So one Dr. Lee Rogers, announces today that he will run for Congress in the 25th District against the incumbent Buck McKeon in 2012. In a preview of life under the Open Primary law he does not need to say whether he is running for a particular nomination or not, though his views make him look like a “D,” since the top two vote getters in the primary will advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.
I would like the thoughts of SCVTalkers about what is motivating the earnest Dr. Rogers, for example:
- Is he completely uninformed about he power of incumbency?
- Does he desperately need a time consuming hobby?
- Is he a full on lunatic?
- Some combination of the above three?
No one can speculate better than SCVTalkers!
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“”I feel compelled to run because our government is paralyzed by partisanship and is dominated by career politicians who would rather score points by playing ‘chicken’ with each other while important deadlines approach, instead of coming together to fix problems,”
“Washington has been irresponsible with our money; now they want the burden of this debt to fall solely on the backs of the middle class, the poor, and our seniors,”"
I wish him luck. It sounds as if he is tired of the politicians who have been in office long enough to know how to get the job done, but don’t. You pretty much said it with your first question: Is he completely uniformed about the power of incumbency? Career politicians who have been working together to get the job done (the job we hired them to do), seem to forget about why they wanted to become a politician to begin with. And yes, the ‘power’ takes over. Perhaps it’s the idealist in me, but I read nothing in that article about wanting to run against McKeon, that made him come off as a lunatic or bored in need of a hobby. Instead, he sounds like many other working class citizens that feel like these politicians are more concerned with their position (in power) than they are in helping their country.
However with that all being said, I don’t think one can just take over a job like McKeon has and just get the job done. I would think like with any JOB, it takes time to learn the ropes and the loopholes, laws, etc, in order to be an effective employee. Oops, did I put loopholes in front of laws? Not quite the idealist I thought I was.
I did notice that the page program in washington has been cut.
http://news.yahoo.com/house-page-program-scrapped-195040208.html?ugccmtnav=v1%
That will save us tax payers 5 million annually.
I read an little story today which said he had been a lobbyist for a diabetes related charity. So he may have some people with polling capabilities telling to take a shot at what would otherwise seem to be a solid Republican seat.
Any legitimate competition againt Buck is a good thing. How many years can you get away with essentially doing nothing other than generating pork and trying to get money for mule museums…
NFIC:
There is no legitimate competition against Buck in this particular universe. Maybe in the alternate universe where Spock has a beard?
If Buck gets put on the super committee and pushes to cut entitlements to protect defense, that could offer someone an opening among the senior vote
So that means he loses 65-35 instead of 70-30? Big whoop!
This new district is much more friendly to McKeon than his current district. He has a near-zero chance of losing, but I admire any otherwise sane person for getting into the race. Ideology aside, he’s had very few victories of local importance in his 18+ years in Washington. It would be nice to see his feet held to the fire for a minute.
Heaven help this country if every potential new candidate was intimidated by “the power of incumbency”. Don’t know anything about Dr. Lee Rogers…yet. But if I think he can better represent my views on the important issues, he get’s my vote. I would think that those enamored with the “power of incumbency” also subscribe to it’s corollary…”one vote doesn’t matter”, and sit out every election. Because honestly, what are the odds of an important election being decided by “one vote”.
In addition to a high red-area advantage in the new and even more friendly aligned district, Bucko has a nearly unlimited amount of campaign money available as Chair of the Armed Services Committee via the nameless defense contractors who own him. He would be tough to beat except that he is so arrogant. He routinely talks down to constituants as though we just don’t understand all the grown-up talk.