Independent Jake Towne Skyrockets to a "Stunningly High" 8% in the Polls

@Alessandro: Thanks!  Great idea!  I might wait until the spring thaw though :)

@JakeTowne: 

Maybe some supporters from around your parts could get bundled up in so many layers of clothing that others will think it is you and be amazed that you would be willing to campaign in the snow. (that was a joke, kind of, sort of, may be not?).

@Cynical30:  Well there is still plenty of ways to help out, if you have any family or friends in the area, let them know!!

A bunch of handouts, flyers and stuff are here http://towneforcongress.com/ways-to-help/spread-handouts

@Cynical30: Thanks! :)

@jschurchin: Good man. Jake utilizes every dollar wisely. He pinches the buffalo until it screams.  

@JasonRines: Any time Jason. I am always looking to help people who are willing to work for Americans. The initail after their name doesn't effect my support. Their caring about our republic, does. When you see Jake offer him my best.

John S. Churchin

@jschurchin: I will John. America, the one I knew based on the eternal positive concepts of truth, freedom and justice are worth fighting for. I bootstrapped every penny of profits from my healthcare marketing business into Raging Debate beginning in 2008. If you like this network concept, realize our second research cycle ended December 1st meaning I am putting the petal on it to the floor :) You ain't seen nothing yet!

@Anonymous: Thanks!  It does!

@Anonymous:   This is actually the subject of an upcoming article in February, so please wait, but if one takes a close look at the budgeting and nature of our currency it is possible. For instance running all of Congress, the White House, Supreme Court, FBI, and federal court systems costs "only" $67 billion.  We collect $68 billion in excise taxes currently.  

I'll share with you the sources that I will be meshing together for the upcoming piece

http://towneforcongress.com/platform-issues/income-tax

http://towneforcongress.com/economy/talk-on-monetary-policy-to-cc-upper-perkiomen-valley-for-small-government-1

http://towneforcongress.com/economy/end-the-fed-then-what-the-transition-to-sound-money-1

@Xlancer:  Most votes wins in PA in US Congressional race.  Tie resorts to drawing lots/coin flip.

So someone could win with only 34% of the vote? That's no good.

or even 5%.  The ballot access rules and # of people willing to run makes this fairly unlikely though.

@JakeTowne: Would you support run off laws that would require a special eleciton between the top two candidates? I think that this would help bring down the current two party system because the voters would be less likely to vote for one of the two major party candidates if they know that no one will win with less than 50% of the votes. For example, some people might vote for Dent just because they fear that voting for you will allow Callahan to win with 40% with you and Dent getting 30% each.

@Xlancer:   would have to think about this - I do favor democratic elections of course, and run-offs are common elsewhere.  Sounds like a good use for the the open office, to find out what others think as well, but I won't be worrying about this just yet.  :)

@MikeinAZ: NY-23 was pretty bizarre. The Republican must of thought that the Conservative party candidate would've won with less than 50% of the vote, so she decided to throw her support in with the Democrat instead of risking a R-D split allowing the Conservative to win. To understand this event correctly I think we would have to realize that in this election the Repubican was the actual 3rd party candidate. So if there were run off laws she would not have needed to bow out. there would've been something like C36% D34% R30%in the regulare election, and the run off would've been D51% C49%.

I the MA senate race, how many voted for Brown just to make sure that Coakley didn't win? If there were run off laws they could vote for anyone besides Coakley and it would have the same effect. So maybe the regulare election would've been more like R45% D35% I15%, and the run off election resulting with the Brown win.

I'm not trying to say that run off elections will change the eventual election results, though it may, but rather that run off elections give 3rd 4th and 5th party candidates a much greater chance of winning. Think of the better news coverage there would be of 3rd party candidates if they consitenly got over 10% of the vote even though they may never make it to the run off election.

@Anonymous:  Caucus are just cliques really, and there's something like 300 of them.  After being elected I would see which ones coincide with my principles and goals that I was elected on and consider joining them.  I would also use the Open Office concept to collect ideas+suggestions from the public  

http://towneforcongress.com/mission/our-open-office

Any Congressman can introduce any bill by literally dropping it into a bucket - it's a lot harder to get through committee though.

FYI - Lieberman was pretty much forsaken by his own party (Dems).  While electing a true independent may have similar results, please check out my ideas as I believe they are the right path to take.  As a true independent (and likely the only one in the House, there are zero right now) I will probably have a larger voice nationally on things than the current member, who has really just been toeing the party line of late.

 I would be beholden to no party, and if either party actually has a decent idea, again, my voice would tend to count as I would be the only impartial one - there is very little difference in substance between the Republocrats, though the pundits like to pretend there is.

@Anonymous: For several years I've known that a missing component in government at every level is a peoples, or populist caucus. If enough Independent populist win elections, at every level, we'll have one. Mr. Towne's candidacy should be an inspiration to all who dream of government of, by, and for the people.

If I were Mr. Towne, which I'm not, I'd advocate for all members of Congress to vote from their respective home districts in a public place. It's currently to easy for members of Congress to hide in Washington DC, hundreds if not thousands of miles from their constituents. These member work for us, we pay for their salary, benefits and pensions. Who do they work for when its time to vote? Who writes the bulk of the bills that members of Congress debate and vote on? If you believe the bulk of legislation is written to benefit the masses you're greatly mistaken. This reality is why the people need their own representation and caucus.

Steven Thompson, editor

http://freedomfromthepress.net