I just can't help thinking somebody ought to be trying to do something about theongoing Newt Gingrich Problem we have in America. Don't you agree?

Actually, until recently, I guess I sort of assumed that any number of highly qualifiedpeople surely MUST BE working on this problem day and night. But I did some checking, andas weird as this may sound, it turns out the only person with any real chance of actuallyDOING ANYTHING SOON about the Newt Problem may be Gary "Bats" Pelphrey ofMarietta, Georgia.

Don't feel too bad if you have never heard of Gary Pelphrey. I certainly never haduntil it occurred to me the other day that the illustrious Speaker Gingrich was up forre-election just like everybody else in the House of Representatives. I couldn't helpwondering who was running against him and decided to research it a little. Surely thedemocrats in Georgia would be bringing out their biggest guns for this one, right? Infact, it appears not.

Gary Pelphrey, little Newton's opponent in the race for Georgia's 6th CongressionalDistrict seat, has never held public office. At first glance, his candidacy almost lookslike some kind of political prank. He has no big contributors and no professional campaigntalent on his payroll. In short, he appears to be running a shoestring, grassrootscampaign against the well oiled, lavishly financed, professional campaign machine ofNewton Gingrich B in a race that is widelyassumed to be a free ride back to Washington for Gingrich.

Not that Mr. Pelphrey himself is any particular joke (funny nickname notwithstanding).A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Gary Pelphrey holds an MBA in MIS and a Law degree --both of which he earned by attending night school while working full time. Mr. Pelphreyserved 8 years in the Navy after Annapolis and worked 24 years for IBM before retiring topractice Law in Marietta with Mrs. Pelphrey. Pretty impressive guy, really.

Still, I'm guessing Gary Pelphrey is the democratic candidate for the Georgia 6thbecause the local party didn't want to burn a well-groomed candidate on what they assumedto be an unwinable race. And while you have to admire Pelphrey's energy and industry, therace probably WAS unwinable when he filed his paperwork. Obviously no one could havepredicted recent events and their effect on the electorate back before the filingdeadline.

Now, I'm not so sure his race couldn't be won -- for a several reasons:

Newt generally continues to make a colossal ass of himself, alienating more moderate republicans (in Georgia and everywhere else) on a daily basis. But with his eye on the White House, recent polls suggest that he is no longer making a colossal ENOUGH ass of himself to please the right wing crazies who form a significant portion of his hard-core supporters.

Nevertheless, he is still making a colossal enough ass of himself that many "Reagan Democrats" are starting to wonder if being a "Gingrich Democrat" really has the same panache.

One has to imagine there will be a number of "Anybody But Newt" voters in this election, even in Georgia.

Glasgow hotel roomsThere is always a certain number of people who pull the straight democratic ticket handle in every election, rain or shine.

Pelphrey has the support of organized labor and is endorsed by the Georgia AFL-CIO.

Due to a historically low voter turnout, Newt's seemingly comfortable victory in the last election really only works out to around 100,000 actual votes out of a voter pool for the district of almost half a million!

I believe voter turnouts will be higher in this election and higher turnouts end to favor democratic candidates.

A congressional district is small enough that grassroots campaigns can and do put candidates in office. In terms of total area the Georgia 6th District only amounts to about one complete (suburban Atlanta) county with bits and pieces two or three more. A relatively small group of motivated people can cover an area that size pretty effectively.

But even if your opponent is kind enough to shoot himself in the foot on a regularbasis, any political campaign, grassroots or otherwise, needs money. Gingrich has raisedmillions for his campaign. Gary Pelphrey... hasn't.

After considering the options, my check is in the mail. I urge you to consider sendingone of your own for as much as you can spare. I'm sure even $20 would be warmlyappreciated!

I guess that officially makes this a campaign fundraising letter but let me assure youthat my only connection with the Pelphrey campaign is my own $50 contribution. I don'teven live in Georgia! I'm doing this only because I think it's the right thing to do.

If you would like to send a donation to the Pelphrey campaign the address and otherinformation is below. Also, whether or not you are able to contribute yourself, pleaseconsider passing this message on to as many people as you can think of who might be.

Sincerely,

PS:

If you feel funny about interfering in somebody else's congressional race, pleasedon't. The same people who brought you Newt Gingrich have been targeting and taking downprogressive Senators, Congress people and even state Governers nationwide for the past 15or 20 years. I see no reason why we should try to give them back a little of their own.Pass it on!

Electronic Bumper Stickers:

To get the whole effect, connect to the internet and click on the bumper sticker.

Contact Information

To contribute to the Pelphrey campaign, make your check payable to "Pelphrey forCongress Campaign" and send it to:

Pelphrey for Congress

PO Box 3235,

Marietta, GA 30061

Tel: 770-424-4144

The rules:

US citizens can contribute up to $1000 to any Federal campaign that strikes theirfancy. There is a personal annual maximum of $25,000 (which I doubt will be much of aproblem for many of my friends). If you contribute $200 or more to any one candidate, youwill also need to be sure and give them your name, address, employer, and occupation fortheir records. Note that campaign contributions are not tax-deductable.