Blogger conference call with Karen Harrington

I just got off a conference call for conservative bloggers with Republican Congressional candidate Karen Harrington. It was the first time I had heard her speak directly (other than her YouTube videos), and I was impressed. Those of you in the Central Florida area, you'll want to come out and meet her on Thursday (event details here).

Harrington put up a decent fight last year as a first time candidate against Debbie Wasserman Schultz, garnering nearly 40 percent of the vote and forcing her to spend about a million dollars to defend what had previously been viewed as a "guaranteed" Democrat seat. DWS is once again raising a boatload of money, but most of it comes from PACs. Harrington noted her opponent's lack of support among actual people living in the district, and proudly touted her own campaign's grassroots support. "She's going to raise a lot of money, but it's not going to come from the constituents. It never has."

According to the Harrington campaign's sources, the redistricting process is expected to shift District 20 about three to four percent more Republican. So, if Harrington got 40 percent last time, with the district's new Republicans being likely to support her, she needs to shift the polls less than ten percent to fire Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Folks, this seat is absolutely in play. Wouldn't it be fun to knock out the Chair of the DNC? Oh, is that violent rhetoric? Guess I'm one of those tea party terrorists that DWS and her left-wing buddies have been whining about lately...

A few other noteworthy items from the conference call...Harrington supports the repeal of Obamacare, of course (I think at this point we can safely say that a candidate cannot win a Republican primary without taking that position, hmm?), citing the skyrocketing costs and crushing effect on small businesses. District 20 has a significant percentage of Jewish voters, and the feedback they are giving the Harrington campaign is that they are disillusioned with Obama and DWS's failure to support Israel.

A large portion of the call was devoted to discussing federal spending issues and our national debt. Harrington opposes across-the-board cuts to the defense budget. She said that she knows there's waste and would prefer a plan to find that waste and reinvest the funds to maintain a high degree of readiness for our troops. “We have to continue to fight...these are very dangerous times...we’re making ourselves extremely vulnerable as a nation.”

Specifically regarding the debt ceiling debate, Harrington stated that she was proud of the Republicans for making the effort to address not just the debt, but also long term spending. She supported the Ryan Plan, saying that it made the necessary spending cuts while preserving Medicare for those over 55. Harrington also thought that the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act was a "great step," and was disappointed when Harry Reid and the Senate refused to even hear the bill. Overall, she did not like the artificial urgency imposed by the debt ceiling deadline and felt that the final bill was hastily put together, presented with not enough time to read it, and did not adequately address our spending issues, so she would have voted against it.

I enjoyed hearing from Karen Harrington this morning. I think you'll like her too. Come meet her in Lake Mary on Thursday and help "Fire Debbie."

www.FireDebbie.com