CHANTILLY – Until he jumped into the congressional race earlier this year, Jeff Barnett was the equivalent of a political armchair quarterback, the Democratic candidate said Aug. 9 at a town hall meeting.

Like many Americans during what polls show to be a time of great voter frustration, the retired Air Force colonel and corporate adviser each day would watch news coverage of the latest happenings on Capitol Hill and scream at the television, angered by what he describes as a lack of leadership and accountability.

“I got off the bench, I quit my job and I jumped into this,” he said.

Now he finds himself fighting to oust Republican incumbent Frank Wolf, a 30-year veteran of the 10th Congressional District seeking his 16th term in office.

At the forefront of Barnett’s campaign is economics – saving and creating jobs and whittling down a $6 trillion national deficit.

On Aug. 9, during the first of 10 scheduled town hall meetings at the Chantilly Regional Library before an intimate crowd of fewer than 10 people, Barnett criticized Wolf’s lack of leadership as chairman of an oversight committee for the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“He doesn’t talk about this at all. Why? Because he failed in that leadership role,” Barnett said. “His failure directly impacted our lives.”

The Democrat said Wolf has opposed “every initiative to get our economy back on track,” including the Financial Reform Bill and the Credit Card Reform Act.

In a phone call Aug. 10, Wolf defended his record, saying he’s led Northern Virginia in introducing jobs and fighting gang crime. The congressman touted his practice of being the sole member of the House to publish his voting record online.

“I run my campaign based on what I have done,” Wolf said.

Barnett said Wolf’s recent initiative, the Bring Jobs Back to America Act – legislation aimed at bringing jobs back to the United States from overseas – would require subsidies Americans can’t afford.

“That’s really driving to the future by looking in the rear-view mirror,” Barnett said. “We’ve got to create new jobs here.”

Voters attending the Aug. 9 town hall meeting said they wanted to see Barnett become an aggressive candidate. He needs an assertive approach to beat Wolf, several in attendance said.

Barnett said if elected, he would work to make it easier for small businesses to contract with the federal government for work. He said he also would like to increase incentives for small banks to provide financing for new business and focus on creating green and information technology jobs.

“It doesn’t take an act of Congress—it takes an active congressman,” Barnett said.

Barnett said the country is struggling with stimulus and structural deficits.

The candidate said the country still works on an Industrial Age tax structure, where the wealthy pay less in taxes than middle-class working families.

Barnett said if elected, he would work to make sure the wealthy are taxed at the same rate as the middle class.

“LeBron James is paying less of a monthly tax rate than you are,” he said.