Vote Other Guy Campaign Kick-off Message

 

Have you ever climbed a mountain or hill in New Hampshire? Have you enjoyed the view from the top and appreciated the effort to get there? Isn’t the climb always worth every sore muscle and drop of sweat? My favorite climb is Red Hill located in the heart of the Lakes Region and lies nestled in between the towns of Sandwich and Moultonborough. The views of Winnipesaukee, Squam, and the surrounding lakes from the top of Red Hill, particularly from the fire tower, are spectacular and never disappoint.

   My name is Mark Whitman Jr. and I am the name behind the “Vote Other Guy” campaign. (www.voteotherguy.com) I have no political connections, no campaign financial backing, no name recognition, and have never before run for a political office. I am an ordinary working man, dedicated family man, and average citizen. What would motivate a person like me decide to attempt to run for a lofty position such as the Representative of the 1st Congressional District of the State of New Hampshire? The answer to this question, for me, is fairly straight forward.

    The majority of my life has been spent growing up, living, and working in the State of New Hampshire . . . most of it spent in the Town of Moultonborough. I have climbed Red Hill more times than I can remember and I can’t make the journey without thinking back to the earlier times in my life. The friends who accompanied me, my children who never failed to complain on the way up but ended up loving the experience of reaching the top, and the maturity of my own life as the years have passed. I also recall the issues our country was facing when I was a teenager which is when I first began to pay attention to the wider world around me. As I climb I wonder why many of these same issues are still front and center on our country’s political and social agenda. I can still remember, shortly after getting my driver’s license, the Energy Crisis of the 70’s and sitting in long lines at the gas station to fill my parent’s car with fuel. Recalling how in some state’s, drivers were only allowed to buy gas on odd numbered days or on even numbered days, depending on whether the last number of their license plate was odd or even. And I wonder why our nation is still struggling to find ways to no longer depend on foreign oil. I fondly remember watching TV shows like “McGyver” or the “A-Team” where the bad guys always seemed to be Columbian drug lords. Yet today every region of our country has been infiltrated by drug gangs and I wonder what progress has been made to resolve the war on drugs. I have memories of receiving my first “real” paycheck, seeing the taxes that were taken out, and remembering our presidents, both Republican and Democrat, stressing the importance of balancing the federal budget, then in the billions. Today I am confounded as to why we are facing ballooning federal budget deficits that are now in the trillions. I distinctly recall the ’72 Summer Olympics and watching the news coverage of the Israeli athletes slaughtered by terrorists. I remember the airline hijackings, the raid on Entebbe, and the Iranian hostage crisis. I consider our current struggles against terrorism, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I wonder when it will all end.

    When I think back on all this (and more) I become frustrated and a bit angry, feeling that after more than 30 years, nothing has been resolved. My children are almost all grown up and, God willing, there will be grandchildren in the not too distant future. I am deeply concerned that if significant progress isn’t made, and soon, they will be dealing with the same issues and problems when they become adults. I wonder why such little measurable progress has been made since I was a youth? Over the years I have come to believe that a major contributing factor in our nation’s continuing struggle to resolve these challenges is Congress’s inability to develop workable, practical solutions.  

   It doesn’t take much time or effort monitoring the activities of our elected representatives in Washington, D.C. before one comes to realize that the honored bodies of the Senate and Congress have a very difficult time cooperating and working together for the best interests of the American people. Our two party system which has served us so well for so many years, is slowly but surely losing sight of its mandate to be the representation of the most important and diverse resource of this nation . . . our people. Fighting, bickering, and spontaneous alignment along party lines seems to be the immediate response of both the Republican and Democrat parties over every important issue. Rather than engage in reasoned discourse, polite disagreement, and cooperative problem solving, with each other, on the behalf of all of us, the two parties seek to gain power and control of the political legislative process in order to promote their own agenda and only their agenda. Each party is guilty of pursuing a path and mentality of “win at all costs” in their election campaigns and efforts to gain popular support. Both sides of the political aisle are willing to attack the other, often using misleading information, scare tactics, and sometimes, outright lies. This behavior has led to distrust, defensiveness, and frustration within the Congress. The results can be seen in recent news events related to the health care debate where terms such as “Nazi” and “racist” have been inappropriately leveled against each other. It becomes very difficult, almost impossible even, to engage in cooperative debate and develop effective legislation in such a dysfunctional environment. I believe that the results are seen in the governmental gridlock that has been in place since at least the mid ‘70’s and in the public approval ratings of Congress’s performance which has dipped as low as 13%.

     So . . . why have I decided to run for Congress? Simply put and to use the old adage . . . “If you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem”. I do not want to be part of the problem. I once had a pastor who made a statement challenging his congregation that hit home personally and has stuck with me ever since. He was encouraging us to work together through difficult circumstances, under stressful conditions, and involving people who had many different passionate views and opinions. He simply stated, “We should all agree to disagree without being disagreeable.” He was making the point that when serious issues are at stake that directly effect people’s lives, passionate debate, diverse opinions, and heated discussion are a normal part of the problem solving process. But, at the end of the day, we are all still fellow neighbors, church goers, family members, and co-workers. If we engage in public debate over difficult issues, struggling to work together to develop resolutions, then allow our disagreements and differences to separate us, and are not able to sit down with each other to share a cup of coffee . . . something is wrong. I believe that the American people are tired of the constant bickering and party power struggles exhibited by the Congress. The primary goal of my campaign is to send a clear message to Washington that we expect respectful discourse, cooperative action, and ultimately, positive results from our elected representatives. A message that says we will hold them accountable for their legislative actions, professional performance, and personal behavior. That representation of the people is first and foremost Congress’s primary duty . . . not representation of special interest groups and blind commitment to their respective Party leadership. I believe that in order for this message to truly succeed it will have to involve a deep seated, committed, and vocal grass roots effort.

    To this end I have thoughtfully and intentionally developed a campaign strategy that follows a non-traditional and more difficult electoral path but, I believe, will clearly express the desire of the average person to be truly represented in Washington. First, I will be running as an Independent, not affiliated with either political party. If I should be fortunate enough to be sent to Washington, D.C. the only loyalty I wish to be accountable for is the loyalty to the people who elected me. The people I have grown up with, the people I have worked with, the people I have worshipped with, and the people I know because I am one of you. I want to be free to evaluate, choose, and support legislation and policies that best serve us all without regard to party affiliation. An effective, economical, practical idea can come from any number of sources, Republican, Democrat, liberal, or conservative and no one organization has all the right answers to all the problems that face us. Secondly, I will neither request nor accept any financial campaign contributions. Again, I want to be free to pursue policies that I feel have the greatest opportunity to improve our lives without the obligations that financial contributions can bring. I believe that it doesn’t matter how much integrity and how well intentioned a person is relative to not letting campaign contributions affect their decision making process, the fact is . . . money talks. If an organization, party, or individual has made a significant financial donation to a campaign, at the very minimum on a subconscious level, their contributions will have gained access to the attentions of the leadership of the campaign. I want to ensure I only pay attention to the people I hope to represent without regard to financial interests. Lastly, and perhaps the most difficult aspect of my campaign strategy, is that my name will not be seen on the November 2010 ballot. I will be a “write in” candidate only. It seems to me that all too frequently when it comes to Election Day and both parties have selected their candidates via the primary elections process, the choice between the Republican and Democrat candidate has been less than positive. I have found myself choosing between the “lesser of two evils” so to speak, far too many times. I believe we deserve better. I believe that we don’t have to choose between two individuals for our representation. We are free to choose ANYONE WE LIKE! Typically, on the ballot for each office up for election there are three choices provided, a Democrat, a Republican, and at the bottom a spot labeled as “OTHER” . . . a location for a “write in” candidate. I hope to become the “OTHER” guy.

    My campaign slogan is “Vote for the OTHER guy” and the acronym “OTHER” has particular significance to the campaign. The letters O, T, H, E, and R together represent the core focus of my campaign. O – original, T – truly, H – honestly, E – elected, R – representative. I believe that if an individual with no previous name recognition, running associated with neither party, accepting no campaign contributions, and isn’t even on the ballot . . . if that person can make a significant impact in the campaign then the people will have sent a clear message of accountability to the traditional political community. My campaign web site (www.voteotherguy.com) provides opportunities for people to join in this effort.

    I fully intend to run this campaign to win and would very much like to become elected and be sent to Washington. But what I want is much more important than what I would like. What I want is to inspire the people of this state to get involved in restoring respectful, responsive, and representative government to the nation. I hope to encourage our citizens to invest in themselves by actively participating in our political process and hold our representatives accountable for actual positive progress on our behalf. The State of New Hampshire is famous for its “First in the Nation Presidential Primary” and I challenge the people of the 1st Congressional District to be first in the nation to lead the charge to return our government to what it was always intended to be . . . government of the people, for the people, and by the people. It will take of us climbing this mountain together, supporting and encouraging each other, sometimes wondering if we can make it. But when we do, and I know we will, the view will be worth all the effort.  My name is Mark Whitman Jr. and I want to be the OTHER guy.

 

    May God bless America and may His grace continue to rest upon the great state of New Hampshire!