Well, the clock’s a ticking and we have 70 days to get out our message of change, our message of hope, our message of accountability. It seems like a long time but, lemme tell ya it’s gonna fly by. They say that God created the world in only 6 days but God had a better budget than I got.
The people who Volunteer to work in the office here at friends of Tony Barr are an interesting breed. Uniformly, smart, dedicated and responsible, they understand just what is at stake in this election. Recently, I went with Tony to Mifflintown a small town in far flung reaches of the PA-09th, to speak to volunteers. Here’s what we told them.
Tony is running because he’s had enough. Had enough of Corporate interests getting the goldmine while working people get the shaft; Had enough of a Government that doesn’t think it has to be accountable to the people, had enough of $3 a gallon gas money going to countries whose citizens then try to blow us up. Tony knows that the people here in the PA-09th have had enough too.
We only ask four things of our volunteers:
First; You must believe. You must believe we can win. Bill Shuster is beatable here, I know conventional wisdom says different, I know the pundits and the pollsters don’t show it and the DCCC and the DNC and even the State Party couldn’t give a rat’s ass what goes on down here in the 9th but We can win. You must believe, not only in what we’re doing but in Ed Rendell, in Bob Casey, in the State legislature and State Senate candidates, too; you must believe Democrats can win. You must believe that rational effective Government can win in Pennsylvania and you must believe in the Democratic process.
When you stop believing that’s when the Neo-Cons take over, they tell us Government is the problem, and then they prove it; they tell us that we shouldn’t bother voting, and they rig voting machines and refuse to implement Voter Verified Paper, the less we believe, the further the Neo-conservative agenda advances and that’s bad for our region our State and our Country. You know why, we’re struck with a President like George Bush and a Senator like Rick Santorum and a Congressman like Bill Shuster and a County Commissioner like John Eichelberger, We stopped believing. Ya gotta believe.
And because any good Catholic will tell ya “Faith without works is dead”, we gotta work hard. We must make those phone calls and write those letters to the editor, and put up those yard signs and put on those bumper stickers and ring those doorbells and talk to your friends and neighbors and their friends and neighbors and so on, and so on, and so on. That’s how we win, one voter at a time. We must rebuild our party at the precinct level, at the county level, at the district level, one voter at a time. Yes, it will be a long process, yes, we will have setbacks, yes, we must go forward. It would be better to make a mistake, even a huge mistake, even a mistake that leaves a silhouette shaped hole in the wall, than to wallow in self-doubt and inaction.
We must have fun. You can;’t take yourself too seriously. I know the stakes are high but we must make time to have some fun and blow off a little steam. Take a look at Don Rumsfeld, and Karl Rove, and Dick Cheney, do these guys look like they’re having any fun. Ever see Osama-bin Laden laugh? That’s what I’m saying. So have some fun.
The last thing, we ask is a negative. I ask that you never doubt that a small, thoughtful, committed group of citizens can change the world. It’s the only thing that ever has. We’re gonna win the 9th.
To Learn more about Tony Barr
http://www.tonybarr2006.com
