Posted on 07/24/2010 6:33:25 PM PDT by Sager4Congress
On Friday, July 23rd, Jason Sager, Republican candidate for Congress in Florida's 5th Congressional District, appeared on the Glenn Beck program. His passionate message explained his reason for being involved in The 9-12 Project.
Dialup users: A low bandwidth version is available for download (<2 minutes at dialup speed)
(Excerpt) Read more at standwithsager.com ...
I hope Glenn has him back on again to talk about his race down here. The 9-12 stuff was interesting, but the story of this race is something that Glenn might be interested in.
| I stand with Jason Sager in Florida's 5th Congressional District. |  |
Good luck, Jason! You’ve come to the “R”ight place.
I saw the spot and wish you much luck.
Wow, what a firebrand, he has my vote.
*bump* to check his position on path to citizenship amnesty.
| I stand with Jason Sager in Florida's 5th Congressional District. | |
cc2k,
See my Post #7.
no dems
Welcome, Jason! Your story is moving and inspirational. Best to you!
The entire program was one of the best. We can never forget that we surround them!
BTW, my friend and fellow 9-12-er Mimi Steel was in that segment, too! (As was co-author Tigerized’s right elbow and our book poster for “Pursuing Liberty” in the photo from the Pleasanton Tea Party!)
I got this letter from a conservative in Hernando County and wonder if you would like to refute any of these charges because early voting starts soon and now is the time to ask tough questions. Thanks.
Jason Sager, 5th District Congressional Candidate, certainly loves America as much as anyone who is politically driven or aware. However he should have run first for Hernando county commissioner instead of congress, as did incumbent Ginny Brown Waite. For example, Sager would have been a hands down favorite against the unopposed incumbent Republican Dave Russell this year and the very moderate Jeff Stabins or John Druzbick in twenty twelve. Why did not Sager take advantage of these bite sized political opportunities? Well, campaign law does not allow a county candidate to live off of contributions, but as a congressional candidate the unemployed Sager is allowed to do so to put groceries on the table.
Don’t you feel troubled that for a man of 36, articulate and equally as smart, that Sager has never completed a college degree as he has been bouncing around the country before settling into this 5th congressional district only two years ago?
Sager has never held any leadership position in the private sector or in government for that matter. He failed his own company in home theater installations in a growing stay-at-home market. He then used the system to collect unemployment with intention to campaign for much higher paying gig, United States Congress.
To go from unemployed to congressperson suggests that if you support this campaign you must be euphoric in his well rehearsed populist rhetoric while ignoring his gross lack of qualifications and credentials. Sager may also be in a major violation of campaign law in his quest to differentiate himself as a “New Republican Party” member in his political handouts. Of course there is no such party and Sager signed an oath of party allegiance with the Supervisor of Elections when he filed to run as a Republican candidate.
For anyone who has ever observed Sager speaking, many would say he’d make a worthy evangelist while lavishly sprinkling upon speeches a fair share of “amens” and “hallelujahs.” Disconcerting to many, but tingly to the Sager believers. This is how Sager is making his way through this political time by taking advantage of the good hearts and for the most part, religious Tea Party devotees. He uses them by striking well-rehearsed emotional chords while preying upon their good faith and checkbooks. He uses all the great founding father’s quotations. He says the things they would like to say. Outside of his obvious charisma, does Sager have any experience or education to be congressperson material? Hardly.
Sager’s run is political blasphemy and reminiscent of when it became so cold in Minnesota on one November day, hell froze over and the citizens elected a wrestler for governor. Sager is a time bomb and should he win the primary the Dems will come out swinging to claim victory for the 5th district in the general election. Can you imagine the negative campaign the liberals will wage on Sager’s lack of qualifications after the primary? What don’t we know about Sager? Can you imagine what the Dems will do with veterans’ benefits and social security should they stay in control of the house in 2010?
JAZ Zydenbos
Conservative Political Activist
Weeki Wachee, FL
I'll make an attempt to answer some of this.
ynotjjr wrote:
I got this letter from a conservative in Hernando County and wonder if you would like to refute any of these charges because early voting starts soon and now is the time to ask tough questions. Thanks.
First, consider the source. Jaz Zydenbos hasn't really demonstrated a good understanding of campaign finance laws. He was a candidate for commissioner back in 2008, and lost in the primary to Jeff Stabins. He did some “off the books” campaigning at the 2007 Christmas Party at the First Hernando Republican club.
Second, the premise of his piece seems to be that we need to elect career politicians to Washington. He wants the “ladder system” where people have to serve at the county level first, then at the state level. Only after some “experience in politics” should they dare to run for Congress.
That's what we've always done, and I for one am not happy with the results. Our founders really intended for the Congress to be “citzen legislators” who take time off from their normal lives to serve in Congress for a short term, and then return to their regular lives. Sager embodies this much more than Sheriff Rich Nugent. Sager has pledged not to take a “Congressional retirement package.” He won’t burden us taxpayers with benefits for life after serving a few terms. He also favors term limits for Congress.
As for Jason Sager's work history, it is documented at http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=117228. You can make your own decision on that.
I know that Sager was collecting unemployment prior to running for Congress. I also have heard that when he was no longer “available for work” due to his full time campaigning, he stopped collecting unemployment. He called in on WWJB one morning when there was a bunch of wild speculation that he was still collecting unemployment while drawing a salary from his campaign. I believe he said he stopped collecting unemployment before he started drawing a salary. And he has never been unemployed for two years (even with rounding) as has been widely reported in the media.
As for federal candidates being paid by their campaigns, it's perfectly legal. Even Sheriff Rich Nugent said this wasn’t a problem. He was quoted in the Hernando Today. Here's an excerpt:
Quote from Hernando Today article, “Candidate pays self to run”
Nugent, Sager's primary opponent, said he doesn't have an issue with it. "He's been unemployed for two years," Nugent said. "He needs a job to support his family."
The Federal Elections Commission allows the practice to even the playing field, so that candidates can afford to take a leave of absence from their jobs to run for office, said Melanie Sloan, executive director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, D.C. "It's uncommon, but it happens," Sloan said. "You don't want it so that only rich people can run for office."
I guess the questions for your friend, the “conservative in Hernando County” are:
| I stand with Jason Sager in Florida's 5th Congressional District. | |
Thanks for posting that. You’re much more tuned in to the local issues than I am.
About the college issue... who cares? I attended one college my freshman year, then transferred to a state college for the next three. Due to having insufficient credits for my double major, I went to work. Eight years later, I resumed my studies and got a degree at yet a third college. I have absolutely no problem with anyone “hopping colleges.”
Sheriff Nugent seems like a nice guy but he’s like watching paint dry and seems to relish being part of the good ol’ boy network. Sager has that fire in the belly that at this point and time is just what we need to shake things up. He needs more exposure, Beck is the first I even heard of him.
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