Richard Neal, The Gift That Keeps Giving

ACORN! Richard Neal was one of the small group of Congressmen that voted to continue federal funding of Acorn.

Richard, what is it going to take for you to stop giving taxpayer dollars to this organization? They have members being indicted for voter fraud, they have been caught on film helping to create a business plan for importing teen age prostitutes from Central America, and that's not enough for you. How about bank robbery? Piracy on the open seas? What?

Campaign Fund Raising

Running a campaign of this dimension has given me a very different perspective on fund raising and politics. I'm sure I'm like everyone else; getting fund raising solicitations is a nuisance, and I'll usually contribute only when an election is getting close or a news event occurs which infuriates me and then I have to make some kind of statement.

There is a different quality to it on this side of the process. There is pressure early on to raise money . Resources are needed early to build an organization, and develop a workable structure (particularly professional fund raisers). The political world outside your campaign is looking to see if you can raise money as a marker of viability, so that you are worthy of the investment of further contributions and resources. In order to be able to raise money, you first have to raise money.

Later on in the campaign, if you don't have the money to hit the airwaves on television and radio, you are crippled.

I'm getting practice in fund raising, and I am getting much better at it. My experience has been that personal contact is important, and the contributor needs to know not just what you stand for, but also who you are.

I have been concentrating first on getting out through the district and meeting people. I'm very, very happy with how this is going. As people are getting to know me, the support has been growing. The public needs to know that all contributions, no matter how small, help push forward the effort. Large contributions are terrific, but many small contributions add up fast as well.

I can't speak for other candidates, but each time I get a contribution, it reminds me that I have to work as hard as I can and be as good at this as I can be in order to justify the faith that this person has shown in me and the political process. Receiving campaign contributions is encouraging, but it is also sobering.

Where's Richard????

Congress is planning a massive overhaul of a key element of our society, all of us may be affected, our ability to decide on our personal health care may be abrogated by a government grab of centralized power, and it will cost the taxpayer One Trillion Dollars. Citizens want to communicate with their representatives.

WHERE'S RICHARD???? (Neal, that is) No town meetings, what's that about? Where are you hiding?

You have to love the 9/12 group. They are performing an vital civic duty for all of us. They won't let these politicians run and hide. I'm talking to members of the group during a demonstration about health care reform outside of Richard Neal's office in Springfield.

Jay and the Giant Peach

This blog is mostly an excuse to post this photo. The Wilbraham Peach Festival, home of the excellent peach pancake and sausage breakfast. This is me with the chief economic strategist of the state Democratic Party (he's the one in the hat).

Mary Lou and I visited both days, and had the chance to talk politics with folks from Wilbraham, Springfield, and Ludlow. Health care reform is the topic, and just as it is everywhere else we've gone, people are not happy with the government's plan to take over 15% of the economy and really screw up our system. Fix what needs to be fixed, and then stay away: nobody wants the government involved in their decision making around our private health care choices.

It doesn't surprise me anymore how very well informed the voting public is.

Are They For Real

Richard Neal and Rep. James McGovern were about to get on talk radio out of Worcester to sell this health care reform bill. I had to pull off the side of the road to listen, as I would soon lose the station. What remarkable spin, deception, and nonsense was coming out of them as they were trying to persuade the voters that the dismantling of the health care system in favor of a government run plan was good for them. I have to wonder if Neal and McGovern really believe what they're saying, or if it is all a cynical political sales pitch with these Dems hoping that the voters just won't notice. As I sat there for the full hour, I tried to call in to the show to counter some of this craziness, but I couldn't get past the busy signal.

You can keep your insurance if you don't want the public plan? Not if your employer drops his/her employees when the costs get too high after ERISA is abolished (large businesses) or when the taxes are raised (small businesses). All that's left...the government plan.

The public plan will compete with the insurance industry to keep it honest? Insurers are already in serious competition with each other. Can they compete with a government plan that doesn't have to make a profit, and doesn't have to worry about losing money because it's tax payer supported?

It's budget neutral? If you believe that 500 billion out of medicare that would have paid for hospital and physician services is budget neutral. What are we going to do in the future when more hospitals disappear and doctors are less accessible, particularly to the elderly?

No rationing? They have clearly indicated that this is the only cost control measure they have considered. Bureaucrats, not you and your doctor, will decide what you get.

People are angry. 85% of Americans like what they have in health care, and these politicians will tear it up because they want government control. You can fix what needs to be fixed a piece at a time, rather than screw up the whole thing for everybody.

Why can't Neal, McGovern, and their buddies get it? The voters do.

The Streets of Northampton

The first foray into a public venue that is not already political, and the sidewalk sale in Northampton does just fine. A warm, sunny day, the sidewalks are full. It seemed like it would be a good idea to find out who is from my district, so I approached folks by asking if they were from Northampton or Hadley. It shouldn't have surprised my that 9 in 10 were not. There were a large percentage from Connecticut, and NY, with a smattering from Florida as well as a Hawaiian.

I expected to get assaulted by the locals, as Northampton is a very Democratic town, but only one of the natives absolutely refused to even look at a Republican. He needs a sense of humor.

People were very interested in hearing ideas about health care reform: the Congressional process appears very chaotic to them (which, of course, it actually is), and though they know that what we now have has got to change, they are very worried that something quite bad is going to come out of Washington (which is certainly possible). They were very willing to listen and mix it up about healthcare, and were quite pleasant to meet. Yes, it was an enjoyable afternoon.

Having one of their local physicians running for congress is clearly a curiosity.

California Dreaming

We've just returned from a family event in LA. As with many families, we've been close for my entire life, and they are very curious about my running for Congress, yet it makes so much sense. My parents, the patriarch and matriarch of this clan are both gone, but were old time Roosevelt Democrats. Almost all of their offspring turned out to be small government Republicans. My nephew's wife at age 8 immigrated with her parents from the Soviet Union to escape the oppression of the Communists, and they are very attuned to government intrusion on liberties. They are aghast at what they see coming from Washington.

Our cab driver back to the airport immigrated from Ghana twenty years ago, and is proud of being a citizen. He has a B.A. in business, but is happy to be an American cabbie. He is very angry about illegal immigration, as he came legally. He can't understand how the U.S. tolerates immigrants who refuse to speak English, and is convinced that California's budget crisis is caused by taxpayer support of services to illegal immigrants.

I don't engage in an argument with him, but we can't forget that just over 100 years ago there was a wave of immigration into the US that brought odd looking people with their foreign languages and behaviors from countries like Italy, Ireland, Poland and Greece. In their neighborhoods, few of the signs were in English and neither were the spoken words. They weren't welcomed then, but their descendants are now our teachers, politicians, and scientists.

It is our nation's right and duty to secure our borders, but we must remember our history. We have no need to be afraid of immigrants. These newcomers are intensely dedicated to and very protective of their freedom and self determination. That's why so many came here.