District 15 Hope

[Boss]

This is a reply to an e-mail that I got from Congressman Blyth, running here in my area.

Please see my “action plans” at Steve Blythe's Action Plan for Congress

I know that congressman Hinchey has planned to introduce a bill that would prohibit the US from interfering with states that have enacted medical marijuana laws. I am in favor of that. It is the state’s right to do so. I can prescribe Marinol – derived from marijuana but not as good – for $500 for 60 capsules – and yet THAT is not illegal! Go figure.

And I do not think it benefits anyone to lock up non-violent minor drug offenders.

No, I am afraid I am not bought off by the drug companies. I am sure they would not like my push for a universal single-payer health system. Please review my web site. -sb

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There is hope. We need all the help we can get down here, so if you live here, go visit that site and sign up to show your support.

[Boss]

I will have more details soon, I have contacted and spoken with Steve and his campaign manager. Check his calender on the website for meetings and fundraising events.. Steve Blythe for Congress!

[Boss]

I highlighted the parts that make this entirely 420 related.


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RACE: U.S. Congress 15th District

INCUMBENT: Dave Weldon (Republican, retiring)

PARTY: Democrat

CANDIDATES:

•Steve Blythe, 56, Indialantic

•Paul Rancatore, 46, Vero Beach

KEY ISSUES: Economy, Iraq, energy, immigration

WHY WE ENDORSED: You think the 2008 election is about “change”? The striking difference between retiring incumbent Dave Weldon and Democrat Steve Blythe makes John McCain and Barack Obama look like clones.

Though Weldon and Blythe are both Brevard County physicians with similarly taciturn dispositions, the philosophical gap between the two could hardly be greater. Where Weldon ranked among the most conservative members of Congress, Blythe takes a decidedly left-wing slant on virtually everything from regulation to taxes — and, yes, health care.

While Weldon cultivated a healthy suspicion of government, Blythe looks to Washington for answers, and he wants to provide a few of them.

Blythe serves up red meat for Democrats nursing an eight-year grudge against George W. Bush. He professes “outrage” at an administration that “tortures, kidnaps and spies without warrants, that lies and that flagrantly breaks laws.”

He’s unabashedly opposed to “supply-side economics” and wants to abolish the Bush tax cuts. He supports national, single-payer health care (a la Dennis Kucinich) and would use the income tax to fund it.

Kucinich was too far left for Democrats in the presidential primaries, and Blythe has his own issues with some party leaders, calling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “gutless” for failing to confront Bush on the war and for what he sees as a systematic dismantling of civil liberties.

But Blythe has his bipartisan moments, and these reflect a more thoughtful approach. He likes the energy plan espoused by oilman T. Boone Pickens (no liberal he) to aggressively tap wind power and natural gas. The family physician also speaks authoritatively about waste and fraud in the medical sector. He’s critical, and justifiably so, of a lack of oversight and enforcement of Medicare rules.

Most impressively, Blythe comes across as a sincere husband and father of “two fantastic daughters.” He’s

worked hard for the past year and a half on this race, spending more time campaigning in Indian River County than his Vero Beach-based rival.

Some mainstream Democrats may worry that Blythe’s hard-edged rhetoric might turn off swing voters. That’s a legitimate concern, and one that Blythe needs to address in this primary campaign if he expects to compete in November.

A CLOSE CALL: Though Democrats are badly outgunned in voter registration in this district, the party has fielded two quality candidates. Rancatore, like Blythe, is well-educated, articulate and knowledgeable on the issues.

On some issues, Rancatore, a commercial airline pilot, may even be stronger. On immigration and trade with China, he critiques global/corporate capitalism for chipping away at America’s middle class.

But questions have been raised about Rancatore inflating his resumé regarding professional committee work, and the extent to which his Air Force Reserve duty gives him special insights into homeland security and aerospace issues.

Rancatore’s performance on the campaign trail has been erratic. Shortly after announcing his candidacy, he dropped out, citing his mother’s illness, then he got back in. He’s also needlessly coy about his party bona fides, saying he’s been a Democrat “in principle” for “my whole life.” Only when pressed does he acknowledge he had recently been a Republican. There’s nothing wrong with switching parties — “in principle” — but there’s no need to obfuscate either. That little bit of dissembling, along with some answers that occasionally sound too glib by half, give the edge to Blythe.

WE RECOMMEND STEVE BLYTHE

Blythe says: “Many members of Congress, including the speaker of the House, are gutless. They should be shouting bloody murder at the abuses of our Constitution. Instead, they roll over and say, ‘We’ll wait our turn.”