Posted on 04/20/2010 5:03:45 PM PDT by dirtboy
No longer content to stand on the sidelines, the Republican hopes to battle Allyson Schwartz in November.
First of three profiles of the candidates for the 13th Congressional District Republican nomination.
Dee Adcock last spring would sit in his Abington home, talking to the television and griping about the federal bailout of the car industry and "so-called" reform of the health care industry.
"As I see it, if you think government will solve all your problems, you are sadly mistaken," explained Adcock. "These programs went against all my core beliefs, ones instilled in me by my parents and ones that I hopefully have instilled in my children - freedom and personal responsibility."
Growing tired of what was becoming his evening ritual of frustrated mutterings, Sandy, his wife of 31 years, finally turned to him and said, "Either turn off the TV or do something about it."
And that is how Adcock, a 58-year-old political neophyte, ended up running for Congress this year.
"I looked around and saw that my representative in Washington (three-term incumbent Democrat Allyson Y. Schwartz) really did not represent me, my neighbors and my friends," said Adcock, a Republican.
Feeling "almost compelled" to run against Schwarz, he said he gave it more thought and decided that he was in a position in his life, both family wise and business wise, where he could run for office.
His three children are now adults and on their own, including a son who represents the third generation in what is now a national swimming pool supply company that grew out of his dad's plumbing and well supply business.
"I decided I didn't want to sit back 10 years from now and say, when I could have done something about all this, I didn't give it my best shot," said Adcock.
Having in the past only made some campaign contributions or put up some candidates' signs on his lawn, Adcock said he then had to figure out how to run for elected office.
He said he met with several more politically involved friends to pick their brains.
"They gave me some ideas but each one finished the conversation with, 'But you know you can't beat Allyson Schwartz,' " said Adcock. "I didn't really reply but, to myself, I said, 'No, I don't know that. I am not politically astute enough to know that.' "
An athlete throughout his life, Adcock said, "You might as well not play the game if you don't think you have a chance at winning."
Adcock broke the election down into three parts - the divisional series (winning the Montgomery County Republican endorsement of his candidacy); the championship series (winning the May 18 GOP primary election); and the World Series (winning the November general election).
Having secured the county GOP endorsement, it is now off to the "championship series," where he will battle Lower Salford lawyer Josh Quinter and Philadelphia firefighter/tavern owner Brian Haughton for the right to take on Schwartz in the fall.
It is not surprising that Adcock used a baseball analogy to analyze his candidacy.
The youngest of three kids, Adcock attended schools in the Lower Moreland School District, where "I enjoyed life, enjoyed sports and also learning but not as much as I enjoyed life and sports."
He played baseball and football and also participated in gymnastics while in high school. He played baseball all four years in college and was on the football team for several years.
His college baseball coach, who also was a minor league coach for the Dodgers, believed he was good enough to get drafted, Adcock said. But he wrecked his knee in the spring of his senior year and no professional team came knocking at his door.
Instead, he went into the family business of plumbing supplies and domestic well systems. He and his older brother started to expand the small swimming pool supplies portion of the business.
He focused on the growth and expansion of the business that now involves seven locations in the mid-Atlantic region and the Gulf Coast, while his brother handled the nuts and bolts of the operation. The businesses employ a combined 110 workers that expands to 160 to 170 during the high season for swimming pools.
Citing his experience as a small businessman, Adcock said he believes strongly in a free market without government interference.
"Let the free market be the free market," said Adcock.
"Capitalism sometimes can be cruel," he added. "The death sentence of capitalism is bankruptcy. The positive of capitalism is that it has produced the greatest amount of wealth the world has ever seen. We have the most wonderful standard of living in the world."
Claiming the policies of the current Democratic administration are leaning toward socialism, Adcock said he has seen socialism "up close and it doesn't work."
He said he plays on a softball team that each year travels outside of the country to play teams in Mexico, Central America and even South America.
The team once routinely visited Venezuela but, as socialism took hold, "you could see that country going backwards; even traveling became a problem" and Venezuela was taken off the countries to visit, he said. He said he met one former Venezuela resident outside the country who explained that the government had taken his dad's farm away from the family and gave it to others who "did not know what to do with it and it has since become totally unproductive," according to Adcock.
Asked to sum up his beliefs, Adcock said, "I believe in free enterprise and competition, thrift, savings and investment and private charity as opposed to the public dole."
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I think he's a good man, from what I've seen, and from what I've been told by a long-time family acquaintance. I also like Josh Quinter, although on balance, I'd prefer a businessman to another lawyer. I would like to see a debate among the three GOP candidates. The candidate forums were interesting, but each candidate has had time to develop a campaign style and get into the swing of things. They might come across differently now than in February, and I think the voters of the 13th District should have the opportunity to compare the candidates.
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location: Upper Moreland Township Building
Street: 117 Park Avenue
City/Town: Willow Grove, PA
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 7:30PM
“Adcock Town Hall Meeting”
Learning Center Auditorium
Temple Ambler Campus
580 Meetinghouse Rd
Ambler, PA 19002
RSVP: 484-941-1202
That's the way I feel as well. As of 3 years ago, 44 percent of members of Congress had law degrees.
That's just too much.
What I’ve appreciated from both the Quinter and Adcock campaigns is their personal responsiveness. I’ve sent donations and campaign suggestions to each of them. I’ve had a handwritten response from Adcock’s staff, and an email from Josh. I assumed the email was from a campaign staffer, but Josh told me that he writes them himself and thinks it important to remain accessible. (I spoke with him at the Tea Party on Independence Mall on Saturday).
Yes, it was gerrymandered. The combination of Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties is making the primary situation a bit more complicated. The Montco GOP favored Adcock, and the Philadelphia County GOP favored Haughton. When Montco endorsed Adcock, Haughton stayed in the race. The voters will have to sort this one out, which is as it should be anyway, in my opinion. Quinter stayed in the race without being the endorsed candidate. He has challenged the other GOP contenders and Allyson Schwartz to a debate, but so far no takers. It’s an interesting year.
It does sound like an interesting primary, but I will be surprised if the GOP can take it back in November.
Hard to say. A lot can happen between now and November. AS has a big war chest and the gerrymandered district makes it harder, but never say never.
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