Ex-Marine with local ties to give Dems' response to Bush address

By Janine Anderson

Friday, May 25, 2007 11:29 PM CDT

Journal Times

Elliot Anderson is a sophomore majoring in political science at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He works as a dealer at a casino.

The 24-year-old who grew up in Wind Lake is also a Marine veteran who has just recorded today's Democratic Party response to President Bush's weekly radio address.

Anderson moved to Las Vegas after he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in August 2005 after serving for four years, including a trip to Afghanistan.

Since moving to Nevada, he has become active in politics, trying to organize veterans and military families. He has also worked to help Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Senate majority leader who has been attacked by Republicans.

"I'm helping stop the attacks on his love for the military and his patriotism," Anderson said. "We all love our country, and it's unfair to call anyone unpatriotic or say they hate the troops. If they didn't care, they would not be active in politics."

Anderson's work with the senator led to the radio address.

"Senator Reid called me on Wednesday," he said. "I've talked to him a couple times before. He said, 'Elliot, do you know how the president gives a weekly radio address?' He says, 'We want you to give the Democratic response to the president.' I've never been so dumbfounded in my life. I was completely paralyzed. I finally coughed out 'I'm here, Senator,' when he thought he lost me on the line."

Anderson could barely dial the phone after that, but he was finally able to call his political mentor in Nevada and his parents, first his dad and then his mom.

Ed Anderson, Elliot's father, said he is proud of his son. Ed Anderson lives in Mount Pleasant.

"He's a really interesting kid," he said. "He's quick, bright, and I learned a long time ago not to be surprised by what he does."

Ed Anderson said one of his son's high school social studies teachers told him he hoped he did something with his interest in the field.

"Social studies for him was like chocolate for me," Ed Anderson said.

Over time he saw his son's political views mature, and both Ed and Elliot attribute his fire to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

"He was watching the hurricane coverage on TV and was just stunned by Bush's lack of immediate response and indifference," Ed Anderson said. "He started paying attention to Iraq. Having served, he's got friends who've been killed and wounded over there. Thanks to George Bush, he's been pushed squarely to the left."

Elliot's account of his political motivation is similar.

"I had always been politically attentive" he said. "After Hurricane Katrina hit, I thought, that's some really bad leadership on Bush's part (especially the statement that then-Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown was doing a heck of a job). It's up for debate who messed it up, but one thing that was not up for debate was that no one was doing a heck of a job. It's irresponsible for the president to gloss over problems at any level by telling the nation anyone was doing a heck of a job. I walked into the Democratic office because I was scared for my country."

Anderson turned that fear into an active political life, working on campaigns and chairing the Nevada Democratic Caucus of Veterans and Military Families.

For now, he said running for office does not interest him; he has more immediate concerns.

"I'm just going to concentrate on getting school done and fighting for our military," he said. "It's definitely something I've thought about, but it's not at the forefront of what I'm doing right now."

On Friday, the most pressing thing was to record the radio address expected to air throughout the country over the holiday weekend.

"I just got done recording it," he said, reached by phone Friday afternoon. "It was just incredible."

Anderson spoke with a speechwriter for 20 minutes, he said, and then was able to edit a draft to "put my personal stamp on the message going out."

People liked his edits, he said, and they stayed in the speech.

"I put my own little stamp on the party response to the president. It's surreal to me," he said.

He said his address focuses on patriotism and how people can really support the troops. The address will be available on the Democratic National Committee Web site,

http://www.democrats.org

It can be found under the "Press" tab at the top of the page.

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