You won't see it reported on CNN or MSNBC, but Adam Putnam, the third ranking Republican in Congress, has a real fight on his hands! While the Tampa Tribune and Orlando Sentinel editorial boards have endorsed Putnam, vocal constituents in Florida's 12th District think otherwise.

Doug Tudor is fighting an uphill battle raising funds, but he's winning support with his grassroots efforts to kick Adam Putnam out of Congress. Adam Putnam may be dreaming about moving up the Republican leadership ranks, but his constituents think he needs to move out of Congress, altogether.

Yes we can change FL-12 from Red to Blue! Doug Tudor can win this! If we can raise $5,000, we can help the Doug Tudor Campaign purchase Nine Days of Twenty 30-Second TV Ads Per Day in his FL-12 race against Adam Putnam!



Tuesday evening, Adam Putnam and Doug Tudor spoke to a group of citizens and disagreed on every topic from the Iraq War to Social Security to the $700 billion congressional bailout.

Tudor said he thinks Social Security should be made solvent and left intact.

He told the audience of about 65 people that Putnam was supposed to give a speech about privatizing Social Security on the opening night of the Republican National Convention, but it was canceled because of Hurricane Gustav. "

Sometimes a storm is good," he said.

But Putnam said there's a significant generation gap when it comes to thoughts about the future of Social Security, particularly because baby boomers are at the front end of a mass retirement and there are fewer workers to pick up the slack.

He said what was 40 workers for each retiree when the program started is now 3.5 workers per retiree.

"You can't look a high school senior or a first-year teacher in the eye and tell them" they'll ever see a dime of Social Security, Putnam said.

Putnam, Tudor Clash in Forum

According to an attendee who posted a comment at The Ledger's forum, Adam Putnam is in real danger of losing his seat, and we can elect Doug Tudor to provide real representation to the citizens of the 12th District:

I attended this debate last night, but left after Tudor / Putnam finished. Here's what I know: Adam is part of the problem, Tudor will be part of the solution.

If there was ever any doubt that Putnam knows he is in trouble, in his closing remarks, all Adam could say (lie) was that "Tudor doesn't support the second amendment, and wants gun control."

Well, there you have it. A man that spent his entire adult life in the "Profession of Arms" thinks that we should control guns. I guess the sad part about it, is that there will be some who believe Adam's lies. So, that's how he closed his request to be returned to Washington. No apology, no recognition of his own role in the economic collapse -- no nothing, but more lies.

Bye, bye Adam. Hope you'll enjoy your new life as a lobbyist. We know you won't actually come back to live in Bartow, as all you've done your adult life is to try to ensure you don't have to live here (Tallahassee, Washington).

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Putnam was scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention, but his speech was canceled because Hurricane Gustav shortened the convention. Putnam's topic was supposed to be on Social Security, and most likely he would have supported privatization. A commenter and the News Chief's forum, responding to an announcement that Putnam was scheduled to speak, had this to say:

It is only fitting that Adam Putnam will speak on behalf of John McCain's presidential bid. He has consistently carried the water for the failed Bush/Cheney administration, voting with them over 98% of the time. Even though Adam won't put the word "Republican" or "Re-elect" on his campaign literature and signs, he is definitely the epitome of the out-of-touch policies that Bush/McCain have touted for the past eight years and want to continue for the next four years.

Want a prediction of what Adam will say about Social Security? He'll say that it is running out of money, and that we should privatize this system. By the way, what he won't say is that he has always voted for billions in corporate welfare for Big Oil; that he has always voted for the occupation of Iraq which costs America $10 Billion a month; and that he has always voted for tax breaks for America's richest one percent. He also won't tell you that while he is in the richest one percent, he has voted himself a payraise on six occasions! Polk's Prince Putnam is a disgrace to the working men, women, and families of our fine county. Vote for Doug Tudor!

Putnam to speak at GOP convention

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Earlier today, I devoted a diary over at DailyKos to the Letters to the Editor of The Ledger in Lakeland. Today I found some Letters to the Editor of Winter Haven's News Chief:

Adam Putnam, the now multimillionaire member of the U.S. House of Representatives and member of the Financial Services Committee, has once again shown who he truly represents.

While the nation held its breath to see if a depression was about to bomb down on us from the years of total corruption, Republican deregulation and mismanagement of the banking, insurance and financial sectors, where was our congressman? Why, out on Nantucket, collecting more and more money and gifts from the very firms and contributors he has been sworn to regulate.

Would that be corruption? Not to Putnam. That's just loyal support for his campaign from friends - friends who do not live in his district and do not vote here.

Putnam has more than $1.6 million in "gifts" to use to defeat Democrat Doug Tudor, who now has just more than $100,000.

If money is the sole criterion by which we elect our representative, then Putnam likely is good for another term. If not, there is a clear and an honest choice with a retired U.S. Navy veteran like Doug Tudor, who is so clearly better than the representative we have now.

Putnam's bigtime contributions show who he represents, October 22, 2008

That's right! Adam Putnam, Chairman of the House Republican Conference and member of the House Financial Services Committee, had other things on his calender during the financial crisis. He was hosting a $2,500 per person fundraiser in Nantucket, Massachusetts, September 19-21, 2008. Seriously! He really was! Here's the Invitation to the Event to raise money for his RED PAC, so named because President Bush nicknamed Putnam "Red."

Did you know that Adam Putnam is big on Energy Conservation? According to the first mailer we received from him last week, that's what we're supposed to believe. But, a reader of the News Chief thinks actions speaker louder than words, and Putnam's votes don't back up his claims:

In a recent interview with the News Chief, Congressman Adam Putnam described his energy policy as an "all-of-the-above approach." But so far in 2008, Putnam has voted against H.R. 6049 (renewable energy), H.R. 6052 (public transportation) and H.R. 5351 (another renewable energy bill).

In fact, Putnam's energy policy to date has been to consistently vote against "all of the above." Why wasn't Putnam asked to defend these votes on the record?

When gasoline hit nearly $4 a gallon, Putnam announced support for coastal drilling around Florida and began what is, in reality, nothing more than a publicity stunt, occupying the floor of the out-of-session House, speaking to the gallery. We don't need stunts; we need the kind of renewable energy projects and public transportation alternatives that Putnam voted against.

Cheap oil is a thing of the past. We need new, forward-looking leaders in Washington to create real energy policies, not political shenanigans.

Putnam's 'stunts' not 'real' energy policy, September 5, 2008

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Florida District 12 covers east Hillsborough (where Tampa is located), almost all of Polk County and a sliver of west Osceola County.
Today's mail brought another brochure from Adam Putnam, in which he claims that his opponent, Doug Tudor, is running "a false and negative campaign." As the only proof of this assertion, Putnam's brochure states:

Here's what newspapers are saying about Doug Tudor's false and negative campaign for Congress:

"... he's way off target in accusing Mr. Putnam of putting his party and personal ambitions ahead of serving his district." -- Orlando Sentinel; Oct. 12, 2008.

"...clearly articulates the liberal philosophy of the national Democratic party." -- Polk County Democrat; Oct. 4, 2008.

And yet, during an interview with Winter Haven's News Chief, Putnam responded to a question about his responsibilities to the Republican Party:

NC: How much time does your new post (chairman of the House Republican Conference), how much extra time, does that take up?

AP: When I'm in Washington, it takes up quite a bit of time. When I'm down here, it really doesn't have much impact. It means that I'm on the road a fair bit more. I do some traveling for other candidates, so that's a little bit more of a demand. In Washington is really where it makes the biggest difference. I'd say that between planning the conference meeting, which is every week, and following through on, you know, herding the cats, it ends up being a fairly significant time commitment.

Putnam says year shaping up to be rough for Republicans

See, it's only when Putnam is in Washington when he's supposed to be representing his constituents that his position as Chairman of the House Republican Conference is "a fairly significant time commitment." But, according to the Orlando Sentinel, who has endorsed Putnam, Tudor is off target in claiming that Putnam puts the Republican Party ahead of serving his district? Give me a break!

Here we have in Adam Putnam, another typical Republican candidate who projects his own actions upon his opponent. Doug Tudor has been nothing but respectful when talking about Adam Putnam. The mailer sent out by Putnam claiming Tudor is running a negative campaign, is nothing more than negative propaganda in and of itself. It is Adam Putnam who is guilty of negative campaigning!

Putnam's brochure goes on to make the claim, "Adam Putnam ... A Record of Results for Florida." Nice claim ... too bad Putnam doesn't bother to take the time to list any of those accomplishments. I sure can't think of any. Instead, he uses his brochure to accuse his opponent of waging a negative campaign against him.

The most appalling part of the brochure? The photographs. While Putnam puts a full color photograph of himself above the "issues" he supports, he provides a ghostly looking black-and-white photo of his opponent. Guess what, Adam? Your lame attempt at portraying yourself as a "pretty boy" against a "real man" who is a hero, didn't work!

SUPPORT DOUG TUDOR

If we can raise $5,000, we can help the Tudor Campaign purchase Nine Days of Twenty 30-Second TV Ads Per Day!

If we surpass that goal, and are able to raise more, here is what additional funds can do:

● $ 2,700 = 10,000 piece mailer targeted to seniors, women, etc.

● $ 2,000 = Floods the Hispanic radio airwaves from now until election day

● $ 550 = 1/2 page color ad in The Ledger on Election Day

A rumor going around here in Florida Congressional District 12 is that Adam Putnam is down by 5 points in his race against Doug Tudor. The Putnam campaign conducted an internal poll just after the vote on the bailout and Tudor was beating Putnam by 5 points! Doug Tudor can win his race against Adam Putnam with our help! From a comment in another diary I wrote over at DailyKos about the FL-12 Congressional District election:

Insider information
We (me and my gossipy friends) have it confirmed that after Adam heard the results of the straw poll in Lakeland, he grunted, "F***!" and stomped off. I know it is wrong of me, but I laugh every time I think about that. I laugh out loud.

Rozi Dodger