John Adams, our second president and one of the key figures in the founding of our nation once said,

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.

He said this while he was DEFENDING the British soldiers who were accused in the Boston Massacre.  His main point was that we should do our best to ignore our personal passions and biases and look to facts and evidence in order to make the right decisions.

Now take a look at this chart from a report at the Federal Elections Commission web site:

Study these facts and ask yourself, "Who truly has a chance of winning this race for congress?"

The information that grabs my attention right off the bat is the massive political machine that Ron Kind has put together over the years.  $1.3 million of cash on hand is a strong place to be sitting for the incumbent.  However, also note that he is relying heavily on PAC contributions (that's the Washington/Wall Street special interests).  Now compare that to the numbers for Dan Kapanke who kicked butt on the number of individuals giving to his campaign (that's you and me folks: people who live and work here).

I have struggled with the issue of money in politics over the years.  I was idealistic once and thought that it didn't matter. That what mattered more was the strength of your grassroots organization.  I was wrong because I failed to recognize the importance of both aspects to create a truly strong campaign. 

The measurement of fundraising is an important one because it shows how many people are willing to risk their own hard-earned money on a candidate.  PAC money is also a good indication of what ideology a candidate follows (Free market or socialism? Big government or small, efficient government?)  You can look at the types of PACs giving to a candidate to make that determination. 

Grassroots organization is a really hard thing to measure but you can get a general sense by looking at how many individuals are contributing smaller amounts of money.  I'm a full time computer geek earning a decent salary and I have personally sent Dan Kapanke two checks over the last 6 months or so.  One in the amount of $25 (I think, it was a while ago) and recently one in the amount of $35. When there are thousands of others doing the same thing it shows a great deal of momentum among the average citizens.  Couple that with the number of yard signs and field signs dotting our region and it is all heading in the right direction.

Finally, take a look at the other challengers in the race.  Bruce Evers is barely on the radar and while he may have a passionate message for conservative values we simply must face the political reality that his campaign just isn't strong enough to win against the Ron Kind machine.

I have been to the Tea Parties and I took my family with me to the 8/28 Restoring Honor event in Washington.  I know there is a lot of idealism going around and passions are running high.  I urge you to examine the evidence, pray for the peace of the Lord to calm your heart, and make a decision about this election that is best for this country.

I made my decision some time ago that I would support Dan Kapanke.  I know him.  We have spoken about several things including faith, service, economics, and family.  I know he will represent Western Wisconsin values with his common sense, conservative approach and I know he will work his butt off every day to restore balance to our government.  He's doing that right now by campaigning like crazy all throughout the district. He is sacrificing time with his own family so that he can travel around and meet with the families of strangers in an attempt to earn their votes. I pray that you will join me in supporting him.  The evidence is there in that report from the Federal Elections Commission that he has the strength to win this election and represent our best interests in Washington.