Is it a socially-conscious sense of humor (Franken)? Is it how we frequent Daily Kos, or how we have a North Carolina voter registration card (Miller)?
It could be a strong dislike for our current White House leadership, but that's something most of America has in common now. And I'm not running for Senate any time soon ... so I'll cut the bull and get straight to the point: we all have birthdays this week!
... and there's nothing I'd like more that to help out my fellow birthday boys through ActBlue.
First, a quote from Thomasin Franken's Birthday E-mail:
My brother Joe and I were so excited when Dad decided he was going to run for the Senate. He'll be a great Senator for the same reasons he's a great father - he always leads on his values, he's fair and honest, and he works hard to do what's right.
And I know he's having a great time on the campaign trail. He's always telling us about all the new friends he's meeting everywhere he goes and how inspired and encouraged he is by all the support he's getting.
Al is turning 56 today, and he needs your help. If you missed my last diary on the subject, here's why people are supporting Al:
Coleman's days are numbered and it's going to be a lot of fun to watch the debates (Al's gonna wipe the floor with old stuffed shirt just like he did with Jason Lewis). As a Minnesota voter, I can't wait to help Al kick Norm's ass!
I met him a couple of years ago and I was downright stunned at how thoroughly he immerses himself in research. He would be a formidable opponent in a debate.
The man is frighteningly intelligent and has quick wit to boot--that's a dangerous combination and in desperately short supply in our Senate.
My friend just sent him money and I'm getting ready to do the same, next month
I wish I lived in Minnesota so that I could vote for him.
He's solid on the issues, and passionate about truth and justice issues.
We could not have a better person in our court. I wish I could vote for him, too.
I remember Paul Wellstone passionately speaking out, often times alone, on issues like the Bankruptcy Bill. Of course, we all know the tragedy that followed. Paul Wellstone died, Norm Coleman won the Minnesota senate seat and in 2005 the republican congress and some enabling democrats passed an even more egregious piece of crap bankruptcy legislation as a gift the credit card industry. Franken has Wellstone's passion. He gets the economic hardships of the middle class and the working poor. I can't think of anyone better to fill the void left by Wellstone's death. I'm sending a donation.
I put my check in the mail to Al yesterday. And I vote (in Minnesota).
While I hope that we can give Al a happy 56th, I also have to worry about my home state of North Carolina. That's why I became an executive board member of my congressional district committee this week (in NC-12), and that's why I've helped Blue South in his effort to Draft Brad Miller for a U.S. Senate race. Blue, who was one of my co-workers on the Kissell campaign, is getting a lot of attention for the project. Brad hasn't decided yet, and didn't give us a birthday announcement when he turned 54 on Friday, but perhaps that's because he hasn't received enough encouragement.
Oh, and just so you know that it's more than bloggers behind this effort, here's what Larry Kissell had to say about making it Miller Time in the Senate:
I will support Brad if he chooses to run, and the sooner the better
If you want to know more about Brad Miller, the best place to go is the Draft Brad website, maintained by some loyal supporters from BlueNC and parts nearby.
And as for my birthday, again, helping these candidates will be more than enough for me ... but if you're interested in giving me birthday greetings in person, I'll be at NC-Gov candidate Richard Moore's Charlotte, NC kickoff rally:
WHAT: Richard Moore Charlotte Campaign Kick Off
WHEN: May 23, 2007 - 11:30 am to 12:30 pm
WHERE: Charlotte Marriott City Center
100 West Trade Street
Charlotte, NC
Thanks for helping make this a happy birthday week for all three of us!
As always, relevant portions posted at BlueNC.
ActBlue for Al and Brad.