Congressman Billybob Sez: "Who's Next?"

Special to Free Republic ^ | 22 April 2003 | Congressman Billybob (J. Armor, Esq.)

[Publius6961]

Getting it wrong before the war was an error, but an understandable one. Getting it wrong now is geopolitical idiocy.
...
But, the central image of heads (metaphorically) being dragged through the streets, made my editor nervous.

No big surprise here. No big surprise.
After all, "...we could have brought that statue down for a lot less" after all has become a classic for the clueless, sort of wailing at the ruined grand piano after the firemen has saved your house from burning down.

And even O'Reilly has bought into the "WMD" drumbeat.
We better find Saddam, and damned soon because that might be the only means of redemption for us dummies who continue believing that there is overpowering evidence that not attacking would have been a morally bankrupt position.
Saddam, we need you!

[wimpycat]

I did a brief check of the 11th District's current Congressman, Charles Taylor, and it seems to me you'd have a good shot at that seat...whenever Taylor decides to retire. I don't know anything about him, but he looks good on paper, and you know it's hard to knock off a sitting Congressman, especially in a primary challenge.

[lizbet]

Charles Taylor is a pretty good Congressman, a conservative Republican.

So, John, you have better hope he will retire and you may have some big shoes to fill, if you run.

[Congressman Billybob]

What the bio of Charlie Taylor, NC, 11th District, does not show, is this:

He suffered a stroke almost four years ago, and is slow of speech and movement. He was not the sharpest knife in the draw before that. He is a "good ol' boy" who runs on favors, and has gotten his *ss in a crack a couple times because of that.

I have more energy -- physical and mental -- than he does. More knowledge. More real world experience. I can run a harder campaign, and serve better in Congress, than he can. And I can debate rings around Charlie -- and if he refuses to debate, I can debate an empty chair using clips from his speeches.

His bio also does not show is financial situation. He spent his war chest to zero in the last election to fend off a Democrat who was heavily funded by the "edukashun" unions, last time. If I run against him, he will have to raise $1 million for the primary, and another $1 million for the general. He can not accomplish that.

Bottom line: I don't think I will have to wait for Charlie Taylor to retire. I think I can persuade him that it is time to retire.

As for politics, NC 11 is a conservative district, and my credentials as a consevative are as good or better than Charlie's are.

I have a lot of work to do in the District, and a lot of ducks to line up. But it can work. I'll keep my friends at FreeRepublic posted.

Billybob / John

[wimpycat]

I never said it was impossible, especially if he has weaknesses. And it's not like I wouldn't want you to win or anything like that, either.

But think like an ordinary, everyday voter for a second. Most voters don't base their voting decisions on the same things political people do. If he was congressman in my district (I'm stuck with Bob Etheridge--ugh!), as long as he was a decent man and voted the way I wanted most of the time and was nice and personable, I wouldn't see any reason to vote for someone else in the primary.

So, how do his non-political constituents feel about him? Is he well-liked? Who are his strongest supporters and why?

I think you would have a good shot, though. You're very smart and well-spoken. I don't think you should run a negative campaign, though. I think you should praise him every chance you get, but just show people how you can get more done for them than he can. I don't know how well the "good ol' boy who runs on favors" would play in that district if the whole place is full of good ol' boys. If he voted the way most people wanted and brought home the bacon, without a dead woman or live boy falling out of his closet, then that's all most regular folks want out of their congressman. You can run on being "new and improved". I think you can use a lot of humor in your campaign (think Paul Wellstone's first campaign) because you're smart enough to strike the right balance between being funny and knowing your stuff and being serious.

Of course, this is all just my own personal $.02. I don't know a lot of how these things are really done--which can also be a point in my favor because I'm an average voter in many ways and the average voter is who you have to convince.

[Captainpaintball]

Although I like the Rock... (especially his heel character)

No way! GOLDBERG!!! GOLDBERG!!!

That is, if Jean Paul Levesque and his wife don't have anything to say about it...

[El Gato]

Sarandon, and many other denizens of Hollywood, need to be toppled from their self-constructed pedestals, their heads severed (figuratively, of course), and dragged through the streets where the little people can smack them with their sandals.

We don't do the sandal thing here. Now what we might do is what many veterans hope to out live Hanoi Jane so that they can do on her grave. That's at least as big much a sign of contempt here as giving them the bottom of your shoe is in Arabic countries. Far worse than merely fliping them the "Hawaian Good Luck Sign". More civilized, if less satisfying would be merely turning your back as their likenesses passed by, perhaps with that "Fickle Finger of Fate" held out behind your back.

[swheats]

This is just too easy, like shooting fish in a barrel. Just imagine the heads of Senator Tom Daschle and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee being dragged through the streets, in tandem so as to be politically correct.

Thank God they can't take our imaginations away. LOL Thanks.

[buzzsaw6]

Where do I send a donation, John?

[MattinNJ]

Goldberg is a wuss. Did you see how easily the Rock gave him the "Rock Bottom" fair and square last week? ;-)

[GunsareOK]

Printed for a later read. Looks excellent and interesting as always.