A huge wake-up call
By MICHAEL D. BATES
Hernando Today
Depending on who you talk to, Republican Scott Brown's stunning upset Thursday over his Democratic challenger in the Massachusetts Senate race was:
• A signal to all Democrats to pack their bags and hide under the nearest stone.
• The beginning of the end for any and all incumbents, whether they be Republican or Democrat.
• A repudiation of President Obama's heath care plan and the definitive end of his honeymoon period.
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite and her two election year challengers for Florida's 5th District, Jason Sager and Jim Piccillo, all weighed in Wednesday on the historic Massachusetts race and their views pretty much mirrored those of most political pundits.
"It was a major victory for us in the conservative movement because it shows we can all pull together and influence an election," said Sager, who calls himself a Jeffersonian Republican who adheres to the country's founding precepts.
"People are upset with the status quo and we've been screaming from mountaintops for awhile," he added. "Now, they are going to begin to hear us."
As early as last month, Brown was trailing in the polls to his Democratic challenger Martha Coakley, who was hoping to keep the seat held for so long by Democratic patriarch Ted Kennedy until his death in August of brain cancer.
Brown seemed to gain momentum after his now-famous remark that the Congressional seat did not belong exclusively to Kennedy but that "it's the people's seat."
Sager likened Brown's victory Tuesday to a National Football League championship game won by the conservatives, with the Super Bowl to come later this year for that party.
The so-called "Tea Party" movement "now has teeth," said Sager, referring to the grassroots bands of political activists in the country.
Sager said this is also the voters' repudiation of Obama's health care reform, which Brown has opposed.
Sager calls the whole premise of government-run health care unconstitutional and promises one of the first things he would do as Congressman is "audit every department within the U.S. government for efficiency and constitutionality."
Democrat Jim Piccillo said Brown's upset win is not so much a "message" to incumbents or Democrats as it is a testament to a bad campaign by challenger Coakley who, he said, "phoned it in."
"Scott Brown ran an issues-based campaign," Piccillo said. "He got out and listened to people. He shook people's hands and worked the state. Coakley ran a passive campaign, thinking it was in the bag."
Piccillo, whose home base is Land O'Lakes, agrees there is much negative attention given today to incumbents. Starting today, Democrats, as well as Republicans, better stop making easy promises and actually start making good on them.
"People are tired of the status quo," said Piccillo, singling out Brown-Waite. "They want to see something done. The 'Chicken Little' politics that Ginny Brown-Waite spews out - that Democrats are what's wrong with everything - does little to nothing."
With Hernando County's unemployment rate nearing 15 percent, people want solid answers on jobs, he said.
To that end, Piccillo said he is meeting with venture capitalists and private industry to get them interested in relocating to Pasco and Hernando counties.
Piccillo said he still believes Obama's stimulus program will yield the promised jobs. But, as with most government-sponsored initiatives, those jobs "are coming slowly," he said.
Both Sager and Piccillo criticized Brown-Waite for empty talk, little results and her excessive spending practices.
Piccillo said he is already hearing from people that Brown-Waite's use of her franking privileges to send out bulk materials to constituents is raising concerns.
In defense, Brown-Waite said she has almost one million people in her district and those people appreciate her keeping them abreast of issues.
"I have very, very communicative constituents," Brown-Waite said.
In 2009, Brown-Waite said she spent $80,426 on bulk mailings, accounting for 5 percent of her total office expenses.
By law, the franking privileges, which allow lawmakers to send out official mail by using their signature in lieu of a stamp, cannot be done 90 days before their name appears on the ballot. Brown-Waite said she has adhered to that law.
And, judging by her large margin of victory against Democrat John Russell in 2008, Brown-Waite said her constituents seem to appreciate the communication. And that, she said, is why voters continue to reelect her.
"I listen to people," she said. "I don't stay in Washington. I'm readily available and that's the difference.
"I do stay in touch with my constituents who tell me they appreciate (that). One of their biggest complaints is that their predecessor never did."
Brown-Waite, a four-term Republican seeking reelection to Florida's 5th District, said Democrats should be running scared after Brown's upset Tuesday.
"It sent a message to me that the Democrats are out of control in their spending and America wants an end to it," she said.
"If I were a Democrat, I wouldn't even think of running because I think it was a signal that America is not happy with the Obama administration. They are not happy with (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi and (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid and the people who blindly follow them."
• A signal to all Democrats to pack their bags and hide under the nearest stone.
• The beginning of the end for any and all incumbents, whether they be Republican or Democrat.
• A repudiation of President Obama's heath care plan and the definitive end of his honeymoon period.
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite and her two election year challengers for Florida's 5th District, Jason Sager and Jim Piccillo, all weighed in Wednesday on the historic Massachusetts race and their views pretty much mirrored those of most political pundits.
"It was a major victory for us in the conservative movement because it shows we can all pull together and influence an election," said Sager, who calls himself a Jeffersonian Republican who adheres to the country's founding precepts.
"People are upset with the status quo and we've been screaming from mountaintops for awhile," he added. "Now, they are going to begin to hear us."
As early as last month, Brown was trailing in the polls to his Democratic challenger Martha Coakley, who was hoping to keep the seat held for so long by Democratic patriarch Ted Kennedy until his death in August of brain cancer.
Brown seemed to gain momentum after his now-famous remark that the Congressional seat did not belong exclusively to Kennedy but that "it's the people's seat."
Sager likened Brown's victory Tuesday to a National Football League championship game won by the conservatives, with the Super Bowl to come later this year for that party.
The so-called "Tea Party" movement "now has teeth," said Sager, referring to the grassroots bands of political activists in the country.
Sager said this is also the voters' repudiation of Obama's health care reform, which Brown has opposed.
Sager calls the whole premise of government-run health care unconstitutional and promises one of the first things he would do as Congressman is "audit every department within the U.S. government for efficiency and constitutionality."
Democrat Jim Piccillo said Brown's upset win is not so much a "message" to incumbents or Democrats as it is a testament to a bad campaign by challenger Coakley who, he said, "phoned it in."
"Scott Brown ran an issues-based campaign," Piccillo said. "He got out and listened to people. He shook people's hands and worked the state. Coakley ran a passive campaign, thinking it was in the bag."
Piccillo, whose home base is Land O'Lakes, agrees there is much negative attention given today to incumbents. Starting today, Democrats, as well as Republicans, better stop making easy promises and actually start making good on them.
"People are tired of the status quo," said Piccillo, singling out Brown-Waite. "They want to see something done. The 'Chicken Little' politics that Ginny Brown-Waite spews out - that Democrats are what's wrong with everything - does little to nothing."
With Hernando County's unemployment rate nearing 15 percent, people want solid answers on jobs, he said.
To that end, Piccillo said he is meeting with venture capitalists and private industry to get them interested in relocating to Pasco and Hernando counties.
Piccillo said he still believes Obama's stimulus program will yield the promised jobs. But, as with most government-sponsored initiatives, those jobs "are coming slowly," he said.
Both Sager and Piccillo criticized Brown-Waite for empty talk, little results and her excessive spending practices.
Piccillo said he is already hearing from people that Brown-Waite's use of her franking privileges to send out bulk materials to constituents is raising concerns.
In defense, Brown-Waite said she has almost one million people in her district and those people appreciate her keeping them abreast of issues.
"I have very, very communicative constituents," Brown-Waite said.
In 2009, Brown-Waite said she spent $80,426 on bulk mailings, accounting for 5 percent of her total office expenses.
By law, the franking privileges, which allow lawmakers to send out official mail by using their signature in lieu of a stamp, cannot be done 90 days before their name appears on the ballot. Brown-Waite said she has adhered to that law.
And, judging by her large margin of victory against Democrat John Russell in 2008, Brown-Waite said her constituents seem to appreciate the communication. And that, she said, is why voters continue to reelect her.
"I listen to people," she said. "I don't stay in Washington. I'm readily available and that's the difference.
"I do stay in touch with my constituents who tell me they appreciate (that). One of their biggest complaints is that their predecessor never did."
Brown-Waite, a four-term Republican seeking reelection to Florida's 5th District, said Democrats should be running scared after Brown's upset Tuesday.
"It sent a message to me that the Democrats are out of control in their spending and America wants an end to it," she said.
"If I were a Democrat, I wouldn't even think of running because I think it was a signal that America is not happy with the Obama administration. They are not happy with (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi and (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid and the people who blindly follow them."
