Rove this... Republicans have an strong GOTV that...
Enough of that kind of talk already. This is no time to cower, worry and fret about what the Republicans are planning or what Karl Rove might have up his sleeve.
I'll tell you what he has up his sleeve - an arm. That's it, that's all. And what the Republicans are planning is to use their well-developed infrastructure and strong GOTV program.
Well, guess what?
We have a strong GOTV program too and we have an active infrastructure. We just need to work hard and not give up either hope, or our beliefs that Democrats will do a better job of governing than the Republicans will ever do.
I've been hearing a lot of talk about how great a stategist Rove is lately. Scratch that - I've been hearing it since Bush took office.
Is it true?
Sure. And the Republicans also have a developed and active network of people that spread their message.
But that doesn't change for one second that the Republican party has done a lousy job of governing. This country is a mess because of their mismanagement. And that is the only message that really matters in this election.
We have candidates running strong across the board. We are poised to take back Congress...and it's the Republicans that are scared. They know we're outworking them and their vaunted political machine. We need to keep outworking them until the last ballots are counted and Democrats take back control.
We have legitimate races being run in the heart of red states. Don't forget that. We have made huge strides in areas that two years ago seemed untouchable. Hell, we've made inroads in the last two weeks.
Why?
Because we have gotten active in ways never done before. And we have a message that rings through all of the mudslinging and spinning being done by the Republican party. We are making inroads because the Republican party is terrible at governing and their policies are bad for this country.
We need to keep spreading our message and taking it to the people - our friends, family, and neighbors.
Kerry made a gaff and it's a big part of the news cycle right now. You know what that means? It means we need to get out and be uncomfortable knocking on doors for this week. It means we need to keep supporting our candidates. And it means we need to stop worrying about what Rove might pull out of his sleeve.
I've also heard talk about some candidates not being strong enough, or their campaigns not being forceful enough.
Screw that - it doesn't matter. What matters is that each one of us has a sign on our lawn, a sticker on our bumper, and a handful of literature to give to everyone in our neighborhoods. And when that literature is gone, we need to go out and get more and give it out in another neighborhood.
There are calls to make. Let's make them.
The big surprise? Well, the surprise is that we all have the power of Karl Rove in our own hands. We just need to use it.
They call on their big corporate donors for money. We need to call on 1,000 small donors. We're better off for it. Now we have 1,000 donors who have bought into the system. 1,000 people who have a stake in the elections. 1,000 people who will go out and vote.
I got active this year because I had to. I finally realized that complaining about how bad this administration is wasn't going to change anything.
So, I called the candidate from my district (WI-5) who was running for Congress - Bryan Kennedy. It took more than one call to finally get involved, that's how unorganized his campaign was at the beginning of the year.
I was able to get a bit involved though - and I'm glad. He's running very strongly right now in a district that people in the Democratic national offices told me was unwinnable. They were wrong, and it is now a winnable race - even if it's still a long shot.
Kennedy has done a lot of stumbling, that's for sure. He hired a campaign manager who was a poor fit for him and the district and a lot of damage was done. But, he realized his mistake and made a change. Is the campaign running like a new Mercedes now? More like a Volkswagon - not the prettiest, most conventional of all cars, but damn dependable.
And that's what's going to win this election - good dependable candidates that people can trust to fix this country
When I first met Kennedy, I thought he was a very nice guy and that he had a lot of good intentions - but I was frankly worried that he was too inexperienced to make a run at the entrenched Republican, James Sensenbrenner. I listened to him fumble through some early speeches and worried some more.
But, an amazing thing happened.
Kennedy's lack of experience has led him to go out and knock on people's doors to ask for their vote. He's done a lot of knocking. And a lot of people who believe in him have done a lot of knocking. Some people would call it naive to think a candidate can reach people by just knocking on their doors, but they would be wrong.
One voter at a time - with little national help - Kennedy has been winning over voters. And, in the process, he has become much more refined. The last time I saw him speak, he sounded like a man with years of experience - he commanded respect and still remained down to earth. That's no small feat.
And another amazing thing has happened.
A small network has been forming where once there was none. Instead of simply trying to win his own race, Kennedy has been out helping other Democrats in local races. He believes so strongly in Democratic ideals that he is genuinely motivated to help build and strengthen the connections between Democrats on all levels of government.
Has this gotten him anywhere?
You bet.
Last weekend, he was endorsed by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel - a paper notorious for just rolling with whoever the incumbent is. That's enormous around here.
And, around the district, I've seen one Sensenbrenner sign in the last two weeks. One sign. I've even seen staunch Republicans take down Sensenbrenner signs a month ago.
So, don't tell me about Rove's secret weapon, or the Republican juggernaut. It's not that I don't believe they present large obstacles - it's just that they don't scare me anymore.
I know that the only miracles that will happen this election cycle will be the result of hard work. Republicans are sure to work hard to turn out their supporters, so we need to work harder. The only miracle we need to worry about is the one we create.
And once this election is over, we need to start working again. Raising funds, raising awareness, making connections - in short, all the things Republicans have been doing for the last two decades.
If we do that, then a 100 Karl Roves couldn't pull out an October surprise and the mighty Republican GOTV machine will be no more than an example of how things used to work.
Cheers.
*Note - Bryan Kennedy can still use money to help with GOTV expenses. This election isn't over and every bit will help. You can donate through my ActBlue page or through Kennedy's website.
To help on the ground, call volunteer co-ordinator Amy Vertz at 414-807-2983. There is a lot of canvassing, phone banking and GOTV to do.