Dave Weldon, leaving office finally (!) after 14 years in Congress, decided to give Brevard county residents a taste of his moderate politics by voting Yes on the Bailout Bill today.

Weldon, who betrayed his own pledge to supporters not to run for office after four terms by running again in 2002, 2004, and 2006, apparently decided to break away from his own party and vote for an increase in government power and a huge cost to Brevard county’s next generation: thousands, or perhaps tens of thousands of dollars.

In one sense, this may be the final hallmark of Weldon’s failed legacy as a conservative. Some may differ with the view that Weldon is a failed conservative, but consider the following: Weldon rarely fought proudly (or loudly) on any conservative issues, for which he was elected, instead choosing to focus on health care (due to his experience as a doctor) and space issues. While that may have pleased some, Weldon remained over the years, for the most part, a solid vote, but a quiet voice in D.C. In other words, instead of using his increasing tenure as a measure of authority to push legislation that he claimed he supported, he was often mysteriously quiet.

While Brevardians should be thankful for Weldon’s victory over some of his past oppenents who would have harmed Brevard far worse (John Byron, David R. Golding, Patsy Kurth, Jim Tso, Simon Pristoop, Bob Bowman, and of course his first oppenent, Sue Munsey), it has been a debate among conservatives for some time whether Weldon remained the best choice for Brevard and for Brevard conservatives (who make up a majority of the voting population).

Not only did Weldon appear to become more confused in supporting the right issues, drifting slowly toward federalism, often against the wishes of the people he represented, Weldon also violated his own pledge he made prior to his first win: To stay in office for only four terms (eight years).

Weldon later broke that pledge, long after the Contract with America disappeared from the radar screens of most Americans, and got surprisingly little resistance, partly out of people feeling he shouldn’t be held to the pledge prior to his own real experience and understanding, and partly because his supporters were more concerned about not letting the other side win.

What most people failed to point out was that Weldon neglected eight years of local politics, becoming more entrenched in Washington D.C., not raising up anyone to take his place. One wonders how serious Weldon was about resigning after eight years while taking no effort to ensure a legacy for his seat.

Even as recently as July 24, Weldon voted to give away $48 billion of your money to overseas countries to combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis. Perhaps he felt good about it, being a doctor, but how do you feel about it? Moreover, now that the economy is in trouble, do you get the impression that Weldon’s been bothering to do his homework in meeting with Brevardians? Where are the fifty percent or more of Brevard citizens who thought this was okay? It was an outrage.

But Weldon, on his way back to Brevard for good, today has used that July 24 vote as a mere stepping stool by voting to stiff America with huge debt and give the Secretary of the Treasury the power of a dictator in regards to our economy.

Why would Weldon vote so contrary to his supporters? There is possibly one horrible reason: personal selfishness. One hates to think so, but the facts seem dangerously supportive of that view.

It seems that Weldon voted to save his own investments over and above his neighbors here in Brevard. It seems Weldon drifted even further to the left toward the philosophy of Karl Marx and away from the principles of Adam Smith.

Sadly, instead of a final heroic stand to help rally members of Congress to fight this “Bad for Brevard” legislation, Weldon will return home as not only a pledge-breaker, but no longer a real conservative. Truly, this is a shame. He did support many important issues over the years, including tough votes on abortion, and as previously mentioned, helped keep Cape Canaveral a hub of space commerce.

However, for all the effort and money spent by Brevard citizens on Weldon over the years, we should have recevied better results. We should have had a real contender for Senator or Lt. Governor in Dave Weldon. We should have had at least one, possibly two, solid conservative champions that would have served in District 15 since Weldon’s planned stepdown in 2002. Instead, we have an empty seat with no heritage.

Worse, Weldon did little to support and speak out on behalf of other candidates in his own party running for office, particularly those running for city council and county commission. Largely, he left them to run on their own rather than to dirty himself in local politics.

But Brevard citizens have only themselves to blame. Weldon was never held to account over his votes. Brevardians, and particularly conservatives, were happy enough to let Weldon carry the seat (quite easily most elections) and to worry instead about other races. Weldon was like a faithful dog, always holding the seat, always winning, and always, well, just “there”. But we took our eye off his office to focus elsewhere. And knowingly or not, he took advantage of that.

He wasn’t the only conservative who began to drift away from his own supporters. Helen Voltz who recently lost her County Commission seat after running a failed race for Property Appraiser, also began to betray her own principles, voting for bigger government, more taxes and spending, and doing so with an ever-increasing arrogance toward those who put her in office many years ago. Now, she’s unemployed, but in small circles her name had come up for years as someone who might be doing more harm than good.

We shouldn’t make that mistake again. This fall, four other candidates are vying for Weldon’s old seat: Bill Posey (R), Steve Blythe (D), Frank Zilaitis (Independent), and Trevor Lowing (Independent). All four have interesting backgrounds and positions and are well-qualified. Most seem to agree that Posey (a lifelong Brevard resident and ex-city councilman himself) has the advantage, but both Blythe and Zilaitis have fought hard. It’s been particulary exciting to see a solid independent have a real chance of winning. Considering Brevard’s recent population boon, maybe an independent would be the best person to represent Brevard.

But regardless of the victor on November 4, Brevard citizens need to pledge to themselves that they will keep a watchful eye on the new seat holder. As is common, once in office, it becomes enormously easy for an incumbent to keep their seat, even while their effectiveness and votes become watered down.

Should the new congressman fail to support Brevard citizens or forget who they are, Brevard citizens need to be ready to abandon that new District 15 seat holder and support someone else. If we let the new victor squat in office year after year, we will find them almost impossible to remove.

Today, Dave Weldon betrayed his neighbors and his community by supporting this bailout, but had he not decided to step down and was running for re-election, he would have easily won in November despite this huge blunder on his record.

This November, we will get new leadership in Washington D.C. to represent Brevard. Let’s make sure we help them to develop as a solid representative by holding them to account. Regardless of the outcome, the winner’s re-election will be in two years - and really, in less: between March and the end of April, 2010 to qualify for office. So, in literally 18 months, good men and women need to be ready to run for the seat in District 15 - just in case the winner turns out to be a disappointment.