Man in Capitol gyrocopter stunt to challenge DNC chairwoman
Source: AP
WASHINGTON (AP) A Florida man who landed a gyrocopter on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol as a political protest says he will run for the congressional seat held by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
Douglas Hughes, a Democrat from Ruskin, Florida, said earlier this month that he intended to run for Congress but only indicated he would challenge a South Florida Democrat. In a court filing Wednesday, he says he will run in Florida's 23rd District, which Wasserman Schultz represents.
Hughes was arrested April 15 after flying through restricted airspace over and around the Capitol. He agreed to plead guilty to a felony and will be sentenced next year. His lawyers argue that the conviction does not make him ineligible to run for Congress.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/89c609d415c74756bcc74e7a8675be71/man-capitol-gyrocopter-stunt-challenge-dnc-chairwoman
As soon as he is on Act blue I see some $ going his way.
bigdarryl
(13,190 posts)BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)...of a cockroach.
Android3.14
(5,402 posts)Cockroaches aren't that bad.
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)i prefer cockroaches to Debbie.
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)(I see that "integrity" has been given a new meaning)
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Seriously, that's an absurd claim based on his having done a flashy protest.
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)That's my take on it.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Are you saying everyone with "the guts to protest" must have integrity?
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)..is partly a factor.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Is this about his integrity or not?
madokie
(51,076 posts)This old navy Vietnam postal clerk likes this news
Renew Deal
(81,866 posts)He's facing 9+ years.
Blue State Bandit
(2,122 posts)Renew Deal
(81,866 posts)Last edited Wed Dec 23, 2015, 10:29 PM - Edit history (1)
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)... as an act of conscience!
One thing I love about DU is its consistency -- always hypocritical.
Blue State Bandit
(2,122 posts)A retired postalworker with a box full of letters landing on the capitol lawn is not the same as yahoo's with assault rifles occupying federal property and threatening violence against public officials.
Putz.
Omaha Steve
(99,663 posts)http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wilson/peopleevents/p_debs.html
After leading the American Railway Union in a confrontation with federal troops sent to break up the Pullman strike of 1894, Debs was jailed for six months for contempt of court. It was then that he came to a set of beliefs that roughly mirrored the socialist tenets of the European labor movements. Upon his release, Debs became a featured speaker for the Socialist Party, and ran for president in 1900 as their nominee. He lost, but continued to be the partyís candidate in several subsequent elections.
Debs found his greatest success in the 1912 Election, when he campaigned against Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson, incumbent President William Howard Taft, and former President Theodore Roosevelt. Debs received almost a million votes - six percent of the ballots cast.
Cassiopeia
(2,603 posts)with an unenforceable agreement of 10 months or less. You're probably right though, I'm sure we have a better option. Either way, I live 2 hours from DWS district. I'll be knocking on doors there for anyone that attempts a primary challenge of DWS.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/11/20/gyrocopter-pilot-campaign-protest-douglas-hughes-district-court/73571784/
He pleaded guilty to flying without an airman's certificate, a felony carrying a maximum three years in prison and $250,000 fine, for altering the aircraft to be heavy enough and travel far enough for the FAA to require a pilot's license. Hughes also agreed to forfeit the aircraft to the government as part of the plea deal.
U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly scheduled sentencing for April 13, 2016, which is nearly a year to the day after his flight. She said the government agreed to cap its sentencing request at 10 months, but she will be free to set any term up to three years because the case is so unusual.
aspirant
(3,533 posts)Fuddnik
(8,846 posts)I'd donate to him in a heartbeat, but a felony conviction wipes out his right to vote or hold public office in Florida. We're one of those backward states that has to have the Governor restore your voting rights.
Nailzberg
(4,610 posts)The Florida law does not apply, as its a federal office. For a congressional seat, the specified qualifications in the Constitution apply exclusively.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)That's the reason term limit laws never work.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)tk2kewl
(18,133 posts)there a quite that should be in prison
Cassiopeia
(2,603 posts)I'll be knocking on doors for ANYONE that tries to primary Dino DW (HRC) Shultz!
Sign me up!
jalan48
(13,871 posts)rpannier
(24,330 posts)George II
(67,782 posts)....they were convicted felons?
Has the law in Florida been changed?
Freddie Stubbs
(29,853 posts)he can still run for federal office. The US Constitution set the qualifications for Congressmen, Senators, and Presidents.
Jack Rabbit
(45,984 posts)!!
murielm99
(30,745 posts)davidpdx
(22,000 posts)But given his legal problems he's not the best we can do in that district. I hope someone does primary her. In fact, there are a lot of D's we need to primary. Finding sane people who will do it may be a problem.
dembotoz
(16,808 posts)djean111
(14,255 posts)FINALLY! A Progressive Is Primary-ing DWS in #FL23!
Tim Canova.
I live in a different district, but I will be sending him some support.
Omaha Steve
(99,663 posts)djean111
(14,255 posts)DinahMoeHum
(21,795 posts). . .compared to a fella named Tim Canova, who has just announced his candidacy for
District FLA-23
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251982244
https://twitter.com/Tim_Canova?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
http://timcanova.com/