FL-05: GRASSROOTS ACTION MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Rick Penberthy's campaign in rural central Florida-- when I interviewed him, he told me that the biggest town in the district is Spring Hill and he got really passionate when he talked about how to combat depletion of the acquifer-- is blessed because the DCCC failed to recognize the opportunity for defeating a rubber-stamp Republican bozo, Ginny Brown-Waite. So instead of recruiting some Inside-the-Beltway corporate shill, like he has all up and down Florida, Emanuel just let FL-05 alone, happy enough to watch a moderate, grassroots Fighting Dem-- Rick Penberthy-- emerge as a rallying point for Democrats and independents. The race is still very much under the radar from a national perspective.

Meanwhile Rick has been hard at work. Not having to fend off an Inside-the-Beltway challenge (and those anti-grassroots challenges come with huge amounts of money and endorsements from mindless-- in terms of doing whatever Boss Emanuel tells them to do-- whores like Steny Hoyer, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi and other big name Democratic celebrities who apparently know no shame), Rick has been able to take a somewhat novel approach to getting on the ballot.

Instead of just paying the filing fee, he made a point of getting out into the sprawling district and collecting signatures on petitions-- and old fashioned but effective way to meet the thousands of residents up close. Monday the Florida Depratment of Elections in Tallahassee declared that he had qualified for the September 5th Democratic primary. Although his whole campaign team was out in the field for months collecting signatures, Penberthy made a point of personally going up and meeting voters and asking for their support and hearing what they had to say. He collected over 3,000 signatures himself.

“It has been a tremendous opportunity to talk with voters all across the district,” Penberthy said. “There have been many different stories, but one thing I hear over and over again is the growing concern that the Republicans in Congress aren’t listening to their concerns, don’t share their values, and they want a change. Unfortunately career politicians, like my opponent, Ginny Brown-Waite, often get caught up in the business of professional politics and lose touch with their constituents. It’s time for that change. We’re tremendously encouraged by this strong showing of grassroots support. I’m extremely grateful to the voters of the 5th District who continue to support this campaign.” Rick feels a sense of connection with the concerns of the people he met. He shared one story with DWT:

You know, when we were out meeting people, doing the hard groundwork
it takes to run an honest congressional campaign, I had the privilege
of meeting many fine Americans. Collecting petitions can be merely
asking for a signature or it can be a conversation with a fellow voter
about the future of our country. Up in Citrus County, while I was out
meeting voters, a woman saw me collecting petitions and initiated a
conversation. Her nephew had recently been killed while serving in
Iraq. She told me that her family's loss brought the war right to her
doorstep and into her home, and that if every American could see the
sacrifice that our young men and women are making for us, that the
direction of this country would be very different. As we continued
speaking, incredibly, underneath her pain, there was optimism.
Optimism for honest government, better security policies, and optimism
for peace. This is one story, out of over 3,000 I personally heard
during the ballot petition process. I'm ready to take her voice to
Washington because I truly believe that our government can once again
be the voice of the people. I've heard the people's voice and the
peoples voice has been lost under Virginia Brown-Waite.

This is what grassroots democracy is all about and if this is an accurate indictaion of what kind of a congressman Rick Penberthy is going to be, residents of Florida's 5th congressional district have another good reason to elect him (above and beyond how extreme their current rubber-stamp rep has been for her whole time in the House of Representatives). Rick Penberthy's life-experience, intelligence and accomplishments are going to make him a great congressman for Citrus, Lake, Marion, Pasco, Hernando, Polk and Sumpter counties-- and a great congressman for anyone in America concerned about what direction Bush and his rubber-stamp Republicans have taken the country. If you want to help, please consider contributing to Rick' campaign at the DWT ACT BLUE Page or by volunteering for his campaign here.