Commitment for a Better Tomorrow – July 4, 2010
The key word here is commitment. As Marilyn vos Savant (Parade Magazine) said, "Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent." During the campaign for US Congress in Ohio's 6th District, our team began work in March 2009, and our first trip was to Ironton; a five-hour drive to the southernmost tip of Ohio. Throughout that year I spoke at many tea parties, 9/12 group gatherings, and forums, as well as meeting thousands of people at county fairs, parades, and Lincoln Day dinners. It was a traditional campaign, going door-to-door (usually 100 a day) introducing myself to people who had voted Republican in the past. My worthy opponent for the primary was Richard "Dick" Stobbs, who I had the pleasure to meet first at Marietta, OH, then many times thereafter on the campaign trail. Dick and I have become good friends.
It was a real pleasure to meet so many wonderful and interesting people in the 6th District during this campaign. I had the opportunity to visit many communities and areas I had never been to before, and learn about issues and concerns that are often different from other counties. Yet many of the problems Ohioans face are universal in our country – the economy, national security, jobs, health care. We are all troubled by the state of our Nation, and the prospects for its future. It is this concern for our future, and that of our children and grandchildren, that set me on this course to work to restore sound government and Constitutional rule.
In January 2010 The Cook Political Report came out (http://www.cookpolitical.com/races/house/chart.php), showing a 12-point Democrat advantage in the 17th District just north of the 6th, and a 2-point Republican advantage in the 6th for the upcoming 2010 general election. While we were traveling up and down the 325-mile-long 6th District, Republican Congressional Candidate Bill Johnson had been building a war chest in Portage, Summit, Trumbull, and Mahoning Counties to defeat 17th District Congressman Tim Ryan. Since I first met Mr. Johnson in March 2009, when we both sat down with the Mahoning County Republican leadership to request backing for our races, I had supported him and advised people to vote for him to defeat Ryan. I even consented to his request to take campaign photos in my veterinary clinic to use during his campaign.
Unfortunately, after seeing the Cook Report, Mr. Johnson and his team decided to take on what appeared to be an easier battle, jumping down to the 6th in February 2010. Yes, this is legal, although not necessarily scrupulous, and he undoubtedly burned many bridges with financial supporters in the 17th. Through a media campaign blitz in the 6th District on the run-up to Primary Election day, Bill Johnson convinced enough people that he was the only "qualified" candidate, and he won the Primary.
When the election was over, Dick Stobbs received 6,572 votes, I had 12,321, and Johnson won with 13,956, making it 20.01%, 37.51%, and 42.49% respectively. My biggest win was in my home county, Mahoning, with 52.41% of the votes cast, but I also won Columbiana and Jefferson Counties. Dick Stobbs took Belmont and Meigs Counties. At 11:10 p.m. election night evening a reporter from Marietta called me to say that the Associated Press had declared me the winner! I suggested he wait until the southern counties were all in and call me back in a half hour. He never did, of course.
We learned many things from this campaign. We should have had fundraisers throughout the year, instead of putting strategy first. We were informally informed by the Republican National Congressional Committee (RNCC) in July that if we had six figures in the bank by the end of the quarter, they would talk to us. The same message held for the fourth quarter. Nearly all of my campaign funding came from me and my immediate family, and I'm not good at asking people for money. I've always had to work for it!!
One thing really disappointed me about our Republican Party, and I'm sure it is the same way with the Democrats. Taking into account the fact that my wife and I receive hundreds of Republican donation solicitations every year from various party programs, I believed that some time after officially announcing my candidacy I might receive a phone call from "The Party." I anticipated nothing more than a "We're glad you've decided to run for office and we wish you well." Especially in light of the repeated statements that our country needs good people to run for office. But the RNCC is apparently more concerned about the ability to raise money than the quality of the candidate, and nobody in Washington was willing to make calls to all those people in our country who wished to serve. Heck, I would have been happy if the call was a recording. To top it all, Paula is now getting phone calls from The Party for donations!
Since May 4 I've received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from the many people who supported my campaign and followed with their votes. They hope I'm up to trying again in 2010. I am, but I promised Paula it would not be with my own money. You don't want to see my VISA bill! In 2012 it will be a whole new ballgame. Ohio will be losing one Congressional district due to the decline of our state's population, and possibly two districts. Everyone I've talked to believes that the 6th will get the axe after districts are redrawn next year to reflect the results of the census. At that time I will look at the prospects and make a final decision. Maybe I'll consult the Cook Report?!
In any event, I'm keeping this website open, and will sincerely appreciate any support you can provide in the coming 23 months. Some people have kept my lawn signs, and you can bring them to my office or store them to see what happens. Either way, I'm hoping to make use of them again. Small donations along the way will be truly helpful, because it will take money to win. Now I know that we will have to produce radio and TV spots, because that is the only way to reach some people. Many do not have computers to check out the candidates, and only a small percentage of voters attend tea parties and other political functions. That is what won this primary for Mr. Johnson. Many people were only familiar with his name, not Stobbs' or Allen's, and they voted for the one they'd heard about. Yes, it was as simple as that. While I was going door-to-door I discovered that a lot of voters didn't even know who was running, and were glad to meet at least one of the candidates.
We now "live in interesting times," as the ancient Chinese curse stated, and many people I've talked to told me that they've never in their lives been afraid for the future of their country, but they are now. I am very concerned that my grandchildren will inherit a country that is nothing at all like the great Nation we grew up in. And if Congress continues to erode our Constitution, our country's foundation, then we will surely witness an end to this "Great Experiment in self-government," and our democratic republic will dissolve into a ambition-stifling socialist state. We cannot let this happen through our own indifference and inattention. We must all stand up and be counted.
