We take the 50 state strategy seriously.
No race uncontested. No wingnut politician with a free-pass.
The 50 state strategy means 435 contested House races with good candidates. It means 33 (or 34) contested Senate races with good candidates. It means every Governor race, every state race, every local race CONTESTED with good candidates.
No shying away from any issue. No point conceded. No labelling of our people or our message by the right wing without full, and complete defense, and quickly turning it into offense. There are no Red states, only Blue states and “currently Red” states.
We spent 90 days in spring 04 finding candidates, and frankly that was too late.
For ’06, THE TIME IS NOW!
As that announcer guy says….
LET’S GET READY TO RUMMMMMM-BLE!
Out here in rural Indiana, someone has already stepped up to take on one of the worst GOP members of the House. Methodist minister Barry Welsh has declared his candidacy for Indiana 6 against the head of the Republican Study Committee, Mike Pence. So far, the most prevalent comment from both Right and Left, is that Welsh is at best a long-shot.
While this is certainly expected from the Right (since they don’t want to talk about issues), and while it could be expected from the Left (because as rational beings they ask questions to ascertain the truth), it is absolutely not the discussion we should be focussing on.
Too many on the Left have said Welsh has no chance. And to that, I say #%^@^%!
Can you imagine a coach telling the team at the first practice that they have no chance of winning? Can you imagine a teacher telling their students that they expect them to fail?
I had the good fortune to meet Barry Welsh when he ran (unsuccesfully) for Indiana Senate in ’04. He gives great speeches, is well educated, and is very down to earth. We ended up volunteering for his campaign
Now frankly, I’m not that into “church” stuff, but I know for sure that the stuff being paraded today as “Christianity”, either by the TV preachers, or by politicians (by people very much exemplified by Mike Pence) is perverted Christianity at best. Jesus would not pass laws to insure the profits of banks. Jesus would not lie to start a war. Jesus followed Hebrew law which unequivocally values the life of the mother over the life of the fetus (as per the Talmud).
Pence starts his meetings with prayer (in which the preacher states that Pence represents the “Christian values of our Lord”) and Pence has stated often that he was a misguided liberal in college, but then he became born-again and a Republican (I’m not making this up.)
So when I heard that Minister Welsh was going to run against Pence in 06, there was only one word to say “HALLELUJAH!”
I talk about Barry Welsh and our own situation because it is the one I am familiar with, but I implore those of you out there in the right situations to heed this message and take up the fight in your own area.
Find those candidates now and get them, and yourselves, psyched up.
Every race contested means that no one can feel secure enough in their seat to be giving money out to other campaigns (Tom Delay, this means you.)
Every race contested means that no one can feel secure enough to spout extremist crap that inflicts real damage to our society and fuels wingnut rants, without fearing the consequences of it at the polls.
Some may say we only have a pea-shooter, but if that be the case we are going to aim it right between their eyes. Some may say we only have a toothpick, but if that be the case we are going to stick it right into their heart (or at least their a$$!)
That is what is going on in our little corner of the 50 State Strategy.
NO RACE UNCONTESTED. NO POINT CONCEDED. NO RETREAT. NO SURRENDER.
(BTW, Barry Welsh has much more than a pea shooter)