It’s a balmy spring evening in Cleveland, with just a hint of coolness ... just a hint. You could probably safely put the basil out. Tonight, the back door of the Old Angle Tavern was open as patrons crowded around the bar, their eyes fixed on the Cavs playing the Celtics on several TV screens. Downstairs, we could hear scattered stomping and cheering, as Jennifer Brunner talked to her hardcore band of volunteers about working the polls tomorrow, while the game played silently above her head ... Plant a yard sign, stay outside the flag, call Scott if you have any problems ...
I’ll be voting at 8:30 in the morning, she says. They always get nervous when the secretary of state shows up to vote, she jokes. Then she’ll be driving her school bus, the Courage Express, around to some polling places in Columbus.
I look around the room and see faces I’ve been seeing for months, for a year, for longer than that on other campaigns. We know we’ve done all we can — fundraisers, rallies, signature gathering, canvassing, ward club meetings, phone banking. Some are pessimistic about the outcome tomorrow. Some of us, like me, honestly have no idea what to expect. But here’s the thing: win or lose, we know we have fought a good, clean, honest race and we’ve fought for a candidate we can be proud of, a candidate we know would make one of the best U.S. Senators we’ve ever had. So win or lose, we have nothing to regret.
She tells us as much, saying, whatever happens, we have moved things ahead; we’re a little further down the road to where we want to be.
Sure, it’s been an uphill climb and discouraging. Everything has been arrayed against us, and if we dare to even mention it, we’ve been slammed for being whiny or "making excuses." There’s been no money and no institutional support, no support even from progressives who say they want a different world where money counts for less and caring about what happens to ordinary people counts for more. There’s just been us, the enthusiastic base, giving our time and money and energy to do whatever we can.
In the end, there have even been weird attacks based on a trumped-up smear, and trolls calling us "crazy" and "deluded" and "stupid." Maybe they’ll be here tonight. Whatever. I won’t read their posts anymore. I wish they’d leave us alone and go write a positive diary about why they believe their candidate will do great things for us — the last diary here touting his assets was posted months ago. They aren’t doing him or the progressive cause any favors, but that’s their thing — being angry and bitter and hateful because we’re not on board THEIR bus. It’s not mine.
Jennifer Brunner may lose tomorrow — or not. But I feel good knowing that I have devoted a year to possibly the best candidate I’ve seen for any office — one who supports and will fight for all the things we believe in, one who is not intimidated by attacks and uphill climbs, one who is decent and sincere and talks to people like they matter, not like they’re just someone to snow or to cadge a check from. I wish we had more people like her, up and down our tickets, in every state. Unfortunately, but understandably, many people with beliefs like hers just don’t want to be subjected to the kind of mocking, withering attacks she’s endured for no discernable reason. I’ve been told it’s one reason more women don’t want to run for office. Luckily, she’s not easily fazed.
I want to thank Jennifer for running and for staying in the race when no one thought she could do it and people were telling her to get out because it was hopeless, and some were even spreading rumors that she was about to quit as recently as February. It’s true you can’t always get what you want, and maybe we won’t. But that doesn’t mean you should ever stop fighting for it.