Yesterday, we had a great discussion here on my government reform plan. It's a plan the media and others have dubbed "dead on arrival" because apparently some people think I'm asking for too much, too fast.
But I'm just asking for some common sense. And that's what I'll fight for in the Senate.
I'll be at Netroots Nation tomorrow, so hopefully I'll get to chat about my plan with you in person. I'll be at the Netroots Candidates event and I hope to see you there.
Unlike other candidates in top-tier races across the country, I don't take a dime of corporate PAC or federal lobbyist money.
I'll be blunt: my pledge means I'm fighting the entire GOP corporate money machine with one hand tied behind my back.
My opponent, Republican Congressman Mark Kirk, is by far one of the most prolific fundraisers in the House. And despite the fact that my fundraising has kept pace with other Democrats across the country, he has about four times as much cash on hand as I do because of the millions he raises from the financial and insurance industries.
I've been slammed and mocked in the press for my decision. They point out that I'm no Obama, and they're right. I'm not that type of candidate and this isn't that type of campaign. We'll never receive tens of millions of dollars in low-dollar donations or have moneybombs every week.
But I didn't make my pledge because I thought it would be easy. I made it because so many people have it so hard.
As a statewide elected official, I've seen how failed Republican economic theories have affected every corner of our state. Our unemployment rate is over 10%. People are scared they'll lose their job or home. Family businesses disappear. Kids can't afford to go college.
When I speak to voters on the trail, they don't want a bailout or a handout. They just want a government that works as hard as they do. They want leaders who listen, not politicians who pander.
And so, before I ran for the Senate, I listened. I heard about how politicians are bought and paid for. Illinoisans from Chicago to Springfield would come up to me frustrated and complaining that corporate influence is clogging up progress we fought for in '08.
So I decided to listen to them and to my gut and reject corporate cash.
Is it fun to get slammed for "horrible" fundraising numbers? It is good press to have it all over the papers that your Republican opponent has 4 dollars for every 1 dollar in your own account because he takes millions from Wall Street and the insurance industry? Of course not.
But at some point, someone on the state level has to take a stand.
Someone has to prove to the establishment that you can still win by doing the right thing. And that's what I intend to do on November 2nd.
It's not about whether "the Obama model" translates to a statewide election. It's not about vilifying lobbyists as evil or take a pledge for the sake of campaign promises.
I want to show Republicans, Democrats, pundits and insiders that all of these government reform plans we have on paper can indeed work in the real world.
In short, I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is and back up my government reform plan with action.
I'm not going to sugarcoat it. We have a lot of work to do to make that point and keep this critical seat in Democratic hands. Mark Kirk makes one call and can have a corporation cut a $5,000 check while I fund my campaign mainly on small events, house parties and donations from people just like you.
We're going to win this race though and retire Mark Kirk from Congress.
I'm excited about how far we've come with my pledge so far. It's been over a year since the pundits said it couldn't be done and here we are, locked in a dead heat in the most competitive, most important race in the nation.
We've already proved the establishment wrong by staying competitive while staying true to our values.
And we're going to prove them wrong again on November 2nd when we win this race the way races should be won -- not on the backs of corporations, but with the support of ordinary people just like you.
Hopefully, I'll get to meet many of you at Netroots Nation. We can chat about how to keep this seat blue, how to shake things up in DC and how we're going to celebrate our victory on November 3!
You can co-sign on to my reform plan at this link.
Thanks for listening.