The Arrogance of Incumbency - Get To the Back of the Line, Boys

Write-in campaigns are the lame attempt by losers to recover from the sting of their arrogance of incumbency.

Here in Rhode Island, we have two newly chewed-up and spit-out, but still sticky gum globs clinging to voters' shoes. Two too-long-entrenched Democrats who lost in the September primary - Jan Malik of Warren and John DeSimone of Providence - launch write in campaigns this week.

Granted, the Democrat candidates who replaced them are even worse enemies of the Constitution: progressives who are openly campaigning to grow government, violate my rights, and make me pay for the insults on top of it. Fortunately, these two progressives are facing formidable opponents on November 8: Libertarian Daryl Gould in District 67 Barrington - Warren, and Republican Roland Lavallee in District 5 Providence.

But to their credit, the progressives walked the streets, knocked on the doors, shook the hands, and made the deals to get their supporters out to vote.

The incumbents, on the other hand, took their name recognition - and their constituents - completely for granted, believing they could not possibly lose.

John DeSimone was House Majority Leader - number two in the House leadership! First elected in 1992, he was turned out of office because he did not take his opponent or his constituents' concerns and anger seriously. Adding insult to injury? He lost by less than 25 votes.

Jan Malik, elected in 1996, was defeated by a more decisive margin by his anti-Second Amendment opponent, 44% to 56%.

Twenty-four and 20 years respectively. Way.Too.Long to be in office. And to be obnoxiously deaf to constituents and vote instead with special interests? All the more reason they both were voted out. 38 Studios and RhodeWorks truck tolls are part of the reckoning.

Now they wage a write in campaign? Apparently their arrogance knows no bounds.

Get to the back of the line, boys. You blew it and you were fired. Go home for two years like every other candidate who lost a race. You're embarrassing yourselves.