Whacked-Out, Ridiculous Campaign Finance "Consternation".....

Whacked-out "logic"from the online hate squad (s):  "If our preferred candidate and the candidate we despise each take campaign money from the same donor(s)--only the candidate we HATE is corrupt for taking the contributions----------our guy is great and honorable!

The issue of local candidate finance always seems to come up about this time of year during election periods as candidates head into the home stretch of campaign season.

Last Sunday in the PNJ, a big part of their hit on the three commissioners running for re-election was the fact that we all accept campaign checks from the same benevolent community and business leaders locally.

Online, certain facebook chat/opinion/entertainment groups like Escambia Citizens Watch (AKA the hate-club, echo chamber) love to take shots at "certain" candidates (I'm a frequent target) for the "who" it is that writes their campaign checks.

The all-too-frequent trope is that candidates who amass a big war chest (like the one I have cultivated in this election cycle) are corrupt, on the take, bought and paid for, good old boys,  etc. etc.  It is all just a big hate-festival of ad hominem attacks reverberating through the online padded-cell of insanity. It is comical---yet also hypocritical.

Here's why:

1.) The PNJ and these opinion/entertainment chat sites never chastise "their" guy or gal candidate for who it is that writes campaign checks to their particular campaigns.  No, no, no--their whacked out "logic" goes a little something like this:  "Our guys and the money they raise from our 'approved' donors are just fine---it is ONLY our enemies and the contributors to the candidates we don't like that are corrupt!"   Problem is, many (if not most) local candidates get money from the same pool of benevolent donors who actually are engaged in the political process and write checks.  Business owners, engineers, architects, builders, lawyers, developers and some others---these folks typically write checks for multiple candidates---and this allows those of us who are not independently wealthy the opportunity to run.  Would the PNJ and online hate sites want ONLY rich people running for office, rich and primarily white people?

Same thing with PACs:  "Business leaders we like create and fund PACs---Hooraay--great men!!!" 
                                       "Business leaders  we dislike create and fund PACs----Booooo..Corruption!!"

Often the "darling" candidates of the online  hate club society and the PNJ have actually taken PAC money or straight-up campaign checks from the same guys that give money to the candidates these social sites and the PNJ HATE!!........but somehow this is alright because it is "their" guy--so no matter who gives to THEIR guy--it is OK! 

2.)They next complain about a candidate taking money from interests "outside" of their home district they represent.    Listen, that argument is just stupid and ridiculous.  Here's why:  although



 we are voted in by district meaning only constituents who live in our district can vote for us--we are still responsible for county-wide decisions and our votes have huge impacts on ALL DISTRICTS--sometimes even outside our county and regionally !  So a business owner or a developer that is shrewd recognizes this and they fund candidates inside and out of their own district--because this is SMART.

Spock from Star Trek would most certainly call these two arguments above (and other similarly ridiculous and mentally-defective  illogical thought processes about campaign finance "corruption")
 "fascinating."

Here's the key:

Most of the time a local candidate starts out and runs---he/she does not tap into these local business leaders' funds right off the bat.  Sometimes it takes years.  For some candidates--it never happens for various reasons......Candidates self-finance initially with the help of friends and family to a large extent.  They go out, work hard, go door to door, and if they are fortunate and win---eventually such a person's work ethic and conduct in office might draw notice and future support from the check-writers. Sometimes the check writers won't finance a candidate for differing reasons--- in which case such individuals must continue largely self-funding subsequent runs for office.  No conspiracy at work, it's really quite a basic, fundamental observation that some fail to see.....

But make no mistake:  These community leaders that finance local campaigns don't just send in the checks to everyone that runs, willy-nilly.  Candidates (even established ones with winning track records) have to hustle, organize events, develop teams, hold fundraisers and work hard.  Building up a war chest--even for a candidate that is well-established--is no easy task! 

I'm proud that among all of the single-district specific candidates in this year's race I have raised the most money, and that I have the third highest fundraising total overall among all local candidates.

But it didn't just fall out of the sky for me, and I owe NOBODY ANYTHING for it--other than being the best public official I can be, accessible, transparent, approachable, fair to all, and a guy who listens, studies issues, brings creative solutions and acts decisively.

AND everyone needs to know this:  I do not give any special dispensation to anyone merely because they support my campaign.  I treat all citizens with respect and I listen to all sides and I assist all constituents---including the ones who dislike me and support my opponents' campaigns.

It's called doing a job, being a statesman, and rising above the vitriolic, hate-spewing echo-chambers of whacked out conspiracy theories that are ridiculous.

And that's what I do  😀