Back in 2008, I had had enough! In a flight of fancy, I launched a political campaign called “One man, One Month, No Money.” For the month, I sent out a weekly Press Release to numerous media outlets throughout New Hampshire hoping to gain traction. I suspect all I did was spin my wheels. Anyhow, truth be told, the world of politics is complicated (a gross understatement), and there is little room for the average person, when, in fact, it so needs more average people. If you would like to see my position paper, ask for it by email ( senatorberman@gmail.com ) and I will send it along after I have updated it.
(From October 2008)
Rumney Man is None of the Above
(RUMNEY) “This is what happens when my wife leaves me home alone,” winks Dave Berman, a retired high school English teacher who lives in Rumney, NH. “I followed the progress of The Bailout from its original three pages up to the 451-page version that was finally approved, and I was outraged! I knew I had to do something! We average citizens have been shafted enough!”
With that, Berman has tossed his cap into the political arena as a last-minute, None-of-the-Above write-in candidate for New Hampshire’s United States Senator opening (either party). “This is my campaign,” he says about this interview. “I owe nothing to anyone, and that’s the way it should be. If one person gave me $100 to help my efforts, I would owe that person, and that’s what Washington is all about.”
He is hoping a grass-roots, neighbor-telling-neighbor movement will get his name out and result in at least several votes which will say nothing other than that people are fed up with Washington’s fat-cat business-as-usual attitude. Berman says that politics is a rich person’s world. “I just read a report that showed the wealthiest Congress people have worth in the tens of millions of dollars. It’s time we have someone who really understands what the average person is going through these days. As of July, Senator Sununu was sitting on over six million dollars of campaign funds; former Governor Jeanne Shaheen had just under four million dollars. Berman has his computer, his desk, and his website, all of which cost considerably less than $6 million. “If newspapers will publish this release, it’s a start. The people who are as disgusted with the Washington insiders as I am will do the rest.”
The self-described Liberal-Conservative, Conservative-Liberal somewhat Libertarian candidate has no experience with politics but feels he has to do something. “I want to give the average person another choice. In some ways, I am the Sarah Palin of New Hampshire, but she may know more about politics than I do (and is better looking).” When word came that the bailout (“Sell out,” says Berman) passed the House, he was furious. He says a newspaper editorial lead paragraph sums it up: “The American people responded to the gigantic “trust us” bailout plan by screaming, “Hell, no!” The people demanded more accountability and less risk for their tax money. But instead, we got “sweeteners” to make the same plan more palatable to hold-out House and Senate members. This is exactly why the people distrust Washington” (Union Leader 10/3/08).
Berman adds, “If you send me to Washington, I won’t forget you. The only connection I have to big oil is through the hose that fills my car and heats my house. Seriously, remember my name, and write me in. Your vote for me will say nothing more than ‘I agree – enough is enough! Throw ‘em all out!’”
Later.