Every vote in Florida counts twice: Once for the local congressional race and once for Obama. I continue to be baffled by the logic -- be it by the Netroots or DCCC or DNC or Obama campaign -- that continues to ignore the FL-15 congressional district, while paying so much more time and money in districts that are far far redder.
FL-15 is not only a mere R+4 but it is also an open seat, with Dave Weldon's retirement!
This is an opportunity not to be missed to flip this seat to the Democratic side. Once it has an Republican incumbent, it will be harder!
Our guy is not a professional politician but rather a beloved local family physician Dr. Stephen Blythe, running against a hackish winger Republican State legislator.
Money spent here, be it for the congressional race, or generic pro-Democrat stuff, or on the ground for get-out-the-vote, is in effect a two-for-one. Because any additional votes for our congressional candidate Dr. Steve Blythe are also going to be additional pro-Obama votes in Florida.
Maybe the DCCC and/or DNC and/or Obama and/or ought to drop a few bucks into the FL-15?
I have done a few diaries supporting the candidacy of Dr. Stephen Blythe for Congress. It is the FL-15 which has a +4 PVI, and it is an open seat race with the retirement of Dave Weldon. Registration has gone from 35% Democrat and 40% Republican to 38%/40% in the past few months, and there is every reason to believe that more non-affiliated voters will also vote Democratic this year
Blythe is a progressive with a serious manner. His opponent is a hardcore conservative who supports the worst of the Republican agenda.
So why -- given that this is a tidal wave change year, with the conservative agenda being rejected by reality and the voters and with Democratic registration up everywhere, open seat, PVI only +4R with trend to more Democrats in dsitrict -- is this race being completely ignored by the media, netroots, DCCC?
Here is Dr. Steve Blythe's Act Blue page.
Here is his new 30 second Ad:
Longer local interview from two months ago:
His opponent on the uninsured:
To recap Fl-15:
- Open Seat.
- PVI only +4R.
- Registration trending Democrat.
- Obnoxious winger opponent.
- Good guy on our side running.
- Big change year national.
- Yet, pretty much being ignored by both Netroots and DCCC.
- The netroots seem to have fallen in love with many other races that have far steeper Republican PVI's to climb, and with Republican incumbents, and so inherently harder to win.
- I know he has been dismissed by standard argument that he could not raise much money on his own, therefore not viable. This seems to me to be the stupidest old-school (pre-Dean)argument. See 1-6 above for why it is just dumb to be ignoring FL-15.
- My counter-argument is that is a circular self-fullfilling prophecy, and leads to ignoring good candidates who not either rich or already connected to rich people or corporations; not a good way to get good indepdendent people. Here is his ActBlue page.
And as I suggest, any extra Democratic votes here are ALSO going to be votes for Obama to help win swing state Florida.
Note: Despite the similarity in initials, he is not me and I am not he. I am a Pediatrician in NY. I am not officially part of the campaign; we are not related. I met the guy once at last year's national PNHP meeting.