Did you see it? Have you heard? Today, the earth is still trembling after David Blat beat Eric Cantor in the Virginia Republican primary for Congress.
The newspapers and the news websites are all declaring the magnitude of the earthquake and guessing about the dramatic changes this one election may predict about the elections next fall. It was predicted in the morning and by afternoon, Mr. Cantor had resigned his position as Majority Leader in the House. Now the guessing games by the political professionals is focused on whether John Boehner can survive as Speaker of the House.
In the last election, Mr. Cantor won by a wide margin. Actually, almost the same margin as Mr. Blat defeated him by last night. Keep in mind that Mr Canter had served since 2000. The reasons for Mr. Blat’s victory have been declared. Mr. Canter wasn’t returning to his district often enough. He was out fundraising across the country for other Republican candidates. In the past few years, his focus had shifted from his district to his own position of power. It is said that he coveted the Speaker spot.
Now enter Voting Alert Beacon #5 about Money. This Beacon recommends that voters should vote for the candidate that doesn’t take special interest money, and only takes smaller donations from individual citizens. So, here are the numbers. Mr. Canter spent over $5 million dollars in the election (by all accounts largely negative). Mr. Blat spent only a little more than $120,000. Yup, you read that correctly, and I’ve verified these numbers with the Federal Election Committee records. What do you think? I’m guessing that Mr. Blat isn’t in any special interest pocket, and he modestly appreciates every vote from ordinary citizens he received.
OK, so we know it works. Vote for the NON-incumbent and for the candidate who raises and spends the smallest amount of money. Whatever political party is irrelevant. At this point the parties just don’t matter. In my next post, I’ve give you some numbers that demonstrate why that is true.
Spread the word! Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!
. . . remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her. America’s best days are ahead of her. They always have been and always will be.
Dave
Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.