I’m trying out my new Title composition skills.
Read on please…..
I am Sherri Welsh, my husband is Barry Alan Welsh and he is Indiana’s 6th Congressional Candidate for the Democrat party in Indiana.
It has recently come to my attention with admitted astonishment that there were aspects of Barry’s bio that have been overlooked and that statistics regarding his campaign that have been left unheard due to lack of exposure.
1) Did you know that Barry while in high school was a Governor’s Award Winner and a Hoosier State Scholar?
2) Was a multi-talented athlete, he lettered in Football and Baseball and track in his freshman year and had a Senior Letter Jacket when he was a sophomore.
3) Received both scholastic and athletic scholarships to Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN.
4) Due to a severe neck and back injury while playing football at Wabash, Barry had to quit football and couldn’t afford to attend Wabash. Barry transferred to Ball State University on a full Scholastic scholarship.
5) Has a Bachelor of Science with 7 majors:
Government, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, World History, US History and Geography.
6) Worked Construction and was a union worker (IBEW) as a telephone line installer.
7) Worked in many charities and personally cleaned and restored headstones in the local cemetery after a tornado ripped through the area.
8) Was a high school teacher of subjects – Government, Economics, Psychology, Sociology and History?
9) Coached Football, basketball and baseball.
10) Was a professional musician?
11) Has been a Pastor of a United Methodist Church for going on 10 years now.
12) Was a radio personality with his own morning show?
13) Immediately after 9/11 co-created “Pennies from Heaven” encouraging all and any to donate pennies to the Red Cross for the 9/11 victims and their families while broadcasting live for 12 hours and raised over a million pennies.
14) Stood in cold winter conditions on the street corner collecting Coats for Kids every year.
15) Ran in 2004 as a State Senate candidate.
16) Barry is a gun owner.
17) From a tiny congregation of 20+ people, he helps to feed 60+ families per month from the church’s food pantry.
Best of all? – Did you know Barry is within single digits in the race against his opponent the head of the Republican Study Committee and self-professed “Christian, Conservative and Republican in that order” Mike Pence?
Okay, I admit I’m biased, after all I am his wife and he is my husband. But can you think of anyone as qualified as Barry not getting big attention? Just check out one of his speeches here It’s only 2:30 long.
You wouldn’t normally hear any of this info from Barry; he isn’t a person who speaks a lot of his accomplishments, as he likes his accomplishments to speak for themselves.
All right, so he doesn’t have his doctorate or his law degree as some do, nor does he work in an industry or position that creates great wealth. He is just simply doing what he is called to do. He feels compelled to be of SERVICE to his country in a practical way. He provides comfort and council to those that ask it, he gives money when he has it and food or other necessities that others need. He wisely knows his limits and he has compassion that is very necessary to be a Pastor and a good one at that. He has the backbone that is required for him to stand up for those that can’t and those that don’t.
Having said this, I realize that my husband is not perfect, nor a saint, lives on this planet like every other person that lives in this world. He has been running a race solely on the small contributions of those that can afford it from both within Indiana (the majority of contributors) as well from those outside of the state (Netroots!Yea Netroots!) He has been ignored and disregarded due to the amount of funds raised, but if you look here You will see he is out raising two REPUBLICANS. Lest we forget, Indiana’s 6th district is not economically sound right now, with the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs, IT jobs and the highways being leased for decades to Multi-National companies to recoup their lease dollars by imposing tolls – this in the state that has a motto of “Cross roads of America”. Don’t even get me started on health care or drug costs, as this diary will be never ending.
On the national scene we see the fiasco in Iraq with many of our people coming home either in body bags or disabled and having to come home and fight yet again with their own government to receive their benefits. It’s ludicrous! And to have the incumbent Mike Pence spouting off inane remarks as he compared the death toll numbers of OUR TROOPS to football scores!! (US NEWS and World Report) Or supporting Hastert as speaker of the house and his lack of action by referring to Hastert’s “Administrative error” – I know it’s been said before but it just makes me want to start cussing at the TV every time I hear that Rep. (R-IN06) Mike Pence referring to the Iraq war as a success. I can go on and on, wish I couldn’t but I sadly can.
Barry’s been running his race in a truly innovative way – we have made CDs with specific music and his radio ad every 2nd or 3rd track so that when I slowly drive in parades and I mean I back up the line while everyone is attentive and listening to the message about Barry and who he is and what he stands for and Barry literally walks the parade route no matter how long and makes sure he shakes hands and asks for their vote. We have our interns who tirelessly work with us when we parade to hand out his flyers or any other task like yard signs or canvassing or going to the Universities and Colleges within the district to canvas on campus. By the way the flyers are 2 colors that can be used as pamphlets, mailers, handouts, etc. telling everyone what they need to know about Barry as well as his phone number, address and website.
He uses every opportunity to stretch our dollars to make every way we can – free advertising in the newspapers, radio and TV wherever and whenever he can. He is in the district canvassing along with our army of volunteers, he doesn’t let any situation or issue deter him from meeting people, listening to the focus of their issues and concerns and speaking out against what has been wrong with this administration for too long and providing answers and alternatives to the problems.
Pence has raised 22x the amount of dollars raised by Barry, which to some is an indication of popularity or confidence in a political race. That may be true of some but let me tell you something – it ain’t true of this race! “We have a “blanking” army and there is nothing the Republicans can do about it” as one advisor stated to Pence’s CAMPAIGN MANAGER who recently walked into the Democrat HQ of one of the biggest populated counties in Barry’s district demanding to know if the Democratic Congressional Candidate was serious about winning as he had just found out how really close our race is with his boss.
We may not have a lot of dollars, but we do have a true blue, genuine article People Powered Campaign! We were told by skeptics we would be “lucky” if we were still standing by Labor Day if we didn’t have funding – well Labor day has come and gone and by gosh Barry is not only standing he’s mounting a charge with a heck of an army of some pissed off voters. These are people who have been directly impacted by the dereliction of duty that Rep. Mike Pence has provided to his constituents. He has neglected and been so out of touch with our people that he had arrogantly disregarded the patience and goodwill of the district. This is a district that like many others across this country that have shown good manners, patience, resilience and hardship while having to deal with the consequences of Mr. Pence’s actions or lack there of.
Currently there was an opinion columnist from one of the most Republican papers in the largest market in the district express such shame of Mr. Pence and his lack of judgement. The paper will likely NOT endorse Barry but this is big as they very rarely criticize Republicans let alone in such a somber way. Last time they did it was 1974!
Frankly, Barry needs your contributions, your help through volunteering, anything you can afford. We need your help more than ever right NOW – we need to get Barry’s name and message out to the district that is roughly the size of New Hampshire. Anything you can do to help will be gratefully appreciated and will be put to good use.
Any donations will go to airing his 60 sec radio spot through out the district. The average price for a 60 second spot is $12.00
Thank you for taking the time to read my diary and I appreciate your comments.
This diary is not vetted thru the campaign and is my personal perspective of a Congressional campaign from the inside out.
Love,
Sherri
