Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Michael Arth Discusses His Campaign
Yesterday, I highlighted the dark-horse campaign of Michael E. Arth for governor of Florida, pointing readers to the whimsical bio featured on his website. This morning, Arth responded in the comment thread:
“„Having just entered the race I’m an underdog and a dark horse, but I’m not running a dog and pony show. I’m in to win it. They have the money (see the banner ad above) but I have the ideas (see http://www.michaelearth.org) and I’m not afraid to put them out there. By the end of the race, the voters will know who I am and they will decide which is more important–the issues or pay-to-play.
“„I was told by a top Democratic official that because I didn’t have $3 million to start, and $1.3 million a week to win, not one single word would be written about me in the mainstream press. I asked the Daytona Beach News Journal if this was true and they repudiated it with a huge above-and-below-the-fold front page story. ( http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOn… )
“The banner ad above” refers to the Alex Sink (Arth’s formidable opponent in the Democratic primary) Google ad that’s been appearing on our page above related posts — you’re likely seeing it now.
And perhaps in a sign that Arth is looking to lend a more serious aspect to his campaign (at the expense of his trademark humor), in the time that I’ve been writing this post, he took down this text that sat at the top of his homepage this morning and moved it to the “About Michael” page:
“„Hercules, the mythical Greek god, is known for having overcome incredible challenges in the face of danger and evil. But despite his courage, wisdom and resolve, it is not clear whether Hercules could have done what DeLand resident Michael Arth has done in transforming a crack haven into one of DeLand’s most unique neighborhoods.
Other commenters, staunchly supportive of Arth, have suggested that by highlighting the sillier aspects of his website, I’ve diminished the seriousness of his campaign. To which I respond that by including passages like these on his site, he’s asking for them to be highlighted. And for an underdog candidate, an attention-grabbing sense of humor isn’t such a bad thing.
