Free Republic

Although it is usually futile to deal with people when they start calling others names, I'd refer you to the information that Paul McKain was in this race months before any of the Republicans. He was running a full 7 months before the first (R) entered the race. The other answer above should address specific concerns with Mr. Hendry. Having heard both him and Paul McKain speak, there is a discernible difference in the passion expressed by Paul McKain.

Technically, due to this information, the others are the ones splitting the vote. Conservative does not equal Republican, just as Republican does not equal conservative.

If you have ever heard Paul McKain speak, you'd quickly do away with any "self-serving" notion. He has said he doesn't want the job, but at the same time realizes he has to get it to reverse the course of our national downward spiral. Paul, like me, wanted nothing to do with stuff like this upon retirement from the Fire Dept. Can one man make a difference? As was the case in the late 1700's, the answer is yes. It has to start with one man or woman and once the ball is rolling, others will find their comfort zone coincides with the way things are going. It's easy to sit at a keyboard (or keypad for those enamored of phones) and fire away, but what are YOU doing to turn things around? If you like Mr. Hendry, volunteer for his campaign or make a donation. By all means, do a lot of research, ask questions, and pitch in once you have made a decision.

While there are no conservative Democrats in office in Congress, there are plenty of them that live in District 2. Many have found in the past they had to be a (D) to vote in many elections due to the closed primaries. Look at the State Attorney that fired KrisAnne Hall- he was unopposed in the general election, so the (D) primary decided the race. Where was the NPA candidate in that one to blame? These are the voters that will decide this election in District 2. You have a percentage on each side that will vote party line regardless of who is running, and you have a growing number that are looking at the candidate, not the letter after their name.

-Paul Henry
Retired Public Safety.com

Up front, I have known Paul McKain for almost a year now, and it was my meeting him that led me to do some volunteer work for him. I will share some facts along with my personal experience.

SmartInsight,
Actually it is 4/23/09, not 5/14/09 per the FL Division of Elections. You should look at the chronology of events, and then ask yourself why all of these fairly cookie-cutter (R) candidates have piled on, especially when there was an existing conservative candidate in Paul McKain? Each has paid over $10,000 as a filing fee to the state to do so. After reading their positions and hearing them speak, they agree with each other about 98% of the time. Even in the recent debate in Panama City on May 18, Scholl, Hendry, Southerland, Olschner, and McNeil did not bring out any notable differences, even from an (R) observer:
An Evening With the Candidates

"The night did not serve as a debate. Moderator Doc Washburn did an excellent job and had estanblished (sic) 30 second response rules. They weren’t needed last night. There were no rebuttals or disagreements among candidates." (emphasis added)

According to FL Division of Election records for qualified candidates for filing dates (others that did not qualify are excluded here):

3/4/09: Boyd (D- incumbent) & Lawson (D) file for the office.

4/23/09 McKain files as his own party. He subsequently changes to FL Whig, and shortly thereafter changes to NPA after the Whig party was micro-managing his campaign to the detriment of the campaign and ultimately the people of District 2.

11/2/09: Hendry (R) files. Was also a candidate (lost R primary) in 2008.

12/09/09: Southerland (R) files.

12/28/09: Netherwood (NPA) files, later changes to write-in status.

2/4/10: Berryhill (R) files.

2/11/10: Olschner (R) files.

3/2/10: Scholl (R) files.

4/16/10: McNeil (R) files 14 days before the deadline. No website or any real campaign that I can see nearly two months later. Why not make a $10K donation to another candidate instead of giving it to the state?

4/30/10: Berryhill (along with Charlie Crist) changes to No Party Affiliation on the last day possible to do so (April 30). She had made a statement via email some months ago that an independent couldn't win in District 2.

I differ with the other statements as follows:

Paul McKain will siphon votes not only from the (R) but mostly from the (D) voters, who outnumber the (R) contingent in the district by nearly 2:1. Even if the (R) candidate got every (R) and NPA/3rd voter in the district, they'd lose. For a trend, if you look at voter registrations for Leon County from 11/08 to 11/09, you'll see that both (D) and (R) lost voters, while NPA & 3rd party gained. Leon is the most liberal of the counties in District 2.

The (R) candidates that lost in 2008, (they didn't even show up in 2006) 2004, 2002, 2000, etc. did not need an NPA to lose. They did so w/o any help at all. The last (R) to hold this office was Rep. Grant, who was elected as a (D) in 1988, and switched to (R) while in office in 1989. He was soundly defeated the following election. Before him, the last (R) in the office was Rep. Bisbee in 1885, and that was after contesting the election.
Florida's 2nd Congressional District

For every person I see saying "but the (R) party has changed, we've taken it back and it's not like John McCain, Jim Greer, etc. anymore", I hear two saying they want to vote for the best candidate regardless of the letter after their name. These voters are placing principle above party, which just happens to be the slogan employed by Paul McKain for some time.

Ross Perot ran in a national election. The dynamics and geography alone make this impractical for a third party candidate (this may change in the future if we continue to get status quo from (D) and (R) though). You just can't compare the results of a national election to one in a localized area like District 2. If you would take the time to get to know Paul McKain, to paraphrase Lloyd Bentson, you'd realize he's no Ross Perot in the respect you ascribe to him.

Speaking of those that live in the district, the very first question most people ask Paul McKain at events is "Are you a Republican or a Democrat?" What is interesting is the reaction they give when told he's a conservative independent. Most everyone lights up at this, but there are a few "split the vote" (R) people and I've counted three (3) Boyd supporters, actually make that 4 since I spoke to his brother Hines last month.

BOTH parties have shafted the average voter. The (R) party did it in 2005 with the REAL ID Act (tried to renew your license lately?), and again with TARP 1 in '08, and the (D) party did so with health care, cash for clunkers, etc. Here in FL, the (R) Legislature put salt in the wound in '08 by enacting REAL ID and again last year with the SunRail program.

As to the original topic:

Paul McKain is the only Congressional candidate to stand up for fired prosecutor KrisAnne Hall in Live Oak. Where were all of these other people on this important Constitutional issue? Paul McKain is a fighter and won't back down on Constitutional issues.
Asssistant DA Fired for Originalist Views of the Constitution

Paul McKain was the first candidate to develop a plan of representation that allows for regular input from the voters and holds him accountable to these voters. It's said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and seeing as how other candidates have copied this concept, this shows it must be worthwhile.

Paul McKain is not taking any special interest money, regardless of the source. When one looks at the incumbent's million dollar campaign account, one sees like 80%+ of it comes from outside of the district & the state. Paul's position is he will not owe any allegiance to anyone other than the people of District 2. Something of a Catch-22, since conventional wisdom says it takes money to win elections (like a million for a $174K/year job, ever wonder why?), yet it seems like almost everyone dislikes special interests and politics since they trump the voices of the voters between elections.

The value of a NPA/independent elected official is they do not have a loyalty oath (as do the (D) and (R) ones) that limits them when it comes time to best represent the people of the district. In a discussion yesterday, someone said a friend had asked about Jim Greer, and they wanted to know how to reply since they had signed a loyalty oath. In legislation like the REAL ID or health care act, an independent does not have to concern themselves with the pressure applied to party members on key votes. This is true representation. You have no guarantee of this with a (D) or (R) candidate.

Paul McKain will answer questions, and take stands on issues. The posting here talking about his views of the 2nd and 17th are evidence of that (more on this below). In a discussion I had with another candidate's supporter, he said the candidate will not answer vetting questionnaires since his answers could be used against him later with "cleverly crafted legislation". My perception of this type of candidate is he is a moderate.

Like with KrisAnne Hall, Paul McKain is a fighter. He's the only candidate that has taken on a huge special interest in the form of the pool & spa industry and worked to get legislation passed. He has what many call "the fire in the belly" to take on Goliath. This is what we need in D.C. We do not need someone who is called a liberal by conservatives, and a conservative by liberals as Allen Boyd is, or someone afraid to answer candidate questionnaires or otherwise take a position.

Paul McKain is the only candidate writing a how-to journal about running. His goal is to serve two terms, and have another citizen-legislator step up and take his place by learning from what he did, right and wrong. Unlike Lawson (politician since 1981) and Boyd (same since 1989), McCollum (since 1980), and even Rubio (since 2000) he has zero desire to make a career out of this job.

As to the disagreement over his position on the 2nd Amendment:

Paul McKain says this about the 2nd Amendment:
Second Amendment: It specifically states that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" and thus permits the individual ownership of firearms; however, the states may implement reasonable regulation to ensure public safety. (For example, banning purchase to convicted felons.)

I do not have an issue with barring firearms AT THE STATE LEVEL from convicted felons or the mentally unfit as another example. Paul McKain is a supported of the 10th Amendment, which is all about State's rights. If you don't like the laws for firearms in your state, work to overturn them. I'm currently doing so for REAL ID.

As to the 17th:
There are good arguments for both sides of this issue. Look at what happened in Massachusetts under Romney in '04 and then just last year. Hypocrisy defined. This is something that will need to be decided by the people. Paul McKain's consistent position has been he will take a position on an issue and explain why, but will also listen to the people of District 2. So long as the issue is Constitutional, he will vote the way the majority desires even if it is contrary to his position.
Paul McKain's Constitution Page

The "conventional wisdom" tells us Paul McKain can't win as an independent. Yet look at what conventional wisdom has given us:
John McCain (no relation), for whom Sarah Palin sold out her principles for the party and continues to support despite the far more conservative JD Hayworth, who is also an (R).

Charlie Crist, who like Dianne Berryhill looked at the way the wind was blowing and changed parties not for principle, but for political advancement.

The people of District 2 are ready for someone that will put them before any arm-twisting of one or the other parties. When it happens here with Paul McKain, others will see it can actually be done, and will follow suit as needed. At some point, the (R) will put (R)eagan back in (R) and this will draw many that have left the party.

-Paul Henry
Retired Public Safety.com

I’m due for renewal this month. Here is the email I sent in after I logged into my account (that way they know they are losing a real customer):
I am due for renewal this month. I have read news reports that GEICO has bowed to pressure from non-customers to remove sponsorship of the Glenn Beck program. I AM a customer, and since I have confirmed the above to be true, I am going to go elsewhere for the auto insurance needs for my six (6) vehicles immediately. I’d suggest you task someone to actually watch Mr. Beck’s programs to judge the actual content of them as opposed to caving in to some group with a political agenda. Ultimately, it is your decision as to who to advertise with, just as it is my decision as to who to insure with.

The liberal blogs are all overjoyed with this. How many of them actually are customers?