TP election results

[Demosthenes]

Robert Raymond was running as an independant in a Wisconsin race for the US House. No Democrat ran in the race against incumbent Sensenbrenner.

U.S. House - District 5
J. Sensenbrenner (GOP) 273,918 80%
R. Raymond (Ind) 68,820 20%

[Imalawman]

Robert Raymond was running as an independant in a Wisconsin race for the US House. No Democrat ran in the race against incumbent Sensenbrenner.

U.S. House - District 5
J. Sensenbrenner (GOP) 273,918 80%
R. Raymond (Ind) 68,820 20%

I'm sure there's a really good paranoid explanation for his shocking defeat.

[Arthur Rubin]

Robert Raymond was running as an independant in a Wisconsin race for the US House. No Democrat ran in the race against incumbent Sensenbrenner.

U.S. House - District 5
J. Sensenbrenner (GOP) 273,918 80%
R. Raymond (Ind) 68,820 20%

Not bad, if a write-in candidate.

[Famspear]

I'm not familiar with this name. That's the guy in this case, I presume....

United States of America, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Robert R. Raymond, individually and doing business as Morningstar Consultants, and Robert G. Bernhoft, individually and doing business as Morningstar Consultants, Defendants-Appellants, no. 99-4024, 228 F.3d 80, 2000-2 U.S. Tax Cas. (CCH) ¶50,750, U.S. App. LEXIS 23790 (7th Cir. Sep. 26, 2000)

The CCH headnote for this case states:

Two pro se individuals were permanently enjoined from engaging in activities relating to the sale of a program designed to encourage tax evasion that qualified as a tax shelter under Code Sec. 6700(a)(1)(B). The taxpayers, a law school graduate and an experienced businessman, had reason to know that their statements that the payment of taxes was voluntary did not comport with the law. Consequently, the trial court properly found a violation of Code Sec. 6700(a)(2)(A) because the taxpayers participated in the sale of an abusive tax shelter and made false statements concerning the benefits of the program.

(headnote copyright held by CCH).

[Judge Roy Bean]

I wonder how many of the 20K voters knew nothing about him and just didn't like incumbents.

[The Operative]

I wonder how many of the 20K voters knew nothing about him and just didn't like incumbents.

Probably about 68,810 voted for anyone who was not republican.

[Paul]

R. Raymond (Ind) 68,820 20%

I'm sure there's a really good paranoid explanation for his shocking defeat.

It's obvious -- the "Ind" after his name. They all thought he was from Indiana.

[buck09]

Robert Raymond was running as an independant in a Wisconsin race for the US House. No Democrat ran in the race against incumbent Sensenbrenner.

U.S. House - District 5
J. Sensenbrenner (GOP) 273,918 80%
R. Raymond (Ind) 68,820 20%

Oh #%&! It was THAT Robert Raymond? I actually voted for him. I knew there was something about the name that was familiar, but didn't put 2-and-2 together.

Here's the scoop - Sensenbrenner is a completely safe Republican district. Sort of getting caught in the act with a male prostitute in an abortion clinic while burning American flags, he's going to get re-elected. Given the way we draw congressional districts, that's not uncommon. The problem is that this safety means that he can shoot off his mouth with impunity. He's a bigoted, xenophobic, vitriolic, hateful douschebag. (...and I do vote for Republicans from time to time...)

So what did I do when faced with the prospect of filling in a little oval next to his name? Protest vote. Had I realized where my protest vote was going... well... I don't know who I would have picked.

So if I fell for it (and I shouldn't have, as a 4 year vet of these forums), odds are that 19.999% of votes cast for Raymond would have been for anyone other than Sensenbrenner.