Open Invitation in the Fifth

This is an open invitation to all Democrats, Independents, and anyone else who wishes to vote for a Democratic candidate in the 5th Congressional District election this year.

At a time when we should be storing up good will and finding even more reasons why Virgil Goode shouldn't be returned to Washington, it seems one of the candidates going to the convention May 20th in Buckingham is not ready to back a unified choice for the nominee. Instead, he has chosen to claim to be calling the other candidate's delegates and posting twilight zone entries on his website that claim that he is gaining strength and is going to win the nomination, because the convention is a 'free-for-all'.

It is not Al Weed.

One only need look at the numbers of delegates won in caucuses across the Fifth District in the last few weeks to know that whatever the tactic, it would need to be extreme in nature to pull off some kind of electoral miracle at the convention. This candidate claims on his website that

"...once Delegates arrive at the convention on May 20th, they are free to vote for either one of the candidates, regardless of whom they voted for in the Caucuses.

"It's a whole new ball game once we get to Buckingham on May 20th", says Ewert.

From the official Fifth District Pre-Filing form for application as a delegate:

If elected a delegate or alternate to my Congressional District Convention, I understand that, having expressed the above candidate preferences, I will in all good conscience vote in that candidate’s caucus on the first ballot at the Convention.

So actually, after the first ballot, the delegates can change their minds. Why would someone do that? A person comes to the convention knowing who they support, and that their committee has elected them as a delegate to vote that opinion at the convention. Suddenly, after the first ballot (assuming there are any more)delegates lose their minds and decide to vote for someone they decided long ago wasn't the candidate for them. I can understand fighting the good fight, but there are no door prizes for those late to the party.

I would like to ask that everyone who intends to vote Democratic in this fall's Fifth District Congressional race to support the person with the winning number of delegates. That's all.

I am begging you, aren't there better things to do with our energy and time than to ride a wave of derision into the convention?