My 2010 midterms wishlist: Bielat crushes Frank
It’s a short list, really. While I expect good returns overall for Republicans and conservatives, there are a few races that, if I only got these, I would consider it a very good night. One, of course, is the defeat of Barbara Boxer by Carly Fiorina. Boxer, an unintelligent, corrupt, and reactionary statist, has been an embarrassment her whole time in the House and Senate; I’d vote for day-old roadkill before I’d vote for her.
But, perhaps even more than my desire to see Boxer turfed out, I want to see Barney Frank sent home. This arrogant, piggish fathead is one of the key villains in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debacle that lead to the mortgage and financial crises. And he wants more power, still. A guy like this should be nowhere near the halls of power. Let him go back to providing office space for gay escort services.
Fortunately, the damage Frank and his fellow progressives have done to the nation have left even him, a 14-term incumbent, vulnerable. He has a serious opponent in Sean Bielat, a Marine reservist and small businessman. Byron York profiles his surprising challenge:
Bielat is 35 years old, a Marine who spent four years on active duty and is now a major in the Reserve. He’s a graduate of Georgetown University with a master’s from Harvard and an MBA from Wharton. He’s devoted a good portion of his professional life to manufacturing the high-tech robots that defuse improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan. In other words, he’s a serious man.
In the spring and summer of 2009, Bielat watched in dismay as Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress pursued one big-government initiative after another. He began to think about running but didn’t make a final decision until Jan. 19, when a certain Republican won election to the Senate from Massachusetts — and did it by winning in Frank’s district. “When Scott Brown won the 4th Congressional District, it became clear that not only could a Republican win here,” says Bielat, “but there was a case to be made nationally to donors and supporters that this is winnable.”
National support is key, Bielat believes, given that his opponent is chairman of one of the most powerful committees on Capitol Hill and can raise virtually all the money he wants. But Frank is also one of those liberal Democrats who conservative Republicans love to hate. If GOP donors across the country think there’s a chance to beat him, they’ll start giving. So far, support has been steady but not overwhelming. Bielat has raised about $600,000; Frank has pulled in many times that.
Read the whole thing. It’s still a long shot, but Bawney Fwank is awfully nervous for a guy who usually wins 75% of the vote; he’s had Bill Clinton come to campaign for him in this supposedly deep-blue district. And if you want to help strike a blow for good government at the federal level, give Sean some money. Now.
(Crossposted at Public Secrets)