Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and it never will.
-Frederic Douglas
Remember back in 2003 when most elected officials went along with the destructive Bush agenda because they were afraid to stand up for what's right if standing up meant risking losing an election? Remember when most elected Democrats looked to polls before reaching a conclusion on great moral issues? Well, we stood up, and lead by Howard Dean, we began fighting to take our country - and our party - back.
The elections of 2006, 2008, and last night's victories in Pennsylvania - and the upcoming victory in Arkansas - show that our movement is growing. But we have lots more work to do.
My name is Jeremiah Frei-Pearson. I'm a Kossack, a community organizer, a civil rights lawyer who represents foster children, and I'm running for New York State Assembly, because I believe we will never fix the serious problems we face unless our elected officials come from the Democratic wing of the Democratic party. I hope you will follow me around the fold to learn more. . . .
In New York, even though we have had a Democratic Governor and a Democratic legislature for the last two years, our party has failed us. Corruption is endemic. We have an 8.2 billion dollar deficit, and Albany politicians are either ignoring the problem or trying to balance that deficit on the backs of working people and poor people. Where I live, in Astoria, Queens, we lost three hospitals in the last three years - and we have fewer hospital beds per person than in most of South America. Our state Senate - with a Democratic majority - voted against marriage equality.
Most people look at this situation and say that our state government is broken. On one level, they are right. But, more fundamentally, Albany - like D.C. in 2003 - isn't broken: our government works very well for the political insiders and the powerful interests who buy them. Even though most New Yorkers are disgusted by our broken government, there was a higher turnover rate in the Soviet politburo than there is in the New York State legislature. We can change this, but we have to stand up and fight to take our government back. I have spent my entire life fighting powerful interests on behalf of children and regular people; and I am looking forward to fighting to take back New York's government.
This is an incredibly serious step, but it's also lots of fun. Here's a video of my wife, Karla Mosley Frei-Pearson, at our campaign kickoff event:
When elected, I promise you that I will:
-I'll work tirelessly to restore a government that represents the people, not the political insiders and powerful interests. I will vote for real campaign finance reform and term limits. I will never take a dime of corporate money.
-I'll fight to improve our schools and health care. We must address our budget deficit but, as a member of the Democratic wing of the Democratic party, I know that we can never balance the budget on the backs of working class and poor people. The rich will have to pay their fair share.
-I'll fight to reduce poverty and help the 80,000 children in Queens who live in poverty.
-I'll do everything in my power to make sure health insurance companies aren't able to raise rates at will.
-I'll pass laws to make ConEdison truly accountable to the people of our community.
-I'll vote for marriage equality every chance I get until it's finally signed into law in NY. And I won't just vote for marriage equality, I will continue to fight for it.
My campaign is not supported by powerful interests or big power players, rather it's powered by the people who have known me as a local activist and champion of progressive causes for years. And despite being the underdog in this race, I'm proud to say the outpouring of support has been tremendous:
- Thanks to my strong grassroots support in Astoria and Long Island City, I set a fundraising record for our district in my first month.
- When I announced my candidacy a few weeks ago, despite a last minute change of venue due to rain, the event drew over 150 people who braved the pouring rain to show their support.
- So far, I've been endorsed by
Democracy for New York City,
the Jime Luce Stewardship Report, the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, and dozens of local leaders.
- We have devoted volunteers knocking on doors and I intend to meet every voter in my district... more than once!
But change is never easy, and powerful forces are allied against my candidacy. Will you help me keep this momentum going?
Please visit my new campaign website to learn more and spread the word about my campaign. Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter
And give what you can. Every dollar counts!
If we're going to take our government back, we're going to have to do it ourselves. I hope I can count on your help. I promise that, as an elected official, I will always represent the Democratic Wing of the Democratic party.