On Saturday, I announced that I’ve decided to run for County Commissioner in Mitt Romney’s hometown of Bloomfield Hills (the district also includes Birmingham and Bloomfield Township, where I actually live). The response from the dKos community was very positive, with the diary shooting up the Rec list, lots of encouraging words and a number of donations, for which I’m extremely grateful.
However, several people wanted to know why I was using a standard payment processor instead of ActBlue, which is not only dedicated specifically to Democratic candidates but also has all sorts of nifty website widgets/social media sharing doohickies. The reason is simple: Their FAQ stated that they weren’t set up for local races in Michigan yet.
Well, it turns out that their FAQ was out of date; they are available for local races in Oakland County, Michigan, so I set an account up and voila!
Since so many had inquired specifically about ActBlue, I went ahead and reposted the diary yesterday evening, making note of the change. The response this time was...more muted. Still some nice thoughts and a couple of donations (which, again, I greatly appreciate!) but nothing near the original. I did, however, receive this lovely thought from an appropriately-named commenter (whose comment was hidden by others shortly thereafter):
Tool — Apr 26 · 07:29:05 PM
Go fucking ask Hillary for some cash. She has tons for down ticket races. The irony of this post that you're trying to solicit money from a base that you shit on for the last few months with your”objectivity”.
Not only was my repost apparently pushing the point (as well as being poorly timed when all eyes were on the 5-state primary results, it would seem), but the Bernie community here has still written me off as a CorporateShillEstablishmentSellOut etc etc simply because I’ve stated that I think achieving a single payer-like universal healthcare coverage system (which I support) will take 10-20 years via several incremental laws instead of 3-4 years via one big law. Or, perhaps those who felt like donating to my campaign have already done so, and that’s that, which is totally fine.
OK, I get it. It’s a long-shot race anyway, and there are plenty of other more significant races with better odds for progressive Democrats to support.
I ABSOLUTELY AGREE.
That’s why this diary is not about my campaign, but about a young woman named NICOLE BEDI.
Nicole is running for State Representative in Michigan’s 40th House District...which also happens to be where I live as well. She’s going up against a 2-term incumbent Republican, but her odds of winning her race, while still long, are better than mine due to the State House district covering a larger area. HD-40 includes a large chunk of West Bloomfield, which has a lot more Democrats than the other two Bloomfields.
Among other things, Nicole is heavily involved with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense.
Here’s some more of what makes her such a great progressive candidate:
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Gun Violence Prevention: The data is clear. 91 Americans are killed every single day in America, and we citizens need to take action to change the gun culture around us. I will fight to enact evidence-based legislation to keep our communities safer. I believe loaded firearms should not be carried by civilians in sensitive areas like schools, bars, stadiums, and hospitals. I also believe that universal background checks should be required for all firearms purchases.
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Public Education: I believe we need to provide adequate funding to promote excellence in public schools, and should provide equitable resources to all districts. Children should not be educationally-disadvantaged based on where they live. Higher education should be affordable, and students attending college should not graduate with crippling debt. Those who do not go to college should receive the support that they need to enter a skilled trade.
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Women's Health: I believe that women should be able to make their own decisions about their reproductive health, and should be allowed the access to healthcare that they need to make these decisions.
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Support for Working Families: I believe that new parents should be allowed time to bond and nourish newborn infants without financial stress of unpaid family leave. I support paid sick days for all employees, because families shouldn't have to choose between their health and their paycheck.
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Environment: I believe we need to ensure our children grow up with clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. The Great Lakes are some of Michigan’s most valuable resources. We need to ensure our environmental agencies are looking out for the best interests of our citizens over corporations, with full oversight and transparency. Furthermore, only 14% of Michigan households routinely recycle -- we can do better. We have to encourage and incentivize families to think about our environment to ensure we preserve a sustainable Michigan.
Oh, yeah, and one more thing: Nicole supports Bernie Sanders.
The truth is, as much as I obviously want to win my own race, it’s far more vital that Democrats take control of the Michigan State House.
The GOP-controlled Michigan legislature, in collusion with GOP Gov. Rick Snyder, has done unbelievable amounts of damage to the state over the past 5 years, in every area from gutting public education to letting our roads crumble to hurting the environment and giving massive tax cuts to corporations.
We won’t be able to kick out Snyder for another year and a half (well, unless the recall petition works or he resigns), and the state Senate terms aren’t up until 2018 either...but the state House is on the table every two years. If we can retake the state House, we can at least stop Snyder et al from making things WORSE…while hopefully also setting ourselves up for retaking the state Senate and Governor’s office in 2018 as well.
Therefore, for anyone who finds me not up to snuff, I ask you to please consider donating to Nicole Bedi’s campaign instead.
(Of course, if anyone does happen to feel like throwing a few bucks my way as well, you can do that too...)
UPDATE: Changed headline and made slight edits to the wording per the kerfuffle in the comments.