Congressman Dertinger? Behind in the $ Battle But Way Ahead in Communicating With Ordinary People

A few weeks ago, I blogged the fundraising disparity in the Lehigh Valley's U.S. Congressional race. Incumbent Charlie Dent has a 100 to 1 advantage over Democratic rival Charles Dertinger. Dent's $840,000 warchest includes $60,000 in Big Oil money ($51,500 in 2004 and $8,600 in 2006). Notwithstanding this huge lead in campaign bucks, Dent still used taxpayer money to send an "informational" mailer in the last weeks to a targeted audience with the "facts" about those nasty illegal immigrants, the very issue Republicans have identified as their key to congressional control.

Now I've tried contacting Congressman Dent. He is, after all, my Congressman. I wanted him to pledge to refuse money from Big Oil. Dent not only continued collecting, but actually voted to block a Congressional inquiry into price-gouging, something we see every time we fill up. While Dent was using our money to send mailers to people who didn't ask for them, he ignored several emails from me, a constituent, as well as another commenter to this blog.

One of the anonymous commenters to this blog, exasperated by our all too traditional candidates, wrote an open letter to Charles Dertinger as a comment. Here's the letter.

OPEN LETTER TO CHARLES DERTINGER

I admire your courage in stepping up when no other Democrat had the balls to challenge Dent. From what little I know about you, you might just have what it takes to be a very good Congressman.

But lets face it. There is no way you are going to get anywhere close to Dent in money. And the Morning Call, whose first torpedo against you kind of misfired, has plenty more ammunition which will be headed your way. So, "politics as usual" for you has but one inevitable outcome -- and it doesn't get you to DC except as a tourist.

So why not try an experiment? After all, what have you got to lose? Why not forget about trying to say the right things to get money rolling in, and simply say what you think. Why not speak to the Americans in the 15th District as one of them. Educate them, and learn from them. But in the end, come down with your own informed ideas, opinions, and policy proposals, and not those of your "handlers".

For example, if you think that the medical insurance system in this country is an embarrassment, say so. If you think that the ban-the-gays amendment is a distraction from much more important issues, say so. If you think that the War has diverted our resources and greatly weakened our fight against terrorism, say so. If you think that our knee-jerk support of Israeli military actions is not in our national interest, say so.

My list may not be your list, but get a list based on what you really believe. And then communicate forcefully and respectfully to your fellow Americans. We will know where you stand, and I think people will respect that.

If you do this and lose by 40 points, it will be the same result as losing by only 20. And, if you can win without very much money, think of the message that that would send to our political system. It would give people hope that the very real problems we face can be dealt with.

You have your moment on the stage. Make the most of it, win or lose. That will offer the best chance that you, and we, will win. Best of good fortune to you.

I expected that to be the end of it, especially since I've been pretty tough on Dertinger. He has no reason to contact me. After all, I'm pals with his nemesis, Ron Angle. But that's exactly what Dertinger did, and he has an answer for the anonymous commenter.

Dear Anonymous,

First of all, thank you for the open letter. I appreciate your passion for Lehigh Valley politics as well as your thoughts on running a strong campaign to represent the 15th Congressional District.

In short, you're absolutely right: This is my time to show you, Bernie and all the voters of this district that, if elected, I would in fact stand against "politics as usual."

You challenged me to run a campaign where I speak my mind. If you look at my positions on the issues, you'll find that this is exactly the kind of campaign I've run. I don't have a large team of political strategists crafting safe stances on the pivotal issues facing our country. I take clear positions that come from my core beliefs and values, not from what I think will attract donations.

So, for instance, when I recently pledged to refuse Big Oil money, it was because I believe this industry has harmed working people and our environment. It was not merely a position that grew out of some political calculation or convenience.

Further, I've stated my opposition to spending public dollars on private schools, my support for the right of working Americans to earn a living wage, and my willingness to fight for lower prices on pharmaceuticals for seniors. I think you'll agree that these can hardly be called positions that pander to the big-cash donors.

As you say, I may not be able to catch Charlie Dent in the fundraising department. But I believe that as Lehigh Valley residents start to tune in to this race in the coming weeks, they'll respond to my willingness to fight for working families and to my vision for bringing positive, tangible changes to our district.

Again, thanks for your very thoughtful and constructive letter. I hope you'll stay engaged in this important Congressional race, and I invite you to share your further thoughts with me at www.votecharles.com.

Sincerely,
Charles.

Dertinger is behind in the battle for the bucks, but he's certainly winning the communication battle, and he's not using taxpayer money to send unsolicited mailers about bogus issues.

While Dent was brushing off my emails, Dertinger has not only communicated with real live constituents, but has pledged to take no money from Big Oil. He also appeared at a rally in south side Bethlehem to promote oil independence. That's the first time I've ever seen a Congressional candidate from the Lehigh Valley at a grass roots demonstration.

Despite his inability to bring in the big bucks that always seem to go the way of incumbents, Dertinger's willingness to engage ordinary voters like you and me is both refreshing and impressive. He seems to be impressing the hell out of Charlie Dent. In addition to the "informational mailer" at taxpayer expense, Charlie's also been waging a phone campaign the past few weeks.

All this before Labor Day? Rendell and Casey are way ahead in the polls, and that won't help Dent. We just may have a contest.