Anybody getting whiplash from the House races that are becoming competitive? Western Maryland's 80-year old incumbent Republican Representative Roscoe G. Bartlett might be in trouble too.
Fighting Dem Andrew Duck, a 20-year Army vet wants to deny the aging Bartlett the chance to keep his seat warm for his undeserving son, Bartlett, Jr.
This local newspaper straw poll (conducted 10/6) caught my eye:
Duck (D) 72.8%
Bartlett (R) 27.2%
Boo-ya!
No, it's not a real poll. This race hasn't been on too many radars. But the
Hagerstown Herald-Mail ran a reader poll and these were the results. I am willing to believe that this was not freeped.
The newspaper ran the following quotes from voters. Almost all were strongly pro-Duck...
"I know what Mr. Bartlett can do as a congressman. I would like to give Mr. Duck a chance to show me if he can do more in Congress than Mr. Bartlett did. If Mr. Bartlett had brought as much pork to this county as Senator (Robert C.) Byrd brought to West Virginia, I would vote for Mr. Bartlett. Since Mr. Bartlett seems to dislike pork, I think it is time to try (Mr.) Duck. Sorry about that, I met Mr. Duck and I like him."
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"I am glad to see someone actually challenge the 'powers that be' in Western Maryland. I am very concerned that Bartlett is out of touch with the average people of his district. He seems to be too much a Bush 'Yes Man' and not a District 6 'Yes Man.' Yes, seems to be a nice man and strong in faith, but in this case, change is good. Time to give Congress back to the little people, the way Congress was designed. Time for a person who will actually be a REPRESENTATIVE of the people in the district that he/she is REPRESENTING, not just some nice mannered poster child of the wealthy in District 6. AND - WOW - Duck served in Iraq. He should make us all proud. Someone that said - 'Sign Me Up - I will serve MY COUNTRY.' How patriotic is that? Very!"
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"I've noticed that Mr. Bartlett seems to be losing his touch as well. He used to be 'Mr. Pork' for us, but he's just not bringing home the bacon anymore. Sure, he's a nice enough guy, but business is business and maybe the time has come to change it up a bit. And, yes, I am a Democrat, born and raised. I don't always VOTE that way, but after what the Republican Party has done to our country, it's time for a change."
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"Ol' Roscoe stated in his first campaign (when HE was the outsider) that long-term incumbents were the problem and vowed he would serve no more than two terms - and that was six terms ago! It's time he fulfilled his promise. It's time to retire Roscoe. Andrew's experience including 24 years in military intelligence and service in both Iraq wars will bring the kind of fresh thinking needed to extract us from the intractable mess we're in now. And I can vouch from personal knowledge that he's the kind of ethical and decent person that Washington needs."
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"It's time for a change, a BIG change in Congress. Andrew Duck is a very decent, hard-working, qualified candidate from our area, who wants to be an active congressman, unlike Bartlett, who has initiated nothing on his own - only rubber-stamped all of Bush's ill-conceived legislation. VOTE DUCK ON NOV. 7. If you're not registered, get registered by Oct. 17. You can get a voter registration form on line or call the Washington County Board of Elections (240-313-2050). Get involved. Every vote counts. Stand up and be counted."
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"If we really want a change in the direction the country is going in then we have to start with the house of the people. Mr. Bartlett has been in office long enough to do anything that he is going to do. We as a country need to (realize) that there are more people in this country that can deliver us results. Do not allow your government to rule you. The people are the power of this government."
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"It is definitely time for a radical change in the House of Representatives. Andrew Duck is just the remedy we need. One of the things that impresses me the most about him is his progressive ideas about energy policy. He recognizes that we must turn to a portfolio of alternatives and move away from our dependence on foreign oil."
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"As Andrew Duck says on his Web site, support our troops, vote for one. He has been there, done that! He has a realistic view of what needs to be done with this mess in Iraq. Mr. Duck also wants the No Child Left Behind business repealed, an issue near and dear to my heart. We do not need more testing. Whatever this current crowd in Washington has done has become a mess. It is past time for Andrew Duck to represent us in Congress."
...and the three comments favoring the incumbent were not very enthusiastic.
"I have had the opportunity to witness a roundtable discussion Mr. Bartlett held regarding long-term care. He is intelligent, and his remarks were incisive. I have followed his career, and he is an effective leader who cares about the 6th District."
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"The fact that Rep. Bartlett hasn't brought pork into the county is exactly why I'm voting for him. He's against the Patriot Act and a strong proponent of Peak Oil. He's also one of seven Republicans that broke rank recently and voted against the 'torture' act. He votes his mind, not his party. Voting for or against someone because of their party affiliation is absolutely inane. Vote for what they believe it, for their morals."
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"Roscoe Bartlett has proved himself to be a good and faithful servant 'for' the people. I love his morals! He has my vote!"
I recommend reading this Baltimore Sun article recapping the debate last week. Duck rocks, although it seemed weird going after Bartlett for dodging the draft -- no, not Vietnam, he's talking about World War II!!! That's how freaking old Bartlett is! Maybe that was the point. Accuse Bartlett of dodging the draft in World War I to emphasize what a dinosaur the guy is, not to mention non-macho man.
Bartlett is very popular in the mountains of Western Maryland (think West Virginia) and not too much of a nutter, but he's been so ineffective in Congress that his constituents would be smart to dump him even in a non-anti-incumbent year.
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