Funiciello Non-Endorsement in Sunday PS

I'm certainly glad that this piece was not an endorsement. It couldn't have come much closer.

Matt Funiciello is an outsider, but he’s no Donald Trump. He presents an alternative vision for the country based on advocacy for the working class, reduction in military adventurism and promotion of green energy that is both radical and thoughtful.

We do not share Funiciello’s moral certainty about what the country is doing wrong and what should be changed. But there is an impressive sincerity and consistency to his agenda.

It comes about as close to an endorsement as you can without being one. My comment is below. Haven't made it yet. My comment comes as close to a letter to the editor as you can without being one. Something I started doing early in my letters to the editor was to not send it the day I wrote it. That is maybe an important rule to follow here. 

Matt Funiciello is an outsider, but he’s no Donald Trump.

In the first interview I read with him he called Barack Obama and Bill Owens corporate puppets. Ad hominem attacks seem to be common to both. Not that I really mind, but I've been deemed a faux liberal by the candidate. I've been called worse online, tho. Conspiracism is something the two seem to have in common as well. I can appreciate that there are unanswered questions about 9/11. Someone making the claim that the Pentagon was not hit by a plane does not advance that. I'd say it hurts the effort to get at answers to legitimate questions.

Trump's appeal is to the working class, as well. The largest portion of his base is those without college educations. And on a good day, he calls for less military adventurism.

You say Funiciello deserves to be listened to. Obviously, I do (do you?). So much so that he accused me of being "a wee bit obsessed." If you run for office, I'd think you would expect your words to be scrutinized. In any case, my obsession is with politics. If he wasn't running for office, I couldn't care less.

I know you're supposed to say the nice things first, but I'll end on a high note. I appreciate his concern for the environment. I'm likely greener than the average bear. I appreciate his concern over the number of bases we have worldwide. I've read Chalmers Johnson, too. The fact that I agree with him on any number of issues doesn't mean he deserves my vote. His debate style is fallacious and I question the rationality of his thinking. Yes, I realize that's true of the majority of the House. There's only one who represents my district, tho.

I look forward to the debates and seeing Mike Derrick question him on these issues and others. If Derrick loses maybe I'll run against him next time around. I've been living in the district for 59 years. Longevity is worth big bonus points, right?

Gonna pass on that comment. Here's the one I did leave. Gotta do the patented Repsac What'd I Say because some have been dying in moderation lately.

Nice reply, Rob. I'm not as pessimistic as you are about Derrick's chances. Not optimistic either. Dems vote in larger numbers in election years giving Mike a little boost there. Stefanik has the albatross of Trump hanging around her neck. That's only going to get worse from the looks. Ryan endorses him (altho he didn't use the word in his editorial), the following day he has to criticize Trump for getting on a judge over his ethnicity. As for Funiciello, he was a novelty last time around. He's a perennial candidate now. If the campaigns haven't listened to the stuff he said on his radio show, they certainly should. I can recommend a few. I'm not sure the PS has listened to them despite their admonition that Funiciello " deserves to be listened to.

Of course, lots of people take Trump seriously. That seems to be a shrinking contingent, tho. Most Democratic voters would favor closing a lot of bases around the world. We've read Chalmers Johnson, too. Most Democratic voters are in support of environmental legislation. I can't speak for all of them, but I resent it every time Funiciello says there is no difference between Dems and Reps. He told me in a thread once that he supports HR 676 Single Payer Healthcare Bill. It was sponsored by a Democrat and co-sponsored by another 88 Democrats. Zero Republicans. That looks like a difference to me. And it looks like a reason to elect Democrats.

I liked Aaron Woolf, but I'm hoping that Mike Derrick will be a bit more assertive. So far, I believe he's going to be.