Now Here’s A Novel Concept: Instead Of Voting For The Lesser Of Two Evils, Vote For The Person Whose Heart Is In The Right Place
He’s a good ol’ boy. And I don’t mean the ‘good ol’ boy network‘.
Steve Gerritzen is a 39-year-old electronics assembler from Ocala, Florida. And he’s running for Congress.
What does Steve Gerritzen stand for? Everything that any other incumbent on Capitol Hill – is not.
For you see, this Florida boy is running as a Modern Whig Party candidate.
I betcha haven’t heard that term since high school history class. For good reason too. The Whig Party was only active from 1833 until 1856. It served its purpose and it moved on.
So what is the Modern Whig Party, you ask? Sit back for a minute. Take the time to read this. Because it actually… almost… makes sense. Simple and to the point.
More than anything else out there in this clown operation we call a government anyway.
What they believe in:
The Modern Whig Party relies on common sense. The organization is the fastest-growing advocate for such issues as fiscal responsibility, strong national defense and bold social progression. We see the value of independent thinking and the danger of being limited to one distinct ideology. Since 1833, we have carried the mantle of America’s middle-of-the-road party.
* FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY – The Modern Whig philosophy is to empower the states with the resources to handle their unique affairs.
* ENERGY INDEPENDENCE – Reduce dependence on foreign oil by developing practical sources of alternative energy. This will have the simultaneous effect of changing the national security dynamic.
* EDUCATION/SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENT – Increased public and private emphasis on fields such as space, oceanic, medical and nanotechnology. Also, providing common-sense solutions to enhance our educational system from pre-school to university-level studies.
* STATES RIGHTS - Each state can generally determine its course of action based on local values and unique needs.
* SOCIAL PROGRESSION – Government should refrain from legislating morality.
* VETERANS AFFAIRS – Vigilant advocacy relating to the medical, financial, and overall well-being of our military families and veterans.
So what makes Steve Gerritzen the right man for the job?
“I’m tired of what’s going on up there,” said Gerritzen. “Some people run for political office to help themselves, but I want to help the average person because I am the average person.
“A lot of people are talking about a revolution, but I’m calling for a revolution through the ballot box,” he said. “Seventy percent of the people make less than $50,000 a year, and that’s who I want to represent. I care about the people because I am the people. I am the working class.”
Go get ‘em Steve. The rest of us ‘common folk’ will be rootin’ for ya!
He's a good ol' boy. And I don't mean the 'good ol' boy network'. –http://bit.ly/d8iAIQ
Gerritzen is not running with the Modern Whig Party. The Modern Whig Party is a political club. Gerritzen i running under the Florida Whig Party, the nations only recognized registered Whig Party with the Florida Division of elections. The Florida Whig Party is in no way part of the Modern Whig Party Club.
Isn’t that a matter of semantics on the name though? The ‘Florida Whig Party’ is based pretty much line for line on the tenets of the ‘Modern Whig Party’ (or vice versa). Which means Gerritzen is still running for those same ideals.
http://www.squidoo.com/Modern-Whig-Party
According to wikipedia:
‘The Modern Whig Party was organized as a grassroots movement in the beginning of 2008 as a national successor to the historical Whig Party (the Florida Whig Party was created a year earlier with a similar goal at the state level).’
Either way… I personally wish the guy best. If he were in Tennessee I would vote for him!
@ Jason R.
I believe that the Modern Whigs had a candidate up in New Jersey at one point, and in my native Virginia I know that Whigs are registered in some fashion and growing. Even TIME Magazine recently included the Modern Whigs as among the top 10 most popular political movements worldwide. So for a state group that subscribes to the same views to dismiss a national effort moving on similar logic is very short sighted. It should be a national movement and not limited to one state, especially Florida where just about any political party can get on the ballot.
As Chairman of the second administration of the Florida Whig Party, I would like to correct a few items. The Florida Whig Party is a political party that is recognized as such by the Secretary of State and Division of Elections in the State of Florida. The FWP began in 2006 and achieved formal party status in 2007. The FWP was voluntarily associated with the Modern Whig (party) Movement which began approximately one year after the FWP. The FWP Executive Board voted in August to terminate its affiliation with the Moderns but the action was vetoed by me as Chairman. Subsequent discussions resulted in a second vote which was unanimous. In October of 2009, the founding Chairman of the Moderns resigned and the second administration of the Moderns began. The day after the second administration, the new Chair was informed of the decision to separate. Since December 2009, the third administration of the Moderns has been without a Chairperson and the FWP remains an independent political party that must follow the laws, rules, and regulations of the State of Florida; which includes not permitting outside parties or movements calling the shots as to tenants, platform, or party positions. The FWP is a political party based upon Classical Liberal policies rather than Modern Liberal or Modern Conservative tenants. We are also certainly not supportive of Classical Conservative policies. These terms have specific meanings; however, most people are poorly educated or versed on said-same. As such, the founding fathers (a term coined by President Coolidge during a Republican Convention) were Whigs. History books have been altered over the years to diminish the British Whigs (Whiggamore Raid) of the 1600s, our American Revolutionary Whigs of the 1700s, and the political party Whigs of the 1800s. The demise of the Whigs of the 1800s has been fodder for political humor; however, history reflects that the national debt was eliminated when the Whigs controlled Washington and that the civil war would have begun ten years earlier had it not been for the Daniel Webster, Horrace Greeley, General Winfield Scott, and Henry Clay. While many will read this without a tad bit of knowledge as to who these Whigs were of the 1800s, the fact remains that four Whigs served as President, the Party collapsed as a result of Cotton Whigs becoming Democrats and Confederates while northern Whigs like Abraham Lincoln formed, joined, and became the Republican Party following their first meeting in Ripon Wisconsin. All of this activity of stems from the Whigs of the 1600s who fought successfully for the same rights our Whigs of the 1700s, 1800s, and now the FWP fights for in the 2000s. While I personally appreciate what each and every Whig in the nation is doing to foster the growth of a true third party that will complete a needed trilogy of political parties (a three legged stool stands solid while a tow leg stool will fall to one side or the other) we do not believe in tenants of the Moderns as a replacement for a traditional platform, In addition, and to repeat, we are Classical Liberals who are very concerned with the Imperial Presidency of both Democrats and Republicans. We do not believe in talk without action but rather our motto is Acta no Vebra (Deeds not Words).
We have been fortunate to have a strong team on our executive board such as Professor Wendell Griffith, Executive Vice Chairman and District Director. Dr. Griffith is a former Marine who was stationed at several embassies (such as Russia and Spain) and has taught college in the Florida State University system for several decades. Dr. Griffith is an expert at Constitutional Law, American Government, and Political History. Our Vice Chairman, Henry DeGeneste, Vice President of Global Security at Prudential Financial for fifteen years. In that capacity he was the senior executive responsible for developing and managing the strategy and policies that addressed security for the firm and its subsidiary companies. He was a member of the firm’s Crisis Management Committee. Prior to joining Prudential Financial, Mr. DeGeneste had a distinguished twenty three year career at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where he rose through the ranks and retired as the Director of Public Safety and Superintendent of Police. Our Secretary is Kellean Kai Truesdell, J.D., LL.M. is a practicing attorney in the State of Florida and owner of Kellean K. Truesdell, P.A. Kellean graduated from the University of Akron (J.D.) and the University of Miami (LL.M. – Masters in Law in Estate Planning). Kellean’s estate planning, elder law, probate and trust administration, and asset protection practice has approximately 10,000 clients from across the state, with a concentration in North Central Florida.
As you can see from these three examples, these are real people, who have real experience, and who are truly committed to developing a true third party to challenge the duopoly.
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Detective John Annarumma is running for Congress as a Florida Whig. Retired CFO Steve Bacon is running for Congress as a Florida Whig. Assembly Line Worker Steve Gerritzen is running for Congress as a Florida Whig, Computer Programmer Clayton Schock is running for Congress as a Florida Whig, General Building Contractor Craig Porter is running for Congress as a Florida Whig, and Dr. Douglass Shearer, a veterinarian is running for a seat on the Marion County Commission as a Florida Whig. From all walks of life, these men have stepped forward to place their names before the people of Florida to restore We the People to elected office. Non is a professional politician. Each has made many mistakes because of a lack of political experience. Each is true in their belief in the majority of the planks of the platform of the Florida Whig Party and accepts the differences that exist among each other with mutual tolerance and cooperation. As a state that is based upon open primary laws, we do not pick our candidates, the people do. Each became a candidate on their own rather than handpicked and placed into a running position. We do not believe in “The Party’s Candidates” approach and will never engage in telling a candidate how to run, what to do, and how to say it. We will assist and offer guidance and counsel, but each candidate and coalition leader is expected to stand on his or her own feet and fight the fight for We the People on a united in spirit but individual footing.
While politics always has, is, and will continue to be a blood sport that wears thin the skin of even those with the thickest of hide from time to time, the fact that internal political posturing for personal gain in the name of who is more akin to what is or is not a Republican, Democrat, or Whig is not a game we seek to be a part of for our goal is simple, clear, and concise: Build the foundation to support a growing Whig Party that will elect office holders who will return the nation to is fundamental roots of Classical Liberalism while effectively handling the issues of the day.
We live not in the past but in the present. We plan for the future rather than despair in what was. And we are grounded in our history and belief in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness today, tomorrow, and forever.
Even if you could filter through all the lies and hidden motives somehow and figure out who’s heart was in the right place (whatever theat means), on some level you would still be choosing between the lesser of two evils, because all poiticians are to some degree corrupt. So not matter what yard stick you use to judge them by, you are always voting for the lesser of two evils in some context.
The problem with the Whig party and the general philosophy of “the pursuit of happiness” “freedom” and other traditional American ideals held dear by conservatives, is that they prefer little or no oversight, and are typically not “happy” unless they have a free hand to do whatever they want in a free market, without governemnt regulation. They want all this American freedom despite the historical record showing that the aveage person cannot be trusted to behave morally and ethically when it comes to money and business when when their own interests come into conflict with the interests of the general public. Republicans and the people the power brokers they represent have shown time and time again that they value money and wealth more than anything else, and that when the pursuit of profit comes into conflict with ethical issues, they will choose money or the wellbeing of whole segments of society and/or humanity unless they are forced to by regulation. This behave this way because people with the kind of world view do do not feel morally obligated to the to ctain segments of society, and this allows them to put profits first when they themselves are not among those that will be harmed by thier actions. This despite the fact that we are morally obligated to evey other human being on the planet. Modern science has taught us that everything we do effects everyone else, and so we have ethical no choice but to keep that in mind as we make economic and environmenal policies.