Hi, I'm the campaign manager for
Rod Smith, one of the two Democrats running for governor down here in Florida.
I posted the other day about why people should be paying attention to this race, and the response was great so I hope you are.
I wanted to say something here about electability. We all want to choose the Democrat who's got the best chance of winning. But too often people get mixed up about what it takes to win.
You see some people think that it's about compiling the right mix of policy proposals that creates some magic recipe for "appeal". Some people talk like you just have to finesse some position papers and send a couple of press releases and all of a sudden you're electable.
That's not how it works.
Democrats become more "electable" when we break out of our comfort zones. You've got to stand up for yourself, and you've got talk like a human being while you do it. You've got to get out there and be everywhere, even the places where Democrats haven't been in a while. And you can't compromise your principles.
We don't have to compromise your core principles to win, we just have to communicate them effectively. We know that the majority of Americans agree with us on our core values -- and we have to win the message battle. Rod Smith is the Democrat who can communicate best with his down-to-earth charm and straight-talking style.
Electability isn't about toning down your passion or watering down your values. It's about not being afraid to speak your mind, stand up for yourself and reach out to every potential vote no matter where they live.
That's kind of campaign Rod Smith is running, and that's kind of campaign we have to have if Democrats are going to win the Florida governor's race in the fall.
Now I'll get out of the way and let Rod speak for himself.
He sent this message to our supporters just a few minutes ago -- I'm including it because it includes some key facts about Rod, about our opponent, and about how this campaign is going to be won or lost.
From Rod:
Dear Fellow Democrat,
I know how to beat Republicans.
I beat an incumbent Republican when I ran for State Attorney. And I took back a Republican seat in the State Senate in 2000 -- in a district where George W. Bush carried 8 of the 9 counties.
I did it by talking straight and standing up for my party, my values and myself. Democrats aren't going to win statewide in Florida by hiding out in the places where we already win by large margins. We've got to be everywhere and fight everywhere.
I've got a serious plan to win this election by fighting for every vote in every county in Florida. And when we win, we're going to represent all of Florida and bring new life to the Democratic Party everywhere.
We've got six weeks to reach our fellow Democrats, 57% of whom are still undecided according to the latest poll. We've got the momentum, but in order to get out there and show them that we've got what it takes to win, I need your help today.
Will you make a donation right now to help us take this campaign to every part of Florida?
http://www.rodsmith2006.com/...
I like and respect my opponent in the primary, Congressman Jim Davis. But the plain fact is that Jim's never had a real race. Al Gore won his district 61% to 39% in 2000. In 2002, the Republican Party didn't even field a candidate in his 99% urban district.
We need a Democrat who's fought and won in the parts of Florida where we need to improve our performance. I've done that.
We're going to take this campaign to every corner of this state and fight proudly for Democratic values. If you want to see Democrats winning again, I need your help today to run a different kind of campaign:
http://www.rodsmith2006.com/...
Last week I rode nearly 1,500 miles from side one of the state to the other, making 18 stops along the way.
I want to tell you something -- the Democrats I met in Pensacola are as hungry to win as the Democrats I met in Fort Lauderdale. We have a responsibility not to leave them behind.
We've got to fight with them and take our values into every community. A little straight talk goes a long way with people, and that's how we're going to win.
We're going to tell people what we stand for: raising teachers' salaries, reforming the insurance market to lower rates, getting more people health coverage, protecting our environment and making sure everyone's vote is counted.
It's not hard to bring people to our side on these core issues -- but we've got to decide to stand up and fight.
That's what I'll do with your help:
http://www.rodsmith2006.com/...
Our support is broad-based, from people like Congressman Kendrick Meek in Miami and Congressman Allen Boyd in the Panhandle.
It's been an uphill battle since the start, but each week we've reached thousands of new voters, and the polls show that the momentum is on our side.
We've got a message that people respond to -- the challenge is reaching as many as possible in a short amount of time. Now, with six weeks left to succeed, we need the resources to make our final push.
Let's finish strong.
Rod Smith
Democrat for Governor