Common Sense, Crazy, and Ann Wagner

Six days until Election Day, and apparently I’m the crazy one.

I’ve been getting a good laugh out of Ann Wagner’s latest closing argument. She’s been making the media rounds telling voters they have a choice between “common sense and crazy.” Apparently, I’m the crazy one. That’s a hell of a thing coming from someone who’s spent nearly 14 years in Congress while Missouri families have watched the cost of just about everything go through the roof.

Last night, we held a rally in Kirkwood, the town where I grew up. My dad was a World War II veteran. We were a regular middle-class family. My first job was busing tables at a country club, where I came through the employee entrance, not the front door. I joined the Army at 17, served 22 years and four combat tours, then came home and built a small business helping fellow veterans. When COVID hit New York City, I went there to help run a field hospital staffed by special operations veterans. Along the way, I’ve had some success, made some mistakes, and been knocked flat on my ass more than once. I’ve even lost everything and had to start over. That’s life for a whole lot of Americans.

And that’s what Ann Wagner doesn’t seem to understand. I know what it feels like to stand at the grocery checkout wondering whether there’s enough money in the bank to cover what’s in the cart. I know what it means to work your tail off and still struggle to get ahead. Meanwhile, Wagner has become extraordinarily wealthy during her years in Washington, with an estimated net worth of $26 million. She’s spent her time in Congress looking out for big banks, corporations, and wealthy investors while working families get squeezed. Missouri Republicans even eliminated the state capital gains tax, handing another enormous benefit to people who make their money from investments. That’s a pretty sweet deal when you’ve got millions in assets. The rest of us still have to pay our bills.

So let’s talk about crazy. What’s crazy is expecting a member of Congress who’s had nearly 14 years to make life more affordable to suddenly start delivering results. What’s crazy is watching politicians give tax breaks to millionaires while working people struggle to afford groceries, healthcare, and housing. And what’s really crazy is treating a seat in Congress like a lifetime appointment while the people you’re supposed to represent fall further behind. Ann Wagner can call me whatever she wants. I’ve spent my life serving, working, building, failing, getting back up, and showing up when people needed help. I know who I work for, and it’s the more than 759,000 people who call this district home.

Six days, folks. On November 3, Missourians will have their say. Ann Wagner has made her closing argument, and I’ve made mine. I believe Congress ought to have a few more people who’ve had to check their bank balance before buying groceries and many fewer who’ve spent their careers protecting the people who own the grocery chains.

We’re not done yet. Pitch in now to help us finish this fight.

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Thank you,

Fred Wellman

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