“On her last day on earth, he babysat for us and she spoke to my husband for about three hours. There was no resentment, it was all very natural. It was her way of making her peace before she went,” Mary said.

She has since been through a divorce, the cultural differences proving too difficult.

“I just cannot be a quiet, subservient Indian wife. We worked on this difference for many years but eventually I thought it was better if he found an Indian wife from a conservative family. He did and I’m happy for them both,” she said.

Bhakta has three younger sisters, the oldest of whom is 29 and getting married in August.

“I’m also going back to a wedding in Ireland later this year. Politics and weddings. It’s a very exciting year no matter what happens,” Mary said.

On June 19, conservative bloggers Tom Shakely and Friends officially endorsed Raj Peter Bhakta.  Their endorsement brands Raj as “living example of the kind of politician our Founding Fathers believed would best guide their great experiment in democratic representation.”

In deciding to endorse Raj Bhakta I decided simply to endorse the better candidate.  That Bhakta is running as a Republican and Schwartz as a Democrat shouldn’t really be an over-arching concern in anyone’s decision. Issues like immigration reform and the environment are major issues upon which most will be concerned as November approaches. Raj is committed to strong, sensible immigration reform and effective border security.

The transparency and the legitimacy that comes with it are really what Raj Bhakta offers, irrespective of specific political concerns. With Bhakta representing Pennsylvania’s 13th district - my home district - Pennsylvanians and Americans will be the better.

It is time to elect the kind of politician whom America was meant to have: a dedicated American reformer whose purpose in Washington is clear to both him and his constituents. It is time to support Raj Bhakta to represent Pennylvania’s 13th district.

Raj presses crime issue in the Northeast Times.

Congressional candidate Raj Bhakta is inviting the community to attend upcoming "Save the Northeast" rallies.

Bhakta, the Republican challenging U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-13th dist.), held a news conference Friday afternoon at Frankford and Cottman avenues to discuss the rising crime rates in the Northeast.

The issue of crime will be a big part of the rallies, which will be scheduled soon. The campaign will also unveil a "Save the Northeast" bus.

Campaign workers have been standing on Roosevelt Boulevard and near the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge with signs reading, "Honk to Save the Northeast."

Bhakta, a star on The Apprentice 2, decided to press the "Save the Northeast" theme after conversations with voters.

At the news conference, the challenger cited statistics compiled by the University of Pennsylvania’s Neighborhood Information System project.

Bhakta blamed Mayor John Street for resisting efforts to hire more police officers, adding that he thinks there is a manpower shortage in the Northeast police divisions.

"Northeast Philadelphia doesn’t get its fair share," he said.

The 30-year-old Republican, a Fort Washington resident who spent the first few years of his life in Northwood, also attributed the rising crime rates to new residents who, in his view, don’t value safety, cleanliness and civic-mindedness.

"John Street and Allyson Schwartz are very happy about that," he said.

"Philadelphia is a great city. It used to be a greater city," he said.

Bhakta, whose campaign is being filmed for a documentary, criticized Schwartz for staying silent when Street proposed cuts to the fire, police and recreation departments and temporarily closed the local mini-City Hall.

"I would stand up to John Street," he said.

The Schwartz campaign fired back, attacking the challenger for his two drunken-driving arrests, failed entrepreneurial ventures and missed votes.

"Raj has had multiple run-ins with the law, repeated business failures, and a history of not voting — the only achievement he has to stand on is having been voted off a reality TV show," said Rachel Magnuson, a spokeswoman for Schwartz.

"Compare that to Congresswoman Schwartz, someone who Northeast residents know they can count on. Allyson has fought for tough-on-crime bills, and she has delivered in her first term by securing millions to strengthen and secure Northeast Philadelphia, including $3.2 million to make Roosevelt Boulevard safer."

If elected, Bhakta would support increased federal funding for police officers. <p>He’d use the dollars that are being appropriated by the Department of Homeland Security to areas — such as Alaska, Montana and Nebraska — that he doesn’t view as security risks.

The candidate recalled when President Bill Clinton hired 100,000 new police officers after taking office in 1993.

"We need that same sort of action," he said.