Last night, Congresswoman Donna Edwards spoke at a fundraiser for Carol Shea-Porter, in Gilmanton, NH. Carol Shea-Porter served 2 terms as the US Congressperson for NH CD-1. She was voted out during the noxious red tide that swept through the state (and the nation) in 2010.
I met Donna Edwards for the first time in 2008, at Netroots Nation in Austin, TX. I was at a small bookstore where Jim Hightower was having a book signing with some other folks. Jim saw my Carol Shea-Porter for Congress button and engaged me in enthusiastic conversation. He was aware of the grassroots triumph that was Carol's election to the US House in 2006, a story documented by Markos himself in his book Crashing the Gate. I was trying very hard (and succeeding) at controlling my inner giddy fangirl. Jim Hightower is one of my heroes. Then Donna Edwards came over, and he introduced me to her - and I had another giddy moment. Could this really be happening to little Miss Nobody from NH? It was an important Netroots Nation lesson: anything can happen at NN!
Donna Edwards spoke at NN later that day, and was dynamic, inspiring, and altogether fabulous. Good news - she hasn't changed. She spoke at the house party last night about what the last 2 years in Congress have been like, and why we need to take the House back. (In the middle of her speech she saved a Jack Russell terrier who was eating a chicken bone. Donna Edwards is Superwoman!) She also praised Carol Shea-Porter for the work that she did, and for the person she is as a legislator. That's pretty high praise, in my opinion. Donna Edwards is nobody's fool.
Our current Congressman, Frank Guinta has proven to be a corrupt obstructionist, who has done nothing useful while ensuring nothing useful gets done. He voted against funding for the Meals on Wheels program, then had his picture taken delivering meals on wheels in his district. He was opposed to the stimulus, yet had his picture taken at the ribbon cutting of a road that was built with stimulus money in his district. In 2010 he "discovered" a bank account he'd "forgotten" with $350,000 that he used to fund his first campaign. He's never adequately answered where that money came from.
One of Guinta's big issues in 2010 was franking. He and his teabagger devotees screamed often, and loudly, that Carol was abusing her House franking privileges, sending out propaganda to the masses. What fun it's been to visit my mailbox to receive the hundreds of big, glossy, multicolored mailers from Frank. Even more fun was learning that Frank was one of the top franking abusers in the current House. He spent some $308,000 on franking in just one year.
Frankly, Frank's done nothing for his district. A year ago, in Sept. 2011, tropical storm Irene came through NH and devastated the northern part of Frank's district. Houses and businesses were damaged, places that had never flooded before were flooded, and
roads and bridges were washed out. Both of our main access routes were damaged, one took over a week to repair. A temporary bridge had to be erected. It's still there. Repair work on the old bridge has yet to begin. Frank's response to the devastation in his district was to vote against giving FEMA more money to help us. Let's just say there is no shortage of reasons why Frank needs to go.
Carol doesn't take corporate PAC money, so her fundraisers are very important. She's an old hand at stretching a buck but every campaign does need money, especially given the kind of Citizens United cash flowing into Guinta's coffers.(Even his own party doesn't like him - but they want to reelect him anyway.)
I'm especially grateful to Donna Edwards for coming to NH to speak on behalf of "our" Carol at a fundraiser. When she learned that I do some blogging here at Kos, she told me I'd better go home and write about the fundraiser. As you can see, I took those instructions seriously.
It was a delight to see and hear her, and knowing how badly she wants Carol back in Washington how could we fail to cough up some cash?
And speaking of cash, if you can chip in a few bucks for Carol, we residents of NH's First Congressional District will be most appreciative. Here's the Daily Kos Act Blue Page for Carol Shea Porter.