As I told my friends at BlueNC last night, today is the first day of Campaign 2008!
I hope you're as excited and inspired as I am. I'm working today, just on a lunch break from teaching school, but had to make this amazing community a priority stop on my kick-off tour embracing all the folks in and around North Carolina's 8th that embraced our campaign for change.
With the tireless support of good folks just like you, it's not about what we almost accomplished, which is nothing short of amazing in and of itself... It's about what we did accomplish, and will accomplish in the coming years if we stick together and see this thing through.
Friends, we are going to take our Country back!
We're taking our Country back from the special interests that buy and sell our seats in the People's House like junk bonds. We're taking our Country back from the Washington politicians of BOTH parties that sell out our values one compromise at a time on the seemingly endless march to mediocrity. We're taking our Country back from the brokers of personal destruction, that think you can just say anything and make it true if you repeat it enough with enough dirty money behind you. We're taking our Country back from the politicos and odd-makers that say it's the people you know, not the person you are that determines credibility as a voice fit to serve in office. And most importantly, we're taking our country back from those that try to claim exclusivity on our flag, our values, our patriotism, our very dignity, democracy and nation!
I know you get it. And you've proven you know what we have to do as evident by your amazingly successful support of my campaign, and all the 2006 success stories around the country you can claim credit for as a community. But the real work of taking our Country back is just beginning - the real work of both this Congress, and challengers such as myself.
I'm blessed to be in this position for 2008, for which I have a good 10,000 or more of you to thank, and thank again. But don't let my incredible staff's expertise fool you. They just make this look easy. Running for Congress, standing up for our values, making a wave the whole wide world can feel is not nearly as cheap as it is rewarding.
While I am deeply grateful for the 11th hour recognition from institutional DC for our efforts, I do have mounting debt to pay, an essential staff to thank, and a campaign to not only keep afloat, but surge into 2008. You've not only always been there for me, but made and inspired this campaign right from the beginning. I'm deeply humbled by the support you've shown, but not too shy to ask again.
Please keep us in your prayers, keep working hard, keep looking to 2008, and keep supporting my campaign in any modest way that you can. Trust me... many, many, many out there are kicking themselves for not supporting our 2006 fight sooner.
To them and to you, I say we're not looking backward, we're moving forward - And today is the first day of campaign 2008.