I am a campaign staffer. That means I get paid to do what a lot of folks on this site do for free because I do it fulltime. I do it because it suits my personality, because I'm good at it, because I love it and most importantly,
because I believe the candidates that I work for will make their communities and our country a better place.
As a staffer the months in between November 2005 election day and New Year's were filled with a flurry of job applications and interviews. Then, after the New Year it there was a flood of activity. I talked with several state
parties who were looking to fill major positions, a variety of Senate and Gubernatorial campaigns and a slew of
Congressionals.
Then I was offered a job to work in the 28th Congressional district of Texas. Within 5 minutes, two different firms called and asked if I was interested in working in the district that covers much of San Antonio. The jobs werecompletely different departments and for two completely different candidates:
Henry Cuellar and Ciro Rodriguez.
I knew people at both firms. Both are respected and do work that I admire. So I told them that I would look into the candidates and get back to them.
Within minutes of researching Henry Cuellar I knew I could not work for him. His conservative voting record and on-the-record position on issues of major importance to me were immediately evident. I can't work 18-20 hours a day for a candidate who will vote against everything I believe in.
Then I researched Rodriguez. What I found was a Congressman who had worked hard for 8 years to represent his district.
Who was passionately progressive without being power-hungry. I found a man who had spent his life in public service and then lost in a narrow recount by 58 votes after numerous allegations of voter fraud. I found my candidate.
This election has just 6 weeks to go. A primary match-up between Cuellar and Rodriguez will take place March 7, 2005.
I urge you to consider Ciro Rodriguez. Consider the fact that he is a man of intergrity, with deep South Texas roots and who has worked tirelessly to represent his constituency. He was one of the leaders of the Hispanic caucus, and in his bid to win back his seat, has several of his former-colleagues in the House firmly on his side. Rep. Solis, Rep. Strickland, Rep. Rangle, just to name a few...
Ciro Rodriguez is a good man. He is a good Congressman. And he is in need of your support. Your contribution means you are not content to sit by and let Henry Cuellar masquerade as a Democrat while he continues to vote with the Bush administration. It means you will not reward someone who endorsed George W. Bush for President over our own Al Gore. It means you are not content to allow Tom DeLay's redistricting to skew the way the people of the 28th district are represented. It means that the Club for Growth will not play a part in Democratic politics because they don't speak for our party. It means you are not content to allow Henry Cuellar to speak for you because he attachs a "D" to his name, just so he can get elected.
But, most importantly, it means you stand with Ciro Rodriguez, progressive values and the real Democratic Party.