What now?

Well, today we celebrate.  We have earned it.  First, via Instapundit Alex Sink has conceded!  I am almost sorry that I took the day off from work.  The looks on a few of my co-worker's faces must have been delicious when Sink pulled the plug earlier today.  Why yes, I am gloating. 

All and all it was a great night for my state.  We swept the governorship and cabinet as well taking large majorities in both state senate and house.  And what about our Marco!  When I first started talking to people about Marco running for the Senate polite people stifled a smile and everyone else laughed in my face.  Over and over again I was told that there was no way that Marco Rubio could beat Charlie Crist.  Congratulations, Senator Rubio!  Now in the words of my new governor, "Let's get to work."

There is one race that I am profoundly disheartened about.  Mike Prendergast will not be my representative in Congress.  We had a clear choice here between the ninth most liberal member of the House and a true conservative who has dedicated his life to the service of our country.  What we didn't have was a "machine".  Even at that, Mike won forty percent of the vote.  He did it by listening to the voters and presenting them with workable solutions to the problems facing us.  He ran a good and honorable campaign.  I am proud of Mike and proud to support him.  He can count on my support whatever the future brings.

No doubt that Marco is the man of the hour.  Enjoy his acceptance speech.  If you don't tear up at least a couple of times you are heartless.  A special thank you to all my friends at Not One Red Cent who rallied around Marco from the beginning and to my sisters at Potluck who each and everyone are a great source of pride and inspiration to me.  To Pres. Obama, well, Michelle Malkin said it best, "Take your olive branch and shove it, Democrats."




Oh, yeah, I almost forgot-goodbye, Nancy Pelosi!  Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.

Election Day is finally here!

I was out at my local polling place sign waving for Mike Prendergast long before sun up this morning.  It is cold and raining here but the turnout has been great.  I'm taking a short break and then I'll be right back out there.

About 7:20 a.m. an SUV pulled into the polling place.  The driver said he was delivering "extra" ballots.  I don't know why "extra" ballots would be necessary but my sign waving partner called it in.  When Mike Prendergast came by we told him what had happened and he reported it as well.  Keep your eyes open!  The only shot the Dems have is by cheating.  Report everything you see even if it seems innocent. 

Stacy McCain is on his way to Miami as we speak.  I have an invite to the Rubio victory party and thought very seriously about driving down but the congressional race here in FL 11 is so important to me and this is really where I want to be. 

I'll be checking in throughout the day.  Good luck to everyone out there.  We are so close to turning this country around.  If you haven't done it yet, GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!

SUPPORT MIKE PRENDERGAST IN FL-11

Huckabee Endorses Mike Prendergast

Huckabee Releases Statement about Prendergast's Bid in Florida

Little Rock, AR - Governor Mike Huckabee issued the following statement about Mike Prendergast.

"Huck PAC and I are pleased to support Mike Prendergast for Congress, Florida's 11th Congressional District. A native of Tampa and with more than three decades of service in the United States Army, Mike Prendergast has unique life experiences that'll help make him a great congressman.

Recognizing that our tax system is in desperate need of change, Mike will fight for a simpler and fairer tax system. Mike understands that our economy is the most important challenge facing America today, and in order to create jobs we need to eliminate the excessive government regulations and overly burdensome taxes levied on all Americans.

We need more warriors in Congress who will fight for the American taxpayer and not waste our hard earned dollars, and Mike Prendergast is just that man. Please join me in supporting Mike Prendergast, and let's send him to Congress."

 
The picture above is of Mike Prendergast speaking from the deck of the American Victory last night at a rally for supporters.  In addition to Huckabee's endorsement Prendergast has also been endorsed by Jeb Bush, Newt Gingrich and Combat Vets for Congress.  In endorsing Prendergast the Combat Vets for Congress wrote:
 

The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is endorsing the 25th Combat Veteran For Congress in 17 states; he is a fiscally conservative candidate who will work to rein in the out of control spending by the Pelosi Congress.  Col. Mike Prendergast, USA (Ret) (R-FL-11) http://www.pickprendergast.com/ of Tampa, Florida served in the US Army for 31 years and is running for election for Congress in the 11th Congressional District of Florida.  He is running against two term Congresswoman Kathy Castor, ranked the 9th most liberal member of Congress based on her voting record, and handpicked by Pelosi to serve on several committees, and has voted in lock step with Pelosi 98% of the time, often against the interests of her constituents; she voted "yes" for the flawed health care bill.  Mike was born in 1956 and raised in Tampa, Florida.   He graduated from Clearwater Central Catholic high school in 1975.  Col Prendergast earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with Special Honors and a dual major in Political Science and Sociology from Jacksonville State University in 1986; a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Psychology from the University of the State of New York in 1986; a Bachelor of Social Science degree from Campbell University in 1995; a Master of Arts degree with a major in International Relations and a Certificate in African Studies from the University of Florida in 1990; a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Public Management from Troy State University in 1997; and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College with a major in Public Diplomacy and a concentration in Campaign and Strategic Crisis Planning in 2003.

So here in FL-11 we have a choice between Mike Prendergast, a man who spent thirty-one years of his life in service to his country with a proven record of accomplishment and leadership and Kathy Castor who, a) is the ninth most liberal member of the House and b) voted with Nancy Pelosi 98 percent of the time and c) has no other accomplishments to speak of.  Castor has refused to debate Prendergast and who can blame her?  If she came out of hiding long enough to debate she would have to defend her vote for the Stimulus and ObamaCare and explain her support for Cap & Trade. 

Support Mike Prendergast!

A cult I am proud to be a member of

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
The 10th Amendment of the Us Constitution

It is hard to imagine how anything as simple and straightforward as the 10th Amendment causes such a stink, but it does. RedState has an excellent article detailing a statement by the AFL-CIO calling supporters of the 10th Amendment “cultists”.

Most cults are based in some sort of skewed spiritual vision or the worship of a charismatic leader, but there is a re-emerging cult that bows down at the feet of the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Many of them want to bring their cultish beliefs to the halls of Congress and are running for election this fall.

There are people who want to bring the Constitution to Congress? Who’da thunk it?  And this is a bad thing, how?

The Founding Fathers envisioned a system of bottom up government. They reasoned that a government in which power flowed up, rather than down, would be more responsive and less likely to become tyrannical. Hence the famous Thomas Jefferson quote: “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.”

The AFL-CIO and others who would lop the 10th Amendment out of the Constitution prefer a government that directs the people rather than the other way around. One assumes that these groups doubt their own ability to convince others of their necessity and therefore depend on government to force their agenda on the people. The problem is that we are were not founded to be a country of coercion. .

By limiting the power of the federal government our Founders ensured that “We the People” would ultimately remain in charge of our own destinies. So if being a “Tenther” is tantamount to being a cultist, count me in. I am proud to belong to a cult of freedom.


***Image is of Col. Mike Prendergast, candidate for the House here in Florida's 11th District at a townhall earlier this month.  He is holding his pocket copy of the Constitution as he explains the importance all the 10th Amendment.

Support Mike Prendergast for Congress

Yesterday and Today

Well, where to start?  The stars finally came together yesterday so that I could hear Mike Prendergast speak.  I was so excited I screwed up the time and got there over an hour early.  Not a problem because I bought a brand new camcorder so I had plenty of time to get a seat, setup and do a quickie test run. 

It was very interesting listening to Mike speak and I got some great video.  I would love to show you except the nice young man at the store that won't be named who sold me the nifty new camcorder never mentioned something called "formatting the card".  So after trying most of last night to upload my video I went back to the store and found out about "formatting".  Those of you who don't suffer from massive tech stupidity like I are probably aware that when you format a card anything that was on the card gets wiped out.  Came as news to me.  Anyway,  my once in a life time super great video of Mike Prendergrast is kinda like the fish that got away-long gone.

So, next week, on the 20th, I will makeit a priority to attend Mike's townhall and I will get even better video.  In any case, I am glad I went last night.  I have been incredibly impressed with Mike from day.  How many people do you know that give thirty-one years of service to their country and rather than enjoying a much deserved retirement say, "I am ready to give more."? 

When asked last night why him, Mike responded that when he sees a mess he cleans it up.  Right now our country is a mess and it is time to start the cleanup effort.  Democrats see a mess and their solution is to throw more trash on the heap.  Before long, even China won't have a big enough shovel to dig us out and why would we, the world's super power, rely on China or anyone else for our salvation?  We haven't lost our greatness, we just need to pull it out of the closet, dust it off and get to work.

That was yesterday.  On to today!

Yes, that is Gov. Bobby Jindal standing next to Marco Rubio.  And about five minutes into the Governor's speech the room started spinning.  I haven't felt like that since my dorm room days.  In any case, I made it out without embarrassing myself too badly and once I got some air I was okay.  But that is the total of my once in a lifetime chance to hear Bobby Jindal speak in person.

Tomorrow is a new day so onward and upward. 

P.S.  Did I mention that Mike Prendergast is a really great guy?  Give him a donation.  The alternative is re-electing the ninth most member of the House.  None of us wants that!

Plans changed-again

After nearly a week of "computer issues" I came back up yesterday.  I can't tell you how anxious I've been to get back in the saddle and what better way than by attending and blogging on tonight's townhall being hosted by Col. Mike Prendergast, candidate for the US House here in Florida's District 11?  I am proud to be a supporter of Col. Prendergast who unlike our current representatvie, Kathy Caster, spends his time listenning to the concerns of the taxpayers in the district, not the special interests.  So, on the one hand we have a man who dedicated thirty-one years of his life to serving his country, retiring in 2009 as  U.S. Central Command’s Provost Marshal and on the other, we have Kathy Castor who has served herself as the ninth most liberal member of the House.  Is it any wonder that Cator has been hiding from the voters?

But I didn't get out of work on time and instead of sitting at the townhall I am sitting on my porch.  Grrrrr!  In any case, Prendergast has several meetings scheduled and I will be able to attend at least one, if not two, next week.   That does not mean that I have nothing to report tonight:

 Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush Endorses Mike Prendergast, Republican Nominee for FL-11

Tampa, FL – Earlier today, Governor Jeb Bush committed his support to the Republican efforts in Florida’s 11th district. He announced his endorsement for Colonel Mike Prendergast, a 31 year combat veteran of the United States Army. Bush became the most recent in a series of key endorsements.

“This endorsement hits home for me. As a Tampa native, I have always had the utmost respect for Governor Bush,” Prendergast said. “He is sending a clear sign to voters about the enormous importance of this election not just for Tampa and St. Pete, but for our nation.”

Bush will help Prendergast unseat Rep. Kathy Castor. Castor, currently in her second term, was recently reported as the ninth most liberal member of the House.

“There is an unprecedented extremism in Washington,” Bush said. “Congressmen and women must be free thinking, accountable leaders. Representatives need to answer to their hometowns and not to their party’s leadership. I know Mike is ready to serve Tampa Bay. His career as a soldier has proven he will be an effective statesman.”

As they say, today is a good day. 

Shhh! Don’t tell anyone what I voted for

Here’s an eye-catching headline if there ever was one:

In Ad Wars, Democrats Shy From Ties to Own Party
 My how the worm turns. Remember how proud the Dems were when they mired our children and grandchildren (and probably great-grandchildren) in what until then was unheard of debt and deficits? They were going to save us with the Stimulus and heal us ObamaCare and they were going to do it whether we liked it or not. Well, we didn’t like it. Now the Dems are on the run from their own record but it just doesn’t work that way.

Here in Florida’s 11th district we have Kathy (the ninth most liberal member of the House) Castor vying against Mike Prendergast for the House. If you go to Castor’s campaign website you will notice that certain little facts have been omitted. There is no mention of Castor’s votes in favor of the Stimulus or ObamaCare. There is no mention of the fact that she was one of only seventy-five members of the House who voted against defunding ACORN. Heck, there is no mention that she is a Democrat on her home page. Embarrassed much?

She does mention that she is for “seniors and veterans” (there’s a rumor that she favors baseball and apple pie, too). Was Castor standing up for seniors when she voted for ObamaCare? While we are all being hurt by the government’s takeover of our healthcare, seniors are being decimated by it. If this is Castor’s idea of helping seniors we can only pray that she leaves veterans alone.

I guess I just don’t understand why Democrats won’t stand by their own voting records. Lord knows we will suffer from the results of their votes for years to come. If they are feeling a wee bit uncomfortable, I say good. There is no reason why our representatives should fare any better than their constituents.

Mike Prendergast for Congress

Rallying with Rick Scott to take back Florida

Today has been a good day!  I arrived at the Rick Scott rally at about 12:45 this afternoon.  While waiting for Scott to take the stage I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Mike Prendergast, candidate for the US House here in Florida's 11th district. I have video of Mike here and here. 

People will tell you that Kathy Castor has a lock on the 11th district.  Nonsense.  Castor has been wrong on every issue and as a result, our unemployment in the 11th is hovering around 12 percent. 


I took some videos while at the event.  Forgive the shakiness-it was hot and crowded and I was hoping against hope that I wasn't going to embarrass myself by passing out in front of everyone. 

First up, Pam Bondi, our candidate for Florida Attorney General.  Pam is a home town girl and a home town favorite.  Pam has been endorsed by Sarah Palin.  Look to Bondi to be a standout voice for Conservatism for years to come.

Of course the man that everyone had come to see is Rick Scott, the next governor of Florida and he did not disappoint.  Scott is articulate, experienced and really, one heck of a decent guy.  Florida is facing a myriad of challenges thanks to the Obama agenda and Charlie Crist's following that agenda all the way down the path to record deficits and unemployment.  Scott is definitely the man to turn it all around.

Mike Prendergast, Part II

Part one can be found here.



I'd like to make one point. At the beginning of the video a comment is made by the Tampa Tribune that Mike Prendergast seem to echo the Republican talking points and that he could just as easily be running in Iowa.  That is exactly true.  The Republican, or at least Conservative, beliefs in a strong defense and fiscal responsibility are as important to the people in Tampa as they are to the people of Des Moines or Memphis or wherever.  Conservative values don't benefit one geographic location and not another.  Is the Trib referring to Castor's ability to bring home the pork?  If so, who has that pork benefited?  Sure hasn't helped with unemployment that is standing at 12% in the Bay area. 

Let's Get to Work!

The votes are in and congratulations go to Rick Scott, Marco Rubio, Pam Bondi, and Mike Prendergast.  I would be totally remiss if I didn't give a shout out to Stacy and Smitty at The Other McCain, whose primary coverage was phenomenal as usual. 

I have been a Rubio supporter since before he announced as a candidate for the US Senate and I am more than ready to get this show on the road.  Here is Rubio's first commercial of the season:



Next up is Mike Prendergast.  The House race here in Florida's 11th district is important.  We can either send Kathy Castor back to the House where she will continue to vote with total disregard to the wishes and best interests of her countrymen or we can send Col. Mike Prendergrast, a true conservative who has dedicated his entire adult life to the service of this country:

Colonel Prendergast is a native of Tampa and a graduate of Clearwater Central Catholic High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1978 and earned a commission through Officer Candidate School. With more than 31 years of service, he retired in 2009 as U.S. Central Command's Provost Marshal, a military position similar to a civilian Commissioner of Public Safety and International Chief of Police. Colonel Prendergast served with distinction in various important command and staff assignments throughout the United States and abroad, to include combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, and humanitarian missions in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Cameroon, and Zaire. Prendergast also served as a Senior Policy Advisor for Defense, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Bob Graham.

Prendergast has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with Special Honors and a dual major in Political Science and Sociology from Jacksonville State University; a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Psychology from the University of New York; a Bachelor of Social Science degree from Campbell University; a Master of Arts degree with a major in International Relations and a Certificate in African Studies from the University of Florida; a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Public Management from Troy State University; and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College with a major in Public Diplomacy and a concentration in Campaign and Strategic Crisis Planning.

This Part One of an interview with Prendergast.  Note that Prendergast unequivocally states that the oath of office demands loyalty to the Constitution, not to any particular political party.  I'll have Part Two tomorrow night.

Primary Day in Florida!

I hit the polls at 7:00 am this morning and now there is nothing to do but wait for the polls to close and the results to come in.  Already there is some very good news via Hot Air:

Florida goes to the polls today to choose their nominees for the general election in statewide and federal offices, and the two men who have nothing to do today are the most affected. According to a new survey from PPP, Kendrick Meek should easily win his primary over billionaire self-funder Jeff Greene, who more or less imploded over the last several weeks. With Meek in the race, both Democrats and Republicans come home to their parties — which is good news for Marco Rubio and a big problem for Charlie Crist:

Democrats will get their stronger candidate if Kendrick Meek wins the Florida Senate primary tonight as expected- but the biggest winner coming out of the primary may be Marco Rubio. PPP finds he would begin the general election in the lead at 40%, followed by Charlie Crist at 32%, and Meek at 17%. If Jeff Greene were somehow able to pull off the upset tonight it would be much closer with Rubio at 37%, Crist at 36%, and Greene at only 13%.

PPP’s last poll of the race in mid-July found Crist in the lead at 35% to 29% for Rubio and 17% for Meek. Two major developments have shifted the race in Rubio’s direction though. The first is that Democrats are now going for Meek 39-38 where before they were going for Crist 44-35. As Democrats have gotten to know Meek over the course of the primary campaign they’ve generally decided they like him and that’s cut into Crist’s support for the general election.

The other big difference is that many Republican voters have moved off the fence and they’ve almost universally moved into the Rubio column. Where Rubio had a 54-23 lead with GOP voters in July, it’s now increased to 69-20. Many Republicans were up in the air between Crist and Rubio previously but whatever they’ve seen over the last month has moved them more firmly into the Rubio column.

As I've said before, Crist will pick some, but by no means anything approaching the majority of the Independent vote.  He and Meek will split the Dem vote while Marco takes the Republican and Independent vote and ultimately the Senate seat.  Crist badly misjudged the Florida electorate and moved way too far left.  There is simply no graceful way for him to move back to the center now.

In the House race in this district, Kathy Castor is considered "safe".  Really?  Whomever comes out on top tonight between Mike Prendergast and Eddie Adams, Jr., we will have a candidate who is more than capable of unseating the ninth most liberal member in the House of Representatives.

Only 20 percent of the population self identifies as "liberal" which puts Castor way outside of the mainstream.  In the coming days I will be providing a closer look at Castor's record and it will become clear that on issue after issue, Castor has voted contrary to the constituency.

Lastly, after tonight Jeff Greene will no longer be spamming my inbox.  That my friends, is a very good thing.

Quote of the Day

Paul Ryan is quoted in the National Review:

In an Obamacare world, what is the GOP’s message? “We need to become the party of liberty and freedom,” Ryan argues. “We’re not doing enough. We can do better, and we will — because we have no choice. If we’re going to offer the country a completely different vision, we can’t be Democratic-lite or resign ourselves to be slightly more efficient managers and tax-collectors for the welfare state. We have to break with that and give people a clear and distinct difference.”

As Conservatives, we wandered off the farm.  It happened.  Now let's pull ourselves together and turn this thing around.  Earlier today The Daley Gator called me optimistic.  Well, I am.  I have a candidate for the US Senate, Marco Rubio, that I really believe in.  I believe that Mike Prendergast can unseat my local Rep., Kathy Castor, in the House.  I believe that there is an absolute groundswell of dedicated people ready to take this country back.  We've been kicked in the seat of the pants and we needed it. 

At Potluck, Fuzislippers has a superb post that puts it all in perspective.  Down in the comments Quite Rightly quotes Gen. George s. Patton:

In war the only sure defense is offense, and the efficiency of the offense depends on the warlike souls of those conducting it.

Okay, let's go on offense.  The next battle is November.  There will be some skirmishes between now and then but we have shown that we are up to the challenge.  We fight!

Today is a New Day

An unexpected thing happened this morning.  I woke up feeling hopeful.  In fact, I woke up feeling downright good. 

At the morning meeting, an informal gathering of fellow co-workers dedicated to bitching (no work talk allowed), my co-workers were also reinvigorated.  I checked my emails and had this from one of my credit union members:

This sign has gone up on I-75 just north of here.

I asked a friend if he had looked at the info I had given him on Mike Prendergast, who is running against Kathy Castor here in the 11th District.  He answered that Kathey Castor is considered "safe".  When I replied that Martha Coakley was considered "safe" he paused for a moment, smiled, and said, "so how's it going for Sen. Coakley?"    Exactly.

So, today is a new day.  I'm ready to get back to work. 

And Speaking of November...

Kathy Castor, meet your replacement-Colonel Mike Prendergast.

Colonel Prendergast is a native of Tampa and a graduate of Clearwater Central Catholic High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1978 and earned a commission through Officer Candidate School. With more than 31 years of service, he retired in 2009 as U.S. Central Command's Provost Marshal, a military position similar to a civilian Commissioner of Public Safety and International Chief of Police. Colonel Prendergast served with distinction in various important command and staff assignments throughout the United States and abroad, to include combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, and humanitarian missions in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Cameroon, and Zaire. Prendergast also served as a Senior Policy Advisor for Defense, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Bob Graham.

Prendergast has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with Special Honors and a dual major in Political Science and Sociology from Jacksonville State University; a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Psychology from the University of New York; a Bachelor of Social Science degree from Campbell University; a Master of Arts degree with a major in International Relations and a Certificate in African Studies from the University of Florida; a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Public Management from Troy State University; and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College with a major in Public Diplomacy and a concentration in Campaign and Strategic Crisis Planning.

Come on, November!