Have Passion, Work Hard

I've made my choices for the big races on the ballot November 4. I still need to research my soil & water district commissioners, but I've looked at the issues, I've considered the candidates and I know deep in my heart I'm not voting for a party nor am I choosing the "lessor of evils" in any of these races, I'm voting for the individuals I've chosen. Today, I signed up to do Get Out the Vote volunteer work on Tuesday. I'm going to work in the area near my office, rather than my home because I am pretty sure that area needs more help.

While the polls are looking good for many of the folks I like and I feel quite hopeful, I'm not going to believe it until every ballot is counted. And there are several races where it's still really close. So, today I'm going to tell you about a few of the candidates I think you should pay attention to. If you like them and you live in their district, get out there Tuesday and cast your ballot. Don't assume that it's safe enough that they don't need you. Even in our electoral college system, every vote does count. Your voice matters. And so does mine.

I support Barak Obama because:
- when he talks about health care problems in our country, I hear him articulating the things that keep me up at night. (and my bigD agrees)
- when our economy hit melt-down, he wanted to really understand what was going on. So, he took time to listen to people who know economics, then he talked to some more economic advisors, then he talked to experts about what the right thing to do for the country would be. And THEN he took action. He didn't ask the majority of the citizens of this country to like it, but he asked us to trust that he was doing the job he was elected to and looking out for our best interest. That shows me the kind of leader he is; the kind of leader I want.
- He is smart and curious.
- He is respectful and inclusive.
- I don't think he's in this for him. He's in it for us.

I support Al Franken because:
- Paul Wellstone said, "the future belongs to those who have passion and work hard." I don't know if I've seen a politician since Wellstone, other than Obama, with as much passion or willing to work as hard as Al Franken has. There's a lot of talk about taking back Wellstone's seat this election. When Franken talks about the possibility of sitting in that seat, it's with reverence. He's not pouring his soul into this campaign just to sit back and gloat in Washington if he wins; he's showing us how hard he's willing to work for the people who live in this state.
- He is smart. Honestly, I don't want a C-student leading my government. I want people who are smarter than me in those seats. Sure, they need to comprehend what the rest of us face every day, but in order to fix the problems, they have to be smarter than us.
- He's sincere. For those of you who can't shake Stuart Smally out of your head, spend some time at Al's website. Read his biography, read his plans. Get to know Al & Franni before you vote against a character he played.
- The Republicans had their chance to put into action all their grand plans. They said government was broken, got into power and proved it. But, I don't believe government is inherently broken. I believe it can and must work. And for that to happen, we need Obama in the oval office and 60 senators supporting him so the filibuster doesn't muck up the change he's ready to make.
As reported in the Star Tribune this morning, last night Bill Clinton explained this much better than I ever could: ...praising Obama's performance during the nation's financial crisis but asking "If he's all that great, why does he need Franken?"The answer, he said, is to turn back "a radical right-wing philosophy ... You've got to send him [Franken] to the Senate to make sure America doesn't blow this chance" to repudiate the Republicans' governing philosophy."[Obama] has a chance to rewrite the 21st century," Clinton said. "Let's go back and do it right this time. In order to do that, he's going to have to get some votes" in the Senate, like Franken's.

There's one more race I want to plug. I don't get to vote for him, but if you're in MN's CD3, please consider voting for Ashwin Madia.

I don't like the slippery slope we've been on for 8 years. I'm not ready to pick out my handbasket. So here I am, telling you who I'm voting for and a reason or two why. I am trying to stick with (some of) the positives because I'm so excited to feel like I'm voting FOR something this year, but if you want me to start ranting against McCain's "socialist" name-calling, for example, let me know. And come Tuesday, November 4, 2008, I'm going to cast my vote as soon as my polling place opens. Then, I'm going to help make sure a few more people do the same.
How about you?
Are you ready to vote?!