Some dKos members have decided that I’m not progressive enough because I decided to support Hillary instead of Bernie. OK, fair enough; I get it. HOWEVER, there’s another candidate running for office here in Michigan who every dKos member should be supporting: 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. It’s a tough district (like mine, it includes Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and Bloomfield Township), but it also includes a large chunk of West Bloomfield, which is considerably more Democratic-leaning).
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 (but is OK supporting Hillary if she’s the nominee as well).
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 stop Snyder and the state Senate GOP 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...)
NOTE: This is mostly a repeat of a diary I posted last week. Some didn’t like the way I worded some of it, so I’ve modified the wording a bit to focus more on the real point, which is what an awesome candidate Nicole is.