Niki Tsongas Puts Pelosi Before Constiuants - image Daily Life
Massachusetts Congressional District 5 Representative Niki Tsongas, who has previously run unopposed will face Republican Challenger, Jon Golnik, in the upcoming mid-term, November 2, 2010. Tsongas, who narrowly won a special election in 2007, to fill the 5th district seat which was held until 1997 by her late husband, Paul Tsongas – she defeated Ogonowski on the message of “Change” against former President George W. Bush, and a year into the 2006 Democrat takeover of the Congress.
That message of change was first used by Governor Deval Patrick, then Tsongas and of course, Obama in 2008. Tsongas, when one looks at the roll call votes from the 110th and 111th Congress is a “rubber-stamp” or reliable Democrat, voting straight party line. So much so, that, as a woman, she threw Hillary Clinton, who won the Massachusetts 2008 Democrat primary by a landslide, under the proverbial bus to support then candidate Obama as early as June of 2008. Which, all things considered was a slap in the face to the Clintons, who avidly supported her bid for election in 2007.
From Health Care Reform to defending ACORN, Tsongas has kept the priority of the DNC Progressives first - meanwhile the Massachusetts 5th District is at 9.6 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
So the question is how well will this “dynasty” rubber-stamp Democrat candidate do against Opponent Jon Golnik? If the special election Tsongas won is any indication not so hot - it featured as somewhat low turnout for Tsongas. In the current economic climate, and her anti-Clinton, pro-Obama progressive voting pattern, one would be hard-pressed to give her positives odds of being sent back to Washington on after the mid-term.
Who is Jon Golnik? According to his website Jongolnick.com, he is not a politician, rather a small business owner in the district. He is a graduate of Dartmouth, (History), John Hopkins (Masters international studies) and Wharton School of Business (MBA), which said educational history should satisfy those who would berate higher education that does not stem from Harvard or Yale.
How desperate are the Democrats in the Massachusetts elections? Across the board, they are putting every GOP candidate under the microscope, and digging up “dirt”, specifically personal records, in order to find the least little straw upon which to grasp. The find on Golnik was a 2001 DUI, which he has asked and answered. It is apparently shocking when a Republican has one blot on his or her record, however, that particular charge is rampant on Beacon Hill, (Democrat State House), as well as in Washington. Consider the plea deal made by one Kennedy Congressional Representative who had gone on a drunken rampage with his vehicle when Congress was in session – business as usual.
Therefore, Jon Golnik is human and has made a mistake, once, almost 10 years ago –that’s all Tsongas Campaign has. Point of order – two wrongs don’t make a right, however, when it is decidedly uneven – as is 200 wrong versus 1 wrong, one might think that one wrong is forgivable (speaking of equal “wrongs” here). This is especially true, when one finds oneself out of a job, in the Fifth district, and can look forward to Nikki Tsongas voting reliability on every tax increase, every spending measure that Obama can possibly dream up – and there appear to be no limits.
Jon Golnick, 5th District Candidate Against Niki Tsongas - image:MassGOP
John Golnik, in his own words:
My decision to run is a long story but I hope an interesting one.
I had been actively involved in politics since I was a child. My mom's father (my maternal grandfather) was the longest serving/elected city official in Hartford, CT (City Treasurer). His name was John 'Bud' Mahon and came from Hartford's Irish section of town called 'Frog Hollow'.
As a kid I used to spend my summer days with him driving around Hartford to the different precincts. On election years he would ask people for their vote and on off years he would problem solve. My father's side of the family were Republicans. He was a delegate at the 1956 and 1960 Republican conventions. As family we were involved in elections, most active in Nixon's 1972 race and Ford and Reagan's races in 1976 and 1980. We did a lot of stuffing of envelopes and in 1980 I organized the high school kids for push
card distribution for our entire town.
I went to Dartmouth and was active there and then after graduating became very active in the Romney/Kennedy Senate race. Though I didn't live in MA but I came up on the weekends to
help my cousin get signatures etc. I wasn't as excited about Dole but did my share and then worked my fingers to the bone for George Bush. However, after 2000 I stopped 'cold turkey'. What makes a young activist go from one extreme to the other? I felt betrayed. I felt that the party I had worked so hard for my entire life ceased representing the ideas that drove me to volunteer, deficit spending, expansion of the federal government via No Child Left Behind.
I don’t’ want to bore you - I have more about this on my website
Anyhow, after the 2008 elections, while I was disturbed by Obama's election, I did feel his election was historic. However, I was more troubled by Niki Tsongas' running unopposed. Though I lived in Carlisle, a relatively liberal town on MA 5, most of the people I spoke with are right of center. So in January 2009, I went down to Sec State Galvin's offices and pulled all the election returns since 1980 (in MA-5). After inputting them into a
spreadsheet and taking a look I realized that MA-5 is a moderate district with 55% unaffiliated voters, and republicans ran well in the district.
I went back home and talked with my wife. Both of us were extremely concerned about the direction of the country and that our children (10 and 8) wouldn't inherit a country that was better than the way we found it with more opportunities than we had ourselves. Based on this fear and the fact that no one was stepping up, we decided that Niki Tsongas should not run unopposed. In August I hired a general consultant and we started putting things in place. We announced November 22.
I hope I didn't bore you. It is along story but I hope a little
interesting.
Jon Golnik is far from boring, and is a formidable opponent going forth to do battle with one “dynasty, rubber stamp, incumbent; Nikki Tsongas.
Therefore, expect to see more tags put on Jon in the District media as the race heats up – as well as the national press. In fact, every candidate running against an incumbent Democrat in MA, has already been painted with the liberal “Tea Party Brush”. Which, considering that Massachusetts does not move to sound bites, rather the electorate moves to what it sees happening in their own homes - continued employment, and a lack of concern for the citizens by some representatives. Representatives like Tsongas, who just don’t think the people know better than she does. Given her career, first as a wife of a politician and then on her own, forming close ties to ACORN and Obama. Tsongas would do best in this election by running ad denouncing her affiliation with the above, and running to the right of Jon Golnik, like so many of her Democrat Counterparts are doing now, however, it appears it may be a too little too late even for that ploy.
To find out more about Jon Golnik visit his website: jongolnik.com and help him send Niki Tsongas back to the private sector – which, having spent no time there, may give her quite the shock.
Tsongas Points to keep in Mind:
1.Threw Clinton under the Bus against the wishes of her own political party constituents by supporting Obama
2.Threw the district, the Commonwealth and America under the bus by rubber stamping every bill Pelosi and Obama put before her.
Although hardly an “entrenched politician” she has shown no loyalty to anyone, with the exception of the DNC progressive. Is this blog partisan, yes, somewhat, but more tired of those who think that a political office is “owned” and that “they are above the people they represent”.
In the 5th District, you have a choice, visit Jon Golnik’s website and donate, whatever you can, time and treasure –yes we can, in Massachusetts, take our country back and insure that the Congress will be returned to the people - one district at a time, in fine Bay State form.
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