The sweet taste of victory: John Hall wins NY 19 primary

Yesterday, John Hall, in a crowded Democratic field for New York's 19th district, won a decisive victory and now gets to take on Sue Kelly, one of George Bush's upstate NY rubber stamps. For those of us who volunteered for the Hall campaign or who supported his candidacy, today is a great day, one to enjoy the sweet taste of victory

Shortly after moving to Dutchess County, NY and this district, I got connected with a good group of local activists, the Mid Hudson Progressive Alliance

whose members include Pete Seeger. Pete comes out for various events, such as our local anti-Iraq war demonstrations, or a visit by Granny D. This is a good group, and I am very happy to have them here. In the spring, we sponsored a series of forums with prospective Democratic candidates, with a particular interest in candidates for the 19th Congressional district. There were, at the time, perhaps as many as six or seven possible candidates, some of whom would eventually drop out. Out of those whom I got to meet, John Hall clearly stood out as the most impressive. I had been aware of his long history of activism, going at least as far back as his organizing of the "No Nukes" concert back in the late 1970s. But upon meeting him, I found him immediately to be highly intelligent, deeply principled and passionate about running. Asking him a question about Iraq and our country's foreign policy, I was happy to hear him say that we have to hold this administration accountable for its lies and missteps. Hall pulled no punches in his critiques; we were all very impressed, and later voted, as an alliance, to pick him for our endorsement. He won it to an overwhelming degree.

Shortly thereafter, we encountered John Hall on the "peace train," which was our name for the Metro North commuter train carrying us to midtown Manhattan to mark/protest the third anniversary of the Iraq invasion. There was John Hall, going from train to train, talking with and listening to everyone, war supporters and war opponents alike. Given that he was there and that he was going to the demonstration, and given that so few elected Democrats were anywhere to be found in Manhattan that day, I was personally sold and decided to join the Hall campaign, as a volunteer.

Since then, I've been mostly been involved in phone banking from within the campaign office in Beacon, but also door knocking and lit. distribution in the local neighborhoods. On Monday, just before the election, I went out with another volunteer to leave leaflets in some doors and got to talk up John's candidacy with some of the people who were home. Some had heard of John Hall, some had not. However, when I explained that he was planning to stand up strongly to Bush and the Republicans, most of these people showed some enthusiasm. No doubt some of them were part of the margin of victory yesterday.

I am under no illusion that taking on and taking out Sue Kelly, our incumbent representative, will be an easy task. She's got lots of money to play with along with all the other advantages of incumbency. And like too many present day Republicans, she is more than willing to lie about herself, such as by presenting herself as a moderate or by denying her own party label. Nevertheless, if anyone can take her on, it is John Hall. The contrasts between these two are stark. I have a great deal of faith in John Hall, as do many of us in the 19th district. If elected, he will be a phenomenal members of Congress, and a true force for progressive change. I've been watching C-Span's live House coverage all morning, and can say with certainty that Citizen Hall, if I can call him that, will be a counter to the corrupt likes of John Boehner and Richard Pombo. Please consider showing him some love at John Hall For Congress

•  this is a winnable race.

  I plan to post more on this once my registration allows (i finally registered for kos after two years of reading to help spread word on anti-disney stuff).

  John Hall can win this race.  We can win this race.  I know a lot of people think this race is not in the top tier of competitive ones, but we can do it.  In a level of turnout that doubled '04s primary turnout, John Hall received more votes than were cast in '04.  In a fourway dance that he entered late against one opponent who had a lot more money on hand until the very end, he took home 49 percent of the vote. He's got great position, solid endorsements, a strong volunteer base, some name recognition and some famous friends that will help raise awareness and money.  But this is not enough.  He needs everyone to step up to the plate with volunteer time and donations.

  And while she's not Man-on-Dog Santorum, Sue Kelly has been part of the right wing hijacking of this country starting with the Contract On America in 1995.  And we have, for the first time since she got elected, a chance to send her back to her flower business.  Let's take back the 19th!

  by Ruby K on Wed Sep 13, 2006 at 10:13:42 AM PDT